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South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun has been nominated for best actor at this year's International Emmy Awards for his performance in the sci-fi thriller "Dr. Brain."







According to the nominations list for the 50th edition on Sunday (Korean time), Lee was among the four candidates for Best Performance by an Actor along with Sverrir Gudnason in "A Royal Secret" from Sweden, Scoot McNairy in "Narcos: Mexico" from Mexico and Dougray Scott in "Irvine Welsh's Crime" from Britain.







Lee, who took the lead role in the Oscar-winning "Parasite" (2019), is the second Korean actor to be nominated in the category following Jang Hyuk who nabbed the first Emmy nod with the historical drama "The Slave Hunters" in 2011.







In "Dr. Brain," the first Korean-language original of Apple TV+, Lee played a genius cerebral scientist who is obsessed with figuring out new technologies to access the consciousness and memories of the brain in order to find out the truth of his wife's death.







In the best telenovela section, KBS' historical romance "The King's Affection" was also nominated with "Nos Tempos Do Imperador" from Brazil, "Two Lives" from Spain and "You Are My Hero" from China.







Starring Park Eun-bin and Rowoon, the 20-part series is about a fictional princess of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) who has been raised as her deceased twin brother and becomes a king.







It was on the top 10 of Netflix's official weekly viewership chart for non-English TV series for 10 weeks in a row.







The 50th International Emmy Awards will take place on Nov. 21 in New York. (Yonhap)


House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield), at lectern, recently unveiled what Republicans plan if they take control of the House. That prospect seems highly likely, given the political climate and the congressional map. (Alex Wong / Getty Images)

With election day now just over five weeks away, we peer into our crystal ball  which is foggier than a summer morning in San Francisco  and answer questions.

Lets get right to it. Will Republicans take control of Congress?

I have absolutely no clue.

So what good are you?

Thats something my bosses have been asking for years.

Seriously. Are things that uncertain?

Yes and no.

With the proviso that politics, like life, is full of surprises, it seems pretty certain Republicans will take control of the House for the first time since they lost the majority in 2018, in the last midterm election.

Defying polls and many, ahem, pundits, the GOP gained 14 House seats in 2020 even as President Trump lost the White House. (If you still insist on believing that election was stolen, you may want to quit reading here and go re-up your membership in the Flat Earth Society.)

Go on.

With that considerable head start, Republicans need only five seats to take back the House. The GOP is poised to pick up four seats just through the partisan drawing of congressional districts that followed the last census. So they're almost there.

Heck, Republicans could gain four seats in Florida alone, where Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed the handiwork of the GOP-run Legislature to push through a political map that's even more egregiously slanted in the party's favor.

Of course, Republicans are also defending a number of seats, including several in California. But it would take something close to a miracle for Democrats to hang onto the House.

What about the Senate?

That's far less clear.

The chamber is split 50-50, with Democrats enjoying nominal control thanks to Vice President Kamala Harris, who is on permanent standby to break ties. That's how President Biden has managed to pass a good deal of his agenda.

Yes, but what about the election?

For a time, it seemed Republicans would pick up three or more Senate seats, easily regaining the majority they lost in January 2021. (Two Georgia contests went into overtime after the November 2020 election, and Democrats won both runoffs.)

But today the fight for control seems like a toss-up.

A pair of uber-Trumpy nominees, Blake Masters in Arizona and Don Bolduc in New Hampshire, may have removed those states, which backed Biden in 2020, from the competitive category for Republicans.

Democrats are also faring better than expected, for the moment anyway, in Republican-tilting Ohio and North Carolina.

So it all comes down to the Buckeye and Tar Heel states?

Probably not.

Control of the Senate will most likely be decided by four states: Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Biden carried each of those, but not by much.

In Nevada and Georgia, respectively, incumbents Catherine Cortez Masto and Raphael Warnock are defending Democratic-held seats, while Republican Ron Johnson is seeking his third term in Wisconsin. The Senate race in Pennsylvania is for an open seat held by retiring Republican Patrick J. Toomey.

Wisconsin and Pennsylvania are looking better for the GOP than they had been, as Republicans increasingly lean into the crime issue. So it could come down to Nevada and Georgia.

Well, at least we'll know one way or the other on Nov. 8, or soon after.

Not necessarily. If no candidate wins a majority in Georgia, there will be a Dec. 6 runoff. So there may be another month of campaigning before control of the Senate is known.

Oy.What do polls show?

Surveys suggest most of the key Senate races are exceedingly close. But bear in mind, this is a highly unusual midterm election, which means any forecasts should be taken with an extra dollop of caution.

Unusual how?

There are all sorts of never-before variables.

No one alive has ever seen anything like the Jan. 6 insurrection. The Supreme Court's June decision overturning the 50-year-old right to abortion is also without modern precedent, and has already reshaped the political landscape by energizing Democrats. Usually it's the party out of power in Washington that is better able to rally its supporters.

And then, not least, there's the congenitally attention-seeking Trump. He's kept himself brashly in the news like no other ex-president, drawing at least some of the focus away from Biden ahead of the midterms, which are typically a referendum on the incumbent and his policies.

All of that has boosted Democratic hopes that November will bring something more akin to a red wavelet than a tsunami. But there's still a considerable ways to go.

Isn't there a cliche that goes here?

The one about so-many-days being a lifetime in politics?

That's it!

Uh, pass.

Anything else worth noting?

There are 36 gubernatorial races. Most, however, are like California's, where Democrat Gavin Newsom is waltzing to reelection  which is to say they are unlikely to result in a partisan shift in power.

Two likely exceptions are Maryland and Massachusetts, blue states that seem destined to flip to Democrats after Republicans nominated Trump loyalists.

The best hopes for Republican gains appear to be in Kansas, Nevada and Wisconsin. In the meantime, an unusual three-way contest in Oregon has raised the prospect that the Democratic-leaning state could elect an independent as governor, or maybe even a Republican for the first time in 40 years.

So much of the focus has been on Congress.

True. And that overlooks the growing importance of state races, as policies on abortion, guns and other issues are coming more and more to depend on which party holds power at that level.

Significantly, you also have several states where election deniers are running for governor, including Arizona and Wisconsin  where Republicans Kari Lake and Tim Michels, respectively, could cause all sorts of trouble if they win, gaining swayover the 2024 election in those presidential battlegrounds.

At the same time, you have Trump foot soldiers running for secretary of state in several key states  among them Arizona, Michigan and Nevada  where they would directly control the election machinery in 2024, threatening further chicanery and chaos in service of the former president's Big Lie.

Scary!

It is. We could insert some crack here about the flat Earth, Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and other fictive things people believe in.

But it's no joke.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks Friday during a ceremony at the Kremlin to formally annex four regions of Ukraine. (Grigory Sysoyev / Kremlin Pool Photo via Associated Press)

After weeks of reverses, Russias army is still losing ground in the battlefields of Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putins response, characteristically, has been to escalate on other fronts.

Putin expanded the military draft, announcing a call-up of 300,000 reservists and prompting an exodus of Russian men to neighboring countries.

On Friday, he formally announced Russias annexation of four Ukrainian provinces, turning them  at least rhetorically  into Russian territory that he can never negotiate away.

Most chilling, Putin renewed threats that he is ready to use nuclear weapons if Ukraines troops try to take those provinces back.

In the event of a threat to the territorial integrity of our country  we will certainly make use of all weapon systems available to us, he said. This is not a bluff.

On that count, Putin may be telling the truth.

It isnt a bluff, Fiona Hill, who served on the National Security Council staff under President Trump, told me. Hes losing on the battlefield, so hes trying to intimidate Ukraine and the West into giving up.

If Putin faces the imminent prospect of losing the war, hes likely to use nuclear weapons before being defeated, warned Matthew Kroenig of the Atlantic Council, a former Pentagon strategist. This is probably the closest weve come to nuclear use since at least the 1980s.

The weapons Putin is brandishing arent the massive long-range missiles aimed at the United States in the Cold War balance of terror. The targets wouldnt be New York or Washington; that kind of strike would provoke an immediate U.S. nuclear response.

Instead, hes threatening to use some of the estimated 2,000 tactical nuclear weapons that Russia has stockpiled for battlefield use  smaller warheads, but potentially devastating. Some of those low-yield nukes are as powerful as the bomb the United States dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima in 1945, killing at least 70,000. Some are larger.

Strategists suggest that Putin may be considering several options: He could detonate a demonstration shot over the Black Sea or a remote rural area to grab the worlds attention.

More likely, he could target large concentrations of Ukrainian troops in hopes of changing the military momentum on the ground.

Or he could attack Ukraines capital, Kyiv, in an attempt to decapitate the Ukrainian government  an act that could also kill tens of thousands of civilians.

In each case, his larger goal would presumably be the same: to shock Ukrainians, Europeans and Americans into standing down from the war and accepting his territorial demands.

To which the U.S. response has been straightforward: It wont work.

Any use of nuclear weapons will be met with catastrophic consequences for Russia, Jake Sullivan, President Bidens national security advisor, said last week. The United States will respond decisively  and we will continue to support Ukraine in its efforts to defend its country.

Sullivan refused to spell out publicly what those catastrophic consequences might be.

But other officials have long made an important point: The U.S. response to a Russian nuclear strike in Ukraine need not be nuclear in return.

Conventional strikes against Russian military targets using long-range missiles with precision-guided warheads could have equal military impact with fewer negative side effects.

U.S. or Ukrainian forces could use U.S.-supplied missiles to destroy the Russian bases that launched the nuclear attack, sink Russias Black Sea fleet or both.

A nonnuclear response could have several advantages. It would avoid putting the United States and Russia on a Cold War-style ladder of nuclear escalation. It could avoid allowing Putin to paint his war in Ukraine as a struggle against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. And it could help the U.S. and its allies rally global opposition to Russia as the only country to break the post-World War II taboo against the use of nuclear weapons.

It could also help the Biden administration preserve two goals that have sometimes been in tension: supplying Ukraine with enough weapons to defeat Russias invasion while seeking to avoid  or at least limit  direct combat between Russia and NATO.

We are doing everything we can to help the Ukrainians to defend themselves, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said last week. Were also determined that this war not expand.

Or, as Biden has put it more bluntly, Were trying to avoid World War III.

A Russian nuclear strike on Ukraine would inevitably bring World War III a step closer. The challenge for Biden is to persuade Putin that such an attack would be a losing proposition  and, if deterrence fails, to keep the conflict that follows from spiraling out of control.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Social justice minister Shona Robison told BBC Scotland the Scottish Government would be in uncharted waters if public sector budgets are cut by the UK government after Liz Truss would not rule out slashing spending.

Speaking to Radio Scotland on Sunday, Ms Robison said cuts would mean difficulties across all of our public services.

The comments came following prime minister Liz Truss interview on BBCs Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg where she did not rule out cuts to public sector spending.

Prime Minister Liz Truss on the BBC1 current affairs programme, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg where she did not rule out cutting public spending. (Stefan Rousseeau/PA)

If our budget is cut by the Tory government, that will mean difficulties across all of our public services including public sector pay, but we have been trying through the resources we do have to give fair offers to public sector workers, Ms Robison said.

Were trying to do what we can, but if our budget is cut, then we will be in really uncharted waters.

The Dundee MSP said the Scottish Government wouldcontinue to take action over the cost of living crisis, but warned they could not mitigate everything, if budgets are cut.

Well continue to take action but we cannot mitigate everything and if public sector budgets are cut, that will be devastating for the budget of the Scottish Government, and it will hamper what we can do.

She outlined action the Scottish Government had already taken on the cost of living crisis including 3 billion targeted at low income households.

Emergency legislation on a rent freeze for tenants and moratorium on evictions for six months will also be debated at the Scottish parliament this week, she said.

Nicola Sturgeon has already made it clear the Scottish Government, which has the power to set its own income tax bands, will not be following the UK government in implementing tax cuts.

Weve also been clear that we will look at very carefully what we can do and what we should do in the context of the emergency budget review later this month, and thats the right and proper way to go, she added.

But its not just us saying the tax cuts from the Tories are folly, the IMF of all institutions are saying they are going to increase inequality.

So of course, were not going to do something that increases inequality.

The UK government will fund the 5% cut in the top rate of tax through record borrowing.

Ms Robison was asked whether this was the ideal economic model in the event of Scottish independence.

Well, other countries have borrowed but they have not introduced the tax regime that the Tories have if you look at Ireland and theyve just announced 11 billion euro of stimulus which is going to actually help households to the tune of over 2000 euros and that is a balanced package, she responded.

Its not a package that benefits the rich as I said, The Resolution Foundations said that nearly half of the tax gains and financial gains are going to the richest 5% in this country.

Thats not what other countries are doing.

Presenter Martin Geissler put to Ms Robison that Scotland would be deeply in the mire if Scotland was independent as there would be no lender of last resort available.

No, I dont believe we would be, Ms Robison responded.

Were deeply in the mire with the UK Government and this union that ties us into the policies that are cutting taxes for the rich.

If we had independence, we would be able to make our own decisions we would be able to borrow.
Irelands premier has said he detects a genuine wish from Liz Truss to resolve the impasse over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Micheal Martin said there was a need for the EU and UK to now enter a process to negotiate a settlement over the contentious post-Brexit trading arrangements.

Officials from London and Brussels are set to hold discussions on the outstanding issues following a call on Friday between Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic.

The protocol, which was agreed by the UK and EU as part of the Withdrawal Agreement, has created trade barriers on goods being shipped from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

Micheal Martin (Niall Carson/PA)

The arrangements are vehemently opposed by many unionists in Northern Ireland and the DUP is currently blocking the formation of a powersharing executive in Belfast in protest.

The UK Government will assume a legal duty to call a snap Assembly election in the region if a devolved administration is not reconstituted by the end of October.

Mr Martin was commenting on the prospects of a deal on the protocol emerging before that deadline.

I had a positive and warm meeting with Liz Truss when we met the weekend of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth, the Taoiseach told RTE.

I did to be fair detect a genuine engagement and a wish to get this issue resolved.

I think she would prefer a negotiated solution and the subsequent meeting between Liz Truss and Ursula von der Leyen (European Commission president) went well also and I think in many respects its about getting this into a process between the European Union and the United Kingdom to get this issue resolved once and for all, not least because of the issues (like) the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis.

Europe and United Kingdom need to be acting together on that.

Really the protocol should not be an issue causing that degree of distress in the relationship between the European Union and the United Kingdom.

Last week, Prime Minister Ms Truss said she remained open to a negotiated solution but again warned she would act unilaterally to address problems with the protocol, by way of domestic legislation at Westminster, if a deal with Brussels proved elusive.

The Governments Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which is progressing through Parliament, would empower ministers to rip up parts of the protocol without the approval of the EU.

Brussels says it would represent a breach of international law and could prompt retaliatory action.
Hate speech, based on suspicion, violence and hostility between religious communities, is directly antithetical to Gandhijis core beliefs

Few can question that the amount of hatred that is spewed on prime-time TV under the garb of debate, is uncivilised, undemocratic and an incitement to violence. (Photo | Flickr - John S. Quarterman)

On Mahatma Gandhis birth anniversary, it is customary to pay tribute to him at especially organised official functions. Yet, how much of his legacy do we actually internalise? The bhajans he loved are a fixed feature of these annual rituals. Do we remember what their essential message is? For a man, who could sing, Ishwar Allah tero naam, do we stop to think how dramatically this clarion call is being vitiated today?

Narratives are not written in stone. Some modifications, even correctives, are necessary to allow new narratives to emerge. What we need to analyze is how much of the old needs to be jettisoned, and what of the new is really desirable. Gandhijis message of tolerance, inclusion, respect for all religions, is a narrative that we can only reject or dilute at great peril to the verifiably plural, muti-religious, multi-cultural vibrancy of our nation. Indias civilisational unity has myriads of ways of expression, a vast diversity, humbling and enrichening. The resilience of Indias nationhood is conditional on preserving that diversity in unity.

Hate speech, based on suspicion, violence and hostility between religious communities, is directly antithetical to Gandhijis core beliefs. If we genuinely believe in what the Father of Our Nation stood for, we need to resolutely fight it. But the way to do it requires careful thought. That requires perennial democratic vigilance, something that the Mahatma always believed in.

Few can question that the amount of hatred that is spewed on prime-time TV under the garb of debate, is uncivilised, undemocratic and an incitement to violence. Recently, Justices K.M. Joseph and Hrishikesh Roy of the Supreme Court tried valiantly to deal with this issue. The learned bench asked an anguished question: Why is the government standing as a mute witness to hate speech, treating it as a trivial matter? The Court gave a partial diagnosis for this trend by saying: Hate drives TRPs, drives profit. It questioned the role of anchors who encouraged such vitriolic face-offs. Political parties will come and go, the Justices observed, but the nation must endure. Among the possible solutions they considered were guidelines like those laid down in the Vishakha case to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. The most important point is where is our nation headed? the Bench asked. If it is hate-speech that we are feeding on, where is our nation headed?

The Supreme Courts genuine concern on this issue was evident. But an enduring and effective solution cannot be ensured by guidelines, strengthening existing laws, or creating new ones. On the contrary this may only end up in strengthening the States predatory powers against those who oppose it, and become a further barrier against the constitutionally guaranteed fundamental right of free speech.

The problem is that hate speech is nowhere precisely defined. Article 153A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) says that promotion of enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony is punishable by three years imprisonment. Section 505 of the IPC makes it an offence to make statements of communal mischief. There are similar provisions in the Representation of Peoples Act.

But who is to interpret what hate speech is? If this initial power is with the government and its law enforcing agencies, it greatly widens their scope of arbitrary punitive action. We have seen this happen in other laws like the draconian sedition law, and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). Since 2014, sedition cases have been filed against 405 people, a 28 per cent increase compared to UPA rule. Of these, 149 cases have been slapped on those who have made critical or derogatory comments against Prime Minister Modi, and 144 against those who have made such comments against UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath.

If this is the distorted manner in which the State has interpreted the sedition law, what prevents it from doing the same with regard to guidelines, or new legal provisions against hate speech? Such malafide partisanship in interpretation could militate against the fundamental right of free speech mandated by Article 19(1a) of the Constitution, which categorically states: All citizens shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression. The serious worry is that under the garb of preventing hate speech, the right to freedom of speech and expression could be stifled.

There are other procedural problems. How will such a law be implemented with regard to YouTube and social media? How will it differentiate between mere criticism and hate speech? But ultimately, the reality is that TV is a reflection of the dominant socio-political debate in the nation. This debate is inextricably linked to politics, and the policies of the government. If the government is itself complicit in engendering suspicion and hostility between religious communities for short term political dividends, how long can TV channels, anchors and, even more importantly, corporate media owners oppose this trend? If the political will exists, existing laws on hate speech will suffice. If it does not, new guidelines mandated by the Supreme Court, or new provisions in law, will not work.

The worst of all options would be to have new laws that dont prove effective in preventing hate speech, yet can be weaponised by the State to curb the sacrosanct freedom of speech and expression.

Ultimately, therefore, we have to go back to the original vision of Mahatma Gandhi, which is to conquer hate. Narratives will clash as nations evolve, but hate should not and must not dictate change. Equally, genuine democracy and freedom of speech, were the bedrock of Gandhijis ideology. Our government needs to ponder over this. If an enabling milieu is created for the proliferation of hate, and laws to curb it are used to stifle freedom of speech, Gandhijis unshakeable belief in freedom, love and mutual respect, will fail. Posterity will judge if we betrayed the Mahatma even as we paid tribute to him every year on his birth anniversary.
Mr Kharge as Congress president will play the same role that Manmohan Singh played as Prime Minister, writes Sanjaya Baru

Mallikarjun Kharge represents continuity, asserted Shashi Tharoor, whereas I represent change. In so saying, Mr Tharoor has pitted himself not just against Mr Kharge, but Rahul Gandhi as well. RG is supposed to be the agent and symbol of change. The party needs both the symbols of continuity and change as it seeks to relaunch itself.

Many in New Delhis political commentariat have mocked the Congress Party for what they see as a faux election. However, there is some method in this madness. It is perhaps fair to assume that the original plan to get Rajasthans chief minister Ashok Gehlot to take up party presidentship was partly also a surreptitious attempt to get him out of the state, to enable sending Sachin Pilot as his replacement. It backfired for a simple reason.

One of the basic lessons that students of Indian State power learn is that there are only three offices of the State that really matter in power terms -- PM, CM and DM. Prime Minister, chief minister and district magistrate, or collector. Each one of them enjoys constitutional authority for independent action that few other functionaries of the State do. So, why should a chief minister who has majority support in his state give up that power to take on an essentially ornamental party post?

Ornamental because no party president can act independently of those who matter within the power structure of the party. J.P. Nadda of the BJP should know that well. He is even more ornamental, taking instructions from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and the RSS bosses. That is the power structure that a BJP president has to deal with.

Ashok Gehlot, Digvijaya Singh, Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor know very well that in the Congress Party a successful tenure as party president would require constant consultations with Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. So, the presidents of both the national parties have to work in tandem with the partys real power centres. Most of the regional political parties are anyway run by the leaders near and dear ones.

Therefore, the criticism that the Congress Party presidential elections are a sham is unfair and misses the point. The point is that the so-called high command has finally understood that political legitimacy within the party is a necessary condition for a leader to secure wider public support. Sonia Gandhi succeeded in her effort to foist herself on the party because the party organisation was under the control of Rajiv Gandhi loyalists, who helped her stage a coup against Sitaram Kesri. Her elevation was in sharp contrast to P.V. Narasimha Raos daring political decision to get himself elected as party president in 1992, defeating powerful rivals. Sonia Gandhi, however, failed to ensure dynastic succession and RG has had to find other ways to secure his control over the party organisation. The padayatra is aimed at just that.

The Digvijaya Singh interlude was stillborn. It was always well known that even within his own state, Madhya Pradesh, his support base is extremely narrow. His election would not have sent out any important political message. Shashi Tharoor's self-sponsored candidature, hailed by friends in the Lutyens Delhi media, was like his contesting for the post of United Nations Secretary-General.

The result was not to be in the actual outcome of the election. No one expected Mr Tharoor to win in the UNSG race, and no one expects him to win in the party election. But there is nothing wrong in entering a race and making a point or two.

Mr Kharge as Congress president will play the same role that Manmohan Singh played as Prime Minister. Keep the Nehru-Gandhi family in play. Both were smart political decisions, hitting many buttons. While many have pointed to Mr Kharges age, the fact is that it is his caste and regional identity that serve a temporary political purpose. No point pooh-poohing such considerations in politics. They matter. Mr Kharge is a Dalit from Karnataka, and elections are looming in that state. Interestingly, his candidature was announced the day RGs padayatra entered Karnataka.

An election for the post of party president in 2022 is not about who will lead the party in the elections of 2024. Make no mistake, RG will. What RG needs in the run-up to the general election is an organisation man, much like Mr Modis J.P. Nadda, who will manage the dull and boring day-to-day organisational matters and can lend an ear to the party cadre across the country. Mr Tharoor is essentially a non-organisation man. Flamboyant, charming, articulate, media savvy, and so on. All the characteristics that RG should have as the partys mascot. What the party internally needs is Mr Kharges patient ear more than Mr Tharoors smart mouth.

Once the Bharat Jodo Yatra is done, the Congress leadership has to come to terms with the ground reality of its diminished political presence across the country. Gaining more seats at the expense of the Left Front in Kerala is not smart politics. The Left and the Congress are now joined at the hip. What the Congress needs is to gain at the expense of the BJP and allow other non-BJP parties that are explicitly hostile to the BJP and are unlikely to switch sides to retain their space.

The Narendra Modi-Amit Shah BJP is still well ahead of its rivals, but the ground beneath its feet is shifting. Consider how much time and effort Prime Minister Modi is devoting to his pocket borough, Gujarat. He is taking no chances. Which means that chances exist for others. The Hindi-speaking states are wavering. Bihar has already slipped away. The BJP will still be the single largest party in Parliament in 2024, and may well retain a simple majority, but the prospects for the non-BJP parties are not entirely hopeless. Politics is, after all, the art of the possible.

Pushed to the wall by the BJP, the non-BJP parties have demonstrated the capacity to fight back. Mamata Banerjee did so in West Bengal and K. Chandrashekhar Rao is doing so in Telangana. The Congress Party too has to demonstrate to its own cadres its capacity, willingness and imagination to fight back. The padayatra and the organisational elections may serve this internal purpose. If they do, the party would have the energy required, if not the funds, to take on the far bigger challenge of defeating the BJP.




"Confidential Assignment 2: International," the action-comedy sequel to a 2017 hit, became the third Korean film to top 6 million tickets sold on Sunday.







According to the film's distributor, CJ ENM, the film, starring Hyun Bin and Yoo Hae-jin, reached over the 6 million mark at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, 26 days after its premiere.







It joined "The Roundup" and "Hansan: Rising Dragon" in the 6-million club among Korean flicks in 2022. "Confidential Assignment 2" also moved past "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" as the fourth-most successful film in Korea this year.







The sequel film features a special trilateral investigative project of South Korea, North Korea and the United States to catch a villainous criminal.







Hyun made his return to the silver screen as the North Korean agent Lim Chol-ryong, with Yoo as South Korean detective Kang Jin-tae and Daniel Henney as Jack, an FBI agent.







The first installment of "Confidential Assignment" drew 7.8 million moviegoers. (Yonhap)


His remains transferred to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. He was the pastor of the Synod of the local Church and the Bridge to Mainland China .

Hong Kong (AsiaNews) - This week the diocese is commemorating the 20th anniversary of the death of Cardinal John Baptist Wu Cheng-chung, which took place on September 23, 2002.

Cardinal Wu was the fifth bishop of Hong Kong who led the diocese for 27 years, from 1975 until his death. On 28 September to mark the commemoration, the remains of the cardinal, who had been buried in St Michael's Cemetery in Hong Kong, were transferred to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, in the presence of a large number of clergy. The current bishop, Stephen Chow, presided over a Mass in the cathedral in his memory, on 4 October at 3pm.

Coinciding with these events, this week's issue of the Sunday Examiner, the weekly newspaper of the diocese of Hong Kong, devotes ample space to remembering the magisterium and pastoral work of Cardinal Wu, through two articles written by Fr. Sergio Ticozzi, PIME missionary.

"The choice of Fr. John Baptist Wu Cheng-Chung as bishop of Hong Kong in 1975," Fr. Ticozzi recalls, "sparked some negative reactions at the local level, since he came from Taiwan and was considered an 'outsider'; some of the clergy wanted a local as bishop. Taking over the leadership of the diocese without the full support of the clergy was a strong challenge for the bishop. This, together with some negative experiences, as well as the difficult challenges of Hong Kong's political situation and, later, health concerns burdened his heart throughout his tenure. However, Bishop Wu was able to face all challenges in a positive and serene manner, keeping a low profile and avoiding the limelight, as he was a humble man who lived a simple life. Indeed, under his leadership, the diocese underwent significant changes and reforms'.

Fr. Ticozzi particularly remembers his open listening style: his 1989 pastoral letter 'On the path to the decade of light: on the pastoral commitment of the diocese of Hong Kong' was the result of a consultation that gathered 12,000 responses from Catholics.

In 1990, he initiated a reorganisation plan for the diocese with the Council of Priests and a mixed group of religious and laity. He was also responsible for the diocesan synod that Hong Kong celebrated between 2000 and 2001 with the aim of assessing the pastoral needs and future prospects of evangelisation in the diocese at the beginning of the third millennium.

But Cardinal Wu was above all the man who fully realised the vocation of the Church of Hong Kong to be a bridge with Mainland China. Fr Ticozzi recalls how he was born on March 26, 1925 in Ng-Wa [Wuhua] County, in the diocese of Kaying [now Meizhou], Guangdong.

He had studied in the local minor seminary until 1946, when he entered the South China Regional Seminary in Hong Kong. He had always maintained a special emotional bond with his native place, even though he had not been able to maintain direct contact until he became the bishop of Hong Kong in 1975'.

In 1985 he received an invitation from the Beijing authorities to visit his homeland: it was the first of three historic trips to the People's Republic of China that he made in 1985, 1986 and 1994. And already at the beginning of the 1980s in Hong Kong he had set up the Holy Spirit Centre to support the Church in China.

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To celebrate the companys 25th anniversary, Lamborghini designed and built the most refined version of the Countach, with help from Horacio Pagani. Intended as a limited edition, it was very well-received, so 657 units were made between 1988 and 1990. (The Diablo was actually intended as the celebration model, but the prototype wasnt ready in 1988, so it had to wait until 1990.)The one were looking at today was made in 1989 and bought by the current owner in 2020. Besides the 15 OZ Racing wheels, its all black, inside and out. Although it has only 4,745 km (2,948 miles) on the odometer, chassis number ZA9CA05A4KLA12711 was damaged on the front and left front side due to a 2007 accident.Power is sent to the rear wheels via a 5.2-liter V12 engine thats paired with a five-speed manual transmission, operated with the gated shifter. Four-wheel ventilated disc brakes will help bring the car to a stop. The all-matching black leather interior features power-adjustable bucket seats, electronic climate control, an Alpine CD stereo, and power windows.Stand-out exterior features include a V-shaped rear wing and pop-up headlights, along with the iconic scissor doors and air intakes.In 2021, the car got a little tune-up here and there  replacement door, hood, and decklid struts, a new rear suspension arm, engine mounts, spark plugs, fuel accumulators, and interior lights were all installed that year. A brake fluid flush was also performed.This iconic Lambo is going, going, and will be gone in about two days. With 20 bids on the Bring a Trailer auction (and probably more on the way), the seller is already set to pocket over $315k.
kW

This incredible journey would forever be remembered in the Guinness World Records as the First Circumnavigation by Helicopter, and would get H. Ross Perot, Jr. and Jay W. Coburn the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) Gold Medal from the U.S. President at the time, Ronald Reagan.Perot and Coburn were the bold pilots who completed the pioneering flight, successfully ending with a landing in Texas on September 30, 1982. The air vehicle that made it all possible was a Bell 206L LongRanger II, known as Spirit of Texas. Since Bell is now celebrating the 40th anniversary of this memorable achievement, its a great time to take a look at what happened back then.In 1975, Bell kicked off production of the 206L LongRanger, a light helicopter described as the stretched version of the Bell 206B JetRanger. Just a few years later, in 1982, one of these rotorcraft would take to the sky with a very ambitious goal  to fly around the world, something that no helicopter had done before. At the time, only 43 years had passed since the first helicopter flight ever. Range and comfort were still far from what they can offer today, which made the project even more challenging.The 42-foot-long (12.8 meters) 206L LongRanger, weighing 2,600 lb (1,179 kg) didnt just take to the sky exactly as it was. First of all, it was stripped of everything that wasnt necessary (non-essential features). Then, it was fitted with an additional fuel tank, a mandatory asset for such a long journey. It would end up making 56 refueling stops along the 29-day trip.It was also prepared for potential water landing, with the help of some pop-out floats. Its bright, vibrant colors werent for show, but to make sure that other pilots could clearly spot it and avoid any mishaps. Last but not least, it was also equipped with the best navigation, communication, and safety systems available.Powered by an Allison 250-C28B turbine engine, the Spirit of Texas took off from Dallas, Texas, close to its manufacturers headquarters. It would land in Texas after 29 days, three hours and eight minutes, having crossed 26 countries, and 22 oceans and seas. The world record was well-deserved  Spirit of Texas had covered 26,000 miles (41,843 km) in 246,5 hours of flight.The victory wasnt just about range, but also about speed. Not only was this the first world circumnavigation by helicopter, but it also broke the fastest point-to-point speed record. This was done on September 7, when Perot and Coburn hit 111.47 mph (179.3 kph) flew from London to Marseilles. For the rest of the trip, the average speed was 35.9 mph (56.9 kph).One of the most remarkable moments of the historic flight was a landing onboard an American container ship. Because the Spirit of Texas couldnt land on the Russian Kuril Islands, as it was supposed to, it had to do that onboard the S.S. President McKcinley instead, to refuel. Heavy winds and giant waves only made the unplanned landing in the North Pacific Ocean even more difficult.Prior to that, the two pilots had flown to Canada, and to Europe. The Bell helicopter must have been a real sight when it landed at the Farnborough International Airshow, in the UK. After refueling in places like Naples and Athens, the helicopter crossed the Mediterranean to North Africa.By the middle of the journey, it was making several stops in India, followed by Burma, and Japan. After the risky landing on the container ship, it would continue its trip to Dallas, with no incidents other than having to chase a bear off the runway. Unsurprisingly, that happened in Alaska.We can only imagine the excitement of those who witnessed the record-breaking Spirit of Texas landing back in Dallas. Today, we can only admire this pioneer at the Steven V. Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum, in Chantilly, Virginia.As for the Bell 206L LongRanger series, it continued to operate. Its current version, the Bell 206L LongRanger IV, entered service in 1992, powered by a Rolls-Royce Allison 250-C30P engine with 415of continuous power. It can seat up to seven people, and its equipped with Rockwell Collins Microline avionics.According to Bell, its 206 and more recent 505 series of light, single-engine rotorcraft are still some of the most user-friendly platforms, and the 206Ls longevity seems to confirm it.eVTOLs may be the new kids on the block, but theyve still got a long way to go before achieving something as significant as Spirit of Texas historic flight.
When you buy yourself a Lamborghini, ideally you want it to be in good condition. Not the case for one particular Leicester fellow, who ended up buying one thats seen some better days.This green 2002 Murcielago has many problems and missing components. Its been frozen in time for seven years, gathering dust, and definitely needs a lot of work  but Mat Armstrong isnt afraid of a challenge.The car ended up at an indefinite pit stop because of a chain rattle; the mechanic who was working on the issue left the company which owned the car, and the problem was never fixed.Hence, the V12-powered Lambo has no actual V12 in the back, and many other parts are also missing (such as the gated shifter, the instrument cluster, and many bits and pieces from all over the place). Not to mention the cars body wrap is peeling away, and the 18-inch alloy wheels are all cracked up, probably due to prolonged heat exposure.The good news is that the missing components are lying around in crates and boxes, but figuring out what works and what doesnt, then which one goes where, is going to take a while. Add to that the potential of additional costs for spare parts, on top of the already-high asking price for the car, and this whole project could turn into a money pit in no time flat.You can take a glimpse at the Lambo and watch Mat start working on it by checking out the video below.
The Rufford Mill Ford keeps growing in popularity thanks to young people who go there almost on a daily basis. They are on a mission to record cars that try to cross the shallow area filled with water and publish the most courageous or irresponsible drivers on YouTube. Lately, this type of footage has been raking in the views solely because many forget water isnt that good for your cars internals.However, instead of looking at common fails, this time, the people that gathered around the Rufford Mill Ford enjoyed an uncommon display of power brought by tractors. The drivers most likely work at the Rufford Hills Farm, and they had to carry different types of loads.Thanks to the Rainworth Rivers rising levels, the Rufford Mill Ford had plenty of water for the agricultural machinery operators to put the pedal to the metal and give those sitting on the sides a good show and a brief shower.No worries, though! Everything was done in good fun, and nobody got mad. The Rufford Mill Ford is a historical place with roots that extend to the 12th century. Now, it has all the chances in the world to become a famous place once again.Before you decide on visiting the UK and renting a car just to cross the ford , watch how these John Deere tractor operators made a lot of peoples day. They did not hold back!
Hundreds of union supporters and politicians gathered in Delano to help kick off a three-week march to Sacramento on Wednesday to show backing
Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho holds a telephone conversation with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen at the Government Complex Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Ministry of Economy and Finance



By Lee Min-hyung



Korea has reported a trade deficit once again for September, extending its losing streak for the sixth consecutive month, according to data from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.



The rate of export increase came in as a single-digit figure last month, but the rate of import increase hit double digits, bringing the nation's monthly trade balance to a deficit of $3.77 billion. This was the first time that the country posted a trade deficit lasting for more than six consecutive months since May 1997.



This situation is being partly caused by the soaring burden of energy imports. Korea's imports of crude oil, gas and coal reached $17.96 billion in September, up 81.2 percent from the previous year.



"Korea will not be able to attain a high level of the export increase rate for the time being, in that the figure has reported single-digit growth since June," Trade Minister Lee Chang-yang said. The global economic slowdown, soaring energy import costs and semiconductor price fall will also affect Korea's overall export growth negatively, according to him.



"But one positive sign is that exports have reported growth for 23 months straight, and the monthly figure last month was a historical high," he said. The government is pondering measures to curb energy imports by reducing demand and increase usage efficiency.





Containers for exports and imports are stacked at a pier in Korea's largest port city of Busan on Sept. 13. Newsis
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By Park Han-sol







Much of traditional Korean cuisine  from stews, stir-fries and side dishes to dipping sauces  starts with an ingredient called "meju." A brick-shaped, fermented block of soybeans that have been boiled, mashed and dried, it is the magic ingredient behind iconic Korean condiments known as "jang."







Food culture involving jang and kimchi  two stars of traditional Korean fermentation methods for cooking  will travel to Qatar this week.







The 2022 Korean Fermented Food Festival is set to showcase an exhibition, lecture, tasting session, cooking class and competition offering chances to experience the country's distinct food culture all in one place.







Co-hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korean Food Promotion Institute, the event will run from Oct. 3 to 5 at Qatar University in the capital city of Doha.







One program that stands out is the Seoul-based Institute of Traditional Korean Food's exhibition of 55 types of fermented delicacies introducing the three main jangs of Korea: "doenjang" (soybean paste), "ganjang" (soy sauce) and "gochujang" (red pepper paste).







A combination of meju and saltwater left to ferment for several months in a traditional earthenware pot can birth both doenjang, made with the wet mashed lumps, and ganjang, made with the remaining liquid. And if meju is instead mixed with red chili powder, glutinous rice, barley malt, barley syrup and salt, it transforms into gochujang.







Also on view will be kimchi-themed dishes and fusion cuisine bringing together elements of Qatari and Korean culinary traditions.







"With hallyu (Korean wave) at high tide, the festival will be a special chance to reach out to the local students and introduce them to the world of Korea's fermentation practices," the institute stated, adding that the three-day food event will collaborate with Qatar University's South Korean Club student organization.


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This photo provided by ALS patient Brian Wallach shows him and his wife, Sandra Abrevaya, at their home in Chicago on May 2021. Wallach, who formed I AM ALS with Abrevaya after being diagnosed with ALS in 2017, spent years working on legislation with congressional staffers, researchers and patients which passed the House last December in a landslide 423-3 vote.




North Korea said Sunday a memorial stone commemorating feats of its founder Kim Il-sung has been erected in China, an apparent show of Pyongyang's close ties with Beijing.







The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the official North Korean media monitored in Seoul, said the monumental stone is located in a farm in the Chinese capital.







The unveiling ceremony, which took place Thursday, was attended by Ri Ryong-nam, the North Korean ambassador to China, and Lin Songtian, head of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, along with officials from the Chinese Communist Party and its foreign ministry.







Words engraved on the stone, in both Korean and Chinese, note that the pine tree planted by Kim and former Chinese marshal Ye Jianying on April 20, 1975, "symbolizes the two countries' eternal friendship."







Ye was one of the founding marshals of China and former first vice chairman of the Chinese Communist Party.







Both Ri and Lin paid tribute to Kim and Ye, thanking them for laying the foundation for friendly relations between the two neighbors.







Kim Il-sung's statue stands inside his former school in Jilin, Yuwen Middle School, and the latest piece of commemoration for Kim's feats in China can be seen as Pyongyang's attempt to emphasize its long history of close relations with Beijing, dating back decades to the reign of its founding father.







In congratulating China on its founding anniversary on Saturday, the current North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, touted his country's ties with China as an "invincible friendship," adding that he will work with Chinese President Xi Jinping to continue to develop the traditional bilateral relations of friendship.







On Wednesday, Seoul's National Intelligence Service told the parliamentary intelligence committee that Kim and Xi had exchanged eight personal letters. (Yonhap)


BOISE, IDAHO - The Satanic Temple is suing Idaho Governor Brad Little, claiming he violated the religious freedom of its Idaho members, protected under the United States Constitution with Idaho's new abortion law.

The complaint filed in the United States District Court of Idaho explains the abortion law violates their beliefs that one's body is their own and that one's belief should conform to their scientific understanding of the world.

The Satanic Temple conducts an abortion ritual in line with these beliefs for "involuntary pregnant women." An "Involuntary pregnant woman" is defined as someone unable to give consent (other than rape or incest) or when birth control fails.

The complaint further states the "involuntary pregnant women" that are a part of the Satanic Temple have been unable to have these rituals because of the new state law - which violates their religious freedom under the constitution.

The temple is also suing Lawrence Wasden in his official capacity as the attorney general for enforcing said law.

The temple is asking the court for relief the under the fifth, fourteenth and thirteenth amendments.




First up, Joe Biden is thinking about dropping tariffs against China. But theres a spy in prison this morning that helps us understand why he shouldnt. Ill explain.





Your second brief, If youre looking for a good paying job, you might consider being a CEO for a health insurance company. One executive made $142M dollars last year. Let's talk about that.





And as always, Im keeping an eye out for developing stories. Put this one on your radar. Mexican cartels are grooming American kids online and paying them cash to traffic illegals or run drugs across the border. Ill share details.





If you enjoyed this episode of the President's Daily Brief, remember to subscribe and listen daily at podfollow.com/pdb.

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Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Great new reads keep rolling onto shelves as peak Christmas shopping season rolls closer. The October bonanza seems particularly exciting, with new work by master storytellers including Elizabeth Strout, Cormac McCarthy and George Saunders. Here are just 10 to tempt you. Credit: The Sun Walks Down, Fiona McFarlane Allen & Unwin, $32.99, October 5 Its been a long wait for a second novel from Fiona McFarlane. Her debut in 2013, The Night Guest, was brilliant, and her stories in The High Places were greeted with acclaim. Now she has taken that classic Australian myth of the child lost in the outback to fashion a story set in South Australia in 1883 when six-year-old Denny Wallace wanders off in a dust storm. McFarlane gives us a different perspective on colonial Australia that is populated with a diverse group of characters and voices. Credit: The Passenger, Cormac McCarthy

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Picador, $45, October 25 You know the saying about buses ... you wait for ages and then along come two. The same could be said about Cormac McCarthy. His last novel was The Road in 2006, but here comes The Passenger to be followed a month later by the linked Stella Maris. The set-up sounds promising: in Mississippi in 1980, Bobby Western dives to a sunken plane wreck, but somethings wrong. One of the passengers is missing, as is the black box ... its been described as vintage McCarthy. I cant wait. Credit: Not Now, Not Ever, edited by Julia Gillard Vintage, $35, October 5 Its 10 years since Julia Gillard eviscerated Tony Abbott on the floor of federal parliament with her famous speech. This collection of writings from women such as Mary Beard, Jess Hill, Kathy Lette, Sally Scales, Chanel Contos and Caitlin Figueiredo considers the history and culture of misogyny, whats changed in Australia and the world since Gillard delivered that powerful dressing down and the significant improvements that are still needed. Credit:

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Seeing Other People, Diana Reid Ultimo Press, $32.99, October 5 Diana Reid burst onto the literary scene with her acclaimed first novel, Love and Virtue, about consent and relationships among a group of friends at university. In her second, we meet two sisters emerging from the two years of pandemic and struggling in their very different worlds. The question Reid says she wants to address is the difference between selfishness and self-fulfilment and, further, the ability of characters to really change. Shes definitely one to watch. Credit: Limberlost, Robbie Arnott Text, $32.99, October 5 Arnott won last years The Age Book of the Year award for his second novel, The Rain Heron, which showed the same magical quality as his debut, Flames. We first meet Limberlosts main character, Ned, as a five-year-old and then 10 years later as he waits for his brothers to come back from war, while the family struggles to preserve their orchard. As our review says, this is a novel about the deepest of emotions, about love, the fear of loss, and about joy. Arnott is a striking talent.

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Credit: Lucy by the Sea, Elizabeth Strout Viking, $32.99, October 5 The American writers previous novel, Oh William!, is on the shortlist for the Booker Prize and her latest follows Lucy and ex-husband William as they batten down in a sanctuary on the coast of Maine to weather the storm of lockdown. As life comes to a virtual halt, Lucy has to consider her approach to William, how she looks back at her life with her dead husband, David, new friendships and being a mother for her daughters. Olive Kitteridge ... Lucy Barton ... William Gerhardt ... Strout knows how to create characters who live. Credit: Liberation Day, George Saunders Bloomsbury, $29.99, October 18

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He won the Booker for his wonderful Lincoln in the Bardo, but with this latest book, the American writer is immersed in the form for which he made his towering reputation, the short story. This is his first new collection for 10 years. All his customary characteristics are exhibited in these nine stories, and our impending review reckons on this evidence Saunders is masterful, he illuminates with a fierce flame, and this book will delight his devotees. Credit: Our Missing Hearts, Celeste Ng Little, Brown, $32.99, October 4 America, in Celeste Ngs dystopia, has a law that mandates the preservation of tradition and culture. Bird is a Chinese-American boy whose mother, a poet, has abandoned the family after writing poetry deemed to be subversive. He lives with his librarian father, whose library has empty shelves because of the culling of so-called dangerous books. Eventually, Bird goes in search of his mother. Stephen King has pointed to Ngs serene storytelling and the books meditation on the sometimes accidental power of words. Credit: Runt, Craig Silvey

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It was as clean as whipping a tablecloth out from underneath the cups and saucers. Bobby Fox didnt get a look-in until the 10th song, whereupon he promptly stole the show, singing The American Dream from Miss Saigon.

Suddenly, there was panache by the helicopter load, helped enormously by this being one of the cleverest and funniest songs that Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg have penned.

Taking a bow (from left) Claude-Michel Schonberg, Alain Boublil, Michael Ball, Marie Zamora, Sooha Kim (obscured) and Bobby Fox (partly obscured) at Do You Hear The People Sing? at Sydney Opera House. Credit:Prudence Upton

Do You Hear the People Sing? is a lavish concert celebration of the songs of this composing team most famous for adapting Victor Hugos Les Miserables. Four decades on, that show has apparently been seen by 130 million people in 45 countries and its creators were present to take a bow before an enthusiastic ovation at the end.

Yet, the very quality that probably made their work so popular can also be an irritant and that is a tendency towards emotional one-dimensionality. Too often the words fully articulate a characters tragedy or malaise atop predictably soaring melodies, with no subtext and without asking the audience to connect any dots.
An early morning brawl outside a Brisbane laneway bar has ended with one man in hospital with serious head injuries and another facing serious criminal charges.

It will be alleged a fight broke out among three men outside a licensed venue on Eagle Lane about 1.20am on Monday.

The man was injured in Eagle Lane, Brisbane. (File photo) Credit:Tammy Law

During the brawl, police said, a 23-year-old Northgate man was allegedly assaulted and his head struck the concrete kerb.

He lost consciousness and was rushed to hospital.




South Korea's point man on North Korea said Sunday he believes North Korea's recent series of missile launches are aimed at "taming" the new South Korean government while at the same time grabbing U.S. attention.







Unification Minister Kwon Young-se made the remark to Yonhap News Agency at Incheon International Airport ahead of his departure for Germany for a four-day trip aimed at seeking support for Seoul's peace and denuclearization efforts while joining the celebration for the 32nd anniversary of Germany's unification.







Addressing North Korea's missile launches over the past week, Kwon said, "They may be trying to take charge in the inter-Korean situation and develop their weapons at the same time."







"Their main intention seems to be to tame the new government in South Korea," Kwon said. "And since the North Korean issue has taken a backseat in the United States due to domestic political situations, the North may also want to grab attention from Washington.







"Regardless of their intention, provocations are never ideal for the peace on the Korean Peninsula," Kwon continued. "Our government will mount an even stronger response."







As for the specific nature of South Korea's response, Kwon said "many options" are on table, including working with the United Nations or imposing sanctions with South Korea's allies.







"I hope North Korea will recognize quickly that for the sake of peace on the Korean Peninsula, they need to resolve the issue of denuclearization through dialogue with us," Kwon added.







Kwon's trip to Germany coincides with President Yoon Suk-yeol's attempt to rally international support for his "audacious initiative," designed to help Pyongyang improve its economy in return for denuclearization steps. North Korea has rejected that idea in a statement by Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of the country's leader, Kim Jong-un. (Yonhap)


The fallout from Defences war crimes inquiry has claimed its biggest scalp with a senior officer departing despite being cleared of any wrongdoing.

Brigadier Ian Langford, who commanded the special forces in Afghanistan when up to 16 war crimes were allegedly committed by other soldiers, was voluntarily discharged in recent weeks after falling out with Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell.

Brigadier Ian Langford left the Australian Defence Force in recent weeks. Credit:ADF

According to three Defence sources with knowledge of the situation, Langford had for some months felt that his position had become untenable.

Langford was under review for a potential administrative censure over an alleged lack of oversight as the special forces commander, but sources confirmed that this was never finalised and did not lead to him being sacked. However, Langford has told close confidants that he was then left with the impression that he had to go.
Russias ambassador to Australia has warned any move to expel him over the war in Ukraine would be swiftly followed by the removal of Australias top diplomat in Moscow, as he claims Australians have been brainwashed to take Ukraines side in the conflict.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said during the United Nations General Assembly this month that the expulsion of Russian ambassador Alexey Pavlovsky was under consideration after Russian President Vladimir Putin stunned the world by announcing a partial military mobilisation and floated the use of nuclear weapons.

Russian ambassador to Australia Alexey Pavlovsky said he hoped to keep lines of diplomatic communication open, even as relations worsen with Australia. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Having already announced sweeping sanctions on Russian individuals and businesses supporting the war effort, expelling the Russian ambassador is one of the few remaining levers available to the government to punish Russia over the invasion.

The Albanese government announced on Sunday it would impose further financial sanctions and travel bans on 28 Russian-appointed separatists, including individuals involved in legitimising what it calls sham annexation referendums in four Ukrainian regions.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the capture of Lyman demonstrated that Ukraine is capable of dislodging Russian forces and showed the impact Ukraines deployment of advanced Western weapons was having on the conflict. Loading Allies are stepping up their support to Ukraine and that is the best way to ensure that ... Ukraine is actually able to liberate and retake occupied territory, Stoltenberg told NBC. While Ukrainian forces did not immediately acknowledge a breakthrough, writers close to the Russian military have described a new offensive by Kyiv in the Kherson region. In southern Ukraine, Zelenskys hometown of Krivyi Rih came under Russian attack by a suicide drone that destroyed two stories of a school early on Sunday, the regional governor said. The Ukrainian air force said it shot down five Iranian-made drones overnight, while two others made it through air defences.

A car carrying four men seeking to forage for mushrooms in Ukraines Chernihiv region struck a mine, killing all those inside, authorities said on Sunday. Russian attacks also targeted the city of Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian authorities said on Sunday. And Ukraines military said on Sunday it carried out strikes on multiple Russian command posts, ammunition depots and two S-300 anti-aircraft batteries. The reports of military activity couldnt be immediately verified. Ukrainian forces have retaken swaths of territory, notably in the northeast around Kharkiv, in a counteroffensive in recent weeks that has embarrassed the Kremlin and prompted rare domestic criticism of Putins war.

Lyman, which Ukraine recaptured by encircling Russian troops, is in the Donetsk region near the border with Luhansk, two of the four regions that Russia illegally annexed on Friday after forcing what was left of the population to vote in referendums at gunpoint. In his nightly address, Zelensky said: Over the past week, there have been more Ukrainian flags in the Donbas. In a week there will be even more. In a daily intelligence briefing on Sunday, the British Defence Ministry called Lyman crucial because it has a key road crossing over the Siversky Donets River, behind which Russia has been attempting to consolidate its defences. The Russian retreat from northeast Ukraine in recent weeks has revealed evidence of widespread, routine torture of both civilians and soldiers, notably in the strategic city of Izium, an Associated Press investigation has found. AP journalists located 10 torture sites in the town, including a deep pit in a residential compound, a clammy underground jail that reeked of urine, a medical clinic and a kindergarten.

Loading Recent developments have raised fears of all-out conflict between Russia and the West. Putin frames the recent Ukrainian gains as a US-orchestrated effort to destroy Russia, and last week he heightened threats of nuclear force in some of his toughest, most anti-Western rhetoric to date. The leaders of Czechia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania and Slovakia issued a joint statement on Sunday backing a path to NATO membership for Ukraine, and calling on all 30 members of the US-led security bloc to ramp up military aid for Kyiv. Germanys defence minister on Sunday announced the delivery of 16 wheeled armoured howitzers produced in Slovakia to Ukraine next year. The weapons will be financed jointly with Denmark, Norway and Germany,

Russia moved ahead on Sunday with steps meant to make its land grab look like a legal process aimed at helping people allegedly persecuted by Kyiv, with rubber-stamp approval by the Constitutional Court and draft laws being pushed through the Kremlin-friendly parliament. Outside Russia, the Kremlins actions have been widely denounced as violating international law, with multiple EU countries summoning Russian ambassadors since Putin on Friday signed annexation treaties with Moscow-backed officials in southern and eastern Ukraine. Meanwhile, international concerns are mounting about the fate of Europes largest nuclear plant after Russian forces detained its director for alleged questioning. The International Atomic Energy Agency announced on Sunday that its director-general, Rafael Grossi would visit Kyiv and Moscow in the coming days to discuss the situation around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Grossi is continuing to push for a nuclear safety and security zone around the site. French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Zelensky, denouncing the detention of the plants director and saying the situation there remained very worrying.

Loading The Zaporizhzhia plant is in one of the four regions that Moscow illegally annexed on Friday, and repeatedly has been caught in the crossfire of the war. Ukrainian technicians have continued running the power station after Russian troops seized it but its last reactor was shut down in September as a precautionary measure. Pope Francis on Sunday decried Russias nuclear threats and appealed to Putin to stop this spiral of violence and death. In Latvia, Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins, a staunch critic of Vladimir Putin, won a decisive victory in general elections as voters punished a party backed by ethnic Russians. Bolstered by its vocal opposition of the Russian presidents invasion of Ukraine, Karinss New Unity won 19 per cent of the vote, according to a final results released by the central election commission.
Australia is preparing to overturn its policy of more than three years and launch a mission to repatriate dozens of women and children, the family members of former Islamic State fighters who have been languishing for years in squalid detention camps in Syria.

News of the impending operation, which was confirmed by security sources in Australia, has given hope to dozens of families that they will be reunited with their loved ones, some of whom who have been stuck in limbo for more than three years.

Australian mother Zahra Ahmed (left) holding her son Ibrahim (2nd from left) in al-Hawl camp in north-east Syria, October 2019. Credit:Kate Geraghty

About 20 Australian women and more than 40 of their children have been living at the al-Hawl and al-Roj camps in Syrias north-east since the fall of the Islamic State caliphate in early 2019.

Kamalle Dabboussy, whose daughter Mariam and three children are in the al-Roj camp, said news of a rescue effort was consistent with recent discussions between advocates and authorities.
Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus

Author: David Quammen

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Page: 406

Price: $28.99

Nobody, Donald Trump claimed in a March 2020 address, had any idea. He was talking about the Covid virus  which had, seemingly overnight, sparked a global pandemic. In his compelling and terrifying new book, the veteran science journalist David Quammen demonstrates just how much was known  and expected  by infectious disease scientists long before patrons of the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market fell ill in December 2019 with a pneumonia-like virus.

Quammen was among those who had long predicted this kind of catastrophe. In 2012 he provided a field guide to the future, Spillover, whose subtitle  Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic  explains exactly what the scientific community had long been expecting.

This is a book about the science of SARS-CoV-2, he specifies in his new book. He focuses his informed attention on the unsung heroes who dare to wrestle with viruses, those strange entities he calls the dark angels of evolution. Human beings are part of a sprawling family of interconnected species who can share illness because they all grew up together. It is our common ancestry and related bodily ecology that makes spillover possible between, say, bats and Earths (currently) dominant mammal.

Covid is, after all, as natural as a wolf cub or David Attenborough, and its thriller-level rate of evolution is part of its danger. A virus is a parasite, yes, writes Quammen, a genetic parasite, to be more precise, using the resources of other organisms to replicate its own genome. He demonstrates the sheer weirdness of viruses when he explains how difficult it is to even define them.

Quammen follows the story of Covid from scientists first awareness of the outbreak in Wuhan through reports of Omicron in late 2021. Alongside the human story, spillover between humans and other animals is a persistent theme. Early in 2020, a dog in Hong Kong tested positive. There were positive cats in Minnesota, two positive hippos in Antwerp, a positive tiger in Knoxville. An outbreak spread through mink farms in the Netherlands. Last year, of the many white-tailed deer sampled in Pennsylvania, 44 per cent tested positive. The persistent danger of spillover between species informs arguments over the virtues and the flaws of both approaches to pandemics: prediction and prevention versus surveillance and response.

Breathless is so good that I was slow to realise that it lacks the vivid you-are-there details of Spillover. In Breathless, there are no scenes of an intrepid author helping trap macaques at a Sufi shrine or examining a white-footed mouse for Lyme-infested larval ticks. Breathless is a different species of tour de force. Quammens research methods have mutated. I avoided airports for more than two years after Covid-19 exploded, he says up front, and I got through the year 2020 on one tank of gas. Yet these barriers didnt prevent him from writing a luminous, passionate account of the defining crisis of our time  and the unprecedented international response to it. While many people were begging for mercy from the motley of gods that they also credit with designing this Eden for viruses, epidemiologists and vaccine scientists all over the world raced to save the lives of people they would never meet.

Quammen read a librarys worth of and Zoomed with some 95 sources  epidemiologists, geneticists and public health officials who were closely involved in research and decision-making. Spoken words are data, in nonfiction, he says, and I share scientists respect for the sanctity of data. He provides a mini-biography of each interviewee. Backstage outtakes humanise the participants, as when Quammen asks Anthony Fauci whether Brad Pitt or Kate McKinnon did a better job of satirising him. These glimpses undergird his assertion that science is a rational process leading toward ever-clearer understanding of the material world, but its also an activity performed by humans.

Quammen cant resist snarking that Trump, as you may have heard, is not a scientific sophisticate, but he doesnt waste much time shooting at such an easy target. He describes Elon Musk as an entrepreneur and spaceman, and Alex Azar, the secretary of health and human services, as pliable. The Intelligence Community is a bodacious aggregation of intelligences that includes Space Delta 7  within the United States Space Force, whatever that is. Didier Raoult, the French physician who promoted hydroxychloroquine, Quammen terms a prideful contrarian. Hydroxychloroquine did indeed have a history of prescription for malaria, and, he deduces, presumably, Trump listened to people who listened to people who listened to Didier Raoult.

The importance of the February 2020 announcement that scientists had found in pangolins a close match to the virus infecting humans makes more sense  both scientific and narrative  because Quammen begins with a brief survey course on these armoured-looking, anteater-like creatures. He smoothly interweaves their evolution, the ecological sin of animal trafficking, the imaginary pharmacological virtues of pangolin scales (which are actually mostly keratin) and the contemporary vogue in urban China for ye wei, or wild tastes.

This virus is going to be with us forever, Quammen warns, with a wealth of data and precedent to support him. We havent eradicated polio or measles. And those viruses have nowhere to hide except within humans. This one could be cleared from every living human, and still exist in other animals. Covid-19 wont be our last pandemic of the 21st century. It probably wont be our worst. In our international world, as one scientist tells Quammen, A disease anywhere is a disease everywhere.

2022 The New York Times News Service
Bubber Jindal and Company, a Daryaganj-based chartered accountancy firm, resigned as the statutory of Ajay Singh-owned SpiceHealth on August 1, citing pre-occupation with other assignments, according to documents reviewed by Business Standard.

A SpiceHealth spokesperson said the firm had already appointed a new  Haryana-based Prashant Saini and Associate  on August 2. In its financial statement for FY21, SpiceHealth called itself the fastest growing company in the country.

SpiceHealth came into existence in September 2020 when SpiceJet airlines promoter converted his fruit and vegetable trading company Spice Fresh into a pathological testing company Spice (SpiceHealth) amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

SpiceHealth, which made a net profit of Rs 22.42 crore in FY21, isnt a subsidiary of Singhs airline SpiceJet. While SpiceHealth did post a net profit for FY21, SpiceJet has been making losses for the last four years. On August 31, the airline said its Chief Financial Officer Sanjeev Taneja had resigned with immediate effect. On September 9, SpiceJet named Ashish Kumar as chief financial officer.

According to its website, SpiceHealth runs multiple labs, collection centres and vaccination centres in six states/union territories: Delhi, Haryana, Bihar, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan. Its website said that SpiceHealth has tested over 5.4 million samples as on September 20, 2022. Avani Singh, daughter of Ajay Singh, is the companys CEO.

In December 2019, Spice Fresh had appointed Bubber Jindal and Company as statutory to assess its books from FY20 to FY24, according to the documents. The Daryaganj-based firm continued to audit the books even after Spice Fresh became SpiceHealth.

Spice Fresh was a loss-making firm since its birth in May 2018. In FY19, it earned Rs 64.55 lakh revenue and posted a net loss of Rs 74.53 lakh. In FY20, the fruit and vegetable trader earned Rs 68.58 lakh revenue and its losses narrowed to Rs 97,529.

After Spice Fresh was converted to SpiceHealth in September 2020, its fortunes turned around.

SpiceHealth earned Rs 79.19 crore revenue and made a net profit of Rs 22.42 crore in FY21, according the documents.

As the company started earning significant profits, the fees of its auditor increased accordingly. Bubber Jindal and Company earned Rs 35,000 as fees to audit the books of Spice Fresh for FY20. However, the accountancy firm was paid Rs 5 lakh to audit the books of SpiceHealth in FY21, according to the documents. Until October 2020, SpiceHealth was doing business as Spice Fresh and was dealing in trading of food and vegetables. The revenue from earlier business was not significant. After the change of name and business activities, there was a significant increase in revenue during FY21 and accordingly the fees were also increased, the spokesperson said.

On August 1 this year, Bubber Jindal and Company tendered its resignation as statutory auditor of SpiceHealth.

In its resignation letter, the firm stated: This is to inform you that we, Bubber Jindal and Company, chartered accountants, are submitting our resignation as the statutory auditors of the company with immediate effect.

Due to our preoccupation with other assignments, we are not able to devote sufficient time required for the purposes of audit of SHPL (SpiceHealth) for FY22, it added. Bubber Jindal and Company did not respond to queries sent by Business Standard.

According to the Act, 2013, a private company must hold its annual general meeting for the previous financial year by September-end. The law says the private company must submit its financial statement (annual result) for the previous financial year to the Registrar of (RoC) within 30 days of holding the AGM.

On September 28, SpiceHealth told Business Standard that its AGM will be conducted as per the provisions of the Act, 2013, within the stipulated timeline. It said its books of accounts are being audited by the new auditor, which was appointed on August 2.

SpiceJet airline incurred net losses of Rs 316 crore, Rs 934 crore, Rs 998 crore, and Rs 1,725 crore in FY19, FY20, FY21 and FY22, respectively. In Q1 of FY23, it incurred a net loss of Rs 789 crore. On August 23, had said the airline was exploring multiple options, including a stake sale to other airlines, to raise up to Rs 2,000 crore.
(HMCL) has lost its top position in the monthly domestic retail sales to Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) in September for the first time in more than two years.

The Vahan portal  which records vehicle registration data across India  showed on Sunday evening that HMCL and sold 251,939 units and 285,400 units, respectively, in September this year.

The last time rode past HMCL in retail sales was in May 2020. According to Vahan, HMCL and had sold 44,355 units and 51,936 units, respectively, to consumers across the country in May 2020.

Vahan shows retail sales data, which is slightly different from wholesales data that is released by automotive at the beginning of each month. Units despatched to dealers are counted as wholesales. Units sold by dealers to consumers are counted as retail sales.

HMCL and HMSI did not immediately respond to requests for statements sent by Business Standard on this matter.

Brokerage and research firm Elara Capital had on Friday stated that on the basis of Vahan data, HMCL will lose its top spot in monthly domestic retail sales to HMSI in September for the first time since May 2020. Elara Capital said the cause for concern for HMCL is that in terms of market share in rural states, HMCL has lost month-on-month (MoM) market share of 100-800 basis points.

While September usually sees this phenomenon MoM, the extent of loss in market share this time is alarming, it mentioned.

Rural states, such as Uttar Pradesh (UP), Bihar, and Jharkhand, have fallen higher in September on a MoM basis, it said. In these states, HMCL has a dominant market share of 50 per cent, it added.

HMCLs sales in UP dipped 36 per cent MoM, followed by Bihar at 24 per cent, Rajasthan at 22 per cent, and Jharkhand at 21 per cent, observed Elara Capitals report. HMCL sold 304,713 units in India in August this year and HMSI sold 288,145 units in the same month, revealed Vahans data.

Assuming September sales data will be its lowest in 2022-23, it is estimated that HMCLs domestic market share during the financial year would stand at about 28 per cent, stated Elara Capital.

In 2021-22, HMCL had a market share of 30 per cent. The brokerage and research firm also mentioned that the trend in HMCLs sales is expected to reverse in November, given that Navratri and Diwali this year will be celebrated in October.




Northern Coalfields Ltd on Saturday said it has produced 64 million tonne of coal, registering a 19.8 per cent growth in the first half of the 2022-23 financial year.

The miner had produced 53.44 million tonne of coal in the year-ago period.

The Singrauli-based subsidiary of Coal India said its dispatch also grew by 16.1 per cent year-on-year in the first two quarters of the current fiscal.

The company dispatched 66.82 million tonne of coal in the April-September period as against 57.55 million tonne achieved in the corresponding months last year.

NCL has fed powerhouses with 60.80 million tonne of coal, which is 91 per cent of the total dispatched to consumers till date, the miner said in a statement.

"The company has been entrusted with the prime responsibility of fulfilling the energy aspiration of the country and exhorted every miner of the company for concerted efforts to make the nation self-reliant in the coal sector," NCL CMD Bhola Singh said.

NCL has been entrusted with the production and dispatch of 122 million tonne of coal each in the current financial year. The miner is also eyeing Rs1,970 crore of capital expenditure for FY'23 and has already spent Rs 1,085.86 crore till September.

NCL output comes from its 10 highly mechanised opencast mines located in Singrauli and Sonbhadra districts of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh respectively.

(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.)
Elderly North Koreans are seen wearing masks during an event held on Oct. 1 to commemorate the International Day for Older Persons in footage from the Korean Central News Agency, North Korea's state media agency. Yonhap



Korean-American neurosurgeon calls for systematic multi-year healthcare support for North Korea



By Kang Hyun-kyung



While South Korea recently has begun to phase-out its mask mandate, the North has gone the opposite. The reclusive state lifted its mask mandate two months ago, and reinstated it from this month, as a preemptive measure against a possible "twindemic" of seasonal influenza and COVID-19 on the coming fall and winter.



The Korean Central News Agency, North Korea's state media agency, aired footage of elderly North Koreans wearing masks while attending an event held on Saturday to commemorate the International Day for Older Persons. Korean Central TV, another state media outlet, also released footage of younger North Koreans wearing masks while at an event for the 76th anniversary of the establishment of Kim Il-sung University.



North Korea's reinstatement of its mask mandate came sooner than what leader Kim Jong-un had been quoted saying earlier. In his speech to the Supreme People's Assembly meeting held on Sept. 8, Kim had said that all North Koreans would be recommended to wear face masks from November.



The swift resumption of the mask mandate is seen as North Korea's version of a preemptive action to prepare for a possible twindemic of a COVID-19 resurgence and the flu spreading simultaneously during this year's flu season.



It also reflects the fact that North Korea has learned a lot amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as the nation has been grappling with several different infectious diseases since earlier this year.



Kee B. Park, a lecturer at Harvard Medical School, said that like other countries, North Korea has begun to rethink their pandemic prevention and response strategies since the COVID-19 outbreak there.



"In the North Korea context, health and humanitarian aid have historically been relatively scant, fragmented and politicized," he said in a recent email interview with The Korea Times.



Park is one of the few outsiders who has an insider's view of the health situation in North Korea, as he has visited the reclusive country more than 20 times since first journeying there in September 2007.



As the director of the Korea Health Policy Project at Harvard Medical School, he has led the research team to understand all of the factors that influence the health of ordinary North Koreans better.



"The geopolitics are complicated and our research is designed to help policymakers by providing options they may not have considered and ways to protect the most vulnerable," he said.



Park's latest visit to the North was in November 2019, years before North Korea reported its first COVID-19 infection in May of this year.





Kee B. Park, a neurosurgeon and lecturer at Harvard Medical School
Tulsi Tanti, chairman of wind energy firm Suzlon Energy, passed away on Saturday evening in Pune due to cardiac arrest. He was 64.

Tanti was on his way home to Pune from Ahmedabad after attending a series of meetings on his companys ongoing Rs 1,200-crore rights issue when he felt uneasy and died soon after. He is survived by his wife Geeta, son Pranav and daughter Nidhi.

Tanti had made his fortune by investing in wind energy projects in the mid-90s when renewable energy was not in vogue. Suzlon acquired Senvion Energy in Germany for euro 1.4 billion in 2007.

But his good run soon ended as customers pointed out serious quality issues with the blades and Suzlon started delaying its debt repayments to banks.

In 2015, Suzlon had to sell Senvion to use the proceeds to repay bank loans and seek a debt-restructuring plan.

Tanti, who studied commerce in Gujarat University, started his business journey as a textiles trader. He diversified into renewable energy after rising electricity costs hit his main business. In 1995, Tanti started a wind power venture and later listed Suzlon.

In recent years, Tanti managed to get a financial restructuring done with lenders even as his own stake fell in the company.

"Tulsi Tanti was a pioneering business leader, who contributed to Indias economic progress and strengthened our nations efforts to further sustainable development. Pained by his untimely demise," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on social media.

"Tanti was a gifted visionary, who proved that India could be a global player in the wind energy space. Indeed, he was one of the foremost believers in Atma Nirbharta," said Chairman of Adani group, Gautam Adani.

Company insiders said the COP26 pledge by India to become net-zero by 2070 and the role of renewables to fight climate change had enthused Tanti to re-engineer his company.

A firm believer in creating sustainable businesses and economies through energy independence and security, Tanti was a visionary and world-renowned expert on clean energy. He also championed the cause of affordable and sustainable energy, said Suzlon insiders.



Tanti envisioned the opportunity in the Indian renewable energy industry at a time when the global wind energy market was dominated by international players. It was also characterised by expensive and complicated technologies that were unviable for traditional businesses.

Instituting a new business model, he conceptualised the end-to-end solution to create realistic avenues for businesses to go green. Thus, he emerged as a strategic partner in developing sustainable businesses.



India transitioned from a fossil-fuel country to a renewable-energy nation  thanks to the contribution of Tulsibhai. Its no surprise that many consider him the Father of the Indian renewables industry and the man who foresaw the future, said officials.

For his efforts to fight climate change, Tanti received several awards. These include Champion of the Earth by the United Nations, Entrepreneur of the Year 2006 by Ernst & Young, Hero of the Environment by TIME magazine and many more.
Full service carrier Vistara has inaugurated daily non-stop flights between and Abu Dhabi as part of the airline's business expansion, its Chief Executive Officer Vinod Kannan has said.

The inaugural Vistara flight from took off at 19:10 Hours (IST) and arrived in Abu Dhabi at 2040 Hours on Saturday.

The airline has been steadily strengthening our presence in the UAE and the rest of the Gulf region. We are excited to add Abu Dhabi to our growing international network. UAE's flourishing business, trade, and tourism make Abu Dhabi a perfect fit in our network. We are confident that travellers will appreciate the choice of flying India and South Asia's best airline on this route, said Kannan on Saturday during the operations launch.

The airline, which is a 51:49 joint venture between Tata Sons Private Limited and Singapore Airlines Limited, has a fleet of 53 aircraft and has flown more than 35 million customers since starting operations.

Schedule of flights to/from Abu Dhabi, effective from October 1, will be Mumbai-Abu Dhabi (flight UK 0255) Daily 1910 Hrs 2040 Hrs and Abu Dhabi- (flight UK 0256) Daily 2140 Hrs 0235 Hrs (+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.)
Chinese smart devices firm on Sunday said that over 84 per cent of the Rs 5,551.27 crore seized by the was the royalty payment made to US chipset company Qualcomm.

The ED, under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), has approved an order of seizure of over Rs 5,551 crore worth of deposits of Chinese mobile phone manufacturer -- the highest amount frozen till date in India.

The (ED) charged the Chinese phone maker with remitting foreign currency equivalent to Rs 5,551.27 crore to three entities -- one Group company and two US-based unrelated entities -- in the guise of royalty.

"We have studied the order from the Competent Authority and are disappointed with the decision as none of the factual and legal contentions raised by us have been addressed. We believe our royalty payments and statements to the bank are all legitimate and truthful," Xiaomi said in a statement.

The Chinese company said that Xiaomi India is an affiliate and one of the Xiaomi Group companies, which entered into a legal agreement with Qualcomm Group (USA) to license IP for manufacturing smartphones.

Both Xiaomi and Qualcomm believe that it is a legitimate commercial arrangement for Xiaomi India to pay Qualcomm royalty, the statement said.

"Of the entire Rs 5,551.27 crore Xiaomi India paid to foreign entities, more than 84 per cent were royalty payments made to Qualcomm Group (USA), a third-party US listed company, towards the in-licensed technologies, including Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) and IPs used in our Indian version of smartphones," Xiaomi said.

The Chinese firm said that the technologies and standard essential patents (SEPs) are used across the entire global smartphone industry and without these technologies, our smartphones would not have worked in India.

"All royalty payments made by Xiaomi India were only related to sales done by Xiaomi India, and not for any other countries or regions. This has also been confirmed by the Qualcomm Group (USA). These royalty payments were made via RBI approved and mandated banking channels and are legitimate commercial arrangements," the statement said.

According to the ED probe, Xiaomi started its operations in India in the year 2014 and started remitting money in 2015.

It also found that the company has remitted foreign currency equivalent to Rs 5,551.27 crore to three foreign-based entities, including one Xiaomi Group entity in the guise of royalty.

The ED had first issued the order of seizure of these bank deposits on April 29 under the FEMA and later sent it for approval of the competent authority, as required under the law that regulates foreign exchange violations in the country.

A competent authority under FEMA is an officer appointed by the central government to adjudicate an ED seizure order issued under the law. Such an officer should not be below the rank of a joint secretary.

The authority, it said, while confirming the seizure order held that the ED is "right in holding" that foreign exchange equivalent to Rs 5,551.27 crore has been transferred out of India by Xiaomi India in an "unauthorised" manner and is held outside India on behalf of the group entity in contravention of Section 4 of the FEMA.

Xiaomi said that Xiaomi Technology India Private Limited does not own or hold any assets outside India.

"Hence, as per our understanding, Section 4 of FEMA does not even apply in this situation. We will continue to use all means to protect the reputation and interests of the Company and our stakeholders. We remain committed to working with various authorities to resolve the issue," Xiaomi said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least 26 people were killed and several critically injured when a tractor-trolley overturned and fell into a pond near a village in district of on Saturday, District Magistrate Vishak G Ayyar said.

Most of the victims were women and children, the DM said, adding that the toll is likely to go up.

The incident occurred in the evening near Bhadeuna village located within the Saar police station limits, a senior official said.

Talking to PTI over the phone, Ayyar said the death toll has gone up to 26.

The tractor-trolley, carrying about 50 people, was on its way to Ghatampur after the passengers attended a "mundan" ceremony at the Chandrika Devi temple in Fatehpur, the official said.

He added that more than a dozen people were killed on the spot.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have expressed grief over the incident.

"Distressed by the tractor-trolley mishap in . My thoughts are with all those who have lost their near and dear ones. Prayers with the injured. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to the affected," Modi said in a tweet.

Adityanath has sent ministers Rakesh Sachan and Ajit Pal to the accident site to speed up the rescue operation.

The chief minister has also appealed to people to use tractor-trolleys only for purposes related to farming and transferring goods and not for carrying passengers, according to an official release issued in Lucknow.

An eyewitness told reporters that he, along with others, rushed to the site hearing the cries of men, women and children for help.

The locals immediately jumped into the water and somehow managed to pull out the victims, some of whom were already dead, he said.

The injured were taken to the community health centre (CHC) at Bheetergaon, where some of them were declared brought dead, he added.

GSVM Medical College principal Sanjay Kala told reporters that several of the injured have been referred to the Lala Lajpat Rai (LLR) Hospital.

According to officials , the injured were first rushed to the Bheetergaon CHC in ambulances arranged by police and more than a dozen were declared dead at the facility.

A government spokesperson in Lucknow said the chief minister is personally monitoring the rescue operation and has announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 2 lakh each for the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each for those seriously injured.

"An investigation is on to ascertain the reasons behind the accident," the DM said.

The district administration has been told to carry out the rescue operation and ensure all possible assistance to the victims, he added.

In a tweet, Adityanath said: "The in district is heart wrenching. The district magistrate and other senior officers have been directed to reach the spot immediately, conduct the relief-and-rescue operations on a war footing and make arrangements for the proper treatment of the injured.

"The loss of lives in the accident is very sad. My condolences are with the bereaved families. Praying to Lord Ram to grant the departed souls a place at his feet and courage to the families of the deceased to bear this unfathomable loss."



Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati have also expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident.

In a tweet, Yadav said: "In Uttar Pradesh, transportation in tractor trolleys is continuously going on. The transport department is oblivious and innocent lives are being lost. The BJP government should take cognizance and carry out the rescue operation. Condolences on the deaths. The government should give a compensation of Rs 50 lakh to the relatives of the deceased, Rs 5 lakh to the injured and make arrangements for their treatment."



Mayawati conveyed her condolences to the bereaved families and asked the government to extend all possible help to the victims.

In a similar accident on the outskirts of the state capital recently, 10 people were killed and 37 injured when the tractor-trolley in which they were travelling overturned.

(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 plans to set up 100 labs for across India and at least 12 of them will be used to train students and conduct experiments, Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Sunday.

The minister also asked companies participating in the Indian Mobile Congress to provide their input for the new telecom bill through which the government aims to simplify licensing regime.

"We are going to set up 100 5G labs across the country. I request the telecom industry to come together and convert at least 12 of these 100 labs into telecom incubators to train students and do experiments.

"The government is working significantly towards simplifying the licensing regime for all telecom players. I am really happy to see the energy of startups and MSMEs, who are going to rural areas to benefit people," Vaishnaw said.

At the event, indigenous telecom gear maker HFCL announced the launch of 5G Lab-as-a-Service to accelerate the rollout of 5G solutions and services. It will provide an automated test environment for the private sector, academia and government to work together on product innovations from concept to reality.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal also visited the India Mobile Congress, where he said that the launch of 5G is going to be a defining moment for not only India, but for the world.

"A large economy like India, which has talent, is emerging from the shadows to take a leadership role. We are now indigenously designing, developing and manufacturing goods and showing the world the scale and speed with which we will take 5G through the length and breadth of India.

"Some of the products that I saw displayed here, at one point in time it was assumed that they had to be imported. I must compliment all the researchers, and private organisations for their innovative work," Goyal said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government is planning to serve millets in mid-day meals and in state-run ashrams, given its high nutrition value.



Chief Minister has called for an action plan to include millets in the state's ashrams and mid-day meals. This is considering the effective role of millets (Kodo, Kutki and Ragi) in controlling malnutrition, a state government spokesperson said.

Baghel also called for preparing an action plan for promoting millet-based industries after discussing with the departments concerned.



Baghel also sought inclusion of malnourished children and anaemic women in the action plan of the Millet Mission.



The officials said was the only state in the country that had fixed the minimum support price (MSP) for Kodo, Kutki, and Ragi, and ensured procurement through state-run centres.

In addition, an input subsidy of Rs 9,000 per acre is also being provided to millet farmers by including these crops under the purview of Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana.

The area under cultivation of millets in the state has increased from 69,000 hectares to 188,000 hectares.

Under the Chhattisgarh Millet Mission, a target has also been set to increase the productivity of millets from 4.5 quintals per acre to 9 quintals per acre, doubling the per acre yield.

Chhattisgarh was honoured as the best-emerging state for the promotion of millets during the Poshak Annaj Award-2022 organised by the Indian Institute of Millet Research (IIMR), Hyderabad, and Union ministry of agriculture in Hyderabad recently.



In the state, millets are being procured by women self-help groups (SHGs) working under Chhattisgarh State Minor Forest Produce Cooperative Federation in local procurement centres at support price.

Around 12,000 collectors are active in the state. The collected millets are then sent to Van Dhan Vikas Kendras where women SHGs have to perform quality checks and send it for storage.

Kodo is being purchased at Rs 30, Kutki at Rs 30 and Ragi at Rs 33.77 per kg. Four new millet-based products have been developed in the state in collaboration with IIMR Hyderabad. These products are Millet Khichdi, Millet Kheer, Millet Laddu, and Ragi Porridge (Ragi malt).

To accelerate the processing of millets, preparations are being made to set up primary processing centres in 20 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras.

To expand the scope of millet use, it is being used in Anganwadi centres as nutritious food for infants and in mid-day meals for students, as well as pregnant mothers.
A policeman was killed and a CRPF personnel injured when militants attacked a security forces team in district of on Sunday, police said.

The attack took place in Pinglana area of the south Kashmir district.

"Terrorists fired upon a joint Naka party of CRPF & Police at Pinglana, . In this terror attack, 01 Police personnel got martyred & 01 CRPF personnel got injured," Kashmir Zone Police said in a tweet.

The police said reinforcements had been sent and the area was being cordoned off.

(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 will connect all unauthorised colonies and villages with sewer system to prevent effluent from flowing into the Yamuna and polluting it.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday approved various Delhi Jal Board projects on these lines, an official statement said on Saturday.

The statement said that under these projects, the will conduct a study on newly constructed lakes to assess the groundwater flow.

It said that the existing capacity of Rohini Lake No 1 and 2 will also be increased.

Capacity of Keshopur Phase-I STP will be increased from 12 MGD to 18 MGD, this will help in better treatment of wastewater, the statement quoted Sisodia as saying.

The will build a chamber to connect Sant Nagar, Singhu, Shahbad, Pradhan Enclave, and Kureni GOC with house sewer connection.

The move will connect 10 villages and 64 colonies with house sewer connection, the statement said.

To stop the wastage of water, the city government will also replace old pipelines with new ones from Alipore Guest House to Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar, it said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A direct flight from Vijayawada to will be started from October 29, officials announced in the Airport Advisory Committee (AAC) meeting held on Saturday.

The meeting was held at Gannavaram Airport in Krishna district. The panel also discussed several key issues that were affecting passengers, such as baggage delivery.

The committee chairman and Machilipatnam MP Bala Showri V reviewed aspects like the ongoing development work at airports, including the modernisation of the new terminal, passenger facilities, and a new proposal for constructing a community hall.

The committee decided to commence a direct flight from Vijayawada to Dubai, which will be started October 29 onwards. The flight will operate twice a week.

Flights from Vijayawada to Mumbai, and from Vijayawada to Varanasi, already in operation, will be reconsidered.

An additional flight from Vijayawada to Delhi will also be started soon, it was decided in the meeting.

Ranjith Basha, Krishna district Collector, P Jasuva, SP Krishna district, and Airport Director participated in the meeting.

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A case was registered after an unidentified person sent an email to the International Airport Limited (MIAL) threatening to blow up a flight of airline, a police official said on Sunday.

The email threat, which was received on Saturday night, turned out to be a hoax after nothing suspicious was found post a thorough check of the aircraft, the Sahar police station official said.

The email had a sentence that read "I will blow up flight 6E 6045", he said, adding that an FIR has been registered under Indian Penal Code section 506B (issuing death threat) and other offences.

IndiGo, in a statement, said "due to a specific bomb threat, flight from to Ahmedabad was impacted on October 1, 2022."



"The bomb threat protocol was initiated and the flight operated after all the checks were completed," the airline said in its statement, though it did not share details like the number of passengers on board, flight number and delay in departure due to the incident.

Mumbai Airport, which is operated under a joint venture between Adani Group and the Airports Authority of India (AAI), declined to comment.

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Unification Minister Kwon Young-se prepares to depart for Germany from Incheon International Airport, Sunday. Kwon will attend the 32nd anniversary of German Unity Day there. Yonhap



Pyongyang launches missiles four times during past week



By Kwon Mee-yoo



North Korea's motives behind its test launches of missiles four times in the week since Sept. 25 are complicated, said Unification Minister Kwon Young-se, adding that taming South Korea's newly inaugurated Yoon Suk-yeol government is one of the goals of the reclusive nation.



"(North Korea) wants to take control of matters about the Korean Peninsula and they want to upgrade their weapons at the same time," Kwon said at Incheon International Airport, Sunday, before departing for Germany to attend German Unity Day celebrations.



Drawing attention from the U.S. government is another possible reason behind North Korea's provocations, he said.



North Korea test-fired a total of seven missiles at four times from Sept. 25 to Oct. 1. It fired a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) on Sept. 25, followed by two missiles each on Sept. 28 and 29 and two more SRBMs on Saturday, which was South Korea's Armed Forces Day.



Minister Kwon said provocation is undesirable for peace on the Korean Peninsula regardless of its intent, saying the South Korean government "will act decisively in this issue."



He added that the government is looking at the possibility of imposing sanctions on its own, or with allies or international organizations such as the United Nations.



"I hope that North Korea would recognize that it is better to talk with us to resolve the issue of denuclearization for peace on the Korean Peninsula and come out to the dialogue table," Kwon said.





Citizens watch a news report about a North Korean missile launch on a television at Seoul Station, Saturday, as Pyongyang launched two missiles that day, which coincided with Seoul's Armed Forces Day. Yonhap
The government is working on launching a tele- programme and a toll-free helpline number soon to enable wider access to assistance across the country.

The tele- programme (NTMHP) was first announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Union Budget 2022-23.

"The pandemic has accentuated mental health problems in people of all ages. To better the access to quality mental health counselling and care services, a ' Tele-Mental Health Programme' will be launched," she had said.

This will include a network of 23 tele-mental health centres of excellence, with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) being the nodal centre and the International Institute of Information Technology, Bengaluru (IIITB) providing technological support.

As part of the programme, at least one tele-MANAS (Tele-Mental Health Assistance and Nationally Actionable Plan) cell would be established in each state and union territory and there will be five regional coordinating centres, an official source told PTI.

A toll-free helpline number will also be set up across the country, allowing callers to select the language of choice for availing services. The calls would be routed to tele-MANAS cells in the respective state and union territory, the source stated.

According to a Lancet study published in October last year, the percentage increase in the prevalence of clinically significant depression and anxiety disorders due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 was estimated to be approximately 35 per cent in India.

There has been a 10 per cent rise in the number of suicides reported in 2020 in India as compared to 2019, according to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data.

A study published this year by Dr Rajesh Sagar, professor of psychiatry at AIIMS, stated that India has a huge burden due to mental health problems with one in every seven persons estimated to be suffering from a clinically diagnosable mental disorder.

Further, the COVID-19 pandemic had significant direct and indirect negative effects on the mental health of the entire population, he said in his study titled 'National Tele-Mental Health Program in India: A step towards mental for all?'



The study stated that the vision of tele-MANAS involves linking these new tele-mental health centres with the existing network of locally available mental health resources at nearby centres of excellence, medical colleges, district hospitals, and other mental health services run by the central and/or state governments.

This will help in providing immediate mental to a person in acute psychological distress and facilitate continuity of care by making appropriate referrals to nearby specialised mental health services depending upon the person's convenience and severity of the mental health problem, it said.

The NTMHP also envisions linking tele-mental health services with other health-related schemes and services provided by the government under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (national digitalisation of health records and services) and the e-Sanjeevani platform (national tele-consultation service).

The effects of COVID-19 on mental health are prevalent. Long-term social distance protocols, fear of illness, death and future unpredictability, loss of educational and employment opportunities, economic downturn, and high work stress environment experienced by frontline healthcare workers have all been raised as concerns regarding the impact on mental health, Dr Sagar said.

"Social media misinformation and excessive screen time have become major issues in a society that is growing. Increasing common mental disorders at an alarming rate is a trend seen today (PTSD, anxiety, depression, suicidality, substance abuse, and post-Covid syndrome).

"Much stress brought on by infection prevention and control because of lockdown, self-isolation, and quarantine has led to a detrimental effect on mental health," he said.

"Although toll-free numbers and telepsychiatry consultations have had a favourable impact on people's decisions to seek care, prioritising the need of the most vulnerable individuals when allocating resources for mental is crucial," he said.

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The (IAF) will induct on Monday the first batch of indigenously-developed (LCH), in a boost to its combat prowess as the multi-role platform is capable of firing a range of missiles and other weapons.



The LCH, developed by state-run aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), has been primarily designed for deployment in high-altitude regions.



It will be inducted into the IAF at a ceremony in Jodhpur in the presence of Defence Minister and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, officials said on Sunday.



In a Twitter post, the defence minister said the induction of the new helicopters will be a "big boost" to the IAF's "combat prowess".



The 5.8-tonne twin-engine helicopter has already completed various weapons firing tests, they said.



In March, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approved the procurement of 15 indigenously developed Limited Series Production (LSP) LCH at a cost of Rs 3,887 crore.



The defence ministry had said 10 helicopters would be for the IAF and five will be for the Indian Army.

The LCH has similarities with Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv. It has a number of stealth features, armoured-protection systems, night attack capability and crash-worthy landing gear for better survivability, officials said.

"I would be in Jodhpur, Rajasthan tomorrow, 3rd October, to attend the Induction ceremony of the first indigenously developed Light Combat Helicopters (LCH). The induction of these helicopters will be a big boost to the IAF's combat prowess. Looking forward to it," Singh tweeted.

The LCH is equipped with requisite agility, manoeuvrability, extended range, high altitude performance and all-weather combat capability to perform a range of roles including combat search and rescue (CSAR), destruction of enemy air defence (DEAD) and counter-insurgency (CI) operations.



The helicopter can also be deployed in high-altitude bunker-busting operations, counter-insurgency operations in the jungles and urban environments as well as for supporting ground forces.



The helicopter can also be used against slow-moving aircraft and remotely piloted aircraft (RPAs) of adversaries.



Officials said it would be a potent platform to meet the operational requirements of the IAF and the Indian Army.



They said state-of-the-art technologies and systems compatible with stealth features such as reduced visual, aural, radar and IR signatures and crashworthiness features for better survivability have been integrated into the LCH for deployment in combat roles.



Several key aviation technologies like a glass cockpit and composite airframe structure have been indigenised, they said.

The future series-production version will consist of further modern and indigenous systems, they said.



Four LCH helicopters have already been accepted by the IAF. The officials said IAF plans to procure more LCH in the near future.



"We are already working with DRDO and HAL to integrate new weapons on the helicopter," said one of the officials.



The helicopter has been tested under stringent operating conditions including at sea level, in desert regions and in Siachen. In February 2020, it was declared ready for production.



The Army has a plan to acquire 95 LCH largely for a combat role in the mountains.

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The High Court on Saturday granted conditional bail to jailed state leader Bernard N Marak, accused of running a sex racket at his farmhouse in the northeastern state.

Marak was granted bail on the condition that he shall not abscond or tamper with evidence or leave the country and should cooperate with the investigation.

He was also asked to furnish a personal bond of Rs 50,000 along with two solvent sureties of the like amount.

The accused person, Bernard N Marak, is hereby directed to be released on bail, if not wanted in some other cases, provided the following conditions are complied with, Justice W Diengdoh said in the court order.

Marak's wife L K Gracy had moved the bail application on Friday.

The high court was content that Marak is the owner of the property, but expressed doubt whether there is enough evidence to point out that the place was used as a brothel.

From the statement of the witnesses and the materials on record, there is insufficient evidence to link the accused person to the alleged offence in as much as there is no initial evidence that the place of occurrence has been used as a brothel, nor is there any evidence to prove that prostitution was carried on in the PO, the court observed.

Marak, a former militant leader, was arrested from Hapur district in Uttar Pradesh, days after police allegedly busted a sex racket at his private farmhouse 'Rimpu Bagan'.

Police had also said it arrested 73 people from the farmhouse and rescued six minors -- four boys and two girls.

A case under different sections of the Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act, 1956 was registered against the Leader at the Tura women police station.

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The has summoned President for questioning in its ongoing money laundering probe into the operations of the party-owned Herald newspaper, official sources said.

He has been asked to depose before the federal investigative agency on October 7 in Delhi, they said.

The 60-year-old former cabinet minister was last questioned by the federal agency on September 19 in the capital in another money laundering case linked to alleged possession of disproportionate assets.

The latest summons comes at a time when the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' of the party, led by its leader Rahul Gandhi, entered on Friday, September 30, and will be in the state for 21 days.

Shivakumar is involved in the conduct of this leg of the yatra.

While exiting the ED office after his questioning last month, he had told the waiting mediapersons that he has been charge-sheeted by the agency in one money laundering case but he does not know what is the new case (disproportionate assets) against him.

"Surprisingly, they (ED officials) have asked me about the payment from one of my trusts from me and my brother to Young Indian," he had told reporters.

Young Indian is the company that owns the news organisation.

Shivakumar also said he has sought more time from the agency to furnish details about his assets and liabilities to them.

The former minister said he believed in the "law system" and knew that he will get justice.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi, her MP son Rahul Gandhi and senior Congress leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Bansal have been questioned by the ED over the last few months in the Herald money laundering case.

The agency has also issued summons to a number of Congress leaders from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for questioning in the Herald after it was found that they allegedly made payments to Young Indian.

Their depositions are slated between October 3-10 at the ED office in Delhi, sources said.

Shivakumar was arrested by the agency on September 3, 2019 following multiple rounds of questioning in a case that emerged from an Income tax department action against him. The Delhi High Court had granted him bail in October that year.

In May this year, the agency filed a charge sheet against him and some others linked to him in this case.

The case was registered after taking cognisance of a charge sheet (prosecution complaint) filed by the Income Tax Department against them in 2018 before a special court in Bengaluru on charges of alleged tax evasion and hawala transactions worth crores.

The I-T department has accused Shivakumar, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief, and his alleged associates of transporting huge amounts of unaccounted cash on a regular basis through 'hawala' channels with the help of three other accused.

The Kanakapura MLA played an instrumental role in ensuring the safe stay of Gujarat Congress MLAs in a Karnataka resort during the Rajya Sabha polls in 2017 amid allegations that the BJP was trying to poach them.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi's political secretary, the late Ahmed Patel, had fought the Rajya Sabha election from Gujarat in 2017 and Shivakumar had hosted 44 Gujarat Congress MLAs at the resort to keep the flock together.

The ED had questioned his daughter Aishwarya too in this case after she was summoned to appear in Delhi.

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In his maiden communication with the three defence forces, new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan has asked the Army, Navy and Air Force to make a move ahead towards the creation of integrated theatre commands.

The CDS would also be visiting Jodhpur on October 3 to witness the induction of the Light Combat Helicopter into the with Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari in his first visit outside Delhi after taking over his new office.The post of Chief of Defence Staff was created in 2019 and one of the top mandates was to create theatre commands to help Army, Navy and Air Force fight the next wars jointly.

"The CDS has communicated to the defence forces to move ahead on creating theatre commands which would be his priority area. A lot of discussions have already been done on the issue and it is now time to move forward," government sources told ANI.

The three services have also done several studies in individual capacity as well as joint ones to discuss the issue of theatre commands in detail, they said.

Gen Chauhan's predecessor, the late Gen Bipin Rawat was also working with great stress on turning the three forces into leaner and agile fighting units with modern weaponry.

As per the earlier plans, western and eastern land-based commands along with a maritime theatre command were to be created. Air Defence Command was also to be created and the Ladakh region was to be left out for the time being.

However, the while supporting the creation of theatre commands expressed its views against creating too many of them which could lead to the division of its existing assets like fighter aircraft.

It was also against any land or maritime commands and wanted theatres to be created to deal with specific threats from different sides.

After the demise of Gen Rawat, these studies and presentations by the three forces have continued and presentations on the matter have been given to the top brass of the defence ministry.

With CDS Gen Chauhan in office now, the creation of these commands is likely to gain momentum and decisions in this regard are expected to be taken soon.

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Cocking a snook at the High-Security Registration Plates (HSRP) rule, more than seven lakh newly registered vehicles, including the ones used for VVIPs like the chief minister and deputy chief minister, in are plying without HSRPs, according to RTO officials.

The HSRP rule has been in place for more than three and a half years intending to curb theft of vehicles and for standardisation.

When asked about the reason for non-compliance, a senior official cited the absence of a specific rule to take action against a vehicle plying sans HSRP. Hence, they slap a fine of Rs 2,000 for spotting a fancy number plate.

Another official told PTI some dealers of vehicles flout the HSRP rule and hand over new vehicles to customers without fitting these plates on vehicles, which is mandatory.

Of the nearly 69 lakh new vehicles registered in since April 2019, only about 61 lakh vehicles are fitted with HSRPs, popularly called 'IND' or INDIA number plates.

"As many as 7.68 lakh new vehicles registered in Maharashtra, including the bulletproof cars used for VVIPs such as the chief minister and the deputy chief minister, interceptor and pilot vehicles of police, and leased buses in the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking's fleet, among others, are plying without HSRPs," officials of Regional Transport Offices said.

To curb the theft of vehicles and bring uniformity in their identity marks, the Union government made HSRP mandatory for every newly registered vehicle from April 1, 2019, putting the onus on manufacturers to install these number plates in every new vehicle, before handing them over to the customers.

According to the latest report of the Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), saw 27,740 cases of vehicle theft, including 3,282 from Mumbai.

Despite the HSRP rule, many vehicles are still seen sporting fancy number plates, on which numbers are written in cursive fonts, different sizes and languages (like Marathi and English). Notably, some vehicles fit HSRP on the front and fancy number plates on the rear side or visa-versa, officials said.

In more than 61 lakh vehicles, HSRPs are installed using normal screws and nut bolts, instead of the snap lock or rivets, which is a violation of HSRP rules.

"As the HSRPs are installed on the front and rear side of vehicles using normal screws and nut bolts instead of snap lock, after some time they fall off due to potholes on roads or other reasons. As a result of which, some vehicles are seen with missing or hanging HSRPs, defeating the very purpose," officials pointed out.

A retired RTO official said some vehicle dealers install HSRPs using a plastic or metal case instead of rivets, in violation of rules.

RTO offices and the office of the transport commissioner have turned a blind eye towards the non-use of snap locks for fitment of HSRPs, he alleged.

The HSRP rule mandates that barring two-wheelers, every vehicle should have a chromium-based hologram sticker affixed on the inner side of the vehicle's windshield specifying details of registration, but in many vehicles, these stickers are missing though they sport HSRPs, officials said.

Made of a rare aluminium alloy, HSRP contains a retro-reflective film with a verification inscription 'India', chromium-based Ashok Chakra hologram, the hot-stamped letter "IND" in blue, and a 10-digit laser-branding of a unique serial number, making it tamper-proof.

If fitted using a snap lock, the HSRP will damage if it is tried to be removed forcefully.

In Maharashtra, 8,90,960 lakh vehicles were registered till August in the current financial year.

Maharashtra's vehicle population is over 4 crore, but the state government has not yet made these number plates mandatory for vehicles registered before March 31, 2019.

"Dealers of vehicle manufacturers install HSRPs to new vehicles before handing them to customers. This is done once the vehicle number is generated after online registration at RTO. Dealers are responsible for procuring and installing HSRPs on vehicles after procuring from the suppliers," officials said.

They said the transport department has also made it a must for dealers to upload photos and details of HSRPs on the VAHAN portal used nationally for storing data about vehicles, and on the fitment of HSRPs. Until then, the registration certificate of the vehicle is not printed at RTO.

If any vehicle is found without HSRP, the dealers will face suspension of their trade certificates for specific days but despite this rule, some dealers hand over vehicles, especially from the commercial category, to customers without HSRPs, officials said.

"In some cases, they (dealers) send the HSPR kit to customers later and ask them to get it fitted themselves. This is the reason HSRPs on several vehicles were found fitted with screw or nut bolts instead of snap locks," he added.

A motor vehicle inspector said there is no specific rule for taking action against the vehicle if caught without HSRPs.

He said the transport commissioner's office has directed all RTOs to suspend the trade certificate of dealers for a specific period for the first, second and third offences for handing over new vehicles to customers without HSRPs.

Maharashtra Transport Department Additional Commissioner J B Patil said RTO officials have been directed to take action in the matter.

"We are conducting a special drive against vehicles without fitness documents. We will ask RTO officers to check vehicles without HSRPs as well," he added.

Some RTO officials also pointed out that even after more than three years, a majority of vehicles, especially two-wheelers and heavy vehicles, do not come with designated places for installing HSRPs.

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New Delhi [India], October 2 (ANI): The Standing Committees for both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are likely to be reconstituted in the coming days.

The principal opposition party Congress is likely to lose out on several committees where the chairman was from their party. This also includes the Standing Committee for Communications and Information Technology which was chaired by Lok Sabha MP Dr .

Top sources told ANI, the chairmanship of the Committee will go to the new Democratic Alliance (NDA) partner the Eknath Shinde-led faction of Shiv Sena.

Sources from Shiv Sena have confirmed the news to ANI. It is learnt that the party has decided to nominate the name of MP Prataprao Jadhav for the same.

"Our party has been offered the chairmanship of the IT committee and after consultation with top leaders, we have decided to nominate Jadhav," the Sena sources said.

Prataprao Jadhav is a Lok Sabha MP from the Buldhana constituency in Maharashtra. Jadhav was one of the many Shiv Sena MPs who jumped into the rebellion ship led by .

Notably, several opposition MPs including Karti Chidambaram, John Brittas and others had written to Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla, requesting for the continuation of Tharoor as chairman of the IT panel.

The Standing Committee for Communications and Information Technology has been a point of friction between the ruling BJP MPs and the Opposition MPs led by chairman Tharoor. Another member of the IT panel Nishikant Dubey on several occasions has asked for the removal of Tharoor citing his personal party-driven agenda and had also moved a couple of breach of Privilege Motions against him.

In September 2019, Shashi Tharoor, a Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram, was appointed as the chairman of the Committee for Communications and Information Technology by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Despite opposition from several BJP MPs, Tharoor was reappointed as the panel chief in September 2021 through a voice vote.

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Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's cover was tightened after specific inputs indicating threats to his life through a mystery phone call on Sunday.

The Home Department, handled by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, has also ordered a probe with efforts on to trace the call and the unknown caller.

Simultaneously, at Shinde's official residence 'Varsha', at Malabar Hill and his private home in Thane city was beefed up with additional forces deployed.

Officials said that the State Intelligence Department (SID) monitored the inputs about the threats to Shinde, who has a Z-category cover.

Earlier, Shinde - who leads the rebel Shiv Sena faction which toppled the Maha Vikas Aghadi govt in June - had been the target of similar threats from Maoists and anti- elements earlier when he was a minister in the previous government.

Though officials are tightlipped, there's speculation that the latest threats may be linked to the Centre's decision to ban the PFI.

Shinde is presently travelling a lot for the Navratri festivities and will address a Dassehra rally at the Bandra Kurla Complex ground on Vijaya Dashami.

BJP leaders like Pravin Darekar and Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar suspect that certain persons may be upset by the CM's tough decisions in recent times and demanded a full investigation into the matter, including political or international threads.

--IANS

qn/vd

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has attracted over 2.5 lakh crore in investment across various sectors in the last 8 years due to business-friendly policies and atmosphere, state Industries Minister KT Rama Rao said.

Rao -- who also holds the portfolio of Minister for Commerce, IT and Urban Development -- made the remarks in a reply to a question on state investment policies.

"We gave more than 20,000 clearances (to business proposals) in last 8 years through TS iPass attracting more than Rs 2.5 lakh crore of investment and created 1.6 million or 16 crore direct job opportunities," he told PTI in an interview.

Under the TS iPass or State Industrial Policy, an investor is given all clearances within 15 days, Rao said.

However, if an investor does not receive any communication from the Telangana government, his or her investment proposal is entitled to be deemed approved, the minister said, adding the officer responsible for the delay is fined accordingly.

"Further, if one already complies with all rules and regulations, the person can begin construction from day 1 by just filing a self-declaration document with the government," he said.

Rao said sectors like IT, pharma and manufacturing have shown tremendous growth over the last 8 years.

In a reply to a question on the number of companies operating in Telangana, Minister said, "We are the world's largest vaccine hub. 33 per cent of the world vaccine is produced in Telangana. We manufacture 35-40 per cent of India's pharmaceuticals. We are an important hub in information and technology. In fact, the world's largest IT companies like Google, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon and Qualcomm all are here".

The ecosystem in the IT sector is about 8 lakh people in direct jobs and at least 2 fold of them are working indirectly for the segment.

Out of 4,50,000 jobs created in the IT sector last year, 1,50,000 jobs were created in Telangana alone. One over of every 3 jobs in IT gets generated in Telangana, he said.

In life sciences, more than 5,00,000 people have direct jobs.

When asked about the investment his government is expecting over the next 5 years, Rao said, "I will not pose any numbers. We will speak when things materialise. The state is seeing repeat from already operating players".

Telangana is number 3 in the ease of doing business index. "We also provide peace of doing business that is why out of Rs 2.5 lakh crore of investment, 24 per cent was repeat investment from players who had already invested in the state," the minister said.

Recently a textile company signed an MoU with the state government to invest Rs 24,000 crore and Schneider Electric is setting up its second unit in Telangana, Rao said, citing examples of repeat .

"Companies from America, Europe and Asia have invested in Telangana. I urge investors from all over the globe to invest in Telangana and assure full support to their proposals," the minister said.

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Delhi Chief Minister and his Punjab counterpart will address two public rallies in on Sunday, ahead of the Assembly polls in the BJP-ruled state due later this year.

Both the (AAP) leaders are on a two-day visit from Saturday.

On Sunday, AAP national convener Kejriwal will address public gatherings in Surendranagar city and Khedbrahma town in Sabarkantha district. Mann will also be present during the rallies, the party unit said in a statement.

Before the rallies, the two leaders will address a press conference in Rajkot.

AAP's Rajya Sabha member and Gujarat co-incharge Raghav Chadha will also address a press conference in Surat, the party said.

Kejriwal and Mann on Saturday addressed public meetings at Gandhidham in Kutch district and Joshipura in Junagadh district.

Kejriwal had promised the construction of 20,000 mohalla clinics on the lines of Delhi across Gujarat, government-run schools in each village of the state, and also assured "free and unlimited" healthcare for all.

He has also offered a number of other "guarantees" to the people of Gujarat during his multiple visits to the state in the recent past.

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gettyimagesbank



By Lee Yeon-woo



Korea has the highest elderly suicide rate among OECD member nations. In 2019, 46.6 senior citizens per 100,000 committed suicide, according to the White Paper of Suicide Prevention released this June by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.



A recent study has found that among other factors, the voter turnout in local elections correlates inversely with the elderly suicide rate. In electoral districts where voter turnouts are high, elderly suicide is low, it says.



In his Ph.D. dissertation examining the factors affecting suicide rates, author Lee Tae-ho said he collected such results after having compared the voter turnouts in electoral districts with elderly suicide rates in the same areas between 2015 and 2019.



He included 16 hypothetical variables, including voter turnout, the number of nearby social welfare facilities, good neighbors and others to figure out if these factors impact the elderly suicide rate.



His results showed that the voter turnout rate correlates inversely with the elderly suicide rate more strongly compared to the other variables he studied.



Lee found that in electoral districts having a voter turnout 1 percent higher than the national average, the elderly suicide rate per 100,000 people was lower by 1.2 percent for men and 0.6 percent for women.



"Voter turnout is an index representing people's attention and willingness to take action on the public agenda. It has been used in studies to measure people's social participation," Lee wrote.



Lee claimed that residents who actively participate in local elections are more likely to reach out to people showing signs of being at risk of suicide, as they have more interest in the public agenda. For example, when people show warning signs of suicide, residents of regions showing high voter turnout tend to respond actively such as by offering help seeking out mental health services.



Lee called for more opportunities for elderly citizens to participate in preventing suicide.



"If we consider elderly suicide a personal issue and take a passive attitude in social support, it is inevitable that the elderly suicide rate will increase. To solve many social issues related to the elderly, we should develop policies and prevent elderly suicide substantially," Lee wrote.



*If you need expert help due to depression or other mental health concerns, you can receive 24-hour counseling at the Korean Suicide Prevention Center's hotline at 1393.


The Trump-Pence sign still hangs on the older building off Main Street in this historic town, a lasting vestige of the campaign fervor that roused voters, including many who still believe the falsehood that the former president didn't lose in 2020 and hope he'll run in 2024.

The enthusiasm for Donald Trump's unique brand of nationalist populism has cut into traditional Democratic strongholds like Monongahela, about 25 miles south of Pittsburgh, where brick storefronts and a Slovak fellowship hall dot Main Street and church bells mark the hours of the day. Republicans are counting on political nostalgia for the Trump era as they battle Democrats this fall in Pennsylvania in races for governor, the U.S. Senate and control of Congress.

Trump just came along and filled the empty space, said Matti Gruzs, who stitches old blue jeans into tote bags, place mats and other creations she sells at the weekly Farmer's Market downtown. He's still the king, and the kingmaker.

Against the backdrop of this picturesque place, House Republicans recently released their campaign agenda, hoping their Commitment to America can tap into the same political sentiment Trump used to attract not just Republican but independent and former Democratic voters. But it's unclear whether the support that propelled Trump to the White House will be there on Election Day, Nov. 8.

Perhaps even more challenging for the GOP is whether Trump's false claims of voter fraud will cost the party if people believe, as the defeated president claims without evidence, the elections are rigged. Some may just decide to sit out the election.

It started out as a low-enthusiasm race, said Dave Ball, the chairman in Washington County, which includes much of western Pennsylvania.

Ball said enthusiasm has been building rapidly his main metric for voter interest in the elections is the demand for lawn signs. We were wondering, at one point, you know, we were going to see any, he said. Right now, I can't get my hands on enough.

But Amy Michalic, who was born and raised in Monongahela and works the polls during elections, said she hears skepticism from some voters, particularly Trump supporters, who think my vote doesn't count.

Trump's claims of fraud have no basis in fact. Dozens of court cases filed by Trump and his supporters have been dismissed or rejected by judges across the nation, but he continues to challenge Joe Biden's victory. In every state, officials have attested to the accuracy of their elections, and Trump's own attorney general at the time, Bill Barr, said in 2020 there was no voter fraud on a scale to change the outcome.

Michaelic reminds skeptical voters in her hometown of the importance of voting and notes that in 2016, no one thought Trump could win. "Look what he did, he took Pennsylvania, she said.

At the Farmer's Market on a recent afternoon, voters shared concerns that many people in the voice this election year about the high prices of everything, about finding workers and good-paying jobs, about the culture wars.

Where do you start? said Michelle DeHosse, wearing an American flag shirt as she helped vendors set up stands.

DeHosse, who runs a custom-screen print and embroidery shop on Main Street, said she has had trouble hiring employees since the pandemic. While she said just cannot afford the $20 an hour and health care benefits many applicants demand, she understands that many workers need both. It's the economy that's the biggest concern, she said.

Democrats were sparse among the voters, who didn't seem to have strong feelings for their choices this fall for either of the Senate candidates, Democrat John Fetterman or the Trump-backed Republican Mehmet Oz. Several said they probably would vote party line.

I don't like either one of them, said Carolyn McCuen, 84, a Republican enjoying sunset with friends and McDonald's coffee at a picnic table by the river.

Me either, said another Republican, Sam Reo, 76, a retired mechanical engineer, playing oldies from the portable speaker he sets up for the group.

Both still plan to vote. Support for the GOP candidate for governor, Doug Mastriano, who was outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, can be seen in the giant signs along Lincoln Highway, an east-west route across the state.

Mastriano is a folk hero around here, said Gruzs, who recalled his regular updates broadcast during the pandemic.

A history buff who homes-schooled her children, Gruzs hasn't missed a vote since she cast her first presidential ballot for Ronald Reagan. The same goes for her husband, Sam, a plumber. They moved here two decades ago from Baltimore, for a better life. Now a grandmother, she spends her days working on her crafts and listening to far-right broadcasts Steve Bannon, Charlie Kirk and others.

She is not a fan of House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. and isn't convinced he has the toughness needed to push the party's ideas forward. But she did attend the event at a nearby manufacturing facility where lawmakers outlined the GOP agenda. She was heartened to see far-right Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene at the event with McCarthy, and made sure to shake Greene's hand.

If she's behind him, she said, trailing off. It looked today he had enough behind him, pushing him.

Trump remains popular, and the sign hanging on the building off Main Street from his 2020 campaign was far from the only one still visible in the state, two years since that election.

Several of the voters dismissed the investigations against Trump as nothing more than a witch hunt designed to keep him from running again office, despite the potentially serious charges being raised in state and federal inquiries. Some voters said they didn't believe the attack on the Capitol was an insurrection, despite the violence waged by pro-Trump supporters trying to overturn Biden's election.

Those views stand in contrast to the hard facts of Jan. 6: More than 850 people have been arrested and charged in the insurrection, some given lengthy sentences by the courts for their involvement. Hours before the siege, Trump told a rally crowd to fight like hell for his presidency. Loyalists soon broke into the Capitol, fighting in hand-to-hand combat with police, interrupting Congress as it was certifying the election results. Five people, including a Trump supporter shot by police, died in the immediate aftermath.

And if Trump runs again?



I wish he would, said McCuen, a retired church secretary. But I don't know if he will.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former President "wants his old job back" and will announce within weeks his run for the presidency in 2024. Trump is eager to get back to the White House, and wants to announce his 2024 run in the coming weeks.

Stating this, Kellyanne Conway, his 2016 campaign manager and close ally, said she had advised him to wait until after the midterms in November, according to Business Insider. .

Speaking on Friday with CBS News, Conway was asked whether Trump would announce his candidacy after the midterm elections and before Thanksgiving.

"Well, he would like to," said Conway, as per CBS News. "He's as active as anybody in these midterm elections. That's important to the calculus also, Catherine, because we have the most ironic, if not unprecedented situation right now," Conway continued.

"We have a president, a current president, whose party doesn't really want him to campaign with them." Trump will assess the timing of his announcement after the midterms, which take place on November 8, Conway said. "I will tell you why he wants to run for president," she said. " wants his old job back."

In July, Conway described Trump as "champing at the bit" to announce his third presidential bid. Speaking to CBS News, she said she advised him to wait until right after the midterms.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy also said he lobbied the former president not to announce a 2024 presidential run before the midterms. "My point to him has always (been), 'Let's go win '22,'" McCarthy told reporters at the Capitol in July.

That same month, a top Republican strategist told Insider that a pre-midterm announcement from Trump would be a "train wreck for the party" and "a complete mess."

Meanwhile, how Democrats, who aren't named Joe Biden, are running for president - without running for president. Joe Biden plans to seek reelection in 2024, even though voters are souring on him.

Democrats aren't expected to primary Biden, but questions linger about a backup plan. Would-be candidates have been seeking the national spotlight. President Joe Biden has been clear that he plans to run for a second term in 2024. His political team is even getting ready for a spring reelection announcement, according to the Washington Post.

But that hasn't stopped the "will he really?" chatter, particularly after a New York Times poll found that 61 per cent of Democrats said they hoped someone other than Biden would be their nominee in 2024, largely because of his age and job performance.

Democratic insiders are questioning whether Biden, 79, can mount a vigorous campaign in 2024 - especially if former President decides to run again.

Despite the doubts, Biden is not expected to face a primary challenge given that it would alienate other people in the party as well as the donor class, said Mark Jones, Rice University (Houston, Texas) political science professor and Baker Institute fellow, the Insider said.

"The norm is that you do not challenge a sitting president from your party," Jones said. "That's a major political faux pas. It either isn't done, or if it is done it's done more for political ambition - not to actually win, but to put the spotlight on yourself for other reasons."

A key factor helping Biden's staying in power is Trump. The New York Times poll found that Biden would be favoured to win in another contest against Trump. "The belief is that if Biden beat Trump before, he can beat him again," Jones said. If a Democrat were to try to primary Biden - and weaken him in the process - then that person would be blamed if a Republican, even Trump, were to win in 2024.

But none of these factors rule out politicians' making under-the-radar moves. If Biden somehow reverses his plans, that'll mean the party will need to find a backup.

Some ways that candidates begin to test the field through "invisible primaries" are by campaigning for other Democrats to build loyalty, particularly in swing districts. They also may appear at events in potential early voting states and offer noncommittal responses about whether they'll support Biden in 2024, said Shawn Donahue, a University at Buffalo (New York) assistant professor of political science.

Other ways are through grabbing headlines through weighing in on national debates, holding leadership roles in the party, and raising huge sums particularly from out-of-staters. In the case of governors interested in the White House, they'll need to crush the opposition if they're up for reelection this year, in November, the Insider said.

"There will be a host of people who want to be waiting in the wings so the moment Biden says he's not running they can sort of jump in," Jones said. Even if Biden doesn't change his mind, 2028 isn't much further off. There are 15 politicians who are taking actions or gaining interest that might position them for a 2024 White House run if Biden changes his mind. And this includes the three top contenders, VP Kamala Harris, Florida Governor Gavin Newsom and senator Elizabeth.

--IANS

ashe/shs

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hundreds of Palestinians rallied in City to protest against Israeli raids on the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The rally was organized on Saturday by the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) at Palestine Stadium in northwestern city under the title "Al-Aqsa Mosque is in danger". The protesters include leaders and supporters as well as representatives of Palestinian factions, Xinhua news agency reported.

Protesters chanted anti- slogans and slogans in support of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. They waved Palestinian flags and green flags, as well as pictures and models of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' top leader in the Strip who participated the rally, warned that the current Israeli practices at the mosque in Jerusalem "would blow up the situation and lead to an unexpected tension."

"The Palestinians in Gaza gathered to deliver a message that the occupation of Al-Aqsa, Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Palestine in general, would lead to an explosion that no one will be able to control," Rawhi Mushtaha, a member of political bureau, told the rally.

The rally came less than a week after the Israeli police reportedly broke into the holy site on September 26 in the Old City of Jerusalem to remove Muslim worshippers and provide a safe ground for ultranationalist Jews marking the Jewish New Year (from September 25 to 27).

--IANS

int/shs

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
on Sunday condemned the vandalism at a recently unveiled park named 'Shri Bhagavad Gita' in Canada's Brampton and urged the authorities to investigate and take prompt action against the perpetrators of the .

The park previously called Troyers Park was renamed as Shri Bhagavad Gita Park and unveiled on September 28.

We condemn the at the Shri Bhagvad Gita Park in Brampton. We urge Canadian authorities & @PeelPolice to investigate and take prompt action on the perpetrators, the High Commission of in Canada tweeted.

The attack came days after another temple in Canada was vandalised.

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown on Sunday confirmed the vandalism at the park and said that Canada has "zero tolerance" for such attacks.

"We are aware that the recently unveiled Shri Bhagavad Gita Park sign has been vandalized. We have zero tolerance for this. We have flagged Peel Regional Police for further investigation. Our Parks department is working to resolve and correct the sign as soon as possible," Brown tweeted on Sunday.

On September 28, Mayor Brown said, "Today, the @CityBrampton unveiled the renaming of Brampton's Troyers Park to Shri Bhagavad Gita Park. Brampton is a Mosaic, and this renaming commemorates the Hindu community and all they contribute to our City. We celebrate all cultures and all faiths in our City."



On September 15, a prominent Hindu temple, BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, was defaced by Canadian Khalistani extremists with anti- graffiti in an apparent .

Last month, India issued an advisory to its citizens in Canada warning of increased hate crimes.

(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.)
King Charles III has decided not to attend the climate change summit in Egypt next month, fueling speculation that the new monarch will have to rein in his environmental activism now that he has ascended the throne.

The Sunday Times newspaper reported that the decision came after Conservative Prime Minister Liz Truss objected to Charles attending the conference, known as COP27, when she met with the king last month at Buckingham Palace.

While there was no official rebuttal, other British media quoted unidentified palace and government sources as saying that Charles made his decision after consultation with the prime minister and that any suggestion of disagreement was untrue.

Under the rules that govern Britain's constitutional monarchy, the king is barred from interfering in politics. By convention, all official overseas visits by members of the royal family are undertaken in accordance with advice from the government and a decision like this would have resulted from consultation and agreement.

Before becoming king when Queen Elizabeth II died on Sept. 8, there had been speculation Charles would travel to the summit in the role he then held as Prince of Wales.

Charles attended the previous climate summit,COP26, last year in Glasgow, Scotland, but his attendance at this year's conference was never confirmed. COP27 is taking place Nov. 16-18 in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

When he was Prince of Wales, Charles was accused of meddling in government affairs, including allegations that he inappropriately lobbied government ministers.

But Charles is now king, and he has acknowledged that he will have less freedom to speak out on public issues as monarch than he did as the heir to the throne. At the same time, his advisers would be looking for the right time and place for Charles' first overseas trip as sovereign.

My life will, of course, change as I take up my new responsibilities,'' Charles said in a televised address after his mother's death.

It will no longer be possible for me to give so much of my time and energies to the charities and issues for which I care so deeply. But I know this important work will go on in the trusted hands of .

(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 OPEC+ oil cartel will meet in at the ministerial level on October 5 to discuss future output strategy, according to a statement issued by the organisation.

It's the first in-person meeting at the ministerial level for OPEC+ since March 2020 when Covid-19 restrictions moved the meeting online, Xinhua news agency reported.

Investors are awaiting the decision at next week's OPEC+ meeting, as oil prices have recently tumbled over fears of an economic slowdown and demand contraction. Both the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and the Brent crude have dropped from peaks of over $120 a barrel in June to about $80 a barrel.

OPEC+, which comprises the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, slashed oil production massively in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic hammered demand. The group began to unwind the output cuts in July 2021 as the market improved.

At its last ministerial meeting held virtually in early September, OPEC+ announced a small production cut of 100,000 barrels per day for October, its first output cut in over a year, to bolster the sliding crude prices.

--IANS

int/shs

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan Prime Minister is expected to embark on an official visit to China in the first week of November, media reports said.

"Last minute details are being worked upon, but the visit is very much on," sources told The News.

Meanwhile, in Beijing, the Pakistan Embassy hosted an event on floods in Pakistan.

"Delighted to host representatives of multilateral organisations, Chinese think tanks and academia at the embassy. Briefed them on recent floods in Pakistan and Pakistan's vulnerability to climate change. Touched by their desire to contribute," said Pakistan's Ambassador Moinul Haque.

Interestingly, Haque was also at one time being considered as the future Foreign Secretary but his tenure in office expires next year.

According to a statement, organisations, Chinese think tanks, NGOs, Global Young Leaders Dialogue (GYLD) members and members of the Pakistani community attended the event in Beijing.

On the occasion, Moin briefed the audience about the extent and nature of the recent unprecedented floods in Pakistan. Expressing gratitude for the support extended by the community, particularly China and the UN, he reiterated the need for proactive climate action and solidarity to mitigate the effects of climate change.

He stressed that it was unfortunate that despite being a low carbon emitter, Pakistan was among the countries most vulnerable to climate change. He called on rich countries to help the developing states affected by climate change. He hoped that the international community would remain engaged with Pakistan in the rehabilitation and reconstruction phase.

--IANS

san/

(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.)
Angry protesters attacked the French Embassy in Burkina Faso's capital on Saturday after supporters of the West African nation's new leader accused of harboring the ousted interim president, a charge French authorities vehemently denied.

Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba was overthrown late Friday only nine months after he'd mounted a himself in Burkina Faso, which has been failing to effectively counter rising violence by Islamic extremists. Comments by a new junta spokesman earlier Saturday set into motion an outburst of anger in Ouagadougou, the capital.

Video on social media showed residents with lit torches outside the perimeter of the French embassy.

Damiba's whereabouts remained unknown but France's Foreign Ministry issued a strongly worded statement: We formally deny involvement in the events unfolding in . The camp where the French forces are based has never hosted Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba nor has our embassy.

Capt. Ibrahim Traore, who was named in charge after the Friday evening was announced on state television, said in his first interview that he and his men did not seek to harm Damiba.

If we wanted, we would take him within five minutes of fighting and maybe he would be dead, the president. But we don't want this catastrophe, Traore told the Voice of America. We don't want to harm him, because we don't have any personal problem with him. We're fighting for .

Roads remained blocked off in Ouagadougou and a helicopter could be heard flying overhead. An internal security analysis for the European Union seen by The Associated Press said there was abnormal military movement in the city.

As uncertainty prevailed, the community widely condemned the ouster of Damiba, who himself overthrew the country's democratically elected president in January. The African Union and the West African region bloc known as ECOWAS sharply criticized the developments.

ECOWAS finds this new power grab inappropriate at a time when progress has been made, the bloc said, citing Damiba's recent agreement to return to constitutional order by July 2024.

After taking power in January, Damiba promised to end the Islamic extremist violence that has forced 2 million people to flee their homes in . But the group of officers led by Traore said Friday that Damiba had failed and was being removed.

The new junta leadership said it would commit all fighting forces to refocus on the security issue and the restoration of the integrity of our territory.

But it remains to be seen whether the junta can turn around the crisis. Concerns already were mounting Saturday that the latest political volatility would further distract the military and allow the jihadis to strengthen their grip on the once-peaceful country.

For some in Burkina Faso's military, Damiba was seen as too cozy with former colonizer France, which maintains a military presence in Africa's Sahel region to help countries fight Islamic extremists. Some who support the new coup leader, Traore, have called on Burkina Faso's government to seek Russian support instead.

In neighboring Mali, the coup leader has invited Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group to help with security, a move than has drawn global condemnation and accusations of human rights abuses.

Mali also saw a second coup nine months after the August 2020 overthrow of its president, when the junta's leader sidelined his civilian transition counterparts and put himself alone in charge.

Chrysogone Zougmore, president of the Burkina Faso Movement for Human Rights, called the latest overthrow very regrettable, saying the political instability would not help in the fight against Islamic extremist violence.

How can we hope to unite people and the army if the latter is characterized by such serious divisions? Zougmore 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.)
A strong US- defence partnership rooted in shared democratic values is critical to advancing Washington's interests in the strategic Indo-Pacific region, according to three top American senators who have moved a legislative amendment that urges the Biden administration to encourage New Delhi to accelerate its transition away from Russian weapons.

Senator Mark Warner, Co-Chair of the Senate Caucus, along with Senators Jack reed and Jim Inhofe, in the amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, says that faces immediate and serious regional border threats from China, with continued military aggression by the Chinese people along the India-China border.

The should take additional steps to encourage India to accelerate its transition away from weapons and defence systems manufactured in the Russian Federation while strongly supporting India's immediate defense needs, said the amendment.

It said that for its national defence, India relies on weapons manufactured by Russia.

Russia has been a major supplier of military hardware to India. In October 2018, India signed a USD 5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defence missile systems, notwithstanding a warning by the US that going ahead with the contract may invite sanctions under the provisions of Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

Russia started delivery of the first regiment of the missile systems in December last year and it has been deployed to cover parts of the border with China in the northern sector as well as the frontier with Pakistan.

A strong United States-India defence partnership rooted in shared democratic values is critical to advancing interests in the Indo-Pacific region, the amendment said.

It said the such partnership between the world's oldest and largest democracies is critical and should continue to be strengthened in response to increasing threats in the Indo-Pacific region so as to send an unequivocal signal that sovereignty and law must be respected.

China, which has territorial disputes with many countries in the strategic Indo-Pacific region, has been opposing the US' proactive policy specifically in the disputed South China Sea.

China claims nearly all of the disputed South China Sea, though Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam all claim parts of it. Beijing has built artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea. Beijing is also involved in a maritime dispute with Japan over the East China Sea.

The amendment welcomes the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies and says that it is an essential step to developing closer partnerships between the governments, academia, and industry in the two countries for the purpose of addressing the latest advances in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology, aerospace, and semiconductor manufacturing.

Collaborations between engineers and computer scientists through the United States-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies are vital to help ensure that the United States, India, and other democracies around the world foster innovation and facilitate technological advances that continue to far outpace the technology of the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China, said the proposed amendment.

(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.)
has the right to take all defensive measures to protect its easternmost islands amid threats by neighbouring that dispute Greek sovereignty rights and raise the spectre of war, the Greek defense minister said Saturday.

Speaking after Cyprus' independence day military parade, Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos said Turkey's revisionist and destabilising behaviour also undermines security in the wider eastern Mediterranean region.

Panagiotopoulos dismissed Turkey's demands to demilitarize the islands as if they're not being threatened and as if we don't have the right to take all defensive measures for them as baseless and unacceptable.

Earlier this week, summoned the Greek ambassador to protest the alleged deployment of dozens of U.S.-made armored vehicles to the Aegean islands of Samos and Lesbos, which Ankara says should remain demilitarized in line with treaties.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also warned that his country wouldn't hold back on defending its rights and interests against NATO ally Greece, further ratcheting up tensions between the historic rivals.

Prompted by a coup aimed at union with Greece, Turkey's invasion of Cyprus in 1974 split the east Mediterranean island along ethnic lines. Numerous U.N. mediated efforts at reunification failed. is now calling for the recognition of the island's breakaway Turkish Cypriot northern third that the European Union and others say is contrary to established U.N. parameters for a peace deal.

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said even though the island's National Guard is being bolstered with new equipment, he said the government won't be drawn into actions to furnish Turkey the excuse to further bolster it's 40,000 troops in the north.

(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 state audit agency has notified former President Moon Jae-in of its plan to question him in writing about his administration's alleged mishandling of the case of a South Korean fisheries official killed by North Korea in 2020, party officials said Sunday.







According to officials from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) e-mailed and telephoned Moon at the end of last month to accept the planned written investigation on the case.







The BAI has also sent written inquiries to the former president.







The DPK officials, however, said Moon was displeased with the BAI plan and sent back the e-mail.







The state audit agency refused to give any details on the pending issue.







The 2020 death of the 47-year-old fisheries official, Lee Dae-jun, near the western sea border is being revisited under the Yoon Suk-yeol government after the Coast Guard in June overturned its earlier conclusion that he was killed while attempting to defect to the North.







The Coast Guard said it had no concrete evidence behind the conclusion announced during the Moon administration.







Top national security officials of the Moon government, including former National Intelligence Service Director Park Jie-won, former National Security Adviser Suh Hoon and former Defense Minister Suh Wook, have been accused of mishandling the case, including fabricating related intelligence reports. (Yonhap)


The relentless plunge in Chinas stocks has burnished the appeal of their biggest emerging-market rival India, spurring a divergence thats rarely been seen before.

The MSCI India Index rallied almost 10% in the just-ended quarter, compared with a 23% slump for the MSCI China Index. The 33-percentage point outperformance by the India gauge is the biggest since March 2000.

Beijings Covid Zero pursuit, regulatory crackdowns and tensions with the West have led to a $5 trillion rout in Chinese stocks since early 2021. And India -- long dubbed the next China -- has become an attractive alternative with economic growth thats forecast to be the fastest in Asia.

Market veteran Mark Mobius has allocated a higher weight to India than China since the start of this year. Jupiter Asset Management says some of its emerging-market funds have India as their largest holding. M&G Investments (Singapore) Pte has made a greater allocation to India in 2022.

Indias expanding domestic market means the country can weather a looming global recession better than most other emerging markets, money managers say. In the longer term, Chinas decoupling with the US may also pave the way for Indian firms to boost their presence worldwide.

Chinas draconian lockdowns continue to impact these supply chains, so the clamor for an alternative has been rapidly gaining favor, said Nick Payne, a London-based investment manager for global emerging-market equities at Jupiter. India is the key candidate to fill that role, in an approach thats been dubbed China+1.

Early Stages

The big divergence between the two stock started to take place in February 2021 as tightening liquidity conditions in China contributed to the unwinding of a two-year rally in equities. Indian stocks, meanwhile, kept hitting record highs thanks to an unprecedented retail investing boom.

The aggregate market value of firms included in the MSCI China Index has dropped by $5.1 trillion since then and the gauge closed Friday at its lowest level since July 2016. The MSCI India Index -- which reached an all-time high earlier this year -- has added about $300 billion.

A long-term correlation between the two gauges has been negative since November, the longest stretch on record.

Investor positioning has also diverged. Global EM Fund allocations to India are at a record high while those to China are recovering modestly from a sharp drop in the past few quarters, according to Cameron Brandt, director of research at EPFR Global, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based research firm.

The increasing allocation of investor capital both to India-only and to Asia ex-China funds hints that this shift is still in its early stages, said Vikas Pershad, a fund Manager at M&G Investments. Some of the barriers to investing in China appear to be structural and longer lasting than expected.

To be sure, months of outperformance has made Indian stocks the most expensive in Asia on an earnings-based valuation. This has yielded caution from some investors, with the Reserve Bank of Indias interest-rate hikes also a factor that could weigh on market outlook.

China, on the other hand, has potential for a big upswing once the economy reopens from Covid restrictions. Its stocks listed in Hong Kong are trading at the cheapest ever by one metric.

Still, investors focused on Indias longer-term growth story hold strong convictions. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg expect the economy to grow about 7% in the fiscal year that ends next March, more than twice the pace of Chinas in 2022.

Mark Mobius, co-founder of Mobius Capital Partners, said Indias large and younger population coupled with a favorable environment toward private enterprise means it will be growing faster than China in the coming years.

Indias Moment



Major global companies have been taking advantage of the South Asian countrys industrial prowess. Apple Inc., which has long manufactured most of its iPhones in China, began making its new iPhone 14 in India sooner than anticipated following a smooth production rollout. Citigroup Inc. is targeting India as one of its top to expand globally.

We think this is really Indias moment. A lot of people are invested, said Julia Raiskin, head of Asia Pacific at Citi.

With its rising market clout, Indias weight in the Index has increased by almost 7 percentage points in the two years through September. Meanwhile, that of Chinese and Hong Kong stocks combined has fallen by more than 10 points.

Regardless of how the performs, abrdn Plc.s Kristy Fong said Indias attractiveness to global investors remains a long-term trend.

As a stock market, India is home to some of the highest quality companies in the region, with some of the most capable management teams anywhere in Asia, she said. Segments where India excels include financial services, consumer goods and services and health care.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday called and his family as 'fake Gandhis' and preferred not to discuss about them on .

Bommai was speaking to reporters after paying tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 153rd birth anniversary.

"Why are you talking about Nakli (fake) Gandhis on . There is no need to talk about Nakli Gandhis on Gandhi Jayanti," the Chief Minister said.

He was replying to a query on leader Rahul Gandhi's charge that there was rampant corruption in Karnataka under the rule.

"The entire party (Congress) is on bail. He (Rahul) himself is on bail, the previous president, honourable Sonia Gandhi is on bail. Our president (state president D K Shivakumar) is also on bail. The entire party is bail party. Everyone (in Congress) is facing corruption charges," Bommai alleged.

He charged that Shivakumar, who is also participating in the Bharat Jodo Yatra, is facing lots of corruption charges for the past two to three years.

Bommai alleged that the Congress has a grouse after losing Karnataka.

"They (Congress) may have qualms that Karnataka is no more their ATM (Automated Teller Machine), which it used to be earlier," he said.

Bommai said the Congress' charge of corruption was a sinister campaign.

"There is no 40 per cent or any per cent. It is known to all. This is what is called in English as 'Sinister Campaign'. I have often said if someone provides me evidence of any such thing that happened in the past, we will conduct an inquiry. Everything will come out. That's my stand," the chief minister 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.)
leader on Sunday said nothing can deter the Bharat Jodo Yatra which is aimed at "stopping hatred and violence spread by the BJP-RSS", as he addressed a public meeting in heavy rains here.

Soon after Gandhi arrived at the public meeting at the end of the day's march, the showers started but Gandhi chose to continue his speech.

"This yatra will carry on from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and will not stop. As you are seeing it is raining, but rains have not stopped this yatra.

"Heat, storm or cold can't stop this yatra. This river-like yatra will carry on from Knayakumari to Kashmir and in this river you will not see things like hate or violence. There will only be love and brotherhood as this is India's history and DNA," he said.

Gandhi said that whatever "hatred and violence the BJP may spread, this yatra will stop it and will help unite people".

The former president also attacked the BJP government in Karnataka over corruption.

Meanwhile, a number of party leaders, including general secretaries Jairam Ramesh and Randeep Surjewala tweeted Gandhi's speech, saying he was undeterred by the rain and showed his strong resolve to fight for the country.

"On the evening of Gandhi Jayanthi undeterred by a downpour in Mysuru, @RahulGandhi electrified a sea of people.

"It was an unequivocal declaration. No force can stop the #BharatJodoYatra from uniting India against hate, from speaking up against unemployment and price rise," Ramesh said on Twitter while sharing the video.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a veiled attack on party leader Sachin Pilot, Chief Minister on Sunday said it was important to know why there was resentment among MLAs over the name of a new chief minister in the state.

Several MLAs loyal to Gehlot, who was seen as the frontrunner for the post of the president, had last week submitted resignation letters over a possible move to appoint Pilot as the next chief minister.

Gehlot later announced that he will not contest the presidential polls as he took moral responsibility for the political crisis in his state.

Referring to the crisis, he said 80-90 per cent MLAs switch sides when a new chief minister is going to be appointed but this did not happen in .

"When a chief minister is changed, 80-90 percent (MLAs) leave him and switch sides. They turn to the new candidate. I too don't consider it wrong. But it was a new case in where the MLAs got agitated just in the name of the new chief minister," Gehlot said without naming Pilot.

"I was in Jaisalmer. I could not guess but the MLAs sensed who was going to be the new chief minister," he told reporters after paying tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at the secretariat here.

When asked about the chances of the chief minister being changed now, Gehlot reiterated that it is for the party high command to decide.

"I am doing my work and it is for the party high command to take a decision," he said.

The veteran Congressman on Saturday asked the people to send suggestions about the next budget directly to him, hinting that he was there to stay.

He also declared that he cannot remain away from the people of Rajasthan "till his last breath" and that the government will complete its five years.

The chief minister said his objective is to bring the Congress government back to power in Rajasthan after the next polls, which is important for the revival of the party at the level.

"I had already conveyed to madam (Sonia Gandhi) and Ajay Maken in August that it is not necessary that I should be the chief minister. I told them that I am ready to withdraw. I said I will support and campaign because it should be our aim to revive the Congress party," he said.

On Sunday, advertisements of Invest Rajasthan, going to be held in Jaipur on October 7 and 8, with the chief minister's message appeared on front pages on newspapers, indicating Gehlot's confidence that he was going to continue as the chief minister.

Meanwhile, Gehlot's advisor and independent MLA Sanyam Lodha indirectly expressed apprehension about the possibility of the government completing the tenure.

A video clip of Lodha speaking at a Gandhi Jayanti programme in Sirohi surfaced on social media in which he is seen talking about completing a local project if the government continued.

"I hope that if the government continues, we will start that work in January," he said.

Gehlot also said that the observer is a big post, and anyone acting as an observer should act on behalf of the party high command and should reflect their aura.

Observers come on behalf of the party high command. Why such circumstances were developed here, a research should be done, he said referring to the rebellion by the MLAs.

Gehlot said no one is perfect and he, too, learns everyday and corrects himself whenever needed.

He asserted that he cannot ditch the 102 MLAs who had saved his government during the political crisis in 2020 and, therefore, he apologised to Sonia Gandhi.

Targeting the MLAs who had revolted against him in 2020, he said they were hand-in-glove with the BJP.

"Some of our MLAs met Amit Shah, Dharmendra Pradhan and other BJP leaders. Amit Shah was offering sweets to our MLAs. So, how can I forget those 102 MLAs who saved the Congress government," he said without naming anyone.

"I have got public support whenever needed, be it during the political crisis or during corona. How can I stay away from them," he asked.

Hours before the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting that was to be convened at the chief minister's residence last Sunday, MLAs loyal to Gehlot had held a parallel meeting at the residence of parliamentary affairs minister Shanti Dhariwal against any move of the party to make Pilot the new chief minister after Gehlot resigned in order to contest the Congress president elections.

They skipped the CLP meeting and went to speaker CP Joshi's residence and submitted their resignation. Their demand was to choose someone as the new chief minister from the 102 MLAs who supported Gehlot during the political crisis in July 2020 which happened due to rebellion of the then deputy chief minister and the 18 other Congress MLAs against Gehlot's leadership.

AICC general secretary in-charge for Rajasthan Ajay Maken and then leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, who is now contesting the Congress president elections, were sent by the party high command as observers to Rajasthan to hold the CLP meeting.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bhartiya Janta Party President JP Nadda on Sunday inaugurated the district office in Una and was quick to take a jibe at the saying that it has been reduced to merely a 'brother-sister party'.

" today had become a party of brother and sister with almost no base of its own and fought on 380 seats in Uttar Pradesh and its candidates lost their security deposits in 370 seats, which vindicates the fact that the people of the country have lost its faith in the party", he said.

Nadda at the inauguration lauded the for its continuous efforts and said, " doesn't change its colours but other parties always do. We stand by our agendas and principles".

Nadda motivated the employees present during the inauguration to work with utmost dedication and strike towards excellence.

While addressing the people on the occasion, Nadda said that it was the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that all the state BJP Uunits have their own headquarter at the state level and also at the district level. "PM Modi in the year 2014 decided that as many as 512 offices would be constructed throughout the country and out of these, 235 offices had been completed and work was going on for the remaining offices", he said.

BJP President said that these offices would help the party workers to frame, draw and implement various strategies to strengthen the party base in the district. "Today the BJP is the biggest political party in the world with over 18 crore dedicated and committed workers and a political party with a difference and a clear-cut ideology", he said.

Nadda claimed that BJP as a party has always been committed to fulfilling regional aspirations and expectations.

Slamming the Congress party he said that though it is the oldest political party in the country, yet it has been completely wiped out of the country. He urged the people of Himachal to ensure that the BJP again forms the government in the state.

Nadda applauded the various schemes started by the party for the welfare of every section of society. He said, "Rs. 1.34 lakh crore were provided to crores of farmers of the country under the PM Kissan Samman Nidhi Yojna and several schemes had been started for the welfare of the youth, women, backward classes, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes etc".

Nadda claimed that Prime Minister had provided 22 AIIMS for the country during the last eight years and one such AIIMS has come up at Bilaspur which would be dedicated to the state by the Prime Minister on October 5. He also urged the people of the state to be part of this historic moment.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said that the people of Himachal were fortunate that a party worker from this hilly state was today heading the biggest political party in the world. "BJP over the years had tremendously expanded its base in the state and the old party workers could not have even thought that the BJP would not only have its own office building at the state but also at the district level", Thakur added. He further added that credit for this goes to the faith and support posed by the people on the BJP leadership and its policies.

Thakur said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi considers Himachal Pradesh his second home and had provided many projects for the State.

He said that AIIMS, four Medical Colleges, and PGI Satellite Center were some of these mega projects provided by the Prime Minister to the State and now the PM would be dedicating AIIMS and Hydro Engineering College at Bilaspur and laying the foundation stones of Medical Devices Park and Pinjore-Nalagarh four-lane project for the state.

He urged the people of the State to be part of the historic moment by attending the rally of the Prime Minister at Luhnu Ground, Bilaspur on October 5.

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur during the event said, "Party Office had been equipped with a hall, offices, library, restroom etc". He noted that it was under the Presidentship of JP Nadda that the BJP succeeded in ensuring the mission was repeated in Uttar Pradesh, the country's biggest state.

MP and state BJP president Suresh Kashyap thanked Nadda for dedicating this building to the party workers of the district. He said that as many as 17 district offices were being constructed in the state to facilitate the party workers.

Chairman of Himachal Pradesh State Finance Commission Satpal Satti presented a vote of thanks.

Vice President BJP and State In-charge Saudan Singh, Co-Incharge Davinder Rana, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Virender Kanwar, Vice Chairman SIDC Ram Kumar, MLAs Balbir Chaudhary and Rajesh Thakur were also present on the occasion.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tech giant has released new Windows 11 Build to Insiders in the Dev Channel that brings a new settings experience for widgets along with the return of Task Manager shortcut.

The update includes a handful of new features that specific users will welcome. After installing the build, right-clicking the taskbar will now show a link to the Task Manager, reports Windows Central.

The Snipping Tool will automatically save screenshots as well, the report said.

"We are beginning to roll out a new settings experience for Widgets. Windows Insiders who are also Office Insiders can now try the new Outlook for Windows!" the company was quoted as saying.

The widget picker and Widgets settings have been separated in this build of Windows 11. This should make it a bit easier to navigate to the desired destination, the report said.

This build includes preliminary support to rearrange System Tray icons for Insiders with the System Tray updates that began rolling out with Build 25197.

--IANS

vc/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.)
Across China: Porters fade into history in Tibet's mountain-locked county

15:52, October 02, 2022 By Lin Jianyang, Lyu Qiuping and Liu Ying ( Xinhua

LHASA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- On a narrow rocky trail where even horses were reluctant to move, a porter, carrying a washing machine on his shoulder, climbed step by step over a peak at more than 4,600 meters above sea level, heading home deep in the Himalayas.

It was a scene captured by a documentary produced by the Japanese public broadcaster NHK in 2010.

The porter in the film represented most young men in Medog, China's last roadless county in the country's Tibet Autonomous Region, who had to trek for days to carry heavy loads in and out of the mountain-locked county.

After the isolation of the county ended in October 2013, when Medog Highway opened to traffic, porters in Medog faded into history.

Medog was lifted out of poverty by the end of 2019. The per capita disposable income of farmers and herders skyrocketed to 15,278 yuan (about 2,147 U.S. dollars) in 2021 from 4,875 yuan in 2012.

ISOLATION

Located in a deep valley in the Himalayas, Medog is besieged by high hills and primitive forests. For centuries, porters were the major transportation means for the county.

It took porters up to five days to arrive at Pai Township, the nearest town outside the mountains, as they had to climb snow-capped mountains without any concrete road.

Being the oldest son in a family that could not afford school, Tenzin Gyatso, an ethnic Monba from a village in the county, started being a porter at age 12.

When he first arrived at Pai Township, he saw wide roads, vehicles and television sets for the first time, forming a sharp contrast to his hometown.

"We had nothing back home, even no electricity," Tenzin Gyatso recalled.

In his life as a porter, he carried cement, steel and other materials for construction sites and daily necessities for a public-owned store. He also used to carry sausages, cigarettes and herbicides back home for retail.

"The sausage bought at the price of 14 yuan per kg could be sold at 50 yuan per kg," he said.

Using the savings he acquired by being a porter and selling groceries, Tenzin Gyatso successively bought a hydroelectric generator, a radio cassette recorder, a television set and a washing machine, carrying them home all by himself. The generator did not retire until a nearby hydropower station started operation.

In the isolated county, children had to trek for days to school, and many patients had to be carried on a stretcher or shoulder to a hospital in the city proper.

Changgar, a former porter from Medog's Baibung Township, still remembered when he and his fellow villagers took turns carrying an 85-kg patient to a hospital.

"We shifted every half an hour. On one leg of the journey, I carried the patient on my shoulders for two hours," said Changgar, now 59, who weighed only 60 kg at that time.

Jamyang, vice president of the hospital of Medog, said because of the poor transportation facilities, the hospital was short of large equipment and professionals, and therefore, patients in serious condition had to be transferred to larger hospitals outside the county.

"Some patients died on the way while being carried out," recalled Jamyang, who has been working at the hospital since 2008.

Because of long trips carrying heavy loads, many male residents in Medog suffer from spinal and knee joint problems even now, according to Jamyang.

ROAD TO PROSPERITY

The situation significantly changed following the start of operation of the Medog Highway in October 2013, with vehicles and machines flowing in. Children can now go to school by vehicle, and, whenever needed, patients can be transferred to the city hospital quickly, sometimes by ambulance. Porters are no longer needed.

Wei Changqi, Party chief of the county, said Medog Highway has facilitated the travel of local people, greatly guaranteed the supplies needed for people's livelihood and the county's construction, and helped bring down prices of goods in the county. Healthcare and education levels have also been much improved.

Tenzin Gyatso now owns an excavator, which he leases to construction sites. He also runs a homestay and rents it to construction workers. Combined with the income from the tea plantation, his family now earns more than 100,000 yuan a year.

Benefiting from the improved education situation, Tenzin Gyatso's four children have all studied at universities. "Young men are lucky as they no longer have to be porters as we were," he said.

After graduation, Tenzin Tsomo, Tenzin Gyatso's eldest daughter, teaches in a high school in the city of Qamdo, more than 1,000 km away from Medog.

To return home, the 30-year-old needs to hire a car to head for Bomi County, where she has to transfer to a bus. The entire trip takes more than 16 hours.

To her delight, the Sichuan-Tibet Railway currently under construction will pass through both Qamdo and Bomi.

"When the railway line starts operation, it will be much more convenient to return home," said Tenzin Tsomo.

(Web editor: Zhao Tong, Bianji)
By Yi Woo-won





Chuseok, in a nutshell, is a festivity of the full moon, a gathering of family members, a homage to parents with gifts, the preparation of a sumptuous feast and the performance of ancestral rites at home with the feast before it is served among family members. First and foremost, it's a common courtesy to visit and trim the grass of ancestral graves before the holiday.



Maintaining one's patrilineal ancestors' graves is a manifestation of "hyo" or filial piety to those ancestors. It is part of the spiritual and cultural heritage of Korean people that has been officially practiced since the start of the Joseon Dynasty. I saw my father weeding annually his parents' and grandparents' graves as I was growing up. And, so I did for my parents' graves for over three decades by myself. Now that the task is too tough for my fragile constitution, my son has been doing it for me for over a decade now. I always think I am so lucky to have a son for this reason  the only son among five children. He seems destined to be my successor.



My patrilineal ancestors' native village where my parents' graves are located is in Buyeon, Changnyeong County, South Gyeongsang Province. It's about an hour and a half's leisurely drive from home in Waegwan, near the city of Daegu. I always enjoyed the outing, admiring the serene countryside, humble villages of rustic charms and verdant farming fields along the roads. Then at the Bugok tollgate, I make a left turn, passing by a charming little town dubbed "Bugok Spa Town," that my wife and I visited a few times in the past. Buyeon is only 20 minutes further up from there



Leaving the spa town behind, I follow now a typical country road that snakes around the hills and corners of mountains. The cosmos flowers are in full bloom around this time of the year. Bobbing their tender heads in the breeze, they look like so many familiar and friendly faces. I always think that fall in Korea is so much more beautiful and Korea-like with those unsophisticated-looking flowers. Presently, I can see in the distance, the white, arched stone-bridge, the marker of my patrilineal clan ancestors' ancient homes.



My ancestors' farming hamlet is at the foot of the mountain across the stream and rice paddies. There are about a hundred little houses huddled together below the sunny hillside. Until about a few decades ago, there used to be at least a dozen households that carried my patrilineal family name. But shockingly now, there are only two households related to my clan.



While my clan cemetery of my earlier patrilineal ancestors is in the nice lawn at the bottom of the mountain, my parents' graves are about halfway up the steep mountain dense with underbrush. Worse still, arrowroot vines are everywhere entangled with trees and bushes, blocking the path. Honestly, as I have aged, I have never enjoyed climbing this tough mountain even if it was for my dear parents. Sometimes, I resented my geomancer to no avail for his decision to locate the graves at such a high altitude.



Like always, the graves of my parents were completely overgrown with weeds when I visited last time. I felt a pang of guilt when I couldn't make out the contour of the graves. Both my parents had been exceptionally devoted to Buddhism and they wanted to be cremated when they died. My father died shortly before the Korean War when I was a senior in high school. In the turmoil of the war, I managed to scatter his ashes in the river as he had always wished. But when my mother died about two decades later, I couldn't bring myself to do the same to hers into oblivion.



Hastily, during the three-day morning, I bought a piece of burial ground on the mountain from my nephew and buried the earthen jar containing her ashes. The other grave next to hers is my father's, but it's only a symbolic mound because there is nothing but a piece of silk cloth bearing his name. It was my idea because I thought they would be happier and less lonely together.





Yi Woo-won (yiwoowon1988@gmail.com) lives in Waegwan, North Gyeongsang Province, and has been writing since 1986.


Apologize to former sex workers near U.S. military bases and compensate them



The Supreme Court ruled last Thursday that the state should compensate former sex workers at now-defunct brothels near U.S. military bases. The top court said the government should take responsibility for having encouraged sex trafficking by operating military camptowns under the pretext of cementing the military alliance with the U.S. and earning foreign currency. The Supreme Court also stressed that the statute of limitations does not apply to the right to claim compensation for human rights violations by the state. We welcome the recognition of the state's responsibility for violating the human rights of women in such military camptowns, although it is overdue.



Since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, women in military camptowns had been treated as non-existent in Korean society. In June 2014, women who were sex workers for U.S. soldier clients at military camptowns in Paju and Pyeongtaek over a 40-year period filed a lawsuit against the government. They demanded the state pay 10 million won ($6,950) each, saying it violated their human rights by encouraging prostitution while building, managing and operating the camptowns.



A district court limited the scope of the state's responsibility, ruling that 57 of the plaintiffs should be paid only 5 million won each. In contrast, the appeals court judged that the government had effectively encouraged and justified sex trafficking and exploited the sex workers to strengthen the military alliance with the U.S. and acquire foreign currency. It then recognized the state's responsibility more broadly, ordering the government to pay 7 million won each to 74 of the plaintiffs and 3 million won each to 43 others.



The Supreme Court upheld the ruling. Now, the government must make an official apology to the victims and quickly carry out the process of restoring their honor and providing financial support. In May 2020, Gyeonggi Province enacted an ordinance to support women in military camptowns for the first time in the country. The central government must go further by coming up with substantive support measures for them. The time has long since passed for the nation to embrace and heal the wounds of these women, who have embodied a tragedy of modern history and who have unjustly been shunned by Korean society.






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It looks like there is no letting up to the MG-Geely rivalry here in the Philippines. Its shaping up to be a true battle royale as MG Phili...
A man on S. Seminole Drive told police he had a female friend over at his residence. He said the woman stayed for around two days. The man said the woman was informed of his relationship with other women and became upset. It was then the man woke to find the woman gone, along with his three remotes. The man contacted the woman and she said she had the remotes with her. The man simply wants the remotes back and didnt say he wanted to prosecute. The officer attempted to reach the woman at her work in regards to this matter, and also on her personal cell phone and was unable to get her on the line. The man said he would call back if he is unable to retrieve the remotes on his own.

* * *

A woman on Tennessee Avenue told police her husband wrote a Bank of America check from their account for $75.31 to the city of Chattanooga. She said the check was mailed and stolen. She said the check was fraudulently changed to be payable to a woman for $475.31. The woman said she saw the fraudulent activity in her account while the check was still pending and Bank of America stopped the payment.

* * *

A man called police and said in June someone used his prepaid Mastercard without his permission to make a $22 purchase at an unknown Walmart in Chattanooga.

* * *

An employee of Dollar General at 3158 Broad St. told police two women walked out of the store with $100 worth of laundry detergent. The suspects were one white female and one black female. They got into a blue Chrysler 300. Police were in the area when the call came out, however the Chrysler was not found.

* * *

Police were called to the Hilton at 2343 Shallowford Village Dr. in reference to people loitering. The manager said she wanted the people trespassed. Police spoke with a man and woman who were resting in the culvert. The officer trespassed them and they both left.

* * *

Police were dispatched to Sleepy Hollow Road for a parked vehicle causing a traffic hazard. Police found a white Ford Expedition parked further than 18 inches from the curb, facing oncoming traffic and in a curve. Police saw the vehicle far enough in the middle of the road that emergency vehicles could not pass if they needed to. The vehicle was towed by Cain's Wrecker Service.

* * *

Police saw a vehicle traveling north near the 2100 block of Chestnut Street with no lights on. Police initiated a traffic stop and spoke with the driver. Police had prior knowledge the driver and another man had been seen several times in this same vehicle. The driver was asked to step out of the vehicle. The officer was given consent to search it and nothing was found. The driver said the car belonged to his "brother". Police observed the owners state ID in the front driver door handle. The driver was given a warning.

* * *

A woman on Market Street told police someone went through her vehicle while she was away. She said nothing was stolen and was only concerned about someone having her credit card info. She said the car was locked.

* * *

A woman on Peach Street told police that someone entered her unlocked Kia Soul and damaged the plastic around the ignition while it was parked.

* * *

A woman on Isbill Road told police about damage to the storage shed that belonged to her and her late husband. Upon his passing, the storage shed stayed on the property where a man now resides, a former roommate of the couple. The woman had called police earlier in the day after one of the neighbors called in saying the tenant was taking windows out of the shed. Upon arrival, an officer noticed the broken window and asked the tenant what had occurred to cause the damage. He responded they were mowing the lawn and a rock flew up and broke the window. Upon returning to the property that evening, the officer discovered there was also damage to one of the back panels. The woman wants to have the shed removed from the property due to it being leased and the leasing party wanting it returned. Due to the damages done to the property the woman requested to talk to police to file a damage report. The officer couldnt determine the cause of the damage.

* * *

A woman parked her car on Tremont Street and went to a nearby establishment. She came out about an hour later and found that her passenger side window had been knocked out. Nothing was taking from the vehicle and she has no idea who broke it.

* * *

A man told police he parked his 2021 gray Jeep Renegade in the Republic Parking lot at 201 Market St. at approximately 5 p.m. At around 1 a.m. he was riding back to his hotel, the Read House, and didn't see his vehicle, but didn't think anything of it. At 2:44 hours, he returned to the parking lot to get his bag of clothing from the vehicle, but it was nowhere to be found. According to the man, the Jeep was locked and did not have the keys in it. He doesnt have a tracking app, and doesnt have any suspect information at this time. The vehicle is described as a gray 2021 Jeep Renegade, with lime green door handles, prominent underglow, and has a "May The Forest Be With You" sticker on the rear windshield. A bag of clothing and his wallet were in the vehicle when it was taken. The vehicle was entered into NCIC.

* * *

A man called police saying he wanted to document an incident that occurred the day before involving another motor vehicle. He and a gray sedan were traveling on Highway 153 when he drifted lanes and his tire scuffed the sedans door. Both drivers pulled over and the driver of the gray sedan said she didnt want to involve insurance or police. Both agreed to not make a report. The man decided to have this documented in case the other driver was to attempt to call in a hit and run.

* * *

A woman called police and said the catalytic converter was stolen off her black Toyota Sequoia as it sat parked for four days in the parking lot of Kohls Department Store at 5953 Hwy. 153

* * *

An employee at 3901 Hixson Pike told police two men came into the store last week to purchase some items. One purchased a Camel neon sign for $100. She accidentally charged him $150 and it was an honest mistake. She refunded the man the $150, but it would still show up on his bank statement as pending. The employee said after refunding the man the money, he still walked out with the sign. The man told her to hold some other items for him, that he would come back to purchase those as well. She said it has been a week and the man has still not returned to pay for the sign.

* * *

Officers responded to a report of man being taken against his will on Bonny Oaks Drive. The man then reported that he had been let go and the suspects were in a red Jeep. The man then said he did not want to see police. Police were close to the area when the call came out and didnt find a vehicle matching the description. Police also didnt find the man as he refused to cooperate.
Dobbs v. Jackson, reversing almost 50 years of abortion on demand, is existentially a legal and moral/ethical vaccine for the United States.



Why? While the legal challenges and political fighting will continue for some time, this is the greatest reversal of a Supreme Court in its history. It is worth noting that official Reconstruction lasted almost 25 years in the old Confederacy.

The Supreme Court has reversed itself some 232 times. (It is really not that unusual.) It has made horrible decisions before, such as the famous Dred Scott decision in 1846, that basically concluded that blacks were not protected by law, thus providing basic legal protections, preventing them from having civil rights, and basically determined they were property, not human beings. It took a new President from a new political party, Republican Abraham Lincoln, a civil war which killed over 600,000 soldiers, the razing of 11 states, and two Constitutional Amendments, the 13th and 14th, to right this wrong.

The Supreme Court, on the other hand, stood by the treaties made with indigenous people groups. It was Andrew Jackson, the first populist President, who famously said, The Supreme Court made the law. Let them enforce it. This led to the removal of many tribes to the West, including the infamous Trail of Tears.

The American system of justice is not infallible. Why? Because human beings are fallible. It is made by free moral agents.



The overturn of Roe was inevitable. There is an agent more powerful than man. It is God. He will only suffer the shedding of innocent blood so long. He has acted and will continue to act till the end of the eon/age. There is a basic concept that is one of the bedrocks of Western Jurisprudence. It is the concept of Imago Dei. Human beings have inestimable value not because the law makes it so, but because all people are made in the Image of God/



If one reads scripture, one can only image the prayers of the millions of innocents before the Father, pleading, as martyrs, to right this wrong and recompense their innocent deaths. In this narrative, abortion advocates have no chance. See Revelation 6:9-11.

But abortion has always been a moral rejection of all things good. Ultimately it denies God. It rejects Gods order and law entirely. Thou shall not kill.



Science has never been on the side of abortion. How many women celebrate a new baby by hanging pictures of ultrasounds on their refrigerator, and celebrate the new life? The fetus is obviously human, it can be nothing else. It is obviously alive. The child grows from conception on.



But why is it a vaccine? Dobbs v. Jackson gives every person in the United States, the opportunity to listen to their conscience. It is an injection into the very heart of the postmodern view of humanity. People are not disposable. Their will is not their own. It is superintended by conscience, which is either anesthetized or invigorated by the culture surrounding them.



If Roe was wrong, and it is, then almost every person is faced with a whole new/old reality. Women are, and here is the social impetus for the current uproar, forced to deal with all the current notions of womanhood and sexuality. Men are forced to deal with their sexual appetites. Relationships that involve sexual intercourse must again be covenantal. Modesty suddenly makes sense. Parents must again protect their children from opportunistic predators. Parents must also teach and model for their boys that they must, once again, genuinely respect and protect females.

The decision ultimately flies in the face of the pornification of America, which has reduced sex to the level of at best, a casual decision to enjoy oneself.



Once upon a time, it was Women and children first. The womens movement which really rolled out in force in 1963, with the publication of Bettye Friedans The Feminine Mystique. It is interesting to note that the first birth control pills, which had terrible side effects, including strokes, was introduced by J.D. Searle, big pharma, in 1950. Betty Friedan also started the National Organization of Women, which became a political powerhouse.

Abortion is now championed most by Planned Parenthood. PP was begun by Margaret Sanger who had advocated for eugenics, much like the Third Reich, did with Jews, Poles, Croatians, Gypsys and many more. Its political arm pulls in huge sums. Its research arm, the Alan Guttmacher Institute has been pushing its agenda-driven advocacy data for decades.

The whole history of Roe is full of deception. Most interestingly, both the Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade and the Jane Bolton of Doe v. Bolton were deceived by their lawyers. Both Roe, or Norman McCorvey, and Doe, or Sandra Cano repudiated their involvement before they died.

Coat hangers? Fact checkers have looked at the claim concerning the huge number of illegal abortions before Roe. The only real data with mortality rates indicates that there were 888 deaths in 1945 and 2,677 in 1933, before penicillin and sulfa drugs were introduced. (See article by Glenn Kessler in the May 29, 2019, Washington Post.)

What a mess weve made.

Now states like California and others are talking secession.

The Dobbs decision will be fought in every state. The Court has yet to rule on when life begins.

Only Kansas had this right, and it is being fought now.



Legal abortion is a nothing less than genocide.



Everyone involved is a victim.



But thankfully, a safety net exists for unwanted children. There are over 3,000 Pregnancy Resource Centers though out the United States. There is counselling, forgiveness and healing for woman who have had abortions. There are more people who want to adopt than there are babies available, though this should be incentivized through the tax code by an act of Congress.

Reversing Roe is convicting of the heart and mind.

This is the time to get it right.

Doug Daugherty, Sr.



* * *

Sixteenth paragraph, abortion data 1933, 1945. Hopefully, the writer of this opinion understand there was no "real" data to exist in determining how many women died or were left permanently sterilized by an illegal botched abortion. Strangely, and conveniently, the opinion skips over all the other years prior to making abortions legal and mentions only the years 1933 and 1945. Where's the data for all the years prior to the ruling of Roe vs Wade in 1973 allowing women to have a safe or safe as possible abortion? Was it oversight leaving it out? Conveniently leaving it out? Or just don't want to admit no such real data ever existed in the first place?

Since abortions were illegal before Roe vs Wade, many deaths due to botched abortions would have gone unrecorded as the botched abortion being the cause. The deaths would have recorded as something other if only to protect the reputation of the victim and their family.

Then there are the women left permanently sterile from a botched abortion when abortion was illegal-there would have been no real way to measure how many women were affected and left barren due to having had one.

Brenda Washington


Since the first UN conference on climate change in 1995 in Berlin, Germany, each of their annual global warming brouhahas have been held in major cities of the world, that is except the capitals of three of the worlds biggest polluters-Beijing, New Delhi and Moscow. The next one is in November in Egypt.

That should be a clue as to how many sacrifices and reductions the so-called Paris Accords impose that China, India and Russia are willing to actually enact. According to the BBC (Reality Check: how much do countries spend on the climate fund? 6/2/17), the US commitment alone was $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund. India and China did not put forward any cash to the fund.

Another such conference was the Americas Summit. It was pitched as bringing together these many great leaders to help tackle the root causes of migration (NBC News, Carmen Sesin, 6/7/22). The presidents of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, where the majority of illegal migrants to the US originate were no-shows. The president of Mexico, the nation whose border with the US is main entry point was also too busy to come.

At that summit, alleged Border Czar Harris, the jovial VP, pledged $3.2 billion in corporate pledges to help stem the tide of migration. She said $150 million was from The Gap Clothing Store to increase materials sourced from the region. She also said the credit card company, VISA, was donating $270 million (NBC, Carmen Sesin). How do they pay for that and has it had any effect on illegal migration?

These gatherings cost millions to stage, feed and provide security for the participants, millions to fly them back and forth dumping tons of carbons into the atmosphere and what do that have to show for all of it? They have a real classy looking photo of the attendees often in front of many colorful flags.

Ralph Miller
Rice exported from the port of Gunsan in the early 20th century Robert Neff Collection



By Robert Neff



In the late fall of 1897, the general Korean population was worried about the ever-increasing prices in local markets. Housewives were quite pleased to discover that imported salt was reasonably inexpensive and cabbages and turnips were found in great abundance. The local newspaper noted that this was very welcome news to the thousands of kimchi makers in Seoul.



While most households would be well-supplied with kimchi, many were concerned that there would not be enough rice. Rice, the main staple of production in the country, was also one of its primary exports  its main customer being Japan. The previous year, Japan had suffered devastating floods and other natural events, causing the country to import twice the amount of rice from Korea than it had in the past.



According to trade reports, most of the rice was purchased by mill owners in Osaka "for the consumption of the workers who [were] fed on the premises." But, because of improved methods of cleaning and hulling rice, many mills were established in Jemulpo [modern Incheon] and Fusan [modern Busan] which competed with the Osaka mills to purchase Korean rice. This resulted in higher prices  much higher prices.



The quality of Korea rice had also fallen. According to a trade report prepared by British authorities:



"Like most other crops in [Korea], rice seems to be deteriorating in quality, owing to the exhaustion of the seed, and yellow rice of a coarser kind is now not unfrequently found in consignments brought from the interior."





Gunsan port and the export of rice in the early 20th century Robert Neff Collection
This month, Oscar-winning actor Hilary Swank returns to network television to star as Eileen Fitzgerald in ABCs new drama series, Alaska Daily. Once a high-profile investigative journalist in New York, Eileen leaves her big city life behind to move to Anchorage, Alaska, where she unravels a mystery and rebuilds her reputation at a daily newspaper. Ahead of the series premiere, Swank spoke about her character and what drives Eileen throughout the thrilling saga.

Hilary Swank as Eileen Fitzgerald in Alaska Daily | Darko Sikman/ABC

What is Alaska Daily about? Is it based on a true story?

After a fall from grace, as Alaska Dailys synopsis reads, Eileen struggles to keep her career as a journalist afloat. Then, she stumbles on the chance for a fresh start in Anchorage. She moves there to investigate a cold case in which a native woman went missing as a teen and was later killed. Eileen becomes enthralled in the mystery as she uncovers several other cold cases, all involving native women, and vows to give them the attention they deserve.

13 Reasons Why director and EP Tom McCarthy created Alaska Daily. Starring alongside Swank is Jeff Perry as Stanley Cornik, Grace Dove as Rosalind Roz Friendly, Matt Malloy as Bob Young, Meredith Holzman as Claire Muncy, Pablo Castelblanco as Gabriel Tovar, Ami Park as Yuna Park, and Craig Frank as Austin Teague.

The characters of Alaska Daily are fictional, but the story takes inspiration from real-life cases of missing indigenous women in Alaska. Kyle Hopkins and Ryan Binkley, two real-life reporters at Anchorage Daily News, serve as executive producers, offering a real perspective on investigating these cases.

RELATED: Hilary Swank Reacts After Her Netflix Series Away Is Canceled After 1 Season

Hilary Swank teases her Alaska Daily character, Eileen Fitzgerald

In a recent interview with Parade, Swank described Eileen as a no-nonsense person. Despite challenges and threats in Anchorage, the journalist is determined to bring these missing women justice. She wont let anyone get in her way.

She doesnt suffer fools. I dont think shes rude; shes very New York, very matter-of-fact, and she calls people on what she feels is BS, Swank said. Shes hell-bent on continuing to reveal that the article she wrote was true, that her source was good, and to keep digging deeper into that specific investigation.

Swank said the unjust nature of the cold cases is what drives Eileen to Alaska in the first place.

When she goes to dinner with her old boss, whos courting her to come to Alaska, Eileen sees pictures of these women, and understands  as she starts doing research  that this is a huge, horrific situation, and nobody is investigating. Another woman disappears and gets forgotten, and another, Swank added. Even saying that gives me chills. Theres no world in which that should ever be happening, especially now in 2022.

Alaska Daily is Hilary Swanks first network TV project in 20 years

Alaska Daily marks a huge change of scenery for Swank herself, too. While her career has included leading roles in several films and streaming television shows, the Freedom Writers actor hasnt starred on network television in 20 years. Her last major broadcast TV series was Beverly Hills, 90210, in which she played Carly Reynolds.

Speaking to Deadline, Swank revealed what drew her to Alaska Daily: the need for truth. She said:

You know, I love people and I love what makes them tick. And I love people who persevere through adversity. I love outsiders. I love the underdog. What makes us all one person? At the heart of these stories, all everyone wants is to be seen and everyone deserves justice. I think a lot of the roles that I choose have that theme in one way or another and I feel like Eileen Fitzgerald is a truth seeker. Shes an investigative truth seeker, and she wants to make sure that justice is done and that people see the truth in situations. I feel that that aligns with what people in the world want right now, they dont want to be lied to anymore.

Alaska Daily premieres on ABC on Thursday, Oct. 6, at 10 p.m. ET.

RELATED: Alaska Daily: Release Date, Cast, Plot, and Everything Else You Need to Know
For years, Frank Fritz and Mike Wolfe co-hosted Historys reality TV series, American Pickers. The friends seemed like the perfect duo on-screen, but Fritz left and never returned. Then, in 2022, he had a stroke, causing concern amongst fans. Now, hes selling signs oil cans for a hefty price, and many fans arent happy.

How is Frank Fritz doing after his stroke?

Frank Fritz and Mike Wolfe | Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic

Frank Fritz hoped to one day return to American Pickers, but it seems his current focus is getting healthy after having a stroke in 2022. Rumors circulated that Fritz and Mike Wolfe were no longer friends, but Wolfe attempted to dispel the rumors with an Instagram post after Fritzs stroke.

I have been very private in the past year in regards to Franks life and the journey hes been on, Wolfe posted on July 21. There have been lots of opinions in regards to mine and Franks friendship and the show but now is not the time to set the record straight. Now is the time to pray for my friend. He ended the post by stating he was praying for Fritzs recovery.

So, how is Fritz doing today? According to The Sun, Fritzs father said he was stable, and Fritzs friend claimed he was getting better every single day.

He sells oil cans for a hefty price, and some American Pickers fans are upset

All the times #AmericanPickers Frank Fritz shaded former co-host Mike Wolfe https://t.co/03fZKq7DJl  The US Sun (@TheSunUS) September 25, 2022

While Frank Fritz still isnt on American Pickers, he still has his antique shop. The store, Frank Fritz Finds in Savanna, Illinois, sells rare vintage items  but it seems a few items cost too much for the clientele.

According to The Sun, Fritz sells vintage motor oil cans with his signature for $40 each. Some visitors took to Trip Advisor to slam the store for its expensive items, which likely means there are other overpriced vintage items in the storefront location.

Not much here worth the price being asked, a visitor wrote on Trip Advisor. The smell alone is enough to knock over a dead skunk.

The store was a hallway of sheer jumbled JUNK, another fan wrote. Broken, smelly, overpriced, and in complete disarray. Ive been to a lot of dives but this takes the cake.

HIGH PRICED STUFF; its not really antique, yet another visitor commented. No deals here.

What is Frank Fritzs net worth?

Mike Wolfes rep asks American Pickers fans to give Frank Fritz space after stroke https://t.co/2R1AolI9nO  The Independent (@Independent) July 26, 2022

Is Frank Fritzs expensive merchandise a clue that the ex-American Pickers star is hurting for cash? According to Celebrity Net Worth, Fritzs net worth stands around $6 million. While he doesnt currently have income from the History show, it seems likely hes doing fine.

With that said, if Fritz was offered a spot back on, he would likely take it. I would like to come back to the show, he told The Sun in 2021. I was doing it for 11 years. He then noted he had fully recovered from his back surgery and would love to jump in.

I dont know if they can do it cheaper without having me on there or what the situation is, Fritz added. I want to go back on the show, but it depends on the network. It aint gonna affect me one bit, but I would like to be back for my fans.

It doesnt look like History has any current plans to invite Fritz back on.

For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheets YouTube channel.

RELATED: American Pickers: Are the Antique Sellers Paid to Appear on the Show?
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle didnt break any royal protocol with their hand holding PDA after Queen Elizabeths Westminster service. One body language expert called the moment the strangest thing Ive ever seen, however, especially when the couple was compared to others in attendance.

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Prince William, and Kate Middleton | AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty, Pool

Expert calls Prince Harry and Meghan Markle PDA at queens service inappropriate

Body language expert Louise Mahler shared her analysis of Harry and Meghans hand holding with Australias Sunrise.

The hand-holding in Westminster Hall was the strangest thing Ive ever seen, she said. It was totally incongruent with everybody else for their distancing and their placement. I would have thought that people dont hold hands in a situation like that. And for them to come together, alter the spacing, hold hands is strange.

Mahler continued, I think that, again, Harry is putting his hand over the top of Meghans. Im questioning whether Harry has an unconscious need to hold her back in some way. Ive always thought it was protection but the fact that it never alters says to me that maybe hes sort of holding her back.

The expert noted, She is beside him and Ive even seen when the Fab Four walked out originally in Scotland, she actually went first through. She shoots through all the time. So its protection again, look at that photo, shes a little bit in front of him again. Look, its unusual. Its unusual.

Mahler was less than impressed with Harry and Meghans PDA. Their touching is inappropriate in these circumstances, she said. Its unsuitable.

Body language expert calls this the Sussexes secret trick to communicate

Body language expert Judi James explained to The Sun how the Sussexes use this secret trick to communicate. Meghan and Harrys hand-hold ritual enables them to communicate quite complex messages to one another silently and without the need for eye contact, James explained.

She called it a vital gesture for them as they came together to hold hands at the end of a very emotional service.

James pointed out how the gesture sends an intrapersonal message to the couple themselves, allowing them to feel inwardly secure in a loving team of two.

Harry and Meghan use subtle add-on signals in their hand holding, expert says

James noted other subtle signals the Sussexes use that might go unnoticed, calling them add-on silent signals to one another.

As they stood looking at the flowers at Windsor, Harrys fingers in the clasp were dangling down and wriggling, suggesting tension or anxiety and Meghan responded by stroking his hand with her thumb in a gesture of reassurance, she explained.

There are still other subtler add-on squeezes or tugs within clasps that many couples use a similar method of speaking to each other silently.

These can provide a message of comfort and love or signal to the other person that they want to leave a conversation or situation, all without saying a word, James explained.

Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.

RELATED: Body Language Expert Points Out Signs Meghan Markle Was Uncomfortable Around Prince William and Kate Middleton During Recent Appearance
In his first episode as Cody on General Hospital, Josh Kelly made a big splash by skydiving into the Metro Court rooftop pool. The actors entrance has got to be one of the best weve ever seen in a show. So far, the only thing General Hospital viewers know about Cody is that he was Dante Falconeris summer camp buddy. How about the actor who plays Cody, though?

Josh Kelly as Cody Bell | Ricky Middlesworth/ABC via Getty Images

Kelly starred in One Life to Live as Cutter Wentworth and has been in the Transformers film series. The actor has also been in Primetime classics like Greys Anatomy, Army Wives, and more.

Josh Kelly grew up in a military family

According to Soap Hub, Kellys father worked in naval intelligence. Growing up in a military family, the actor lived in various locations, such as Maryland, Guam, Georgia, the Philippines, and Maine.

As a kid, Kelly was a nerd and loved action movies. While in high school, the self-proclaimed computer nerd would spend his time making simple computer games.

Kelly always knew he wanted a career in show business, and he got his start in the theater at a young age. The actors ambition to be in movies led to his first role as a background actor in Liberty Heights.

Josh Kelly served 3 tours in Afghanistan as an Army Ranger

Kelly joined the military after graduating from high school. The actor pondered applying to the United States Navy SEALs due to the influence of his Navy Commander father and the fact that he was a skilled swimmer but instead enlisted in the United States Army.

Within a month of 9/11, Kelly was sent to Afghanistan, where he became an Army Ranger and commanded a highly trained unit through three tours in Afghanistan and one in Iraq.

Kelly moved to Los Angeles in 2003 to pursue acting again. After spending two years in theater school, the actor appeared on various hit shows like True Blood, Ugly Betty, Las Vegas, and CSI: Miami. Kellys big break came in 2009 when he joined the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen cast.

Kelly is a strong supporter of the Wounded Warrior Project, a charity and veterans service organization that hosts a wide range of programs, services, and events for injured military personnel.

Along with his fellow soldiers, he created, acted in, and directed the short film Cope, which deals with the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder. After director Michael Bay saw Cope, he cast Kelly once more and had him work as a military consultant for Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

Josh Kelly landed his General Hospital role quite easily

Kelly had little trouble landing his role in General Hospital. To secure the role, the actor only had to exchange a few texts with the shows executive producer, Frank Valentini. Valentini oversaw the production of One Life to Live, where Kelly had a recurring role as Cutter Wentworth.

The actor told Soap Opera Digest that he had considered making a comeback to daytime operas after hearing from a friend who had auditioned for a character on General Hospital last year. The friend basically said, Dude, you should go in for this role. Kelly realized he needed a more permanent job to put him in the Los Angeles area, so he reached out to Valentini.

Kelly may be new to playing on General Hospital, but he is familiar with many cast members, such as Roger Howarth and Michael Easton, from their time together on One Life to Live. According to Kelly, he has been a fan of the show since he was a kid, and his sister had him watch it before he could watch his beloved Batman cartoon. We cant wait to see what Valentini has in store for the new character!

RELATED: General Hospital: Whats Next for Sasha After Brandos Death?
Meghan Markle and Prince Harrys return to the United Kingdom for Queen Elizabeth IIs funeral services might have filled them with uncertainty about how the public and the some royal family members would receive them. However, one commentator believes there were moments that showed the couple is still welcome in the UK. Heres what he said about Meghan appearing to show feelings of validation.

Meghan Markle felt validated after greeting mourners, says expert

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry | Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

Meghan and Harry greeted mourners during the walkabout with Kate Middleton and Prince William. Although there were some people in the crowd who were not welcoming, commentator Neil Sean says it appears Meghan felt validated after the walkabout. In his opinion, she was able to see there are people who remain on her side.

Meghan felt totally validated by going for that walkabout, because as shes told someone allegedly, she felt that people would like to see her, says Sean. There were people there willing to shake her hands, give her flowers, and meet with her, talk with her.

Meghan Markle seemed to forget royal protocol, says expert

Sean says Meghan seemed to forget royal protocol during her visit. He mentions the incident with the flowers, where he says she appeared to forget the flowers were for Queen Elizabeth II.

And then also you saw the video where Meghan really didnt understand once again royal protocol, obviously to take things and pass them to an aide is the real reason, says Sean. To make sure [the flowers are looked after], and more importantly given to the correct people. Meghan clearly wanted to do that herself. Once again that created a bit of a furor.

Sharon Osbourne says Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are lost

Sharon Osbourne, former host of The Talk, once said she thinks Meghan and Harry are lost. She said this in response to Piers Morgan asking what she thought about their comments on Nelson Mandela.

I think theyre lost, and I think theyre trying to find their place in the world, Osbourne tells Morgan. I think theyre totally lost. You know, one minute theyre making a cartoon, then theyre doing a documentary on them, now theyre saving the world. They just havent found their path in life yet. I really believe that. Theyre lost; theyre floundering.

Osbourne believes Meghan and Harry have not handled their roles as royals well. She tells Morgan it was a bad idea for them to do a tell-all and share what goes on behind-the-scenes within the royal family.

I havent from day one been into the fact of talking about private things that went on in the royal family when they were a part of it, says Osbourne during her interview with Morgan.

And the thing is, its just their point of view, Osbourne continues. We havent had the other point of view. And its just like, dont bring it to the public. Nobody wants to know about it. Every family has problems. Keep it to yourself. And I just think from day one theyve handled it very badly.

Our take

Now that weve heard Meghan and Harry speak about their experiences with the royal family, it would be nice to turn the page and hear more about what theyre planning for their lives moving forward. Its safe to say most are ready to move on to the next chapter.

Follow Sheiresa Ngo on Twitter.

RELATED: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Wont Get Back Together With Kate Middleton and Prince William Predicts Royal Expert
TL;DR:

Oasis Noel Gallagher really loved one of The Beatles songs when he was a child.

He would get immersed in the lyrical imagery of the track.

The tune became a hit in the United States but not in the United Kingdom.

The Beatles Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and John Lennon | Roger Viollet Collection/Getty Images

Oasis Noel Gallagher said one of The Beatles songs made him feel anything was possible. In the same vein, he said Wonderwall could help fans overcome their problems. Gallagher contrasted Oasis music with that of another major 1990s band.

Oasis Noel Gallagher said his bands songs were honest but not clever

Oasis was an English band that peaked in the 1990s. The group took a lot of inspiration from The Beatles. During a 1996 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Gallagher discussed the bands popularity.

When I see kids at the shows singing Wonderwall or Live Forever, it makes me feel great, but not in a smug way, Gallagher said. Im not saying they are clever songs, but they are honest  and thats what I think people respond to in our music. It gives you the strength to overcome your problems.

RELATED: Oasis Noel Gallagher Explained Why Revolver Is His Favorite Beatles Album

Oasis Noel Gallagher contrasted the impact of Nirvanas songs and The Beatles songs

Gallagher compared Oasis to another successful 1990s band. I loved Nirvana, but their success led to thousands of other bands with the same attitude  all saying how horrible life is  and I think people feel the need for another side to the music, he said.

Gallagher discussed how The Beatles impacted him as a child. Ive had as bad times as anyone when I was growing up in Manchester, but Id listen to [The Beatles] I Am the Walrus, and for that 3.5 minutes I was immersed in the lyrical imagery and Id think anything was possible, Gallagher recalled. It was only when the record was finished and there was silence that Id go, [Expletive], Im still in Manchester.'

RELATED: Paul McCartney Didnt Realize 1 Beatles Song Couldve Been About John Lennons Mother Until Way After the Fact

How The Beatles I Am the Walrus performed on the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom

The Beatles I Am the Walrus became a minor hit in the United States. It reached No. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for four weeks. I Am the Walrus appeared on the album Magical Mystery Tour. The album was No. 1 for eight of the 93 weeks it spent on the Billboard 200.

According to The Official Charts Company, I Am the Walrus never charted in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, the EP version of Magical Mystery Tour reached No. 2 in the U.K. and stayed on the chart for 12 weeks.

I Am the Walrus was not a huge hit but it gave a young Gallagher hope.

RELATED: The Beatles: John Lennon and Paul McCartney Used These 2 Words in Their Song Titles and Lyrics to Connect to Fans
TL;DR:

Paul McCartney songs inspired Taylor Swifts Lover.

Swift discussed how Pauls music regularly inspires her in the studio.

Lover lasted a long time on the charts in the United States.

Taylor Swift | Mat Hayward/GC Images

Taylor Swifts Lover took inspiration from the instrumentation of Paul McCartney songs. Subsequently, producer Jack Antonoff revealed what he thought about the tracks bassline. Notably, the song performed differently in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Why Taylor Swifts Lover album was distinct from her earlier album 1989

During a 2019 interview with Rolling Stone, a journalist told Swift her album Lover sounded like independent music. Thats amazing, thank you, she replied. Its definitely a quirky record. With this album, I felt like I sort of gave myself permission to revisit older themes that I used to write about, maybe look at them with fresh eyes.

And to revisit older instruments  older in terms of when I used to use them, she said. Because when I was making 1989, I was so obsessed with it being this concept of 80s big pop, whether it was 80s in its production or 80s in its nature, just having these big choruses  being unapologetically big.

RELATED: Taylor Swift Once Criticized One of Her Early Hits and Censored Its Video

Taylor Swift said she regularly draws inspiration from Paul McCartney songs

During a 2019 interview with The New York Times, Swift discussed Lover. She said she used a bass on the song she called a Paul bass because of its similarity to the sort of bass Paul uses. We were just referencing What would Paul do?' she said. WWPD. Swift seemed to reference WWJD, a slogan standing for What would Jesus do?

Swifts producer, Jack Antonoff, said the bass they used on Lover wasnt the precise type of bass Paul plays. Despite this, he was proud of the songs instrumentation. The bass and the drum is sort of like, if you just hear those two tracks, the entire space is so, I think, beautifully filled, he said.

RELATED: Taylor Swifts I Knew You Were Trouble Video Was Inspired by Lana Del Reys Ride

How Lover and its parent album performed on the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom

Lover became a hit in the United States. The track reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 22 weeks. Lover appeared on the album of the same name. Lover topped the Billboard 200 for one week, remaining on the chart for 161 weeks.

According to The Official Charts Company, Lover was also a hit in Pauls native United Kingdom. There, the track peaked at No. 14 and stayed on the chart for 13 weeks. Meanwhile, the album Lover was No. 1 for one week, staying on the chart for a total of 145 weeks.

Lover was popular and it might not be the same without Pauls influence.

RELATED: The Beatles: John Lennon and Paul McCartney Used These 2 Words in Their Song Titles and Lyrics to Connect to Fans
Kody Brown and his fourth wife, Robyn Brown, own a $900,000 house together in Flagstaff, Arizona. Lets check out inside of the Sister Wives stars woodland cabin.

Kody Brown and Robyn Brown, Sister Wives | TLC

Details about Kody and Robyns Flagstaff home

After moving out of Las Vegas, Kody and Robyn bought their five-bedroom and four-bathroom home in Flagstaff, Arizona. This 4,400-square-foot cabin is surrounded by trees and has breathtaking views of the areas mountain ranges. The house, built in 2007, sits on a ridge on a heavily-treed four acres, according to the listing.

Robyn and Kodys house, Sister Wives | Zillow

In Coconino County, documents obtained by Daily Mail, Kody and Robyn are listed as husband and wife on the deed of trust. Robyn and Kody closed on the house on August 30, 2019, after they moved the entire family from the cul-de-sac of Las Vegas to their new home in Flagstaff.

Inside Robyn and Kodys rustic-style cabin

The outside of Robyn and Kodys house, often featured on Sister Wives, boasts an expansive wrap-around deck, an outdoor dining area, and a four-car garage. While beautiful on the outside, the inside is just as stunning.

Sister Wives, Kody and Robyns house | Zillow

The lavish home has two master suites, three other bedrooms, and four bathrooms. In the kitchen, the luxury continues with a commercial-sized refrigerator and gas stove, underfloor heating, and a wine fridge.

Robyn and Kodys house, Sister Wives | Zillow

Kody spends most of his time in Robyns house

Since the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Kody has almost exclusively stayed at his home with Robyn. He chose not to see his other three wives, Janelle and Christine, because they werent adhering to his strict coronavirus prevention protocol. And since Meri hasnt been in rotation since their marriage became platonic years ago, Kody is almost exclusively living with Robyn and their five children.

Sister Wives Robyn and Kodys master bedroom | Zillow

Its weird. In the time that COVID has been going on, I felt more and more and more like that was Janelles house, and it wasnt my house. And the irony of this situation which is not good for relationships, is that Robyns house, as Ive been there more, has made me feel like thats my house, and my rules, and my family, Kody revealed in Sister Wives Season 16.

How Robyns house compares to the other wives living situations

As discussed on Sister Wives, Janelle and Meri were renting their homes in Flagstaff. Christine owned her home, but since her separation from Kody, she has sold it to move to her new $1.1 million duplex in Murray, Utah.

In Sister Wives Season 17, Janelles landlord sells the modest one-story fixer-upper shes currently renting. Shes decided that shes going to buy a trailer and move onto the Coyote Pass property to save money and hopefully start building her dream home.

Many Sister Wives fans have pointed out the unfairness between the wives living situations before, but now its becoming abundantly clear that Robyn has been getting preferential treatment.

New episodes of Sister Wives Season 17 air Sundays at 10 p.m. EST on TLC.

RELATED: Sister Wives: A Complete Timeline of Robyn Browns Nannies and Babysitters
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LG Electronics said Sunday it has showcased the world's largest organic light-emitting diode (OLED) TV at the latest trade show in the U.S. in a bid to target the premium TV market in North America.







LG Electronics unveiled the lineup of its 97-inch OLED TV, or the OLED evo Gallery Edition, at the Consumer Electronics Design Installation Association (CEDIA) Expo 2022 that was held in Dallas, Texas, for three days from Sept. 29.







The Korean consumer electronics giant first unveiled the 97-inch OLED TV at the IFA 2022 electronics trade show held in Berlin last month.







At the CEDIA 2022, the company also showcased the Flex, the world's first bendable OLED gaming monitor, and movable LG StanbyME.







LG Electronics said with the latest new lineup, it aims to solidify its leadership in the premium TV market in the U.S. as high demand is expected during major shopping seasons in the U.S., such as Black Friday in November and Christmas.







OLED TVs accounted for 33.2 percent of all TV sales by LG in the first half. (Yonhap)






Pastor of Texas church where gunman killed 26 preached on Pauls letter to Ephesus in last sermon

Pastor Frank Pomeroy gave his last sermon before retiring from his church in Texas that garnered national headlines in 2017 when a shooter entered its sanctuary and killed 26 people, including the pastors daughter The pastor said he felt God wanted him to preach on Pauls letter to Ephesian church elders.

It was Nov. 5, 2017, when the shooter, Devin Patrick Kelley, who was discharged from the U.S. Air Force after serving one year in military prison, entered the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs during a Sunday worship service and killed 26 people, including Pomeroys 14-year-old daughter, Annabelle.

Kelley, who fled the scene, was then wounded by a neighbor and National Rifle Association instructor, and later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Five years later, Pomeroy, who has served in the church for 20 years, told Baptist Press that the Lord gave him his final sermon before his retirement while he was hunting in the wet and cold Alaskan bush.

As he thought about what his final sermon should be, God kept bringing me back to, this was an opportunity for me to share whats important for the church to continue on, and thats when He  led me to Pauls letter to Ephesus (Acts 20) and we just went from there.

The church survived the tragedy by choosing victory, Pomeroy said.

We could have been validated by the world to choose hate and ugliness and play the victim card, he preached past Sunday, or we could choose to say we are not victims, we are victors. We choose to put our faith in something greater than ourselves.  I dont understand, but I know I cant go back and change whats already done, but I choose from this day forward to say, Lord, You are in control. And God has taken that, has made Sutherland Springs a lighthouse on a hill.

The pastor told the congregation that the church continues to receive letters that say, I was an atheist, but because of the way you guys handled this situation  because we chose to lift up Jesus.

He added, Whether Im here physically or not does not change the fact that God does not leave, he told the congregation. You are the church. Each one of us individually is the church. We assemble together as First Baptist Sutherland Springs.

His farewell sermon was on Acts 20:17-35.

Pomeroy also spoke to Baptist Press about his daughters death in the 2017 shooting.

Theres still ups and downs, and I dont think you ever fully handle the loss of a child, he was quoted as saying. But as a family in Sutherland Springs, not just my biological family but the church family, we chose to look to something greater than ourselves for understanding.

He added, Although I might have done things differently, God has brought so many to Christ through this. Gods using her martyrdom and the others to bring others to His saving grace.

In May 2019, the FBC Sutherland Springs congregation officially held their first service in the new sanctuary, which was attended by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Their previous building has been converted into a memorial for the victims.

Last August, the FBC Sutherland Springs decided to demolish the building where the tragedy occurred.

Members of the congregation voted 69 to 35 to demolish their former sanctuary. According to news station KTSA San Antonio, the building was considered structurally unsafe.

When people ask Pomeroy what the new sanctuary cost, he tells them, 26 lives, he was quoted as saying.
When Gods people crave a king

The world has an intriguing history of kings and queens, thrones and kingdoms. And King Charles III is the latest name on this long list of monarchs. For whatever reason, human beings often crave a king to lead them.

When the Israelites became bored with Gods loving rule and reign over their daily life, they began to clamor for a king. They longed to operate like the nations around them. They seemingly forgot all about the Lords faithfulness to them.

In their spiritual stupor they expressed their wicked agenda to Samuel, who was the last in the line of judges of Israel: Now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have. But when they said, Give us a king to lead us, this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected but me. As they have done from the day I brought them out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do (1 Samuel 8:5-9).

God allows his children to exercise their free will, even when it is not pleasing to God or in our best interest to make a particular decision.

The vast majority of the kings brought disaster upon Gods people. For example, Nadab son of Jeroboam ... reigned over Israel two years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, walking in the ways of his father and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit (1 Kings 15:25-26).

Likewise, Ahab ... reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him. He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him (1 Kings 16:29-33).

This is what happens when the children of God attempt to operate like the world. When Gods people crave a king other than the Lord, it is only a matter of time before we suffer the consequences of our worldly ambition.

Jesus told a parable about a man of noble birth. The people said, We dont want this man to be our king (Luke 19:11). This is essentially what the Israelites were saying to God. We dont need you to be our king any longer. We want an earthly ruler, just like the other nations.

Christians today can learn a lot from the experiences of Gods people in the Old Testament. Perhaps you have found yourself obsessed with a superstar president or a celebrity pastor. We must recognize that such obsessions do not come from the Lord. After all, why would God ever give his people a desire to focus more on an earthly leader than on our Heavenly King?

Spirit-filled believers crave the King who lived a perfect life, died a holy death, and rose from the dead on the third day for our eternal salvation. This godly passion trumps all other desires in every heart that is overflowing with Gods power. If a believer begins to crave an earthly kingdom or an earthly king, he finds himself placing an inordinate amount of attention on man, and less attention on King Jesus and his eternal kingdom.

This is a daily challenge for believers. May God grant us grace and power to crave Christs kingdom far above all other desires. You see, the kingdom of God is a matter of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:19). The Lord has placed the strong desire within us to see thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6:10).

If you have repented of your sins and are relying upon Christs death on the cross to wash away your sins, then you can know that you have been redeemed, justified, forgiven, born again and saved (Romans 5:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16). And your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God (1 Corinthians 6:19).

When Christians walk closely to Christ, they crave the Lords kingly rule in every area of their heart and life. But when Christians live in spiritual immaturity as infants in Christ (1 Cor. 3:1), they spend more time focusing on a superstar president or a celebrity pastor than on the King of Kings.

When we as Gods people crave a king, we must ask ourselves: What kind of king am I seeking? And where does Jesus factor into my craving for a king?

Thankfully, the Messiah is the only true and everlasting superstar in the Universe. And the "King of kings (1 Tim. 6:15) clearly told us: My kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). We know as Christians that our citizenship is in Heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20).

Craving the King of kings and His kingdom is a desire the Holy Spirit has placed within us who believe in Jesus. And we long for others to know this magnificent King as well.

Do you know the King? If not, what are you waiting for? Repent of your sins and believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved (Acts 16:31). The craving for an earthly leader will then begin to pale in comparison to your craving for the King of kings, especially as you walk closely with your King everyday.
5th Circuit upholds courtroom prayer tradition, overturns lower court ruling

A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of a Texas judge sued for allowing religious leaders to begin court sessions with invocations.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion Thursday overturning a lower court ruling against Justice of the Peace Wayne Mack of Montgomery County, Texas.

The court concluded that Mack could continue allowing his court sessions to begin with invocations because he tells attendees in advance that they are not required to attend the invocations and that their decision not to attend won't impact their cases.

"The plaintiffs cry coercion because Texas Justice of the Peace Wayne Mack opens his court with a ceremony that includes a prayer. But Mack also takes great pains to convince attendees that they need not watch the ceremony  and that doing so will not affect their cases," the opinion authored by Judge Jerry Smith, a Reagan appointee, reads.

"Some attendees say they feel subjective pressure anyway. Yet the plaintiffs have no evidence suggesting that 'coercion is a real and substantial likelihood.'"

Mack's court has a message inscribed on the door and television screen reading: "It is the tradition of this court to have a brief opening ceremony that includes a brief invocation by one of our volunteer chaplains.  You are not required to be present or participate."

The opinion states that Mack's Justice Court Chaplaincy Program enables faith leaders to "be 'on call' to respond to sudden tragedies" involving "only members of his own faith who ask for help."

"Mack permits JCC Program chaplains to pray in his court's opening ceremony," the opinion states.

"But he says his objective is to ensure that when local families request help with sudden tragedies, the JCC Program has a representative from 'every mosque, every temple, every synagogue, every church you can imagine' to respond."

Mack contends that his program includes clergy and lay people representing "Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, and Islam."

The court concluded that "to maintain a lawful prayer ceremony, Mack must ensure that (1) he has a policy of denominational nondiscrimination and that (2) anyone may choose not to participate and suffer no consequences."

"Mack has shown that the plaintiffs fail to materially dispute those elements," the opinion adds.

In a statement shared by his legal team at First Liberty Institute, Mack thanked the judges for upholding a "historical practice."

"I look forward to continuing to serve the people of Montgomery County," Mack stated.

Jeremy Dys, a senior counsel for First Liberty Institute, described the multifaith invocations authorized by Mack as part of a "rich tradition of opening public meetings  including judicial proceedings  with an invocation."

"Welcoming a volunteer chaplain to lead an invocation according to the tradition of his or her faith reflects the very best of our nation's values," Dys said.

Thursday's ruling is the latest development in a yearslong legal battle that began in 2015 when the secular legal group Freedom From Religion Foundation complained to the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct that Mack's prayer invocations violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The commission dismissed the complaint while writing a letter to Mack "strongly [cautioning him] against continuing with the Justice Court Chaplaincy Program and [his] current courtroom prayer service."

In 2017, FFRF filed a lawsuit against Mack in federal court. The other plaintiff in the case is a "religiously unaffiliated" lawyer who frequently appeared in Mack's court and "objects to a government official telling him when or how to pray."

FFRF collected testimony from a lawyer and criminal defendant who appeared in Mack's court and alleged that the judge retaliated against them for declining to enthusiastically participate in the courtroom prayers.

The lawyer characterized Mack as "unprofessional and hostile" and suggested that Mack awarded him only "the bare minimum relief to which [he] was entitled."

The affiant who appeared in Mack's court as a criminal defendant testified that she had "very little doubt" that the judge tried to increase a fine levied against her in a plea agreement because of her "apathy" surrounding the prayer.

Mack insists that he "had no prior knowledge of [her] participation or lack thereof in the opening ceremonies."

Four years after FFRF first filed the lawsuit, a federal judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, concluding that the "defendant's practice of opening regular court proceedings with religious prayers is unconstitutional."

A three-judge panel on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay in July 2021, which allowed the chaplain-led invocations to resume while litigation continued.

"The Fifth Circuit rightly concluded that Judge Mack's brief ceremony respects a rich historical tradition of opening judicial proceedings with an invocation," stated Bradley Hubbard, an attorney who argued the case before the court in April. "As the court explained, the 'history, character, and context' of Judge Mack's ceremony 'show that it is no establishment at all.'"

As highlighted on his campaign website, Mack became justice of the peace for Precinct 1 in Montgomery County, located near Houston, in 2014.

His territory covers the northern portion of the county. He won a full term unopposed in 2014 and was re-elected without major party opposition in 2018. Primary election results from this past spring show that Mack faces no major party opposition as he runs for a third term this fall.
Hispanic Evangelicals much less likely to vote for candidates who support late-term abortions: poll

Hispanic Evangelicals are much less likely to vote for a candidate who supports late-term abortion, according to a new poll released ahead of the midterm elections.

In conjunction with the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, My Faith Votes released the results of a national survey of 1,002 Evangelical Christians and 503 Hispanic Evangelical registered voters Thursday. The poll, commissioned by Heart & Mind Strategies from Aug. 23 to Sept. 6, asked respondents for their thoughts on abortion policy and other political issues facing the United States.

The survey presented participants with six statements reflecting a position on the legality of abortion and asked them to identify which statement most closely aligned with their beliefs on the hot-button issue. Just 15% of Evangelical voters said they believe abortion should be available to a woman any time she wants during her entire pregnancy. That number slips to 12% among Hispanic Evangelical voters.

Some 5% of Hispanic Evangelicals believe that abortion should only be legal during the first six months of a pregnancy and 18% want to see abortions limited to the first trimester. The remaining 66% expressed support for near-total bans on abortion.

Thirty-eight percent of Hispanic Evangelical voters think abortion should only be allowed in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother, while 13% support legal abortion only in cases where the mother is facing a medical emergency. Fifteen percent indicated support for a total ban on abortion.

Among the sample of Evangelical voters, 14% believe that abortion should be illegal in all cases; 16% think abortion should only be legal to save the life of the mother; 37% support abortion bans except in cases of rape and incest or to save the life of the mother; 13% want to limit legal abortion to the first three months of pregnancy; 4% support allowing abortions for the first six months of pregnancy, and 15% told pollsters that abortion should remain legal throughout pregnancy.

The survey also asked respondents whether they would be more likely or less likely to vote for a congressional candidate who supports third-trimester abortions. Only 8% of Hispanic Evangelical voters characterized themselves as much more likely to vote for a candidate who supports third-trimester abortions, while an additional 9% identified themselves as somewhat more likely to do so.

While a substantial portion of that demographic group (28%) maintained that support for third-trimester abortion would make them neither more nor less likely to cast their ballot for a particular candidate, a plurality of Hispanic Evangelical voters (39%) cited support for late-term abortions as a factor that would make them much less likely to vote for a candidate. The remaining 16% were somewhat less likely to support a candidate in favor of third-trimester abortions.

Among Evangelical voters as a whole, a majority (52%) are less likely to vote for candidates who support late-term abortion, followed by 22% who are neither more nor less likely to do so, 12% who are somewhat less likely to support such candidates, 7% who classified themselves as much more likely to embrace such candidates, and 6% who are somewhat more likely to.

The results of the poll are clear: a Democratic Party which supports late-term abortion  at any time under any circumstance  is a Democratic Party choosing white, elite liberals over Latinos, said the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, NHCLC President. It is the equivalent of putting a sign on the partys door that says no Latinos allowed.

In a previous interview with The Christian Post, Rodriguez predicted that the Democrats position on abortion would cause Latinos to shift away from the party. To some extent, the shift Rodriguez forecasted has already played out in recent elections.

Less than one month after the interview, Republican Mayra Flores won a special election in Texas heavily Hispanic 34th Congressional District. Data compiled by the progressive blog The Daily Kos shows that in the 2016 presidential election, the South Texas-based district supported Democrat Hillary Clinton by nearly 22 points. By the 2020 presidential election, the Democratic margin of victory decreased to just 4 points.

In the 2020 presidential election, exit polling from CNN found that Latinos supported Democrat Joe Biden over Republican Donald Trump by 33 points. The most recent generic ballot poll conducted by the Economist/YouGov, which asks voters which party they would like to have control of Congress, finds Hispanics favoring the Democratic candidate over the Republican candidate by 17 points.

Polls conducted earlier in the year and listed by Rodriguez as evidence that Latinos are abandoning the Democratic Party in droves showed Hispanics favoring Republican candidates by 13 points and 9 points.

While the views of Hispanic Evangelical voters and Evangelical voters as a whole on the issue of abortion are nearly identical, Hispanic Evangelicals are less likely than their non-Hispanic counterparts to disapprove of President Bidens job performance on issues other than abortion.

Specifically, while 75% of Evangelical voters disapprove of Bidens handling of the unauthorized entry of non-U.S. citizens at the Southern border with Mexico," disapproval of the administrations handling of the issue dropped to 62% among Hispanic Evangelicals.

Majorities of Evangelical voters (72%) and Hispanic Evangelical voters (66%) disapproved of Bidens handling of the economy. The survey measured disapproval of the presidents handling of foreign relations with China at 58% among Hispanic Evangelical voters and 70% among Evangelical Voters. A similar gap exists in the approval ratings of Bidens handling of foreign policy, in general, between Hispanic Evangelicals (56%) and Evangelical voters (67%).

Similarly, a higher share of Evangelical voters (71%) disapprove of a catch and release policy for illegal immigrants than Hispanic Evangelical voters (56%). Seventy-one percent of Evangelical voters disapprove of Bidens handling of foreign relations with Iran, with a slightly smaller share of Hispanic Evangelical voters (64%) also expressing disapproval. Overall, majorities of Hispanic Evangelical voters (57%) and Evangelical voters (66%) expressed disapproval of the presidents job performance.

The survey comes after abortion has emerged as a major issue in the upcoming 2022 midterm elections following the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization finding that the U.S. Constitution did not contain a right to abortion. While polling shows the American public as a whole supporting abortion at some point during a pregnancy, most surveys also illustrate opposition to late-term abortion.

Congressional Democrats have repeatedly sought to pass the Womens Health Protection Act, which would codify a right to abortion into federal law and limit the ability of states to enact abortion restrictions. Critics of the legislation have slammed it as a method of enshrining late-term abortion into federal law.
2 arrested for robbery of Brooklyn pastor at gunpoint during service

Police have confirmed the arrest of two individuals suspected of robbing Brooklyn Bishop Lamor Whitehead of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of Jewelry and holding his daughter at gunpoint during a livestreamed worship service in July.

Two 24-year-old men, Juwan Anderson and Say-Quan Pollack, were arrested on Wednesday and charged with robbery in the first degree, with a 10-year minimum sentence sought by prosecutors. They are accused of storming a worship service at Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries on July 24 and robbing Whitehead and others at gunpoint.

Police continue to search for a third suspect and believe that the church robbery might have been part of a series of robberies in the city.

"There's a pattern throughout the city  throughout the last few years  [of] high-end jewelry robberies being targeted," said Chief of Detectives James Essig of the New York Police Department, as reported by local media outlet Spectrum News.

Both men are Brooklyn residents and have been previously arrested for incidents involving domestic violence and robbery.

The stolen jewelry has yet to be found.

Inspector Nicholas Fiore of the NYPD's Central Robbery Division said that the robbery must have been "pretty rough" for Whitehead.

"[It was] a very, very violent robbery crew that we saw with no regard to anybody in the middle of mass, holding his child at gunpoint," Fiore said, as quoted by Spectrum News.

Whitehead has received criticism for being overly flashy, as he drives expensive cars and tends to accessorize himself with high-priced jewelry pieces.

In July, following the incident, Whitehead said the robbery caused him to "hurt" because "my church is hurt," adding that the "women and children that were in my church, my daughter, she's traumatized."

"Right now, she's still not even talking because of that experience. They had the gun in my 8-month-old's face. The women of my ministry, my wife, everybody is traumatized," he said.

Whitehead said he "didn't know if they just wanted to shoot the church up or were just coming for a robbery. And they were all black men. They had masks, and they came in, and they took all of my wife's jewelry and all of my jewelry."

"[The gunman] took my watch, took my jewelry, took my bishop's ring, took my wedding band, and then they took my bishop's cross, and then I had my other chains underneath my shirt. And he tapped my back  and ripped my collar off just to get to my jewelry," he detailed.

In mid-September, Whitehead removed a 47-year-old woman named Tarsha Howard, who disrupted his sermon and allegedly issued verbal threats toward him and his family. The incident was captured on video.

Howard was arrested on the scene, and Whitehead was briefly detained at the 69th Precinct to allow police to hear both sides of what ensued within the house of worship.

Howard was charged with trespassing and disrupting a religious service, while Whitehead was released from brief detainment with no charges, as police ruled that he "restrained" Howard with rightful intent.

There was a second woman who disrupted the church sermon. She fled the scene.

In the video, following Howard's interruption, Whitehead prayed for the woman by speaking in tongues, grabbed her by her neck and ushered her out of the worship building.

"I allowed the lady to talk, speak her piece, curse me out and do whatever she wanted to do, but then she started to throw threats at my wife and started to charge at my wife. My wife had my baby in her hand. We're not going to have another rendition of my wife being in harm's way or my daughter being in harm's way," the preacher said.

"I took action and I grabbed the lady and escorted her out."

Whitehead is also being sued over allegations that he scammed a woman out of her life savings.

Pauline Anderson, 56, filed the lawsuit last September in the Brooklyn Supreme Court, seeking $2.45 million in actual and punitive damages.

Anderson, a former member of Whitehead's church, alleges that she gave Whitehead $90,000 to secure a home for her because she has low credit. But instead, he allegedly used the money to make a down payment on a $4.4 million mansion in Saddle River, New Jersey.

"Ms. Anderson was left with nothing but a vague promise by Mr. Whitehead to pay the funds back in the future followed by an assertion that he had no further obligation to do so," the lawsuit reads.

In 2006, Whitehead was arrested in connection to a $2 million identity-theft scam, in which he was sentenced to 11 to 34 years in prison. He only served five years in prison and was released in 2013.

Whitehead has publicly stated that he was "falsely convicted and arrested for a crime I did not commit."
7 signs you have fully submitted to Christ

Paul said he was a drink offering. This meant that he offered his very life, spirit, soul, and body to the Lord and to His church as a living sacrifice (Numbers 15:4-10; 2 Timothy 4:6; Romans 12:1-2). He also said he not only spent but was spent for the Gospel (2 Corinthians 12:15). When you spend, you donate discretionary resources. When you are spent, you give everything you have, even your life.

As The Homilies of S. John Chrysostom on the Statues: Or, To the People of Antioch says "The rich man is not one who is in possession of much, but one who gives much."

When a person is only partially committed to Christ, he is "half baked." Its like a half-baked cake or something that is lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, like the Laodicean church (Hosea 7:8, Revelation 3:14-16). Jesus expects His disciples to count the cost and forsake all to follow Him (Luke 14:23-35).

The following are seven signs you are living the sown life:

1. You fully surrender to the will of God every day without hesitation

Every morning we need to start the day with a blank slate in our hearts, fully submissive to the Lord. We should echo the words of Jesus when He told the Father, Not My will but Your will be done. (Matthew 26:39)

When we start the day with that submissive attitude, we allow Him the opportunity to fill us with His Spirit. Consequently, by waiting upon Him and practicing the spiritual disciplines (private or corporate prayer, worship, bible meditation, fellowship with other believers), it is easier to abide in His presence throughout the day and set the Lord before us (Psalm 16:8).

2. You live a life of peace that arises out of fully resolving to live for Christ.

When we acknowledge and submit to Christ in all our ways, we are at peace because we can trust that Hes directing our paths (Proverbs 3:5-7). By submitting to Him daily, we cast our cares upon the Lord and resist our anxious thoughts by prayer and supplication (Phillippians 4:6-7, 1 Peter 5:6).

3. You take up your cross daily.

While this is not a popular preaching theme in contemporary hyper-grace churches (who believe the Gospels fall under the category of the Old Testament and do not apply to the church), taking up our cross is still a command for the church. Paul, the apostle, reconfirmed that this is still relevant to the church when he said he was crucified with Christ, and it was no longer he who lives but Christ who lives in him (Galatians 2:19-20).

The historical cross was the gory method in which Jesus and thousands of others were put to death during the Roman empire (Matthew 27:37).

Jesus, anticipating His future execution, admonished His disciples to take up their cross. He explained what this meant when He said that if someone wants to preserve or protect his life, he will lose it. However, if someone loses his life (which means fully surrendering to God), he will find it (Mark 8:34-38). Hence, the cross has been used as a powerful symbol to refer to a persons absolute surrender to God by crucifying one's self-will and sinful desires (Galatians 5:24).

4. You live beyond the measure of your natural abilities.

God was angry at His people in the first covenant because they limited Him (Psalm 78:41). One way we limit God is by disobeying Him when He requires us to do something beyond our natural abilities or resources like in Numbers 13 when Israel refused to conquer the promised land because they saw giants in the land.

Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us that when we surrender to God, we live a life of faith that fully trusts Him, which often requires us to live beyond the limits of our natural, rational world.

5. You count not your life as dear to yourself.

The apostle Paul said he was able to finish his divine assignment commensurate to his willingness not to count his life as dear to himself (Acts 20:22-24). This is due to not drawing back because of difficult circumstances, tests, trials, challenges, and inconveniences. Unfortunately, many Christians retreat from ministry and from serving Christ when things get difficult. Its often because their love of self exceeds their love for God.

6. Your life is a witness, not merely your words.

Jesus told His disciples that the purpose of the coming power of the Spirit was so that they would be His witnesses (Acts 1:8-9). Thus, we should not separate our life from our words and beliefs in the Christian faith. When we are fully sown into the Lord, we become a living epistle, and people will be able to follow our life, not just our words (2 Corinthians 3:2-3, 2 Timothy 3:10-14).

7. You bear much fruit.

Jesus told us that those who continually abide in Him would bear much fruit since they are recipients of His life and virtue (John 15:1-7). Hence, one of the signs of a life entirely devoted to Him, the sown life, is the power, life, and ministry of Christ working through a person. In this context, fruit refers to both the fruits of the Spirit (the character of Christ shown in Galatians 5:22-23) and the works of the ministry of Christ (John 14:12).

In conclusion, I pray that all of us will be fully sewn into the kingdom of God and not merely give God the leftovers of our discretionary time, talent, and treasures.
A message from one expecting mama to another

Dear Mama,

For the last few months, youve felt inside you a growing, breathing, kicking, squirming image-bearer. Youve so closely experienced the miracle of life, and you are moments away from finally seeing him (or her) face to face.

For weeks, youve counted down the days and watched your body stretch and adapt. Youve endured sleepless nights, frequent potty breaks, and constant hunger. Youve poked and rubbed your belly to communicate with your baby, youve listened to his tiny heartbeat, and youve spent hours staring at ultrasound printouts to see which of your features he has. Youve washed all of the laundry, made sure the books on the bookshelf sat just right, and youve fitted the perfect set of sheets over the mattress on which your baby will soon sleep.

Soon, you will hold him to your chest, feeling emotions you never knew you could feel before.

As the day of your babys arrival draws near, youve probably given some thought to the state of the world. With every news cycle, more and more depravity seems to dominate the headlines. You may have wondered, How will I raise and protect my child when this world is so cruel? You may feel ill-equipped, unprepared, and uncertain of whats to come. You may have found yourself wondering, What if I cant love him like Im supposed to? or What if Im a terrible parent?

I have news for you, mama. God chose you to be your babys mother.

God has given you a tiny soul  a heart and a mind  to steward, to teach, to disciple, to nurture, to discipline, and to learn from. Hes given this job to you, and rest assured He will equip you for it.

If getting married, having babies, and raising them up in the Lord makes you radical, so be it. If protecting your children from the claws of a demonic government makes you a threat, so be it. If shielding your children from the evils of government indoctrination, medical tyranny, and godless sexual idolatry means youre a part of political opposition, so be it.

You are the only thing standing between your child and that which seeks to devour him, so stand.

Stand in front of your child when your friends and family attempt to persuade you from homeschooling out of fear that he will lack socialization. Stand in front of your child when your doctor pressures you to make medical decisions for him that you arent comfortable with. Stand in front of your child when the culture makes you feel guilty for giving up your career to raise him, for parenting a certain way, or for simply raising him with biblical values.

This will prepare you for the years to come when you must stand in front of your child when the powers that be threaten you and everything you stand for. When the government labels you a domestic terrorist or when society says youre a radical extremist, you will be well-equipped with the courage and steadfastness required to stand up for your child as you began to long ago. And through your commitment to your child and your full dependence on Christ, your child will be well-equipped to combat the lies of gender ideology, Critical Race Theory, and cultural Christianity.

Your child was given to you by God to raise according to His Word, and nothing else. Not according to government policy, wicked cultural agendas, or what the world says to be right. Your authority is Christ, and your duty is motherhood.

So do not surrender your children to the ways of the world but cover them with truth.

Remember the words of God in Isaiah 46:9-10,   for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me  My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose 

Despite what you read online or watch on the news, God is still on His throne, reigning on high over all. He is orchestrating all things for good to accomplish His perfect and sovereign will in these times of strife, turmoil, and darkness. He is never out of control. He is never sitting back observing. He is actively governing and sustaining all things by His providential hand in your life  and your childs life  today, tomorrow, and forever.

As R.C. Sproul said in his book The Invisible Hand,

If we understand the providence of God and love the God of providence, we are able to worship Him with the sacrifice of praise He inherently deserves when things occur that bring pain, sorrow, and affliction into our lives. This understanding of providence is vital to all who would worship God. It is a worship of faith that is rooted in trust.

Mama, keep your sights set on Him, regardless of what is going on around you. Regardless of finances, struggles in your marriage, or problems with your local school board, Christ is King. He is seated on His throne. He has created your baby for such a time as this, and by no mistake has He sovereignly placed your baby in your womb to be under you and your husbands authority.

Glory be to Christ when you suffer affliction. Glory be to Christ when you feel the unbearable weight of sin. Glory be to Christ when the future looks grim.

Your children need you. They need you to prepare them to walk through this world without you because, one day, you wont be here to speak the truth to them.

So preach the Gospel to yourself and to your child every day, let His Word be a lamp unto your feet, and boldly go forth in raising up faithful men and women of God. Let that be your focus as you prepare for your babys entrance into this dark and sinful world.

The whims of the world are fleeting, but the truth of Gods Word is sure.

Worship Him in all things, bring glory to Him in all things, and do the work that He has placed before you with gladness. Pray for wisdom. Pray for encouragement. And pray that the Lord will boldly equip you to walk into this new and exciting chapter of life.

And guard your babies, mama, because no one else will do it for you.

Originally published at the Standing for Freedom Center.
Ugandan woman killed after attending church, accepting Christ

NAIROBI, Kenya  A 23-year-old Muslim woman in eastern Uganda who converted to Christianity on Sept. 18 was poisoned to death that night, sources said.

Namata Habiiba attended a church service on Sept. 18 at the invitation of a friend in Wakawaka village, Bugiri District and put her faith in Christ, the friend said.

Habiiba, who lived with her Muslim stepmother after her parents were killed in a vehicle accident in 2019, returned home from the church service with her friend, and her stepmother asked why she had returned so late. Habiiba told her she had attended a church service and converted to Christianity, causing her stepmother, Namu Sauya, to stop talking to her, according to the friend, whose name is withheld for security reasons.

Sauya prepared and served food for them and then left the room, said the friend, who was fasting that day and did not eat. Within minutes, Habiiba started complaining of severe stomach pain and began to vomit, the friend said.

The friend shouted for Sauya, but there was no response, she said. Soon neighbors arrived, but Sauya had disappeared, Habiibas friend said.

They rushed Habiiba to a hospital in Bugiri, where a doctor gave her medication, but she soon died, the friend said. A postmortem, she said, determined she had died from ingesting rat poison.

Habiiba leaves behind a 3-year-old child, an area resident said. The father is a married Muslim who had planned to take her as his second wife, the source said.

Local officials and other villagers condemned the killing and have undertaken a search for Sauya, who remains missing, the resident said.

Habiibas body was laid to rest on Saturday (Sept. 24) in Musubi village, where her father was buried.

Mother beaten for her faith

In central Ugandas Bamusuta village, Kiboga District, a Muslim beat and left his wife after learning she had converted to Christianity.

Falida Nazziwa, 42, on Sept. 10 attended an all-night prayer vigil at an undisclosed church in Kiboga town while her husband was away in his work as a truck driver, she said. A secret Christian, Nazziwa expected her husband, Saidi Mudogo, to return late in the day on Sept. 11, but he had returned home when she arrived that morning, she said.

In the morning as I went back home, I found my husband very furious on the compound, and he asked about where I slept, Nazziwa told Morning Star News. I told him the truth that I had gone for an overnight prayer in the church. After hearing the words overnight prayer, he just jumped on my neck shouting, Prayers, not in my house, and started beating and strangling me while shouting, Allah akbar [God is greater]! Kafir, kafir [infidel]!

Two men heard Nazziwas cries and rushed over to rescue her, but Mudogo chased her and her two younger children away, and they took refuge at an undisclosed location, she said. The couple has three other older children who were away at the time.

The church pastor, unnamed for security reasons, said Nazziwa has received treatment at a medical clinic in Kiboga. She was taking medication for swelling and had internal injuries causing severe pain, he said.

The husband has disappeared since then, but we shall get him, the pastor told Morning Star News. I have reported the incident at the Kiboga police station. We hope the assailant will be arrested and justice given for the ailing mother.

The attacks were the latest of many instances of persecution of Christians in Uganda that Morning Star News has documented.

Ugandas constitution and other laws provide for religious freedom, including the right to propagate ones faith and convert from one faith to another. Muslims make up no more than 12% of Ugandas population, with high concentrations in eastern areas of the country.

This article was originally published by Morning Star News.
An HMM container ship is seen in this file photo. Courtesy of HMM





Oceans and Fisheries Minister Cho Seung-hwan speaks in a meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Sept. 20. Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-keun
The summers final Live on the Waterfront concert was held Wednesday evening at Prince Arthurs Landing. The popular series in Thunder Bay has completed nine weekly shows that began on July 13. Wednesdays concert was unique as it was held one hour later in the evening to mesh with the 10 p.
The schedule for the parliamentary audits posted on the wall of an office at the National Assembly, Monday. Yonhap



By Lee Kyung-min



The National Assembly will begin its parliamentary audits of 783 government organizations, Tuesday, the first such scrutiny of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration five months since its inauguration. The audits by 14 standing committees will continue through Oct. 24.



One of the main highlights will be a comprehensive comparative oversight of policy missteps between Yoon and his predecessor Moon Jae-in, mostly over allegations of corruption in the energy and real estate markets as well as price mismanagement of key foods and services including agricultural produce.



Whether the scrutiny will be reduced to partisan political bickering remains to be seen. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has been ratcheting up calls for someone to take responsibility over Yoon's recent diplomatic gaffes and the relocation of the presidential office to Yongsan. This followed the ruling People Power Party (PPP) pledging to lay bare the Moon administration's policy failures.



DPK leader and former presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung and his wife Kim Hye-kyung will be grilled over a host of corruption allegations and suspicions of abuse of office during his time as Gyeonggi Province governor and Seongnam mayor. First Lady Kim Keon-hee will be facing allegations of stock manipulation and plagiarism.



The National Assembly Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs, and Startups Committee will examine suspected irregularities in the renewable energy industry, reported recently by an investigation led jointly by the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.



According to the Sept. 13 findings of the joint investigation, 2,267 irregularities were reported in 12 of the country's 226 municipalities, for a combined amount of over 261 billion won ($181 million) between September 2021 and August this year.



Many industry watchers say some energy cooperatives were granted special treatment, including unreasonable expansion of small solar businesses. Energy Minister Lee Chang-yang reiterated the need to outline a new renewable energy policy directive to correct the status quo.



The Land, Infrastructure, and Transport Committee will discuss Lee Jae-myung's alleged involvement in a land and commercial district development project to the tune of over 1 trillion won in Daejang-dong in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. Lee allegedly helped a construction firm and six key figures related to the firm to net 404.4 billion won, or 68.4 percent of 590 billion won, in dividends from the project.



The tanking prices of rice, Korea's staple crop, will be discussed at the Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Oceans, and Fisheries Committee.


If you receive an order to leave the country, you may have the option to return at a later date.

How to return to Canada after being asked to leave If you receive an order to leave the country, you may have the option to return at a later date.

How to return to Canada after being asked to leave If you receive an order to leave the country, you may have the option to return at a later date.

How to return to Canada after being asked to leave If you receive an order to leave the country, you may have the option to return at a later date. Edana Robitaille Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

Sans Font Size A

A

Canada has the authority to ask non-Canadian citizens to leave the country by issuing removal orders. Removal orders are often issued if you have committed an illegal act while in Canada. You could also get one if you are found to be working without a valid visa or otherwise violating the conditions of your visa. If you have received a removal order, you must leave Canada within 30 days and you will likely need an Authorization to Return to Canada (ARC) should you wish to return at some point in the future.

An ARC is an official document that gives you permission to enter Canada again after a specified length of time. There are cases when it may not be necessary to obtain one if you follow the guidelines set out by the government. There are three types of removal orders. The category of removal order you receive will dictate the steps you need to take to return to Canada.

Schedule a Free Legal Consultation with the Cohen Immigration Law Firm

Departure order

A departure order will ask that you leave Canada by a certain date, often 30 days after issue. It will not limit if or when you can return. If you need to return to Canada at any point, it is important to leave by the deadline and, upon leaving, inform a Canadian immigration office of your departure so they may verify that you have left. If you overstay in Canada, which will be the assumption if you do not confirm your departure with an officer, your departure order becomes a deportation order, which is far more serious.

Exclusion Order

An exclusion order means that you need to leave Canada and you may not return for 12 months. If you comply with the order by leaving within the deadline and remaining outside Canada for a year, in addition to receiving a certificate of departure by confirming your departures with Canadian authorities, you do not need an ARC. Like a departure order, if you overstay the date on the exclusion order you will be issued a deportation order.

Deportation Order

A deportation order is the most serious type of removal order. It means that you must leave Canada and you are not allowed to return throughout your life. Anyone who has received a deportation order and wishes to come back must get an ARC.

How to get an ARC

To get an ARC, you must apply at the same time as you apply for a work or study permit in Canada. If you are from a visa-exempt country, you need to apply for just the ARC on its own. To apply for an ARC and visa, you will need to include all the required documents for your visa as well as:

two passport size photographs taken within the last six months.

a copy of your passport.

a written letter (in English or French) explaining, in detail, the reasons you feel you should be allowed to return to Canada. The letter must be written in block letters in black ink or typed.

the processing fee ($400 CAD).

If you did not leave Canada in the specified amount of time as stated on a departure order or an exclusion order, and you now have a deportation order, your written statement must include the reason you did not comply with dates.

You may be asked for an interview so officials can inquire about your current circumstances and why you wish to return to Canada.

Eligibility for an ARC

ARCs are often subject to the decision of the immigration officer who reviews your application. They will be looking at why you were asked to leave Canada the first time. You may have received a removal order due to circumstances such as committing an illegal act or working without a visa. It can also work against you to be unemployed or unable to demonstrate strong ties to your home country.

If you were issued a removal order due to a criminal act, you may also need to submit proof of criminal rehabilitation.

If you have fulfilled the terms of your removal order and need to return to Canada, apply for your ARC as soon as possible. There is no service standard and it may take extra time for IRCC to decide.

Schedule a Free Legal Consultation with the Cohen Immigration Law Firm

 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Discover your Canadian immigration options at CanadaVisa.com.
Unionzied workers at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering chant during a press conference at the Korean Metal Workers' Union (KMWU) headquarters in Seoul, Sept. 27, to protest Korea Development Bank's decision to sell the shipbuilder to Hanwha Group. Yonhap



By Park Jae-hyuk



Korea Development Bank (KDB) expressed concerns over Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering's (DSME) unionized workers, who have requested that the shipbuilder's incumbent management remain in place following an imminent ownership change.



The workers aimed the request at Hanwha Group, which is set to become DSME's largest shareholder.



"The DSME union's request could cause a serious setback to our attempt to attract investments," KDB said in a statement, Saturday. "The union should retract its unreasonable request immediately."



The state-run lender, which currently controls the cash-strapped shipbuilder, issued the statement a day after JoongAng Ilbo reported that the union's leaders decided in last Tuesday's meeting to make the request.



Citing documents given by Rep. Lee Joo-hwan of the ruling People Power Party, the local newspaper raised speculation that DSME's union is trying to defend CEO Park Du-seon, who was embroiled in a political controversy earlier this year due to his relationship with former President Moon Jae-in.





President Moon Jae-in, front row center, listens to Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) CEO Park Du-seon, left, who was managing director at that time, at DSME's Okpo shipyard on Geoje Island in South Gyeongsang Province, in this 2018 file photo. Joint Press Corps




Antitrust regulators in the United States and Britain may decide next month whether to approve a deal by Korea's largest carrier Korean Air Lines to buy its smaller rival Asiana Airlines, industry sources said Sunday.







Currently, antitrust regulators of five nations, including the European Union, China and Japan, are reviewing Korean Air's combination with Asiana. The company has received approval from nine other countries, including Korea. Seoul's regulator gave conditional approval to the deal in February.







Korean Air is in talks with foreign airlines and local low budget carriers to find alternative carriers that would operate on routes run by Asiana, according to the sources.







Foreign regulatory authorities have requested Korean Air to come up with measures to ease concerns about market monopoly following the takeover. The deal, valued at some 1.8 trillion won ($1.25 billion), was inked in November 2020.







The Fair Trade Commission, Korea's antitrust watchdog, conditionally approved the deal as it determined the combination of the two airlines could hamper competition on a significant number of flight routes.







Regulatory reviews on the deal by the EU and Japan remained relatively slow. Japan is still in preliminary review of the deal since Korean Air submitted a draft of documents asking for approval in August last year.







Industry watchers said whether Korean Air could complete the takeover would hinge on the EU's review, as European regulatory authorities have been strictly looking into acquisition deals by companies from non-European countries.







In January, the EU regulator vetoed Hyundai Heavy Industries Group's proposed acquisition of its smaller rival Daewoo Shipbuilding Marine Engineering, saying that the deal could create a monopoly in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier market. (Yonhap)


Ukrainian soldiers carry ammunition for a Ukrainian D-30 howitzer near Siversk, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Oct. 1. AP-Yonhap



Ukraine said Saturday its forces had begun moving into the key eastern town of Lyman, located in one of the four Ukrainian regions that Russia annexed, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pledging more areas would follow within the week.



The latest development  a feature of Kyiv's weeks-long counter-offensive against Moscow's invasion  comes as Germany's defense minister made a surprise visit to Ukraine, but also amid accusations Russia killed 24 civilians in the eastern Kharkiv region.



The recapture of Lyman  which Moscow's forces pummeled for weeks to control this spring  would mark the first Ukrainian military victory in territory that the Kremlin has claimed as its own and has vowed to defend by all possible means.



Ukraine's defense ministry announced its forces were "entering" Lyman in the eastern Donetsk region after the army said it had "encircled" several thousand Russian troops near the town.



The ministry posted a video of soldiers holding up a yellow and blue Ukrainian flag near a sign with the town's name.



"Throughout this week, more Ukrainian flags have been raised in the Donbas," Zelenskyy said in his evening address. "There will be even more in a week."



Shortly after Ukraine's announcement on Lyman, Russia's defense ministry said it had "withdrawn" troops from the town "to more favorable lines".



With Russian losses mounting, experts have warned that President Vladimir Putin could turn to nuclear weapons to defend territory  an option floated by a Putin ally.



Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said Russia should consider using low-yield nuclear weapons after Moscow's troops were forced out of a Lyman.



"In my personal opinion, more drastic measures should be taken, up to the declaration of martial law in the border areas and use of low-yield nuclear weapons," Kadyrov said on his Telegram channel.



Kadyrov governs Russia's Muslim-majority Chechnya Republic with an iron fist.



The developments came a day after Putin staged a grand Kremlin ceremony celebrating the annexation of the four Ukrainian territories.



In a call with Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin condemned what he called the "sham referenda", according to a readout from his spokesman Saturday, and reiterated "the US will never recognize these illegal and illegitimate attempts at annexation."



The four territories create a crucial land corridor between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, also annexed by Moscow, in 2014.



Together the five regions make up around 20 percent of Ukraine, where Kyiv in recent weeks has been clawing back territory.



Elsewhere in the south Saturday, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht visited the port city of Odessa.



Kyiv has been urging her country to send battle tanks to aid in its counter-attack, but the German government has so far refused.





Ukrainian armed forces make a statement in front of Lyman Town Administration office, in Lyman, Ukraine, in this still image taken from a social media video, released on Oct. 1. Reuters-Yonhap
Limited access to food is a widespread issue that affects numerous communities in the area, including students in Lane County. UO associate dean of students, Jimmy Howard, explained more about the importance of students secure access to food.

Food security is foundational to how people live and thrive. I think most people would probably be surprised at how many students have skipped a meal. Maybe they have access to food. But again, it may be very limited access, Howard said.

A food insecurity survey conducted by Food for Lane County in 2021 provides more insight into how many college students in the area struggle with food security, as 1,100 people out of 1,977 in the survey identified as students.

According to the survey, food insecurity was higher among students; especially in students attending technical school (97%), followed by high school students (94%), college students (91%) and finally, graduate students (89%).

Identity categories like race, class, gender, sexuality, disability and age can all influence the degree of ones food security, according to the survey

The Food for Lane County report stated the percentage of food-insecure households in Lane County is higher for all minorities  especially for people who identify as Native Hawaiian and Asian.

Food insecurity at UO

Structural inequities like food insecurity are often especially present within higher education. Several programs at UO, such as the new Basic Needs Program, aim to destigmatize and provide more resources for students facing food insecurity.

Howard explained more about the Basic Needs Program, launched in spring term of 2022. Located in 185 Oregon Hall in the Office of the Dean of Students, the program works to provide more support and advocacy for students essential needs.

Through the generous funding of our ASUO students, we've been able to, unlike many schools across the state, and even in the country, have financial resources to give to students who are struggling, Howard said. In many ways we serve as a new place to land for students. That didn't exist a few years ago.

Students  both with their families and as individuals  can fill out an online Basic Needs Assistance form to get assistance from Basic Needs coordinators and get connected with UO and community resources like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Coordinators help students apply to enroll in this program, which provides financial support to buy food.

Many other campus food security programs, such as the Produce Drop, are run through the Sustainability center.

Addressing basic needs helps get someone to the place where they can handle the hectic life of college, Ella Meloy, a senior majoring in political science and global studies, said. If you are struggling to have a stable food access, stable nutrition, if you're not getting what your body needs, then you're not going to be able to do your schoolwork.

The Produce Drop, which will resume September 27th, occurs every Tuesday from 3 to 5 p.m. in the EMU amphitheater. It operates as a farmers market where students can select the produce they would like for free as long as they have their student ID.

The produce drop also has satellite boxes, [which] deliver produce to the Non-Traditional student union and the Black Cultural Center so the students there get direct access to produce, Meloy said.

Another resource students can utilize is the Student Food Pantry at UO. Run by both the Basic Needs Program and the Student Sustainability Center, it has been serving students since its founding in 2011 and transitioned to a larger space on 17th street in 2020. Meloy was present during the shift and explained more regarding the positive effects of the location change.

The capacity for serving students increased. There are six refrigerators now in that space, and backroom storage for extra food to make sure that it's not running out. It was really helpful during COVID to have that extra space there so we could operate it and maintain social distancing and still have volunteers there working, Meloy said.

According to the UO Basic Needs Resource Guide, the pantry is open for students Wednesday and Thursday from 46 p.m. Howard said that the selection includes a mixture of perishable and nonperishable items, largely depending on what donations the pantry receives that week.

We found that our students really have appreciated that as an opportunity, and that pantry doesn't just serve UO students. We don't turn away anyone in terms of being a UO student, we serve students from [all of] Lane County, Howard said.

Another resource students can use is Leftover Textover, which makes sure no food on campus goes to waste. Students who sign up receive a text whenever there is free food available on campus or leftover food from catering, according to Meloy.

Howard expressed how students have an opportunity to help destigmatize food insecurity on college campuses through volunteering with services like the UO Food Pantry.

It is so wonderful to see students helping students and breaking some stigmas around getting help and getting assistance. Because I think we've all been there at some point where we just needed a little bit of help, Howard said. And I think to have a peer that sounds like you, that understands the culture and gets you is better..

Helping the community

According to the City of Eugene, there are about 3,000 people experiencing houselessness in Eugene, and more than 2,000 without shelter every night. Eugenes houseless crisis and lack of long-term resources for this community means these people are not getting their basic needs met, and are extremely vulnerable to food insecurity.

The Burrito Brigade has been providing hot meals, specifically burritos, to those in need since 2014. The non-profit originated out of a house in the Whiteaker neighborhood of Eugene. Jennifer Denson, now the executive director of the organization, initially began her involvement with the group after spotting a Facebook post stating the brigade was short on volunteers that day, and brought her brother along to join.

I'm passionate about this work, because I feel like food is a human right, Denson said. And people should not be going hungry when there's 1000s of pounds, millions of pounds of food that are being thrown away a day.

Volunteers meet every Saturday and Sunday in the mornings to prep, cook and roll burritos to be distributed throughout Eugene. The burritos are made utilizing food from the Burrito Brigades public food pantry, called Waste to Taste, as it is all food that has been rescued from the landfill. Additionally, the program gathers food from local businesses, grocery stores and farms to provide ingredients for the burritos and for those in the community to take for free.

[In the] onset of the pandemic, we started a little free grocery store. So it's all imperfect foods, but it's a shopping experience for food boxes rather than pre packed food boxes, Denson said.

The Waste to Taste program offers appointment times between Monday and Friday each week for community members to stop by and fill up a food box for free.

From the beginning, Burrito Brigades volunteers have occupied many kitchens serving the Eugene community. From a house in the Whiteaker area to the Lorax Manner of the Students Cooperative Association, the organization adapts to each workspace to consistently provide hot meals for those that are in need. Various groups within the Eugene community have shown up to support Burrito Brigade, as the group has occupied church kitchens and Food For Lane County has provided space for the group as well. The Burrito Brigade will soon be settling into their own location which is currently under renovation, with ample storage for the Waste to Taste pantry and their own kitchen.

Long time volunteer Kathy Jordan joined the group in 2016, when the Burrito Brigade was utilizing the space at the Lorax co-op located on Alder Street near the UO campus.

We were lucky to turn out 30 or 40 Burritos in that little confined space with just a few of us. Now we do close to 300 on a Saturday and about that on Sunday too, Jordan said. So it's just been a continual growth. And the community has been really good about pitching in and supporting us.

While the Waste to Taste pantry is currently not vegan centered, the burritos the brigade distributes are vegan, in order to serve a larger group of people.

It [vegan burritos] accommodates many health restrictions. Somebody might be vegetarian; somebody might be lactose intolerant. And it just is really nutritious and we have less risk of dealing with meat and dairy with volunteers, Denson said.

A few weeks before school started, I headed to the Food for Lane County location to volunteer with the Burrito Brigade. I got busy washing leafy greens, a whole box of mushrooms and started chopping at one of the stainless steel tables in the kitchen. Everyone worked at their own pace dicing veggies, Tofurkey, and prepping warm tortillas.

Jim, one of the volunteers, showed me how to roll a burrito  and how to pack it with just the right amount of filling. As we rolled burritos and wrapped them in foil, one volunteer packed them away into insulated bags to be taken for distribution.

As I departed, I grabbed two bags and took them to distribute to two of the Little Free Pantries on Broadway. Denson added that the burritos go quickly at both of those pantry locations, similar to many of the other pantries as they are located in high traffic areas to be more accessible.

In July 2019, the Burrito Brigade expanded their reach further by launching the The Little Free Pantry project, which now has 50 pantries scattered throughout Springfield, Eugene and even Florence and Junction City. The Little Free Pantry motto is Take what you need. Give what you can.

Reducing food insecurity in the Eugene area is a community effort, and student volunteers are crucial in making this change happen. The UO has plenty of volunteer opportunities that students can sign up for to support the community, including shifts at the Student Food Pantry and projects at the Student Sustainability Center. As the Burrito Brigade continues to supply accessible hot meals around Eugene, student volunteers are always appreciated, whether youre rolling burritos on the weekends, organizing the Waste to Taste pantry, or stocking Little Free Pantries.

For more information regarding the basic needs services and volunteer opportunities the University of Oregon provides, go to their website. For more information, follow the Student Sustainability Center @uo_ssc and the Basic Needs program @uo_basicneeds on Instagram. For more information on the Burrito Brigade, follow them on Instagram @burritobrigade and check out their website. The Student Food Pantry is located off campus at 710 E 17th Ave. in Eugene. Students are advised to bring their student ID and a grocery bag. The pantry is looking for volunteers for fall term.
This represents a remarkable turnaround for a party that has been out of power for more than 12 years and which is still haunted by the poisonous legacy of Jeremy Corbyns extremism.

It is also surprising, as the Labour leader lacks charisma and struggles to have much appeal to the British public.

Faced with the Conservatives current meltdown over their mini-Budget, Sir Keirs task is to try to reassure voters about the competence and caution of any future Labour government.

To that end, the partys conference last week promoted its mainstream credentials, even singing the National Anthem and holding a minutes silence to honour the late Queen  acts unthinkable under Corbyn.

Faced with the Conservatives current meltdown over their mini-Budget, Sir Keirs task is to try to reassure voters about the competence and caution of any future Labour government

But make no mistake, despite this veneer of moderation and soothing rhetoric, Labours return to power would herald a return of socialism. It would, I believe, bring social upheaval, conflict and economic decline in its wake.

Echoing Tony Blair  the last Labour leader to win a General Election (and that was as long ago as 2005)  Sir Keir has claimed that Labour is the political wing of the British people. But, in truth, it remains the creature of narrow vested interests, social-justice warriors and shrill pressure groups, all crying out for taxpayer-funded subsidies and special treatment.

Rather than representing the British people, Labour, especially in its metropolitan base of London, is still in thrall to woke ideology and class envy. Its activists want to squeeze the rich, open our borders, dump tradition and roll forward the frontiers of the state.

Echoing Tony Blair  the last Labour leader to win a General Election (and that was as long ago as 2005)  Sir Keir has claimed that Labour is the political wing of the British people. Pictured: Tony Blair (left) and Gordon Brown (right) in 1997

The contradiction between the partys new centrist image and its radical heart can be seen on every front.

Despite being in government during the financial crisis of 2008, Labour now suddenly poses as the champion of fiscal rectitude. Yet it remains addicted to high taxation and expenditure.

History tells us that every Labour government since 1929 has presided over a financial crisis because of economic mismanagement. There is no evidence that a Starmer government would be any different.

Crucially, the party puts wealth redistribution above wealth creation, as reflected in pledges to jack up corporation tax and keep the top 45 per cent income tax band.

I am looking at whether and how we tax all different forms of income, Sir Keir said last week.

Such words should send a chill down the spines of entrepreneurs and wealth creators.

Labours extra taxes would be used, not to boost growth, but to bankroll the expansion of the benefits system and state bureaucracy.

But make no mistake, despite this veneer of moderation and soothing rhetoric, Labours return to power would herald a return of socialism. It would, I believe, bring social upheaval, conflict and economic decline in its wake

It boasts of cash injections into our NHS, as Sir Keir calls it with a proprietorial air, but in the absence of health service reform, the money would inevitably be swallowed by unaffordable pay rises and subsidise endemic inefficiencies.

The same is true across the public sector, from Whitehall to the town halls, particularly since the trade unions, which provide 58 per cent of Labours funding, would want a return for their financial support. In addition to pay increases, union pressures could also lead to the right to strike and form picket lines being made easier.

Meanwhile, in the name of inclusion, mollycoddling of public employees would grow through measures encouraging special leave, working from home, and the kind of Fair Work code of practice operating in Scotland to enhance individual wellbeing, security and respect.

Under Starmer, the government machine would grow ever larger through measures such as the creation of a vast state company, Great British Energy, with initial funding of 8 billion to invest in renewables and green technologies.

This behemoth would be one element of Labours aggressive environmental agenda to achieve net zero emissions, using more green levies, though the result would risk regular blackouts and rising bills.

A fairer, greener Britain  Labours conference slogan last week  would, I fear, be translated into a poorer, darker Britain.

Just imagine Britain under Prime Minister Starmer. Culture wars would intensify, reflected in the introduction of wokeness tests for public landmarks such as statues, and purges of academia and the Civil Service to root out anyone deemed insufficiently signed up to Labours progressive dogma.

Undoubtedly, new impetus would be given to spreading Critical Race Theory (which sees everything through the filter of race and puts racism as the central evil, even when there is none) and Unconscious Bias Training.

Toxic identity politics would sweep through civic institutions, promoting division, victimhood and grievance.

A chilling insight into the ugly bigotry of the Left was provided last week by Labour MP Rupa Huqs appalling comment about Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng: superficially hes a black man. It exposed the mindset of many on the Left who, in power, would push an agenda dominated by initiatives to end white privilege and diktats to celebrate diversity.

All the while, free speech would wither and debate would be stifled. This process would inevitably be accompanied by an emphasis on gender identity issues  which has already seen many Labour politicians clumsily attempt to redefine human biology.

Just imagine Britain under Prime Minister Starmer. Culture wars would intensify, reflected in the introduction of wokeness tests for public landmarks such as statues, and purges of academia and the Civil Service to root out anyone deemed insufficiently signed up to Labours progressive dogma

Sir Keir, when asked, has hesitated to say whether women could have male genitals.

This rejection of a view of human biology that has held for millennia has been criticised for having a negative knock-on effect on womens rights.

Politically, there would be a drive to entrench other major changes such as some form of proportional representation to replace our first-past-the-post electoral system.

Already, Labour operates an informal pact with the Liberal Democrats to maximise the anti-Tory vote in England. The same alliance could further tighten the stranglehold of the Left by lowering the voting age to 16 under the guise of youth engagement, though the real motivation is that the majority of young people are not Tory voters.

At the same time as the voting system is vandalised, the integrity of the United Kingdom would come under threat as never before.

To get Scottish Nationalists to back its radical agenda, Labour may grant them another referendum on independence. Also, there would likely be a vote on Northern Ireland leaving the Union now that Sinn Fein is the largest party in the province and recent census figures show Catholics, traditionally nationalists, now outnumber Protestants.

More upheaval would follow from Labours open-door immigration policy. It has long been hostile to strong border controls, not least because migrants overwhelmingly tend to vote Labour. Any pretence at restrictions would be abandoned, even towards illegal Channel crossings, which would be turned into a safe method for asylum-seekers.

But we dont need to gaze into a crystal ball to see what Labour would be like in office. We can already see how it governs through the example of the London Mayor Sadiq Khan, whose tenure has been characterised by expensive gesture politics, the growth of a sprawling bureaucracy, economic sluggishness and inaction on crime.

While knife offences have soared, Khan has set up a Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm to conduct a woke audit of London monuments. As the former Labour MP postures as an eco champion, with policies such as an ultra-low emissions zone, City Hall staffing costs have increased by 30million, the public relations budget has gone up by a third and almost 600 managers at Transport for London are paid over 100,000 a year.

Such a spendthrift agenda does not demonstrate that Labour is the political wing of the British people.

Labour may be way ahead in the polls now, but by General Election day in January 2025 there will be countless reminders to the British people that, at heart, Sir Keir Starmer leads a movement that is a byword for economic mismanagement and obsessed with class war.
When things go wrong (and they always do go wrong), the people who are of most use are those who calmly set about solving the problem, fixing what is broken and clearing up the mess.

Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, in his interview today with The Mail on Sunday, is cool and thoughtful about the storm which engulfed him.

He is also commendably frank about the crisis which broke out after his mini-Budget, not trying to pretend that nothing went wrong.

Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, in his interview today with The Mail on Sunday, is cool and thoughtful about the storm which engulfed him

And he has some sensible things to say about the economic problems faced by the country and the political problems faced by the Government in the aftermath of those events.

It is clear, as the tumult and the shouting die, that this was not, as some tried to present it, a repeat of the ERM crisis that destroyed the Major Governments reputation for economic competence nearly 30 years ago.

With engaging candour, the Chancellor admits that the whole thing was done at speed during the strange, urgent and unsettled period following the death of the Queen, when a new and untried Government was very much feeling its way.

His plea that markets are difficult to read is hard to dismiss. But perhaps most crucially, he is able to point out that sterling  already on the way down for months before he even became Chancellor  has now stabilised.

And he makes a strong case that the abolition of the 45p tax rate, which has caused by far the most noise and fuss, was a minor part of a far bigger package.

Britain was simply taxing and spending too much for its own good, with rates at their highest since the austerity Left-wing state run by the 1945 Labour Government of Clement Attlee.

Mr Kwartengs cuts in corporation tax and his laudable and necessary reversal of the National Insurance increase are not being questioned.

Mr Kwarteng is also commendably frank about the crisis which broke out after his mini-Budget, not trying to pretend that nothing went wrong

The crucial capping of energy bills is vital for millions and will shelter many households from impossibly high heating costs this winter.

His willingness to be interviewed is in itself a sign of a readiness to face the music and to listen to criticism, which will be very necessary at this weeks Tory conference.

The party and the country are going to need to be reassured quickly as we move inexorably towards the next General Election.

And that Election, when it comes, must surely also take account of the other astonishing event involving Mr Kwarteng last week.

The Labour Party have never known what to make of the fact that Tory Cabinets are, in fact, far more inclusive than anything they have ever managed.

Many on the Left seethe quietly about it, though most have more sense than to voice their resentments openly.

Now Mr Kwarteng has given his first reaction to the shameful remarks of the (now suspended) Labour MP Rupa Huq, who blurted out that the Chancellor was superficially black.

Mr Kwarteng has given his first reaction to the shameful remarks of the (now suspended) Labour MP Rupa Huq (pictured), who blurted out that the Chancellor was superficially black

His answer is commendably restrained, unlike Ms Huqs words. He says simply that some on the Left seem to think that there is such a thing as the right sort of black person.

The truth of course is that antiracist deeds count much more than anti-racist words.

The Left might like the Tory Party to be as it used to be 40 years ago, so that it could claim to be superior.

But as it is not, some of its militants deny the reality, rather than accept that it has changed.

This is little better than bigotry, and the contrast between the behaviour of Ms Huq and Mr Kwarteng offers a strong lesson to all those who truly deplore racial discrimination.
Aisling has since had her ovaries out, while Margaret had her hips replaced

They revealed how they took turns caring for each other's kids during treatment

They had just started a wellness business when they were diagnosed with cancer

The sisters were diagnosed within six weeks of one another - but it isn't genetic

Aisling, 50, and Margaret, 46, Cunningham were both diagnosed with cancer

Two sisters who were diagnosed with breast cancer within six weeks of each other have revealed how they worked together to overcome the disease.

Aisling, 50, and Margaret Cunningham, 46, from Brisbane, received the earth-shattering news in August, 2020.

Margaret was standing in front of the mirror when she noticed one of her breasts looked a lot different to the other for the first time in her life.

She immediately saw her doctor and tests later revealed she had lobular breast cancer, a form of hormone-positive breast cancer that begins in the milk glands.

Aisling, 50,left, and Margaret, 46, right, Cunningham were diagnosed with cancer within six weeks of each other in earth-shattering coincidence

The sisters who are both single mums tackled the disease and treatments together - helping each other with childcare when they could

Margaret started treatment immediately and urgently warned her family, including her mother and two sisters, to get checked for cancer.

To their horror Aisling had it too. She was diagnosed with a different form of breast cancer known as Invasive ductal carcinoma, the most common type.

The sisters, who are both single mums and live next door to one another, said it was a blessing to be diagnosed just weeks apart.

'When Margaret was doing her chemotherapy I was having surgery and when I was doing my chemotherapy she had her surgery,' Aisling said.

'So we were able to be there for each other and be there for the kids.'

The sisters first told FEMAIL their story one year ago - but there have been complications since.

Margaret has had both of her hips replaced - after they became weak in 2021 and eventually collapsed following the intense chemotherapy.

Her hip pain began during chemo, but she ignored it assuming it was part of the normal cancer pain, as everything hurt.

Aisling was diagnosed with cancer after Margaret told her to get checked out following her own diagnosis

But when the pain became unbearable she went in for a scan - despite her 'scanziety'.

'I was diagnosed with avascular necrosis, but I was so relieved it was something else and not cancer,' she said.

The new medical problem meant blood couldn't get to the hips properly, causing them to become weak.

Her doctors tried to put the replacements off by giving Margaret bone-strengthening drugs but one after another the hips collapsed.

'When I got in to have the first one done the nurse said she thought my birth year must have been a typo, because I am quite young to have a hip replacement,' she said.

They have spent the last two years supporting each other through therapies and surgeries

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF BREAST CANCER AND WHO CAN GET IT? Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia - one in seven women and one in 716 men are expected to be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime. In Australia, the overall five-year survival rate for breast cancer in females is 91%. If the cancer is limited to the breast, 96% of patients will be alive five years after diagnosis; this figure excludes those who die from other diseases. If the cancer has spread to the regional lymph nodes, five-year relative survival drops to 80%. Most people with breast cancer don't have a family history of the disease. Signs and symptoms include the following: New lumps, thickening in the breast, changes in shape or size of the breast and changes in the shape of the nipple. Some women don't have any symptoms and it is only found during a mammogram. Women and men can be diagnosed with breast cancer. Anybody can. For both men and women, if you notice any new or unusual changes in your breasts, see your doctor without delay. SOURCE: NATIONAL BREAST CANCER FOUNDATION Advertisement

'By September the left hip had collapsed and I was booked in for a full replacement, which I put off until December because it meant weeks without driving which is hard when you have kids, even when you have an amazing support network like I do.

'For eight weeks I couldn't relax on a comfortable chair, drive or even dress myself.'

At this point the right side was only showing slight signs or weakness, but by April it too had collapsed.

'I am just getting back to exercise now and finally after two years of medical appointments I am starting to feel okay, even normal,' she said.

The hips can typically last up to 15 years.

'But I am hoping mine last me well into old age,' the mother-of-two said.

Margaret is now on the mend but admits going through two more major surgeries so soon after cancer was difficult.

The sisters are looking forward to their first normal Christmas in two years - one where their kids don't have to miss out on the excitement of the day in any way

What are the symptoms of breast cancer? Different people have different symptoms of breast cancer. Some people do not have any signs or symptoms at all. Some warning signs of breast cancer are: New lump in the breast or underarm (armpit) Thickening or swelling of part of the breast Irritation or dimpling of breast skin Redness or flaky skin in the nipple area or the breast Pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area Nipple discharge other than breast milk, including blood Any change in the size or the shape of the breast Pain in any area of the breast Keep in mind that these symptoms can happen with other conditions that are not cancer. Source: CDC Advertisement

Her children had to help her dress some mornings, because she couldn't bend down to put pants in the weeks after each operation.

'They were seven and 11 and really had to step up around the house, and understand that I would be exhausted and ready for bed by 6.30 or 7,' she said.

Both women were put into chemical menopause following the discovery of their cancers.

But after struggling with returning to hospital every month for hormone-blocking injections Aisling decided to have her ovaries removed.

'It went really well, and has been so good for me because I now feel like less of a patient, in fact I am feeling really well,' she said.

She had already gone through a double mastectomy as part of her cancer treatment and is excited to have surgeries behind her.

'Also I also had my port-a-cath out - which is a relief, because I had to go back to where I had chemo to get it cleaned every six weeks, which wasn't nice,' she said.

The sisters say they are finally feeling good and are healing mentally from the rollercoaster of the las two years

Now the mum-of-one is working on getting her strength and fitness back on track.

'Most people don't realise you lose a lot of arm strength during a double mastectomy, especially when they take a lot of lymph nodes out,' she said.

'So I am doing yoga for the first time in my life and I am loving it.'

The mums are looking forward to their first Christmas without medical-related complications since they were first diagnosed.

They are also excited to reveal their brand Lula Eye Mask has gone from strength to strength.

'Mags was able to quit her job of 14 years and we now both work in the business full time,' Aisling said.

'We do all of our work from home, moving from one house to the other,' she added.

This is helpful on days when they aren't feeling the best.

Their business selling self-warming eye masks is booming - despite having to juggle running it with their health emergencies

'We have both been through cancer and understand the side effects and can take up the slack if the other needs a break.'

The sisters said they are inundated with messages from breast cancer survivors who want to support the company and the community they have built.

'People share their stories with us and they are so heart warming, I try to respond to every one but sometimes it takes a few days to find the right words,' Aisling said.

'We are so proud to be able to remind women to take a few moments for self care, without feeling guilty about it.

'Women do so much, self care is so important, whether you are sick or not.'
New junta's soldiers stand guard in an armoured vehicle in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Oct. 1. Reuters-Yonhap



Burkina Faso's junta leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba on Saturday urged junior officers to "come to their senses" after they claimed to have ousted him in a reported coup that sparked deep concern among foreign leaders.



The officers claimed to have toppled Damiba on Friday, saying he had failed to quell jihadist attacks. It is the second coup this year in the West African country.



Making his first comments since the putsch, Damiba in a written statement urged his rivals "to come to their senses to avoid a fratricidal war that Burkina Faso doesn't need".



He rejected allegations by the army officers who seized power that he was hiding in a French base, but provided no further details about his location.



Damiba himself came to power in a coup in January. He installed himself as leader of the country of 16 million after accusing elected president Roch Marc Christian Kabore of failing to beat back jihadist fighters. But the insurgency has raged on.



The junior officers had said in televised comments that Damiba was planning a counteroffensive from a "French base".



Damiba "is believed to have taken refuge in the French base at Kamboinsin in order to plan a counter-offensive to stir up trouble in our defence and security forces," they said in a statement read out on national television and signed by Captain Ibrahim Traore, the country's new strongman.



In his comments on the presidency's official Facebook page, Damiba called that claim an attempt "to manipulate opinion".



France, the former colonial power in Burkina Faso, via its embassy earlier in the day also denied "any involvement of the French army in the events of the last few hours".



It denied "rumours that Burkinabe authorities have been hosted or are under the protection of the French military" personnel.



The general staff of Burkina Faso's army dismissed the coup as an "internal crisis" within the military, and said dialogue was "ongoing" to remedy the situation.





Residents of Ouagadougou stand outside the French embassy which was set on fire in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Oct. 1. EPA-Yonhap



'Burkina Faso needs peace'



Among a wave of international condemnation, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres "strongly condemns any attempt to seize power by the force of arms and calls on all actors to refrain from violence and seek dialogue," his spokesman said.



"Burkina Faso needs peace, stability and unity to fight terrorist groups and criminal networks operating in parts of the country," the UN statement added.



With much of the Sahel region battling a growing Islamist insurgency, the violence has prompted a series of coups in Mali, Guinea and Chad since 2020.



The new Burkina Faso putschists said they were willing "to go to other partners ready to help in the fight against terrorism".



No country was explicitly mentioned but Russia, whose influence is growing in French-speaking Africa, is among the possible partners in question.



France has a military presence in Burkina Faso, with a contingent of special forces based in Kamboinsin which is about 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the capital Ouagadougou.





In this image from video broadcast by RTB state television, coup spokesman Capt. Kiswendsida Farouk Azaria Sorgho reads a statement in a studio in Ougadougou, Burkina Faso, Sept. 30. AP-Yonhap
Two cousins have detailed the horrific sexual abuse they suffered at the hands of the same man as children, and revealed how they only discovered that they were both victims when he was put on trial earlier this year.

Jo Keegan, 48, and Tracy Gibson, 54, from Barnsley in South Yorkshire, spent most of their adult lives hiding the fact that they had been sexually molested and raped by John Kelk, now 68, when they were children. Tracy was Kelk's niece, and Jo his stepdaughter.

Speaking to FEMAIL, Jo and Tracy shared the depraved abuse they endured including being violated with a screwdriver and being forced to drink weed killer as a punishment.

Both women tried to report Kelk to their mothers when they were children but were dismissed. Tracy said she was told she must have been a 'dirty little s**t' when she confided in her mother about the abuse.

In May this year, Kelk was sentenced to 30 years in prison after being convicted of 22 offences, including rape and sexual assault, committed in the 1970s and 80s.

Tracy, pictured left as a girl and right today, recalled how Kelk would babysit her on Friday afternoons when she came home from school and began to sexually abuse her when she was 10 years old. She now sees herself as a survivor, rather than a victim

Jo Keegan, 48, pictured left as a girl and right today, was Kelk's stepdaughter. She says after decades she has 'finally been heard' both her and Tracy have made it their mission to help other victims of abuse

Both Jo and Tracy testified against him and during the trial they discovered shockingly that they were both victims of his sordid abuse.

Tracy recalled how Kelk would babysit her on Friday afternoons when she came home from school and began to sexually abuse her when she was 10 years old.

'He used to have a smell about him, one that I will never forget, it was vile and for 45 years it never left me,' she told FEMAIL.

'I used to dread Fridays it was usually the day I would see my father but, as my parents weren't together, until he came to get me, I would be with John.

'He would rape me and it would hurt and make me bleed. He would make me get in the bath afterwards.'

John Kelk, 68, was sentenced to 30 years plus one on 22 counts of abuse against young girls

Tracy also detailed how he would violate her with foreign objects like a screwdriver or a lollipop.

She continued: 'There was one time that I screamed and told him to stop and he threw me off the bed and grabbed by the scruff of my neck.

'He then took me to another room where there was a black case and told me there was a gun inside. He told me that if I told anyone he would shoot my father.

'After that I avoided seeing my father and even told him I hated him and didn't want to see him again.

'In my own way as a child, I was trying to protect him, I watched my dad walk down the path with tears in his eyes and wouldn't see him again until I was in my late teens.'

Kelk would later say in court that the black box contained a 'fishing tackle' and that he had 'never owned a gun'.

Meanwhile Jo described how Kelk, who started a relationship with her mother when she was seven, sexually abused her on a regular basis.

Jo as a teenager. T he abuse against her stopped when she got a boyfriend, and she tried reporting Kelk again in 1995 to no avail. In 2018 she reported him once again and her message to other victims is 'never give up, keep speaking out, keep reporting until something is done'

Tracy as a teen on a family trip to the beach. She told her mother what Kelk had done but was called a 'dirty little s**t' in response. She said 'enough was enough' when she would be sick after seeing her abuser working in Asda and reported him in 2019

He also made her drink weed killer as a punishment aged 9, for revealing the abuse to social services- something she says makes 'her feel sick thinking about it' even now.

She told FEMAIL: 'He would often abuse me and took me downstairs once and told me to drink weed killer. It had all floaty bits on the top of it.

'He told my mother I had drank it myself and she called an ambulance, she told me as I was about to go to hospital "you had better tell them that you did it yourself or he will do the job properly next time".'

Both women worked up the courage to tell their respective mothers about the abuse they were suffering when they were just girls, but their pleas for help fell on deaf ears.

Tracy, who is a mother of four, recalled: 'My mother just said to me "well you've been a dirty little s**t then". I cared for her, but I didn't like her.

'She's dead now but I never let my kids know that I didn't like her or why, as she had a relationship with them. She knew it was going on but didn't protect me.'

Jo, left, said her mother, pictured right, enabled John Kelk and 'never went out of her way to protect her'. She died a month before the trial went to court and Jo said she felt 'nothing'

Jo said she told her mother about the abuse when she was seven years old.

Jo continued: 'She knew he was abusing me and did nothing, when I told her she dragged me into the living room and made me repeat what I had said in front of him. Of course he denied it and called me a liar. That was the night he made me drink the weed killer.

'She let it happen and didn't protect me. I didn't feel a thing when she died. She was no mother. And I realised that when I had my own children, how I wouldn't let anyone hurt them. How could she let someone do that to me?'

She knew he was abusing me and did nothing, when I told her she dragged me into the living room and made me repeat what I had said in front of him... She let it happen and didn't protect me. I didn't feel a thing when she died. She was no mother Jo Keegan on her mother

Jo described how she was painted as the 'black sheep' of the family and when others came to visit they were told how she was a 'liar'.

She attempted to tell social workers, who were involved with the family, but John and her mother tried to blame her biological father instead.

'John knew that my mother would cover for him, so he didn't need to threaten me much,' she explained.

'He was more important to her than anything else. When I said something she would remind me that he brought money into the house. I found out later that my biological dad had one of his kids taken away from him over the accusation.'

Tracy said the abuse affected everything, from her relationships with men, to her schooling. She recalls being 'timid' and being put in the 'duggie class', and eventually left school without any qualifications.

Tracy, pictured now, works as a support worker after taking her maths, english and completing diplomas in her 50s. She said after Kelk's conviction many other victims came forward to thank her for 'finally getting justice'

She said: 'I never thought there would be other victims, and when I saw he had married Jo's mother I thought it would stop, he wouldn't touch her as her mum was there.'

Kelk continued to live nearby and she would see him at the Asda where he worked in the warehouse, but would sometimes be seen on the shop floor.

She said the sight of him working would be enough to make her 'vomit' and that she would sometimes leave the store without her shopping.

The law on historic sex abuse Historic sexual offences can be reported to the police. According to UK law offences are looked at in relation to the law that was in place at the time. The current Sexual Offences Act is from 2003, anything before this will be looked at in relation to the Sexual Offences Act 1956. The way some offences are looked at and dealt with may be different to how they are dealt with now. There are a small number of offences that have a statute of limitation from the Sexual Offences Act 1956  this means the crime must be reported within a certain amount of time from when it occurred. This does not mean it cannot be reported but it may be dealt with in a different way. Advertisement

Tracy was also still being plagued by dreams of Kelk's abuse and decided to finally go to the police after decades of silence.

She later discovered that Jo had gone to the police the previous year to report the abuse she had suffered.

Kelk had stopped abusing Jo when she was a teenager and started dating. She left home as soon as she could.

Jo first tried to report Kelk to the police in 1995 but felt she wasn't taken seriously. She was finally successful when she tried again in 2018.

Speaking on how the abuse affected her, she said: 'I was messed up for a while over it but then I told myself I had two choices, I could either let it affect me or not and I decided not to allow it to impact me.

'It hasn't disrupted my sexual relationships and like Tracy, I was just glad to believed and finally have my story heard.

'No one ever believed me - and that's the message I want to pass on, keep speaking up until someone listens. I kept reporting him and in the end we won.'

Post sentencing, John Kelk admitted that the testimonies were indeed true but 'didn't want to die in prison' to which Jo told him 'well now you will.'

Kelk's barrister Richard Canning said that his client was 'not a well man' and he was 'sorry' for what he had done.

Jo told Kelk in court: 'The truth is that you don't deserve the time and effort in my thoughts. I have no time for people like you.'

Judge Sarah Wright said in court: 'Those girls were subjected to repeated sexual abuse and acts of a degrading and violent nature.

'The impact on their lives has been devastating, their childhood cannot be reclaimed after enormous psychological harm.'

For Tracy, she has recently completed the education Kelk ruined when she was a child after enrolling at Northern College in Stainborough, South Yorkshire, in her early 50s.

Tracy, pictured, said victims of abuse are welcome to get in touch with her for help - and want people to know there is still hope for historical cases

She completed her Maths, English and diplomas in social sciences and peer mentoring, something she says has 'changed her life around' and 'finally given her confidence' after John's abuse.

'It's only now at 54 that I'm proud to say I've finally completed my education and now work as a family support worker after years of doing nothing,' she said.

Tracy added: 'After the trial a number of victims got in touch with me thanking us for getting justice at last, turns out it wasn't just me and Jo.

'I was relieved at being finally heard and believed and now I no longer smell him or dream of him.

'After years of being a victim, I'm finally a survivor and I want other women to know they can get in touch with me and they can come forward.

'It doesn't matter if it's a historical case, you can still get them convicted. I've always wanted to help other victims of abuse and now I can.'

Both Jo and Tracy are determined to offer help to victims of sexual abuse, and want to spread their message of support and understanding as widely as possible.
Temeaka Tate has been breastfeeding for nine years. She is pictured with her daughter when she was four-and-a-half

A mother who has been breastfeeding non-stop for almost a decade is adamant she will keep feeding her third child until he decides to stop.

Temeaka Tate has battled online trolls and had photos of her breastfeeding her daughter at four-and-a-half reported to Facebook but is not bothered by what other people think.

'I was proud I'd gone from not being able to breastfeed to breastfeeding exclusively, so I took a lot of photos,' Ms Tate told Daily Mail Australia of nursing her daughter.

'They all got reported as child harm.'

The 34-year-old laughed off suggestions she had been pressuring her daughter to continue breastfeeding after she had turned four.

'It's not their bodies or relationship to comment on,' Ms Tate said of those who questioned her breastfeeding. 'No one was forced.

'I ask people if they've ever tried to make a toddler do what they don't want to do. I can't force a child to feed.'

Ms Tate, from NSW, said her breastfeeding journey had a rocky start when her firstborn had tongue ties and she pumped exclusively for eighteen months.

'I was told I wouldn't be able to pump for that long and I said, "Watch me". For the first four to six months it was every two hours.

Temeaka Tate has battled online trolls and even had photos of her breastfeeding her daughter at four-and-a-half reported to Facebook but was not bothered by what others thought. Ms Tate is pictured with husband and children

'I knew it was the best thing for him. He was dairy and soy intolerant and wouldn't drink any of the formulas that were safe.'

One of Ms Tate's goals was to tandem feed, but unfortunately when she became pregnant with her second child 15 months later her milk dried up.

The little girl, who is now seven, fed right through her mother's third pregnancy until the night before her baby brother was born.

'I was so desperate to tandem feed with her,' she said.

'The night I was in labour I made sure she had a breastfeed before she went to bed. I said, "I think your baby brother will be here in the morning".

'The day he was born I asked if she still wanted milk and she said, "No, it's his milk now mum". I was heartbroken, but it was her decision.'

'It's not their bodies or relationship to comment on,' Ms Tate said of those who questioned her breastfeeding. 'No one was forced.' She is pictured with children

Ms Tate said she had intended to 'navigate' how it would look if she still wanted breast milk when she got to school age.

'If she wanted to keep going while at school, it would have had to be before and after,' she said.

'She didn't go to kindy; she was the longest-fed child at playgroup.'

Ms Tate said she was not bothered by feeding her children in public. 'I am not shy about feeding, I will just plonk wherever,' she said.

She also hoped breastfeeding in front of her son's nine-year-old friends - none of whom had previously ever seen a baby breastfeed - would help them appreciate it was natural.

'One boy asked if he could give my son a bottle and I said, "We don't use a bottle", so I had to explain breastfeeding to someone else's son,' Ms Tate said.

Ms Tate, pictured with daughter, said she was not bothered by feeding her children in public. 'I am not shy about feeding, I will just plonk wherever,' she said

While she didn't get to fulfil her dream of tandem feeding, Ms Tate was proud to say she had been breastfeeding continuously now for nine years and during that time donated milk to nine other babies.

She said she would keep breastfeeding her two-and-half-year-old son for as long as he chose, even if that was until he was nine, like a child of her aunt.

Lactation expert Pinky McKay (above) said internationally the average age of weaning was between two and seven years

Ms Tate said any suggestion her daughter was harmed by the extended breastfeeding was ludicrous.

'She is fiercely independent and just as well as adjusted as her peers,' she said. 'She will say to her friends, "I had mum milk until I was four".'

Lactation and parenting expert Pinky McKay said Australians thought of only babies breastfeeding, but internationally the average age of weaning was between two and seven years.

'Extended breastfeeding might be more unusual in our culture, rather than unnatural,' Ms McKay said.

'Just because we are not used to a child of that age breastfeeding doesn't mean it's weird. It's a two-way relationship and you have to let the child decide.

'When women breastfeed a long time people think the child is fulfilling the mother's needs, but there is no way you can make a child breastfeed beyond their needs.'

Ms McKay said the benefits of extended breastfeeding were numerous.

'There is no use by date on the nutrients and it's a really great calming tool,' she said. 'It provides hormones and oxytocin that can help regulate the toddler when they are upset or hurt.

'It's like a superpower.'
Jenny Beavan does not enjoy dressing up. In fact, she absolutely detests it.

'I'm short, I'm fat, I'm old,' she says with brutal frankness. 'I have no interest whatsoever in getting dressed up. I have never had a good body shape and I have always been on the chunky side. I blame my Welsh father  tall and stocky as many Welsh people are.'

The reason this statement is rather surprising is that Beavan is famous for beautiful clothes. As a British costume designer with three Oscars, 11 Oscar nominations and four Baftas, she has dressed an army of Hollywood stars from Angelina Jolie to Charlize Theron.

You may remember Beavan's name in connection with a controversy at the 2016 Baftas. It all started when she walked on stage to accept her award for Mad Max: Fury Road wearing a biker-style jacket and a scarf.

One of Hennys designs for the salon show in Mrs Harris Goes to Paris. It the story of Ada Harris, a cleaning lady working in 1950s London, who falls in love with a Dior dress

The outfit was her homage to director George Miller's apocalyptic production. But some in the glitzy audience failed to get the reference and refused to applaud her win. Her close friend Stephen Fry, who was hosting the awards, joked that she looked like a 'bag lady'. Cue a Twitter storm and Fry deleting his account  but not before defending his joke in a series of angry updates. 'Will all you sanctimonious f*****s f*** the f*** off', he tweeted. 'Jenny Beavan is a friend and joshing is legitimate.'

'It was a long time ago and Stephen did me a sort of favour by making me hero of the moment,' Beavan says. 'I didn't hear it because I was backstage by then. It was other people who were bothered. But it's all fine  I adore Stephen and we are friends.'

Fast-forward to today and Beavan (incidentally, wearing a 4.99 black top from H&M) is telling me about her latest film, which threw up a different kind of battle. Mrs Harris Goes to Paris (starring Lesley Manville) tells the story of Ada Harris, a cleaning lady working in 1950s London, who falls in love with a Dior dress belonging to a wealthy client and becomes determined to travel to Paris to buy one of her own.

I said to Dior, 'It's wonderful you're going to be doing the clothes for the movie'. But they said, 'Non'

Beavan and her small team didn't have a huge budget to play with  and things got even tougher after a colossal misunderstanding with the illustrious French design house.

When she was first approached about the job, Beavan had been assured by the movie's executives that if she wanted Dior to make anything for the Madame Colbert character  who wears the knockout gown Mrs Harris falls for  'they would love to do it.' But those assurances turned out to be way off the mark.

'I said [to Dior]: 'This is fantastic and it is so wonderful that you are going to be doing the clothes for the movie', [but] they all looked absolutely horror-struck. They all said, 'Non'. And I realised they had never been in that position because the way they make dresses takes months and is hugely expensive.'

Yet miraculously Beavan and her talented team pulled it off  re-creating 20 garments for the film's Dior runway show, including a stunning bright-yellow one with a 1920s flapper feel to it.

You may remember Beavan's name in connection with a controversy at the 2016 Baftas. It all started when she walked on stage to accept her award for Mad Max: Fury Road wearing a biker-style jacket and a scarf

Jenny's magical costume moments Cruella I loved the rat costume of the dog Wink. It was hilarious. I loved the dresses too but that was my favourite. Gosford Park Mabel's green dress  the one that prompts Maggie Smith's character to say, 'Mabel is so clever to pack light.' Sense and Sensibility The 1790s, just before the turn of the century, are fascinating. What Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet and Gemma Jones wore in that was wonderful. Mad Max: Fury Road I loved working on the character of the Organic Mechanic. The things you create for Mad Max are so disgusting, but so fun and out there. A Cure For Wellness This had a weirdly cool and terrifying look. The dress that everyone associates with this movie is see-through, and we tried many versions to get that exact shot underwater. Advertisement

'In the end, [the team at] Dior were very helpful. A lovely woman called Justine came to Budapest [where the clothes were made] to ensure we were doing it right. I tried to honour them by ensuring what we made looked as Dior as possible. We came up with three originals; the other dresses were copies and five pieces were lent to us by Dior.' These Dior loans were not originals, Beavan points out, but were what Dior call their 'heritage collection'  remade from the originals.

With a career spanning more than 40 years, Beavan admits she recently had to look herself up on IMDB to remind herself what she's worked on. One favourite memory is working on Mad Max in 2012 in Namibia with Charlize Theron.

'My wonderful maker Jane Law came over with the costume and it had to involve a corset, because that corset had to take a harness and the weight of a false arm that Charlize wears in the film. Jane put the corset on Charlize and she said, 'Ooh, this is so comfortable.'

'I went into one of my terrible English gushing modes: 'Oh, we love making corsets and so forth.'

'And she looked at me and joked: 'Just take the compliment, b***h!'

As someone with no interest in fashion  and who prefers shopping for ceramics to clothes  where did Beavan's love of costumes come from?

'Originally I wanted to design sets for theatre, and that's where I started  opera, ballet and theatre. Then a friend introduced me to [the film production company] Merchant Ivory and there I was, looking after an actress, doing lots of things including her costumes, and they assumed I was a costume designer. I simply became part of the Merchant Ivory family as a costume designer. It all happened without me instigating it. But I grew to thoroughly enjoy the process of telling stories through clothes.'

At 72, Beavan thought the curtains would fall on her distinguished career when Covid rocked the industry. She was warned at the time that, because of her age, film companies wouldn't hire her because she was too much of an insurance risk. But, thankfully for British filmmaking, that never happened. Since then she hasn't stopped working.

'I've been so lucky to have been offered amazing jobs from amazing directors. I imagine there will come a time when I will have to slow down because I am not seeing enough of my friends and family, but I still really love the challenge of it all and I still get that adrenaline rush.'

Mrs Harris Goes to Paris is in cinemas now
Twenty years ago, my mother took her own life. She didn't die by suicide; she euthanised herself.

The story started when a colleague accused her of being drunk in the hospital where she worked as a nurse because her speech had begun to slur and her balance was off. She wasn't drunk. She knew something was wrong, and in time so did her doctors  but they struggled to know exactly what. More doctors were seen and, finally, there was a correct diagnosis: progressive supranuclear palsy, a neurological condition where brain cells become damaged over time, impairing mental and motor functions.

The prognosis was terminal  and it would be an agonising, protracted and degrading death. Already my mother had a constant band of searing pain circling her head. She told me it felt like a hot metal strap being cranked more tightly around her skull each day. She would end up in high-dependence care, unable to move or swallow. She would need a feeding tube down her throat, so would be unable to speak.

Twenty years ago, my mother took her own life,' Zoe says. 'She didn't die by suicide; she euthanised herself'

Yet in the face of this prognosis, she was calm and adamant. She did not intend to let the disease rob her of her autonomy and dignity. She didn't want to die, but she didn't want to suffer unduly either. She did not qualify to die in Switzerland at Dignitas [a charity that provides doctor-assisted suicide] as, due to her brain degeneration, she wouldn't pass its high bar of having a fit mind to give consent.

And 20 years ago, voluntary assisted dying was not legal in Australia, where she had emigrated in the mid-1970s. So she took matters into her own hands: she read books and went to talks about euthanasia. She put her life in order and had a plan in place.

As anticipated, her condition deteriorated. She had to stop work, couldn't drive, nor write. She often fell, and choked when she ate or drank. Her intention to euthanise never wavered, but the laws in Australia were clear: if anyone helped her die, they would go to jail for murder  as is still the case in the UK. Legally, therefore, the only option was for my mother to be alone when she ended her life.

After several years, when living became too difficult, she decided it was time. As it turns out, killing yourself is hard, even with medical training. My mother wore a 'do not resuscitate' sign, but she was discovered, taken to hospital and revived.

She insisted on being discharged from hospital as quickly as possible. Time was a factor because the window of her physical capacity to kill herself was closing. The hospital policy was that if you tried to end your life, you were considered a psychiatric patient. My mother was neither mentally unwell nor depressed; she simply knew her quality of life was not livable.

Three weeks later, she killed herself. I was not with her. I can't begin to tell you how much I wish I had been, and that we as a family had been offered the choice to support her during this very worst time of our lives. It took me close to a decade to recover from her death, the nature of which made my grief almost insurmountable.

Zoe with her mother in the early 1980s. She did not qualify to die in Switzerland at Dignitas [a charity that provides doctor-assisted suicide]

Where is assisted dying legal? The number of countries globally that have legalised euthanasia or assisted dying is growing: Switzerland, Netherlands, Austria, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Canada, Colombia, much of Australia and 11 states in the US. Advertisement

I'm deeply proud of her courage. I respect and understand her choice. What created the damage were the laws that prevented us from being there for her.

Both euthanasia and assisted suicide are illegal under English law. The proposed Assisted Dying Bill has twice been introduced to the House of Lords, in 2014, and again last year when Alison Pickard, a former nurse who lives with incurable motor neurone disease, said: 'I don't want to die, but I'm dying. I cannot change the final destination, but to influence the journey would provide huge reassurance and peace of mind. I simply want the ability to die peacefully on my own terms, with my family around me, in my own home. The Assisted Dying Bill would give me that assurance.'

I understand people's fears that assisted dying is murder. I don't see it like that. I regard it as offering compassion and care to someone who needs help and love. Some people are concerned the laws will be abused, allowing the vulnerable to be manipulated; but in countries where it is legal, the process of applying for an assisted death is rigorous.

What created the damage were the laws that prevented us from being there for her

For example, in Australia, a patient aged over 18 must request a voluntary assisted death at least three times and be assessed by two independent medical practitioners; they must have decision-making capacity, be acting voluntarily and without coercion. They must have a disease, illness or medical condition that is advanced, incurable and will cause death within 12 months. Their condition must be causing suffering that cannot be relieved in a manner that the person finds tolerable.

Some doctors cite physician-assisted deaths as being contrary to the Hippocratic oath, which states: 'I will not give a drug that is deadly to anyone.' But the oath has been modified many times and does not confer any legal obligations to individuals who take it.

Other rejectionists say palliative care can manage any pain. That is not true. Sometimes, despite the best medical care, people have protracted and excruciating deaths. Pain, however, is not the primary motivation for euthanasia: the three most frequently mentioned end-of-life concerns are a decreasing ability to participate in activities that make life enjoyable, loss of autonomy and loss of dignity.

In August this year, a YouGov poll showed three quarters of Britons are in favour of assisted suicide. I'm sure included in that majority are people with a story like mine. I've talked to families who've had a loved one die an assisted death, and their experience is the polar opposite of my mother's and mine. They use words such as beautiful, dignified, loving, sacred. They talk about how grateful they are. I am happy for them and relieved they didn't have to go through what we did. The words I use are the opposite of theirs: harrowing, lonely and traumatic.

There is another way, of course  and passing the Assisted Dying Bill in the UK would enable it. Because it's fundamentally about compassion, empowerment, autonomy and love.

Where The Light Gets In by Zoe Coyle is published by Ultimo Press, 8.99*

*To order a copy for 7.64 with free UK delivery until 16 October, go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937.

For confidential help or support, call the Samaritans on 116 123 free of charge at any time or visit samaritans.org
The news has rocked Denmark's royal family, with Prince Joachim, saying his daughter Princess Athena, 10, has been bullied at school since the announcement last week

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King Harald V of Norway could be about to follow Danish Queen Margrethe and remove his daughter's royal title, Norwegian media is speculating.

Queen Margrethe II's explosive announcement that Danish royals Prince Nikolai, 23, Prince Felix, 20, Prince Henrik, 13, and Princess Athena, 10, will become Counts and Countesses, and will be known as Their Excellencies, rather than His or Her Royal Highness as of January 1 has caused huge controversy in the Scandinavian country.

And now it looks as if Norway's monarch, 85, could be about to follow suite, permanently stripping his daughter Princess Martha Louise, 51, who announced her engagement to US Shaman Durek Verrett in June, of her title.

According to Norwegian publication, Se og Hr, crisis meetings have been taking place on an ongoing basis over the issue between the king and his two children, who he shares with Queen Sonja of Norway, Crown Prince Haakon, 49 - who is heir to the throne - and Princess Martha Louise.

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King Harald V of Norway, 85, (pictured centre with wife Queen Sonja, left) is said to be considering stripping his daughter Princess Martha Louise, 51, (far right) of her royal title after a series of crisis meetings in Oslo.

Princess Martha-Louise announced her engagement to US Shaman Durek Verrett in June. The couple started dating in 2019 and after meeting through a mutual friend, and share a passion spirit world

It's thought that Martha Louise, a mother-of-three, has considered removing the Princess title herself. She gave up using the title 'Her Royal Highness' in 2002

Princess Martha Louise's brother, Crown Prince Haakon, 49, (far right) pictured with wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit (second from right) and King Harald and Queen Sonja (far left, and second from left) is heir to the Norwegian throne

MailOnline has contacted the Norwegian Royal household for comment. Princess Martha Louise's manager, Carina Scheele, has declined to comment on the story.

Back in 2019, the Norwegian royal house announced that Martha Louise, in consultation with her family, had decided that she would no longer use the title of princess in commercial contexts.

The palace said that the royal could, however, continue to use the title when she represented the royal house, as well as in a private context. Martha Louise gave up using the title 'Her Royal Highness' in 2002.

However, it's now thought that King Harald is considering stripping Martha Louise of her princess title permanently - with the Norwegian royal herself also said to be contemplating relinquishing the title on her own.

Martha Louise travelled to Canada last week, and it's thought that meetings with her father to discuss her title would have taken place before that.

The 50-year-old mother of three, who is the daughter of King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, announced her engagement to the 47-year-old Californian bisexual shaman in June.

With a huge celebrity following, the belief he can talk to the spiritual world and very colourful history, Shaman Durek is hardly your typical royal groom.

But perhaps he's perfect for Princess Martha-Louis of Norway, who as a self-proclaimed clairvoyant who says she can talk to angels is far from a classic royal bride.

In March, the princess shared the first snap of her three children alongside her partner Shaman Durek (pictured together)

Born Durek Verrett in Sacramento in November 1974, the groom-to-be claims he first became 'aware' of his shamanic abilities when he was five but that he didn't start training until age 11

The pair been dating since 2019 after meeting through a mutual friend, and share a passion for all things spiritual. They are pictured with Gwyneth Paltrow

The pair been dating since 2019 after meeting through a mutual friend, and share a passion for all things spiritual.

Born Durek Verrett in Sacramento in November 1974, the groom-to-be claims he first became 'aware' of his shamanic abilities when he was five but that he didn't start training until age 11.

Meanwhile in Denmark, Prince Joachim has spoken out about Queen Margrethe's recent decision to strip his four children of their royal titles and it was revealed that his daughter is being bullied at school.

The prince said that the relationships within the family are currently 'complicated', as Prince Nikolai, 23, Prince Felix, 20, Prince Henrik, 13, and Princess Athena, 10, will become Counts and Countesses, and will be known as Their Excellencies, rather than His or Her Royal Highness as of January 1.

While Princess Marie said that Athena is being bullied at school after the decision was publicly announced earlier this week.

Prince Joachim of Denmark (pictured) has once again hit out at his mother Queen Margrethe II's decision to strip his four children of their royal titles

As of January 1, Prince Nikolai, 23, Prince Felix, 20, Prince Henrik, 13, and Princess Athena, 10, will become Counts and Countesses, and will be known as Their Excellencies, it was announced on Wednesday. Pictured, the children with Prince Joachim and Princess Marie on September 11, 2022

Front: Queen Margrethe, Middle Row (left to right): Prince Vincent, Princess Josephine, Princess Athena, Prince Henrik. Back row (left to right): Princess Benedikte, Princess Isabella, Crown Princess Mary, Crown Prince Frederik, Prince Christian, Prince Joachim, Princess Marie, Prince Felix and Prince Nikolai in a portrait celebrating Queen Margrethe's Golden Jubilee

The Danish Royal Family tree. Prince Joachim's children Nikolai, 23, Felix, 20, Henrik, 13, and Athena, 10, will all be losing their titles on January 1 2023

'They come and say (to Athena): Is it you who is no longer a princess?,' Princess Marie told Danish news outlet BT.

She said her children were put under the public spotlight and feels the need to defend them, especially now after her youngest is being picked on.

'The children were publicly exhibited. At very short notice. This means that we, as parents, have not had time to prepare them for the change and people's reactions,' she added.

Joachim has hit out at the move, saying it has 'punished' his children, as well as claiming he had only been told the news five days before it was made public - despite the Royal Household insisting the decision 'has been a long time coming'.
Joins National Gallery, Tate, National Portrait Gallery and British Museum, who all once received donations from the family but have since cut ties

Sacklers owned now bankrupt pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma, which is widely deemed responsible for the US opiate crisis

The V&A has finally bowed to pressure from campaigners and cut ties with controversial US art philanthropists the Sackler family.

The London museum revealed this week that it would no longer carry the name Sackler on the V&A's Centre for Arts Education and in its Exhibition Road courtyard.

The Sacklers owned now bankrupt pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma, which is widely deemed responsible for the US opiate crisis that spiralled in the nineties. Its salespeople targeted doctors directly to persuade them to prescribe their drug, OxyContin, without telling them it was addictive.

Campaign group Sackler P.A.I.N has long since called for the tourist attraction in South Kensington to officially distance itself from the family, who have donated in the past to the likes of the National Gallery, Tate, National Portrait Gallery, British Museum, all of which no longer accept funds from the Sacklers.

The family continues to donate to charitable causes, with UK public bodies benefiting from 14 million from the Sacklers in 2020.

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A spokesperson for the V&A told The Observer this week that the South Kensington museum 'will no longer carry the Sackler name'. The US family owned the now bankrupt pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma, which is widely deemed responsible for the US opiate crisis

Purdue Pharma filed for bankruptcy in 2019 after being involved in thousands of lawsuits claiming the big pharma company pressured doctors to prescribe OxyContin, a highly addictive narcotic that has contributed to the US opioid crisis, resulting in more than 500,000 deaths in America over the last two decades

Oxycontin flooded the US healthcare system in the 90s - prescribed by doctors misled that it wasn't addictive in the treatment of moderate pain - and is largely thought to have sparked America's opioid crisis

A V&A spokesperson told The Observer newspaper: 'The V&A and the family of the late Dr Mortimer D Sackler have mutually agreed that the V&A's Centre for Arts Education and its Exhibition Road courtyard will no longer carry the Sackler name.'

The statement continued: 'Dame Theresa Sackler was a trustee of the V&A between 2011 and 2019, and we are immensely grateful for her service to the V&A over the years. We have no current plans to rename the spaces.'

Signage in the museum that carried the Sackler name have disappeared from its walls and long-time Sackler P.A.I.N campaigner and artist Nan Goldin praised the decision, saying: 'The V&A has been the last bastion of holdouts in terms of those supporting the Sacklers. It's a big victory for people who go to museums and do not want to see the name of the family who helped ignite the overdose crisis.'

Hard-hitting US drama Dopesick, released in 2021, sees Michael Keaton play Dr Samuel Finnix, a small-town GP who's persuaded to prescribe Oxycontin, an addictive painkiller to patients by salesman Billy Cutler (William Poulter)

A prescription-only opioid-based painkiller, Oxycontin was first introduced into the market in 1996.

Promoted as less addictive than other prescription painkillers, it soon became one of the most popular opioid drugs sold in the US.

The drug's makers, Purdue Pharma - owned by the Sackler family, incentivised its sales force with huge bonuses for selling OxyContin to doctors, the majority of whom had rarely treated chronic pain.

Medical sales reps were instructed to downplay the risk of addiction and the potential for abuse.

The drug had been licensed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for moderate pain (previously opioids were only licensed for severe pain), something that was core to the sales patter of Purdue Pharma's staff.

Family members of people who've lost their lives to an Oxycontin addiction pictured in 2019 protesting at the Arthur M. Sackler Museum at Harvard University, Boston

They were also told to recommend OxyContin for a wide range of pain problems, including headaches, back pain and arthritis instead of reaching for drugs like paracetamol or anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen.

Despite the growth of its use as a drug of abuse - often associated with crime - Purdue Pharma continued to push the drug as a valuable first-line painkiller.

In 2019, a court case brought by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey against Purdue Pharma accused its executives and members of the billionaire Sackler family of deceiving patients and doctors about the risks of opioids and pushing prescribers to keep patients on the drug longer.

In 2019, anti-opioid protestors targeted art galleries across the world that had benefited from donations from the Sackler family, including the Louvre in Paris and the Guggenheim in New York

In December 2021, a federal judge rejected Purdue Pharma's offer for a $4.5billon settlement with thousands of plaintiffs, including individuals affected by the opioid crisis and local, state and Native governments, because of a clause which would have protected the Sackler family from litigation.

U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon in New York said that the bankruptcy court that first agreed to the settlement, did not have the legal authority to release the family from liability.

In a statement, Purdue claimed the ruling would make it harder for company and Sackler money to be used to fight the opioid crisis as the legal fight continues.

Steve Miller, chairman of the Purdue board of directors said: 'It will delay, and perhaps end, the ability of creditors, communities, and individuals to receive billions in value to abate the opioid crisis.

'These funds are needed now more than ever as overdose rates hit record-highs, and we are confident that we can successfully appeal this decision and deliver desperately needed funds to the communities and individuals suffering in the midst of this crisis.'

Eight members of the billionaire Sackler family are currently being sued by multiple American cities, counties and states.
He says we must pay more attention to impact technology has on young people

Having dinner at a younger relatives house a few months ago, I inadvertently sent everyone into fits of giggles when I spoke to the Alexa.

Hello Alexa, could you please tell me what the weather forecast is next weekend, thank you? I asked. I dont have an Alexa, so I had no idea that this wasnt how you spoke to her. I didnt understand what Id done wrong.

Why are you talking like that? someone asked. I looked blankly. Youre so polite, said the host, who is in her 20s. You dont have to say please or thank you. She demonstrated by berating the poor device.

It just sounds a bit . . . rude, I winced. Its like having a slave. Everyone laughed and rolled their eyes at how quaint and old-fashioned I was.

I know its just a machine and doesnt have feelings, but it still felt brusque and, well, a bit horrible. Surely its a slippery slope from barking orders at a machine to shouting at real-life people?

So I felt somewhat vindicated last week, when I read that experts have raised concerns that Alexa, Siri and Google Home  voice-controlled devices, popular in homes worldwide  may have long-term consequences for children. The worry is that these machines could impede childrens learning skills, critical thinking and  as Id suspected  empathy.

DR MAX PEMBERTON (pictured): There's no doubt technology has been a force for good. But please don't tell me it isn't also having a detrimental effect on how young people are developing

Dr Anmol Arora, a researcher at Cambridge University, argued that the devices may affect child development for a number of reasons. When they ask a question they receive a specific and concise answer, but this goes against how children typically learn.

Traditionally, children piece together bits of information to create a web of knowledge, rather than try to assimilate random facts that dont necessarily tie together or have context or, crucially, explanation of the reasoning behind the answer.

So the knowledge they get from the devices may well be technically correct, but it is nowhere near as enriching as if the child has asked a real, live person the question.

It gives them the knowledge  but not the understanding. Because they dont have to search for the answer, they dont advance their critical thinking or logical reasoning.

And its not just young children who are affected either. Ive noticed this with 20-something doctors who are so used to having every piece of knowledge at their fingertips, thanks to internet search engines, they seem to lack the ability to extrapolate and answer any question they cant Google. They lack the ability to problem solve or to use their knowledge to solve any unusual clinical problems they come up against.

If you think thats alarming, consider Dr Aroras other suggestion: that devices like Alexa might also hinder childrens social development precisely because voice assistants cant teach them how to behave politely  there is no need to say please or thank you or use a considerate tone of voice.

The lack of ability to engage in non-verbal communication makes using the devices a poor method of learning social interaction. While in normal human interactions, a child would usually receive feedback if they were to behave inappropriately, this is beyond the scope of a smart device, Dr Arora argued. In other words, Alexa cant tell them off for being rude.

Ready for another depressing fact? Research has shown that children in a home with a device speak to it daily, while talking to their grandparents only every ten days.

The same poll found that nearly three-quarters admitted they didnt say please or thank you when speaking to the smart speakers.I cant help but feel this must affect their interaction with people. How do you make the distinction between demanding Alexa play the latest Taylor Swift single and asking someone in a shop for help?

Devices like Alexa might also hinder childrens social development precisely because voice assistants cant teach them how to behave politely  there is no need to say please or thank you or use a considerate tone of voice (File image)

Words like please, thank you and sorry are powerful social lubricants. They make the world run smoothly, they signify respect and humility. They are an acknowledgement of the humanity of others. Surely thats incredibly important?

It is myopic that we dont pay more attention to the impact technology is having on the younger generation.

I think part of the lapse in standards of English is because of technology  texting has meant children arent used to forming proper sentences.

These devices also impact on young peoples non-verbal communication  including things such as eye contact. One colleague recently told me how so many children she comes across today struggle to look her in the eye.

I noticed this at a talk I gave to teenagers in a deprived part of London as part of a project to encourage more to apply to university. Afterwards, they dutifully lined up to speak to me and I was astonished by how few of them actually looked at me.

Instead, they stared at the floor and mumbled. I realised they are so used to communicating through instant messaging that they dont know how to interact with someone who is sitting in front of them.

Theres no doubt technology has been a force for good. But please dont tell me it isnt also having a detrimental effect on how young people are developing. Thank you.

A doctor who offered to pray for patients has been forced to attend a course on boundaries. But isnt this an example of a doctor acting holistically? The reality is that prayer can be powerful. Im reminded of that line by Tennyson: More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.

No shame in being a young mum

Former Love Island contestant Molly-Mae Hague is expecting a baby with her partner Tommy Fury. Some have criticised her for being too young to start a family. They argue she has barely lived yet. Gosh, isnt it strange how attitudes change? Just a generation or so ago, 23 would have been a perfectly acceptable age to have a child. My mum had me in her early 30s and was considered a geriatric mother.

Whats more, Molly has endometriosis, which can affect fertility, so surely, having a baby young is better than risking a lifetime of sorrow by leaving it too late and discovering its not possible? At a recent barbecue, I was astonished that of the six couples there, five had undergone fertility treatment. All the women had put off motherhood because of their careers and several were now lamenting that decision.

Former Love Island contestant Molly-Mae Hague is expecting a baby with her partner Tommy Fury (pictured together)

 Last weeks shocking BBC Panorama investigation into a mental health hospital should make the NHS hang its head in shame. The undercover expose showed NHS carers lock an autistic woman in a tiny room for nearly a month. Mental health workers also slapped, pinched and swore at patients. While this programme focused on one unit, its clear this kind of shocking abuse occurs elsewhere.

Its not just the examples of blatant abuse that anger me. I worry about the insidious neglect that goes on in so many institutions  where often residents are fed and watered but little else. I know all the explanations for this  poorly paid staff, inadequate training, burn-out from the stresses of the job and so on. But, there comes a point when I just think: enough with the excuses. Things must improve  now!

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A dentist has slammed some of TikTok's most popular DIY dental hacks as dangerous and claims many of them will end up ruining your smile.

From filing your teeth into a 'perfect' shape to using a magic eraser to remove stubborn stains, there seems to be a hack for every cosmetic dental concern.

But most of the cheap tricks will actually ruin your teeth and could cost thousands to fix, veteran dentist Dr Heath Fraser told FEMAIL.

People are using TikTok to share their DIY dental hacks, including filing down their own teeth and using rubber bands to 'make them straight' but experts warn it could cause lasting damage

The Queensland based explained while some of the hacks have been around for a long time the fact they are now being broadcasted over TikTok is concerning.

'Amassing over one billion active monthly users, many of whom are young and impressionable, TikTok holds enormous influential reach over the minds and decision-making behaviours of its audiences,' he said.

'In recent years, concerning dental health trends have been posted to the platform and viewed by millions of users: these include teeth-whitening with toxic cleaning products, DIY teeth shaping, and encouraging users to self-treat cosmetic procedures after seeing 'great' aesthetic results from other users on the app,' he said.

Adding that anyone who follows the trends are not only putting their smile at risk - but in many case their overall health.

Dr Fraser has been in the dental industry for over 15 years and wants people to understand treatments used in clinics are rigorously tested and continuously updated to ensure they are safe and effective.

They are also performed by highly-trained medical professionals.

Dr Heath Fraser, pictured, told FEMAIL the top five DIY trends on TikTok are dangerous and will lead to huge problems

The trending TikTok hacks, including using a nail file to achieve your preferred tooth shape, are not.

Nail file shaping hack

In one video a woman can be seen saying 'no' over and over as she files down her teeth.

She went on to claim the video was shot two years before she uploaded it on TikTok - and she 'loves her smile' and hasn't had any negative side effects from the DIY job.

Dr Fraser looked into the trend and said while people were initially pleased with the results they complained about tooth sensitivity over time.

This is because they wear down the enamel, which ultimately leads to increased tooth decay, discolouration and damage including chips and cracks.

'Using any object to intentionally erode the surface of a tooth is highly irresponsible; once tooth enamel has been removed it is impossible to regenerate,' he said,

Using the TikTok hacks is more likely to lead to serious dental problems in the long run - including permanently stained and cracked teeth

'Even when performed in the dental chair by a professional patients run the risk of eroding their tooth enamel.

'Patients who try DIY tooth shaping may require invasive procedures such as fillings, crowns, veneers and even root canal treatment to resolve the erosion issue.'

Raw charcoal brushing

Charcoal tooth products have become a phenomenon across a variety of social platforms.

Many TikTok users have detail their experience using activated charcoal to whiten their teeth, showing significantly brighter before-and-after results.

But there is a risk of discolouration and damage when used long term, he explained.

'Ironically, while initial results may reveal whiter teeth, using highly abrasive surfaces against teeth will wear down enamel and expose the yellow dentin underneath, causing them to permanently appear more yellow,' he said.

Some people have taken to using magic erasers to achieve a pearly white smile - but Dr Fraser says this too will do nothing but destroy your teeth in the long run.

Using a magic eraser

One video showing off the magic easer trend got 400,000 views in a matter of hours - with dozens of people commenting to say they planned to try the hack at home.

Dr Fraser said using something like a magic eraser might appear to work - but leads to yellowness long term

More commented after testing it out, praising the trick and saying they had 'no regrets' about using the eraser on their teeth.

'Similar to brushing with charcoal brushing, the magic eraser wears down a stained layer of enamel with a highly abrasive surface, and whilst this may cause teeth to appear initially whiter in a short TikTok video, the long-term consequences of wearing down enamel can result in discoloured, sensitive and, in rare cases, cracked or chipped teeth,' he said.

The next tooth whitening hack is to brush with peroxide.

Brushing with peroxide

This became a huge trend after one TikTok influencer bought the chemical from the supermarket and applied it directly to her teeth.

The woman said the chemical is often found in dentist-approved whitening kits, insinuating it is safe. But Dr Fraser says that's far from the truth.

'Using high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide on your teeth and gums poses irreversible risk to the health of your teeth and can lead to tooth sensitivity, irritated gums and lips,' he said.

'Having whiter teeth does not necessarily correlate to healthy teeth, and patients should prioritise the health of their mouths to avoid painful consequences,' he added.

The final TikTok hack hated by Dr Fraser is DIY braces.

DIY rubber band braces

He understands having straight teeth is a priority for many Australians but says it should always be left to a professional.

Dr Fraser says the rubber band hack has been popular because of the high cost of braces - but adds it will likely cost more in the long run.

One such video showed a man sticking a traditional braces kit to his teeth using Gorilla glue.

The video was seen by more than ten-million people showing how quickly 'bad information' can spread on the platform.

Some people use DIY braces kits - but Dr Fraser says these kits are only effective when used by a professional - and should never be attached with Gorilla glue

'The thin, tight elastic bands used by users on social media can penetrate the gum, severely damaging the soft tissue in your mouth which may ultimately lead to serious irreversible damage, including your tooth falling out from the root,' he said.

And while your teeth will probably move Dr Fraser says the result won't necessarily be better, aesthetically speaking.

The Gorilla glue is 'next-level' according to the dentist.

'Using toxic substances and attempting to administer your own braces may also lead to serious health consequences such as severe poisoning and tooth loss,' he said.

Dr Fraser also runs dental comparison network, AirSmile, a platform where people can compare dentists in their area to fins one who suits their needs.
A skin specialist agreed to do a biopsy and found he had terminal melanoma

Nicholas Smithson said two doctors failed to take the dark growth seriously

A man has been diagnosed with cancer after his hairdresser noticed a mole

By the time Nicholas Smithson's hairdresser noticed a dodgy looking mole on his neck it was too late - now the 38-year-old has just six months to live.

The boilermaker from Rockhampton, Queensland, said his hairstylist urged him to get the mole checked out.

But when he approached doctors they told him there was 'nothing to worry about'.

Nicholas Smithson, pictured, had a dodgy mole removed after a hairdresser pushed him to get it checked out - but the operation came too late

Doctors dismissed Nicholas when he asked about the mole - despite it doubling in size in just 11 days - so he went to a skin specialist

In fact the tradie told The Courier Mail he went to two doctors in 11 days after noticing the growth had doubled in size - only to be dismissed.

Nicholas decided to go and see a skin specialist who took a biopsy immediately.

Results showed the growth was a nodular melanoma and that it had spread beyond the blackened mole to his lymph nodes.

He said doctors explained the 'worst case scenario' after finding the cancer, leaving him shocked.

'I remember I looked at my partner and said, 'I'm going to f***ing die, this is going to kill me'.

'We went to my house and just stared at the blank wall and cried.'

After his lymph nodes were removed Nicholas found another lump behind his ear - he revealed that's when he realised how serious things were about to become

A PET scan revealed the cancer had spread throughout his body, into many of his organs and even his spine

What are the symptoms of nodular melanoma? See a doctor immediately if you have a skin bump, growth, mole, or lesion that: Is larger than most regular moles or spots on your body Used to be flat but is now elevated or thicker than it used to be Is dome-shaped or has a firm lump is either a single colour (black, brown, red, pink or flesh coloured) or a mix of colours (e.g., blue-black, brown-red) Has either a smooth or rough, crusted surface has changed in its appearance itches or stings Source: Healthline Advertisement

He was raced to Brisbane where he had a bilateral neck dissection - a 10-hour operation to remove the lymph nodes in his neck.

Eleven days later he noticed another growth behind his ear.

A PET scan showed he was riddled with cancer and could no longer expect treatments to lead to a cure.

In August doctors gave him six months to live.

'It's like in the movies when people are given bad news, they just disconnect,' he said.

He admitted to randomly calling friends in hope of comfort and even asking the local funeral director if there was any proof of an afterlife.

Nicholas has always wanted to travel so his friends have started a GoFundMe to help him 'do some living' before he dies.

They have raised $17,000 after setting a $5000 goal to help the boiler maker 'tick off some items on his bucket list'.

Nodular melanomas can spread to major organs within three months, according to Healthline.
They came from Serbia to Australia as refugees to make a better life

Her parents were factory workers and taught her a strong work ethic

Sonia wanted to build a better life for her family after growing up very poor

Sonia Majkic, pictured with youngest child Millie, runs a multi-million dollar marketing firm

A busy mum-of-three has revealed how she built a $25million marketing empire from scratch after refusing to continue the cycle of poverty she grew up in.

Sonia Majkic, 41, came to Australia with her family from Serbia when she was nine months old, and watched as her mother and father worked long hours on the factory floor trying to make ends meet.

Speaking to FEMAIL, the marketing executive revealed she knew from a young age that she wanted more and adopted their work ethic to go and get it.

'My parents have done okay for themselves, they own a home and have savings, but they worked so hard for it,' she said.

'They came to the country looking for a better life. It was tough, they didn't speak the language, didn't understand the culture and had left everyone they knew behind.'

While Sonia always appreciated how hard her parents worked for everything they had, she knew she wanted more for her own family.

'Even as a kid I was always curious about marketing and sales. I started my first business when I was 12 years old selling craft products to my neighbours. I would design the packaging, draw logos and make tags for my products,' she said.

But her journey to the top wouldn't be easy. She never thrived at school and by 17 she had had enough. She quit at the beginning of Year 12 to chase a pay check.

Sonia's parents, pictured, came from Serbia when she was just nine months old. They worked in factories in Melbourne to make ends meet but Sonia 'wanted more'

Sonia started her marketing firm seven years ago, when her middle child was two, and would spend all night looking after clients - she is pictured with business partner Tamara Alaveras

But her love of sales and marketing continued to grow.

She was hired as a junior staff member at a local business and within months was redesigning her employee's marketing strategy, improving their logos and updating their online presence.

'I built my first website at 18, I was in a sales role but my skills always leaned toward marketing,' she said.

Then seven years ago the dynamic mum decided she wanted to go out on her own so she sunk her life savings into her business - 3 Phase Marketing.

'I started my business when my middle son was two, my friends and family thought I had gone crazy,' she said.

'It's like they saw it as an ultimatum, be a businesswoman or a mum. But I knew I wanted both.'

Sonia put on a brave face and simply pretended her company was much bigger than it was in those early days.

'I would on board every client, work on the implementation and juggle my toddler during the day and at night I was running the strategies for 27 Facebook accounts,' she said.

Her partner Michael Caine is a stay at home dad, and runs around after Xavier, far right, Orlando, left and Millie dropping them between school and all of their activities

'My clients didn't know I was the one doing all of the posts. I actually look back now and wonder how I did it.'

She would work from 7.30pm to midnight before calling it a night only to repeat the process the next day.

'I don't like glorifying it because I was exhausted and overstretched,' she said.

But she knew she was building the foundations for her business and wanted it done right.

And it had to work - she had gambled her entire future on her grit and determination pulling her through.

'I put my life savings toward the business and would dip into my mortgage,' she said.

'Every time I would look at my partner and promise him it would work out.

Sonia says she risked everything to give her kids a better future and the gamble paid off

'I was scared but I guess in the end I knew my parents had come to this country with nothing, I knew what it was like to have nothing and that we could rebuild.'

She will never forget the moment she stopped relying on the mortgage account.

'My first salary was $60,000,' she said.

By 2019, four years after she started her business, Sonia was doing so well she and her partner decided they could have another child and complete their family.

Sonia's partner Michael Caine left his job as an electrician to become a stay-at-home dad so that she could continue to thrive at the head of her marketing agency.

Her youngest was born in April 2020, and it felt like the timing couldn't have been worse.

Her partner has always been supportive and left his job as an electrician to stay at home with the kids - after they decided to try for a third child

Covid had hit weeks before and by the time baby number three arrived Sonia's business looked like it could be in real trouble.

Her most reliable clients, which included brands like Mercedes, had to close their showrooms and pull their advertising.

'I lost over 50 percent of my clients at once,' she said.

But the determined mum wasn't about to let a global pandemic and unprecedented market uncertainty ruin everything she had worked hard for.

'We reacted really quickly, I took the opportunity to upskill my staff and we became pros in the e-commerce space,' she said.

The Melbourne-based business went on to 'win a pitch' for Prahran Market and once they successfully completed that they were once again a hot commodity.

Sonia's tips to doing well in business: 1 . Hypnotherapy - Sonia credits hypnotherapy with getting over some of her biggest fears including imposter syndrome. 2. Just start - she says there will never be a perfect time to start your own business, you just have to go for it. 3. Be flexible and adjust quickly. This is essential - and she managed to sail through the pandemic because of her ability to do this. Advertisement

They went on to do work for market spaces across the city as well as in Adelaide and Sydney.

'We got on the phones and we found businesses that needed help with e-commerce and it saved us,' she said.

'We were flexible and because our team is relatively small so we were able to upskill and pivot with speed. Then we could help other businesses invest in technology and keep trading.'

Sonia now has 31 staff members which means she no longer has to stay up until midnight planning Facebook posts herself.

She works remotely from Kingscliff in northern NSW where she and her family live in a huge home on the beach.

Moving from Melbourne meant moving away from her very supportive parents and parents-in-law.

'Lucky for us they are retired and one or the other always seem to be here. I am not sure if they come for the kids or the lifestyle,' she laughed.

The mum-of-three says she succeeded because of her iron-clad will but also because of the constant support and trust given to her by her loved ones, especially her partner.

'He is an electrician by trade, but loves being able to be there for the kids. He is there for them when they get off the bus every day, and takes them to all of their activities,' she said.

'I think an important thing to note is that yes you can be a mother and you can be a businesswoman but you need to have the support around you.

She is pictured here taking her kids on an overseas holiday - something her parents could only ever dream of

'My kids have a parent there at all times, but only because my partner was happy to take that role.'

Despite her huge success there are still days where she wonders if she has done the right thing.

'I guess it is that imposter syndrome again. I think as an entrepreneur there is always that element of thinking you haven't done enough. You reach goals but forget to celebrate them because you already have new ones,' she said.

Sonia believes anyone can succeed and wants people to take the plunge and follow their dreams if they are willing to put the effort in to see them come true.

Sonia co-owns her marketing agency with Tamara Alaveras.
In the rest of the year, China will host more than 30 BRICS meetings and events. We are ready to work with other BRICS members to implement the outcomes and consensus reached at the 14th BRICS Summit in June, make unremitting efforts to deepen solidarity and cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries, and bring more stability and positive energy to world peace and development.
In this picture provided by Swedish Coast Guard, a small release from Nord Stream 2 is seen, Sept. 28. AP-Yonhap



The Nord Stream 2 pipeline is no longer leaking under the Baltic Sea because an equilibrium has been reached between the gas and water pressure, a spokesman told AFP.



"The water pressure has more or less closed the pipeline so that the gas which is inside can't go out," Nord Stream 2 spokesman Ulrich Lissek said. "The conclusion is that there is still gas in the pipeline," he added.



Asked how much gas was believed to be in the pipeline, Lissek said: "That is the one-million-dollar question."



Information on the status of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline leak, which was significantly larger, was not immediately available.



The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which connect Russia to Germany, have been at the center of geopolitical tensions as Russia cut gas supplies to Europe in suspected retaliation against Western sanctions following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.



While the pipelines are not currently in operation, they both still contained gas before they fell victim to apparent sabotage, producing four leaks.



Gas nearly exhausted



A Danish-Swedish report released on Friday concluded the leaks were caused by underwater explosions corresponding to hundreds of kilograms of explosives.



"All available information indicates that those explosions are the result of a deliberate act," the countries said.



The source of the explosions has remained a mystery, however, with both Moscow and Washington denying responsibility.



All the leaks, which were discovered on Monday, are in the Baltic Sea off the Danish island of Bornholm.



Two of the leaks are located in the Swedish exclusive economic zone, and the two others in the Danish one.



Lissek said Nord Stream 2 had informed the Danish energy regulator earlier Saturday that the pipeline had stopped leaking gas.



Danish authorities had said the leaks would continue until the gas in the pipelines is exhausted, which is expected to occur on Sunday.



The Swedish coastguard said late Friday that the leaks on Nord Stream 2 showed signs of weakening due to the exhaustion of the gas contained in the pipes.



The diameter of the sea surface "boiling" caused by the leak in the Swedish exclusive economic zone was now only 20 meters (66 feet) wide, 10 times smaller than at the start.



he leak on Nord Stream 1 had also started to weaken on Friday, with surface diameter down to 600 meters in diameter, down from between 900 and 1,000 meters on Monday. (AFP)


As if the Prime Minister did not have enough to worry about, a row over thousands of jobs in the steel industry is blowing up just as an already bruising party conference gets under way.

British Steel, which despite its name is Chinese-owned, has, according to Sky News, gone cap in hand to Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg asking for an urgent bailout likely to amount to hundreds of millions of pounds.

The firm claims without emergency support its blast furnaces are unlikely to be viable due to the energy crisis.

Under pressure: A row over thousands of jobs in the steel industry is blowing up just as Liz Truss faces a bruising party conference

The business employs 4,000 people directly, paying higher than average wages in Red Wall areas including Scunthorpe, where voters' allegiance to the Conservatives may be tentative. Thousands more supply chain jobs could also be affected.

Handing large amounts of taxpayer cash to a Chinese corporation in the current atmosphere would be inflammatory. In the Cameron and Osborne years, the Tories tried cosying up to Beijing, but the mood has been souring for some years, as relations have been strained because of the treatment of protesters in Hong Kong, and abuse of Uighur Muslims.

Government is no longer relaxed about Chinese involvement in key sectors such as telecoms, nuclear energy or indeed steel.

It hardly needs saying that the demand for financial help, from a company that boasted of its open chequebook when it took over British Steel three years ago, comes at a highly inopportune moment when the Government has been accused of fiscal irresponsibility in its mini-budget.

As I warned at the time, the sale of British Steel to Jingye for around 50m in late 2019 was flawed from the start. The deal smacked of expediency: It conveniently avoided job losses in northern constituencies in the middle of Boris Johnson's election campaign.

The suspicion was that the Chinese were buying a key asset on the cheap. At the time, Jingye's chairman Li Ganpo, a former Communist party official, turned on the treacle hose to full nozzle.

He raved about a 'splendid future' in which British Steel would 'revitalise the glory' and 'impress the world!' 'Need funds? No problem. Jingye is here to invest.'

Instead of taking that torrent of guff at face value, the then-government should have retained a golden share in British Steel and forced the Chinese to make legal undertakings on jobs, investment and supply-chain firms. As it is, ministers are in a bind. The steel industry, though much diminished, still employs 34,500 people directly and supports another 43,000 supply chain roles.

Government could provide support, including help on high electricity costs, which were a problem long before the Ukraine war broke out. In 2019/20, for instance, UK producers were paying 62 per cent more than those in Germany. The industry has been asking government to help iron out the disparity for years.

Steel in the UK could have a great future. Britain is well placed for net zero production thanks to our expertise in electric arc furnaces and carbon storage in the North Sea.

Government projects will require 5.2m tons of steel over the next five years. Procurement from the UK instead of importing could boost the economy by up to 4billion.

Trade regulators need to take a realistic, rather than a dogmatic free market approach to the dumping of cheap Chinese rebar, which they seem, belatedly, to have realised.
Consumer goods giant Unilever is heading for a clash with rival Reckitt Benckiser in its hunt for a new boss after the chief executives of both firms announced their exit within weeks of one another.

The FTSE 100 companies, two of the biggest on the London stock market, will be fishing in the same pool for talent with both sizing up senior executives from L'Oreal and Procter & Gamble.

Unilever announced last week that Alan Jope would step down after less than four years at the helm.

All change: Unilever announced that Alan Jope would step down after less than four years at the helm

His departure follows a tumultuous year in which the company  which owns global brands such as Dove  infuriated investors with its bungled attempt to buy GSK's consumer healthcare business.

The firm also incurred the wrath of fund manager Terry Smith, who accused it of losing its focus on profit.

At Reckitt, Laxman Narasimhan quit to become chief executive at coffee chain Starbucks. British firms face fierce competition to lure top executives as US corporations typically offer far more lucrative rewards.

Unilever has invited City investors to a strategy day in December, which could allow internal candidates to prove themselves.

Martin Deboo, consumer goods expert at broker Jefferies, said Hanneke Faber, who runs Unilever's nutrition division, and Fernando Fernandez, who looks after beauty and wellbeing products, are regarded as potential candidates.

Unilever and Reckitt may try to poach from each other. Deboo said Reckitt executives Kris Licht and Volker Kuhn could be on the list of target candidates for Unilever.
They have since opened another seven stores in Australia and one in Japan

The first Thrills store was opened in Byron Bay's main street in 2015

Universal Store purchased the brand after it successfully entered the US market

Three Australians from Byron Bay have sold fashion label Thrills for $50million

Three Byron Bay locals have turned a decade-long fashion project into a $50million windfall after selling their brand to an Australian retail powerhouse.

Married couple Tabitha and Brooke McGregor joined with friend Ryan Collins to established their business 'Thrills' 11 years ago - first setting out to sell vintage motorcycles but quickly turning the brand into a thriving fashion label.

Australian retail giant Universal Store has now purchased the brand just seven months after Thrills was introduced to the US market.

Australian retail giant Universal Stores purchased the brand Thrills, just seven months after the brand was introduced to the US market (product shot pictured)

The first Thrills store opened in 2015 in Byron's Bay's main street. Now there are seven more outlets in Australia and one in Japan (product shot pictured)

The first Thrills store opened in Byron's Bay's main street in 2015.

There are now seven more outlets in Australia and one in Japan.

Two more stores are also set to open by the end of the year with the brand generating $34.6million worth of sales in the 2022 financial year.

The deal with Universal Store is worth $50million - including $17.5 million in cash and $17.5 million in shares - with the deal to be completed by the end of the year.

Tabitha (pictured) and Brooke McGregor - a married couple with two children - established Thrills 11 years ago with Ryan Collins, based on a shared love of vintage motorcycles

The founding trio said the brand has transformed alongside Byron Bay, the town it was born out of.

'The evolution of Byron Bay has been a whirlwind in and of itself; growing from a small and idyllic coastal town to a world-renowned destination and epicentre for now-global brands, Thrills included,' they told Ragtrader.

Universal Store CEO Alice Barbery said Thrills was the highest-selling third-party brand in its business.

'I am delighted to cement our partnership with the three founders of Thrills. In Thrills, Brooke, Tabitha and Ryan have built an iconic youth fashion brand and have a proven capability to deliver products our customers love,' she said.

'We are excited by the opportunities a closer partnership can deliver in both product and brand development as well as further expansion of Thrills direct-to-consumer channel.'

Sales through Universal Store represented about 26 per cent of Thrills' business, making up about 9 per cent of Universal Store's 2022 financial year sales.

Sales through Universal Store represented about 26 per cent of Thrills' business, making up about 9 per cent of Universal Store's 2022 financial year sales (Thrills product shot pictured)

The trio last year said the brand had been 'one hell of a ride'.

'With nothing but a mutual love of vintage motorcycles, we gave birth to our first business idea; importing bikes from the USA and Japan,' they told Ragtrader.

'With our first shipment of bikes due to arrive in 2011, Brooke and Tabitha reverted to their fashion roots to work on a small T-shirt collection, and the rest is history.

'Once launched, the T-shirts took Byron Bay and surrounds by storm, and almost 10 years on, Thrills has evolved into a culture-defining fashion label, fuelled by a passion for music, art and the way of life that encompasses the vintage Harley's that are customised to this day.'

Thrills focuses on sustainability and this has been shown through switching most of their denim range to organic cotton and introducing hemp.

The label also recently launched an unbleached collection with no dye or chemicals and has a goal to use only sustainable fabrics by the end of 2022.
The end of coal-fired power in Australia was essentially sealed this week with the nation's largest power company and an entire state pledging to go 'net zero' by 2035.

AGL Energy announced on Thursday that it will shut down all of its coal plants, including the country's biggest polluter, the Loy Yang A station in Victoria, a full decade ahead of the scheduled 2045 closure.

The company's announcement followed Queensland Premier Anastacia Palaszczuk revealing on Wednesday that the Sunshine State would use 80 per cent renewable energy and have no reliance on coal within 15 years.

But questions have been raised about whether the nation's power suppliers will be able to sustain the demand from Australian households using only renewable energy and gas - the latter of which producers currently ship overseas for massive profits.

Cracks are already appearing in the nation's ageing electricity grid as Australians are being warned to expected shortages next winter as coal plants are taken offline.

At least five coal and gas power plants will be retired in Australia in the next decade (pictured: The Loy Yang coal-fired power station in Victoria)

Coal-fired power currently dominates Australia's energy mix as this National Electricity Market graph of generation during this week shows

During the latest winter, the threat of widespread blackouts forced the Australian Energy Market Operator to seize control of power supply from generators for the first time.

The crisis was sparked by almost 25 per cent of coal-fired power plants being out of action due to maintenance and breakdowns, periods of low wind and solar output, and soaring gas and coal prices due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

These factors combined with increased demand for energy during winter pushed the electricity grid to its limits.

AEMO temporarily suspended the spot market in NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria - the states involved in the National Electricity Market - and ordered additional power plants to direct electricity into the system.

The energy market operator has forecast an energy shortfall that would affect Australian households and businesses (stock image)

Big players in Australia's electricity market are scrambling to adapt to shifting consumer demand for green power and the tightened emission reduction targets of the new Labor federal government.

Origin Australia will close its Eraring plant, north of Sydney, by 2025 with a large battery being developed on the site as well as expanded renewable energy and storage capacity to 4 gigawatts by 2030.

Already a leader in the residential solar market, Origin has bought the Yanco Solar Farm in the Riverina region of NSW as part of a push into large-scale renewable energy generation.

Its big brother AGL had planned to spin off the coal-fired generation part of its business and run as two separate companies - the other a retail energy supplier - but that plan was scuppered by billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes.

Queensland will end coal-fired power by 2035 - pictured are mining operations at Moorvale Mine in Queensland's Bowen Basin

The rich-lister and software mogul had initially launched a takeover bid for AGL but when that failed he became a major shareholder and campaigned against the demerger.

And it seems the climate campaigner has won.

'This represents one of the most significant decarbonisation initiatives in Australia,' AGL chair Patricia McKenzie said of Thursday's announcement.

Other plants to close include Liddell and Bayswater in NSW, though these will remain on schedule to be decommissioned.

AGL plans to invest up to $20billion by 2036 in new renewable and energy storage assets.

In Queensland, Ms Palaszczuk said energy sourced from renewables will make up 70 per cent of Queensland's power by 2032 and 80 per cent by 2035, a substantial increase on the state's earlier target of 50 per cent by 2030.

Billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes (pictured) scuppered AGL's move to demerge the coal fired power plants and their retail electricity business into two separate companies

Coal will be replaced entirely by renewables such as wind, solar and pumped hydro by 2035, with the transition of publicly owned coal-fired power stations to 'clean energy hubs' happening from 2027.

'This plan is all about cheaper, cleaner and secure energy for Queenslanders,' Ms Palaszczuk said.

'It is about turbo-charging new investment in new minerals, batteries and manufacturing.

'Renewable energy is the cheapest form of new energy... This plan makes Queensland the renewable energy capital of the world.

The $62billion plan includes a new pumped hydro project spruiked as one of the largest in the world, including a new dam in the Pioneer Valley near Mackay that is expected to eventually supply half of Queensland's entire energy.

In combination with another dam, Borumba, the two hydro facilities would be bigger than the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric scheme, Deputy Premier Steven Miles said.

But experts are worried about whether Queensland's renewable plan will be enough to cover the loss of its coal-fired power stations - warning the proposed pumped-hydro plants only have 24 hours storage compared to seven days for Snowy 2.0.

Solar panels are pictured in Townsville, Queensland. The Sunshine State will add eight times its current renewable capacity in a new 10-year energy plan

Grattan Institute's energy program director Tony Wood applauded Queensland's push toward renewables but warned the plan may fall short.

'It's not just about how much electricity they produce instantaneously, but how long they can run for,' he told AFR.

'The two pumped hydro projects in Queensland will only have 24 hours storage. That is not going to be enough, especially given Snowy 2.0 will be able to run flat-out for seven days.'

Dylan McConnell, from the University of Melbourne's Climate and Energy College, told the AFR it was not a 'like-for-like' swap.

'Not on its own, but in combination with solar, wind and other resources you are getting close. But you need to think about the whole system operating together,' he said.

Australians have already been warned to expect power shortages from mid-2023 as coal and gas generation plants are withdrawn from the national electricity grid.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the state government's energy and jobs plan during her 'state-of-the-state' address on Wednesday

A massive investment in power generation, storage and transmission will be needed over the next decade to ensure plant closures don't impact homes and businesses.

The Australian Energy Market Operator forecast significant problems across the NSW, Victorian, Queensland and South Australia interconnected electricity market in its latest report released last month.

'Forecast reliability gaps have emerged across NEM (National Electricity Market) regions due to considerable coal and gas plant closures, along with insufficient new generation capacity commitments needed to offset higher electricity use,' AEMO chief executive Daniel Westerman said.

He pointed to Australia's first cluster of coal-generation retirements which will occur in the next decade - totalling 8.3 gigawatts, equal to about 14 per cent of the national electricity market's total capacity.

'Without further investments, this will reduce generation supply and challenge the transmission network's capability to meet reliability standards and power system security needs.'

The report forecast reliability gaps in South Australia in 2023-24 and Victoria from 2024-25 against what is known as the 'interim reliability measure', and in NSW from 2025-26 against the 'reliability standard'.

Gaps are forecast across all states in the national electricity market before 2031-32.

For this coming summer, AEMO says there are 'supply risks' across eastern Australia.
Nationals senator Matt Canavan said he was concerned about privacy erosion

BAEconomics managing director Brian Fisher said EV distance is charging likely

A leading economist has warned Australian motorists could be taxed for every kilometre they drive because petrol cars being phased out will blow a massive hole in the budget.

A wholesale switch from petrol-powered cars to electric vehicles is envisaged as part of Labor's plan to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 43 per cent by 2030, which passed through both houses of Parliament in September.

But the federal government's National Electric Vehicle Strategy discussion paper acknowledges that such a shift will see a massive drop in money raised by the existing fuel excise, which is nominally used to fund upkeep of the nation's roads.

'They've got to find an alternative source of revenue,' BAEconomics managing director Brian Fisher told Daily Mail Australia.

'The sort of thing that comes to mind is taxes by distance travelled.'

Australian motorists could be tolled for every kilometre they travel as petrol cars are phased out (pictured is the WestConnex M4 tunnel at Haberfield)

The government's discussion paper hinted at the country potentially going in that direction.

'Planning is... required as future fuel excise revenue declines from reduced consumption of petrol and diesel,' it said.

Queensland Nationals senator Matt Canavan (pictured with wife Andrea), a former economist, said he would have concerns about privacy violations should private cars be distance tolled

'While this revenue is not currently earmarked for expenditure on roads, it is an important source of funding.

'In the long run, Australia will need a more sustainable and fair way to pay for roads.'

Excise from petrol and diesel fuel produced $19.2billion in revenue in the 2021-22 financial year, Treasury Budget papers show.

The six-month halving of the excise to 22.1 cents a litre, which ended in late September, cost the Budget an estimated $3billion in revenue.

Victoria has since last year required EV owners to declare their odometer reading, making it the first state to impose distance tolling on private cars.

Dr Fisher, a former Commonwealth public service executive, said that model could be rolled out nationally to make up for the future drop in fuel excise.

'One way or another, somebody has to make up the difference or alternatively you have to cut expenditure,' he said.

'Certainly, the current government hasn't indicated any enthusiasm for cutting government expenditure so I imagine there has to be compensatory tax.

'If you want to keep tax revenue the same as it is currently, you have to find a new source of revenue and if you believe that road user charges are the appropriate means of doing that, then the obvious way to raise the revenue is put on some sort of tax on distance travelled.'

The federal government's National Electric Vehicle Strategy discussion paper, released this week, noted fewer petrol and diesel cars on Australian roads would mean less revenue from excise (pictured is the new Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series)

The federal Department of Climate Change, Energy and Environment consultation paper explored the idea of expanding distance tolling, which already applies to petrol or diesel trucks, to electric trucks.

Top-selling Chinese electric cars TESLA MODEL 3: 2,380 in August and 7,037 in 2022 so far TESLA MODEL Y: 1,017 sold in August and 1,017 in 2022 so far POLESTAR 2: 38 in August and 694 in 2022 so far VOLVO XC40: Three in August and 525 in 2022 so far BMW IX3: 58 in August and 349 in 2022 so far MG ZS EV: None in August and 138 in 2022 so far VOLVO C40: Two in August and two in 2022 so far Source: Federal Chamber of Automotive Industry Advertisement

'We already have a system for setting nationally consistent charges to recover the cost of road use related to heavy vehicles,' it said.

'That system has been in place since 1996.'

That user pays principle could apply to future electric trucks because heavy vehicles cause more road wear but the paper didn't explicitly advocate extending that charge to electric cars.

'Part of that reform is investigating more direct user charging options for heavy vehicles, including electric heavy vehicles,' the paper said.

Queensland Nationals senator Matt Canavan, a former economist, said he would have concerns about privacy violations should private cars be distance tolled.

'Trucks are different because they are commercial vehicles, private vehicles - there is a privacy issue,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'I'm resistant to this kind of law mainly because I worry about the privacy concerns of governments knowing where everyone's going and travelling and how that would be enforced.'

More than 95 per cent of cars sold in Australia have either a petrol or diesel engine, including hybrids.

Australian motorists are still overwhelmingly favouring utes, with the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger last month the two bestsellers.

The majority of cars sold in Australia are SUVs, with few of them electric versions as buyers line up for a Toyota LandCruiser, Toyota RAV4 or Mazda CX-5.

Fully-electric cars in August had a 4.4 per cent market share of all the 95,256 vehicles sold, Federal Chamber of Automotive Industry data showed (pictured is a Tesla being recharged in California)

Fully-electric cars in August had a 4.4 per cent market share of all the 95,256 vehicles sold, Federal Chamber of Automotive Industry data showed.

Australia's top selling cars in August 1. TOYOTA HILUX: 6,214 sales (made in Thailand) 2. FORD RANGER: 4,497 sales (made in Thailand) 3. TOYOTA RAV4: 2,482 sales (made in Japan) 4. TESLA MODEL 3: 2,380 sales (made in China) 5. TOYOTA LANDCRUISER: 2,379 sales (made in Japan) 6. MAZDA CX-5: 2,325 sales (made in Japan) 7. TOYOTA COROLLA: 2,115 sales (made in Japan and Thailand) 8. MITSUBISHI TRITON: 2,087 sales (made in Thailand) 9. HYUNDAI I30: 1,975 sales (made in South Korea) 10. ISUZU UTE D-MAX: 1,928 sales (made in Thailand) Source: Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries Advertisement

In August, 3,498 electric cars made in China were sold in Australia with the models from Tesla, Polestar, Volvo and BMW making up 82.6 per cent of the 4,235 EVs ordered.

The Tesla Model 3, made in Shanghai, was Australia's fourth most popular car, with 2,380 orders taken, making it even more popular than the Toyota LandCruiser four-wheel drive.

From January to August, electric cars had a smaller two per cent market share with 14,524 sold so far among the 717,575 tally of all new vehicles ordered.

But Chinese-made EVs sales added up to 9,762, for a 67.2 per cent share of Australia's electric vehicle market.

The Tesla Model 3 is Australia's most popular electric car with a starting price of $63,900.

It has since last year been sourced from China instead of the United States with 7,037 sold in 2022 so far.

The Tesla Model Y - priced from $72,300 and also made in China - last month found 1,017 new owners in its first month going on sale in Australia.

Elon Musk's electric car brand also makes the Model S and the Model X at Fremont in California for the Australian market but so far this year, the only Teslas sold locally have been made in China.

The Chinese MG ZS EV is Australia's most affordable fully-electric car with a starting price of $44,990 drive away but none were sold last month.

Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen said transport was Australia's second largest source of national emissions, noting 'boosting EV uptake will be critical to Australia reaching net zero by 2050'.

'This is a genuine consultation to inform the right policy settings so we can see more affordable electric vehicles on our roads,' he said.
Venezuela on Saturday freed seven Americans, including five oil executives, in exchange for two relatives of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro jailed in the United States on drug convictions, U.S. officials said.

The swap included executives of Citgo Petroleum held for years, in addition to US Marine veteran Matthew Heath and another US citizen named Osman Khan. They were exchanged for two of Maduro's wife's nephews, who were arrested in 2015.

President Joe Biden said in a statement that the 'wrongfully detained' Americans would soon be reunited with their relatives.

'Today, we celebrate that seven families will be whole once more. To all the families who are still suffering and separated from their loved ones who are wrongfully detained - know that we remain dedicated to securing their release,' Biden said.

The prisoner transfer, which one US official said took place at an airport in an unspecified third country, followed months of secretive talks with Maduro's socialist government, which is under strict US sanctions.

In return, the Unites States freed two of Venezuelan first lady Cilia Flores' nephews, Franqui Flores and Efrain Antonio Campo Flores.

The two, arrested in Haiti in 2015 in a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration sting operation, were convicted in 2016 on U.S. charges that they tried to carry out a multimillion-dollar cocaine deal. They were each sentenced in 2017 to 18 years in prison.

Two of Venezuelan first lady Cilia Flores' nephews were exchanged for the Americans. Efrain Antonio Campo Flores (2nd from L) and Franqui Fancisco Flores de Freitas stand with law enforcement officers in this November 12, 2015 photo after their arrest in Port Au Prince, Haiti

The 'Citgo Six' - from left to right: Gustavo Cardenas, Jorge Toledo, Jose Luis Zambrano, Tomeu Vadell and Alirio Jose Zambrano, standing outside the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service, in Caracas in 2020. Cardenas was freed on Tuesday

Venezuela on Saturday freed seven Americans, including five Citgo oil executives, in exchange for two relatives of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro jailed in the United States on drug convictions, US officials said

Citgo Six member Alirio Zambrano, Former Vice President and General Manager of Citgo's Corpus Christi Refinery

Citgo Six member Jose Luis Zambrano is the former Vice President of Shared Services for the oil company

Citgo Six member Jorge Toledo, Former Vice President of Supply and Marketing, has worked at Citgo for over 22 years

The company's former president, Jose Pereira Ruimwyk (pictured right), a Venezuelan national with US residency, was jailed for over a decade

Citgo Six member Tomeu Vadell's family argues he's been treated 'inhumanely' by the Venezuelan government

The prisoner transfer, which one U.S. official said took place at an airport in an unspecified third country, followed months of secretive talks with Nicolas Maduro's socialist government, which is under strict U.S. sanctions, including on the OPEC nation's energy sector

It came at a time when Washington is under growing pressure to do more to secure freedom for dozens of Americans held abroad. Much of the Biden administration's focus has been on Russia's detention of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American, Paul Whelan.

Maduro's government said in a statement that as a result of talks that started in March two young Venezuelans 'unjustly' held in the United States were freed, as well as a group of U.S. citizens who were subject to Venezuelan court proceedings and were released for 'humanitarian reasons.'

The freed Americans were all in stable health and 'overjoyed to be heading home,' while the two Venezuelans were en route back to the South American country, a senior Biden administration official told reporters in a telephone briefing.

Biden approved the exchange weeks ago, making a 'tough decision, a painful decision' that the release of the two Venezuelans was essential to securing the Americans' freedom. U.S. officials have previously said in private that Maduro wanted to use the detainees as bargaining chips.

The swap, which included Biden granting clemency to the two Venezuelans who U.S. authorities had dubbed the 'narco nephews,' has not altered Washington's policy toward Venezuela, a senior administration official said.

Wearing T-shirts with the message 'Free the Citgo 6,' the Vadell family poses for a photo in Katy, Texas last year

The Biden administration has only slightly eased Trump-era sanctions on Venezuela, saying it will consider more significant steps if Maduro returns to negotiations with the Venezuelan opposition and there is progress toward free elections.

An increased flow of Venezuelan oil to world markets could help replace some of the Russian supplies hit by international sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, experts say.

The five employees of Houston-based Citgo, who had been detained in Venezuela in 2017, were Tomeu Vadell, Jose Luis Zambrano, Alirio Zambrano, Jorge Toledo and Jose Pereira.

Also released was Heath, a former Marine hospitalized following what his family said was a suicide attempt in June. He had been held since 2020 on terrorism charges, which he denied.

Khan was identified as a Florida man who had been arrested in January.

The US previously successfully obtained the release of Jorge Alberto Fernandez (left) and Gustavo Cardenas (right)

The prisoner handover, the largest since Biden took office in January 2020, occurred in 'a country in between Venezuela and the United States' after the men arrived in separate planes, a senior U.S. official said.

Citgo welcomed the news that the executives were free, saying in a statement it was 'grateful to the leaders in Washington who helped bring about their release.'

A Venezuelan court in 2020 sentenced the executives, accused of embezzlement, money laundering and conspiracy, to prison terms ranging from eight to 13 years. They and the company maintained their innocence, and the U.S. State Department called the charges 'specious.'

'We applaud President Biden for having the courage to make this deal and encourage him and the administration to continue building upon the momentum,' said Jonathan Franks, spokesperson for the Bring our Families Home campaign, which advocates for Americans wrongfully held overseas.

At least four other Americans are still detained in Venezuela, including two former U.S. Army Special Forces members, Luke Denman and Airan Berry, who were arrested in 2020 in connection with a botched raid aimed at ousting Maduro.

Venezuela released two jailed U.S. citizens in March following a visit to Caracas by the highest-level U.S. delegation in years. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Matt Spetalnick; Aditional reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, Luc Cohen, Kanishka Singh and Gary McWilliams; Editing by Diane Craft, Jonathan Oatis and Daniel Wallis)
Annastacia Palaszczuk's government has splashed more than $157million of taxpayer's money to buy seven new planes.

The planes bought by the Queensland Police Service (QPS) include two luxury Gulfstream G280s and five Beechcraft 360s.

Premier Palaszczuk and her ministers will be able to use any of the seven new planes, which cost taxpayers $US101million ($157.63million).

QPS said the two Gulfstreams would replace the Queensland government's Citation and Hawker jets, which were recently sold.

The new planes will mostly be used for services such as responding to disasters, search and rescue, organ transfers and police support.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's (pictured) government has spent $157.63million of taxpayer's money on seven new planes

The seven planes are replacing what QPS said was an 'ageing and antiquated' fixed-wing fleet.

'The two jets have been purposely designed with a utility interior fit-out to ensure they are adequate for a range of transportation requirements while representing value-for-money,' a QPS spokesman told Daily Mail Australia.

'They will replace the older Citation and Hawker jets which had reached the end of their economic and operational life and were recently sold.'

Before the 2020 Queensland state election, Ms Palaszczuk said her government was 'not buying a new plane' and appears not to use the available aircraft very often.

In the most recently available figures, for the first quarter of 2022, Ms Palaszczuk spent around 10 hours on Queensland government flights.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles spent around 9.5 hours on such flights.

Pictured is the interior of a Gulfstream G280 jet, which the Queensland government has bought two of

A Gulfstream G280 jet of the type bought by the Queensland government is pictured in the air

The government's Hawker jet was bought in 2006, under then premier Peter Beattie, for $17.4million to replace an eight-year-old plane which was sold it for $8.5million.

Neither Ms Palaszczuk nor her ministers used the Hawker jet since May 2021.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ms Palaszczuk's office seeking comment.
A New York lawyer who torched an NYPD van with a Molotov cocktail during the George Floyd protests in 2020 begged for sympathy and a lenient sentence by blaming her vandalism on 'unprocessed trauma' and alcohol.

Urooj Rahman, 33, a human rights attorney, along with Colinford Mattis, 35, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges punishable by no more than five years imprisonment in June over the destruction.

Federal prosecutors agreed to recommend a prison sentence of 18 to 24 months in return for the plea.

Rahman is now pushing to have that sentence converted into time served after spending 28 days in a federal jail in Brooklyn before posting $250,000 in bail.

According to court documents, Rahman's lawyers said on September 9 that Rahman was drinking vodka 'on an empty stomach' and her condition was described as 'quite drunk' before they set the van ablaze, according to the New York Post.

Attorneys wrote in a filing to Brooklyn Federal Court Judge Brian M. Cogan, 'Tossing the Molotov cocktail was a way of expressing anger at those police officers around the country for whom black lives did not matter. It was an act of protest intended to avoid exposing others to harm.'

Urooj Rahman (pictured), 33, along with Colinford Mattis, 35, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges punishable by no more than five years imprisonment in June over the destruction

According to court documents, Rahman's lawyers said on September 9 that Rahman was drinking vodka 'on an empty stomach' and her condition was described as 'quite drunk' before they set the van ablaze

That wasn't Rahman's only excuse. Her attorneys added that she was suffering 'early trauma' from living as Muslim in post-9/11 New York City; suffering through 'abusive relationships' and 'injustices she has witnessed here and abroad.'

Among those cited were times Rahman spent helping refugees in Turkey and Greece, as well as aiding low-income New Yorkers who were under threat of eviction.

However, an interview prior to the chaos shows Rahman speaking clearly in favor of her cause and not at all slurring her speech.

Rahman and Mattis were initially facing up to life in prison when they were first arrested in 2020, which was then reduced to 10 years in October, 2021 before the plea.

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Urooj Rahman, 33, (left) walks out of the Brooklyn Federal court on Thursday after taking a plea deal for torching an NYPD van during the George Floyd protests in 2020

Colinford Mattis, 35, (right) leaving the Brooklyn Federal court on Thursday after taking a plea deal for the 2020 torching of an NYPD van

Urooj Rahman clutching a Molotov cocktail fashioned out of a Bud Light bottle on the night she used a similar device to torch an NYPD van

The pair was arrested amid clashes between protesters and police on May 30, 2020, during an eruption of demonstrations following Floyd's killing by Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin.

Surveillance cameras recorded Rahman hurling a molotov cocktail bomb into a parked police vehicle, setting fire to its interior. No one was injured in the attack, but the vehicle was severely damaged.

Officers arrested the lawyers a short time later and said they found a lighter, a Bud Light beer bottle filled with toilet paper and a gasoline tank in the back of a minivan driven by Mattis, a corporate attorney. Prosecutors allege the lawyers planned to distribute and throw other Molotov cocktails.

An NYPD van which was set ablaze in Brooklyn during the May 2020 George Floyd protests. It is not clear if it is the same vehicle that the lawyers hit with Molotovs

A burned out NYPD van after the protest in May 2020. It is not clear if it is the same vehicle that the lawyers hit with Molotovs

Urooj Rahman, (left) and Colinford Mattis (right) after their arrest in 2020 for firebombing an NYPD van during George Floyd protests in New York City

Boss of the NYPD union Patrick Lynch, (center) has condemned the short sentences of Rahman and Mattis

Initially, Mattis and Rahman were looking at a 40-year mandatory minimum count and life imprisonment when they were arrested in 2020.

The government's prosecution plan then shifted to a 10-year sentence with terrorism enhancement, based on an October 2021 Brooklyn federal court hearing where Mattis and Rahman each pleaded guilty to one count of possessing and making a destructive device.

The pair have spent most of the last two years in home confinement.

News of the lawyers' reduced sentences was met with outrage by Patrick J. Lynch, President of the New York City Police Benevolent Association, who said the light sentences will embolden 'anti-police radicals.'

'The judge must reject this request. There is absolutely no justification for lowballing the sentence for an anti-police terrorist attack,' Lynch said on Fox News.





'It's bad enough that these dangerous criminals have been allowed to sit at home for the past two years,' Lynch said.

'Handing them a below-guidelines sentence would give a green light to other anti-police radicals who seek to advance their cause through violence. The judge must reject this request.'

U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan said he was not bound by the sentencing recommendations under the new plea deal, but would take it into account when he sentences the two attorneys this fall.
A 34-year-old heroin addict murdered his mother, 70, and set her remains on fire outside the $900,000 home they shared in affluent Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the local prosecutor's office said.

Adam Howe was arrested on Friday night after the Cape Cod SWAT team raided the house. Authorities were called to the home in the town of Truro by family friends who were seeking a welfare check on Howe's mother, Susan.

At the same time that the welfare check was called, the local fire department were also called to the scene after receiving a report of a fire.

Assistant District Attorney Tara Miltimore told the Cape Cod Times: 'A family member had called and asked to check on the residence.'

A source close to the family told DailyMail.com that Adam and his wife both suffered from heroin addiction.

The source said that Adam had been living with his mother and that she had been on the verge of kicking him out due to his drug use.

Susan Howe pictured with her son, Adam, at the birth of his daughter in 2019

Adam Howe's mugshot following his arrest by local authorities

Adam said in a Facebook post that he married his wife, Ailey, in December 2019

Adam had been standing near the blaze but ran inside when the cops arrived

The source said that Adam had been living with his mother and that she had been on the verge of kicking him out due to his drug use

The joint press release from the police department and the prosecutor's office said that when officers arrived at the scene, they quickly realized that the fire was a the result of a dead body burning

The joint press release from the police department and the prosecutor's office said that when officers arrived at the scene, they quickly realized that the fire was a the result of a dead body burning.

Adam had been standing near the blaze but ran inside when the cops arrived.

He was arrested shortly afterwards. Officers were able to ascertain that the person burning was Howe's mother.

Susan Howe was the chair of the Truro Commission on Disabilities and the president of the Truro Historical Society. According to her Facebook page, Susan also worked at a clothing store in Wellfleet, Massachusetts.

Susan regularly posted photos showing her with her son and his son's wife, Ailey. The most recent publicly visible post came in September 2021 when she shared photos showing the family laughing at brunch.

On the eve of their first anniversary he wrote on Facebook: '365 days ago I married the greatest woman in the world!'

In October 2020, the trio took a vacation together to Boca Raton, Florida.

Adam said in a Facebook post that he married his wife in December 2019. On the eve of their first anniversary he wrote on Facebook: '365 days ago I married the greatest woman in the world!'

The couple have a daughter together. On the Intro section of his page, Adam wrote: 'I'm a new husband and a new dad! My life is awesome!'

On his LinkedIn page, Adam says that he previously worked as a chef in numerous restaurants in Vermont and Massachusetts.

In 2012, he appeared on an episode of the Food Network's show: Chef Wanted with Anne Burrell. Adam was also a food writer for the magazine Southern Vermont Landscapes.

The latest update on that profile says that Adam is working on an English degree at Castleton University. He previously studied English Literature at Emmanuel College in Boston.

On September 15, Adam wrote on Facebook that his latest children's book was due to be published titled: Is That My Ring?

The plot deals with a little girl searching through the big city looking for her mother's wedding ring.

On the same day, Adam also wrote on Facebook that he appreciated the outpouring of support for his wife, Aliey.

He wrote: 'Aliey is safe and doing well and recovering and we are happy to say that she is on her way back to her loving family.'

The murder suspect added: 'We are all readying for the day that the Howes are all where they are supposed to be. And where they can all be their happiest and healthiest selves.'

Susan Howe lived in the Houser Way neighborhood in Truro. Her home is valued at just over $900,000, according to Zillow

Susan Howe lived in the Houser Way neighborhood in Truro. Her home is valued at just over $900,000, according to Zillow.

Susan's death came just a few weeks before her 71st birthday.

She was a native of Natick, Massachusetts, and graduated from both Syracuse University, in 1974, and Boston University, in 1978.

The local Truro government issued a statement on Howe's death saying: 'Our hearts are heavy with the news that we have lost a beloved member of our community, Susan Howe.'

It continued: 'Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends at this time of tragic loss. We are following the lead of law enforcement as they investigate this tragedy and have no further comment at this time.'

Susan Howe was a native of Natick, Massachusetts, and graduated from both Syracuse University, in 1974, and Boston University, in 1978

On his LinkedIn page, Adam says that he previously worked as a chef in numerous restaurants in Vermont and Massachusetts

Speaking to the Boston Herald, DA Michael O'Keefe conceded that murders are rare in Truro, a town best associated realist painter Edward Hopper, who lived there in the 1930s and based some of his most famous works on the visual beauty of the area.

In 2002, writer Christa Washington was raped and murdered in her home in the town. O'Keefe would not 'get into comparisons' with the two cases, according to the Herald.

Washington was at home with her daughter when the crime occurred. Her daughter was unharmed.

Trash collector Christopher McCowen was later convicted of the killing and sentenced to life in prison.

O'Keefe also told the newspaper: 'I dont think its going to shock people to hear that we have a broken mental health system and its been broken for a long time.'

In a separate interview with the Boston Globe, O'Keefe said that his office is seeking to have Howe removed from police custody and brought to a mental health facility.

He said: 'We have to prove, affirmatively, at any subsequent legal proceedings that this guy was sane at the time of the crime. We want the evaluation done closest in time to the actions that resulted in someones death.'

Officials had said that Howe will undergo a mental health evaluation as a result of conversations with and information from family members.

The incident is under investigation by the State Police Detectives assigned to the District Attorneys Office, Truro Police, and the State Fire Marshalls Office.
Allegra Spender, 44, walked away from her family's fashion business - her late mother was fashion icon Carla Zampatti - for a life in politics, winning the seat of Wentworth in the federal election in May.

But though she was was leaving a multi-million dollar clothing business, she was far from new to politics - her father, John, and grandfather, Percy, were both MPs too.

Unlike her antecedents, who were Liberals, Ms Spender is one of a wave of so-called 'teal' independents elected across the country to back action on climate change.

Despite her multi-millionaire background, she said she knows how to keep her three children grounded.

In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Ms Spender revealed she made her kids - aged six, eight and nine - pack their own school lunches.

It's a tradition Ms Spender carried on from her mother, a tactic Ms Zampatti used to make her two children more independent.

'We have a nanny and I know many people don't have that option. But I don't have my mother, my husband works full-time and we have to find ways to make that work for us,' she said, adding that she's also 'very good at freezing food'.

Independent 'teal' MP Allegra Spender is pictured on Clovelly Road in her Wentworth constituency

Allegra Spender (pictured centre) and her family attend a tribute to her mother, fashion designer Carla Zampatti, at Carriageworks on May 31, 2021 in Sydney, Australia

Though her dad and grandad both made their names in politics, her mum, fashion designer Ms Zampatti, was far more famous.

Ms Spender said she thought a lot about her mum - who died in April 2021 - when she was making up her mind about running for the seat previously held by Liberal Dave Sharma.

She said her Italian-born mother would have backed her '100 per cent'.

'Your family always influences your values,' Ms Spender told the Sydney Morning Herald.

'Mum brought her own migrant values and experiences to me, so advocating for refugees matters.'

When she decided to run for the traditionally Liberal seat - former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull represented the well-to-do electorate in Sydney's eastern suburbs - she didn't think she would definitely win, but knew she would give it a good shot.

She finally made her mind up to run after the UN's COP26 UN climate action conference in November 2021.

'It became clear the (Coalition) government was not going to do anything meaningful on climate. I felt a strong moral obligation to do something myself,' she said.

Ms Spender said juggling motherhood and politics is not easy, but she feels grateful for her mother's example.

Allegra Spender is pictured (left) with her mother, fashion designer Carla Zampatti, in 2008. Ms Zampatti died in 2021, a year before her daughter was elected as the MP for Wentworth

With her business background and a master's degree in economics from Cambridge University, Ms Spender is a centrist, not the leftist wolf in a Liberal's clothing as some tried to paint her during the election campaign.

She said she wants to help women in the workforce through better paid parental leave, and 'to bring the kindness and decency of community values into politics -issues like refugees, the Uluru Statement from the Heart'.

'I want to be hard-headed but warm-hearted.'

Independent Wentworth MP Allegra Spender (left) is pictured with independent Curtin MP Kate Chaney during the Midwinter Ball in the Great Hall at Parliament House in Canberra, Wednesday, September 7, 2022. Ms Spender said several women at the ball told her they were wearing dresses designed by her mother or sister

Though she has left her fashion career behind her, Ms Spender can't avoid it from time to time.

During the recent Midwinter Ball in Canberra - which attracts politicians, business people and journalists - several women told her they were wearing a dress made by her mum, or her sister, Bianca Spender.

Overall, her family's background has helped her prepare for life in politics.

'I am not quite the deer in the headlights but I feel like I am on a vertical learning curve,' she said.
A staff member ushers travelers intending to cross the border to the mainland at a Hong Kong checkpoint. SCMP





Property agent Glory Chen, 36, will be travelling from California in the United States, where she lives, for a Hong Kong holiday in early October.



The Guangzhou-born mother of three said she loved Hong Kong, as it was where she gave birth to her children. The family emigrated to the U.S., and now live in San Jose.



Chen said she had hoped to see her relatives from Guangdong as her visit coincided with mainland China's "golden week" National Day holiday, but they were unable to cross the border.



"They said they have no visa and it is still very difficult and expensive to get back to Guangzhou from Hong Kong," she said. "None of them has been to Hong Kong since the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020."



Mainland China stopped issuing tourist visas for its residents to travel to Hong Kong in January 2020, and has not announced plans to resume the arrangement.



Jason Huang, sales director of a Guangzhou-based travel agency, said: "China has not relaxed tourist visas to Hong Kong, so very few people have business visas or study visas to go over. More importantly, it is too difficult and costly for Chinese tourists to meet the mainland's strict quarantine requirement when they return to the mainland."



Under Beijing's "7+3" entry regime, travelers to Shenzhen from Hong Kong must obtain a valid booking for seven days at a quarantine facility, before undergoing three days of isolation at either their home, a community isolation center or a hotel.



Huang said that many mainland operators and tour guides had quit the industry over the past two years. Some were optimistic when Hong Kong eased its restrictions to a "0+3" scheme on Monday, doing away with compulsory quarantine but requiring arrivals to be monitored for Covid-19 for three days at home or in a hotel.



"But the time for opening will certainly not be this year," he said. "I would love to go to Hong Kong myself. I used to travel and shop there every two or three months before the pandemic."



Ellery Lee, a Beijing-based climate consultant with an international company, said Hong Kong's easing of coronavirus rules would encourage more mainland businesspeople to travel overseas via the city.



He has a business visa to Europe and will spend four or five days in Hong Kong in October before flying to London for a meeting.





Visitors at Hong Kong's Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront. SCMP
How many times did that poor woman  picking her way over peaty Saddleworth Moor, looking for her 12-year-old son Keith  skirt the spot now marked by two blue tents?

It is an inescapable thought. Winnie Johnson went to her grave a decade ago never surrendering hope that her son Keith Bennett would be found.

Not alive, not that miracle, but whatever remained of him after Ian Brady and Myra Hindley pulled up in a van as he walked to his grandmother's house in Manchester one day in June 1964, lured him inside with sweets, then sexually assaulted, strangled and buried him in a shallow grave.

The Daily Mail exclusively revealed on Friday that author Russell Edwards believes he has found where the youngster was buried following extensive soil analysis which indicated the presence of human remains.

Keith Bennett was snatched by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley in 1964. He is their only victim who has never been found

The author thinks that Brady, obsessed with Nazism, deliberately arranged the graves of his victims to create the shape of a swastika.

Among the items said to have been unearthed is what experts believe to be a childs skull.

What else, if anything, the site shielded by the police tents may yet yield remains to be seen.

Nothing more was forthcoming yesterday when a cluster of forensic officers, who appeared from our vantage point beside the Oldham to Holmfirth A635 main road as tiny, distant figures, toiled under sullen skies.

Police are digging on the Moors for murder victim Keith Bennett for the first time in 35 years to investigate suspected human remains. Suspected human remains  including what experts believe to be a child's skull  are reported to have been found

Hopefully they work in emotional detachment.

'God love them, up there on that hill, knowing that dreadful story, looking for that poor boy's bones,' said Dawn McDermott, 79, as a police car drove past her in a nearby village.

Progress, hampered by erratic weather, was slow. Work began at 9.30am, with fire crews using pumps to drain a waterlogged patch of land. Using pickaxes, spades and sieves, officers collected potential evidence. Slabs of soil were carefully removed and bagged.

It had been Winnie's dearest wish to take her boy 'from the place his murderers buried him' and give him a proper funeral, then lay him to rest in a grave of her choice.

Always looming and receding in the distance, Saddleworth Moor was inescapable to Winnie after Keith's disappearance.

Haunted: Keith's mum Winnie, who died in 2012 without ever knowing where her son was buried. Pictured with the famous 'missing' poster of her son

Many times later she was drawn to it, in particular that gnarly, inhospitable knoll where Brady dispatched his young victims.

She pinned teddy bears and flowers to fences to mark anniversaries. She launched heartfelt appeals before TV cameras.

Then there were the times when new information brought police dogs sniffing for death, and when Brady, let out of prison for the day, wrapped against the cold, played his cruel games, pretending that he would take police to graves, only to feign last-minute forgetfulness.

If she were still alive today, Winnie would have followed every TV and radio bulletin, if not taken herself up to the moor itself.

A forensics tent is pictured on Saddleworth Moor as police search the area for Moor's murder victim Keith Bennett

The baton has been passed to another son, Keith's younger brother Alan, who shares his mother's indefatigable spirit.

He knows never to be ruled by hope alone. And so he waits for conclusive evidence.

What emerged yesterday wasn't exactly promising. In a statement Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said photographs of the site which showed what had been interpreted as a human jaw bone had not led to physical evidence being examined.

Of all the victims of Hindley and Brady, that wicked duo, Keith is perhaps the most memorable because of a photograph that freezes him in time as an impish schoolboy staring out at us through wire-framed NHS glasses.

Made to circle a child's ears to stop them falling off, the spectacles' arms curved inwards and pinched Keith, who was short-sighted, causing him discomfort, just as they did thousands of other kids.

He broke them on a school trip two days before he disappeared and for years they remained in a drawer at his mother's home.

She hoped to bury them, with him. On a wall of her home hung a poem: 'From that day to this / I pray both day and night / That I will find my Keith / And lay his soul to rest.'

Ian Brady with police as he attempts to pinpoint the graves of victims in 1987. There were the times when new information brought police dogs sniffing for death, and when Brady, let out of prison for the day, wrapped against the cold, played his cruel games, pretending that he would take police to graves, only to feign last-minute forgetfulness

In the end, when time ran out, the glasses were buried with Winnie.

Knowing that the secret to her son's whereabouts rested with Brady, she wrote to him several times, once sending him a DVD telling him about her cancer.

He never replied but did so previously in 2005, when he expressed neither remorse nor clues, just complaints about his situation at Ashworth hospital and idiotic notions of political conspiracies against him.

In 2006 he claimed he had 'clarity' about where he buried Keith, but it came to nothing.

Between July 1963 and October 1965 Myra Hindley, left, and Ian Brady, right murdered five children. Hindley died in 2002 and Brady in 2017 without revealing the location of Bennett's body

In 2009, he wrote to Winnie again saying the police had 'bungled the search' adding, in a final pain-inflicting barb: 'This is my last word on the matter.'

Winnie also wrote to Hindley in 2002 and said at the time: 'I begged [her] to tell me where Keith's grave was, but in my heart I knew she was a wicked sadist who would never tell and would take her terrible secret to the grave.'

Despite agreeing to help locate Keith's body, Hindley failed.

Standing by the side of the road overlooking the excavation site and beyond it Dovestone Reservoir in the distance yesterday, it was impossible not to think of Hindley.

Could it be that from a similar spot she watched Brady lead Keith to his death? She once recalled the moment to an author, saying: 'I remember thinking then, as I later said to the police, that he looked like a little lamb being led to the slaughter.'

Alan, too, searched the moors for years with his siblings and volunteers, and he, too, corresponded with Brady and Hindley to no avail.

Keith's brother Alan (pictured) searched the moors for years with his siblings and volunteers, and he, too, corresponded with Brady and Hindley to no avail

He set up a website dedicated to his brother on which he wrote that Keith was 'one of life's more sensitive souls', adding: 'Keith was an ordinary, uncomplicated child, with his head in the clouds . . . He lived for the natural world and animals.'

In yesterday's statement, police said: 'Following information received which indicated that potential human remains had been found on the moors, specialist officers have today resumed excavation of a site identified to us.

'This information included photographs of the site and show what experts working with the informant have interpreted as a human jaw bone.

'No physical evidence of a jaw bone or skull has been examined. However, based on the photographs and information provided, and in line with GMP's usual practice to follow up any suggestion of human burial, we began our search of the site of interest.

Greater Manchester Police said: 'No physical evidence of a jaw bone or skull has been examined. However, based on the photographs and information provided, and in line with GMP's usual practice to follow up any suggestion of human burial, we began our search of the site of interest'

'We have not found any identifiable human remains but our work to excavate the site is continuing. Conditions are difficult and it may take us some time to complete the excavation fully but we are committed to ensuring this is undertaken in the most thorough way possible.'

Between July 1963 and October 1965, Brady and Hindley murdered Pauline Reade, 16, John Kilbride, 12, Keith Bennett, 12, Lesley Ann Downey, ten, and Edward Evans, 17, and buried their bodies on Saddleworth Moor.

The couple were jailed for life in 1966. Hindley died in 2002, aged 60. Brady, who was Britain's longest-serving prisoner, died in May 2017, aged 79.
The personal mobile phone numbers of the Prime Minister and 25 of her Cabinet Ministers are being sold on the internet, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

They can be accessed on a shady US website charging just 6.49 for access to the information, which cyber experts warn could be used by China and Russia to spy on senior Government figures.

Phone numbers and other personal data for Liz Truss, Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Home Secretary Suella Braverman are among those listed on the site.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer's phone number is also on there.

The personal mobile phone numbers of the Prime Minister and 25 of her Cabinet Ministers are being sold on the internet, The Mail on Sunday can reveal

On the eve of the Conservative Party conference, Ministers were last night assessing the threat with national security advisers, after the MoS alerted them to the breach, which also included email addresses and passwords.

The Cabinet Office said it was investigating and that some of the information was old. But the MoS confirmed that the data haul contained 26 current phone numbers for the Cabinet, including Ms Truss's

A former British intelligence officer last night called the breach 'truly shocking' and warned that private information could be targeted using software that plants a virus on the phone via a text message.

On the eve of the Conservative Party conference (pictured is Liz Truss arriving at the conference), Ministers were last night assessing the threat with national security advisers

Subscribers to the US website, which this newspaper is declining to name, can simply search for any information by typing in someone's name.

The website takes just seconds to trawl through data stolen in cyber attacks going back more than a decade. The site claims to have more than 14 billion files of 'compromised assets' on its searchable database.

The people behind the website remain a mystery. The webpage lists a phone number which rings out unanswered. Its office is listed in a downmarket area of Las Vegas  far from the glitz and glamour of the Sin City strip.

Phone numbers and other personal data for Liz Truss, Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng (pictured), Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Home Secretary Suella Braverman are among those listed on the site

But when an MoS reporter visited on Friday to ask about who runs the site, they discovered the office was a scruffy, prefab used as a service address for hundreds of companies.

A receptionist said: 'I cannot tell you that information. Honestly I cannot tell you anything.'

After paying a 6.49 fee to access the site for a week, it took the MoS seconds to find the Prime Minister's personal mobile number.

A search for 'Elizabeth Truss' returned an entry which appeared to contain a mobile phone number that the website stated had been stolen in a 2020 hack on Covve, a popular digital contacts book.

When our reporter added the phone number to WhatsApp, the profile came up with a photo of the Prime Minister taken last Christmas.

We checked and later confirmed that Ms Truss has used the number since at least 2011. This newspaper also checked and confirmed that the site had the current phone numbers for the entire Cabinet apart from Deputy PM Therese Coffey and Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris.

Seven Labour frontbenchers had current numbers on there, including Shadow Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting, and former leader Ed Miliband, who is Shadow Climate Secretary.

Our reporters checked the site for numbers of senior members of the military and intelligence agencies but did not find any.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer's (pictured with Angela Rayner at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool last week) phone number is also on there

Experts warn mobile phones are particularly vulnerable to attack from hackers. An Israeli system called Pegasus  which gains access to phones without the owner knowing  was allegedly used by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to hack Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. And Dubai's ruler Sheik Mohammed used it on his ex-wife Princess Haya and five associates, a judge said last year.

Colonel Philip Ingram MBE, a former British intelligence officer and cyber security expert, said: 'The fact that these phone numbers of the Prime Minister and her Cabinet colleagues are out there on the internet is a phenomenal security breach. It is truly shocking and concerning, and is going to cause ructions within Government.

'The amount of business that is done by Ministers and Opposition leaders on WhatsApp groups and other phone apps means that mobile phones are a weak point of entry for Britain's enemies.'

But the MoS confirmed that the data haul contained 26 current phone numbers for the Cabinet. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace's number is on the website

Col Ingram said spy software can be launched on phones with a text message, which does not even have to be opened, just received.

'Pegasus gains access to just about anything on that device. It runs away in the background and the phone's user would not be aware of it,' he warned. 'And you can guarantee that other nations such as Russia and China are using very similar software  China leads the way in developing tools like this.

'The US used something similar to spy on German chancellor Angela Merkel's phone for decades. From a nation-state point of view, this is a huge data breach. If you have got the likes of the Prime Minister, the Chancellor and the Defence Secretary's phone numbers out there, then God knows what is leaking.'

Security analyst Professor Anthony Glees, from the University of Buckingham, said: 'If you can get into someone's phone, you can track their whereabouts, who they are communicating with and all sorts of things that would help the enemy. You can find out if they are having an affair or anything else you could use as blackmail.

After paying a 6.49 fee to access the site for a week, it took the MoS seconds to find the Prime Minister's personal mobile number. Pictured: Foreign Secretary James Cleverly

'The UK is perhaps the strongest supporter of Ukraine in its war against Russia. We need to be on high alert.'

A Cabinet Office spokesman said: 'We take cyber security extremely seriously and we have agencies like the National Cyber Security Centre to help business and individuals protect their personal information from cyber threats.

'The Government is aware that websites exist that aggregate details from historical data breaches, therefore much of the data on these websites is old and incorrect.

'Ministers receive regular security briefings and advice, including advice on protecting their personal data and mitigating cyber threats.'
Families face landmark 100- a-week energy bills next month, with millions turning the heating on as prices soar by 27 per cent.

Yesterday's price cap rise from 1,971 to 2,500 means average weekly gas and electricity use will leap from the 75 a week it would have cost to 100 or more next month when boilers are on longer.

British Gas defines average energy use as two or three people in a three-bedroom house  but a family of four could pay 120 weekly.

The Government's 400 Energy Bills Support Scheme works out at a discount of 7 per week over a year, so many families' bills will still be 100 in cold weeks.

Families face landmark 100- a-week energy bills next month, with millions turning the heating on as prices soar by 27 per cent. File image

Some 2.8 billion will be spent weekly on energy bills across Britain's 28 million households as winter bites, close to double the amount paid in cold weeks last winter.

Peter Smith, of the charity National Energy Action, said: '100-a-week energy bills are a landmark and totally unaffordable for low-income and even some middle-income homes.

'Even including Government support, bills are now almost double the price of last year.

'Some people will simply not turn the heating on, making homes dangerously cold. The Government needs to help these households survive winter.'

British Gas defines average energy use as two or three people in a three-bedroom house  but a family of four could pay 120 weekly. File image

Christians Against Poverty director of external affairs Gareth McNab said: 'It's frightening that energy costs could reach 100-a-week this winter.

'Remember many people will pay more than this - as if your energy use is higher than average, you will pay more than average.

'Now middle-earners are increasingly challenged of keep on top of essential bills, with energy price rises coming on top of rapidly-increasing food and fuel prices.'

Energy company websites are being swamped as millions scramble to upload meter readings at the cheaper rate which ended on Friday night.

The price cap rise comes amid chilly northerly air which has seen the first frosts of winter and even snow in Scotland, with radiators turned on for the first time since spring in many homes - pushing up power use.

Bills will surge even higher from November, with an average household seeing a weekly spend of 70 on gas in colder weeks of winter due to boiler use increasing 25 per cent when chills hit, heating trends show.

Four-fifths of homes' annual gas use takes place from November to the end of winter, Government data shows.

Electricity use is due to cost 30 for an average home in colder winter weeks amid greater use of white goods, appliances and lighting, consumption data shows.

The Government said: 'The Energy Price Guarantee of 2,500 saves the average household 1,000, in addition to the 400 energy bill discount for all households.'
Eco-protestors who smear the government as genocidal paralysed central London for hours yesterday as they unleashed a planned month-long campaign of mayhem.

Members of the group Just Stop Oil occupied four bridges in the capital, causing gridlock on busy roads, before converging on Parliament.

The protests were the start of an October uprising revealed last week in an undercover investigation by The Mail on Sunday.

Just Stop Oil boasted it had brought central London to a standstill by blocking four key bridges to Westminster  Waterloo, Westminster, Lambeth and Vauxhall.

Eco-zealots Just Stop Oil vowed to 'occupy Westminster' as part of a nationwide demonstration targeting more than 50 cities, towns and villages across the country. (Pictured: Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in central London on Saturday)

This is not a one day event. This is not a symbolic day out, this is an act of resistance against this genocidal government. In Hatton, Derbyshire, supposed human excrement was poured over a statue of 32 million NHS fund-raiser Captain Sir Tom Moore by a young woman demanding an end to use of private jets.

Just Stop Oil is a rag-tag coalition of Extinction Rebellion, Insulate Britain, Jeremy Corbyns Peace and Justice Project and other groups.

The mob who blocked bridges were eventually moved on by police.

At Kings Cross, former Labour leader Mr Corbyn addressed activists who then set fire to fake energy bills in metal bins in protest at rising gas and electricity prices. One Just Stop Oil member warned activists plan bigger disruption today, saying: It will be more spicy. We plan to get more people arrested tomorrow. Today it is just getting started.

Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London on October 1, 2022

In Hatton, former medical student Maddie Budd, 21, poured what she said was human faeces on the memorial to Captain Tom, 100, who became a national hero during the pandemic.

Posting footage of her protest, Budd, who belongs to a group called End UK Private Jets, said: Every time one [private jet] takes off, it pours a bucket of s**t and blood on to everything Captain Tom stood for.

Her action was condemned as disgusting and sick by social- media users.

The Mail on Sunday can reveal that the Unite union, Labours biggest backer, is supporting Just Stop Oil.

At an online meeting on Friday night ahead of the protest, a union official pledged to help pay legal fees for members who are arrested at protests or face trouble at work because of activism.

At Kings Cross, former Labour leader Mr Corbyn addressed activists who then set fire to fake energy bills in metal bins in protest at rising gas and electricity prices

The Unite spokesman also endorsed stopping all oil use now  a move which would threaten the jobs of many union members.

During the meeting, regional Unite officer Gareth Lowe said: We need to just stop oil now.

This is about a corrupt, far-Right government looking to protect the interests of the rich.

Collectivism, be that through non-violent direct action or trade union membership, can help to provide the solutions.
At least 11 students at a top university have taken their own lives in the past six years, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

The grieving parents of one of the students will this week claim at an inquest that staff at Exeter University did not do enough to help their son  despite warnings that he was distressed.

Harry Armstrong Evans, 21, a bright physics and astrophysics student, took his own life in June 2021 after he failed some of his third-year exams in lockdown.

Harry Armstrong Evans, 21, a bright physics and astrophysics student, took his own life in June 2021 after he failed some of his third-year exams in lockdown

His parents, Rupert and Alice, say he was upset at the university's decision to cap his marks if he re-sat the exams and will claim that they were 'fobbed off' when they attempted to sound the alarm about his mental health.

In an interview with The Mail on Sunday, Rupert and Alice Armstrong Evans urged Ministers to adopt 'Harry's Law', which would force coroners to inform universities when they record a suicide verdict and for universities to publish the figures.

'Had I known there had been other suicides at Exeter, I would have immediately asked questions,' Mr Armstrong Evans said.

After being forced to spend much of his second year at home in Cornwall because of the pandemic, Harry returned to Exeter in January 2021 for his first set of four exams in his final year

After questions from the MoS, Exeter University said it was aware of 11 student suicides between 2016/17 and 2022/23.

Louis Appleby, a professor of psychiatry at Manchester University who advises the Government on its National Suicide Prevention Strategy, said that with a population of 25,000 students at Exeter, 'you would expect only three suicide deaths over four years'.

But he cautioned that it is hard to be certain about figures from individual universities because small numbers fluctuate and comparisons with other institutions are imprecise.

Harry was the second astrophysics student at Exeter to take his own life in four years.

Joel Rees, 20, was found dead at his student home in June 2017.

After being forced to spend much of his second year at home in Cornwall because of the pandemic, Harry returned to Exeter in January 2021 for his first set of four exams in his final year. He failed to pass any of them.

Mrs Armstrong Evans, 63, said: 'I don't think he wanted to die, I just think he felt he had no way out. I just feel privileged that I've known such a beautiful person'

In May 2021, Alice alerted the university's Wellbeing Services that she was concerned about her son and claims she was told that someone would make contact with Harry. He later told his parents this never happened, it is claimed

He was told that he could re-sit them but that his marks would be capped at 40 per cent.

'I believe that this was the start of the final trigger for Harry and set the scene for his subsequent suicide,' Mrs Armstrong Evans said.

In May 2021, she alerted the university's Wellbeing Services that she was concerned about her son and claims she was told that someone would make contact with Harry.

He later told his parents this never happened, it is claimed.

He returned to the family home in June 2021 and took his own life four days later.

A university spokesman said: 'We are deeply saddened by Harry's death and the family's loss. The university is fully engaged with the coroner's inquest this week

Mrs Armstrong Evans, 63, added: 'I don't think he wanted to die, I just think he felt he had no way out. I just feel privileged that I've known such a beautiful person.'

Mr Armstrong Evans, 72, said: 'The combination of lockdown and being let down, it's the fatal combination.'

A university spokesman said: 'We are deeply saddened by Harry's death and the family's loss. The university is fully engaged with the coroner's inquest this week It would be completely inappropriate to comment further until the inquest has concluded.'

He added that the university has invested significantly in student welfare and provides support services seven days a week both on campus and in the community, including throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org.
Sydneysiders have rallied around a 12-year-old boy whose thriving business has been cruelly shut down after grumpy locals complained.

Touted as Coogee's 'youngest retail entrepreneur', Jesse Lane has been enjoying roaring trade selling cold drinks, insect repellent, dog treats and sunscreen out of a tent outside his home in Sydney's eastern suburbs to people doing the hugely popular Bondi to Coogee walk.

The 12-year-old started by selling herbs in an 'honesty box' about 18 months ago but has since diversified his product range and now even accepts card payments.

However, this week Randwick Council voted to reject Jesse's official trading application, after receiving two complaints from neighbours who said he shouldn't be allowed to use public land to make a profit.

Touted as Coogee's 'youngest retail entrepreneur', Jesse Lane has been enjoying roaring trade selling cold drinks, insect repellent, dog treats and sunscreen out of a tent outside his home in Sydney's eastern suburbs (pictured, a passerby at the popular stall)

The complaints came after the council warned 'Jesse's Shop' could be shut down for good if the 12-year-old didn't secure insurance.

Not one to give up, Jesse took out an insurance plan and lodged an official trading application - which now, after several months of anticipation, has been rejected.

As the future of Jesse's Shop hangs in the balance, up to 6000 locals have signed a petition in support of the popular cliff-side stall.

Poll Should council have shut down Jesse Lane's beach 'shop'? Yes No Should council have shut down Jesse Lane's beach 'shop'? Yes 176 votes

No 552 votes Now share your opinion





On the Facebook group 'Coogee Local Loop' locals have heaped their praise on the 'impressive' 12-year-old and encouraged others to get behind the shop.

'If you happen to be walking past the young Jesse at the top of Dunningham Reserve who on weekends and school holidays is just trying to make some pocket money by selling drinks, dog treats and sunscreen, please stop and sign his petition. He is not in anybody's way or bothering anyone,' the original poster said.

'He is also a very polite and respectful young man. It seems there has already been a complaint by a couple of disapproving people to have him moved on!

'To them I say, get a life, leave the kid alone, and how about you complain about the inconsiderates with their dogs off leash instead!'

Jesse had strong support from the locals but it didn't stop him getting shut down

One woman said she had seen one of Jesse's neighbours 'having a go - saying he was out too late in the evening on a school night during summer'.

'I walked past one evening and his mum (I assume) helped him pack up and he kept offering stuff to passersby's and I heard her telling him off that it was enough and to come home now. So I don't think it's the parents "overworking" him,' another wrote.

'I think he is a great little entrepreneur, but the thought has crossed my mind that he is there a lot.'

On the Facebook page 'Coogee Local Loop' locals heaped praise on the 'impressive' 12-year-old and encouraged others to sign the petition (pictured, the Bondi to Coogee walk)

'He is a great kid and very polite and enterprising. Very impressive work ethic. We should be applauding him, not making complaints,' another fan wrote.

Another local said she had asked Jesse what he was putting the money towards.

'He's saving for his future he said, to buy a car and things. Very bright kid. I hope he continues to do great,' she commented.

'He's inspired my son who is nine with ADHD and wants to do what he does. We need more kids like him, another mother said.

'We should be rewarding this kind of entrepreneurial spirit, not whinge about it. I love seeing his store. Wish he was allowed to sell cold beers,' a local added.

Peter Lane, Jesse's father, said the majority of locals were happy with the arrangement.

Peter Lane, Jesse's father, said the majority of locals were happy with the arrangement and that his son was a very 'determined young child' (pictured, Coogee Beach)

'He's a very determined young child,' Mr Lane told the Sydney Morning Herald.

'He loves catching up with the regulars, and he knows their dogs.'

A Randwick Council spokesperson told the publication councillors had become aware Jesse was operating a 'mini convenience' store in late 2021.

They said the council had 'received a number of complaints from people concerned about the precedent of commercialisation of the park as well as concern about the safety and welfare of a young boy trading and handling money in a public place'.

'While we admire the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit of the young man, there are restrictions on commercial operations in public parks,' they said.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Randwick Council for comment.
Russia was this weekend facing its worst military battlefield defeat in 80 years, as chilling details emerged of fresh Russian atrocities against Ukrainian civilians.

Triumphant Ukrainian soldiers yesterday raised their countrys flag at the entrance to the strategically vital town of Lyman, just days after Vladimir Putin brazenly annexed four occupied Ukrainian regions.

Some of Putins troops are believed to be trapped in Lyman, a major logistics hub, after they were encircled by Ukraines lightning advance. They face having to surrender or fight their way out in a move that would probably see them suffer huge losses.

But the breakthrough in eastern Ukraine came as new reports of Russian atrocities emerged and fears grew that a humiliated Vladimir Putin could resort to using nuclear weapons. At least 24 civilians, including 13 children and a pregnant woman, were gunned down during a Russian attack on a road convoy, Ukraine claimed.

A volunteer places the body of killed people at a site of a civilian convoy, which Ukrainian State Security Service say was hit by a shelling of Russian troops amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the village of Kurylivka in Kharkiv region

Triumphant Ukrainian soldiers yesterday raised their countrys flag at the entrance to the strategically vital town of Lyman, just days after Vladimir Putin brazenly annexed four occupied Ukrainian regions

Ukraine troops showed reporters a group of vehicles riddled with bullet holes and several corpses in civilian clothes near the recently recaptured town of Kupiansk in north-east Ukraine.

Russians fired on civilians at close range, regional governor Oleg Synegubov said.

The regions prosecutors office said Russian troops had opened fire on a convoy of seven cars as civilians attempted to flee the fighting.

The car queue was shot by the Russian army on September 25, when civilians were trying to evacuate, a statement from the office said. Two cars have burnt completely with children and their parents inside. Meanwhile, in comments that will stoke fears of even further horrors, Ramzan Kadyrov, one of Putins henchmen and the head of Russias region of Chechnya, yesterday said Moscow should consider using a low-yield nuclear weapon in Ukraine.

In a message on Telegram criticising Russian commanders for abandoning Lyman, Kadyrov wrote: In my personal opinion, more drastic measures should be taken, right up to the declaration of martial law in the border areas and the use of low-yield nuclear weapons. His disturbing comments came as:

l Air-raid warnings sounded in Kyiv yesterday as Ukraine braced for a barrage of missile attacks in retaliation for Russias losses in the east of the country;

l Russian forces almost certainly struck a humanitarian convoy in the southern Zaporizhzhia region last Friday, according to the UK Ministry of Defence. At least 30 people in civilian vehicles were killed in the attack;

l The head of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was detained by Russian troops as part of an apparent plot to transfer the site to Russian energy firm Rosatam;

l Explosions were reported at a Russian air base in Crimea.

Serhii Cherevatyi, a spokesman for Ukraines forces in the east, yesterday said Russian units in Lyman are surrounded and that villages around the town had been recaptured. Up to 5,500 Russian troops were previously in Lyman but the number trapped is unknown as some retreated, or were killed, before the encirclement.

Cars from a civilian convoy, which Ukrainian State Security Service say was hit by a shelling of Russian troops amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, are seen between occupied Svatove town in Luhansk region and Ukrainian-held town of Kupiansk

Mr Cherevatyi said that Ukrainian forces controlled most routes out of the city and some Russian attempts to break out had not been very successful. Russias defence ministry later said it had withdrawn its troops from the town.

A Russian government news agency announced: In connection with the threat of encirclement the allied [Russian] forces were withdrawn from Lyman to more advantageous defences. Footage posted on social media by President Volodymyr Zelenskys head of office Andriy Yermak showed Ukrainian soldiers raising their blue-and-yellow national flag on the edge of the town.

The town will now be used as a staging post as Kyiv attempts to advance into the Luhansk region.

Professor Michael Clarke, former director-general of the Royal United Services Institute think-tank, said Russia had suffered its biggest battlefield setback since defeats to Nazi Germany in 1943.

They havent had a brigade-level defeat like this since the Second World War. They were defeated in Afghanistan but that was a guerrilla war.

Prof Clarke said Kadyrovs comments about nuclear weapons did not increase the likelihood that such devastating weapons will be used.

He is borderline insane. He thinks he has enormous influence in Russia  and he doesnt. We are a long, long way from the use of tactical nuclear weapons.

The United States has warned there would be catastrophic consequences for Russia if it used nuclear weapons. A Ukrainian source close to the presidential administration said Ukraine believes that Putin would first use other weapons of mass destruction, such as chemical weapons.

Ukraines retaking of Lyman comes after Moscow used rigged referendums to illegally seize Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in eastern Ukraine on Friday.

A western security source said that the annexation of the four Ukrainian regions and Kyivs battlefield successes make this the most dangerous period of the conflict since it began last February.
Clegg is now the president of global affairs and communications for Meta

The house is in Atherton, America's wealthiest town in California's Silicon Valley

The former Liberal Democrat leader is reported to be on a salary of 2.7m

Nick Clegg bought the property for 6.7m in 2018 when he joined Facebook

Sir Nick Clegg has made a 3.6 million profit after selling his luxury Californian mansion.

The former Deputy Prime Minister bought the five-bedroom home for 6.7 million in December 2018 when he moved to Silicon Valley to join Facebook as its vice-president for global affairs.

Clegg, now president of global affairs and communications for Meta, as Facebook has been rebranded, sold the house in Atherton, Americas wealthiest town, four days ago for 10.3 million.

The former Liberal Democrat leader is reported to be on a 2.7 million annual salary, with 10 million in share options.

Sir Nick Clegg has made a 3.6 million profit after selling his luxury Californian mansion

His wife Miriam (couple are pictured in 2017), 54, an international trade lawyer, has repeatedly complained about life in the States, once comparing Silicon Valley to the Vatican, saying: Its slightly insular, massively wealthy. Its not so diversified and is mostly run by men

The property makes a commanding first impression, says estate agent Christies International, which describes it as a jewel that is framed by verdant lawn and white roses.

Earlier this year, Clegg, 55, announced he was moving back to London for personal reasons, which included wanting to be closer to his elderly parents.

His wife Miriam, 54, an international trade lawyer, has repeatedly complained about life in the States, once comparing Silicon Valley to the Vatican, saying: Its slightly insular, massively wealthy. Its not so diversified and is mostly run by men.

The former Liberal Democrat leader is reported to be on a 2.7 million annual salary, with 10 million in share options

The property makes a commanding first impression, says estate agent Christies International, which describes it as a jewel that is framed by verdant lawn and white roses

The couples three sons are also believed to be moving back into the familys 3 million home in West London.

But they have not totally severed ties with Silicon Valley after snapping up a 1.5 million two-bedroom flat in Palo Alto, close to Metas HQ, earlier this year.

Cleggs return to Britain comes as Meta comes under fire for not taking down harmful posts on Instagram, another of its social-media platforms.

On Friday, a coroner in London ruled that Molly Russell, 14, died in 2017 from an act of self-harm while suffering from depression and the negative effects of online content.

Her father Ian said after the landmark ruling: They [Meta] didnt really consider anything to do with safety.
A Qatari sheik with links to the Royal Family has sensationally accused one of Britain's most respected art dealers of selling him a 4.5 million haul of antiquities he claims are forgeries.

Sheik Hamad bin Abdullah al-Thani says John Eskenazi passed off modern fakes as historic works of art  including a piece he claims contained bits of plastic.

The Sheik is suing Mr Eskenazi in the High Court for a refund for the seven works, which include a 1.14 million statue of the Greek god Dionysus.

But in court papers seen by The Mail on Sunday, Mr Eskenazi dismisses Sheik al-Thani's claims as 'reprehensible' and 'heinous' and say they threaten to ruin his business and his reputation.

Sheik al-Thani is a leading figure in British horse-racing and senior members of the Royal Family, including the King and the late Queen, have been guests at his 330 million Mayfair mansion. In 2014, his investment company, Qipco, was chosen as first commercial sponsor of Royal Ascot.

Sheik Hamad bin Abdullah al-Thani (pictured with the Queen in 2019) says John Eskenazi passed off modern fakes as historic works of art

Mr Eskenazi, 73, has supplied pieces to wealthy private clients and institutions around the world including the British Museum and the V&A and said: 'Despite the disparity in our comparative financial resources, I will not be bullied into forsaking everything I have built.'

The High Court trial is set to resume as soon as this week, after opening hearings in the summer.

It comes as the Sheik prepares to sell priceless treasures from the Al-Thani family's former Paris mansion, Hotel Lambert, in a multi-million-pound auction at Sotheby's this month.

Mr Eskenazi first met the Sheik in early 2014 at the West London gallery he runs with his wife Fausta, an Italian aristocrat. While admitting he was 'a novice' in antiquities, the Sheik bought seven pieces through Qipco.

The items included the marble head of the god Dionysus (left) and a 655,000 sculpture of the head of a Bodhisattva Buddhist deity (right)

The items included the marble head of the god Dionysus, a 655,000 sculpture of the head of a Bodhisattva Buddhist deity, a 112,000 gold serpent bracelet inlaid with turquoise and garnet, and a 1.97 million statue of the Hindu deity Harihara.

Court papers submitted on behalf of the Sheik say he grew suspicious the following year. Experts commissioned to examine the pieces concluded there was evidence of modern materials in artefacts purported to date from 100BC.

The Sheik summoned Mr Eskenazi to a tense meeting at his Park Lane home, Dudley House, to tell him the pieces were 'problematic'.

Sheik al-Thani told the court he used the world 'problematic' to spare Mr Eskenazi's feelings: 'It means fake but in very polite wording... I didn't want him to be very upset... I wanted to protect his reputation, really.'

According to the documents, conservation scientist Dr Anna Bennett described the head of Krodha, a wrathful deity, as 'a head made of random particles, including modern metals and modern pieces of plastic, held together with an organic binder'.

Experts testifying for Mr Eskenazi said any modern materials on the objects were likely to be due to the process of restoration and that he continued to believe they were genuine.

They also included a 112,000 gold serpent bracelet inlaid with turquoise and garnet, and a 1.97 million statue of the Hindu deity Harihara

Mr Eskenazi, the son of wealthy Oriental art dealer Victor Eskenazi, told the court he believed the Sheik had simply 'grown tired' of the pieces. 'It concerns me deeply that in so doing he seeks to undermine an impeccable reputation which I have built over a lifetime's work.'

Sheik al-Thani, who denies this, said: 'Given my duty to Qipco and the Al Thani Collection, and in circumstances where Mr Eskenazi was not in fact  as he had told me  prepared to refund the pieces if we received reports establishing they were inauthentic, it was necessary to pursue litigation.'

He has also sued Phoenix Ancient Art, of New York and Geneva, saying it sold him fake statues, but lost an appeal over his claim this year.

Sheik al-Thani, the cousin of the Emir of Qatar, entertained the Queen, Prince Philip and the then Prince Charles at elaborate dinner parties at Dudley House, said to be Britain most expensive private home. The Queen is said to have remarked that it 'makes Buckingham Palace look rather dull'.

Lawyers for Mr Eskenazi and the Sheik declined to comment.
Sir Keir Starmer was branded Tony Blairs puppet yesterday amid fury over key New Labour figures being right back at the heart of his drive to power.

The Mail on Sunday understands that Sir Tony Blair is playing an active role in drawing up Labours new agenda  especially its health policies.

Labour sources also said that Peter Hyman, who was the ex- Prime Ministers speech writer, is co-writing the partys next General Election manifesto.

The revelations come on top of Left-wingers fears that the so-called New Labour Prince of Darkness Peter Mandelson is also intimately involved in the Starmer project.

Last night, one senior Left-wing MP said: This confirms what we already knew  Starmer is just Tony Blairs puppet.

Starmer stood on a Left-wing, Corbyn continuity platform but hes ripping all that up to allow a New Labour makeover of the party.

However, Starmer loyalists hit back last night by insisting Sir Keir was his own man and not in hock to Sir Tony or any previous leader.

Labour soared into a 33-point lead over the Tories last week  its highest since the Blair years in the 1990s

Sir Tony has been advising Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting on how to reform the NHS, sources say

They also pointed out that Sir Keir himself said last week that he was comfortable with his party being closer to Sir Tony than Left-wing predecessor Jeremy Corbyn.

Labour soared into a 33-point lead over the Tories last week  its highest since the Blair years in the 1990s  after its annual party conference.

Sources at the four-day rally in Liverpool disclosed that Sir Tony has been advising Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting on key policies on how to reform the NHS.

One source said: Tony has been helpful, very helpful. But to make matters worse for Corbyn loyalists, key Starmer allies are privately advising him to capitalise on his current dominance over the party by purging the Left before the next Election.

One said: Whether were in a minority government or with a majority, we cant have 20 or so hard-Left MPs holding us back and telling us what to do.

The Starmer ally also called on Sir Keir to move against Momentum, the hard-Left grassroots organisation which backed Corbyn.

Labour sources said Peter Hyman, who was Blair's speech writer, is co-writing the partys next General Election manifesto

Some members of Sir Keirs Shadow Cabinet privately believe that earlier this year, the party leader missed the opportunity to withdraw the whip from 11 Left-wing MPs who had signed a Stop The War letter criticising Nato over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Last night, party sources said former policy director Claire Ainsley was leading on the manifesto while Mr Hyman was providing general advice in the Leaders office.

Asked last week whether he was comfortable saying Labour was closer to the party of Sir Tony than to Mr Corbyns, Sir Keir said: I certainly hope so, because Tony Blair won three Elections and I want us to win the next Election.
The Treasury has defended Kwasi Kwartengs decision to attend an event hosted by a hedge fund boss as traders drove down the value of the pound.

The Mail on Sunday has established that Mr Kwarteng spent the evening of September 23  hours after his mini-Budget  at an event organised by Tory HQ at the West London home of Andrew Law, the chairman of Caxton Associates.

It is not known whether the company traded on the value of the pound last week, although it has bet on currencies in the past.

A source close to Mr Kwarteng said: It is completely normal for the Chancellor to engage with businesses after a fiscal event.

The Mail on Sunday has established that Mr Kwarteng spent the evening of September 23  hours after his mini-Budget  at an event organised by Tory HQ at the West London home of Andrew Law, the chairman of Caxton Associates

The source added that Mr Kwarteng had addressed key stakeholders in the business world, including the financial services sector, to talk through what the plans mean for jobs, growth and investment in the UK. Mr Kwarteng has been criticised by Whitehall sources for not properly engaging with the City following the mini-Budget.

It was reported last week that Mr Kwarteng had had a private lunch with an ex-boss who has been making huge profits by betting against the falling pound. Hedge fund manager Crispin Odey is said to have cooked an informal dinner for Kwarteng at his home during the Tory leadership contest back in July.

At the time he came for lunch, it was not known who was going to win the leadership, Mr Odey said.

The pound fell to a record low of $1.03 on Monday but was trading at $1.11 yesterday.

Mr Law was not available for comment at the time of publication.
An ultra valuable three-piece coin set commemorating the late Queen Elizabeth II is set to be released and cause a frenzy among collectors.

The UK Royal Mint will unveil its much-anticipated Memorial Coin Collection on Monday with Australians also able to purchase them on its website.

Leading Australian coin expert Joel Kandiah warned there will be so much demand for the collection that the UK Royal Mint website will crash.

An ultra valuable three-piece coin set commemorating the late Queen Elizabeth II is set to be released and cause a frenzy among collectors

'They've got a good queuing system, but the overwhelming demand for those coins is just going to be ridiculous,' he told 7News.

'The demand for this will shoot through the roof. I think the Australians get on to it quickly, then that's going to be worth getting into.'

The three-coin set will include two 5 coins and a 50p coin and will be the first to feature King Charles III's portrait.

The cost of the coin collection has not been set but Mr Kandiah suspected the starting price for each coin could be 15 - or roughly $26AUD each.

'They'll make silver ones obviously to cater for different markets over there but the base level one, I'd say the set-of-three will probably have around that 50 mark,' he said.

The UK Royal Mint said on its website the coins had been designed by British sculptor Martin Jennings.

'At The Royal Mint, we have struck coins for the British monarchy for more than 1,100 years, and it has been our pride and privilege to strike every United Kingdom coin of Queen Elizabeth IIs remarkable 70-year reign,' the website reads.

'It is our honour to now strike the first UK effigy of His Majesty King Charles III on a coinage collection honouring the life and legacy of his mother Queen Elizabeth II.'

The three-coin set will include two 5 coins and a 50p coin and will be the first to feature King Charles III's portrait

The coins will be released on Monday at 9am UK time - or 7pm AEST

King Charles III's portrait will face left according to the royal and numismatic tradition.

'Coins bearing portraits of Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III will both circulate in change for years to come,' UK Royal Mint wrote on its website.

'On 3 October 2022, we are honoured to be releasing a special collection of memorial coins to mark this poignant moment in British history.

'Featuring one of three reverse designs, each new coin in the collection features the official coinage portrait of King Charles III.

'The UK 50p coin will also enter general circulation.'

The coins will be released at 9am UK time on Monday - or 7pm AEDT
A prestigious actors' charity has been accused of 'failing' On The Buses star Anna Karen after she died in a fire at her home earlier this year.

Bedbound Ms Karen, 85, was killed when a blaze ripped through the ground floor of her home in Ilford, East London, in February.

The actress, who also appeared in EastEnders, was a beneficiary of the 140-year-old Actors' Benevolent Fund (ABF), of which King Charles is Royal Patron.

Anna Karen was best known for her role as Olive in the 1970s sitcom On The Buses

ABF has been accused of failing to find Ms Karen a home where she could receive appropriate care.

Charity sources claim bosses said they were unable to relocate Ms Karen to a home where she could live with her dog, even though a trustee had found homes willing to take them.

One source said: 'Anna Karen didn't need to die in that fire. The older trustees fought so hard for people like Anna.

The actress, who also appeared in EastEnders , was a beneficiary of the 140-year-old Actors' Benevolent Fund (ABF), of which King Charles is Royal Patron. Pictured: Anna Karen in 2020

When [ABF bosses] said that Anna could not be accommodated in a home because of her dog, an older trustee actually phoned round and found care homes that would take Anna with her dog...but [ABF bosses] knew better and never took that forward.

Ms Karen played Olive Rudge, right, in sitcom On The Buses between 1969 and 1973, and Peggy Mitchell's sister Auntie Sal in EastEnders from 1996 to 2017.

The former actress left the bulk of her 430,000 estate to fellow former Eastenders actress Sophie Lawrence while 2.5 per cent went to the Actors Benevolent Fund.

It came as the charity is mired in a tug of war between older trustees including veteran TV star and president Penelope Keith, Dame Sian Phillips, of I, Claudius fame, and Likely Lads actor Mr Bolam who were ousted from the charity earlier this year over a bullying and harassment row.

The fund, established in 1882, has assets of 30million and spends more than 1million a year helping actors or stage managers experiencing hardship.

An ABF spokesman said: 'Anna Karen was a long-term beneficiary of the charity and she received the financial support she had wanted.'
Bosses telling customers there is still the same quantity and quality of wine

Equivalent of 215 cars; it would be the same as 200,000 if adopted across the UK

The co-op will save 1,000 tons of carbon each year just with these wines

Two of Co-op's best-selling Chilean wines are being sold in the lighter bottles

If your favourite bottle of red feels lighter next time you pick one up at the supermarket, it probably isn't another example of 'shrinkflation'.

The Co-op is rolling out wine bottles with thinner glass in an attempt to reduce its carbon footprint.

Two of its best-selling Chilean wines are being sold in the new lighter bottles after a trial quelled fears they might break more easily.

With those wines alone, the Co-op will save 1,000 tons of carbon across the 850,000 bottles sold each year  the equivalent of taking 215 cars off the road.

If the move were adopted widely across the UK, it would save about one million tons of carbon  the same as more than 200,000 cars.

Two of its best-selling Chilean wines are being sold in the new lighter bottles after a trial quelled fears they might break more easily

However, bosses concede that they will have to educate shoppers they are getting the same quality wine and in the same quantity.

Lou Ellerton, from branding experts Kantar, said: 'For a lot of products, but wine in particular, shoppers associate quality with heft  how heavy and how substantial it feels. So it will be a case of explaining to shoppers the product inside is the same.

'The other thing is, after years of shrinkflation, some shoppers will pick up the new lighter bottles and wonder if there is less in there. But most people know a bottle is 750ml and will be able to see that by glancing at it.'

The production of glass bottles is the single biggest source of emissions in the wine supply chain, accounting for 30 per cent of the carbon footprint. Lighter bottles will also save on the emissions pumped out by transporting wine across the world.

With those wines alone, the Co-op (file image) will save 1,000 tons of carbon across the 850,000 bottles sold each year  the equivalent of taking 215 cars off the road

The weight of the bottle containing Co-op's Irresistible Chilean Pinot Noir is down 31 per cent from 580g to 400g, and for its Malbec by 16 per cent from 475g to 400g.

Co-op wine buyer Sarah Benson said: 'It was 12 months in the making  trying out thinning the bottle in different places.

'Throughout the process, we were very mindful of what our customers look for in premium wines, as for many, the heavier the bottle the better.'
Government ministers lined up on Sunday morning to lay into Optus over its massive hacking scandal, blasting the company for not doing enough and that saying 'sorry' isn't good enough.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said he was yet to get an explanation why Optus hoarded sensitive personal information of people even after they left the telco.

The data stolen by the hacker came from 10million current or former Optus customers and dated back to 2017.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said Optus hadn't answered the question as to why it was keeping customer information for so long

'I think that companies should not store information forever, as it seems to be the case with Optus keeping the very personal data of customers who had ceased to be customers years ago,' Mr Dreyfus told ABC's Insiders.

'I am yet to hear a reason why that was going on. In particular that's a concern because Optus failed to keep that information safe.'

Mr Dreyfus said companies needed a new mindset when it comes to personal data.

'One of the settings in the Privacy Act is that information that belongs to Australians in only to used for the purpose for which it is collected,' he said.

'If the purpose here was to identify someone whose opening an account or getting a phone from Optus that's the end of it.'

'I have said throughout the week that companies though out Australia should stop regarding all this personal data of Australians as an asset for them, they should actually think of it as a liability.'

Mr Dreyfus has flagged toughening the rules around the length of time companies can keep private data

Mr Dreyfus flagged toughening the rules around data storage.

'This is a wake-up call for corporate Australia and we are going to look very hard at the settings in the Privacy Act,' he said.

'I may be bringing reforms to the Privacy Act before the end of the year to try and both toughen penalties and make companies think harder about why they are storing the personal data of Australians.'

Optus took out a full-page ad in newspapers on Saturday to say it was 'deeply sorry for the data breach' but on Sunday morning two government ministers said it was nowhere near enough.

Optus took out a full page-ad and apologised to its millions of customers whose personal information was stolen in the country's largest ever data breach

Cyber Security and Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said that Optus had not done enough to alert those most at risk, the 10,200 people who had their details leaked online by the hacker.

'Optus has advised it has told those people - an email is simply not sufficient under these circumstances,' Ms O'Neil told a media conference.

'We are going to need to go through a process of directly speaking to those 10,200 individuals.

'Optus needs to take up the mantle here to directly ensure people are aware when they are directly at risk, as those people are.'

She said Optus had failed to provide the government with information on who and how many were at risk.

'We would like Optus to be transparent about the numbers of people who have had specific identity documents compromised and that information has not yet been provided.'

The criticism was echoed by Services Minister Bill Shorten who said his department had written to Optus on 27 September asking for details on all those whose had Medicare numbers or other Centrelink information stolen, but as yet had no reply.

'It's been 11 days since the breach,' he said.

'It is most peculiar that we still can't identify who has had their Medicare information number to be able to get their information.

'We need this not tomorrow or the next day, we really needed it days ago.'

Bill Shorten slammed Optus for taking almost two weeks to notify the government about what exact information had been stolen from its systems

Mr Shorten acknowledged the Optus ad apologising to customers but said 'business as usual' and 'motoring along in fourth gear' was not enough.

'An ad is not a strategy, an ad is not a plan,' he said.

'We're asking Optus to upgrade their transparency.

'Systemic risk has been injected into the Australian bloodstream about the privacy of (their) information we know that Optus is trying to do what it can but having said that it's not enough.'

Ms O'Neil said two federal police taskforces had been set up to investigate the incident, one to catch the hacker and the other to help the 10,000 whose data had been leaked.

She provided some advice as well as deliving another stinging rebuke to Optus.

'Anyone who believes they are caught up in the hack or become aware of dodgy conduct to go to cyber.gov.au and find advice there and make report,' she said.

'If you see dodgy emails coming through to you don't click on any links, if you are getting text messages that look odd don't answer, even if you are getting phone calls from numbers that look dodgy don't pick up the phone.

'This is a time for real vigilance for Australians, we should not be in the position that we are in but Optus has put us here.'

In Saturday's ad Optus said it was working 'closely with authorities, something Ms O'Neil acknowledged before highlighting what the telco hasn't done.

Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said that Optus had not done enough to alert those most at risk after the hack

'We're deeply sorry,' the apology read.

'We're deeply sorry that a cyberattack has has happened on our watch.

'We know this is devastating and that we'll need to work hard to regain your trust. The attack was quickly shut down, and we are working closely with authorities to understand how this attack on your privacy occurred.'

The apology comes as it's revealed fewer NSW customers will need to change their licence numbers because of tougher document verification standards.

Ms O'Neil said the investigation into catching the hacker was 'progressing well' and the AFP would talk about it in the coming week.

After threatening to release all the data if Optus did not pay a $US1million ($1.5million) ransom in seven days the hacker suddenly backed off mid-week saying there were 'too many eyes' on them and even apologising for they did.

Before doing that, however, they released the data of 10,200 people to show the threat was genuine.
King Charles has quietly issued his first Knighthood since becoming King.

The monarch gave an accolade to the 18th Duke of Norfolk, the most senior peer in Britain, just 10 days after inheriting the throne from his mother.

The Knighthood was decided by the Queen while she was alive and announced in her Birthday honours list in June. But no ceremony had yet taken place, meaning that the Duke was not entitled to wear his Royal Victorian Order, GCVO, medal at her funeral on September 19.

So, on the night of September 18, the King found a moment to issue the insignia and carry out the accolade  also known as dubbing  in which he placed a sword on each shoulder of the Duke as recognition of his work as Earl Marshal of the Royal Household.

The Duke of Norfolk his role as Earl Marshal walks in the procession as 200 members of the Royal Navy pull the coffin of the late Queen Elizabeth II who died at Balmoral Castle on September 8th

The monarch gave an accolade to the 18th Duke of Norfolk, the most senior peer in Britain, just 10 days after inheriting the throne from his mother

A source said: The dubbing is what actually makes you a knight. The King had to have given it to him along with a sash for him to be dressed properly at the funeral the following day.

Another source described the Knighthood as a quickie organised to thank the Duke for his hard work in the wake of the Queens passing. It is thought to have taken place in a back room of Buckingham Palace. The ceremony is yet to appear in the court circular.

The Queen was said to be personally fond of The Duke of Norfolk and encouraged him in his seven-year quest to save his marriage to Georgina Fitzalan-Howard, duchess of Norfolk, which eventually ended in divorce earlier this year.

The late monarch died before she had a chance to complete the process of knighting her friend, and shortly before he announced his engagement to his girlfriend Francesca Chica Herbert.

The Duke, now styled Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk, GCVO, DL, is now busily planning a November wedding as well as carrying out his duties as the man responsible for the Kings coronation.

The Queen was said to be personally fond of The Duke of Norfolk (pictured) and encouraged him in his seven-year quest to save his marriage to Georgina Fitzalan-Howard, duchess of Norfolk, which eventually ended in divorce earlier this year.

Eagle eyes spotted that the Duke, known simply as Eddie to friends, was not wearing his GCVO cross at any of the events during the ten day mourning period leading up to the funeral, but did wear it at the funeral itself. It appeared he also found a chance to polish his other medals which were looking tarnished in previous mourning events but were gleaming like new as he took his place on the Mall wearing his new blue sash at the funeral.

Last week the Dukes niece, society darling Lady Kinvara Balfour, praised her uncle in Tatler magazine saying: Uncle Eddie has done a truly outstanding job. What a show of elegance, efficiency and rare precision he has produced for our nation, and the world - just like the late Queen Elizabeth II herself did. He is an incredible father of five, a grandfather too And he used to be a Formula One driver. Hes a bit of a legend.

The Duke resides at his ancestral seat, Arundel Castle in West Sussex, but will not live there with his new wife Chica when she becomes Duchess of Norfolk. They have chosen to live in a cosier farmhouse nearby instead.

His ex-wife Georgina, Duchess of Norfolk, 60, will live at the nearby Angmering Park House and has 100 acres of the estate, which forms a small part of 16,000 acres owned by the Duke on the South Downs.

The Duke was banned from driving last week, after using his mobile phone while driving in Battersea, south-west London, on April 7, and while he admitted the offence, his legal team attempted to avoid a ban due to exceptional hardship  claiming he needed his licence to arrange the Kings upcoming coronation, known as Golden Orb.

A friend of the staunchly Catholic Duke, the highest-ranking duke in England and a cross-bench peer, said last week that he believed the magistrates made the right decision not to accept his defence and is thankful that they didnt.

The source said, Eddie acknowledges that his attempt to avoid a driving ban went haywire and feels very sorry to have displeased the King. He plans to lay low and for the next month or two and just get on with making the nation proud by planning Golden Orb.
With pay rates of up to $90,000 per year or more common, the industry that trains arborists is desperately seeking a huge number of new recruits, and you don't need a degree.

The number of arborists, or tree surgeons, must double within five years in Australia to keep pace with the growth in demand for green spaces across the country, according to an industry leader.

The race is on to recruit 20,000 additional arborists by 2027 to make sure Australia's parks remain safe and avoid trees crashing down without warning, known as 'tree failure'.

Contractor Citywide is concerned about how the industry will keep up with pledges by governments at every level to plant more trees for environmental benefits.

Arborist Samuel Virgo is pictured working on a tree planting project at Royal Park at Parkville, Melbourne, Tuesday, September 20, 2022

The profession is on the federal government's skills priority list and is listed as in strong demand across every state and territory.

'The industry has identified a need for 20,000 arborists just in the next five years just to keep pace with the existing level of green infrastructure,' Citywide spokesman Simon Mossman told AAP.

'(In some areas) we could do with four times as many arborists and tree care workers today.

'Governments and industry are at risk of potentially not meeting some of their targets for planting more trees.'

There have been a number of fatal accidents around Australia involving trees or branches striking pedestrians and cars in recent years, showing just how catastrophic tree failure can be.

'In terms of mitigating any potential safety risks and tree failures, we need the numbers. That's basically the bottom line here,' Mr Mossman said.

Arboriculture Australia director James Maund said he believed the workforce shortage was more dire than in any other blue collar trade.

How much can you earn as an arborist? One current job listing, which is typical for the arborist sector, offers a salary of 'up to $72,035.94 per annum, plus super, plus penalty rates for overtime'. It also offers an additional allowance of up to $2,660.73 on top of that 'for climbing kit maintenance and adverse working conditions'. All up, given it promises 'regular opportunities for overtime work', that would easily amount to more than $90,000 per annum. The basic job is 38 hours per week plus a fortnightly rostered day off. Source: Indeed job search site Advertisement

'We did a recent survey and 91 per cent of employers said that they couldn't find the staff that they needed and it was impacting their business,' he said.

Maund recently ran an intensive training program and said three-quarters of those who finished it found jobs within a week.

Nine out of 10 councils are experiencing a jobs and skills shortage, according to Australian Local Government Association president Linda Scott.

'Some councils need more arborists, while others need more planners, building surveyors or environmental health officers,' she said.

The labour shortage is something that has long concerned arborist Michael Stafford, who maintains trees around Melbourne.

'It becomes a bit of a stressful situation,' the Citywide contract manager said.

'We do then look to 20 years down the track, the doubling of trees and how we are going to maintain it.'

He believes more school-leavers should be encouraged to pursue trades and consider arboriculture because it offers a life-long career and something different each day.

Maund agrees the profession is 'not something that is on people's horizon.'

He said while the job can be dangerous, with a high number of injuries per-capita, there are a variety of roles on offer.

Arborists maintain and plant trees, as well as cutting them down, while many move into consultancy services or specialised areas such as pests and disease.

Mr Maund said the industry was particularly keen for more women and young people to join its ranks.

'It provides a great opportunity for somebody not wanting to work in an office environment,' he said.

'There's a whole range of jobs within the industry, which can span a career of 20, 30, 40 years.'
A mother whose 17-month-old girl drowned in an inflatable spa is racked with guilt she was not at home when her child tragically died.

Tahlia Brown was working when her daughter Totty drowned in a blow-up spa bath at her family home at Gracemere, in north Queensland, on September 19.

Her partner Cecil Murphy, brother and two other children were at home at the time when one of the six-year-old siblings discovered the body.

A mother whose 17-month-old girl drowned in an inflatable spa is racked with guilt she was not at home to save her child

Totty was rushed to the local police station where officers performed CPR before she was taken to Brisbane Children's Hospital.

She was placed into an induced coma and died the following day in her mother's arms.

Family friend Alyce Pocock said Ms Brown was overcome with guilt and personally blamed herself for the tragedy because she was out of the house at the time.

'But I've told her that's ridiculous, she was at work providing for her family,' she told Courier Mail.

'There was no crying or screaming  she [Totty] just got up on a chair and into the spa before drowning.'

Ms Pocock said she had never seen Ms Brown 'more broken' about her baby girl - the latest family member to die after she lost her dad, stepdad and grandad as a child.

Totty had only started to learn how to talk and knew phrases like 'mumma', 'dadda', and 'puppy'.

Ms Pocock described Totty as sweet and said she was 'never shy' and always happy to meet new people.

'No parent should live to see their own child die  the pain is indescribable,' she said.

Tahlia Brown was working when her daughter Totty drowned in a blow-up spa bath at her family home at Gracemere, in north Queensland, on September 19

Ms Pocock started a GoFundMe to help raise money for the funeral and send off the little girl deserves.

'Leah & Cecil and they're entire family have suffered the most unthinkable, unimaginable, unnatural, unfair, and tragic losses anyone can,' she wrote.

'Baby Totty Girl, the shining light of Leah and Cecils life, she truly was the happiest, sweetest, most loving baby girl to ever enter our lives.'

'I'm here to ask you all to help Leah & Cecil in the darkest days of their lives, find some peace and comfort in being able to send our sweet baby girl off in a way she deserves. A send off fit for a princess!'

Ms Brown responded to the GoFundMe in a post on September 27, thanking everyone that had donated.

'Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Both Cecil and myself are so thankful for each and every donation for our sweet baby Totty girl,' she wrote.

Police will prepare a report for the coroner.
A federal judge, who was appointed to the bench by Barack Obama, has sided with the state of Georgia over Democrat Stacey Abrams' challenge to the constitutionality of the state's election practices.

'Although Georgias election system is not perfect, the challenged practices violate neither the constitution nor the VRA,' wrote U.S. District Judge Steve Jones, an Obama appointee, referring to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The suit was filed after Abrams narrowly lost the Georgia governor's race to Republican Brian Kemp four years ago.

Abrams didn't go quietly however, and after her campaign failed she gave a non-concession speech that acknowledged she wouldn't be governor, but also spotlighted claims that Kemp used his former post as secretary of state to improperly purge likely Democratic voters.

Following her 2020 loss, Abrams founded Fair Fight Action, a group focused on fair elections, which within weeks filed a wide-ranging federal lawsuit alleging 'gross mismanagement' of Georgia's elections.

That lawsuit sputtered out on Friday with Fair Fight losing its last remaining arguments, more than a year after the judge had tossed most earlier claims.

Abrams' former and current opponent, Governor Brain Kemp, celebrated the ruling.

'Judge Jones ruling exposes this legal effort for what it really is: a tool wielded by a politician hoping to wrongfully weaponize the legal system to further her own political goals,' Kemp said in a statement.

Abrams founded Fair Fight Action, a group focused on fair elections, that filed a wide-ranging federal lawsuit alleging 'gross mismanagement' of Georgia's elections. Democratic candidate for Georgia governor Stacey Abrams poses for a portrait in front of the State Seal of Georgia

Obama appointee U.S. District Judge Steve Jones threw out the remainder of Abrams' lawsuit more than a year after the judge had tossed most of the earlier claims

Last year, President Biden criticized Georgia's new voting restrictions as 'Jim Crow 2.0'

The laws came under attack with civil rights groups challenging them in court.

Among other limits, the Republican-backed laws impose stricter identification requirements, limits drop boxes and gives lawmakers the power to take over local elections and shortens the early voting period for all runoff elections.

It also makes it a misdemeanor for people to offer food and water to voters in line, in a state where people sometimes wait for hours in the heat to vote.

Biden narrowly won the state of Georgia in the 2020 election, becoming the first Democratic presidential candidate in three decades to win the traditionally red state.

'It's an atrocity,' Biden said at the time, comparing the restrictions to racist 'Jim Crow' laws, which were put in place in Southern states in the decades after the 1861-65 U.S. Civil War to legalize racial segregation and disenfranchise black citizens.

'This law, like so many others being pursued by Republicans in statehouses across the country is a blatant attack on the Constitution and good conscience,' Biden said.

In May 2021, President Joe Biden said Georgia's new law on voting limits are 'an atrocity'

'This is Jim Crow in the 21st Century. It must end. We have a moral and constitutional obligation to act. I once again urge Congress to pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to make it easier for all eligible Americans access the ballot box and prevent attacks on the sacred right to vote,' Biden added.

Biden noted how long lines at polls disproportionately affect black voters in metropolitan areas, as Republican officials have reduced the number of polling sites in their neighborhoods.

People are already voting by mail in a Georgia governor's race that again pits Abrams and Kemp against each other, with fewer than 40 days remaining before voting ends on November 8.

A September 2022 poll shows Georgia Republican Governor Brian Kemp with an eight-point lead over Democrat Stacey Abrams with less than 50 days until the midterm elections

And Republicans are now using the loss to attack what they see as the 'big lie' that underlies Abrams' career.

They label her claims that Georgia's election system has been discriminatory as a fraud she used to enrich herself and aggrandize her political career after her 2018 loss.

'This is existential to who Stacey Abrams has become as a public and political figure,' Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, a Republican who defended the case said.

'She put herself in the political spotlight nationally, potentially globally, all over the narrative that she lost the governor's race because of voter suppression. And here you have a federal judge saying, it's all untrue. It didn't happen.'

Carr and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger are among a faction of Georgia Republicans who say that Democratic President Joe Biden beat Donald Trump fair and square in 2020 for Georgia's 16 electoral votes and that Kemp also beat Abrams fairly in 2018.

Abrams is in a rematch against Kemp (pictured) after losing to him in 2018 by 1.4 percent

They argue that Trump's claims about voter fraud in 2020 and Abrams' claims about voter suppression in 2018 both corrode faith in democracy.

'Stolen election and voter suppression claims by Stacey Abrams were nothing but poll-tested rhetoric not supported by facts and evidence,' Raffensperger said on Friday in a statement.

Abrams, though, has said from the dawn of her current campaign that her actions in 2018 are not equivalent to what Trump did.

'I will never ever say that it is OK to claim fraudulent outcomes as a way to give yourself power,' Abrams said last month. 'That is wrong. I reject it and will never engage in it. But I do believe that it is imperative, especially those who have the platform and the microphone, to talk about the access.'

She is far from backing down from her position, and says she won a number of victories that made elections fairer.

Abrams explained the difference between her and Trump's claims in an interview, 'My point was that the access to the election was flawed, and I refuse to concede a system that permits citizens to be denied access. That is very different than someone claiming fraudulent outcome'

In 2019, less than six months after the Fair Fight lawsuit was filed, legislators passed a law that addressed some of the issues.

The law's biggest change was to replace the state's antiquated, paperless touchscreen voting machines with a new system that uses touchscreen machines to print paper ballots that are scanned.

The plaintiffs also count as wins the reinstatement of 22,000 voters who were removed from the rolls in 2019, an end to people being excluded from voting rolls if their records didn't exactly match their driver's license, an audit that identified people wrongly excluded because of incorrect citizenship information, and improvements to a voter's ability to cancel a mailed ballot and vote in person.

'As the judge says in his first sentence, `This is a voting rights case that resulted in wins and losses for all parties,'' Abrams said in a statement on Friday.

'However, the battle for voter empowerment over voter suppression persists, and the cause of voter access endures. I will not stop fighting to ensure every vote can be cast, every ballot is counted and every voice is heard.'

And despite the loss, the idea that Republicans are trying to restrict voting is a powerful current running through the most bitter disputes in Georgia politics - not only Abrams' 2018 loss, but also a 2021 Republican election law that shortened the period to request an absentee ballot and limited ballot drop boxes, and harsh clashes over redrawing election districts this year that led one Democrat to accuse Republicans of seeking to preserve 'white power.'

Jermaine House, director of communications for political research firm HIT Strategies, said that 'because there's been so much energy and excitement and conversation' around voting rights in Georgia, it's an issue that drives Democrats, especially African Americans, to the polls. His firm has done work for liberal voter mobilization group New Georgia Project, the NAACP and Democratic efforts to reelect Sen. Raphael Warnock.

'If you look at polls across the country about voter suppression, you may find that voter suppression may not reach the top 10 issues among Black voters,' House said.

'But one exception that is the case is definitely Georgia. Georgia voters are well aware of voter suppression efforts, very attuned to it, and black voters are really mobilized by the issue.'
The sister of a man who was brutally gunned down in a daylight execution has pleaded for help to find his killer while rubbishing claims her brother was associated with bikies.

Connie Versace broke down in tears demanding justice be served over the death of her brother Joseph, who was killed in a shed at Gnangara, Perth, on Thursday.

The shooting is another blow for the family after it was devastated two years ago when the siblings lost their father Mario in October 2020.

Connie Versace broke down in tears demanding justice be served over the death of her brother Joseph who was killed in a shed at Gnangara, Perth, on Thursday

Versace, 34, was shot in the stomach and the chest in a brazen daylight execution with paramedics unable to save his life

'After dad passed away, my brother told me he would walk me down the aisle to be married, now that's not going to happen,' Ms Versace told 7News.

Versace, 34, was shot in the stomach and the chest in a brazen daylight execution with paramedics unable to save his life.

Ms Versace denied claims her brother was linked to any bikie clubs despite police saying there were links between outlaw motorcycle gangs and the shooting.

'He was definitely not a bikie or what's been said,' she said.

'It's not all the truth and that's why I'm doing this because I want people to know he was an amazing person.'

Ms Versace admitted her brother may have been friends with bikies as 'a lot of people do now'.

'He's not a gangster, he wasn't an angel but who is, he's done some silly things,' she said.

Ms Versace said it made her angry that her brother was being linked to an outlaw motorcycle gang and portrayed as a 'horrible person'.

She described her brother as the 'rock' that kept the family together when their father passed away.

Ms Versace said her brother had a heart of gold and pleaded for anyone with information on the whereabouts of his killer to come forward

There also appeared to be no love lost between Versace and the police with his Facebook profile picture from July 2021 showing him urinating on a police car

Ms Versace said her brother had a heart of gold and pleaded for anyone with information on the whereabouts of his killer to come forward.

'If you know anything please come forward, please help us find whoever has broken our family,' she said.

'(The person responsible) should go to jail for the rest of their life, you can't do this to someone and get away with it.'

WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch announced on Friday the shooting had links to motorcycle gangs.

'This is something that I will not tolerate as Commissioner in Western Australia  cold-blooded killings, public acts of violence,' he said.

'They will continue throughout the week to make sure everyone is spoken to, to send a clear message to those in the community that want to commit these acts of violence that it's not tolerated.'

Other photos from Versace's various social media accounts showed the heavily-tattooed man working out and going for a walk with his dogs

Versace's links to outlaw motorcycle gangs in Western Australia trace back years with the slain 34-year-old previously being involved with the Rebels and the Comancheros.

According to The West, Versace spent the past 16 years in and out of jail, serving his first sentence when he was just 18.

Versace was charged with being a part of a joint criminal enterprise in 2015 to sell illicit drugs however the charges were dropped later that year.

There also appeared to be no love lost between Versace and the police with his Facebook profile picture from July 2021 showing him urinating on a police car.

Other photos from Versace's various social media accounts showed the heavily-tattooed man working out and going for a walk with his dogs.
President Joe Biden will meet with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in what will be the first encounter between the pair since clashing over transgender rights, abortion and immigration - all likely to be big issues for next month's Midterms.

The meeting will come when Biden travels to Florida and Puerto Rico next week in the wake hurricane's Fiona and Ian which both struck within the last ten days.

Biden will visit Puerto Rico on Monday before heading to Florida on Wednesday.

The White House has not yet provided specific details for the visit, but Biden had previously said he expected to visit both locations in part to reassure residents that the federal government will assist in recovery efforts.

The politicians have managed to steer clear of political attacks in the last week.

When asked by a reporter how his relationship with DeSantis was, the president was particularly positive.

'In fact, very fine. He complimented me,' Biden said. 'He thanked me for the immediate response we had. He told me how much he appreciated it. He said he was extremely happy with what's going on.'

President Biden together with and the first lady will travel to Puerto Rico on Monday to survey the damage from Hurricane Fiona. The president is pictured on Saturday night

'This is not about anything having to do with our disagreements politically. This is about saving people's lives, homes, and businesses.'

DeSantis has also toned down his rhetoric in recent days.

Previously he had criticized federal hurricane assistance as a 'boondoggle' saying it was being delivered with a 'put it on the credit card mentality.'

However, last week, in Florida's hour of need, DeSantis reached out to the federal government for aid.

'You know, when people are fighting for their lives, when their whole livelihood is at stake, when they've lost everything  if you can't put politics aside for that, then you're just not going to be able to,' the governor said.

Hurricane Ian flooded communities across the state, knocked out power and forced people into shelters with the death toll standing at 77 as of Saturday night.

Biden will meet with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, pictured on Friday, in what will be the first encounter between the pair since clashing over transgender rights, abortion and immigration - all likely to be big issues for next month's Midterms

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis posts a photo on October 1, 2022, captioned: Today, I met with Marta, who had her house destroyed and was rescued by one of our high-water vehicles. Damage from #HurricaneIan flooding extends across the state, but our people are resilient.'

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis tweets: I was back in Lee County today working with local officials and volunteers to get Floridians' back on their feet. Stay strong - we will get through this

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is pictured surveying the damage in Lee County

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis tweeted: 'WaffleHouse is one of the first restaurants in Charlotte County to reopen and provide hot meals as we work together to serve Floridians after #HurricaneIan. Thank you for providing meals to the linemen working to restore power.'

DeSantis was pictured in Lee County, home to Fort Myers and epicenter of the hurricane's devastation on Florida's Gulf Coast, there were 35 deaths after county officials waited a day longer than other nearby areas to issue evacuation orders

In Lee County, home to Fort Myers and epicenter of the hurricane's devastation on Florida's Gulf Coast, there were 35 deaths after county officials waited a day longer than other nearby areas to issue evacuation orders.

Other deaths were reported in Charlotte, Volusia, Sarasota, Lake, Collier and Manatee counties.

The fatalities reported in Florida were mostly from drowning, but others suffered different fates from the storm's tragic aftereffects.

An elderly couple died after their oxygen machines shut off when they lost power, authorities said.

Biden said the storm could end up as the 'deadliest hurricane in Florida's history.'

This aerial photo shows damaged homes and debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers

Biden and DeSantis spoke before the hurricane hit and again Thursday morning as the destruction began to come into focus.

Ian made landfall as one of the strongest hurricanes ever in the United States.

The storm flooded homes on Florida's coasts, cut off the only bridge to a barrier island, destroyed a historic waterfront pier and knocked out electricity to 2.67 million homes and businesses.

Biden said DeSantis, with whom he has squabbled politically, was 'extremely happy' with the federal response. The president said 'this is not about anything having to do with our disagreements politically. This is about saving people's lives, homes and businesses.'

Jake Moses, 19, left, and Heather Jones, 18, of Fort Myers, explore a section of destroyed businesses at Fort Myers Beach following Hurricane Ian

Biden said he also had talked with several Florida mayors and delivered the same message about the federal government's commitment to helping with the cleanup and with rebuilding: 'We are here.'

'We're going to do everything we can to provide everything they need,' Biden said, adding that his instruction to them was to call him directly at the White House with their needs. 'They know how to do that.'

Biden also spoke to the people of Puerto Rico, who are cleaning up and trying to rebuild after Hurricane Fiona ravaged the U.S. island territory before Ian pummeled Florida on Wednesday.

'I'm committed to you and the recovery of the island,' he said. 'We've not gone away.'

Preliminary evaluations show Hurricane Fiona damaged 50% of transmission lines and distribution feeders across Puerto Rico as hundreds of thousands remain without power or water service almost two weeks after the storm hit.

In this aerial photo, damaged boats and debris are stacked along the shore in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, in Fort Myers

Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said crews were working swiftly to restore essential services, but stressed that he was not satisfied that more than 230,000 clients out of 1.47 million were without power and more than 100,000 clients out of 1.2 million without water service.

The situation has angered and exasperated many who already were affected by power outages blamed on Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm that razed the island's power grid in September 2017.

Hurricane Fiona slammed into Puerto Rico's southwest region as a Category 1 storm on September 18.

'We are living in a state of eternal fragility,' said Puerto Rico Rep. Mariana Nogales.

Luma, a private company that operates transmission and distribution of power in Puerto Rico, had promised that electricity would be restored to 90% of clients by Friday in areas not severely affected by the storm. In hard-hit areas, officials have said they might restore power to 90% of clients by next Thursday.

'I'm demanding more,' Pierluisi said.

View of a damaged bridge after Hurricane Fiona hit Villa Esperanza in Salinas, Puerto Rico from last month

Officials have not said when the entire island might be energized.

The continued power outage has forced businesses including grocery stores and gas stations to temporarily close and prevented hundreds of schools from opening.

In addition, 16 government medical clinics and seven dialysis centers are still operating on generators.

Last week, the Puerto Rico-based think tank Center for a New Economy said Puerto Rico already was extremely vulnerable prior to Fiona because only 30% of permanent reconstruction work related to 2017's Hurricane Maria had started.

'Basically, nothing had been done to strengthen the electric grid and other critical infrastructures or increase their resiliency,' the center said.

'The damage caused by Hurricane Fiona will certainly add another layer of complexity on top of what was already a difficult and complicated effort.'
Students from one of Australia's most prestigious university colleges have been suspended after they stormed campus accommodation in black ski masks as part of a frightening prank.

University of Sydney's St Andrew's College has confirmed it's investigating the incident which took place at Australian National University in Canberra last weekend.

During the college's annual 'Campus to Country', it's alleged a group of students travelled to the nation's capital for an unauthorised 'scavenger hunt' - where teams of students compete to find certain items or perform specified tasks.

The students gained access to a student accommodation residence at ANU and entered the premises wearing ski masks.

University of Sydney's St Andrew's College (pictured) has suspended students over the incident at an interstate university last Saturday

The ANU caught the students and kicked them off the campus before referring the incident to ACT Police, The Sunday Telegraph reported.

St Andrew's College has suspended the students allegedly involved and hasn't ruled out expulsion as investigations continue.

It has also banned future 'Campus to Country' events.

'The alleged actions of certain students at the ANU campus were completely unauthorised and contravened the strict code of conduct that was expected of students during this activity,' a college spokesman said.

Students allegedly gained access and stormed the on-campus student residence wearing black ski masks (stock image)

'St Andrew's College has gone to great lengths to build a respectful, mature and thoughtful community of emerging adults.'

'It is disappointing when students defy the values and standards of the college, letting down their peers in the process.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted St Andrews's College and ACT Police for further comment.

Students pay more than $32,000 a year to live at the college.

The college describes itself on its website as a place to live and eat on campus while studying a university course in Sydney, including other universities.

Investigations into the incident at Australian National University in Canberra continue
Police rescued a man who narrowly escaped death after he was stalked by a huge saltwater crocodile at a popular beach.

The beach-goer went for a dip at Nightcliff Jetty in the Northern Territory on Friday night and came face to face with an adult crocodile after surfacing on a rock bar.

Police were urgently called to the scene around 7:30pm with reports a man was being stalked by the sizeable predator.

The beach goer was being stalked by a large saltwater crocodile (stock image)

Northern Watch Commander Mick Fields explained the man couldn't get back to shore as the crocodile was blocking his escape, NT News reported.

'This escape plan was prevented by a rather large inquisitive adult crocodile who was stalking him,' he said.

The man was saved by officers after they managed to extricate him from the rock bar.

'Water Police members were called out and able to rescue the distressed male from becoming dinner,' Commander Fields continued.

The man told officers he had ventured out to the rock bar during low tide expecting he would be able to walk back towards the shore as the water rose.

Police have rescued a man stuck on a rock bar at Nightcliff Jetty (pictured) in the Northern Territory

Commander Fields cautioned members of the public to be aware of potential dangers when they enter the water.

'Fortunately on this occasion due to the swift response of Police members a situation was narrowly avoided,' he said.

Nightcliff Jetty is particularly popular with fisherman or beach-goers enjoying sunsets at the Top End.

Crocodiles are often spotted in the area.
A red-faced groom spent his wedding night in hospital after dislocating his shoulder in an awkward fall on the dancefloor.

Adam Quinn decided to surprise his bride Helen in front of friends and family with a bizarre song choice at their reception in Manly on Sydney's northern beaches on March 6.

The couple's big day had be rescheduled four times due to Covid-19.

But things didn't exactly go to plan on the night.

Velvet Wattle videographer Tom Healy captured Mr Quinn serenading his 'mortified' bride with a song from metalcore band Parkway Drive before she's seen running from the dancefloor.

Moments later, Mr Quinn is jumping around with mates on the dancefloor covered in spilled beer and champagne.

He awkwardly slips, landing heavily on his hand and hyper-extending his elbow, sparking a mixed reaction of horror and amusement from guests.

Adam Quinn (pictured during the fall) had a moment on his wedding night he's rather forget

'I was singing a classic love song, I thought it was really romantic,' the sheepish groom explains in the video afterwards.

'But then I took a spill on a Corona! I think I've dislocated my elbow.'

The footage also shows the paramedics turning up and Mr Quinn using a morphine-laced green whistle for the excruciating pain.

'How good is getting married?' one is heard joking.

The video Mr Quinn being stretched from the venue accompanied by his new wife still in her bride gown to be rushed to hospital by ambulance.

As guests partied long into the night, Mr Quinn had be knocked unconscious for doctors to 'pop' his elbow back to place.

Groom Adam Quinn (pictured) was in great pain as he waited for paramedics to arrive

He spent the rest of night in hospital sleeping off the pain from his horror fall.

'In sickness and in health,' Ms Quinn cheekily captioned a wedding night hospital bed selfie.

Videographer Mr Healy told Daily Mail Australia it was one of the most memorable wedding moments he's witnessed.

It's up there for sure,' he said.

Bride Helen Quinn snapped a cheeky hospital selfie as her new husband slept off the pain

The Quinns have been together for six years and have a 17-month-old son.

Ms Quinn didn't see actually see her groom's nasty fall, having fled to the back to the room moments earlier.

'He came out to me and he was as white as a ghost,' she told 7news.com.au.

'He told me that he thought he had broken his arm. It turned out he had dislocated his elbow.

'We basically just snuck out the back door of the reception.'

Six month on, Mr Quinn has since made a full recovery.

'It's pretty embarrassing and I get a little triggered looking at the photos and watching the video,' his wife laughed.
A father-of-two was left for dead after being beaten within an inch of his life by a gang of feral youths - after simply asking them for directions.

Family of Shaun Mollon, 49, say he has been left a 'broken man' afraid of human touch after the appalling violence exploded last Friday morning.

He was kicked and hit so hard in the horrific attack in a car park just off the High Street in Burton-upon-Trent, his jaw eye socket and cheekbone were shattered.

Businessman Mr Mollon, who is the director of his own company, has had to have emergency surgery to reconstruct his face with metal plates and pins in his home city of York.

His heartbroken wife Julianne said last night: 'It's destroyed our lives. He is frightened of any little noise and doesn't want anyone touching him. He is lucky to be alive.'

Mr Mollon's nightmare unfolded on September 23, but due to the severity of his injuries has only been made public now.

Shaun Mollon , 49, was punched down by a feral gang of youths and left for dead in a car park

Mr Mollon, who is the director of his own company, has had to have emergency surgery

The violence exploded in the Meadowside Leisure Centre carpark on High Street at 2.30am

He had been in Burton for work and had gone out for dinner and drinks with his colleagues.

Mr Mollon decided to call it a night and head back to his hotel as he had work the next day.

But he got lost after taking a wrong turn and after spotted a group of people in a car park just off the High Street he decided to ask for directions.

It was then he was jumped from behind and beaten unconscious after being floored by a powerful blow to the face.

The group, made up of youths believed to be in their 20s and young girls, left him and drove off in a car.

Mr Mollon did not have anything stolen in the incident and when he came round he managed to get back to his colleagues, who quickly got him to hospital.

Mr Mollon had surgery on Thursday in York after first being taken to Burton's Queen's Hospital

Julianne added: "He is absolutely broken and has not come out of his room for a week.

"He is not the person he was. He's scared all the time and he keeps having flashbacks as stuff keeps coming back to him and he keeps reliving that initial impact. It's horrific.

"It's been really difficult for all of us. My daughter has been so upset as he doesn't look like daddy or behave like him. He's a broken man.

"He is lucky to be alive. It's such a cruel and callous thing to do and just run away. He could have been dead.

"He was on his own and had a few pints, he was vulnerable. I just hope that someone who witnessed it has a conscience and thinks this isn't right."

Mr Mollon had surgery on Thursday in York after being initially taken to Queen's Hospital in Burton.

He was allowed home to York as the surgery could not be done until the swelling had gone done.

He is unable to eat or drink due to the pain. However, aside from the physical injuries, the ordeal has taken a huge toll on his mental health, his wife added.

She was told what had happened after getting a call from her husband at 3am, but she could hardly understand him because of his broken jaw.

She added: "I just got up and I was sick and as soon as I was able to I got a friend to take me to Derby as I wasn't fit to drive.

A spokesperson for Staffordshire Police confirmed the force was looking for those responsible.

They added: 'Officers are appealing for information following an assault in Burton-upon-Trent.

'The incident took place on September 23 September at around 2.30am at Meadowside Leisure Centre carpark on High Street.

'A 49-year-old man suffered serious facial injuries including a fractured jaw.'

Any witnesses or anyone with any information should message Staffordshire Police on Facebook or Twitter, quoting incident number 41 of 23 September, or call 101. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
The British aid worker who was tortured and tragically died in the jail of a Moscow-backed proxy group in Ukraine sent the final message, 'I love you so much and thought about you every day,' to his daughters.

Paul Urey, 45, who was captured in the Zaporizhzhia region on April 25, died on July 10 from 'illness and stress' in the self-proclaimed People's Republic of Donestk (DPR) after being taken to a prison camp in Ukraine's east.

His cellmate Dylan Healy, 22, was also imprisoned and tortured alongside the 45-year-old, but Mr Healy was later freed on September 21 with four other Britons.

According to the Mirror, Mr Healy told grieving sisters Courtney Coman, 17, and Chelsea Coman, 21, of Warrington: 'Your dad loved you and thought about you every day.'

He has revealed the ordeal the pair were put through, which he says involved a mock execution and torture by pro-Russian troops.

Paul Urey, 45, with his daughter Courtney Coman, 17. The father-of-four was captured in the Zaporizhzhia region on April 25 and died on July 10 from 'illness and stress' in the self-proclaimed People's Republic of Donestk (DPR)

Mr Urey with his daughters Chelsea (left) and Courtney (right). His cellmate Dylan Healy, 22, told the grieving sisters: 'Your dad loved you and thought about you every day'

The two were on an aid mission in Ukraine when they were ambushed and forced out of their cars and to kneel by the side of the road.

A soldier cocked his gun - but fired the shot into the ground between duo. Then they were taken to prison.

The pair made a pact that they would get in touch with the other's family if the worst were to happen, which led to Mr Healy's emotional meeting with two of the father-of-four's children a few days ago.

He told the Sunday Mirror: 'Me and Paul promised that if anything happened we would speak to each other's families.

'He said, 'Let my family know I love them, that I thought about them every day.' I never thought I'd have to do it  after we were captured, I thought we'd both die.

'He was desperate to make it home to see you.'

Mr Healy was at least able to tell Chelsea and Courtney that the aid worker was given his medication for his diabetes.

The aid worker left an emotional message for his daughters, after he was tortured and tragically died in the jail of a Moscow-backed proxy group in Ukraine

Courtney said: 'It was difficult hearing what Dad went through, but at least we know the truth now.

'At one point there were reports he'd been dismembered. That was awful, but thankfully untrue.'

Mr Healy added: 'I was nervous meeting his daughters but it was good... like I've known them for years.'

Chelsea, who said she felt relieved having had the meeting, said: 'I'm so grateful we heard it from him and not someone else.

'We didn't want to pressure Dylan, didn't want him to think he was being interrogated again. We're just so happy he agreed to meet us.'

Mr Healy lived in Ely, Cambs, working as a hotel chef.

Then, when Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine on February 24, he joined the Ukrainian Foreign Legion.

Later, he became an aid worker, which was when he met Mr Urey, who had been rejected by the Foreign Legion due to his health.

The duo were travelling from Odessa to Zaporizhzhia to rescue a man and two children when they were captured and taken to a facility near Mariupol.

Of the mock execution upon being ordered out of their vehicle, Mr Healy said: 'All the gunman had to do was pull the trigger and we were gone. We were silent. He asked us if we had any last words and we said no.

'Then he fired a shot into the mud in the middle of the two of us. Paul went, 'That was a close one'.'

Mr Urey was captured in the Zaporizhzhia region on April 25 while trying to cross a Russian checkpoint (pictured, the city's nuclear power plant after being attacked by Russia)

After his capture, Mr Urey was taken to the Donetsk region where he was held in a detention camp (pictured, the destroyed city of Mariupol in the same region)

At the time Mr Urey was captured, Russia had been pushed back from Kyiv (pictured) and was preparing an assault in the Donbas while steadily taking territory in the south

Recalling his months of mistreatment in captivity, Mr Healy said he was beaten with batons, tortured with electric prongs and waterboarded in attempts to force a confession.

He said: 'There was no panic, I was resigned. I didn't want to cry because it wasn't going to change it. They shouted at you if you slept.

'They waterboarded me. They put me on a table, put a rag in my mouth and poured water in until I was choking.

'When I spoke to Paul he said this hadn't happened to him. They wanted to know how we'd got behind the lines and why  and if we were British spies.

'There were regular beatings, every day. They had old-style police batons and my ribs were broken.'

The duo were then taken to tiny cells in the so-called Donetsk People's Republic, where heavy metal music was blasted out and Mr Healy said he was Tasered multiple times during the two weeks he spent there.

The pair were then moved to another prison in Makiivka, where Mr Urey was 'quiet and really struggling', said Mr Healy.

Both of them were given charges of 'mercenary activities' on July 8, with Mr Healy facing 14 years in jail and the death penalty and Mr Urey facing seven years. Mr Healy said they signed a confesssion 'to minimise risk to ourselves'.

Then, on their way back to the prison, Mr Urey needed to be sick and was taken out of the van.

'They did something to make him scream for 10, 20 seconds,' said Mr Healy. 'I don't think I'll ever hear someone scream like that again. That was the last time I saw Paul alive.'

Mr Urey was coughing and choking two days later.

'At that point we said, 'Paul's dead',' said Mr Healy Dylan. 'I couldn't take it in. He was a very good friend - I honestly would have swapped with him straight away.'
Michael Gove tore into Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng's market-melting mini-Budget today, accusing them of 'un-Conservative' tax cuts.

The former minister, who was sacked by Boris Johnson and backed Ms Truss's rivals Kemi Badenoch and Rishi Sunak in the Tory leadership race, hit out at her 'mistakes' and demanded a 'reset'.

In a stinging attack as the Conservative Party Conference started in Birmingham, Mr Gove warned racking up borrowing to cut taxes is wrong, and it will be impossible to justify reducing the burden for the wealthiest while holding down benefits for the poorest.

He suggested he would join rebels threatening to vote down the axing of the top 45p rate - arguing that Ms Truss has no mandate because she did not mention it during her campaign.

It came as Tory chairman Jake Berry said MPs face being kicked out of the parliamentary party if they go against the Government.

Ms Truss admitted this morning there were problems with the way Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng's fiscal event was communicated but backed the contents.

She has faced criticism over plans to increase Government borrowing by tens of billions of pounds at the same time as she cuts taxes for the richest.

Mr Gove told a Telegraph fringe event: 'It's going to be very, very, very difficult to argue it's right to reduce welfare when we're also reducing tax for the wealthiest.'

Asked if the abolition of the 45 per cent tax rate on income over 150,000 should be axed, he said: 'Yes.'

Mr Gove reminded the party that Boris Johnson won their majority with a broad pitch to voters as One Nation Conservatives, saying: 'We've got to stay true to that tradition.'

He did not rule out voting against Ms Truss's mini-budget but said he was not talking to other would-be rebels, adding there is an 'opportunity for a course correction and a reset' from the leadership.

'I've never voted against the Conservative whip and I want therefore to make sure that we can have a civilised conversation about priorities,' he added.

Another former member of Government later backed him up about the tax move being 'un-Conservative'.

Andrew Bowie, who was an aide to Theresa May, told BBC Scotland: 'I share Michael Goves concerns about where we are right now, but it is incumbent on us all to give the Chancellor the time and the space to expand on those plans and set out more details and then for us to be able to determine whether we support those plans or not. '

The former minister, who backed Kemi Badenoch and Rishi Sunak in the Tory leadership race, hit out as the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham.

Ms Truss this morning told the BBC that there were problems with the way Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng's fiscal event was communicated but backed the contents.

Earlier, Mr Gove was given a prime front row seat as a commentator after her BBC interview. In a withering assessment he said he was 'profoundly' concerned.

'There were two things that were problematic with the fiscal event. The first was the sheer risk of using borrowed money to fund tax cuts, that's not Conservative,' he said.

'The second thing is the decision to cut the 45p rate and at the same time to change the law which governs how bankers are paid in the City of London. Ultimately at a time when people are suffering  when you have additional billions of pounds in play, to have as your principal decision a headline tax move cutting taxes for the wealthiest, that is a display of the wrong values.'

Asked if he would vote for it he added: 'There are many good things in what Liz said and I do welcome the broader points she made about growth, but the critical thing is that Liz has acknowledged, with hindsight, with welcome hindsight, that mistakes were made in the preparation for Friday 

But pushed again he admitted: 'I don't believe it's right.'

It has been reported that some Tory MPs are preparing to vote with Labour to prevent measures announced by the Chancellor on September 23, including abolishing the top rate of income tax.

Asked on Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday whether this would result in them losing the party whip, Mr Berry said: 'Yes.'

He also urged Tory MPs to unite behind Liz Truss and her programme, saying she had 'a mandate both from colleagues and our membership'.

He said: 'I'm sure that if we do that it will lead ultimately to long-term electoral success.'

It came as party chairman Jake Berry said the rebels faced being kicked out of the parliamentary party if they did go against the Government.

Ms Truss admitted blunders over the Emergency Budget today she kicks off Tory conference - but warned restive MPs not to retreat to the 'status quo' after the markets meltdown.

The PM is launching the gathering in Birmingham against the backdrop of the Pound's plunge and a surge in borrowing costs following Kwasi Kwarteng's tax-cutting emergency Budget.

She accepted that the government should have 'laid the ground better' before unveiling the package - which spooked traders with a lack of independent OBR costings and a plan for managing debt.

But Ms Truss said she had 'learned' from the events and would push on with her 'very clear plan' to get the economy growing again.

'I want to reassure people that we do have a very clear plan,' she told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.

'I understand their worries about what has happened this week... I do accept we should have laid the ground better...

'I have learned from that and I will make sure that in future we do a better job of laying the ground.'

Ms Truss dodged repeatedly on whether the government is now proposing to cut public spending to help balance the books, saying Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng will give those details next month.

As part of reforms to revive the economy, the definition of a small business is set to be increased from 250 employees to 500, reducing red tape for tens of thousands of firms. The government also wants to copy a French model to boost childcare.

The grim political consequences of the market turmoil for the Tories was laid bare with an Opinium poll putting Labour on 46 per cent, 19 points ahead and enough for a landslide election win. Others have shown Keir Starmer's party with an advantage of up to 33 points.
Australia will impose further financial sanctions and travel bans on almost 30 Russia-backed separatists and senior officials following Moscow's move to annex swathes of Ukrainian territory.

The Albanese government on Sunday announced another 28 people would be penalised for trying to legitimise Russian attempts to claim several regions in Ukraine through 'sham' referendums in the war-torn nation.

In a statement, the government said claims to legitimacy for the referendums held in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia were baseless.

The government of Anthony Albanese has moved to place financial sanctions and travel bans on 30 more of those 'legitimising' Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Fighting continue to drag on in the Ukraine after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of the country in February

'The areas of Ukraine currently occupied by Russian forces are the sovereign territory of Ukraine, no sham referendum will change this,' Foreign Minister Penny Wong said.

The announcement of Russian rule over more than 15 per cent of Ukraine - the biggest annexation in Europe since World War II - has been roundly rejected as illegal.

The United States, Britain and Canada have already announced new sanctions but they seem to be doing little to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Australia has also backed Ukraine's claim Russia has violated the UN's genocide convention, filing a supporting intervention in the International Court of Justice.

The government continues to call on Russia to withdraw its military forces from Ukraine in compliance with the International Court of Justice's binding order from March this year.

Australia will continue to work closely with the international community to 'impose high costs' on those responsible for the invasion.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin has defied all international cries of condemnation during the brutal invasion of Ukraine

Speaking from Hawaii alongside his US counterpart, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, who is also the defence minister, said the government was considering how it could support Ukraine in the long-term.

'To put Ukraine in a position where ultimately this conflict can be resolved on its terms, and that has to be our objective,' he said.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the intervention was Australia's commitment to upholding international law.

'We stand with Ukraine in bringing these proceedings against Russia before the International Court of Justice,' he said.

Ukraine has called on Australia to provide further military equipment to back its attempt to repel Russian forces.

Russian president Vladimir Putin has threatened to use all means at the country's disposal to defend what it claims as its territory, widely interpreted as a reference to his nation's nuclear arsenal.

Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes, here seen with wife Annie, is one of the notable Australians who is on Russia's list of sanctions

The US has said it would respond decisively to any use of nuclear weapons.

In September Russia added another 41 names to its already lengthy list of Australians banned from entering the country in response to perceived hostility to the Putin's Ukraine invasion.

A notable inclusion was chief SBS Russia correspondent Ben Lewis, who tweeted that he was 'surprised it took this long TBH'.

Other notable media figures who have been banned include Liz Hayes, Stan Grant, Patricia Karvelas and Andrew Bolt.

News Corp heir Lachlan Murdoch, here seen with wife Sarah, is one of the notable Australians who is on Russia's list of sanctions

Russia has previously banned prime minister Anthony Albanese along with his predecessor Scott Morrison along with other ministers from both governments and even some state premiers.

Among some other notable people banned are billionaire mining magnates Gina Rinehart and Andrew 'Twiggy Forrest along with News Corp heir Lachlan Murdoch.

Atlassian co-founders Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar, property tycoon Harry Triguboff and Rio Tinto Iron Ore chief Simon Trott are also locked out of Russia.
A British teenager has died from an allergic reaction in Mexico after eating a vegetarian burrito which contained sesame despite warning restaurant staff of his condition, an inquest heard.

Joe Dobson, 19, from London, asked staff multiple times in Spanish and English to make sure there was no sesame in the food, South London Coroner's Court heard.

Friends claimed that after just three bites, Joe knew there was sesame in his meal but said restaurant staff didn't seem concerned about his allergy and wouldn't call an ambulance.

On November 1 last year, Joe, who was with friends in the seaside resort town of Playa del Carmen in Quintana Roo, had left his EpiPen at their apartment but by the time they got back and used it it was too late.

Joe Dobson was with friends in the seaside resort town of Playa del Carmen in Quintana Roo, Mexico (pictured)

The 19-year-old became increasingly unable to breathe, slipping into unconsciousness before he died later in hospital.

It's the latest in a string of allergy sufferers being killed by food that they have eaten as grief-stricken families campaign for more to be done.

The parents of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, who died after eating a Pret a Manger baguette which contained sesame in 2016, have been campaigning ever since for stricter food safety laws.

They welcomed the introduction of 'Natasha's Law' last year which require full ingredient and allergen labelling on food.

Natasha Ednan-Laperouse (left) died after eating a Pret a Manger baguette which contained sesame in 2016 while mother-of five Celia Mash (right) - who had an acute dairy allergy - died after eating a Pret a Manger wrap that was contaminated with traces of milk in 2017

Grief-stricken families demand stricter food safety laws Joe Dobson, 19, is just the latest allergy sufferer who has died after eating a meal containing a fatal ingredient for them. Mother-of-five Celia Marsh, 42 - who had an acute dairy allergy - died after eating a Pret a Manger wrap that was contaminated with traces of milk in 2017. And in 2016, Natasha Ednan-Laperouse died also after eating a Pret a Manger baguette which contained sesame. Meanwhile in 2014, This Morning producer Amy May Shead, 31, suffered an anaphylactic shock after eating just one mouthful of a chicken and rice dish that contained nuts in and has been left confined to a wheelchair, partially paralysed and unable to see or speak properly. Celia Marsh's eldest daughter Ashleigh Grice, 27 said: 'As a family we believe that action must be taken now by the food industry and the government. We need better testing, better labelling, and better healthcare.' Celia Marsh, 42, died after eating a Pret a Manger vegan wrap which contained traces of milk despite her having an acute dairy allergy Meanwhile at the time of Natasha Ednan-Laperouses's inquest, her father Nadim said: 'Our beloved daughter died in a tragedy that never have happened and we believe that this inquest has shown that she died because of inadequate food labelling laws. 'It feels to us that if Pret A Manger were following the law then the law was playing Russian roulette with our daughters life. Natasha Ednan-Laperouse died after eating a Pret a Manger sandwich in 2016 'It's clear that the food labelling laws as they stand today are not fit for purpose and it is now time to change the law. 'Natasha's inquest should serve as a watershed moment to make meaningful change and to save lives.' 'Natasha's Law' would later come in thanks to her parents who fought for stricter food safety laws. It requires full ingredient and allergen labelling on food. Advertisement

They said they were also right behind the family of mother-of five Celia Mash - who had an acute dairy allergy - after she similarly died from eating a Pret a Manger wrap that was contaminated with traces of milk in 2017.

Coroner Mark Taylor told the court last Wednesday that Joe was allergic to sesame, eggs, milk and peanuts.

He also described how staff did not understand the severity of the situation. 'The staff told him to drink some honey and lemon liquid and he did so to keep them quiet it seems,' he said.

In a statement read out by Mr Taylor, Harriet Preston, a friend of Joe's, said she had gone to visit him and they were sharing an Airbnb together.

She said: 'I have known Joe for three years. He had never failed to celebrate my achievements with me, no matter how small.

'I was aware of his medical condition and that he carried medication with him. I was visiting him while he was working there.

'We had a normal day, chilling on the beach, going to town, looking around the shops.

'We decided to eat at a fusion restaurant where they had been before. Joe ordered a vegetarian burrito and said no sesame and used the Spanish word.

'After ordering, there was communication between them to ensure there was no sesame in his meal.

'When the food arrived, it was sent back as Joe believed it contained sesame.'

Joe had tried to communicate with staff in basic English that if he were to eat sesame he would die.

But Harriet added: 'Joe's meal arrived again and I watched him put his torch light over it. He took two bites and said no, that's got it in it.

'He went over to the bar staff, they were in denial. He could feel it in his throat. He said he needed an ambulance but the staff were reluctant.

'The staff did not treat our situation like what it was. There was no basic first aid or knowledge.'

A second friend who was also there on the night, Ryan, said that Joe made his allergies clear to the staff at the restaurant and that they had eaten there before with no problems.

He told the court in a statement: 'This time he noticed the burrito looked different.

'He sent it back but it looked no different. He repeated his allergies multiple times. He took one to three bites, he felt something was wrong. He let the group know.

'He did not have his EpiPen on him. He was becoming more urgent in his requests, had the honey drink.

'He went to the apartment to get his EpiPen. He ran to the taxi and the driver was very casual, walking slowly to the door. He did not understand the severity at all.

'This escalated by the time we got to the apartment. Joe went straight to the lifts. He fell over.

'I ran upstairs to get the pens, got them and ran back down. Joe had managed to crawl into the lift and come up to our floor so I dragged him out of the lift and got the pens out but the pens did not help him.'

The coroner described how after Joe had slipped into unconsciousness, a police car took him to the local hospital but doctors were unable to revive him and he died that evening.

Mr Taylor said: 'It seems there was a gap of 10-15 minutes before the pen could be used. I have no evidence to tell me whether it would have made any difference in terms of outcome.

'I suspect there are a good many factors to take into account, the amount of sesame and absorbtion factors.

'It seems very clear to me that Joe did all he reasonably could have done to warn the restaurant not to serve him food containing sesame and even checked himself.

'And it is very clear to me that it was the sesame in the food served by the restaurant that caused the allergic reaction.

'Joe acted unwittingly in eating the food with sesame which caused the fatal reaction.

'This should not have happened and to someone like Joe of his age.'
A desperate hunt has been launched to track down a missing mum and her newborn son who haven't been seen or heard from in 16 days.

Huriana Taylor, 33, and her four-month-old son Terrence, were last seen in the inner Sydney suburb of Balmain on September 13.

The last verbal contact she had with family and friends was three days later on September 16.

She is known to frequent the Balmain, Guildford and Bankstown parts of Sydney.

Police are desperate to track down Sydney mum Huriana Brown (pictured) described as being of Pacific Islander/Maori appearance, thin build, 165-170cm tall, dark hair and brown eyes

New information has led police to believe she may be in the St Marys area in the city's west.

Police have grave concerns for the pair's welfare and have urged Huriana to come forward so that they can ensure she and the baby are safe and well.

Huriana is described as being of Pacific Islander/Maori appearance , of thin build, about 165-170cm tall, with dark hair and brown eyes.

Terrence is described as being of Pacific Islander/Maori appearance with brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information about their whereabouts is urged to contact police.
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.
The Portman Clinic is part of the controversial Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust

She said she has been discriminated against on the basis of race and religion

Amy Gallagher, 33, is taking legal action against the Portman Clinic in London

A Christian nurse, who is suing an NHS Trust for discrimination, has claimed that the healthcare service forces a 'racist ideology' onto its students.

Amy Gallagher, 33, is taking legal action against the Portman Clinic in North London, part of The Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust.

The nurse, who is in her final stages of a two-year course in forensic psychology at the trust, claims she has been discriminated against on the basis of race, religion and philosophical belief.

The mental health nurse took issue with the trust when she was allegedly forced to take part in a lecture titled 'whiteness - a problem of our time' in October 2020.

Amy Gallagher, 33, (pictured) is taking legal action against the Portman Clinic in North London, part of The Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust

The online presentation then said, 'the problem of racism is a problem of whiteness' and encouraged attendees to confront 'the reality of whiteness'.

At a meeting with her course leader Ms Gallagher explained she did not consider herself racist and that she took a 'colour-blind' approach, meaning she did not judge people by their skin colour.

Ms Gallagher claims she was told that such a colour-blind approach is now 'outdated'.

Ms Gallagher then filed a formal complaint to the Tavistock Trust in January last year.

In March the legal case was escalated after an external speaker complained to the Nursing and Midwifery Council, claiming that Ms Gallagher had 'inflicted race-based harm' and as a result could not work with 'diverse populations', The Telegraph reports.

The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust said it cannot comment on any claims that are part of an 'ongoing legal case'

Ms Gallagher said she believes it will be the first legal case for 'lack of belief' that argues that a white Christian woman cannot believe in Critical Race Theory.

The theory says racism is institutional and rejects the colour-blind approach.

She told The Telegraph: 'They are forcing Critical Race Theory onto people - you're not allowed to disagree with it, or they will bully you for two years.

'I'm bringing this legal case to protect my career but it's also the in the courts.

'The NHS is forcing someone to adopt a racist ideology and it needs to be stopped.'

The nurse who will be represented by Andrew Storch Solicitors, filed court documents in the Central London County in March.

Shakespeare Martineau law firm, representing the trust, plans to file its defence this week.

Ms Gallagher, who has worked for seven years, enrolled on the Portman Clinic's D59F Forensic Psychodynamic Psychotherapy course in September 2020 to finish her clinical training. She had already completed the Tavistock's foundation psychotherapy course.

Amy gallagher set up a Go Fund Me page titled '#StandUpToWoke Tavistock discrimination Lawsuit' in August 2021 - it has raised more than 27,000

She said she initially enjoyed the two-year, part-time course, which will qualify her to set up her own private psychotherapy practice.

But became concerned when, in November, students were given a compulsory lecture on race and racism by forensic psychoanalyst Dr Anne Aiyegbusi.

Ms Gallagher claimed that the lecturer 'spoke negatively about Christianity while no other religions were mentioned'.

In August 2021, the nurse set up a Go Fund Me page titled '#StandUpToWoke Tavistock discrimination Lawsuit'.

On the site, she said the money would help fund the initial lawsuit, class action lawsuit and an application for a Judicial Review.

It has raised 27,518 in the last year.

The nurse previously said that the Trust had threatened to suspend her from her final year of the course to become a psychotherapist, which cost more than 20,000.

She previously told MailOnline in January: 'On the basis of my experience there, what they describe as anti-racism is racism. What they describe as tolerance is an intolerance of anyone who thinks differently to them.

'Left unchallenged, such institutional bullying will only be emboldened.

'I feel passionate about this. I hope my case will prove that teaching these discriminatory ideas  as though they are factual and true  within the NHS or within academia is wrong.'

A spokesman for the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust said: 'We cannot comment on an ongoing legal case.

'As a trust, we have made a public commitment to work to become an anti-racist organisation.'

In July, the NHS Trust's controversial child transgender clinic was forced to shut down after a report found that it was 'not safe' for children.

The gender identity service will instead be replaced by regional centres at existing children's hospitals, which will provide more holistic care with 'strong links to mental health services'.
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The police search for the last victim of Moors murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley this morning entered its third day - as victim Keith Bennett's family were frustrated waiting for news, saying they did not believe he was there.

On Friday author Russell Edwards said he believed he has located the youngster's makeshift grave following 'extensive soil analysis' which indicated the presence of human remains.

He thinks Nazi-obsessed Brady wanted to create the shape of a swastika with the spots on Saddleworth Moor where he buried his victims.

But Keith's brother Alan expressed exasperation today about the search - although accepted things could not be ruled out.

He wrote online: 'I am just getting frustrated, annoyed, confused and feeling a lot more emotions because there is more to this than meets the eye and I cannot understand why that bloke appears not to have been exact in his information to the police about the location.

'Surely, he cannot have forgotten exactly where it is after his claims about his years of investigations. Just a few of the hundreds of thoughts running through my mind.

'Just to be clear about this. I'm not saying there is nothing there, what I will say is that I, and many others are confused, to say the very least.

'I still believe Keith is not in that location and I still believe there were no other victims.

'However, nobody can rule anything else out. I just cannot understand why nothing has been found.'

There's a lot more I would like to say and ask but out of respect and gratitude for the Cold Case Team and the Forensic Team I'll keep quiet for now.'

So far it had been reported human remains had been located but Greater Manchester Police said its investigation had found none.

Supplied new photographs and information are considered so compelling forensic officers will continue their work until all avenues are exhausted, which could take days longer due to 'difficult' conditions.

An officer carries an evidence bag on Saddleworth Moor, in north west England, where Greater Manchester Police are searching for the remains of the body of 12-year-old Keith Bennett

There appeared to be some interest in the content of the bag which was taken away but anything would require full testing

Police searching an area of moorland where the body of Ian Brady and Myra Hindley's final missing victim could be buried say no human remains have been found.

Police today launched a drone for the search on Saddleworth Moor in the hunt for the remains of the body of 12-year-old Keith

Two blue tents were still up today as police continued their search for the body of Keith. So far nothing has been found

It was hoped their excavations would reveal the remains of Keith Bennett, a 12-year-old schoolboy murdered in 1964

Keith Bennett was snatched by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley in 1964. He is their only victim who has never been found

Between July 1963 and October 1965 Myra Hindley, left, and Ian Brady, right murdered five children. Hindley died in 2002 and Brady in 2017 without revealing the location of Bennett's body

The family of Moors murder victim Keith Bennett last night said they hoped his body would finally be found Pictured: Brother Alan Bennett

Keith, 12, was taken by Brady and Hindley after they pulled up in a van as he walked to his grandmother's house in Manchester in 1964.

The evil pair tricked him into the vehicle before sexually assaulted, strangled and buried him in a shallow grave, which has never been found.

Senior Investigating Officer Cheryl Hughes said yesterday: 'Following information received which indicated that potential human remains had been found on the Moors, specialist officers have resumed excavation of a site identified to us.

'This information included photographs of the site and show what experts working with the informant have interpreted as a human jaw bone. No physical evidence of a jaw bone or skull has been examined.

One crime scene investigations officer at the location today searching for the remains of murder victim Keith Bennett

Police say parts of the search have been hampered by conditions on Saddleworth Moor, but were out in earnest again today

One theory is Nazi-obsessed Brady wanted to create the shape of a swastika with the spots on Saddleworth Moor where he buried his victims

GMP Force Review Officer Cheryl Hughes confirmed the team hadn't found any new evidence that the youngster had been buried there

'However, based on the photographs and information provided, and in line with GMP's usual practice to follow-up any suggestion of human burial, we began our search of the site of interest.

'We have not found any identifiable human remains but our work to excavate the site is continuing.

'Conditions are difficult and it may take us some time to fully complete the excavation but we are committed to ensuring this is undertaken in the most thorough way possible.'

Between July 1963 and October 1965, the Brady and Hindley killed five children aged between 10 and 17 in a two-year killing spree which shocked the nation.

Police are digging on the Moors for murder victim Keith Bennett for the first time in 35 years to investigate suspected human remains. Suspected human remains  including what experts believe to be a child's skull  are reported to have been found

Haunted: Keith's mum Winnie, who died in 2012 without ever knowing where her son was buried. Pictured with the famous 'missing' poster of her son

How psychopath Ian Brady taunted victim Keith Bennett's brother Ian Brady sent a letter to the brother of Moors murder victim Keith Bennett saying he would leave 'special instructions' of how to find the child's remains in his will. The taunt from the killer filled Keith's family with hope, but they never received further clues from him. In the letter sent to Keith's brother, Alan Bennett, in 1991, Brady writes: 'I again advise you to stop searching until matters are resolved. My will contains special instructions for you alone. My time is almost over. Sincerely, Ian Brady.' When the contents of the letter were revealed for the first time in 2019, Alan said: 'It would be another 26 years after he sent that letter before he died. At the time we were hopeful that it might lead to Keith. I wrote to him several times and at one point asked if he would correspond with John Stalker (former assistant chief constable) after he left GMP, so that information could be passed that way. But Brady would change the subject, and nothing came of it.' Alan feared it could have been a twisted game Brady was playing, but he also wondered if the 'special instructions' might be in two locked briefcases held by Brady's solicitor. Alan believes they could contain clues as to the exact spot that Brady and Myra Hindley buried Keith, after abducting and killing him in 1964. But Brady's solicitor Robin Makin refused to give the cases to Cold Case Unit officers from GMP. Just before his death in May 2017, Brady requested the two combination-locked cases be put in secure storage. It has since emerged officers went to court for a search warrant to open the cases to check them for clues. But a district judge refused the application, stating there was no prospect of an investigation leading to a prosecution as both killers were dead. Keith's brother, Alan, 62, said in 2019: 'There is a desperate need to look for anything that may help in the recovery of Keith's body and there may be something in those cases. We cannot be sure be we need to know for sure - one way or another. 'During my correspondence with Brady many years ago he stated that he had left instructions in his will for me alone. He did not give any further detail but it was at a time when I was searching on the moor and asking him about routes taken, areas of the moor, landmarks etc. 'The refusal by Mr Makin to help any further is a great cause of distress considering that my brother's body still remains on the moor while all the other victims have been returned to their loved ones for a proper burial.' Advertisement

While two of the victims were discovered on the Moors in 1965, and a third in 1987, Keith was never found, with the location of his burial site taken to the grave following Hindley and Brady's deaths in 2002 and 2017 respectively.

Nazi-obsessed Brady, who was officially diagnosed as a psychopath in 1985, taunted Keith's brother Alan Bennett in a sickening letter in 1991.

Brady insister he would leave 'special instructions' of how to find the child's remains in his will - but the clues never materialised.

Following this week's findings of new remains, Alan took to social media last night to say that 'all should be clear and final by some time tomorrow.'

However he expressed his scepticism, writing on Facebook: 'Apart from believing this is the location for Keith and all the previous graves have been shallow why, if the police were taken to the location, has nothing been discovered as of yet?

'I cannot escape the feeling that we have been here before.'

Forensics were pictured erecting two blue tents on Saturday as they resumed digging in a bid to end the six-decade mystery of little Keith's final resting place.

Firefighters were also called to the scene to pump the digging site, which has become waterlogged due to the rainy weather.

It comes after the Daily Mail exclusively revealed this week that detectives were preparing to exhume a particular area where suspected skeletal remains had been found.

It included what experts believed were to be a child's upper jaw with a full set of teeth.

Forensic anthropologists from Greater Manchester Police were examining potential samples of body tissue taken from the area in the hope of extracting DNA which could finally crack the infamous murder case.

Detectives were also looking at a small sample of material thought to be clothing found buried 3ft underground beside the skull.

Keith's brother Alan, 66, was said to be 'stoic' when news about the unexpected twist in the case broke on Thursday.

His solicitor John Ainley said on Friday: 'I have spoken to my client, Alan Bennett, concerning the reported development in the search for his brother Keith Bennett.

'My client is keeping an open mind on the latest report having regard to earlier such reports that have raised expectations but not resulted in finding Keith's body.

'Naturally, the family are hoping that Keith has been found after all these years and their tireless efforts to find closure.

'I understand Greater Manchester Police are investigating a site of interest but that it will take some weeks to establish whether there is a connection with Keith.'

The development came after author Russell Edwards assembled a team of experts in a bid to solve one of the greatest murder mysteries of all time.
Two men have been charged with assault after a man heckling Prince Andrew during the Queen's coffin procession in Edinburgh was 'thrown to the ground'.

Police launched an investigation after mourners stepped in when Prince Andrew was 'verbally abused' as he walked behind his mother's coffin on the Royal Mile on September 12.

The 22-year-old protester, who was seen heckling the Duke of York on widely circulated video footage, was charged with a breach-of-peace after being taken away by officers.

He was later released on an undertaking and expected in court at a later date.

But Police Scotland have now confirmed two other men, both 34, are now expected to be in court following their arrests and charges.

A spokesperson for the force said: 'Two men, both 34, have been arrested and charged in connection with assault following an incident on the Royal Mile on September 12.

'A report will be sent for the consideration of the fiscal.'

Two men have been charged with the assault of a 22-year-old (pictured) who was heckling Prince Andrew as he walked behind his mother's coffin on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh

Prince Andrew joined King Charles, Princess Anne and the Earl of Wessex as they walked behind their mother's coffin while it travelled to St Giles' Cathedral after leaving the Palace of Holyroodhouse for the last time

Prince Andrew was alongside his three siblings, King Charles, Princess Anne and the Earl of Wessex as they walked behind their mother's coffin while it travelled to St Giles' Cathedral after leaving the Palace of Holyroodhouse for the last time.

He was not allowed to wear military dress for the occasion and instead wore a morning suit.

The 62-year-old stepped down from royal duties in 2019 due to his controversial friendship with the late US financier Jeffrey Epstein who killed himself while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

The Duke of York had largely withdrawn from public life following his out-of-court settlement with his sex assault accuser Virginia Roberts earlier this year.

He repeatedly denied Ms Roberts's allegations that he sexually assaulted her when she was 17 - while she was being trafficked by his friend Epstein.

But earlier this year he agreed a 12million out-of-court settlement with Ms Roberts, before the case went to a US civil trial.
A Transatlantic trade deal could be back on within months if Joe Biden is hammered in mid-term elections, allies of Liz Truss believe.

Despite the PM admitting a fortnight ago that a pact is off the table for the foreseeable future, a Cabinet minister told MailOnline it is set to return to the agenda soon.

They insisted 'Anglophile' Republicans will be keen to thrash out an agreement regardless of resistance from the Democrats.

Such a turnaround would be a major boost for Ms Truss, whose push for a trade deal was thwarted by Mr Biden.

The president has dismissed the prospect while the UK is engaged in a standoff with the EU over the Northern Ireland protocol.

When he met Liz Truss for the first time since she became PM in New York last month, Joe Biden - who has Irish roots - highlighted that the Northern Ireland row is 'personal' for him

The UK is engaged in a standoff with the EU over the Northern Ireland protocol. Pictured, commission president Ursula von der Leyen

The minister said: 'The Biden administration don't want a deal, but the Biden administration are going to lose the mid-terms badly and then it's a whole different ball-game.

'The Republicans who will take over in Congress  including key committees like Ways and Means  are real Anglophiles.

'They don't like the EU but they do like the UK and they like trade deals.

'Of course, anything would have to be approved by the White House, but I can easily see Congress putting a package together and sending it to Biden and saying 'Are you going to turn this down?' It's not over by any means.'

The US mid-terms are scheduled for November 8, with the Democrats widely expected to lose control of the House - and possibly the Senate.

When he met the PM for the first time in New York last month Mr Biden - who has Irish roots - highlighted that the Northern Ireland row is 'personal' for him.

That coincided with Ms Truss conceding that a trade deal will not happen in the 'short or medium term', with the focus instead on joining the 11-strong Trans-Pacific Partnership (CTPPT) which includes Australia, Mexico, Canada, Singapore and Japan.

Trade talks with Donald Trump reached an advanced stage with hopes of an outline deal only knocked off-course by the Covid pandemic.

However, the idea has effectively been on hold since Mr Biden took the keys to the White House.
A huge lorry, carrying tons of sewage, has fallen into the road after it was swallowed by a sink hole just a few steps away from a primary school.

The giant water tanker, carrying thousands of gallons of waste, capsized after its wheels fell into a 20ft hole on a road in Wokingham, Berkshire.

Police and fire crews were immediately called to the scene on Friday evening where the closed off the road and scratched their heads about how to get the multi-ton lorry out of the sinkhole.

The collapse happened as Thames Water workers were dealing with a blocked sewer.

A huge lorry carrying tons of sewage was swallowed into a sink hole in Wokingham, Berkshire on Friday evening

The massive vehicle had bene on its way to help Thames Water remove sewage from a blocked pipe when it suddenly capsized and fell into the ground

It is believed a large crane will be needed to remove the multi-ton lorry out of the sinkhole

The water company had called on the massive tanker to assist with taking away the foul water that had built up and blocked the pipes.

Fortunately the incident occurred in the evening, so no school children were harmed.

Workmen have speculated that a huge crane will be required to remove the tanker out of the ditch, believing the vehicle could be stuck in the road until Tuesday.

An announcement is yet to be made about whether pupils from Evendons Primary School will be turned way tomorrow.

There are also fears that further parts of Evendons Lane might collapse under the weight of the crane, especially when it tried to lift out the tanker.

One local resident said that there had previously been sink holes in the lane but nothing as dramatic as the latest incident.

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said that although officers supervised the road closure, the incident had since been handed over to the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service and Thames Water.
Campaigners want to ban buyers changing the historic Welsh language names of second homes to English ones.

House-sellers are taking legal action to ban giving the second homes in Wales a new name because losing traditional Welsh-language house names in countryside destinations is 'culturally damaging'.

A new legal protection to prevent historic Welsh house names from being lost has been drawn up by lawyers to curb the changes to English names - such as 'Ty Gwyn' for 'Whitehouse' and 'Cartref' for 'Home'.

A petition bidding to stop the swapping out of long-standing Welsh language house names that racked up over 18,000 signatures, was debated at The Senedd in early 2021.

Legal firm Swayne Johnson has used a new covenant-based scheme to stop buyers ditching historic and evocative names, many of which date back centuries.

Campaigners want to ban buyers changing the historic Welsh language names of second homes to English ones (Pictured: Coloured houses overlooking the harbour in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales)

Pictured: Hawl i Fyw Adra pressure group walking from Nefyn to Gwynedd council HQ Caernarfon to raise awareness of the lack of proper regulating of second homes and the lack of safeguards for Welsh communities and language

Mared Williams, a solicitor based at Swayne Johnson's Ruthin branch in North Wales, said: 'I have already put this covenant into practice and am proud to play a part in ensuring that the owners of properties with historic names can protect those names for generations to come.

'There are very many house names in Wales that tell the story of the property and are part of the area's local history.

'The house or farm name adds colour and information about the building, the landscape or the people who might have once lived there.

'The name of a property is often an integral part of the story of the place and it's important that historically and culturally important Welsh place names are protected and not lost.'

The new scheme, called Diogelwn, meaning We Will Protect, was drawn up by Simon Chandler, of Manchester law firm Chandler Harris, to give legal backing to the preservation of Welsh houses and even place names.

Simon, 58, an Englishman who learned Welsh in his 50s, said: 'The idea that people can arbitrarily change the names of houses and places here seems to me to be an assault on the identity of Wales.

Pictured: A row of coloured houses along the coast in Beaumaris on the Isle of Anglesey

'I learned Welsh six years ago when I was already in my 50s and I was inspired to draft this in response to a Twitter appeal by poet and author Sian Northey who asked whether there was any way of protecting the Welsh name of her house that was about to sell.

'I looked at it from the point of view of a specialist in commercial conveyancing, and the scheme essentially enables sellers to put covenants on their properties with language group Cymdeithas yr Iaith as their legal custodian. A condition of the sale is that the new owner agrees that the original name will be retained.'

BBC news anchor Huw Edwards has previously voiced his frustration at the practice, writing on Twitter: 'It's been going on for years. So Porth Trecastell became 'Cable Bay' and the historic church of Nantcwnlle - now a private home - became 'Dunroamin'.

'I propose replacing London with its old Welsh name 'Caerludd'. No? Ah. I thought not.'

In June, developers in Anglesey were accused of 'shocking disrespect' after a four bedroom house called 'Gwel-yr-Wyddfa' was renamed 'Sandy Retreat'.

Gwel-yr-Wyddfa translates roughly as 'Snowdon View'. Mount Snowdon, known as Wyddfa in Welsh, overlooks the area.

Angelesey Homes tweeted: 'We've renamed our Gwel-yr-Wyddfa property!

'It is now known as 9 Sandy Retreat  available for 8 guests, pet friendly, and in the beautiful village of Llanfaelog. Ready to book your stay?'

But the decision was slammed by local Plaid Cymru Welsh Senedd member Rhun ap Iorwerth who called it 'erasing the Welsh language/culture'.

He tweeted the company saying: 'Hi Anglesey Homes. Perhaps you could explain what's happening here.

'This is a property at 9 Gwel yr Wyddfa, which you've now changed to 9 Sandy Retreat, yes? Is erasing the Welsh language/culture a part of your business plan?'
The only P&O Ferries seafarer to sue the firm after its sudden sacking of 800 staff has won an even higher financial settlement than the pay-off he was offered.

John Lansdown, 40, sued P&O on the grounds of unfair dismissal and has won an out-of-court settlement, believed to be in the five-figure region.

The firm paid a total of 36.5million to the workers it fired without notice after they were unexpectedly replaced with cheaper agency staff.

All of the workers apart from Mr Lansdown accepted the redundancy package, which depended on how long they had worked at the company but in turn signed away their right to take legal action against the company.

Reports at the time said that no worker would receive less than 15,000 while more than 40 were in line for compensation higher than 100,000.

But Mr Lansdown, a sous-chef from Kent on cross-Channel routes, refused as he would have taken no more than his 30,827 annual salary.

He first joined P&O Ferries as a 16-year-old trainee and was working on The Pride of Canterbury on the Dover to Calais route when he was sacked in March after 15 years at the company.

The long-term employee was marched off the ship and forced to leave his belongings behind when he was told 'out of the blue and without any prior consultation' about his instant sacking.

John Lansdown (pictured), 40, sued P&O on the grounds of unfair dismissal and has won an out-of-court settlement, believed to be in the five-figure region

P&O Ferries paid paid a total of 36.5million to the workers it fired without notice after they were unexpectedly with cheaper agency staff. Pictured: The Spirit of Britain ferry arriving at the Port of Dover

He alleges that private security staff, carrying handcuff and wearing balaclavas, were hired to remove workers who refused to leave the ferries.

Instead of accepting the pay-off like all of the other staff, he brought an employment tribunal claim against the firm for unfair dismissal, culminating in his momentous victory.

After a six-month legal battle, the company conceded that no consultation took place before Mr Lansdown was sacked and that he was in fact unfairly dismissed.

A slight catch from the settlement, however, is that Mr Lansdown agreed not to disclose the sum paid to him but it is understood to be substantially higher than the pay-off he refused.

Mr Lansdown is donating the money to the Sailors' Children's Society, which supports families across the UK.

Mr Lansdown (right) worked at P&O for 15 years before he was allegedly marched off the ship and had to leave his belongings behind

P&O workers pictured leaving the Port of Dover in March after 800 of them were suddenly sacked and replaced with cheaper agency staff

He said: 'My legal claim was never about the money. It was about justice and holding P & O accountable when they thought they could just disregard the law.

'I refused their unjust offer and rejected the gagging order that they demanded sacked workers sign up to back in March.

'They were faced with an employment tribunal that they didn't have any realistic prospect of winning, so effectively they've said 'It's a fair cop guv. Hands up. We unfairly dismissed you'.

'This is a moral victory. It is hugely important, not just for myself but workers all across the UK.

'They turned our lives upside down. This puts unscrupulous employers on notice that people aren't going to take this lying down.

P&O Ferries chief executive Peter Hebblethwaite (pictured) admitted the sudden sacking of 800 workers had been illegal buthe would make the same decision again if he had to

'We will not carry on being treated like this, having our jobs taken from us without due process being followed.'

P&O, owned by the Dubai-based shipping giant DP World, replaced the mostly British workforce with agency staff.

Many of the agency staff drafted in to replace the current crew were paid less than the minimum wage thanks to a loophole in employment law.

DP World faced backlash in August after it raked in record half-year profits despite P&O's sensational decision to fire 800 workers.

The company's actions caused widespread outrage with political leaders and the Archbishop of Canterbury condemning it.

P&O Ferries boss Peter Hebblethwaite previously admitted to MPs that sacking 800 workers without notice or union consultation had broken the law but said he would make the same decision again if he had to.

At the time, he said that no union would have accepted the plan and it was easier to compensate workers 'in full' instead.

Natalie Elphicke, the Conservative MP for Dover, is calling for the Insolvency Service to bring disqualification proceedings against P&O's directors.

P&O Ferries declined to comment.
King Charles was urged to attend a climate change summit next month and ignore Liz Truss's advice to stay away today - by one of her own MPs.

The new King, a veteran environmental campaigner, reportedly scrapped plans to speak at the COP27 meeting in Egypt after the Prime Minister objected.

Last night, Buckingham Palace sources confirmed that Charles was no longer attending the event which he had planned to when he was Prince of Wales.

However sources insisted he had not been ordered to stay away by the PM and stressed instead that he had sought the advice of No 10. They said the decision for the King not to attend had been unanimous.

But today Tobias Elwood suggested he should consider going anyway.

He wrote online: 'I hope common sense will prevail. King Charles is a globally respected voice on the environment and climate change.

'His attendance would add serious authority to the British delegation. Can we really go from hosting COP26 to benching soft power at COP27?'

Meanwhile Levelling Up Secretary Simon Clarke said the decision that the King should not attend the international gathering in Egypt had been taken 'consensually' between the Government and the Palace.

Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood suggested King Charles should consider going to it anyway

Simon Clarke, Secretary of State for Levelling Up said the decision had been made by both

Mr E;;wood's intervention seems unlikely to be welcomed by under-fire new PM Liz Truss

King Charles is a long-time environmental campaigner of environmental drives and causes

'It's been clear this is a decision that has been made consensually between the King and the Government,' he told Times Radio.

'That is a decision that has been made amicably, as far as I am aware, between the Palace and the Government. The suggestions this morning that he was ordered to stay away are simply not true.

'I think it is very different when you are the host country for a major event like Cop to have the head of state involved as opposed to the head of state going to what is an event being hosted in Egypt.

'It is the normal course of matters that this would be handled by the Government rather than by the monarchy.'

There was suggestions the decision was the first sign of Charles embracing his new role as King, after he indicated that he would step back from much of his campaigning work now that he was the sovereign.

A source said: 'There is no suggestion of any row. Whether members of the Royal Family attend or not is up to the Foreign Office.' Last night, Downing Street said: 'We do not comment on private meetings between HM The King and the PM.'

It was speculated that the King had plans to make a speech at the upcoming Cop27 conference that would clash with the new government's watered down climate change policies

Sources dismissed suggestions that Ms Truss had told the King not to attend, saying the Palace and the Government 'agreed jointly there might be more suitable options' for Charles's first State visit, adding: 'The idea that the PM can order the King what to do is ridiculous.'

However, The Sunday Times reported that Ms Truss had objected to him taking part in the Sharm- el-Sheik gathering during a personal audience last month.

The report said there had 'not been a row' but quoted a senior Royal source that the decision was made on the Government's advice and was 'entirely in the spirit of being ever-mindful as King that he acts on Government advice'.

The source said: 'He had to think very carefully about what steps to take for his first overseas tour and he is not going to be attending COP.'

Charles was reportedly still determined to make his influence felt at the summit. A senior Royal insider said: 'Just because he is not in physical attendance, that doesn't mean His Majesty won't find other ways to support it.'

Another source said: 'The Queen gave an entirely non-political address at COP last year it sounds like he is not being given the choice. That is an error of judgment on the part of the Government.'

It was not clear last night if Prince William would attend instead.
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For southern Floridians, recovery from Hurricane Ian seems like it may be a long time away, as residents wait in six-hour long lines for gasoline and 10,000 remain in shelters amid ongoing power outages.

Experts now expect the disaster recovery in Florida, as well as in North and South Carolina, to cost tens of billions of dollars  as search efforts continue for those left stranded by the storm, and the remains of anyone who may have perished.

Authorities say at least 81 people have died during the hurricane in Florida and North Carolina, NBC News reports, with the majority of those who died living in Florida's Lee County, which bore the brunt of the storm when it made landfall on Wednesday.

Residents are now huddling at local Wal-Marts to charge their phones, as arguments break out at local gas stations about who got to the pumps first.

And in Sarasota County, sheriff deputies went door-to-door Saturday morning urging residents of the Hidden River community to evacuate because of a potential levee break, while in Osceola County, authorities urged residents to heed new evacuation orders because flood waters are expected to continue to rise into next week.

'I'm specifically one of those individuals, as I had to be rescued from my house this morning in order to be here today,' Osceola Commissioner Brandon Arrington told residents, adding: 'Places that have never experienced flooding are now experiencing flooding.'

BONITA SPRINGS, FLORIDA: Residents directed a man to an available gas pump on Saturday as the town tries to recover from the effects of Hurricane Ian

FORT MYERS BEACH: An Estero Island man carried empty jerrycans as he walked off the island in search for gas on Friday

BONITA SPRINGS: A man is pictured filling several cans full of gas on Saturday, days after Ian struck

Ian crashed ashore Florida's Gulf Coast with catastrophic force that afternoon as a Category 4 hurricane, packing maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour.

Chugging over land since then, Ian has diminished into an ever-weakening post-tropical cyclone, with the National Hurricane Center lifting all remaining watches and warnings related to the fading weather system by Saturday evening.

The NHC said heavy additional rainfall was possible across portions of West Virginia and western Maryland into Sunday morning, even as 'major to record flooding' was forecast to continue in central Florida.

BONITA SPRINGS: In some areas of Florida, residents have had to wait on line for six hours to get gas

SAN CARLOS ISLAND, FLORIDA: A man is pictured here resting at a gas station in the aftermath of the hurricane

BONITA SPRINGS, FLORIDA: Lines for gasoline stretched into the street on Saturday, four days after the storm made landfall

As the full scope of devastation came into clearer focus days after Ian struck, officials said some of the heaviest damage was inflicted by raging wind-driven ocean surf that rushed into seaside communities and washed buildings away.

Satellite images from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed beach cottages and a motel that lined the shores of Florida's Sanibel Island had been demolished by storm surges. Although most homes appeared to still be standing, roof damage to all was evident.

Surveys from the ground showed that the barrier island, a popular tourist getaway that was home to some 6,000 residents, was left utterly devastated, from its infrastructure to its famously idyllic aesthetic character.

'It's all just completely gone,' Sanibel's city manager, Dana Souza, said. 'Our electric system is pretty much destroyed, our sewer system has been damaged badly and our public water supply is under assessment.'

The island's link to the mainland was severed by breaches to Sanibel's causeway bridge, further complicating recovery efforts, Souza said.

SAN CARLOS ISLAND, FLORIDA: A woman held her son in her arms outside their devastated home on Saturday

FORT MYERS BEACH: Residents tried to clean debris left by the Category 4 storm on Friday as they surveyed the damage

PINE ISLAND, FLORIDA: Amanda Webster, a resident of Pine Island who evacuated returned to her home on Saturday to retrieve her belongings. She is pictured here waiting for a boat to once again bring her to shore

PINE ISLAND, FLORIDA: A physician, Karen Calkins, tends to Mona Guibord, 94, as she waited to be evacuated on Saturday

Roughly 10,000 people throughout the state now remain in shelters after evacuating their homes, officials announced on Saturday, as state and federal agencies continue to recover bodies and stranded residents.

They said that the initial phase of rescuing hurricane victims has largely passed at this point, and the vast majority of rescues are from people who are left stranded in the barrier islands, Miami Herald reports.

Some residents of Matalcha and Sanibel Island, though, have tried to return home  only to find them unlivable, with a lack of water and infrastructure.

'I think after camping out there after a night or two, they're realizing that that's not a viable option,' US Coast Guard Rear Admiral Brendan McPherson said, adding: 'The stat is working to get these people to safety and put them in a stable location to reunify them with their families.

'And then I'm sure the state will, with the support of FEMA, will do the hard work of recovering.'

But as of Sunday, more than 837,000 residents throughout the Sunshine State remained without power, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks power outages across the country.

And persistent water problems in southwest Florida make it difficult for people to return home.

FORT MYERS BEACH, FLORIDA: Ian crashed ashore Florida's Gulf Coast with catastrophic force that afternoon as a Category 4 hurricane, packing maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour

FORT MYERS, FLORIDA: Allison Huston and Matt Wood worked to clear a tree from a road on Saturday

FORT MYERS BEACH, FLORIDA: Residents are pictured here walking along Estero Boulevard with their suitcases as they evacuated their destroyed homes

Among those left stranded from the storm is Ed Madden, who decided not to stay at a shelter after his mobile home sustained 10 feet worth of seawater storm surge.

'It's ruined  there's nothing left,' he told the Miami Herald of the mobile home he has lived in for nine years at the bottom of the bridge to Fort Myers Beach.

'I don't know where I'm going to go, to be honest. I haven't thought that far ahead.'

FEMA has now said it is still too early to determine what types of transitional housing programs it will launch.

'We know this is going to be a really long recovery,' FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told NPR.

FORT MYERS BEACH, FLORIDA: An aerial picture taken on Friday shows destroyed houses in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian

FORT MYERS, FLORIDA: Water flooded a damaged trailer park in Fort Myers after Ian passed by

FORT MYERS, FLORIDA: Anthony Russo, left, and Hanna Auge embrace after Russo evacuated from the isolated Sanibel Island in the wake of Hurricane Ian

SANIBEL ISLAND, FLORIDA: Project DYNAMO rescue team members Alexander Toal, right, Dean Calderone, and James Judge search a home for a missing person

SANIBEL ISLAND, FLORIDA: Dean Calderone, right, James Judge and Ryan Stern, founder of the Project DYNAMO rescue organization look for information to confirm the residence of a missing person

Meanwhile, search crews are continuing to search for people displaced by the storm.

As of Friday, some 10,000 people were reported unaccounted for in Florida, according to the state's emergency management director. He said many of those would likely turn out have merely been displaced and unreachable due to power and phone outages.

On Sanibel, crews were just making their way to the hard-hit east end of that island on Saturday, 'so our situation is that we're still in the search-and-rescue mode,' the city manager, Souza said.

City officials were aware of nearly 300 households who failed to leave the island as the storm approached and whose whereabouts and well-being were now being checked, he said.

But the Coast Guard has already rescued about 400 people and 100 pets since the storm made landfall last week  only a fraction of the 4,000 estimated rescues by all assisting agencies at the local and federal level.

They are now continuing to search for 16 of the 23 Cuban migrants who went missing after their vessel capsized off the coast of Key West early Wednesday morning as the Category 4 hurricane approached shore.

Four of the migrants from Matanzas, Cuba were able to swim ashore to Stock Island that morning and alert Coast Guard and Border Patrol agents about their predicament, and Coast Guard crews were then able to rescue three more people Wednesday night as the Border Patrol located another person from the group alive on Stock Island Thursday.

Since then, two bodies have been found floating in the waters of the Upper Keys.

And the Monroe County Sheriff's Office reported that several more bodies were found floating in the area, but officials said they are unable to confirm whether those individuals were part of the group.

Two other people and a dog are also reported missing from Key West, Coast Guard officials have said.

Omar Millet Torres and Betsy Morales were last seen Tuesday evening with thier dog on a 32-foot Carver cabin cruiser in the area of the Fury Playground near Key West Harbor.

Anyone with information about their whereabouts is asked to call (305) 292 - 8727.

FORT MYERS, FLORIDA: Florida National Guard Pfc. Yolanda Gedeum helped distribute ice and water to people

FORT MYERS, FLORIDA: Members of the US Army National Guard load supplies into the back of a pick-up at a drive-through distribution point on Saturday

Still, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis defended his actions to get residents prepared for the hurricane.

He said he warned people that their communities along the Gulf of Mexico would be impacted, and state and county officials were following the data and the path of the storm to make decisions.

When the storm quickly shifted, he said, local officials responded as fast as they could.

'They were following h data,' he said. 'If you remember, people were initially looking at the Panhandle on Sunday, then Monday came and they were thinkin maybe north of Tampa Bay.

'When we went to bed on Monday night, people said this is a direct hit on Tampa Bay, worst case scenario for the state,' DeSantis continued.

'As that track started to shift south in the computer models the next morning, they called for the evacuation and they responded very quickly.'

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis defended his and local officials' response to the storm on Saturday. He is pictured here with Marta, whose house was destroyed by the storm

Meanwhile, in South Carolina, where Ian made its second landfall on Friday, sweeping ashore near Georgetown, north of the historic port city of Charleston, with sustained winds reaching 85 mph, numerous roads were flooded and locked by fallen trees while a number of piers were damaged in that area.

Even as they confronted a staggering amount of utility repairs and debris removal, authorities were busy searching for the missing.

Insurers braced for between $28 billion and $47 billion in claims from what could amount to the costliest Florida storm since Hurricane Andrew in 1992, according to U.S. property data and analytics company CoreLogic.
The National Archives said on Friday that some records from Donald Trump's White House are still not in its possession

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is still missing Trump administration records that it sought after the former president's term ended, the agency said in a letter on Friday.

'The National Archives has confirmed to the Oversight Committee that they still have not received all presidential records from the Trump White House,' Acting Archivist Debra Steidel Wall said.

Wall said the Department of Justice (DOJ) would be consulted about whether 'to initiate an action for the recovery of records unlawfully removed' by White House officials. Further information about what action could be taken remains unclear, but the DoJ's warning raises the specter of another potential raid on the former president's Mar-a-Lago country club in West Palm Beach.

Steidel Wall suggested the Trump administration ran afoul of the Presidential Records Act by using 'electronic messaging accounts that were not copied or forwarded into their official electronic messaging accounts.'

It comes nearly two months after the FBI's unannounced search of Trump's Mar-a-Lago mansion prompted a firestorm of outrage from the right, with the vast majority of Republicans labeling it a political move.

Wall would not say whether Trump himself was still unlawfully clinging onto records, citing the Justice Department's ongoing investigation into the former president's handling of classified documents.

The Friday letter, which DailyMail.com obtained on Sunday morning, was in response to a request from the House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY).

'The National Archives has confirmed to the Oversight Committee that they still have not received all presidential records from the Trump White House. Presidential records are the property of the American people, and it is outrageous that these records remain unaccounted for 20 months after former President Trump left office,' Maloney told DailyMail.com in an emailed statement.

The update was in response to a letter from House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Rep. Carolyn Maloney

'Former President Trump and his senior staff have shown an utter disregard for the rule of law and our national security by failing to return presidential records as the law requires.'

She vowed to 'continue to do everything in my power to ensure that all presidential records from the Trump White House are returned to the custody of the government and to make sure these abuses never happen again.'

In regards to the missing communications from Trump aides, Wall's letter referenced the DOJ's effort to recover official messages sent via a 'personal email account' by former White House trade advisor Peter Navarro.

Navarro is currently facing trial for contempt of Congress charges stemming from his refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House select committee on January 6.

Wall responded to Maloney's inquiry about whether Trump possessed any documents with a referral to the DOJ.

'With respect to the second issue concerning whether former President Trump has surrendered all presidential records, we respectfully refer you to the Department of Justice in light of its ongoing investigation,' the letter states.

The records are allegedly still missing nearly two months after the FBI's unannounced search of Mar-a-Lago

DailyMail.com has reached out to Trump's spokesman for comment.

In a court filing last month, DOJ officials said the FBI recovered roughly four dozen empty folders with classification markings when agents raided Trump's Florida resort.

Forty-three of those were in Trump's personal office, the filing states.

An earlier public release suggested the FBI recovered 11 sets of top secret or classified documents during its August 8 raid.

Trump himself has publicly lashed out against the National Archives and DOJ investigation numerous times while denying any wrongdoing.

He told Fox News in a recent interview that he did not illegally remove any classified documents because he can declassify anything 'even by thinking about it.'

The ex-president has also lashed out at the agencies themselves, declaring in a recent Pennsylvania rally: 'The FBI and the Justice Department have become vicious monsters, controlled by radical left scoundrels, lawyers and the media, who tell them what to do.'
A man has recalled his horror of finding a part of a syringe inside a half-eaten tin of peaches he'd purchased from Coles.

Dave McKell from Perth had been eating Gold Reef canned peaches from the same tin on top of his Weet-Bix every morning for the last two weeks before spotting the syringe plunger floating in the syrup.

He says his breakfast ritual has now been ruined by the disturbing discovery.

It has also sparked health fears from Mr McKell, who will undergo blood tests in the coming days to ensure he does not have any serious illness.

'I saw the top of it and thought 'what's that white thing on the top' and found the whole plunger sitting there,' he told Nine News.

Dave McKell was shocked to find a syringe plunger in his half-eaten tin of canned peaches

'I'm a bit turned off by peaches now. I might go pears.'

Mr McKell said he bought the 825gm tin from Coles Greenwood Village in Perth's north weeks ago and returned to the store on Sunday to notify staff about the incident.

He's now sharing his story to warn others as he called for a product recall to be enforced.

'I'd like to see it get off the shelves for starters,' he said.

'They (the staff) wanted me to fill out an incident report and they wanted to take the can off me but I didn't want them to take the can.'

Dave (pictured) had been eating peaches from the contaminated tin for the last two weeks

David McKell is now calling for a product recall of the popular product (pictured)

Coles says it has never until now had an incident with the supplier of the product, which is packed in South Africa using local ingredients.

The product is sold in Coles stores for $3.

'We apologise to the customer for their experience,' a Coles statement read.

'We're taking this matter very seriously and will be investigating with our supplier.'

Daily Mail Australia contacted Coles for further comment.
Thousands of elite students at one of Russia's most prestigious universities are openly defying Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine with demands for a return of online learning so they can study from abroad - and avoid being called up to fight in the bloody conflict.

Some 3,100 students at the National Research University Higher School of Economics in Moscow have threatened to quit if they are refused, according to reports.

Their 'blackmail' threat has outraged pro-war commentators, but their move highlights a devastating vote of no confidence in Putin by some of Russia's brightest students.

It is the only university in Russia ranked in the top 100 of The Times Higher Education Young University Rankings.

Some 3,100 students at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (pictured) in Moscow have threatened to quit if they are refused, according to reports

One noted graduate of the HSE is Maxim Oreshkin (right), 40, Putin's (left) own economics adviser, who earlier was his Minister of Economic Development

Pro-Kremlin Readovka channel showed an alleged leak of the student demands

The pro-Kremlin Readovka channel complained about two HSE student being forced to tear down Z and V stickers, which are pro-war symbols, off their dorm rooms

One noted graduate of the HSE is Maxim Oreshkin, 40, Putin's own economics adviser, who earlier was his Minister of Economic Development.

'More than 3,000 opposition-minded students of the Higher School of Economics cooperated in order to blackmail the administration of the university for the introduction of distance learning,' said pro-Kremlin Readovka channel.

It showed an alleged leak of the student demands.

It claimed the students see Putin's policies as 'objectionable' and had threatened 'mass resignations' from their elite degree courses if they were barred from online learning from abroad.

Hundreds of thousands of men of military age have already fled Russia as Putin's forced mobilisation gets underway.

Many more are still seeking to leave.

'The opposition-minded students literally decided to spit in the well to betray their state, but continue to receive its benefits,' complained Readovka.

Other pro-war nationalists frothed at the student action.

The rising tide of protest shows Putin - who will be 70 this week - out of step with many younger Russians who deny his view that Ukraine is full of Nazis and must be invaded using forced mobilisation of civilians.

In theory students are exempt from mobilisation.

The HSE protest indicates students do not trust the authorities on the student exemption.
A top-secret spy mission to refugee camps in Syria has resulted in a policy shift that will see stranded Islamic State brides and their children allowed to return to Australia - reversing a years-long ban by the Australian government.

The women left Australia to join their husbands fighting for the Islamist terrorist movement before their short-lived 'caliphate' collapsed in March 2019.

Most of the Australians that had joined the fight or attempted to were either killed in action or were settled in refugee camps.

The Australian government had a hardline policy of refusing those citizens re-entry - stripping many of their passports under tough anti-terror laws.

But now intelligence agencies are of the belief that leaving the Australians in the squalid camps may present more of a threat to national security than leaving them there, as their plight could be used to recruit more Australian Muslims to join terror organisations.

As a result, 16 woman and 42 children being held in northeastern Syria's al-Roj detention camp near the Iraqi border, will be repatriated in the coming days and weeks following 'risk assessments' in August and September, The Australian reported.

A top secret spy mission to refugee camps in Syria has paved the way for stranded Islamic State brides and their children to return to Australia - reversing a years-long ban by the Australian government (ISIS fighters pictured)

Most of the Australians that had ventured off to join the fight or support the cause were either killed in action or fled to refugee camps (pictured, al-Hol refugee camp Syria 2017)

The controversial move is likely to divide opinion in Australia.

It is understood all of those brought home will be subject to intensive monitoring by security agencies and some will face terror charges as it was illegal for many at the time to travel to Syria and Iraq.

'The Australian government's overriding priority is the protection of Australians and Australia's national security advice,' a spokesman for Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said on the subject.

'Given the sensitive nature of the matters involved, it would not be appropriate to comment further.'

Many women who fled Australia to marry ISIS fighters or join their husbands, where coerced into leaving.

One of those women was western Sydney woman Mariam Dabboussy, who left here middle-class life working in childcare for the war-torn hell hole at just 22 with her 18-month old baby after she married Kaled Zahab in 2015.

The Australian government had a hardline policy of refusing citizens re-entry - stripping many of their passports under tough anti-terror laws (pictured, al-Hol refugee camp Syria 2019)

Many women who fled Australia to marry ISIS fighters or join their husbands, where coerced into leaving (pictured, an Iraqi refugee at the al-Hol camp in 2017)

'It started off as a normal holiday,' Ms Dabboussy previously told the ABC's Four Corners.

'My husband had never left the country at the time. So, it was the first time he had agreed to take me overseas.

'We had a really nice holiday planned. We went to Malaysia, took me to Dubai, we went to Lebanon.'

Ms Dabboussy was initially taken from Lebanon to a house in southern Turkey near the Syria border.

From there, she was driven to a dusty patch of land.

'There was other people there and there was... there was a man there,' she said.

'And he started telling us, ''Run before they shoot, run before they start shooting.'' And we didn't know what was going on.'

Mariam Dabboussy was not a devout Muslim but her life changed at 22 when she married Kaled Zahab (pictured). The woman who had been a childcare and migrant support worker went to the Middle East in mid-2015 with her husband and their 18-month-old child

'I looked around, I'm thinking, ''What am I going to do?'' I'm in the middle of nowhere, I don't even know where I am. There's gunshots. Now I just started running.'

She didn't get far, with men bundling her into a car and taking her to a house, which had a black Islamic State flag.

'When I entered that house and I saw a flag, I saw a flag and I sort of asked around,' Ms Dabboussy said.

'Some women, they spoke very broken Arabic, they didn't really speak. They were sort of surprised I didn't know what was going on. Some of them laughed at me.

'I mean, as it went along we just basically figured out that we just gotten conned by the boys.'

Kamalle Dabboussy pictured with his daughter Mariam Dabboussy (right) and her daughters Aisha (left) and Fatema in al-Hawl camp in northeastern Syria

Ms Dabboussy and her three children are now being held at the al-Roj refugee camp and is set to be repatriated.

Her father Kamalle said they're yet to be formally informed of her return but 'look forward to getting more information from the government'.

'As always, we're ready to cooperate with the government on the process,' he said.

'If it's true this will give vulnerable children an opportunity to be protected and consistent with what we've been asking for close to four years now.'
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin's nuclear threats as 'saber rattling' but condemned the autocrat for continuing to upend the global order in a Sunday morning interview.

'There are no checks on Mr. Putin. Just as he made the irresponsible decision to invade Ukraine, you know, he could make another decision,' Austin told Fareed Zakaria GPS.

'But I don't see anything right now that would lead me to believe that he has made such a decision.'

The Pentagon chief also downplayed another foreign threat on the horizon when he told CNN that an 'imminent invasion' of Taiwan by China is unlikely.

The interview comes more than seven months after Putin launched his bloody invasion of Ukraine, and just days after he signed a decree to illegally annex parts of the former Soviet state.

Videos appeared to show Russian troops forcing Ukrainian civilians to the ballot box at gunpoint to vote on whether to join Moscow's jurisdiction.

'As youve heard us say, this referendum is a sham. Its fiction. And we will never respect their illegal annexation of Ukraine territory, and nor will most of the international community,' Austin said on Sunday.

While signing the decree Putin also condemned the 'Satanic' West and vowed to use all of the Kremlin's might to protect Russia's new territory - in what was widely seen as a nuclear threat.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Vladimir Putin's nuclear threat is 'irresponsible' but predicted the autocrat was unlikely to follow through

He also condemned Putin's illegal annexation of parts of Ukraine, which followed a referendum that Austin called a 'sham'

US @SecDef Lloyd Austin on Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin's "nuclear saber-rattling"



See our full conversation on Sunday's GPS @ 10am & 1pm ET on @CNN pic.twitter.com/DUYWWJdZ2r  Fareed Zakaria (@FareedZakaria) October 1, 2022

Austin branded Putin's words 'irresponsible.'

'This nuclear saber rattling is not the kind of thing that we would expect to hear from leaders of large countries with capability,' the Pentagon chief said.

Austin also said China is using the US's multiple Congressional delegations to Taiwan to create a 'new normal'

He acknowledged high-level talks between Washington and Moscow on matter, but Austin said he has not spoken to his Russian counterpart 'in recent days.'

'I have addressed this very issue and warned to not go down this path and conduct this type of irresponsible behavior,' Austin said.

'So, yes, I have done that in the past personally, but I've not talked to him recently.'

Austin was also asked about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan over the summer, and the high tensions it caused with Beijing.

But the Defense Secretary said he concurred with other global experts' assessments that the explosive period had subsided.

He does, however, believe that China used Pelosi's visit and the multiple Congressional delegations since as a way to rearrange the world stage.

'I dont see an imminent invasion, either. What we do see is China moving to establish what we would call a new normal,' Austin explained.

'Increased activity: we saw a number of centerline crossings of the Taiwan Strait by their aircraft, and that number has increased over time. Weve seen more activity with their surface vessels in the waters in and around Taiwan.'

He added, 'So, I think that China used that opportunity of the Congressional delegations visit to begin to try to create a new normal.'
It came as a lieutenant called for atomic strikes to be on the Ukraine agenda

The sinister TV sequence blamed the West for too much talk of nuclear war

The sequence showed the 'Armageddon' aftermath along with gas masks

Russian media has shown a chilling sequence of mushroom clouds 'in anticipation of nuclear conflict' amid calls for Putin to 'take drastic measures' to win in Ukraine.

Sinister footage aired by NTV highlighted nuclear explosions and the 'Armageddon' aftermath.

The slavish channel is owned by the media wing of Gazprom, the Kremlin-obedient energy giant which is now starving the West of Russian gas for the coming winter.

The sequence was titled: 'In anticipation of nuclear conflict - how weapons of mass destruction have become part of the geopolitical game.'

It comes as a top Putin lieutenant Ramzan Kadyrov - the leader of Chechnya and a war fanatic - called on Putin to contemplate 'declaring martial law in the border territories and using low-yield nuclear weapons' to overcome his latest military humiliations in Ukraine.

Sinister footage aired by NTV highlighted nuclear explosions and the 'Armageddon' that would come in the aftermath

Vladimir Putin's propaganda television has shown the chilling sequence 'in anticipation of nuclear conflict'

The slavish channel is owned by the media wing of Gazprom, the Kremlin-obedient energy giant which is now starving the West of Russian gas for the coming winter

'I do not know what the Defence Ministry reports to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief [Putin], but in my personal opinion, we need to take more drastic measures,' he said.

Lt Kadyrov complained that Putin's commanders had failed to rout Ukraine's supposed 'Satanists and fascists'.

The TV sequence blamed the West for too much talk of nuclear war, when it is Putin's acolytes and propagandists - plus the Kremlin leader himself - who are constantly floating the threat of atomic apocalypse.

The message appeared to be that the West should cave in to Putin's demands on Ukraine and the threat of nuclear war would diminish.

The sequence was titled: 'In anticipation of nuclear conflict - how weapons of mass destruction have become part of the geopolitical game

The footage showed a nuclear explosion and its aftermath, including damage to trees and buildings, as well as gas masks and protective clothing

'We're in a situation in which superiority in resources and conventional weaponry is on the side of the West,' said Vasily Kashin, a military and political analyst at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow.

'Russia's power is based on its nuclear arsenal.'

Despite this Putin was today reinforcing his conventional forces with a new surge of war equipment being moved from thousands of miles away in Siberia.

A video showed armaments heading west from Krasnoyarsk, some 3,000 miles from the war zone.

Meanwhile Russia's 'surrender' at strategic Lyman has caused deep angst among Putin propagandists.

It comes as a top Putin lieutenant Ramzan Kadyrov (left) - the leader of Chechnya and a war fanatic - called on Putin to contemplate 'declaring martial law in the border territories and using low-yield nuclear weapons' to overcome his latest military humiliations in Ukraine

Lt Kadyrov (pictured) complained that Putin's commanders had failed to rout Ukraine's supposed 'Satanists and fascists'

They are targeting Putin's military top brass and demanding backings in the high command.

Reservist military commander and normally loyalist MP Andrey Gurulev hit out: 'I cannot explain this surrender in military terms.

'It is probably a milestone not only militarily, but also politically, especially now.

'The problem is a system of lies, reports of a good situation [when the reality is bad].

'This rot comes from the top down.'

A member of the Russian parliament's defence committee claimed the Russian forces were heroes led by self-serving donkeys.

Reservist military commander and normally loyalist MP Andrey Gurulev hit out: 'I cannot explain this surrender in military terms'

He stormed on state TV: 'Did we not know the number of forces that were advancing on Lyman?

Gurulev stormed on state TV: 'Did we not know the number of forces that were advancing on Lyman?

'If not, where was the intelligence?

'The 144th Division worked perfectly on the ground, as did army aviation.

'The artillery did not stop working at all.

'The whole problem is not on the ground, but in the [army general staff] where they still do not understand, and fail to own the situation.'
Hillary Clinton could be gearing up to run for president in 2024 as a 'moderate,' a former adviser to her husband said on Sunday

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's criticism of 'open borders' could be a sign that she's looking to mount a third presidential campaign, a former adviser to her husband speculated on Sunday.

Dick Morris, who had worked for Bill Clinton and now advises Donald Trump, believes Clinton sees an opening for a 'moderate' 2024 candidate.

'Hillary is just dusting off Bills playbook that I wrote for him and applying it herself this year,' Morris told radio host John Catsimatidis of Cat's Roundtable on WABC.

He cited both the Clintons' recent comments suggesting they're aware of the worsening border crisis, striking a different tone than that of progressives in their party.

Clinton had a recent MSNBC interview where she condemned Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis for sending migrants from the southern border to Martha's Vineyard but conceded that 'nobody wants open borders.'

Morris also referenced Bill Clinton's interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria last week when he said 'there is a limit' to how many migrants the US can take in before causing 'severe disruption' to society.

'I see more and more signs that Hillary's going to run. Bill  said there was a limit to the number of people the US can absorb. And Hilary a week ago  said Americans do not believe in open borders,' Morris said on Sunday.

'These are all signals that she is going to be the moderate candidate for president.'

He cited her comments stating that Americans do not want an 'open border,' which Republicans have accused President Joe Biden of creating

He predicted that she would wait until after the midterm elections - where Republicans are projected to take back the House of Representatives, while the fate of the current 50-50 Senate is uncertain.

'Shes going to say after the election, "See, the left cost us the House and the Senate. If we stay with a left-wing candidate in 2024, were going to lose the White House. Im the only one who will tack to the center and give us a chance at victory."' Morris said.

'I know thats her strategy because its the strategy I designed for Bill Clinton in 1992.'

Clinton herself has vowed to never run for president again when asked last month, after losing the 2008 Democratic primary to Barack Obama and losing the 2016 general election to Donald Trump - but not before becoming the first woman to lead a major party ticket.

Asylum-seeking migrants, mostly from Venezuela, stand after crossing the Rio Bravo river to turn themselves in to U.S. Border Patrol agents to request asylum in El Paso, Texas, U.S., as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, September 23, 2022

'No, no,' the former First Lady said when asked about her future White House prospects by CBS News' Norah O'Donnell.

'But I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that we have a president that respects our democracy and the rule of law and upholds our institutions.'

And while Clinton may not make herself a choice for voters in the next presidential cycle, a recent poll indicates that Democrat voters do want someone new in the White House.

The ABC News survey, released last Sunday, suggests a majority of Biden's base would not count the president as their first choice.

Fifty-six percent of Democrats and left-leaning Independents said they wanted someone other than Biden to be the 2024 nominee.

Just 35 percent of the group favored his candidacy.
The school previously required all students to wear KN95 masks in all classrooms and other instructional settings

If one student or professor wants one, it will be enforced for the entire class

The students would be able to express their views on whether they want a mask mandate in the classroom

Amherst College in Massachusetts has introduced a new masking policy under which each student would be provided an anonymous survey

A woke liberal arts college has introduced a new masking policy that would require all students in a class to wear face masks if a single person requests them using an anonymous survey.

Under the new policy at Amherst College in Massachusetts, each student and teacher would be provided an anonymous survey in which they could express their views on whether they want a mask mandate in their classroom.

The new guidance was created by Catherine Epstein, provost and dean of faculty at the Massachusetts school, who wrote to her colleagues on September 29 that the new policy will go into effect on October 17.

At that time, she wrote, classrooms, teaching laboratories an all other instructional spaces 'will either continue to require masking or be mask optional, depending on the outcome of an anonymous survey conducted in each class or lab.

'Prior to October 17, faculty members will conduct an anonymous survey of their classes, either by collecting handwritten (no names!) responses to the question, 'Should masks be required in this class?' or by distributing a survey,' she explained.

'If anyone in the class, including the instructor, wants to continue with masking, then masks will be required,' Epstein wrote. 'Additionally, even those classes that determine that masks will be optional will respect an individual's choice to wear a mask.'

Amherst College (pictured) has become known for its strict masking policies

She wrote that, under the new policy, each student would be provided an anonymous survey in which they could express their views on whether they want a mask mandate in their classroom. But if just one student or professor wants a mask, it will be required for the entire class

She added that 'faculty are encouraged to revisit the decision with another survey in early November,' and emphasized that following the Thanksgiving break 'the college will require a stricter masking protocol for an appropriate duration.'

Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, Caroline Hanna, director of media communications for the school, said the idea is to let each classroom determine mask policy for themselves.

It comes even though COVID cases are continuing to plummet throughout the country, as the majority of Americans move on from the pandemic.

Observing stringent COVID safety procedures is now seen as a mark of progressive behavior, with many proudly declaring that they still continue to follow strict virus protocols, while accusing those who don't of being uncaring conservatives.

As of September 27, there were 9,047 new confirmed cases in Massachusetts, with just 245 people primarily hospitalized for the virus.

And throughout the country, COVID cases have steadily declined to 45,725 new cases as of Friday, with 3,570 new hospitalizations and just 325 new COVID-related deaths.

Catherine Epstein, provost and dean of faculty at Amherst College, wrote to her colleagues about the school's new masking policy on September 29

The new guidance is a marked change from the school's policy just one month ago that required all students to wear a KN95 mask in classrooms, studios, teaching laboratories and all other instructional spaces.

In an exclusive statement to DailyMail.com, Hanna said: 'Like much of the ret of the world, our masking policy has evolved over the past two and a half years, as the pandemic has evolved.

'The goal is for each class to determine its desired policy in the classroom.'

Tthe new guidance is a marked change from the school's policy just one month ago that required all students to wear a KN95 mask in classrooms, studios, teaching laboratories and all other instructional spaces

Amherst has become known over the past few years for its strict masking policies.

Prior to the Fall 2021 semester, the college announced it had tightened its public health precautions as the Delta variant continued to spread.

Under its policy at the time, all employees, faculty and students were required to wear face coverings while inside campus buildings  regardless of vaccination status.

Students were also required to double-mask if they did not have a KN95 at that time.

But the new guidance, issued shortly before the semester began, prompted some students to write an open letter to administrators.

In the letter, the Amherst Student reports, more than 250 students at the school asked administrators to be more transparent about its decision-making process, factor in student voice and repeal some of the new restrictions.

'This updates set of guidelines appears to be out of line with the current CDC, state, local and peer institution standards for COVID-19 response, and we demand revision and clarification,' the letter read.

'It is currently challenging to believe that Amherst remains committed to our full student experience, and difficult to regain the typical enthusiasm that comes with returning to campus each fall.'

Then in March, as many schools throughout the country started to lift COVID restrictions due to the declining numbers, the college required that a KN95 mask be worn in all indoor spaces, common and public spaces.

'Masks are optional for students in their residence halls, except at programmed events,' Amherst's policy said at the time.

'KN95 masks will continue to be required in all other indoor campus spaces, except when alone in a private office with the door closed,' it said, adding that although masks are not required outdoors, students are asked 'to have a mask on hand.

'Whether indoors or outdoors, we encourage everyone to share with one another their masking preferences and to respect one another's wishes,' it said at the time.
A man and a woman have been charged with the murder of a 'vulnerable' 71-year-old pensioner in north London.

Susan Hawkey was found dead at home in Neasden, Brent, earlier this week and Chelsea Grant, 27, and Xyaire Howard, 22, were arrested and also charged with fraud.

Both are due to appear at Willesden Magistrates' Court tomorrow.

Police were called at 11.27am on Monday, September 26, after concerns were raised about the welfare of a woman at a house in Aylesbury Street.

Susan Hawkey (pictured) was found dead in Brent earlier this week and Chelsea Grant, 27, and Xyaire Howard, 22, both of Press Road, were arrested and also charged with fraud

Chelsea Grant, 27, and Xyaire Howard, 22, are both due to appear at Willesden Magistrates' Court tomorrow

Officers attended and the body of Susan Hawkey was found at the scene.

Two people were arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of murder, theft of a bank card and fraud.

The man and woman charged with her murder appear to have lived just one road away.

Her next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.

At the time, Detective Chief Inspector Neil Rawlinson, the lead investigator, said: 'The circumstances of this murder are particularly tragic.

Police were called at 11.27am on Monday, September 26, after concerns were raised about the welfare of a woman at a house in Aylesbury Street (pictured)

'An elderly, vulnerable female appears to have been specifically targeted.

'I am appealing to members of the public who may have known or recognise Susan, to come forward with any information that may assist in building a picture of her life.

'I also appeal to anyone with information who may be able to help in bringing the offenders of this horrific crime to justice to come forward.'

Superintendent Neil Holyoak, North West Command Unit, added: 'We are doing everything we can to support our colleagues in Specialist Crime as they investigate this terrible incident.

Officers attended and the body of Susan Hawkey was found at the scene and two people were arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of murder, theft of a bank card and fraud

'I know it will cause concern in the community; we share that concern and urge anyone who has information that could assist investigators to contact police immediately.

'The support and assistance of our communities could prove invaluable in bringing Susan's family justice.'

The Met Police said the investigation is being led by homicide detectives from Specialist Crime.
Jacob Rees-Mogg required a police escort as he made his way to the Conservative conference while being chased and heckled by protesters in Birmingham.

Fellow Tory MP Michael Fabricant was also violently intimidated and had vile abuse screamed at him by protesters outside the conference - with some even calling him a 'Tory c***'.

There are reports that delegates were too scared to leave the conference building, with members and journalists concealing their lanyards to try to evade the verbal abuse being aimed at them by the crowds of protestors outside.

Video footage captured the Business Secretary running the gauntlet of hecklers shouting 'Tory scum' at him as he entered the conference earlier.

Mr Rees-Mogg faced a hostile reception as he crossed Victoria Square in the city centre, which hundreds of demonstrators descended on to vent their frustration at the Tory Government.

As he made his way to the International Convention Centre for the annual conference, the MP was seen being escorted by several officers who were not letting him out of their sight.

Many frustrated Britons could be heard calling him a w****r and a b*****d as he maintained a smile on his face at all times.

Officers could be seen pushing protesters away from Mr Rees-Mogg as they looked to get his attention and film him indiscreetly.

Police officers were forced to hold back protesters who were heckling and screaming abuse at the Business Secretary

Mr Rees-Mogg did not seem fazed by the abuse he was getting and later said that the protests were 'nothing new'

But he played down the verbal abuse claiming that the public have the right to 'peaceful expression' of their views.

Speaking to Sky News while being led through the crowd by police, he said: 'There have been protests at Tory conferences since time immemorial, it's nothing new.

'It's a fact of democracy.

'They're shouting but it's perfectly peaceful.

'And the right to peaceful expression of your view is fundamental to our constitution.'

Mr Rees-Mogg's appointment by incoming Prime Minister Liz Truss was widely criticised by environmental groups due to his criticism of 'climate alarmism' and support for fracking.

Mick, who followed the minister with a placard that read 'Tory lies kill', said he joined the rally because 'I hate the Tories'.

The 58-year-old, from Birmingham, who did not want to give his surname, described Prime Minister Liz Truss's mini-budget as 'disastrous for normal people'.

'It's just the start though - the next step is, to balance the books again, they're going to cut public services even further. They disgust me,' he said.

The Tory MP needed a police escort to bundle him into the Tory conference as he faced anger from protesters

Speaking after the heckling, he played down the incident, saying 'They're shouting but it's perfectly peaceful.'

Officers were forced to push members of the public off him who could be seen shouting and filming on their phones and cameras

The Tory conference comes on the back of a rocky start for Liz Truss who insisted she is standing by her tax-cutting plan as she refused to rule out public spending cuts

Mr Rees-Mogg stared down the lens as he arrived for the opening day of the annual Tory party conference

Meanwhile, Tory MP Michael Fabricant had abuse hurled at him outside the conference.

A video shows Mr Fabricant walking through Birmingham before a young man walks up beside him and starts to follow him.

The protestor begins shouting and gesturing angrily at Mr Fabricant before he seems to lurch towards the MP for Lichfield.

Dozens of other protestors appear to surround Mr Fabricant as he walks into the conference.

Clearly concerned for his safety, a police officer escorting him begins to shield him and and walk him away.

Tory MP for Lichfield, Michael Fabricant, had a police escort as he arrived at the Conservative Party Conference

Dozens of other protestors appeared to surround Mr Fabricant as he walked into the conference

As he walked through the crowd the Tory MP was repeatedly asked why he had decided to go through 'the middle of the protestors'.

He replied jovially: 'to be honest I didn't know which other way to go, but it's nice to meet people!'

He later tweeted that he had been 'directed wrongly right into the middle of the protest.'

He added that this could have made the protestors think he was 'deliberately provoking them'.

Mr Fabricant went on to insist that he had not been attacked by protestors, contrary to reports on social media that he was 'pushed quite violently'.

'Social media is suggesting I was 'attacked' as I tried to get into #CPC2022. I was not,' he tweeted.

He added: 'No one touched me. Just shouted abuse. They were just loud!'

Meanwhile, backbench Tory MP Michael Fabricant was surrounded by protestors outside the conference

A video shows Mr Fabricant walking outside through Birmingham before a young man walks up beside him

Clearly concerned for his safety, a police officer begins to shield him and escort him away

Mr Fabricant said that one protestor, not seen in the video, 'tried to blow a plastic horn in my ear while I was walking.'

'I asked him to stop, but he refused. So I grabbed his horn and threw it away. I think he was more shocked than me!'

But like his colleague, Mr Rees-Mogg, Mr Fabricant downplayed the aggressive behaviour towards him, calling the crowd 'noisy but self disciplined'.

He said despite the torrent of verbal abuse he received, 'we live in a democracy and people have every right to protest.'

There have been reports of Tory members being too scared to leave the conference centre as protests gathered outside.

TalkTv's Political Editor Kate McCann said that delegates were advised to hide their lanyards before leaving the building, with one young Tory preferring to stay inside to avoid the mob of people.

The journalist said that she left the building with her lanyard concealed, but that 'it wasn't enough to deter the shouting and men in 'Tory scum' t-shirts who crowd round as you leave'.

RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch, who aimed to disrupt the Tory conference as he rallied 50,000 rail workers together yesterday, told the protest that 'we are in the middle of a class struggle'.

'We pay tax to support our people not to subsidise the rich,' he said after talking to supporters in Birmingham.

'The rich should be subsidising us'.

He also said the Government was 'acting in the interests of their people'.

To loud cheers, he added: 'We're going to change this country, we're going to change society.'

Other demonstrators also expressed their anger over the Government's move to axe the top rate of income tax for the nation's highest earners during the cost-of-living crisis.

Jane Elledge, 53, an IT trainer from Bromsgrove, said: 'Enough is enough really. We've had Brexit, we've had falling standards, we've had people having to work two jobs, people starving, people with no heating, and just the kind of final straw is the announcement of the richest people getting a tax cut.

'Trickle-down economics doesn't work. We get nothing - nothing for the working people. 'It's got to stop. Tories out.'

The Business Secretary was later pictured at the annual Tory conference after making it in through crowds of hecklers

RMT boss Mick Lynch spoke with supporters as he rallied people together to criticise the Tory Government

As speakers took to the stage, demonstrators chanted 'Tories are not welcome here' and 'Tory scum out of Brum'.

Organised by the People's Assembly campaign group, it was part of a wave of protests sweeping the country amid rising energy costs and falling living standards.

Speaking ahead of the conference, Ms Truss said she is standing by her tax-cutting plan as she refused to rule out public spending cuts.

'I do want to say to people I understand their worries about what has happened this week,' she told the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme.

'I do stand by the package we announced and I stand by the fact we announced it quickly, because we had to act'.

She admitted she should have 'laid the ground better' for Kwasi Kwarteng's financial statement, and said the Chancellor had made the decision to cut income tax for the richest.

The crowd later set off to march through central Birmingham.
A George Washington University human rights professor fired from his course over a discussion about the N-word has blasted his soon-to-be former employer and says higher education is now too woke for him to work in.

'I do not plan to return to GW in the spring semester 2023 because I disagree with the decisions of the officials who allowed misinformation to spread unchecked and did not defend their employee's reputation,' Professor Michael Stoil, 72, told DailyMail.com.

Stoil, an adjunct professor of political science at the Washington DC university and former CIA analyst, landed in hot water with the university after students filed three racial bias reports against him for comments he made about the use of the N-word in a September class.

He was asked to step down from his human rights course and allowed to remain as a tenured professor - although Stoil has now decided to resign altogether.

The drama began when Stoil used the word uncensored during a phone conversation with an unnamed vice provost about how offensive it was, prompting a horrified response from the academic.

He got into hot water after recounting the conversation with students, although only used the phrase 'the N-word' while telling the anecdote.

Professor Michael Stoil, an adjunct professor of political science at the Washington DC university and former CIA analyst, was removed from his position teaching the class after students filed three racial bias reports against him

Stoil now insists insisted his comments were not intended to be racially insensitive, and that students merely misinterpreted a story he was telling a time he used it to demonstrate that the word had no place anywhere.

'My conversation with the Vice Provost addressed this,' Stoil said, describing the conversation he had with a GW administrator which he told his class about. 'My mother, who is white, was shocked when her best friend--an African-American woman from Detroit--referred to her as a 'silly n...' 45 years ago.'

'I was explaining my commitment, and that of my family, to opposition to ethnic slurs, even when in this case it was voiced as a colloquialism by an African-American woman,' Stoil told DailyMail.com by email.

'To my great shock, the Vice Provost said that she was physically affected by my use of the word to illustrate an example in an intellectual conversation that we were having over the telephone. In response, I told her that I would never use the word again even in an intellectual conversation about the effects of hate speech, and I have kept that promise. That was the incident that I related in class.'

He went on to suggest that academia was now too woke to work in, saying: 'I also suspect that my age and years of teaching in truly multiethnic institutions have made me too divorced from current cultural norms in the US to teach such a sensitive topic as human rights.'

GW junior Keheirra Wedderburn said her 'hands were shaking' during the classroom discussion

In an audio recording from the lecture, Stoil can be heard debating with students about the appropriateness of his use of the N-word in any circumstances in his conversation with the vice provost.

'I used the N-word, and she was horrified,' Stoil told his classroom, according to The Hatchet. 'She says 'Oh my God, I felt that viscerally. It ran right through me, you used the N-word.' I said 'You don't listen to hip hop? You don't listen to some of the street music? They use it all the time.'

'Yeah, but they're black people,' a student could be heard responding, while others agreed.

'Ok, I'm Eurasian,' Stoil said. 'Where do I fit in? Can we use it too?'

'No,' students replied.

'You're right, but the point is I didn't imagine that she would feel pain from the use of the N-word simply because, by the way, she didn't know what color I was,' Stoil said. 'This was on the telephone. I guess I don't sound Black. Does Barack Obama sound Black?'

George Washington University has two female black vice provosts, and the identity of the woman Stoil was working with has yet to emerge.

According to GW student paper The Hatchet, students were 'shocked' by Stoil's comments, and some even began to cut his subsequent classes.

'My hands were just shaking, like I just really didn't know how to react, what to say, what to do and I just felt alone,' said GW junior Keheirra Wedderburn. 'I shouldn't have to tell you about racism because I go through it.'

Wedderburn, who is black, said Stoil had also previously made her feel uncomfortable in class by asking her in front of all her classmates how long it took her to braid her hair.

A senior political science student, Katie Miller, said she was 'disgusted' by Stoil's remarks in the lecture, and that the class did not know how to respond after he made them.

'He was saying it like we were all going to agree with him,' she said. 'As soon as he said it, you could hear a pin drop in the classroom. Everyone was just completely shocked. Even with masks on, you could tell the look on people's faces was pure 'What just happened?''

Wedderburn, who is black, said Stoil had also previously made her feel uncomfortable in class by asking her in front of all her classmates how long it took her to braid her hair

One of the students who filed a bias report, sophomore Samantha Lewis, said she confronted Stoil but that he seemed unable grasp that people could be offended by his words.

'He had no clue what I was talking about, he had no clue' Lewis said. 'He was like 'Which comments?' And I was like 'Regarding your phone call with the provost.' And he's like 'Oh,' so I kind of had to explain to him why people were uncomfortable and offended.'

Lewis said Stoil told her he 'didn't see a problem,' with using the N-word, and that to disallow him from using it was a violation of his human rights. She added that Stoil told her he would 'definitely' have used the slur in class were it 'a couple years ago.'

'No sympathy or self reflection of like 'Oh damn, like maybe I did mess up, maybe this was a wrong comment for me to make,' Lewis said.

'I do not plan to return to GW in the spring semester 2023 because I disagree with the decisions of the officials who allowed misinformation to spread unchecked and did not defend their employee's reputation,' Professor Michael Stoil, 72, told DailyMail.com

Stoil confirmed to DailyMail.com that administrators removed him from teaching the human rights class, but said he would continue teaching his other courses until his departure at the end of the semester.

He said his decision to leave was a personal choice made with his family, and was motivated by the university's handling of the incident.

'I have not yet left GW...I am teaching my other course through the end of this semester, and I left the human rights course at the request of university officials who asked that I don't discuss the incident,' he said. 'In my opinion, the university made a mistake in not permitting me to resolve the situation through mediation and explanation.'

Stoil added that he felt everybody involved in the incident was 'well intentioned,' and that he still had 'great respect' for George Washington University.

'My decision not to pursue future employment at GW is mine alone and I see no reason to spotlight any particular other individuals involved in this sequence of events,' he said. 'I am an alumnus of GW and have great respect for the institution and appreciate the opportunity to have continued to teach following my retirement from my previous university.

Stoil also reiterated the point he was trying to make in class, saying he felt the N-word had no place anywhere.

'I don't believe that the N-word should be used at all, and I didn't use it in my class (I literally referred only to the euphemism 'N-word'). People who use ethnic slurs in normal conversation, in music, and in poetry--even for shock value and even when the speaker is a member of the referenced ethnicity--are perpetuating discrimination and mistreatment. That is the point that I was raising in the human rights course; that hateful speech is hateful speech regardless of who is speaking.'

In an email to The Hatchet, Stoil also lamented the lack of support he received from administration.

'The University is no place for a 'color-blind' humanist whose effort to get students to think in terms of universal human rights has been so misinterpreted and received so little support from University officials,' he said in an email.

'Contrary to some students' belief, I am fully aware of the toxic reaction to use of the 'N-word' and other ethnic and gender-related slurs by all people,' Stoil continued. 'I object to the N-word's use in musical performance and poetry regardless of the identity of the user and wish that students felt equally offended by its use under any and all circumstances.'

The university has not commented on Stoil's departure or how it is handling the bias complaints against him.

'GW is committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for all members of our diverse community,' said GW spokesperson Tom Pierce in an email to The Hatchet. 'We care deeply about our students' classroom experience, and we are providing support, resources and updates directly to those affected by this incident.'
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A family-run Mobil gas station has emerged as a must-visit foodie destination for locals and travelers alike near Yosemite National Park - offering fresh-to-order fare such as ribs, tacos, and even sashimi.

The Mobil, located in a remote outpost in the shadow of the Sierra Nevadas above Mono Lake, is located in the small mountain town of Lee Vining, which swells with tourists and travelers during the summer.

Known to locals as Tioga Gas Mart, the store is conveniently situated about 20 minutes from Yosemite's eastern gate at Tuolumne Meadows, and has been in the family of Dennis Domaille, 71, and his daughter, Denise Molnar, since 1996.

Despite being located in a one-street kind of town that travelers might drive through without thought, business at the de facto rest top is booming - nonstop from open until close, its operators say.

Why, you might ask? Because here, in addition to filling up their tank, travelers can fill up on an extensive list of menu items than includes grilled pork chops, barbecue baby back ribs, carnitas tacos, and ahi sashimi.

All are made fresh and cooked to order, its owners say - effectively creating a little-known local hangout that serves as a watering hole for those traversing the winding Walker River Canyon.

While the gas station has since become a destination in its own right, strangers who stop by for food with no knowledge of its reputation are said to be stunned by the high quality food on offer.

The Mobil, located in a remote outpost in the shadow of the Sierra Nevadas above Mono Lake, is located in the small mountain town of Lee Vining, which swells with tourists and travelers during the summer

Known to locals as Tioga Gas Mart, the store is conveniently situated about 20 minutes from Yosemite's eastern gate, offers a full food menu - as well as outdoor events such as picnics and concerts, as well as barbecues and an array of other community gatherings

It has been in the family of Dennis Domaille, 71, and his daughter, Denise Molnar, since 1996

'If you blink, you'll miss it,' said owner Denise Molnar, who started working at the Mobil when she was 14.

In the 27 years since, Molnar, 41, helped her dad open up and build the business from the ground up.

Dennis Domaille, an electrician and a contractor, had owned the land on which the gas station is situated for years, and decided to open a small mom-and-pop gas station.

It has since burgeoned into a full-scale restaurant with chefs and drink service, that is also equipped with camping supply store, wine shop, craft beer store, and bookstore.

Also available to travelers is a souvenir kiosk where customers can purchase Sierra Nevada-related souvenirs such as stuffed bears, posters with John Muir quotes, and guidebooks to navigating the historic mountain range.

The gas station also regularly offers outdoor events such as picnics and concerts, as well as barbecues and an array of other community gatherings.

Why, you might ask? Because here, in addition to filling up their tank, travelers can fill up on an extensive list of menu items than includes grilled pork chops, barbecue baby back ribs, carnitas tacos (pictured), and ahi sashimi

Just one of the delicious dishes on offer at the gas station, which puts others to shame with its fresh food

All are made fresh and cooked to order, its owners say - effectively creating a little-known local hangout that serves as a watering hole for those traversing the winding Walker River Canyon

The gas station offers a full-scale restaurant with chefs and drink service, that is also equipped with camping supply store, wine shop, craft beer store, and bookstore.

Photos show some of the surprisingly appetizing options visitors can choose from while refilling their gas tank - both literally and figuratively

A humble ham sandwich is also elevated above and beyond the usual tired gas station far at the Mobil restaurant

Sporting a drink menu and a breathtaking view of Mono Laka below and, to the west, the awe-inspiring Dana Plateau that pierces the clear Northern California sky, the site is a go-to meetup spot that attracts both a catalog or regulars and sightseers exploring the American wilderness.

'We get everyone,' Molnar said. 'A lot of campers. A lot of climbers.'

The business owner added that the gas station typically welcomes a wide range of patrons - from 'people staying in the fancy Ahwahnee [hotel]' nearby, to 'people sleeping in their cars.'

'This time of year we get a lot of Europeans and a lot of tour buses,' she said. 'So a wide range of people who want to explore the outdoors.'

Of the station's signature fare, she revealed that at first, she and her father did not offer as extensive a menu - chiefly due to the fact that when the business first opened they had been a much smaller, family-run establishment.

Now, still family-run, the station employs a staff of several dozen longtime, loyal employees - including one professional chef who created the Mobil's mouthwatering menu.

Domaille said that at the time, he gave the chef free reign to create an eatery at the gas station, which they called the Whoa Nellie Deli.

Sporting a drink menu and a breathtaking view of Mono Laka below and, to the west, the awe-inspiring Dana Plateau that pierces the clear Northern California sky, the site is a go-to meetup spot that attracts both a catalog or regulars and sightseers exploring the American wilderness

Cocktails and drinks are available to travelers who stop at this full-service gas station hidden in the scene Sierra Nevadas

The station offers a breathtaking view of Mono Laka below and, to the west, the Dana Plateau, seen in the background

Also available to travelers is a souvenir kiosk where customers can purchase Sierra Nevada-related souvenirs such as stuffed bears, posters with John Muir quotes, and guidebooks to navigating the historic mountain range

Originally in awe by the establishment's culinary creations, years later, Molnar said, customers aren't as wowed they used to be - due to the restaurant's now prevailing prestige as a bona fide food stop

The rest, as they say, is history - with the Whoa Nellie now effectively a full-service restaurant.

Originally in awe by the establishment's culinary creations, years later, Molnar said, customers aren't as wowed they used to be - due to the restaurant's now prevailing prestige as a bona fide food stop.

'Now we have a reputation,' she joked.

Photos show some of the surprisingly appetizing options visitors can choose from while refilling their gas tank - both literally and figuratively.

One plate shows thick slices of bright pink ahi tuna, neatly stacked on a bed of fresh cabbage slaw. A perfect circle of rice balances the presentation on the dish, as well as a mound of wasabi, a cup of soy sauce and chopsticks.

The carnitas tacos, meanwhile, are piled high with all the proper accoutrement - cheese and salsa, beans, and a line of aesthetically pleasing crema adorning its top.

Other photos show delectable, finger-licking good ribs and fresh sashimi, as well as a variety of other signature plates, all crafted personally by the resident chef and a full kitchen staff.

The results are a far cry from the standard fare one might expect from even the most progressive fill-up spot, where the phrases 'fresh food' or 'a la carte' may not be what necessarily first pops in to a visitor's mind.

This time of year, however, as the winter months set in bringing with it a layer of snowfall on the Sierras, business at the Mobil typically slows down, Molnar says.

By the end of the month, Molnar and her staff will close up the shop for the winter season, reopening in May, as they've done for nearly three decades.

However, sadly, this will be the last summer that drivers will be able to dine at the restaurant, as Molnar says that she and her father have decided to list the business and the property it stands on for sale - a transaction that will fetch the duo a stunning $16.5 million.

Despite the history the site may hold, Molnar says that due the fact that her father is now getting older and the she herself recently went through her own health struggles, she is set to turn the page on the storied Tioga Gas Mart.

This time of year, however, as the winter months set in bringing with it a layer of snowfall on the Sierras, business at the Mobil typically slows down

'It's time,' she told SFGATE in a Sunday interview.

'It's a lot of like, life,' she said. The business is 'a lot of hard work. It is special. We love it. But, I don't know, it's maybe time for the next adventure.'

As for her father, now 71, he can rest assured that his 27-year-old creation not only filled the tanks - stomachs - of countless Californians and other visitors over the years, but their hearts as well.

And as he approaches his golden years - now with a pretty penny thanks to the confirmed sale, he can also rest assured that the best is still to come.

When asked if he was an optimistic person in a 2009 interview, de facto restaurateur Domaille smiled: 'Perennially optimistic.'

Now, still family-run, the station employs a staff of several dozen longtime, loyal employees - including one professional chef who created the Mobil's mouthwatering menu
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Police have vowed to hunt down all individuals who 'tried to shield and protect individuals' connected to the fatal shooting of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel.

Merseyside Police reiterated their 'commitment to finding all of those involved' in Olivia's death, as well as anyone who 'supplied the weapon or are hiding the weapons used in the incident,' on Saturday after Thomas Cashman was charged with the child's murder. He was also charged with attempted murder of Olivia's mother.

Olivia was shot dead on August 22 by a gunman who burst into her family's home in Dovecot while chasing convicted burglar Joseph Nee and opened fire indiscriminately.

Her mother, Cheryl Korbel, 46, was injured during the incident but survived. Cashman, of Grenadier Drive, West Derby, has also been charged with the attempted murder of Ms Korbel and Nee.

Cashman, 34, of West Derby, faces two further counts of possessing a firearm to endanger life. Paul Russell, 40, also from West Derby, was charged with assisting an offender.

Both Cashman and Russell will appear at Liverpool Magistrates Court on Monday.

Police have vowed to hunt down all individuals who 'tried to shield and protect' the man who shot and killed nine-year old Olivia Pratt-Korbel (pictured)

Police have made their 11th arrest so far as they look to hunt for the person who killed Olivia Pratt-Korbel. The nine-year-old was shot dead in her home in Liverpool in August

The news of the arrests was announced by Merseyside Police at a press conference on Saturday evening.

Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Kameen also promised to take down all parties involved in the tragedy.

'Our work continues in earnest,' he said. 'At the beginning of the investigation we were firm in our commitment to finding all of those involved in this case, which includes the people who have tried to shield and protect individuals, and those who have supplied the weapon or are hiding the weapons used in this incident.

'We have had an overwhelming response and support from the public since the tragic murder of Olivia and I would ask for your continued support so we can keep the promise we made to Olivias family and the local community to ensure that those involved face justice.'

Olivia died in Liverpool's Alder Hey Children's Hospital after being shot in her home in Knotty Ash when a gunman who was chasing convicted burglar and drug dealer Joseph Nee burst into the property about 10pm on August 22.

Olivia's mother Cheryl Korbel was hit in the wrist as she desperately tried to shut her front door, but the bullet also struck her daughter who was standing behind her.

The youngster was rushed to hospital but could not be saved.

Police have asked anyone with information or footage pertaining to Olivia's murder to contact authorities.

'If you have any CCTV/dashcam/smart doorbell footage that could help our inquiries they can be downloaded on the dedicated public portal for Olivia's murder, which will go straight through to the investigation team,' Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Kameen said.

He added: 'Finally, our thoughts today are with Olivias Mum and Dad, Cheryl and John Francis, and their families, who throughout the last few weeks have shown incredible strength, courage, and dignity.'

Anyone with information about the case is asked to DM @MerPolCC on Twitter or contact @CrimestoppersUK on 0800 555 111. Video footage can be submitted to Merseyside Police's public portal.

Police and forensic officers at the property in Kingsheath Avenue, Knotty Ash, Liverpool, where nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel was fatally shot

Merseyside Police have made repeated appeals for information following Olivia's death

Earlier this month, Olivia's funeral was held at St Margaret Mary's Church in Knotty Ash.

Pink ties, jackets, scarves and bows were worn by those attending the service after her family asked people to wear a 'splash of pink'.

Ms Korbel carried a pink teddy bear into the service, during which she said: 'Liv touched so many people's hearts and was loved and adored by everyone. She will never be forgotten.

'I will never say goodbye but what I will say is goodnight, love you, see you in the morning.'

Last week Crimestoppers announced the biggest single reward offer as they increased it to 200,000 in a bid to hunt for the killer.

The charity's founder and chairman Lord Ashcroft said: 'This case has been incredibly shocking, not just for those who are directly affected but also for Liverpool and the nation as a whole.

'I am delighted that with the support of a private donor, Crimestoppers can now offer a record 200,000 for information to catch Olivia's killer.

'A precious young life has been lost so we need every effort to find those involved in this appalling killing.'

Police have also revealed the two weapons used were a .38 revolver - the gun responsible for killing Olivia - and a Glock-type self-loading 9mm pistol which was fired in the initial stages of the incident.

Merseyside Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Kameen said: 'This occurred in the middle of summer in an area where innocent local people would have been enjoying the park. Once again, as with the first time this weapon was used in our communities, we find that those in possession of it have no care, thought or loyalty for anyone else or their safety.

'Once again, they do not deserve anyone's loyalty.'

CHARGED | Two men have been charged in connection with the murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbel in #Dovecot. Thomas Cashman, 34, and Paul Russell, 40, will appear at court on Mon. More here. Please continue to pass on any information via https://t.co/ISGOs7uUx7https://t.co/hgtJFGntFm pic.twitter.com/jRgRsopurp  Merseyside Police (@MerseyPolice) October 1, 2022

Police search the area outside of Olivia's home where she was killed in August

Olivia Pratt-Korbel's coffin is carried out of St Margaret Mary's Church on September 15, 2022

In a eulogy, Olivia's mother Cheryl Korbel (pictured holding a pink teddy) said: 'Liv touched so many people's hearts and was loved and adored by everyone. She will never be forgotten'
New Home Secretary Suella Braverman has admitted the Channel migrants crisis is 'out of control' and vowed to 'take dramatic action'.

Around 30,000 migrants have arrived so far this year  a figure that stands at ten times the total for the whole of 2018 and surpasses last year's figure of 28,526.

August became a record-breaking month after 8,644 people managed the crossing.

Ms Braverman said the 'crisis in the channel' has been going on for 'far too long' and said she would take action in her new role as Home Secretary.

Speaking to The Sun, Ms Braverman said: 'There's a crisis on the Channel and it's been going on for far too long. There have been huge attempts to try and stop the problem and I feel that we are at a stage now where we need to take dramatic action.'

New Home Secretary Suella Braverman has admitted the Channel migrants crisis is 'out of control' and vowed to 'take dramatic action'

She said some of the problems are due to a loophole in the Modern Slavery Act, that means even criminals  such as paedophiles, murderers and drug dealers  can remain in the UK.

Low thresholds of proof mean that criminals who have served sentences in English jails can stay in the UK by claiming modern slavery.

Ms Braverman, 42, added that 80 per cent of those who have arrived on small boats from Albania claimed to be victims of slavery.

And she said that a paedophile from Pakistan who was in jail for ten years has still not been kicked out of the country because of the Modern Slavery Act.

Ms Braverman added: 'That, I cannot emphasise enough, is plaguing our system, stopping the legitimate removal from our country of serious criminals, putting the safety of British people at risk, undermining the generosity of the British people and making a mockery of our country and our sovereignty  and this has to stop.'



She hinted she will crack down on people claiming modern slavery and will require a higher threshold of evidence  with plans to be fleshed out next week.

Around 30,000 migrants have arrived so far this year - a figure that stands at ten times the total for the whole of 2018 (pictured: a group of people thought to be migrants walking through the Border Force in Kent on September 29)

Her predecessor Priti Patel also fought to deter crossings by signing a deal to send channel migrants to Rwanda.

The promise of a crackdown on migrants by the Home Secretary comes as Prime Minister Liz Truss is trying to get more highly-skilled foreigners into the UK.

Ms Truss is planning to increase migrant numbers to Britain by loosening immigration rules as part of her mission to boost economic growth.

Ms Braverman said the 'crisis in the channel' has been going on for 'far too long' and said she would take action in her new role as Home Secretary (pictured a group of migrants arriving in Dover on September 29)

But it is said to have met with resistance from other Tory cabinet ministers.

Last week the Home Secretary told police chiefs to spend less time on 'diversity' and concentrate on fighting crime.

In a letter to chief constables, she reprimanded forces for failing to tackle offences such as burglary, car theft, graffiti and drugs.

Her intervention amounted to a call for a 'back to basics' approach to policing.

It followed incidents which have seen police criticised for taking up 'woke' causes, such as 'spats on Twitter' and performing 'TikTok-style' dances while on duty.
Ex-Tory MP Harvey Proctor has urged the House of Lords to block a fresh bid to make former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson a peer.

Mr Watson, 55, is said to have pressured Metropolitan Police officers and peddled false claims made by fantasist Carl Beech of a paedophile ring at the heart of Westminster.

Named Operation Midland, Met officers probing the bogus allegations carried out dawn raids at high-profile addresses including the homes of D-Day hero Lord Bramall, Lord Brittan and Mr Proctor.

Mr Beech had claimed he and other boys were raped and tortured in the 1970s and 1980s and that one young boy was even murdered by members of a VIP paedophile ring.

He is now serving an 18-year prison sentence for 12 counts of perverting the course of justice and one count of fraud.

The former Labour deputy 'formed a support group' and 'invited' Beech to the House of Commons following the allegations.

A report into the Met's handling of the case carried out by retired High Court Judge, Sir Richard Henriques later found that Mr Watson 'raised in Parliament suggestions that a paedophile ring was operating in the heart of Westminster' on October 24, 2012.

The report added that Mr Watson's interest in the operation also 'created further pressure upon MPS officers'.

Mr Proctor today re-shared a letter written in January 2020, when Mr Watson was nominated for a peerage after reports emerged that the former deputy Labour leader has been nominated for a peerage by Keir Starmer, according to The Times.

Sharing the letter in a tweet, Mr Proctor said: 'Nothing has changed since 2020 when Watsons peerage was rejected due to his meddling in Operation Midland.

'May I remind you all of my letter to Lord Bew, Chair of the House of Lords Appointments Commission, on 27th January 2020 when Tom Watson was nominated by Jeremy Corbyn.'

He also said the appointment would be a 'stain' on the House of Lords benches.

Ex-Tory MP Harvey Proctor today reshared a letter written in January 2020, when Mr Watson was first nominated for a peerage

Former deputy leader of the Labour Party Tom Watson ([pictured attending Glastonbury Festival in June 2019) peddled lies around Operation Midland

Westminster paedophile accuser Carl Beech was sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court after being convicted in 2016 of 12 counts of perverting the course of justice and one of fraud

In a series of tweets today, he continued: 'Again, Sir Keir Starmer showing a distinct lack of judgement.

'From his "believe the victim policy" when he was Director of Public Prosecutions & which he actively refuses to speak about. To nominating Tom Watson for a peerage. Neither are fit for public office!'

His earlier letter added: 'May I appeal to the House of Lords Appointments Commission that you should decline this appointment.

'Tom Watson did his upmost to denigrate the reputation of a former Home Secretary and distinguished member of the House of Lords, the late Leon Brittan, Baron Brittan of Spennithorne, PC, QC, DL. during his life and death within Metropolitan Police investigations - Operation Vincente and Operation Midland.

'He did the same to the late Field Marshal Edwin Noel Westby Bramall, Baron Bramall KG, GCB, OBE, MC, JP, DL. Within Operation Midland, Tom Watson formed a support group for Carl Beech, the fraudster, pedophile and perverter of the course of justice, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison at Newcastle Crown Court in July 2019. He also invited Beech to the House of Commons.

'He placed considerable pressure on the MPS to pursue Beech's allegations against a dozen or so individuals, including myself, who had their reputations trashed and, in my case, their home and employment lost.

The letter continued: 'Beech was proved to be a fantasist and to have lied in every respect. Watson has not even apologised unreservedly for his role in supporting Beech.

I set out below an article on Mr Tom Watson I wrote and which sets out my position more fully. It would be an appalling misjudgement to ennoble Mr Watson at this time, if at all.

'May I ask your Committee to act wisely and decline to accept this nomination, not in any party political consideration, but as a matter of justice and as not being in the national interest.'

It comes as London Mayor Sadiq Khan has faced calls to 'consider his position' after a report found that he 'pressured' Dame Cressida Dick to break the law during her time as Met boss.

A letter written by former Tory MP Harvey Proctor to the

The report by the former chief inspector of constabulary, Sir Thomas Winsor, has cast fresh light on the bitter feud between the pair during the Met chief's last months in office, when Mr Khan once warned her 'you're in last chance saloon'.

Sir Tom found Dame Cressida 'felt intimidated' following an ultimatum from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.

Her decision to resign came after criticism from the mayor following a series of scandals, including the Operation Midland scandal. She officially left in April.

Scotland Yard was heavily criticised in an independent review of the case by former High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques. His findings recommended that 'offences of attempting to pervert the course of justice be considered' against the two complainants, and this should be carried out by another police force.

In September 2019, Dame Cressida's role in setting up the shambolic probe into alleged VIP child sex abuse and murder was revealed, but she declines to answer questions.

Two years later, Lady Brittan condemns the culture of 'cover up and flick away' in the Met and the lack of a moral compass among senior officers.

The same month a freedom of information request revealed an extraordinary spin campaign to ensure Dame Cressida was not 'pulled into' the scandal over the Carl Beech debacle.
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Security forces fire tear gas at angry protesters outside the French embassy in Burkina Faso's capital on Sunday, as unrest simmered in the impoverished, restive West African nation following the claim of a second coup this year.

The latest upheaval began on Friday, when junior military officers announced they had toppled the country's junta leader, sparking deep concern among world powers.

Late on Saturday, the junta leader, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, said he had no intention of giving up power and urged the officers to 'come to their senses'.

His comments came shortly after the army general staff dismissed the coup as an 'internal crisis' within the military and said dialogue was 'ongoing' to remedy the situation.

The news comes as Burkina Faso's new military leader Captain Ibrahim Traore accepted a conditional resignation.

The latest upheaval began on Friday, when junior military officers announced they had toppled the country's junta leader, sparking deep concern among world powers

Late on Saturday, the junta leader, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, said he had no intention of giving up power and urged the officers to "come to their senses

The officers had accused Damiba of having hidden at a military base of former colonial power France to plot a 'counteroffensive', charges that he and France denied

An officer, reading a statement on television from Traore, who stood by his side, told the public 'to refrain from any act of violence and vandalism', notably against the French embassy and military base

The officers said they had carried out their putsch because Damiba had failed to quell jihadist attacks in the country

In a statement read out on television on Sunday, the officers who claimed the coup said they had lifted a curfew they had imposed and called for a meeting of ministry heads for later in the day.

The officers had accused Damiba of having hidden at a military base of former colonial power France to plot a 'counteroffensive', charges that he and France denied.

On Sunday, dozens of supporters of the new self-proclaimed putsch leader, Ibrahim Traore, gathered at the French embassy in the capital Ouagadougou.

Hundreds of protesters headed to the headquarters of Burkina Faso's public television, where Traore went in a motorcade to deliver a national address on Sunday.

In a statement read out on television on Sunday, the officers who claimed the coup said they had lifted a curfew they had imposed and called for a meeting of ministry heads for later in the day

The officers had accused Damiba of having hidden at a military base of former colonial power France to plot a 'counteroffensive', charges that he and France denied

Soldiers loyal to Capt. Ibrahim Traore walk in the streets of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso's new junta leadership is calling for calm after the French Embassy and other buildings were attacked

Protesters stands next to a soldier holding a rifle during a demonstration after a claimed coup in Ouagadougou

A protestor holds banner written 'Damiba thank your for your contribution, now we want I B Traore' during a demonstration after a claimed coup in Ouagadougou

Protesters stands next to a soldier holding a rifle during a demonstration after a claimed coup in Ouagadougou

A crowd of protesters gather in front of the entrance to the French Embassy

Hundreds of protesters headed to the headquarters of Burkina Faso's public television, where Traore went in a motorcade to deliver a national address on Sunday

Soldiers escort the convoy of Burkina Faso's self-declared new leader Ibrahim Traore as he arrives at the national television standing in an armoured vehicle in Ouagadougou

Burkina Faso's self-declared new leader Ibrahim Traore arrives at the national television standing in an armoured vehicle in Ouagadougou

The new self-proclaimed leader of the military junta ruling Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Trao

Protesters stand atop a Unitend Nation armored vehicle

The French foreign ministry condemned 'the violence against our embassy in the strongest terms' by 'hostile demonstrators manipulated by a disinformation campaign against us'

Some of them were carrying Russian flags and chanted slogans hostile to France and Damiba.

Traore supporters were also continuing to occupy several main squares and roads in Ouagadougou, an AFP correspondent saw.

The French foreign ministry condemned 'the violence against our embassy in the strongest terms' by 'hostile demonstrators manipulated by a disinformation campaign against us'.

It marked the latest incident against a France-linked building in two days, after a fire at the embassy on Saturday and a blaze in front of the French Institute in the western city of Bobo-Dioulasso.

A French institute in the capital also sustained major damage, the French foreign ministry said.

Traore called for an end to the attacks on Sunday.

An officer, reading a statement on television from Traore, who stood by his side, told the public 'to refrain from any act of violence and vandalism', notably against the French embassy and military base.

The officers said they had carried out their putsch because Damiba had failed to quell jihadist attacks in the country.

Traore said talks with Damiba were ongoing and that order was progressively being restored, although the country's borders remained shut on Sunday.

Damiba himself came to power in the nation of 16 million people in a January coup, accusing elected president Roch Marc Christian Kabore of failing to beat back jihadist fighters.

But the insurgency has raged on and more than 40 percent of Burkina Faso remains outside government control.

Thousands have died and about two million have been displaced by the fighting since 2015, when the insurgency spread to Burkina Faso from neighbouring Mali.

- 'Burkina Faso needs peace' -

The events Friday sparked a wave of international criticism, including from the United States, the African Union, the European Union and the regional grouping ECOWAS.

'Burkina Faso needs peace, stability and unity to fight terrorist groups and criminal networks operating in parts of the country,' said a statement by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Jihadist violence has also prompted a series of coups in Mali since 2020 and fuelled instability in neighbouring Niger.

The new self-proclaimed Burkina putschists said they were willing 'to go to other partners ready to help in the fight against terrorism'.

No country was explicitly mentioned but Russia, whose influence is growing in French-speaking Africa including Mali and the Central African Republic, is among the possible partners in question.

A few hours before events unfolded on Friday, hundreds of people had rallied in the capital seeking Damiba's departure, the end of France's military presence in the Sahel and military cooperation with Russia.

France has a contingent of military special forces based in Kamboinsin, which is about 30 kilometres (19 miles) from Ouagadougou.
A teenage girl was left lying in a quiet village green for five hours after being stabbed multiple times before being discovered in the early morning by a dog walker.

The girl, who has not been named, was stabbed repeatedly at around 2am on Sunday in Benhall near Saxmundham, Suffolk.

At roughly 7am, police confirmed that she was found near the junction of Aldecar Lane and Benhall Green by a dog walker who then dialled 999.

Paramedics from the East of England Ambulance Service treated her for 'stab wounds and a back injury' before taking her to Ipswich hospital where she remains in a stable condition.

A teenage girl was left lying in a quiet village green for five hours after being stabbed multiple times before being discovered in the early morning by a dog walker

The girl, who has not been named, was stabbed repeatedly at around 2am on Sunday in Benhall near Saxmundham, Suffolk

Suffolk Police also said they 'subsequently arrested' a 17-year-old boy on suspicion of assault causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

He has been taken for questioning at the Police Investigation Centre at Martlesham near Ipswich.

A Suffolk Police statement said: 'There is currently a police cordon at the scene while investigations are carried out.

'Both the victim and suspect are known to each other, and at this time police are treating it as an isolated incident with no wider threat to the public.

At roughly 7am, police confirmed that the girl was found near the junction of Aldecar Lane and Benhall Green by a dog walker who then dialled 999

Paramedics from the East of England Ambulance Service treated her for 'stab wounds and a back injury' before taking her to Ipswich hospital where she remains in a stable condition

'Officers are appealing for anyone who may have seen individuals in the area of the assault and the adjacent open areas during the early hours of this morning, to get in touch with police.'

Richard Smith, who represents the neighbouring Blything ward at Suffolk County Council, expressed his shock after hearing of the stabbing.

He said: 'This incident is very clearly shocking. I hope the young lady who has been stabbed can make a full recovery.

'This is a horrible incident, but these horrible incidents can happen.

'I was saddened to read about it, and I hope the girl can make a speedy recovery.'

Benhall is known as a picture postcard village with a number of traditional thatched cottages and a population of around 520 people.

Suffolk Police also said they 'subsequently arrested' a 17-year-old boy on suspicion of assault causing grievous bodily harm with intent

The village green was cordoned off today by police as officers continued to investigate the stabbing.

The area which is popular with dog walkers includes a play area and the village's celebratory beacon. It is criss-crossed by paths and includes areas of woodland.

A villager said: 'Our hearts go out to this poor girl. A lot of people around here know her. It is just awful to think she was lying injured for so many hours.'

Any witnesses or anyone with any information or knowledge of the incident has been asked to contact Suffolk police quoting CAD 83 of Sunday October 2, via their website or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their online form.
Florida's senior senator said on Sunday that he would vote against disaster relief funds for his state if the bills contained unrelated funding for lawmakers' 'pet projects.'

Senator Marco Rubio spoke with CNN just as Floridians have begun to recover from the catastrophic damage caused by Hurricane Ian last week.

He was forced to square his current calls for relief dollars with his 2013 vote against giving the Northeast $50 billion in funding to recover from Hurricane Sandy.

'I have always voted for hurricane and disaster relief,' Rubio told CNN State of the Union.

'What I didn't vote for in Sandy is because they had included things like a roof for museum in Washington, D.C., for fisheries in Alaska. It had been loaded up with a bunch of things that had nothing to do with disaster relief.'

Pressed on whether he would do the same in this case, Rubio said: 'Sure.'

'I will fight against it having pork in it,' he added.

'Pork' refers to measure and funding added to a bill that are extraneous to its intended topic.

'That's the key. We shouldn't have that in there, because it undermines the ability to come back and do this in the future,' Rubio explained.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio said he would vote against hurricane relief aid if it included 'pork,' which is a term for unrelated spending added to legislation

DANA BASH: You're asking for disaster relief money for Florida, but you voted against a relief package after Sandy



MARCO RUBIO: It included stuff like a roof for a museum in DC



BASH: I read the congressional research report and it sounds like the roof was damaged by the storm pic.twitter.com/iZ9zNcFexT  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 2, 2022

'We can do it, it's possible to do it without loading it with these other things, because, otherwise, you will have people in the Senate, in the House that are going to vote against disaster relief because they view these disaster relief bills as ways for other people to get their pork and their pet projects done.'

At one point in the interview, host Bash pushed back against Rubio's characterization of the Hurricane Sandy relief aid. She pointed out that the Washington, DC museum roof had been damaged by the storm and that the funding for Alaska was meant for another natural disaster that occurred around the same time.

However, Rubio acknowledged in a separate interview with ABC News' This Week that whatever funding bill comes down the pipeline will also need relief for more than just Florida.

'[I]n our case, were not going to ask for the other $5, were just going to ask for that one that has to do with emergency relief,' he said in reference to not asking for extemporaneous funds.

'I imagine South Carolina and North Carolina, other states in the northeast will have the same. And there are other natural disasters that are occurring - we may need to include Puerto Rico in that request, that they need additional funding.'

An aerial photo made with a drone shows the damaged roof of an apartment building in the wake of Hurricane Ian in Daytona Beach, Florida

As of Sunday morning, Florida residents are still reporting hours-long waits for the gas station as the state begins recovery from Hurricane Ian

Rubio did eventually end up voting for smaller-scale aid bills in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, and later voted for a package in 2017 that contained relief funding for Florida after Hurricane Irma.

He also said on Sunday that Florida will need further help from the federal government to recovery, and that some communities there 'will never look the same again' while others have been 'wiped out.'

'There will be more that's needed. But, as usual and always, FEMA has been a great partner. The Biden administration has responded, as they have said, and so there's no complaints there. These are professionals,' Rubio said.

As of Saturday, roughly 10,000 Sunshine State residents remain in shelters, according to the Miami Herald.

Residents have reported waiting in gas station lines for at least six hours through the weekend.

At least 81 people have died in Florida alone, CNN reports.

And nearly a million homes and business are still without power as of Sunday morning, according to website PowerOutage.us.
A senior minister used the Queen's state funeral to apologise to Irish politicians about the way the UK handled Brexit, he revealed today.

Steve Baker told the Conservative Party Conference he said sorry to Dublin politicians for a lack of 'respect' during the years of talks, when they were in London last month.

Mr Baker, a Northern Ireland minister, is a hardline Leave supporter who resigned as Brexit minister in 2018 in protest at Theresa May's Brexit deal.

He spent the rest of the protracted period before the UK quit the EU as a senior critic on the backbenches.

But speaking to the Birmingham conference today he said 'relations with Ireland are not where they should be'.

'It's with humility that I want to accept and acknowledge that I and others did not always behave in a way that encouraged Ireland and the European Union to trust us to accept they have legitimate interests - legitimate interests that we are willing to accept, because they do and we are willing to accept them,' he said.

Steve Baker told the Conservative Party Conference he said sorry to Dublin politicians for a lack of 'respect' during the years of talks, when they were in London last month.

Mr baker with Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney at the Service of Reflection for Queen Elizabeth II at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast last month

'And I am sorry about that, because relations with Ireland are not where they should be and we all need to work extremely hard to improve them and I know that we are doing so.'

He added that after raising the issue with Dublin ministers at the funeral he felt 'the ice thawing a little bit'.

But he also added that 'no one should doubt our resolve to make progress on the (Northern Ireland) protocol'.

The attempt at detente comes after the new 'special relationship' had a tricky start last month. Ahead of talks with Liz Truss in New York US president Joe Biden sent a 'candid' message about his 'personal' feelings on the Northern Ireland Brexit row.

The PM and US president sat down for their first talks at the UN general assembly.

Aides said the discussions went on for 75 minutes rather than the hour scheduled, and there was a united front on Ukraine and the response to Russia.

However, the leaders appear to have had an awkward exchange over Northern Ireland, with US officials describing the conversation as 'candid' - usually code that there was not agreement.

Mr Biden is said to have stressed the 'personal importance' he sets on resolving the spat over the province and protecting the Good Friday Agreement.

For her part, Ms Truss filled in the US president on her talks with EU commission president Ursula von der Leyen - and has signalled she wants to settle the issues within six months.

The premier is targeting getting the Northern Ireland Executive back up and running in time for the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement in Easter.

That could also coincide with a state visit to the UK by Mr Biden.
It comes as the Labour Party Conference last week opened with the national anthem for the first time ever

Ms Mordaunt said: 'She saw us through change and challenge, constitutional crisis, conflict, Covid'

Liz Truss and her cabinet were on the front row of Birmingham's International Convention Centre (ICC)

Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt, flanked by photographs, paid tribute to the late Queen

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Conservative Party members stood for a minute's silence in memory of the Queen before singing the national anthem on the first day of the party's conference  as MPs paid tribute to her as an 'extraordinary symbol of national unity'.

Liz Truss and her Cabinet were on the front row of hall one at Birmingham's International Convention Centre (ICC) as members remained standing to sing the national anthem in praise of King Charles III.

Members stood and cheered as the Prime Minister entered the hall at the start of proceedings, ahead of welcoming remarks by the president of the National Conservative Convention, Fleur Butler.

Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt paid tribute to the late Queen, flanked by photographs.

Ms Mordaunt said: 'She saw us through change and challenge, constitutional crisis, conflict, Covid.

Conservative Party members stood for a minute's silence in memory of the Queen before singing the national anthem on the first day of the party's conference. Pictured: Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt delivers a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II

'And every time we battled, we had Her Majesty alongside us, advising us, guiding us, unifying us all.'

Party members were shown a video montage of recollections of the Queen from former Conservative prime ministers Sir John Major, David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson.

Mr Cameron said: 'I think her greatest legacy is demonstrating just what a brilliant model our constitutional monarchy is.

Duchy of Lancaster Nadhim Zahawi, Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng, Britain's Prime Minister Liz Truss and husband Hugh O'Leary bowed their heads during a minutes silence in tribute

'She was an extraordinary symbol of national unity, she brought the country together, but she also did so much to represent and symbolise Britain abroad.'

Ms May added: 'One of the striking characteristics of her late Majesty was her devotion to duty.'

Mr Johnson said: 'I think there has been no other monarch in our history who has (seen) such a phenomenal increase in the prosperity, in the opportunity, in the longevity, of the British people as she has in her reign, and for that reason alone I think that she should be recorded as Elizabeth the Great.'

Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng, Prime Minister Liz Truss and her husband, Hugh O'Leary sing the national anthem during a tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II

It comes as the Labour Party Conference last week opened with the national anthem for the first time ever to pay tribute to Her Majesty.

Speaking from the conference stage, Sir Keir Starmer led tributes to the Queen saying it 'still feels impossible to imagine a Britain without her'.

Sir Keir said: 'Because our Queen's devotion to Britain was underpinned by one crucial understanding - she knew that the country she came to symbolise is bigger than any one individual or institution...

Before leading a rendition of God Save the King Sir Keir told the audience in Liverpool: 'Let's turn our collar up and face the storm, keep alive the spirit of public service she embodied and let it drive us towards a better future.'

Leader Keir Starmer hailed the late monarch's commitment to her country as he urged delegates at its party conference to emulate her drive.

'For 70 years, Queen Elizabeth II stood as head of our country, but, in spirit, she stood amongst us.'

However, Jeremy Corbyn argued the move was unnecessary. He said on Nick Robinson's Political Thinking podcast: 'They've never done it before, there's never been any demand to do it.

'We don't as a country routinely go around singing the national anthem at every single event we go to.

'We don't sing in schools, we don't have the raising of the flag as they do in the USA and other places.

'We are not that sort of, what I would call, excessively nationalist.'

But there was even applause in the hall as the singing came to an end.
The actress is now trying to force two insurance firms to pick up the remainder of the multimillion dollar bill

She seems to have no care in the world even though she continues to owe her ex-husband Johnny Depp over $10 million in legal fees from their highly-publicized defamation trial

The 36-year-old even let her hair down as she caught her 1-year-old daughter, Oonagh, from a slide

Aquaman actress Amber Heard went makeup free on her outing to a playground in Palma de Mallorca, Spain on Sunday, wearing a black tank top and white ankle-length pants with a simple pair of flip flops

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Aquaman actress Amber Heard did not seem to have a care in mind as she played with her daughter on Sunday  even as she continues to fight to get insurance to cover $8 million in legal fees she owes her ex, Johnny Depp.

The embattled actress went makeup-free on her outing to a playground in Palma de Mallorca, Spain on Sunday, wearing a black tank top and white ankle-length pants with a simple pair of flip flops.

Heard, 36, even let her hair down on Sunday as she caught her 1-year-old daughter Oonagh from a slide and played with her in the Mediterranean city.

She seems to be having fun on the trip, taking in the sights of the Spanish city with a small entourage, even as she continues to owe her ex-husband Johnny Depp over $10 million in legal fees following their highly-publicized defamation trial.

The actress has recently changed lawyers in an attempt to force two insurance firms to pick up the remainder of the multimillion dollar bill for her libel payout.

She is currently represented by David L. Axelrod and Jay Ward Brown in her appeal of that verdict.

Heard seemed care free even as she is trying to dispute the ruling in the defamation trial involving her ex-husband Johnny Depp

Amber Heard, 36, seemed to have no care in the world as she played with daughter Oonagh, 1, on a playground in Palma de Mallorca, Spain on Sunday

The Aquaman actress is pictured here smiling brightly as she prepared to catch Oonagh from a slide

The embattled actress went makeup-free on her outing wearing a black tank top and white ankle-length pants with a simple pair of flip flops

The actress has also recently hired Kirk Pasich on her legal team in an attempt to get multiple insurance companies to cover her legal bills, which may surpass $15 million, according to Puck News.

Puck claims that Heard's expenses soared over $8 million before the Virginia trial even began. Heard's team appears to want homeowner's insurance to cover those bills.

The battle concerns Travelers Commercial Insurance Company and New York Marine General Insurance Company.

Travelers initially sued New York Marine in July 2021 to gain reimbursement for half of what it spent on defending a client that turned out to be Heard.

Heard's homeowners policy with Travelers covered 'libel' to the point of about $500,000, while New York Marine had issued her a general liability policy for $1 million.

Heard was pictured on Sunday on a playground in Palma de Mallorca, teaching her 1-year-old daughter how to use the different attractions. Oonagh is pictured in a green jumper

Heard watched as her young daughter spun around on one of the attractions at the playground

The embattled actress flashed a movie-star smile as she grabbed her daughter from the slide on Sunday

The actress walked around the playground carrying Oonagh tight as they took in the attractions

The crux of the suit was Travelers believing Heard had the right to pick her own lawyers, while New York Marine disagreed, believing the case was 'fairly straight forward'. A judge agreed with New York Marine's desire to use local, cheaper attorneys.

Travelers had doubts about New York Marine's appointed lawyers Timothy McEvoy and Sean Patrick Roche, arguing they 'piggy-backed' on the work of Heard attorneys Roberta Kaplan and Elaine Charlson Bredehoft.

New York Marine, for their part, claimed their attorneys were frozen out by Kaplan and Bredehoft.

They now want $621,693 paid back in exchange for their contribution to Heard's defense fund because their lawyers were kept out of various legal proceedings.

The insurers are currently suing Heard to avoid contributing to the libel settlement that has the Aquaman star set to pay Depp about $10.35 million using a California law preventing insurers from covering 'willful acts'.

Pasich is representing Heard to try and deal with this situation on her behalf.

Heard may be responsible for the entire judgement if it survives her appeal, as Travelers will try to avoid paying it if Depp could prove she made false statements.

Heard was ordered to pay her ex-husband more than $10 million in damages at the end of an explosive defamation trial in June. She is pictured here walking with Oonagh around Spain on Sunday

Oonagh met with some local dogs during Heard's trip around Spain with a small entourage

The actress has recently hired Kirk Pasich on her legal team in an attempt to get multiple insurance companies to cover her legal bills, which may surpass $15 million

Heard seems to be enjoying her vacation to the Mediterranean city with a small group of friends

Heard may be responsible for the entire judgement if it survives her appeal, as Travelers will try to avoid paying it if Depp could prove she made false statements

At the end of the defamation trial, Depp, 59, was awarded $10million to $15 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages.

The judge later capped the damages at the state's maximum of $350,000 leaving Depp with a total of $8.35 million.

Meanwhile, Heard won one of her three countersuit claims related to statements made by Depp's lawyer suggesting the actress and her friends had trashed their apartment before calling the police.

The actress was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages out of the $100 million she sought.

At the end of the defamation trial, Depp, 59, was awarded $10million to $15 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages

, Heard won one of her three countersuit claims related to statements made by Depp's lawyer suggesting the actress and her friends had trashed their apartment before calling the police. The actress was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages out of the $100 million she sought

A day after Heard's team filed an appeal, Depp's team did the same to overturn the couple million the actor owes to his ex-wife.

The Pirates of the Caribbean actor's team said they filed an appeal to ensure 'all information is considered by the court' while they return to consider Heard's appeal.

Before filing an appeal, Heard's attorney asked the judge to throw out the decision and declare a mistrial. It was argued that one of the jurors on the case should not have been eligible to serve because his summons was intended for his father, who had the same name and lived at the same address.

Judge Penny Azcarate shot down the request claiming there was no 'evidence of fraud or wrongdoing' by the juror and that the jury's verdict should stand.'
At least '92 people' have been killed in a brutal crackdown of anti-government protests sparked by the death of a young woman reportedly tortured in custody by Iranian police for not wearing a hijab properly.

Mahsa Amini, 22, died in custody on September 16 after she was detained in Tehran by Iranian morality police who believed she was wearing her hijab too loosely.

As protests stretched into a third week today, the Iran Human Rights (IHR) group said at least 92 people had been killed.

Meanwhile, President Ebrahim Raisi said the 'enemies' of Iran had 'failed in their conspiracy'.

Clashes between protesters and security forces have rocked cities across the country for 16 nights in a row after they first flared in western regions home to Amini and Iran's Kurdish minority.

It comes as a further 41 people died in clashes on Friday in Iran's far southeast, an area bordering Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to IHR.

Those protests were sparked by accusations a police chief in the region had raped a teenage girl of the Baluch Sunni minority, it said.

A demonstrator raises his arms and makes the victory sign during a protest for Mahsa Amini in Tehran this week

Mahsa Amini died in custody on September 16 after she was detained in Tehran by Iranian morality police

People gather during a protest for Ms Amini, who was allegedly arrested for not complying with strict dress code in Tehran

Public anger has grown since authorities on Friday announced the death earlier this month

IHR has accused the security forces of the mainly Shiite country of 'bloodily repressing' the Zahedan protest that erupted after Friday prayers over accusations a police chief in the province's port city of Chabahar had raped a 15-year-old girl.

A Sunni preacher, Molavi Abdol Hamid, had on Wednesday warned the community was 'inflamed' over the alleged rape.

Solidarity rallies with Iranian women - who have defiantly burnt the hijabs they have been obliged to wear since the 1979 Islamic revolution - have also been held worldwide, with demonstrations in more than 150 cities yesterday.

In Iran, meanwhile, 'rioters' and 'thugs' - including some hurling Molotov cocktails - attacked the Tehran headquarters of Iran's leading ultraconservative daily newspaper Kayhan yesterday. Its director is appointed by the country's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

IHR has been working to assess the death toll in the face of internet outages and blocks on WhatsApp, Instagram and other online services.

London-based Amnesty International earlier said it had confirmed 53 deaths, while Iran's semi-official Fars news agency said last week that 'around 60' people had died.

The official IRNA news agency today said a paramilitary man 'stabbed' during 'recent riots' in the Shiite holy city of Qom south of Tehran died in hospital.

Tehran has also battled unrest in the country's southeast, adding that five Revolutionary Guards members had been killed in clashes on Friday in Zahedan - the capital of Sistan-Baluchestan province.

A protester tears up his Iranian passport during a protest against Iran in Istanbul on Sunday

A woman cuts her hair during a protest against the death of Ms Amini and the government of Iran in Istanbul

Protestors rally calling for regime change in Iran in Washington, United States, on Saturday afternoon

The poverty-stricken region has often seen clashes with Baluchi minority rebels, Sunni Muslim extremist groups and drug smuggling gangs.

Iran has accused outside forces of stoking the nationwide protests, especially the US and its allies, and on Friday the intelligence ministry said nine foreign nationals - including from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland - had been arrested.

It comes as Iran is seeking to revive its 2015 nuclear deal with the US and other major powers to end sanctions that have throttled its oil-rich economy and seen South Korea, China and Japan freeze billions of dollars in Iranian funds.

The landmark Vienna deal - which had promised sanctions relief in return for strict nuclear controls - has been in tatters since then US president Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2018 and Iran later backed away from its own commitments.
President Joe Biden enjoys a 51% approval rating with Latino voters overall but lags behind on the issues of border security and immigration, and the economy

A majority of Latino voters are dissatisfied with how President Joe Biden is handling the economy and issues of border security, according to a new Sunday poll.

While generally approving of the president overall, more than 50 percent of Latino voters surveyed by NBC News/Telemundo gave Biden failing marks on the economy, 'border security and immigration,' and 'the cost of living.'

The poll also found that Democrats' lead over Republicans among Hispanic and Latino communities has shrunk to the smallest its ever been - with less than six weeks until the November midterm elections.

Voters across the country will head to the ballot box on November 8 to decide which party has control of Congress for the latter half of Biden's term.

Fifty-four percent of US voters polled by NBC News/Telemundo back Democrats, while 33 percent back the GOP - a 21 point lead.

That's five points down from the left's lead in 2020 - and has shrunk by half since 2012, when Democrats enjoyed a 42-point gap.

It's worth noting that the Latino and Hispanic voting bloc is by no means a monolith and is among the most politically diverse in the country.

The figures are part of an overall bleaker picture for Biden's party, which currently holds slim majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

In Sunday's poll, Republicans also come out slightly ahead on issues that appear to top most voters' minds going into the midterms.

A majority of Latino voters disapproved of the state of the US economy under Biden

A majority also said his handling of immigration was not up to par, as well as 'cost of living'

They're more trusted by Latino voters to handle the economy, border security and crime - though neither party cracked a 40 percent threshold of support.

Democrats, on the other hand, are favored by large margins when it comes to abortion, 'addressing the concerns of the Hispanic community,' and 'protecting democracy.'

The president's perceived weaknesses are similar to those of his party - 54 percent of Latino voters surveyed said they disapprove of how he's handling the economy, and 60 percent disapprove of the cost of living under Biden.

Fifty-one percent gave him negative feedback on immigration and the border.

Last month there were more than two million migrant encounters on the southwestern border for the fiscal year, a record high.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) commissioner Chris Magnus explained at the time, 'Failing communist regimes in Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba are driving a new wave of migration across the Western Hemisphere, including the recent increase in encounters at the southwest U.S. border.'

Meanwhile officials in border states like Texas and Arizona have been demanding that the Biden administration play a bigger role in easing the burden on state and local communities that are ill-equipped to deal with the population surge themselves.

It prompted even one of Biden's fellow Democrats to call him out.

Rep. Henry Cuellar, who represents part of the Texas border with Mexico, suggested on Fox News last week that Biden was ignoring his calls to do more about the border.

'I have tried and I have tried and I have tried,' Cuellar said in late September when asked if he warned the president.

'For many years I've said that we need to make sure we do the right thing at the border.'

Asked if the Biden administration was heeding his calls, Cuellar said: 'No, they're not.'

Sunday's poll was conducted September 17 through 26 and sampled 1,000 registered voters.
Former Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan has been accused in court documents of manually deleting texts related to the lawless CHOP zone created in the city during the 2020 Black Live Matter riots.

According to a new forensic report conducted on behalf of business owners and residents suing the city for its botched response to the riots, Durkan manually deleted nearly 200 text messages in July 2020, around the time CHOP was created.

The anti-cop zone, set up in the ritzy Capitol Hill neighborhood, stood for Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, and was also known as CHAZ (Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone).

It was billed as a peaceful utopia free of police violence, but quickly descended into anarchy, with one teenage boy even murdered.

Local businesses watched in despair as customers stayed away for fear of violence - while Durkan vocally supported the hellish enclave.

In response to a Donald Trump tweet condemning the area, she tweeted: 'The Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone is not a lawless wasteland of anarchist insurrection - it is a peaceful expression of our community's collective grief and their desire to build a better world. Given his track record, it's not hard to believe that Trump is wrong, yet again.'

She has previously been found to have deleted over 5,000 messages from the time after she changed her settings to automatically delete messages after 30 days.

The new report also concluded that the texts of several other key officials were destroyed in manual phone resets in July 2020, one month after Black Lives Matter protestors took over an area near Capitol Hill and the East Precinct, and set up their own barriers.

At first protesters called the area the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), but that changed to the Capitol Hill Organized Protest, or The CHOP, which lasted for weeks.

During the weekslong riot in June 2020, one teenager was killed and several others were wounded in three other shootings.

Former Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan has been accused in court documents of manually deleting texts related to the lawless CHOP zone created in the city during the 2020 Black Live Matter riots

Black Lives Matter protestors took over an area near Capitol Hill and the East Precinct in June 2020 and set up their own barriers. They originally called the area the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), but that changed to the Capitol Hill Organized Protest, or The CHOP

Now, a group of residents and business owners are suing city officials, saying they 'intended to deprive Plaintiffs of crucial evidence' by deleting their text messages about the riots, though it remains unclear what was said in those texts.

They are accusing City Hall of 'spoliation of evidence' and are asking a federal judge to find the city liable for the crimes committed at the CHOP, or by advising a future jury to infer spoliation, according to the Seattle Times.

City officials, though, have asked the judge to throw out the case  with City Attorney Ann Davison's office accusing some of the plaintiffs themselves of deleting their own texts about CHOP.

They argue that the city government under Durkan sought to de-escalate the protests rather than neglect it, as the plaintiffs claim.

And a spokesperson for Durkan, who did not seek re-election following the CHOP riots and was replaced by current Mayor Bruce Harrell, told the Times she 'believes strongly in the public's right to know what their government is doing.'

But she called the lawsuit, filed in the Western District of Washington last week, 'a purposely inaccurate and misplaced "Hail Mary" attempt to save a case that lacks merit.'

Within a few weeks, shootings broke out at the lawless encampment near the Capitol

Durkan's text were originally disclosed as missing to the public by whistleblowers in her office in early 2021, an apparent violation of public records law which requires that certain texts be preserved.

Anyone who willfully destroys a public record that is supposed to be kept is guilty under the law of a felony, punishable by five years in prison and a $1,000 fine.

But a previous forensic analysis, commissioned by City Hall in response to questions abut how officials managed the June 2020 protests, found that Durkan's phone was set the following month to automatically delete texts after 30 days, resulting in the loss of 5,746 texts.

It also indicated that Durkan's phone had been set to delete text messages stored in the cloud at around the same time.

She has since directed responsibility on the city's information technology department, saying it provided her with a new phone on July 9, 2020  in the period during which her text-retention setting was changed to 30 days.

But the city department said it is not part of its practice to change text retention settings, and both forensic analyses have identified July 4, 2020 as the date her phone was set to delete texts stored in the cloud.

Durkan has said in a deposition that no one else handled her phone that day, the Seattle Times reports.

The new report now shows that in addition to those more than 5,000 text messages deleted from before June 25, 2020, 191 more were lost later, between June 25 and November 16.

It concludes that the text messages were manually deleted.

Durkan now claims that problems arose with her phone after she dropped it in a tidepool on the Fourth of July.

Her spokesperson told the Times that the texts are 'mostly innocuous and irrelevant' and are 'wholly consistent with her public statements at the time.'

Questions have swirled in the aftermath about the government's response to the riots

Meanwhile, the Seattle Times reported more than a year ago that texts from a number of other officials  including the city's fire and police chiefs  were missing or were not yet recovered from the period when police deployed tear gas on protesters and abandoned the East Precinct.

At the time, the newspaper reports, the city's attorney's office said texts were missing from Durkan, then-police chief Carmen Best, fire chief Harold Scoggins, assistant police chief Eric Greening, police chief strategy officer Chris Fisher, emergency operations official Kenneth Neafcy and public utilities official Idris Beauregard.

According to the new report, their phones were each reset in October 2020, resulting in more than 27,000 texts being deleted from Best's phone and over 15,000being deleted from Fisher's phone.

Best has since admitted that she periodically deleted her texts.

And the city has defended its factory resets on its phone because the officials were 'locked out' of their phones.

It remains unclear what the text messages that were deleted said, but the forensic report compiled by Leatha Consulting LLC says the deletions 'each resulted in a loss of text messages that the city had an obligation to preserve.'

It also said the technology issues could have been resolved without resetting the phones and losing the texts.
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All over the world yesterday, the first official portrait of King Charles with Queen Consort Camilla was being studied with affection and fascination.

Affection because rarely has Charles looked so at ease in a formal photograph, and fascination because with William and Kate, the new Prince and Princess of Wales, at his side, we have a glimpse of the present and future of the monarchy.

Observers will search for clues about everything from its composition and backdrop to what it tells us about the long-term security not only of the Royal Family but, more pertinently, of the institution that they represent.

The photograph is brimming with symbolism of course: the new sovereign is pictured with his son and heir, while looming behind them is a glowering portrait of King George III, the longest-reigning male monarch in British history.

But what is perhaps even more remarkable is that the picture was taken on the eve of the Queen's funeral, when our four most senior royals were about to host a huge reception for visiting Heads of State, including US President Joe Biden, at Buckingham Palace.

The photograph is brimming with symbolism of course: the new sovereign is pictured with his son and heir, while looming behind them is a glowering portrait of King George III, the longest-reigning male monarch in British history

The message, if one was needed, was clear: the business of monarchy never rests, even at times of great personal sorrow, and its enduring strength lies in its continuity.

However it is also a reminder that the royals are always on duty  even when they have to summon every inch of self-control, as they did during the public grieving for the Queen who for them was a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother as well as the monarch.

Palace sources said that the picture had been taken to mark a 'historic moment' for the family. But there was more than just history on display here.

The body language of all four is surprisingly relaxed. It speaks of warmth and acceptance. The taller William and Kate may physically dominate, but the eye is drawn to the new King, a pace closer to the camera, and wearing an easy confidence.

For once, those cuff-tugging mannerisms and general fidgeting so familiar from any number of ceremonial portraits are absent.

One hand rests comfortably behind Camilla's back while the other is casually thrust into his jacket pocket.

But it is the hint of a smile on his face that is the most telling. It is the look of a man who is not daunted by what lies ahead  but rather is invigorated by it.

Palace sources said that the picture had been taken to mark a 'historic moment' for the family. But there was more than just history on display here. The body language of all four is surprisingly relaxed. It speaks of warmth and acceptance

There is another significant factor here too. And it is a not-so-subtle nod to his wishes for a slimmed-down monarchy: one he believes will be more relevant and more resilient. Some will wonder if this is not just slimming down, but cutting to the bone. The unspoken elephant in the room is the absence of the King's younger son.

Three years ago, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan would have had every expectation to be part of this family ensemble.

Indeed, only four years ago, there was just such a photograph issued to mark the then-Prince of Wales's 70th birthday.

But, within months, the unity and happiness that radiated from that image had vanished.

So it is not difficult to imagine how this picture will be viewed in sunny California, where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are based. Might it deepen their feelings of exclusion and exile, or will it merely serve to remind them why they chose to break from the family in the first place?

It surely can be no coincidence that the picture was taken when the couple were still in Britain and several days before they returned home to their children Archie and Lilibet. It must, therefore, be yet another signal that they will never again return to their central role in royal life.

Might it deepen their feelings of exclusion and exile, or will it merely serve to remind them why they chose to break from the family in the first place?

One reason that they chose to walk away in the first place was because they did not wish to share the spotlight.

In America, they are at the centre of their own production. But in Britain, there is a new royal order  and it revolves around four people, not six.

There is a finality about this photo that suggests there is no way back for a couple who could have been at the epicentre of royalty, but are now at its margins.

Is it the dagger to their hearts it was for Prince Andrew when he was first excluded from the Palace balcony? It certainly feels like it.

Over the years the Queen often curated the photographs around her when she spoke to the nation for her Christmas message. She did so in 2019, when on her desk were pictures of her own father and Charles, but also William and Prince George. Here, it said, was monarchy past, present and future. The omission of Harry was said to have contributed to his break from the family just weeks later.

Rather than photographs, King Charles commandeered the art on the walls of his new palace home for this image  and he selected carefully. Choosing as backdrop a king who reigned for 60 years was another nod to the permanence  and preservation  of monarchy.

It is a lesson Prince Harry could do well to study, because every royal picture tells a story.

Why Harry snubbed William's offer of a secret summit to heal their rift: In a bombshell TV interview, Harry said he and his brother were on 'different paths'. William was blindsided, but when he suggested a crisis meeting, the response was heartbreaking

In the final extract from his riveting new book on how the Sussexes' relationship with palace staff deteriorated, VALENTINE LOW recalls the impact of the couple's shocking TV interviews  and examines the truth behind their claims . . .

The first intimation that Meghan might be a victim  as well as a possibly rather difficult employer and sister-in-law  came in an ITV documentary.

Filmed in a garden in Johannesburg, during the Sussexes's 2019 tour of South Africa, she'd spoken to presenter Tom Bradby about how she'd struggled with life in the spotlight, both as a newlywed and as a new mother. He'd then asked her what the impact of all that pressure had been on her physical and mental health.

Looking vulnerable, almost as though she was trying to hold back tears, Meghan said she'd found it hard, and added: 'Thank you for asking, because not many people have asked if I'm OK. But it's a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.'

A preview of Bradby's documentary was screened for the media while William and Kate were on a tour of Pakistan that October. And, inevitably, the resulting coverage, with its headlines of 'Meghan: My Struggles', overshadowed coverage of the last day of the Cambridges' tour.

VALENTINE LOW: Prince Harry snubbed William's offer of a secret summit to heal their rift (pictured standing during the unveiling of a statue they commissioned of their mother Diana in 2021)

William and Kate's team was not happy, it seems, and saw it as a deliberate attempt to knock the couple out of the headlines. Relations between the two households became quite tense.

The documentary had also shown not only Meghan's evident pain but also how far Harry and William had drifted apart.

Asked by Bradby about the rift between him and William, Harry had chosen not to deny it, but said instead: 'We are certainly on different paths at the moment . . . As brothers, you know, you have good days, you have bad days.'

William, home after the Pakistan tour, appears to have been taken aback at such a stark portrayal of his brother and sister-in-law's unhappiness. He realised they were in crisis.

The first intimation that Meghan might be a victim  as well as a possibly rather difficult employer and sister-in-law  came in an ITV documentary. Pictured: Meghan in An African Journey with Tom Bradby

The day after the documentary aired, William WhatsApped his brother to ask if he could come and see him. This put Harry and Meghan into a spin. What should they do?

Initially, Harry was in favour. Then he spoke to his brother again, and asked him whom he would tell.

William explained that he'd have to clear his schedule, which would mean telling his private secretary. At that point, Harry told him: Don't come.

He was so concerned that William's team would leak the visit to the Press that he would rather not see his brother than risk it getting into the papers. To everyone who knew what was going on, this was heartbreaking.

It highlighted the dysfunction at the heart of so many royal relationships, and how members of the Royal Family so rarely pick up the phone to speak to each other directly. Instead, they communicate via the apparatus around them. And the result is mistrust and division.

In her interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, Meghan would discuss her mental fragility at greater length.

In her interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, Meghan would discuss her mental fragility at greater length

She talked about the pressure she'd felt from online abuse and the critical media coverage, pressure that she once described in a podcast as 'almost unsurvivable'. Watching her talk about her pain, and describe how she did not want to live any more, is an uncomfortable experience.

Most people would think such an expression of despair could be rooted only in truth. And yet a succession of decent people, all of whom had believed in Meghan and wanted to make her position work, came to be so disillusioned that they began to suspect that even her most heartfelt pleas for help were part of a deliberate strategy that had one end in sight  her departure. Perhaps, they say, nothing the palace could do was ever going to be good enough.

'She was looking for examples of us failing her from the beginning,' believes one former staffer. 'We were having to prove that the institution would bend over backwards to make her happy.

'It felt like that wasn't what she wanted, but that she wanted to be rejected.'

The feeling among like-minded staff was that Meghan wanted to leave a trail of evidence behind, so that when the time came for the couple to leave the monarchy, she would be able to say: 'Look how they failed to support me. They left me with no choice but to leave.'

Crucially, it was the Queen who took the view that unless they were prepared to abide by the restrictions that applied to working members of the Royal Family, they couldn't be allowed to carry out part-time official duties. Meghan and The Queen are pictured in 2018

Some staff saw the problem as inextricably linked with the couple's fury about some of the press coverage, which they felt was sexist and even racist.

It also stung that Meghan had been dubbed Duchess Difficult because of the high staff turnover in their household.

As one source put it: 'The way I see it, their view of not getting institutional support was that they were not getting permission to blow up the [royal] institution's relationships with the media.'

Others suspected that, in the end, Meghan wanted to make money for herself. And the only way she could do that was by leaving behind her royal life in the UK and returning to America.

Too cynical? Perhaps. But the sad truth is that the relationships between Meghan and her advisers were in such a sorry state that this is what they genuinely believed.

Some argue that she never really wanted to be accepted by the Royal Family. That may be true.

But it's also true that if the institution had tried harder, and if she'd been more willing to adapt herself to palace life, she could have been one of the Royal Family's greatest assets.

The documentary had also shown not only Meghan's evident pain but also how far Harry and William had drifted apart

The idea that she wanted to be rejected is challenged by her lawyers, Schillings.

Instead, they say she had a 'clear desire to fit in'.

'She left her country, career and life in North America to commit herself fully to her new role and made every effort to honour that commitment.'

If the danger signs were there from the beginning, so were the warnings.

The Sussexes' private secretary Sam Cohen told two key courtiers  the private secretaries to both Prince Charles and the Queen  that if it all went wrong with Harry and Meghan, the palace needed evidence of the duty of care the institution had shown them.

The 'duty of care' was crucial: '[Sam] was a broken record with them on that,' said a source.

By the time Meghan gave her interview to Oprah Winfrey, however, the palace had lost the argument over duty of care.

It also stung that Meghan had been dubbed Duchess Difficult because of the high staff turnover in their household

The duchess had hijacked the narrative by making it all about her mental health, which meant everything the palace had done to support the couple  including giving them a team who'd have done anything to help them succeed  was simply forgotten.

Instead, the duchess was able to point out all the times that the organisation had failed her.

One of them was when she went to the palace's head of HR in January 2019, saying she needed to get help with her mental health issues. She was given a sympathetic hearing but sent on her way, as was inevitable: HR is there to deal with employee issues, not members of the Royal Family.

Meghan would presumably have known that, so what was she doing there in the first place? Laying a trail of evidence would be the cynical answer. So desperate that she did not know where to turn would be the more charitable interpretation.

In the Oprah interview, Meghan also made the startling claim that she went to one of the 'most senior people,' saying she needed to go somewhere to get help  only to be told it wouldn't be 'good for the institution'.

It is a strange thought: would anyone really say that to a pregnant woman?

Until one hears from the other person in the room, it's difficult to know what to make of this.

However, the truth remains that Meghan appears to have been in a bad place. And Harry knew she was suffering.

Yet when Oprah asked why he didn't go to his own family to say his wife needed help, he said: 'I guess I was ashamed of admitting it to them.'

We can all understand such feelings of shame: mental health can be hard to talk about.

However, there is also something not quite right here.

Since 2016, Harry had devoted much of his energy to Heads Together, a campaign he had launched with William and Kate to try to persuade people to overcome the stigma surrounding mental health.

Years before, he'd decided to seek help himself after suffering his own mental crisis. Could he not have helped his wife do likewise?

And if he couldn't, he must have met scores of people through Heads Together who could have offered help and support. As one well-informed source said: 'He would have known exactly where to turn, who to call, what to do.'

Elsewhere in the Oprah interview, Meghan talked warmly of Julia Samuel, the psychotherapist who had been a friend of Princess Diana and remained close to Harry. She had, Meghan said, 'continued to be a friend and confidante'. Julia Samuel would also, presumably, have been an ideal person for the couple to go to for help.

VALENTINE LOW recalls the impact of the couple's shocking TV interviews  and examines the truth behind their claims. Pictured: The 'Fab Four' on September 10

Analysing Meghan's interview with Oprah is a complicated business, because some of it simply isn't true. That doesn't mean, however, that all of it isn't true.

One of the moments that is glaringly misleading is when Meghan tells Oprah: 'When I joined that family, that was the last time . . . that I saw my passport, my driver's licence, my keys. All that gets turned over. I didn't see any of that any more.'

In the first six months of her marriage, there had been foreign holidays in Italy, Canada and Amsterdam, to say nothing of the couple's honeymoon. Then in 2019, Meghan visited Ibiza, France, Italy and New York (twice). It would have been a challenge to do all those trips without a passport.

I'm not going to go through every example in the interview of statements that are untrue, or misleading, such as her claim that they actually got married three days before their wedding. It's instructive, however, to look at one of Meghan's central claims: that the palace was not doing enough to stand up for her.

She told Oprah: 'Not only was I not being protected . . . they were willing to lie to protect other members of the family, but they weren't willing to tell the truth to protect me and my husband.'

The overriding issue that concerned her was a newspaper story about Kate crying after a bridesmaid's dress fitting for Princess Charlotte that took place before the wedding.

'The narrative with Kate  which didn't happen  was really, really difficult,' Meghan told Oprah. 'I think that's when everything changed, really.'

However, the truth remains that Meghan appears to have been in a bad place. And Harry knew she was suffering (Harry and William pictured in 2018)

The truth is that, after the dress fitting, Meghan had become obsessed with trying to persuade the palace press office to put something out denying the story.

However, they were equally adamant that it would be a serious mistake to start briefing about personal stories relating to differences between members of the Royal Family.

Not only did they not want to brief against other royals, but they feared it would create a precedent, making it harder in future for them to avoid commenting on personal tittle-tattle.

It would also fan the flames of the story, ensuring it continued to fill the pages of the newspapers for several days to come.

This became a major point of contention between Meghan and her media advisers.

On Oprah, Meghan went further than denying the Kate-in-tears story, however. Instead, she said, the reverse had happened.

'She was upset about something pertaining [to] flower-girl dresses, and it made me cry, and it really hurt my feelings.'

It was not an attractive performance: Meghan had spent months complaining about how her reputation had been smeared in the Press, and now she was doing the same to Kate, who quite clearly was never going to respond.

The story of Kate's tears was not the first time Meghan had tried to persuade the press office to brief journalists about an issue that was bothering her. The other concerned the departure of a member of staff, whose settlement deal contained a non-disclosure agreement.

Despite the employee being legally obliged to remain silent, the Sussexes  who say they didn't know about the non-disclosure agreement  repeatedly tried to get their communications secretary Jason Knauf to brief journalists about what Meghan saw as the reason behind the employee's departure.

Knauf refused, because he disagreed with Meghan's interpretation of events. He also thought briefing against the individual was wrong.

Looking back on the saga of Harry and Meghan's rift with the Royal Family, there are still questions to be asked.

Were the senior courtiers in the royal institution  Prince Charles's private secretary Clive Alderton; and the Queen's, Edward Young  unaware of Meghan and Harry's deepening unhappiness?

Or were they burying their heads in the sand? Did they let their personal dislike of Meghan prevent them from seeing the very obvious dangers that lay ahead?

Looking back on the saga of Harry and Meghan's rift with the Royal Family, there are still questions to be asked

One former palace insider believes the way the developing crisis was handled was 'incompetent beyond belief'.

'I think Meghan thought she was going to be the Beyonce of the UK,' said the insider. 'Being part of the Royal Family would give her that kudos.

'What she discovered was that there were so many rules that were so ridiculous, she couldn't even do the things she could have done as a private individual . . .

'It required the decision-makers to sit around a table and say: 'OK, what are we going to do about this? What do you need to feel better? And what can we give?'

The situation wasn't helped by Harry and Meghan's deteriorating relationship with both Young and Alderton.

Meghan apparently saw the Queen's private secretary as 'an inflexible, bureaucratic figure' and Harry was just as dismissive of the two senior courtiers as she was.

So another view is nothing could have saved the situation. The two sides were just too far apart.

But the Sussexes wanted their freedom to make money AND to dip their toes into U.S. politics. There was no way to reach an agreement on that point (picture 2021)

Crucially, it was the Queen who took the view that unless they were prepared to abide by the restrictions that applied to working members of the Royal Family, they couldn't be allowed to carry out part-time official duties.

But the Sussexes wanted their freedom to make money AND to dip their toes into U.S. politics. There was no way to reach an agreement on that point.

There is one final thought on this, from a surprising source: perhaps the Sussexes' departure from the country and the Royal Family was not the untrammelled disaster so many think it was.

One courtier, who knows Harry and remains upset about what he and Meghan did, said: 'Part of me thinks Meghan did Harry the greatest kindness anyone could do, which was to take him out of the Royal Family, because he was desperately unhappy in the last couple of years of his working life.

'We knew he was unhappy, but we didn't really know what the solution would be. She came along and found the solution.'

Adapted by Corinna Honan from Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind The Crown, by Valentine Low, to be published by Headline on Thursday at 20.  Valentine Low 2022. To order a copy for 18 (offer valid to 15/10/22; UK P&P free on orders over 20), visit mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937.
British academics are calling for the Rosetta Stone to be returned to Egypt after more than 200 years in the UK.

Experts have signed a petition saying the treasured 2,200-year-old slab, which enabled the decoding of hieroglyphs in 1822-1824, should be handed back.

Joyce Tyldesley, professor of Egyptology at the University of Manchester, said it was the right time to return it.

She added: Talks could start now in the 200th anniversary year of the decipherment of the stone to send it back to continue its journey. There would be no harm in that.

Speaking to The Sunday Times, she added: Why is it in London as opposed to in Cairo? Her calls were echoed by Dr Nicky Nielsen, a senior lecturer in Egyptology, also at the University of Manchester.

British academics are calling for the Rosetta Stone to be returned to Egypt after more than 200 years in the UK

He said the stone would be a big draw for the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, which is now being built. It comes as the Greek prime minister is preparing to speak to Liz Truss about the prospect of Britain returning the Elgin Marbles  which are also in the British Musuem.

The petition calling for its return was launched in Egypt and has since been circulated around Westminster. French soldiers stumbled upon the 760kg (120stone) slab near the town of Rosetta in 1799. The British then took the stone after defeating the French in Egypt in 1801. It became the key that unlocked the mysterious hieroglyphic script of the pharaohs, because it bears a decree written in three ways: in hieroglyphics, demotic (the Egyptian language of its era), and ancient Greek.

The decree, issued in 196 BC and attesting to the devoutness of ruler Ptolemy V, was easily translated from the ancient Greek.

Experts have signed a petition saying the treasured 2,200-year-old slab, which enabled the decoding of hieroglyphs in 1822-1824, should be handed back

But it took a further 20 years after the stones discovery for French scholar and polymath Jean-Francois Champollion to crack the other two languages  partly through deciphering the hieroglyphs by identifying names of people in the text. The British Museum is holding a special exhibition featuring the stone from October 13. Curator Ilona Regulski said: We are telling the story of decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs which happened 200 years ago, so thats what were celebrating...

Also, it provides us with an opportunity to contextualise the story a bit better and to tell more complete stories about the role of the stone in the decipherment, but also how it came to the British Museum. Miss Regulski said the stone had been in Pariss Louvre for a very brief period in 1972 and was also moved during the Second World War for its protection.

The exhibition will also feature the 3,000-year-old illustrated Book of the Dead of Queen Nedjmet, alongside a set of vessels that preserved the organs of the deceased. And the mummy bandage of Aberuait, which has never been displayed in the UK, has been loaned by the Louvre.
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British filmmaker friends of Hollywood stars Margot Robbie and Cara Delevingne have reportedly been arrested following an incident with a paparazzo in Argentina.

The actresses are understood to have finished a meal at the Patagonia Sur restaurant in Buenos Aires at around 3am when they were approached by photographers.

Friend and movie producer Josey McNamara, a business partner of Robbie, and key grip Jac Hopkins are then said to have become involved in a scuffle with paparazzo Pedro Alberto Orquera outside the restaurant - resulting in him suffering a broken arm.

The two British men were arrested and taken to a police station in the city to be questioned in connection with the incident.

Robbie, 32, and Delevingne, 30, left the scene, The Sun reports.

They were spending time with the two producers at the popular restaurant, run by Argentine celebrity chef Francis Mallmann, having travelled from Paris Fashion Week.

Cara Delevingne (left) and Margot Robbie (right) pictured together at the Samsung Experience at San Diego Comic-Con in 2016

Josey McNamara and Margot Robbie pictured at the Oscars in Los Angeles in April last year

Photographer Pedro Alberto Orquera is said to have suffered a broken arm during the incident

The actresses had been getting into a car when the incident involving photographer Mr Orquera took place.

Witnesses are understood to have called emergency services when an altercation broke out, with the snapper taken to hospital for further treatment for his injuries.

A police report seen by The Sun shows that McNamara and Hopkins told officers that Mr Orquera was 'responsible for his own injuries' because the two actresses had not given consent to be pictured.

The two men appeared in court yesterday, while the two actresses flew to the south of Argentina later the same day.

The actresses are understood to have finished a meal at the Patagonia Sur restaurant (pictured) in Buenos Aires

MailOnline has approached Robbie and Delevingne for comment on the alleged incident.

It comes after Robbie appeared upset just hours after leaving the home of her close friend Delevingne earlier this month.

It followed the British supermodel sparking health concerns with a series of disheveled public appearances.

Robbie was seen struggling to contain her emotions after leaving a rented home in West Hollywood to travel to Los Angeles International airport around 5pm

Earlier, Robbie, 32, had been spotted leaving Delevingne's $7m West Hollywood house on Monday around 1pm - two hours after Delevingne's socialite sister Poppy had also been seen exiting in a black SUV.

It's not clear if Delevingne was at home when Robbie was there.
The Chancellor will today insist his plan for economic growth is the right one.

In a crucial speech, Kwasi Kwarteng will tell delegates at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham: 'We must stay the course.'

Amid alarm at the scale of his tax cuts, he will say that a new approach was desperately needed to stop Britain falling out of the ranks of the top developed nations.

And he will promise an 'iron-clad commitment to fiscal discipline' after markets took fright at the lack of an immediate plan to fund his plans and absence of independent scrutiny of his mini-Budget.

In a crucial speech, Kwasi Kwarteng will tell delegates at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham: 'We must stay the course.'

Mr Kwarteng is expected to say: 'We must face up to the facts that for too long our economy has not grown enough. The path ahead of us was one of slow, managed decline. And I refuse to accept that it is somehow Britain's destiny to fall into middle income status, or that the tax burden reaching a 70-year high is somehow inevitable.'

Pledging that his approach will deliver higher wages, more jobs and revenue to fund public services, he will declare: 'We must stay the course. I am confident our plan is the right one.'

Mr Kwarteng will tell the party faithful that the combination of skyrocketing energy bills, a 70-year high tax burden and 'painfully slow' building projects would cost livelihoods and communities. Instead, he will claim that his 'new economic deal for Britain', targeting 2.5 per cent GDP growth a year, will lead to a stronger NHS and better schools.

The Chancellor will say at the Conservative Party Conference that a new approach was desperately needed to stop Britain falling out of the ranks of the top developed nations

And he will insist his goal is still possible in the face of 'extreme volatility in global markets' and major currencies 'wrestling an incredibly strong US dollar'  countering criticism that Britain alone is suffering economic turmoil.

Yesterday the fallout from the Chancellor's dramatic tax-cutting announcements ten days ago continued as it emerged he had attended a champagne reception with leading bankers, hedge fund traders and stockbrokers just hours afterwards.

Mr Kwarteng went to the Chelsea home of Tory donor Andrew Law on the night of his Commons statement, where wealthy guests encouraged him to keep going with his proposals, The Sunday Times revealed.

At least two leading hedge fund bosses described the Chancellor as 'a useful idiot' after the reception.

Some attendees might have profited from the fall in the pound following the mini-Budget, the paper reported.

Mr Kwarteng's presence at an event on the night of his Commons statement was defended by Tory party chairman Jake Berry, who was also invited

But Mr Kwarteng's presence at the event was defended by Tory party chairman Jake Berry, who was also invited. He said: 'What we heard there is support for the Government's wider plans for growth and in truth, that event is just part of the normal sort of drumbeat of events leading ministers have with donors to political parties.'

He said it was a 'good thing' that political parties are not state-funded, and that donors have 'a great role to play in supporting British democracy'.

Mr Berry told Sky News: 'I can categorically rule out that in terms of the address he made to the group of people who were there... he did not give any insight into future plans. And I'm sure in terms of his private conversations he didn't give any.'

Liz Truss told the BBC: 'The Chancellor meets business people all the time, that's his job.' And a source close to the Chancellor dismissed any suggestion of impropriety, adding: 'Any suggestion attendees had access to privileged information is total nonsense.'
A grammar school teacher who browsed porn whilst he taught class remotely has been banned from the profession.

David Chidlow has been fired from Maidstone Grammar School in Kent after looking at profiles of women on an unauthorised site 74 times during school hours.

During a virtual misconduct hearing taken by the Teaching Regulation Agency, Mr Chidlow admitted to switching between the live lesson and the website repeatedly on Microsoft Teams.

Mr Chidlow, 59, worked as a business studies and economics teacher for both GCSE and A-level pupils. He had been at the school since September 2018.

After the school's investigation a formal disciplinary hearing took place in May 2021. And last week the panel concluded that Mr Chidlow be dismissed for gross misconduct.

David Chidlow has been fired from Maidstone Grammar School in Kent after looking at profiles of women on an unauthorised site 74 times during school hours

The panel was told that in February 2021, the school's monitoring software had flagged up key words 'I take my life' from a staff member's school device.

These key words prompted an investigation which uncovered that Mr Chidlow had been accessing an adult pornographic website on his school laptop in February and March 2021. He was also recorded deleting the adult website from his internet history.

Mr Chidlow further admitted in the recent hearing that he sought images and was actively communicating via email with females on the pornographic website for sexual gratification.

It was revealed in the hearing that remote monitoring of the teacher's laptop had been undertaken by the school without his knowledge.

The panel said that the teacher 'had demonstrated some insight into his actions' but did not believe that he 'expressed remorse' in respect of either the pupils, the school or the teaching profession.

He was found guilty of unacceptable professional misconduct, with the panel recommending to the Secretary of State he now be banned from teaching

He was found guilty of unacceptable professional misconduct, with the panel recommending to the Secretary of State he now be banned from teaching.

Sarah Buxcey, who made a decision regarding the issues on behalf of the Education Secretary, said that a prohibition order would be 'proportionate'.

She said: 'In my view, it is necessary to impose a prohibition order to maintain public confidence in the profession. I am particularly mindful of the finding of dishonesty in this case and the impact that such a finding has on the reputation of the profession.

'I have gone on to consider the matter of a review period. In this case, the panel has recommended that no provision should be made for a review period.'

A review period gives a set amount of time to challenge the decision made by the public body.

Ms Buxcey added: 'Furthermore, in view of the seriousness of the allegations found proved against him, I have decided that Mr Chidlow shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach.'
The King and Queen Consort are to host their first state visit at Buckingham Palace next month.

Charles and Camilla will welcome South African president Cyril Ramaphosa and first lady Dr Tshepo Motsepe from November 22 to 24.

The visit is understood to have been in the early stages of planning when the late Queen died.

The King and Queen Consort are to host their first state visit at Buckingham Palace next month

She met Mr Ramaphosa when he came to London in 2018 for a Commonwealth heads of government meeting, and she gave him letters sent to her by former president Nelson Mandela.

The state visit next month will be the first since former US president Donald Trump came to Britain in 2019.

The Emperor of Japan was meant to come in 2020, however it was called off as a result of the pandemic.

Normally, visiting heads of state would set up residence at Buckingham Palace, but it is not clear whether this will be possible because major building work is being carried out at the monarchs official London home.

South Africa is a long-standing member of the Commonwealth, having joined in 1931. It left in 1961, only to rejoin in 1994. Pictured: the late Queen with President Mbeki of South Africa and the Duke of Edinburgh, at Windsor, during the president's three day State visit in 2001

Charles and Camilla will welcome South African president Cyril Ramaphosa and first lady Dr Tshepo Motsepe from November 22 to 24. Pictured King Charles talking to South African models in 2011 in Cape Town

The last visiting head of state to have stayed at Buckingham Palace was King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands in 2018.

President Trump stayed overnight with the US Ambassador at his official residence in London when he came to visit  much to the leaders disappointment.

State visits are a crucial part of the Royal Familys role in promoting Britain abroad and strengthening international relationships. Foreign heads of state are hosted by the monarch amid great pomp and ceremony, with full military honours and lavish banquets.

The visits are considered a prime example of the monarchys power of soft diplomacy. All state visits are undertaken at the request of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

The timing of the trip, which will have been pencilled in for several months, comes at a difficult time for president Ramaphosa, who faces calls for his impeachment.

Former South African spy agency boss Arthur Fraser has filed a criminal complaint against Mr Ramaphosa, accusing him of money laundering and bribery to cover up a burglary at his game farm in February 2020.

It is alleged that 3.5million in illicit US dollars was stolen, before the suspects were caught, interrogated and paid off to keep the presence of undeclared foreign currency secret.

The president, who came to power on an anti-corruption ticket, has confirmed that there was a theft at his farm but has denied wrongdoing. Law enforcement agencies are investigating. But the National Assembly of South Africa has appointed an independent panel to make a preliminary assessment of whether Mr Ramaphosa should face an impeachment inquiry over alleged misconduct related to the theft.

South Africa is a long-standing member of the Commonwealth, having joined in 1931. It left in 1961, only to rejoin in 1994.

Buckingham Palace said last night: The president of the Republic of South Africa, president Cyril Ramaphosa, accompanied by Dr Tshepo Motsepe, has accepted an invitation from His Majesty the King to pay a state visit.
The rapper Remy Ma was reportedly vying to join a rebooted version of the Real Housewives Of New York City until her residency scuttled her chances.

The RHONY star Eboni K. Williams suggested Remy, 42, as a potential star who could shake up the series, sources familiar with the discussions told TMZ.

However, by the time she was being considered, Remy had moved full-time to New Jersey, which was a major sticking point with producers.

Cut off: Remy Ma, 42, had discussion about possibly joining the Real Housewives Of New York City, but discussion ended abruptly when it was revealed that she lives in New Jersey, sources told TMZ; seen in October 2021 in Atlanta

According to the sources, Ebony floated Remy as a possibility months ago, which helped her get a virtual conversation with the team responsible for casting the Bravo series.

But even though the musician (real name: Reminisce Mackie) was born and raised in The Bronx and spent most of her life in New York City, her current living situation was a major sticking point.

According to the sources, she used to have a Midtown Manhattan apartment, but she sold it at and now resides primarily in New Jersey.

She may not have even made it to the chat with the casting team if her home base had been known, but the staff on RHONY were initially under the impression that she still lived in New York.

Making thepitch: According to the sources, Ebony K. Williams floated Remy as a possibility months ago, which helped her get a virtual chat with the casting team; Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip cast seen in June in NYC

That's all she wrote: Once it was revealed that she got rid of her Midtown Manhattan apartment and now lives in New Jersey, the discussion abruptly end; seen September 30 in Atlanta

However, once that detail was revealed, representatives reportedly cut off any discussion of Remy joining the long-running reality series.

It's a surprising hard line, as several of the housewives aren't even married, and it's not unusual for wealthy New Jersey citizens to spend plenty of time in New York City.

TMZ also reported that the TV news anchor Tamsen Fadal, who appears on the CW affiliate PIX11, was another new face considered for season 14, but her candidacy also stalled out.

TMZ reported that the TV news anchor Tamsen Fadal (L), who appears on CW affiliate PIX11, was also considered for season 14, but her candidacy also stalled out; seen with Kathryn Erbe in 2019 in NYC

So far, the cast of the upcoming RHONY season has not been announced.

Andy Cohen previously announced that the latest season is being completely rebooted after a fractious season 13, in which the housewives couldn't even agree on a time to film a reunion special.

In order to clean house, Bravo will be sweeping out the most divisive housewives to craft a new cast, though it's not clear if any of the women will continue on with the series.

But to please fans of the original show, a second spin-off featuring the stars of RHONY throughout the years will also be created.
George Osborne declared he had 'probably never been happier' when he announced a relationship with his former adviser after ending his 21-year marriage.

And now it seems things are about to get even better for the former Chancellor, as I can reveal he's expecting his second child with Thea Rogers, who's now his fiancee.

George, 51, and Thea, 40, are planning for an arrival around the New Year and friends tell me the duo are 'thrilled' to be expanding their brood and 'couldn't be happier'.

Their son Beau was born in July last year.

EXPECTING AGAIN: Thea and George with baby No 1 Beau last year

George, who is chairman of the British Museum, and Thea, his former chief of staff, announced their engagement last April but have not yet tied the knot

George, who is chairman of the British Museum, and Thea, his former chief of staff, announced their engagement last April but have not yet tied the knot.

Half-French Thea started her career at the BBC before moving into government and then becoming a top executive at takeaway firm Deliveroo.

She stepped away from the corporate world last year to embrace motherhood. 'Now is a great time for me to begin a new chapter as well as to spend more time in the next few months with my baby Beau,' she said earlier this year.

While working in No 11 Downing Street, she was credited with giving her boss a much-needed makeover. She is said to have 'metrosexualised' him, modernising his haircut and clearing out ill-fitting suits from his wardrobe.

She also encouraged him to lose weight by going on an intermittent fasting regime.

George has even said that he is now a fan of extreme-workout gym class Barry's Bootcamp.

This will be Thea's second child, while George has two grown-up children from his marriage to novelist Frances Osborne.
Radio star Lawrence 'Moonman' Mooney is not pursuing charges against an overzealous fan after an alleged scuffle following a Sydney show.

Mooney's agent told The Herald Sun that the former Triple M presenter, 57, is putting the incident behind him after allegedly sustaining grazes to his face while defending himself in a fight believed to have taken in late August.

Mooney is understood to have sought treatment for his injuries at a Sydney hospital.

Lawrence 'Moonman' Mooney is not pursuing charges against an overzealous fan after an alleged scuffle following a Sydney show in August. He is pictured on the same night the incident occurred

Lawrence was in Sydney performing his R-rated show, Beauty at Sydney Fringe Festival when he invited fans to join him for after drinks at the Spiegeltent in The Rocks where the incident occurred.

Footage shared by the publication shows footage of Lawrence enjoying a glass of red wine with Johnny Lloyd Jones, descendant of department store founder David Jones, before being mocked by a fan.

'Well hello to Anthony, Jordo, Gordo, Orgo  I don't give a f**k what your nicknames are. I'm sick to death of being hounded by your friend Johnny, who purports to be a heir to the fortune of David Jones,' Mooney says to the camera in good humour.

Mooney's agent told The Herald Sun that the former Triple M presenter is putting the incident behind him after allegedly sustaining grazes to his face while defending himself in the fight. Mooney's bloodied lip is pictured following the incident

'Well f**k him. F**k his friends. I'm just trying to have a good time with some good people, so good on you '

After being interrupted by an unidentified woman, Mooney instructs the woman not to touch him, before raising two full glasses in a toast.

Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting that Jones assaulted Mooney.

Back in April it was revealed that Mooney had settled the $1million breach of contract claim he brought against Triple M late last year over his unceremonious departure from his breakfast program but has settled the claim. The terms have not been disclosed

Back in April it was revealed that Mooney had settled the $1million breach of contract claim he brought against Triple M late last year.

It was still listed for directions on May 11 but sources confirmed to Daily Mail Australia the matter had been resolved. The terms of the settlement are unknown.

The court heard in February that Mooney had feared South Cross would 'smear' him with unfounded allegations when it sought to justify his sudden termination.

Lawrence was demanding more than $1million over his unceremonious departure from his Moonman in the Morning radio program in November.

Mooney (middle) started with Triple M in 2019 to host the Moonman in the Morning program with co-presenters Jess Eva (left) and Chris Page (right). He was sacked from the show in November and launched a breach of contract claim in the NSW Supreme Court

Employment specialist John Laxon, for Mooney, had described the case as a 'very straight forward breach of contract claim' before it was settled.

When the case was in court in February both sides had agreed to enter mediation but Mr Laxon said Southern Cross Austereo had been 44 days late filing a defence.

'We are somewhat in the dark because we don't have their defence,' Mr Laxon said.

'In anticipation of what that defence might be and the allegations that might be forthcoming from the defendant [in the absence of] any evidence to back up those allegations then what we might be left with is smear.'

Mooney was dumped from his breakfast radio gig on November 12 and was suing Southern Cross Austereo for more than $1million in unpaid wages.

Mooney (right) reportedly had a major falling out with co-host Jess Eva (left) before he was sacked by Triple M. His formal exit from Triple M came two weeks after he suddenly vanished from the airwaves

The comedian started with Triple M in 2019 hosting Moonman in the Morning with co-presenters Gus Worland, Jess Eva and Chris Page.

Worland left the program, which had replaced The Grill Team, in November that year.

Mooney was abruptly dumped less than a year into a new two-year contract with little explanation after a wild few days of speculation.

Mooney's exit came two weeks after he suddenly vanished from the airwaves amid rumours of a major falling out with co-host Eva, who starred in the 2018 season of The Block.

'SCA thanks Mooney for his contribution to the Triple M Network over the past five years,' SCA said in a brief statement on November 15.
Nicola Peltz looked incredible as she stepped out hand-in-hand with husband Brooklyn Beckham in Paris on Saturday evening.

The couple are in the French capital after attending Spice Girl Victoria's first PFW show, and squashing any rumoured family feud in the process.

The socialite, 27, put on a very leggy display in a cream mini dress which she teamed with towering knee-high boots.

Out to dinner: Nicola Peltz, 27, looked incredible as she headed to dinner with husband Brooklyn Beckham, 23, in Paris on Saturday

Nicola's frock boasted a fitted bodice and peplum skirt which she wore with a pair of sheer tights.

Opting for a dewey make-up look the stunner let her brunette tresses cascade to her shoulders in a gentle curl.

Forgoing jewellery and letting the chic outfit speak for itself Nicola toted her belongings in a micro mini handbag.

Leggy lady: The socialite put on a very leggy display in a cream mini dress which she teamed with towering knee-high boots

Meanwhile Brooklyn cut a dapper figure in a brown blazer which he layered over a white shirt and dark trousers.

Slipping his feet into patent dress shoes the wannabe chef wore his hair in a trendy spiked style.

It comes after Victoria was seen chatting to Brooklyn outside her Paris Fashion Week show while Nicola socialised with Cruz's girlfriend Tana Holding as the family reunited following feud rumours.

Back together: Shortly before the show of Mrs Beckham's Spring/Summer 2023 collection, modelled by Bella Hadid among others, came the spectacle of the Beckham family's oh-so-public reunion

The Spice Girl, 48, had extended an invitation to her eldest son and his wife Nicola, for her French fashion debut on Friday following rumours of a family feud.

The couple attended and arrived half an hour early to show their support, with 'lots of hugs' going on when they were all reunited for the first time since this summer, said a source in the room.

And video footage taken outside the event shows Victoria laughing with her son Brooklyn, while Nicola socialised with Cruz's girlfriend Tana Holding and Harper Seven.

Together again: And appearing delighted to be reunited with his family, Brooklyn embraced them on the catwalk as he reached down to cuddle youngest sibling Harper - before bringing it in with David too

During their avid chat, a woman approaches Victoria but she points at her son and instead continues their conversation, with the woman then walking away.

The mother and son then edge towards Nicola, who is facing the other way as she chats to Brooklyn's sister Harper, 11, and Cruz's model girlfriend Tana.

Brooklyn is seen placing his hand on his wife's back and holding the waistband of her jeans as he continues speaking to his mother, while Nicola carries on her chat with Tana.

The footage ends with Victoria standing next to Nicola as Brooklyn stands behind his wife with his arm around her waist.

Too much: Victoria took to the runway at the end of the show, and appeared overcome with emotion during the appearance as she stopped at the front row to embrace family and friends

Brooklyn and Nicola - who arrived separate to the Beckhams - walked hand-in-hand as they stepped out at the event, with the heiress gazing lovingly into her husband's eyes.

After entering Victoria's much-anticipated fashion show, the couple sat on the front row with Brooklyn's father David, 47, and his siblings - Harper, Romeo, 20, and Cruz, 17.

Victoria couldn't hold back her tears as she broke down while taking to the runway - reaching out to hug her husband David during the appearance.

Afterwards, the family got together to celebrate with cocktails, as a source said: 'There were a lot of smiles and a lot of love in the room, it was a lovely family atmosphere.'

Posing for a snap, Brooklyn and Nicola appeared in high spirits as they beamed while sitting alongside siblings Romeo and Harper, dad David and Vogue's Anna Wintour and Edward Enninful.
Bruce Willis has not sold his digital likeness to a deepfake-producing company.

The news about the 67-year-old retired actor was revealed by The Hollywood Reporter on Saturday, and his representative provided a statement to confirm the news about the performer.

The announcement occurred after several sources, including The Telegraph, reported that the Die Hard star had sold off his digital likeness to Deepcake.

Not happening: Bruce Willis has not sold his digital likeness to a deepfake-producing company; he is seen in 2019

According to the reports, Willis became the first performer to ever complete a sale that would allow the company to create a 'digital twin' of him to appear in various projects.

A statement that was said to have been issued by Willis himself recently appeared on Deepcake's official website, in which he apparently spoke about his deepfake appearing in a European advertising campaign.

The actor was said to have seen the partnership as 'a great opportunity for me to go back in time.'

He allegedly added: 'With the advent of the modern technology, I could communicate, work and participate in filming, even being on another continent. It's a brand new and interesting experience for me, and I grateful to our team [sic].'

New venture: According to the reports, Willis became the first performer to ever complete a sale that would allow the company to create a 'digital twin' of him to appear in various projects.

Message: A statement that was said to have been issued by Willis himself recently appeared on Deepcake's official website, in which he apparently spoke about his deepfake appearing in a European advertising campaign

However, the performer's representative told The Hollywood Reporter that he 'has no partnership or agreement with this Deepcake company.'

A publicist for Deepcake also spoke to the media outlet and confirmed that Willis' digital likeness rights could not have been sold in the first place, as he is their sole owner.

The company's collaboration with the actor was reportedly 'set up through his representatives at CAA.'

Although the representative did confirm that a deepfake of the Sin City star was created for a 2021 ad campaign, any future usage of the likeness would have to be cleared by the performer.

False reports: However, the performer's representative told The Hollywood Reporter that he 'has no partnership or agreement with this Deepcake company.'

The campaign in question was created for the Russian mobile phone operator MegaFon.

Willis was announced to have retired from his long-running acting career this past March.

The news about the performer was revealed through a post that was shared to his daughter Rumer's Instagram account, which was also signed by several of his children and family members, including his ex-wife, Demi Moore.

They cited a recent diagnosis of aphasia, which was 'impacting his cognitive abilities,' as the reason for his decision to step away from acting.

Commercial: The campaign in question was created for the Russian mobile phone operator MegaFon

The group added: 'This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support.'

It was expressed that 'we are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him.'

The message concluded with: 'As Bruce always says, 'Live it up' and together we plan to do just that.'
North West channeled her famous parents Kim Kardashian and Kanye West on Saturday, donning a full leather face mask as she returned to her hotel in Paris.

The nine-year-old is in the City of Lights with her mother, 41, who has been attending Fashion Week.

The fourth grader, who celebrated her birthday in June, kept the rest of her look low-key, wearing an oversized black T-shirt, black and white print pants and thick soled Crocs.

Channeling mom and dad: North West channeled her famous parents Kim Kardashian, 41, and Kanye West, 45, on Saturday, donning a full leather face mask as she returned to her hotel in Paris

The elementary schooler was following in the fashion footsteps of her mom, who has famously worn a full face mask for her own aesthetic reasons.

While visiting Paris in July, Kim was seen wearing a plastic mask with her sequined black Balenciaga gown.

The Skims founder first forayed into mask wearing in September 2021 when she arrived in New York wearing a head-to-toe leather look.

Low-key: The fourth grader, who celebrated her birthday in June, kept the rest of her look low-key, wearing an oversized black T-shirt, black and white print pants and thick soled Crocs

Fashion footsteps?: The elementary schooler was following in the fashion footsteps of her mom (pictured 2021) and dad (pictured 2022) who have famously worn full face coverings

Exploring Paris: The nine-year-old is in the City of Lights with her mother who has been attending Fashion Week

The next day The SKKN by Kim founder donned another as she walked the steps up the Met Gala in an all black ensemble.

North's father, Kanye West, 45, has made use of the covering as well, most recently in early August.

North has been in the spotlight since she was born, but hasn't always seemed as comfortable there as her famous parents.

Met Gala: The SKKN by Kim founder donned another as she walked the steps up the Met Gala in an all black ensemble/pictured September 2021

Masque: While visiting Paris in July, Kim was seen wearing a plastic mask with her sequined black Balenciaga gown/ Pictured July 2022

Chip off the old block: The Donda rapper seen wearing a full face mask in Paris on January 25, 2022

Some photos posted on Kim's Instagram page Saturday labeled 'Site Seeing' show North dressed stylishly in a menswear style coat and leather pants.

Her long hair was styled into long braids as she stood in front of a beautiful cathedral.

Other photos in the set show her turned away from the camera as she tourists walk by.

Spotlight: North has been in the spotlight since she was born, but hasn't always seemed as comfortable there as her famous parents. She did allow her face to be shown in this photo on Kim's Instagram titled 'Site Seeing'

Back to the camera: Other pictures in the set on social media show the fourth grader with her back to the camera
He strutted the Boss catwalk at Milan Fashion Week last Thursday.

But Jordan Barrett swapped the runway for the red carpet on Saturday as he attended the exclusive Business of Fashion 500 gala at Paris Fashion Week.

Dressed in a three-piece suit, the Australian model, 25, smouldered as he posed for photos ahead of the swanky do.

Jordan Barrett, 25, (pictured) looked sleek in a three-piece suit as he posed with fellow model Georgia May Jagger, 30, (left) at the exclusive Business of Fashion 500 gala at Paris Fashion Week on Saturday

Sporting a shaggy mullet hairstyle, the blond glamazon chose not to wear a tie and completed his look with gold rings.

Joining Jordan on the carpet was his longtime pal, fellow model Georgia May Jagger, who stunned in embellished blue slip dress.

The British bombshell, who recently attended Jordan's wedding to model Fernando Casablancas, completed her glamorous ensemble with silver slingback heels and a pop of pink lipstick.

Sporting a shaggy mullet hairstyle, the blond glamazon chose not to wear a tie and completed his look with gold rings

Georgia stunned in embellished blue slip dress that featured sheer detailing and an empire-line bodice

The British bombshell, who recently attended Jordan's wedding to model Fernando Casablancas, completed her glamorous ensemble with silver slingback heels and a pop of pink lipstick

Jordan surprised fans last year when he married fellow male model Fernando.

The pair wed in an intimate ceremony in Ibiza in August, just a month after Jordan announced he was engaged.

The ceremony was attended by 15 of Jordan's closet friends, including models Kate Moss and Georgia May Jagger, and American playwright Jeremy O. Harris.

Jordan shared this selfie with Georgia during the lavish event

Jordan was the picture of modelesque perfection last month as he strutted down the runway at the Boss show during Milan Fashion Week

'It was very spontaneous, but his wedding planner Serena Cook was able to pull some strings to make sure it was very special since his Aussie family couldn't attend,' a source told Daily Mail Australia at the time.

'Champagne and cocktails were flowing. It was very relaxed. Kate [Moss] brought out the rings and really made sure it was special for him.'

Jordan later confirmed his marriage on Instagram, sharing a short video of himself and Fernando swimming at the beach on their honeymoon.
She never shies away from showing off her incredible figure.

And Georgia Steel displayed her toned midriff in a crop top as she joined Cally Jane Beech to celebrate her birthday with a night out in Manchester on Saturday.

The former Love Island star, 24, looked incredible as she slipped into a charcoal mini skirt and layered over a longline blazer.

Stunning: Georgia Steel, 24, displayed her toned midriff in a crop top as she joined Cally Jane Beech to celebrate her birthday with a night out in Manchester on Saturday

Georgia boosted her height with some barely-there heels and opted for minimal makeup to complete her look.

Cally opted for a plunging black blazer that nipped in at her tiny waist, as she rang in her 31st birthday.

She paired the daring piece with a satin mini skirt and slipped into a pair of see through perspex heels.

Girls night: The former Love Island star looked incredible as she slipped into a charcoal mini skirt and layered over a longline blazer to celebrate Cally's (left) birthday

It comes as Georgia and Love Island's Tasha Ghouri were reportedly 'inseparable' best friends at school before they had a 'bad fall out'.

Tasha, 23, and Georgia - who appeared on the fourth series of Love Island - both attended Thirsk Secondary School in Yorkshire and a local dance troupe together.

However, it is claimed they never spoke again after a bust-up, when things turned sour as they both headed off to separate performing arts colleges.

Sensational: Cally opted for a plunging black blazer that nipped in at her tiny waist, as she rang in her 31st birthday

'Tasha and Georgia were honestly inseparable and just best friends throughout school,' a pal told The Sun.

'Things got a bit competitive towards Year 11 and then when Tasha got accepted into a better dance college than Georgia things turned bad.'

They added: 'Stuff happens when you're young but we hope they patch it up because they could be a huge support for each other.'

Former pals: Love Island's Tasha Ghouri (pictured) and former show star Georgia were reportedly 'inseparable' best friends before they had a 'bad fall out'

Tasha attended CAPA College after school and later graduated from the Creative Academy with a 1st class honours degree in Dance Performance in 2019.

Georgia studied at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts. She is a trained dancer and completed her training as an actress at St Mary's University in London in 2019.

TV personality Georgia has certainly thrived since leaving the dating show and purchased her dream home back in June 2021.

MailOnline contacted representatives for Georgia and Tasha for comment at the time.
Their relationship woes have been keeping E4 viewers hooked over the last few weeks on Married At First Sight.

But off the screen, Chanita Stephenson and Sophie Brown headed out on the town on Saturday night - reuniting with their fellow co-stars Thomas Hartley and Jenna Robbo for the Manchester night out.

Catching the eye in a bright green mini dress, Chanita, 29, walked hand-in-hand with 26-year-old pal Sophie - who stunned in a cut-out number.

Married At First Sight UK's Chanita Stephenson, 29, stunned in a bright green mini dress as she reunited with glamorous co-star Sophie Brown, 26, on Saturday for a night out in Manchester

Chanita's bright number featured a cross over skirt design, string halter-neck and cut-out back design.

She added a pair of open-toed black heels to the look, carrying black handbag to match the look.

The new reality star pulled her dark locks away from her face for the night out in a sleek up do, opting for a full-glam palette of makeup with a bronze eyeshadow and glossy nude lip.

Adding the finishing touch to the look was a pair of sparkling drop earrings, chain bracelet and selection of rings.

Vibrant: Chanita's bright green number featured a cross over skirt design, string halter-neck and cut-out back design

Complementing details: She added a pair of open-toed black heels to the look, carrying black handbag to match the look

Beauty: While Sophie looked glamorous in a satin cream dress - complete with a cut-out chest design and long sleeve

The social worker was in high spirits as she beamed for snaps, holding on to Sophie's hand.

And the latter was equally as cheery, looking glamorous in a satin cream dress - complete with a cut-out chest design and long sleeve.

Sophie elevated her height with a pair of perspex, barely-there heels, clutching onto a beige, Balenciaga handbag - which retails for over 1500.

Her highlighted locks were left to fall in a straight style, while the tech Head Of Partnership highlighted her complexion with a soft palette of makeup.

Designer: Sophie elevated her height with a pair of perspex, barely-there heels, clutching onto a beige, Balenciaga handbag - which retails for over 1500

Reunion: Co-stars Thomas Hartley and Jenna Robbo also joined for the Manchester night out

The ladies were joined by their MAFS co-stars Thomas and Jenna, who also walked hand-in-hand for the night out.

Thomas opted for an all-black ensemble - with a pair of leather trousers and a matching blazer layered over a mesh top.

Shielding his eyes with a pair of oversized sunglasses, the newlywed put on a typically extravagant display as he flashed a rainbow hand fan.

Jenna matched her pal as she also sported leather trousers, paired with a bralette, mesh top and denim jacket.

Adding a black choker, the beauty beamed for the camera as she, Thomas, Sophie and Chanita all headed for a night at hotspot bar and restaurant Menagerie.

Chic: Thomas opted for an all-black ensemble - with a pair of leather trousers and a matching blazer layered over a mesh top

In sync: Jenna matched her pal as she also sported leather trousers, paired with a bralette, mesh top and denim jacket

It appeared to be a boozy night for the group, who all attended without their spouses, as they shared snaps to their Instagram Stories - taking shots at the table.

The quartet are all participants in the latest season of Married At First Sight, a social experiment which uses scientific compatibility to match singletons - who meet for the first time at the alter, when marrying each other.

While they enjoy life outside of the pre-recorded E4 show, fans remain on the edge of their seats to see which marriages made the distance and who has gone their seperate ways.

Drinks in: It appeared to be a boozy night for the group, who all attended without their spouses, as they shared snaps to their Instagram Stories - taking shots at the table

Chanita, Thomas and Jenna's relationships all appeared strong at the end of last week's bout of episodes - all opting to 'stay' with their respective partners; Jordan, Adrian and Zoe.

And while Sophie and her partner Jonathan also continued the experiment, cracks in their relationship were beginning to show over differing opinions.

Set to return to screens on Monday, fans will see each couple visiting each other's homes as they learn whether they would fit into everyday life with one another.

Married At First Sight continues Monday at 9pm on E4.
Melissa George looked every inch the fashionista as she attended the Hermes show at Paris Fashion Week on Saturday.

The Australian actress, 46, sported an eye-catching white coat as she arrived at the exclusive runway event.

The Alias star paired the longline coat with blue jeans and a white top along with a pair of tan heels.

Australian actress Melissa George, 46, (pictured) looked every inch the fashionista in an eye-catching coat on Saturday as she attended the Hermes show during Paris Fashion Week

She finished her look with an oversized Hermes Kelly bag, worth around $15,000.

Melissa wore her chestnut locks down in loose waves and enhanced her youthful complexion with peach-hued blush and neutral lipstick.

The sighting came days after Melissa left fans baffled after claiming her lips 'grew' due to the rain in a bizarre Instagram Story post.

The Alias star paired the longline coat with blue jeans and a white top along with a pair of tan heels. She finished her look with a large Hermes Kelly bag, worth around $15,000

'My lips grew. I don't understand, must be the rain. Or my makeup,' she said in the video.

Melissa was on her way to the Schiaparelli show during Paris Fashion Week, which was also attended by the likes of Kylie Jenner and Christine Quinn from Selling Sunset.

In Melissa's next Instagram story she thanked her hair stylist and makeup artist for doing a great job with the coral pink lipstick.

Melissa wore her chestnut locks down in loose waves and enhanced her youthful complexion with peach-hued blush and neutral lipstick

Melissa starred as Angel Parrish on Home and Away from 1993 to 1996, and made her Hollywood debut in 1998 film Dark City.

She also featured in 2001's Mulholland Drive and 2005's Derailed.

Melissa's most recent project was on The Mosquito Coast. Her character is the wife of protagonist Allie Fox, played by Justin Theroux.
It was a fab style when he wore it way back in 1971  and Sir Paul McCartney rolled back the years last week as, looking dapper in a dark blue double-breasted ensemble, he went out to lunch.

And just as he also did back in the 1970s, Macca sported a full beard  although as hes now 80, it wasnt quite so lush and was of a rather more vintage hue.

He was spotted at Claridges in Mayfair last week, where he was joined by his 53-year-old photographer daughter Mary.

Sir Paul McCartney rolled back the years last week as, looking dapper in a dark blue double-breasted ensemble, he went out to lunch

He was spotted at Claridges in Mayfair last week, where he was joined by his 53-year-old photographer daughter Mary

With an estimated fortune of 865 million, McCartney is the UKs wealthiest musician by quite some distance  and is reputed to be extremely careful with his finances. And he clearly likes to have some of it with him, as he was seen clutching a large wad of cash, and slipping a note to one of the Claridges doormen as a tip.

Sir Paul teamed his smart suit with a 500 pair of navy and black trainers by LA-based designer James Perse.

One bystander said: He looks great for a man of his age. But its good to see that he has stopped colouring his hair in that alarming shade of chestnut  it made him look faintly ridiculous.

Well, he did once sing Live And Let Dye
It was the 10,000-a-day biggest dog hunt in Hollywood history launched by a heartbroken Paris Hilton to find her beloved chihuahua Diamond Baby.

But last night it seemed the 18-day search for the hotel heiresss pooch has ended in tragedy  with experts now believing it was snatched by a hungry coyote.

A source closely involved in the hunt, which started on September 14 when Ms Hilton was away from her 8 million Hollywood Hills home and a workman is believed to have left a side door open, told The Mail on Sunday: Its not looking good. Its been a massive hunt with global publicity, but weve not had a single sighting. Usually in a case like this there are multiple sightings if a dog is roaming loose.

This week, the heartbroken socialite and hotel chain heiress Paris Hilton launched the biggest dog hunt in Hollywood history, enlisting an army of canine psychics, dog whisperers and pet detectives in a desperate attempt to track down her lost six-year-old 'daughter' (pictured together in 2019)

The 41-year-old offered a reward of $10,000 (9,200) for the return of her pet, who went missing last Wednesday, with 'no questions asked'

If Diamond Baby had been dognapped, we would have expected a ransom demand by now. But there have been no calls.

Its very sad but Paris is coming to the conclusion she may never see Diamond Baby again. She is heartbroken.

The hotel heiress, 41, pictured with Diamond Baby, launched her dramatic appeal to find the six-year-old chihuahua, which she described as like a daughter to me, with a social media blitz last week.

She also hired a firm operating heat-seeking drones and an army of pet detectives, psychics and professional dog trackers to scour the land around her Mulholland Estates mansion.

But the source told the MoS: From the beginning the fear has always been that, because of the terrain, Diamond Baby may have fallen victim to wild coyotes. There has been a record heatwave in LA and coyotes are coming into residential neighbourhoods looking for food and water. They are starving.

Ms Hilton is said to have not given up hope for her Baby, which lives in a 280,000 doggie mansion and wears a 35,000 diamond-encrusted collar.

Shes heartbroken but will never give up on Diamond Baby, a family friend said.
Steven Gerrard's daughter Lilly-Ella is allegedly dating the son of the Irish mob boss Liam Byrne.

The influencer, 18, recently returned home from a holiday to Ibiza, where Lee was seen soaking up the sun with her, according to The Sun.

Lee, 23, whose father is the head of a drug cartel's operations in Britain and Ireland, could be seen with his back turned to the camera as he looked out to sea.

Love: Steven Gerrard's daughter Lilly-Ella, 18, is allegedly dating the son of the Irish mob boss Liam Byrne

In another series of snaps, shared to Instagram, the duo recharged whilst getting hooked up to a vitamin drip, with Lee's face shielded by his cap.

Heading out for the night to enjoy the island's famous nightlife they commissioned an artist to draw a hilarious caricature before flying home on a luxurious private jet.

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Lilly for comment.

Sun-soaked: The influencer, recently returned home from a holiday to Ibiza, where Lee was seen soaking up the sun with her,

Relaxing: The pair were seen as they travelled to and from the Island on a luxurious private jet

His dad Liam remains a top target for Irish police investigating the alleged activities of the Kinahan cartel and a gang named in the High Court as the Byrne Organised Crime Group, of which he is at the head.

His son Lee has no involvement in the criminal underworld and was previously dating influencer Daisey O'Donnell, before they split earlier this year.

His father Byrne allegedly became Daniel Kinahan's right-hand man in Britain after his brother-in-law Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh was jailed in 2019 for possession of a stun gun.

Health: In another series of snaps, shared to Instagram, the duo recharged whilst getting hooked up to a vitamin drip, with Lee's face shielded by his cap

Date night: Heading out for the night to enjoy the island's famous nightlife they commissioned an artist to draw a hilarious caricature

Byrne fled Ireland after the Garda Criminal Assets Bureau seized millions of pounds worth of his wealth in 2019.

The CAB has also seized dozens of high-powered vehicles, jewellery, bank accounts and Byrne's Raleigh Square home in Crumlin, which was apparently fitted with a panic room and Jacuzzi.

Gardai are reportedly still hunting Byrne, and are still investigating the alleged activities of the most senior members of the Kinahan cartel after jailing many of their lieutenants in recent years.

Those jailed includes Byrne's cousin 'Fat' Freddie Thompson, who is serving life for helping to carry out the gangland murder of David 'Daithi' Douglas in inner Dublin in 2016.

Family: Lilly's father is Steven, 42  now manager of Aston Villa  once played for LA Galaxy. She has two sisters, Lexie, 16, and Lourdes, ten, and a brother, Lio, five

Ex: Lee has no involvement in the criminal underworld and was previously dating influencer Daisey O'Donnell, before they split earlier this year

Byrne's brother David Byrne was also shot dead in Dublin's Regency Hotel in February 2016 - a brutal murder that greatly escalated the so-called Kinahan Hutch feud.

Under Operation Lamp, officers targeted 2.3million worth of assets including four homes worth 1.7million, 29 vehicles (467,195), six designer watches (71,910), two rings (25,733), a bank account containing 31,563 and 29,912 in cash.

As part of their investigations, CAB investigators claimed Byrne was at the 'very top tier' of organised crime in Ireland.

Liam Byrne: Mobster 'running Kinahan cartel operations in the UK and Ireland' Liam Byrne is the head of a drug cartel's criminal operations in Britain and Ireland Liam Byrne is the head of a drug cartel's criminal operations in Britain and Ireland. He allegedly became Daniel Kinahan's right-hand man in Britain after his brother-in-law Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh was jailed in 2019 for possession of a stun gun. Byrne fled Ireland after the Garda Criminal Assets Bureau seized millions of pounds worth of his wealth in 2019. The CAB has also seized dozens of high-powered vehicles, jewellery, bank accounts and Byrne's Raleigh Square home in Crumlin, which was apparently fitted with a panic room and Jacuzzi. Under Operation Lamp, officers targeted 2.3million worth of assets including four homes worth 1.7million, 29 vehicles (467,195), six designer watches (71,910), two rings (25,733), a bank account containing 31,563 and 29,912 in cash. Advertisement

Inside the Kinahan Cartel: How Dublin crooks built a 1BILLION global empire linked to murder, drug-smuggling and gun-running - as alleged bagman 'Johnny Cash' is arrested in Spain

By Chris Pleasance for MailOnline

When Christy Kinahan founded his drug-dealing ring in Dublin in the 1990s, he was already well-known to police as a crook - but almost nobody outside the local station had ever heard his name.

Now, he heads one of the world's largest criminal gangs - on par with Italy's Camorra mafia or Mexico's notorious Los Zetas, according to American investigators - and his name is known across continents.

Dubbed the 'Dapper Don', his Kinahan Cartel - including sons Daniel and Christy Jr - is said to be worth 1billion with an operation that stretches from the cocaine plantations of South America through the inner cities of Ireland and the UK, via Spain's Costa del Sol and to the glittering desert oasis of Dubai.

Over the course of three decades, the Kinahans and their associates - including an Estonia hitman dubbed 'The Butcher', an armourer known as 'Mr Nobody', and a gangland enforcer simply called 'Hatchet' - have been linked to drug smuggling, gun-running and murders including the notorious Kinahan-Hutch feud.

But the net is tightening. In March, their man in the UK - Thomas 'The Bomber' Kavanagh - was sentenced to 21 years in jail for smuggling. In April, the US State Department offered a bounty of $5million each for information on Christy Sr, Daniel or Christy Jr. And, this week, alleged bagman - Johnny 'Cash' Morrissey - was arrested in Spain.

Here, MailOnline breaks down exactly who the Kinahan Cartel are, what they are accused of, and how they rose from the streets of Dublin to become one of the world's biggest and most-powerful criminal networks...

Christy Kinahan Sr, known as 'Dapper Don' (left), began the Kinahan Cartel as a drug-dealing ring in Dublin in the 1990s and has expanded it into a global empire. Son Daniel (right) is accused of running day-to-day operations of the gang, which including drug smuggling, gun-running and money laundering

Irish police (pictured) have been hunting the Kinahans for years, but had little success until recently when authorities in the UK, US and EU combined with them to try and bring the gang down

Christy Kinahan wasn't born to a life of crime, it was a life he chose. Raised by a middle-class family and sent to one of Ireland's best schools, he was smart, engaging and had options. He opted to become a crook.

His rap sheet goes back to the 1970s, when he was known to police for burglary, theft, forgery and property crimes. It was not until the late 1990s that he turned to the business of drug dealing that would make his name.

Originally running an inner-Dublin dealing ring with old associate Thomas Kavanagh, Kinahan was harbouring bigger ambitions. Jailed in the late 90s for drugs offences, he used his time behind bars to become fluent in Spanish and Dutch - skills he put to use upon his release to take his trade international.

Dealing mostly in heroin and cocaine - according to US State Department investigators - he grew the 'business' into an empire, importing from South America and dealing into Ireland, the UK, and Europe.

Sons Daniel and Christy Jr were indoctrinated into the business, with Daniel accused by Dublin High Court in 2018 of running most of the day-to-day operations - which by then included arms dealing as well as drugs, across 'Europe, Asia, the Middle East and South America'. Christy Jr is said to run the accounts.

Christy Jr is said by US investigators to keep an eye on the gang's accounts from his base of operations in Dubai

Daniel - who denies being linked to organised crime - also happens to be a boxing promoter, and has represented the likes of Tyson Fury. He was said to have been instrumental in putting together a bout between Fury and Anthony Joshua that was due to take place last year, before falling through.

Christy Sr had brushes with the law over the years, serving jail time in Belgium and the Netherlands, but - aside from a run-in between one of his associates and the Irish National Liberation Army - the gang operated with near-impunity as the Irish Gardai struggled to track their international operations.

All that changed in September 2015, however, when Gary Hutch - member of the rival Hutch Gang and nephew of leader Gerry - was shot dead at his home in Spain's Costa Del Sol.

Gary had allegedly been working with Daniel Kinahan until the pair fell out over a scheme involving tiger kidnapping. Rumours - later proved false - began to swirl that Gary was a snitch for Spanish authorities. Money changed hands and one of Gerry's associated reportedly agreed to be shot in the leg as a 'payment in blood' for the alleged treachery.

None of that mattered in the end, however, and Gary was gunned down by hitman James Quinn - who has since been convicted of murder - after reportedly begging for his life.

That sparked a brutal and bloody gang war that became known as the Hutch-Kinahan Feud, with at least 18 people killed - most of them shot dead - over the course of the next three years. By the time it was over, most of the Hutch Gang were six feet under. Two innocent bystanders were also killed in cases of mistaken identity.

The height of the feud came in February 2016 when Daniel Kinahan narrowly survived an audacious attempt on his life that killed David Byrne, a Kinahan associate and brother of Liam Byrne - one of the gang's senior members.

Daniel, in his role as a promoter, was attending a weigh-in ahead of a boxing match that would see Jamie Kavanagh - whose father, Gerard 'Hatchet' Kavanagh, was an enforcer for the gang - face off against Portuguese fighter Antonio Joao Bento.

As those linked to the fight milled about in the lobby of the Regency Hotel in Dublin, six Hutch Gang assassins carried out a raid. A getaway driver positioned himself outside the hotel while two others - one dressed as a woman - guarded the door with handguns. Three men, wearing Guardai riot gear, burst in through the door.

The Kinahans got involved in a notorious war with the Hutch Gang, run by Gerry Htuch (left) after his nephew Gary (right) was shot dead in Spain in September 2015

At the height of the feud, gunmen wielding AK-47 rifles and dressed as riot police burst into the lobby of the Regency Hotel in Dublin and opened fire - narrowly missing Daniel Kinahan but killing associate David Byrne

David Byrne's body is pictured in the lobby of the hotel after he was cut down by machinegun fire. He was the brother of Liam Byrne, one of the Kinahan Cartel's most-senior members

Wielding AK-47 rifles, the trio opened fire in the lobby, killing Byrne. Daniel survived, and later claimed he had seen the rifles being pulled 20ft away and narrowly escaped as gunfire rang out.

The feud prompted authorities to ramp up their efforts to catch the gang, bringing in the UK's National Crime Agency, the EU's Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, and US State Department - due to the South American connection.

In March, they struck their first serious blow against the gang as Thomas Kavanagh and two associates - Daniel Canning and Gary Vickery - were jailed on guns, drugs and money laundering charges.

Kavanagh got 21 years for smuggling 30million worth of cocaine and cannabis hidden inside industrial equipment. Police who raided his bullet-proofed mansion in Tamworth, near Birmingham, also found hauls of cash and weapons. His conviction marked the downfall of the UK branch of operations.

Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh, originally from Dublin, ran UK operations for the Kinahan Cartel until he was jailed earlier this year for a total of 21 years for drug smuggling

The following month, the US State Department sanctioned seven other members of the gang - most of whom are now based in Dubai - and issued $5million rewards for information on Christy Sr, Daniel, and Christy Jr.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said at the time that, while the gang heads may have run from the law in the past, they would not be able to keep running forever - and would soon run out of money.

Earlier this week, the second blow was struck: Johnny 'Cash' Morrissey, accused of handling the group's money-laundering operations, was arrested in Spain.

Morrissey, a former Rochdale doorman with an Irish passport, was detained after a raid on his home while he was sat topless. Spanish police said the raid had smashed the gang's operations there, accusing Morrissey of helping to launder some 300,000 per day.

Spanish detectives alleged that cash had not been physically moved out of Spain but spread throughout the world using an ancient money transfer system called Hawala.

The informal method of moving money, originating from an Arabic term for transfer or trust and involving a network of brokers, is known to have been adopted by criminal gangs who use code numbers or tokens like banknotes torn in half to prove cash is due.

Detectives said the starting point for the Spanish police investigation had been the seizure at the start of last year of 200 kilograms of cocaine and 500,000 Euros (430,000) in cash hidden in vehicles with 'sophisticated concealment systems'.

Alongside Morrissey, Spanish police arrested his wife Nicola - who was later released - and another associate. A third man was held in the UK.

Nearly a dozen searches of residential and business premises took place in Spain as well as Britain, including two places in Glasgow and one in Heywood in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

Johnny Morrissey, full name John Francis Morrissey, was one of seven people hit with sanctions in April and named by the US department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

The US authorities said of Morrissey, so close to alleged cartel boss Daniel Kinahan he was invited to his wedding in Dubai in the summer of 2017: 'John Morrissey has worked for the Kinahan Organised Crime Group (KOCG) for several years, including as an enforcer, and facilitates international drug shipments for the organisation from South America. John Morrissey is also involved in money laundering.'

Johnny 'Cash' Morrissey - the alleged money-man of the Kinahan Cartel - was arrested in Spain earlier this week

His wife Nicola, pictured centre, CEO of a Scotland-based vodka firm linked by police to organised crime, raised her middle finger as she was walked out by armed Spanish cops behind him
Rachel Brosnahan was spotted decked out in vintage-inspired attire as she filmed a scene of the hit Amazon series, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, inside Grand Central Station earlier on Friday.

The talented actress, 32, donned a vibrant teal ensemble, and was also seen conversing with her leading co-star, Alex Borstein, 51, as the two prepared to step in front of the camera.

The Emmy award-winning show has currently been in the production stages of filming its fifth and final season, which is set to premiere next year in 2023.

Beautiful: Rachel Brosnahan, 32, was spotted decked out in a vintage ensemble as she prepared to film a scene for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Friday

The House Of Cards alum was pictured wearing an eye-catching teal and orange outfit on set of the hit series.

She donned a teal pencil skirt that fell down past her knees, and added a vibrant orange blouse which she tucked into the waist of the stylish skirt.

Rachel completed her ensemble with a teal, long-sleeved coat that contained an orange trim and black buttons on the front.

The star added a teal and orange pillow box hat on top of her curled, brunette hair. The beauty appeared to be in high spirits as she enjoyed time on set as she filmed the last season of the Amazon TV series.

Exciting: The beauty and her co-star, Alex Borstein, were spotted conversing on the crowded set of their series

Getting ready: The talented beauty was seen wearing a pair of black jeans and cream-colored sweater before dressing up in her character's vintage costume

Rachel was all smiles as she waited behind the scenes before shooting a scene in the iconic setting of Grand Central Station located in the heart of Manhattan.

She was seen wearing a pair of black heels, while holding a teal purse and black gloves in her hand.

The star was seen having a light-hearted conversation with her co-star, Alex, who was dressed in a monochromatic outfit.

Before filming, The Courier actress was pictured in simple and comfortable attire, wearing a pair of black jeans, a cream-colored sweater, and a pair of white combat boots. A medium-sized tote bag with the words 'looks like a great time' was hanging in the crook of her elbow.

The fifth season started filming earlier this year in February in various locations around the big apple.

Busy: Earlier this week, Rachel was spotted in a stylish green dress with white coat as she filmed an outdoor scene outside in the city

Having a blast: The House Of Cards alum was spotted sending a happy smile to the cameras on set

Earlier on Thursday, the talented star was seen shooting an outdoor scene on the bustling streets of the city, wearing a green and gray dress, which was topped with a cream-colored coat with a green trim.

The successful and beloved series aired its first episode back in 2017, and has been both nominated and won numerous awards.

Rachel herself has received an Emmy award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series in the past, and was recently nominated once again for her portrayal of Midge Maisel at the 2022 Emmy Awards.

During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter at the award ceremony last month in September, the star discussed what she will miss most about the series.

'The people,' she admitted. 'It really is a family. You sometimes spend more time with your crew than you do with your family. We work these really long hours and we've known each other through so much.'

Talented: Rachel was nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy Series at the 2022 Emmys earlier in September

Missing the cast: During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the star explained that she will miss, 'the people' the most when the show is over; seen in September in Los Angeles

Alongside Rachel and Alex, who portrays her manager in the show, other talented actors who star in the Amazon TV series includes Michael Zegen and Tony Shalhoub. This Is Us alum, Milo Ventimiglia, also will have a larger role in season five.

The award-winning series was created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, who was also the creative mind behind other hit shows such as the Gilmore Girls. She serves as an executive producer on the beloved show, along with Daniel Palladino.

'Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino keep raising the bar for us season after season,' Rachel explained to E! News.

'And theyve given us so much do to, and so much to play with. So its been as much of a roller-coaster as ever and I cant wait to share it with everyone,' she added when giving a small teaser of what the last season would entail.

With the fifth season still in its production stages, an official release date has yet to be confirmed.
Dame Prue Leith has recalled the 'traumatic' moment she drowned a litter of kittens as a child.

The Great British Bake Off judge, 82, put the sad memory into writing for her memoir Ill Try Anything Once, writing that she and her mother lowered a bag of baby cats into some water just hours after their birth.

She wrote: 'My mother and I, then 11, had just drowned some kittens and for weeks I imagined those poor dead creatures.

Shocking: Dame Prue Leith, 82, has recalled the 'traumatic' moment she drowned a litter of kittens as a child

'Too many kittens was a frequent occurrence and there had come a day when my mother, unable to find homes for yet another litter, decided to drown the latest batch.

'My protests were met with a firm, "Darling, it has to be done. They are only a few hours old. They will hardly know its happening".'

She added that her mother said they only needed to hold the bag of kittens under the water for a short time to send them to 'sleep' but that they 'fought like the devil for life'.

Looking back: The Great British Bake Off judge put the sad memory into writing for her memoir Ill Try Anything Once

Dame Prue said her mother then changed her mind but the television personality said they couldn't stop and she held the bag under until the animals 'stopped mewing'.

It comes after Dame Prue revealed she almost killed 30 people with food poisoning.

The restauranteur recalled the event from early in her career when her company, Leith's Good Food, catered an event.

Kitchen drama: It comes after Dame Prue revealed she almost killed 30 people with food poisoning

She admitted that 28 people ended up in hospital with one man left in a critical condition after she served up an unsavoury chicken mayonnaise.

Speaking on stage in Bath on the first night of her Nothing In Moderation tour last month, Dame Prue said: : 'He could have ended up in the morgue! You can't be in catering for 30 years without something going disastrously wrong.'

She recalled her company being asked to put together a chicken mayonnaise dish for 25 people, however when five more guests were added, the dangerous error occurred.

Dame Prue told the audience: 'The cooks poached another chicken while the flesh was still warm, which is a crime, and they mixed with the chicken that was already there.'

Throwback: The television personality founded her company in the 1960s and went on to open numerous restaurants and training companies (pictured in 1985)

She went on to say that the venue had no refrigeration and so the food was left out on an exceptionally hot day.

'This chicken sat there and lunch was very late and we managed to poison everybody,' she said.

She continued: 'It haunts me that episode as everybody was ill, All 30 people but two of them ended up in hospital and one of them was in critical care as he was very old and was a High Court judge'.

'He could have ended up in the morgue and not in hospital. That was a wake-up call.'

The television personality founded her company in the 1960s and went on to open numerous restaurants and training companies.
Hollywood star Eva Mendes, 48, has been spotted taking daughter to a park in Sydney's eastern suburb of Rose Bay.

The actress, who is currently in Australia with her husband Ryan Gosling, was spotted at a popular outdoor playground with her lookalike daughter Esmeralda, eight, last week.

Eva also enjoyed an action-packed day herself, as she was spotted sitting on a kids' climbing gym in the middle of the playground.

Hollywood star Eva Mendes, 48, (pictured) was spotted taking daughter Esmeralda, eight, to a park in Sydney's eastern suburb of Rose Bay last week

Posting to Instagram at the time, the brunette shared a short video of herself sitting in-between the ropes pondering her love-hate relationship with playgrounds.

'Can't say Park Time with my kids is my favourite. Probably because I worry a lot. (That's a whole other post),' she wrote.

'But when I give in and play with them -it ends up being some of the best memories we create. Then add to that the life lessons learned on the playground -for them and for me. Invaluable.'

Posting to Instagram at the time, the brunette shared a short video of herself sitting in-between the ropes pondering her love-hate relationship with playgrounds

'Can't say Park Time with my kids is my favourite. Probably because I worry a lot. (That's a whole other post),' she wrote

Eva kept it low-key wearing a tan rain jacket along with green polka dot pants and a pair of slip-on sandals.

Meanwhile, an onlooker told The Sunday Telegraph that Eva chatted politely to locals, proving exactly why she's regarded as one of the nicest women in Hollywood.

The star is Down Under as part of a charity promotion for McHappy Day, while her husband Ryan is filming The Fall Guy.

The actress, who is currently in Australia with her husband Ryan Gosling (right), was spotted at a popular outdoor playground with her lookalike daughter Esmeralda, eight

The Fall Guy is expected to shoot in Sydney and NSW and will inject $244 million into the Australian economy.

Eva was announced as McHappy Day National Ambassador just days ago.

'McHappy Day is a wonderful way for Aussies to support RMHC and families of seriously ill and injured children,' Eva said.

An onlooker told The Sunday Telegraph that Eva chatted politely to locals, proving exactly why she's regarded as one of the nicest women in Hollywood. (She is pictured at a different playground in 2021)

Eva was previously a national ambassador in 2020 but in a virtual capacity since border controls meant she couldn't visit Down Under.

Eva will make an appearance at McHappy Day on November 19.

McHappy Day is a fund-raiser that provides emergency care and accommodation nearby hospitals for kids and their families undergoing treatment.

The star is familiar with the organisation after her cousin's baby was sick with neuroblastoma cancer and the family had to relocate from Los Angeles to New York.

'I know this from personal experience how important it is when there is a sick family member and they need care and the family needs to stay together,' she said.
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck were a pair of glowing newlyweds when they were spotted swinging by Bel-Air this week.

The dynamic duo were evidently checking in on the renovation of the sprawling $28 million pad Jennifer owns in the upscale enclave.

Ben, 50, cut a dashing figure in a fashionably faded blue blazer thrown over a checked shirt, while JLo, 53, was Los Angeles chic in massive orange aviators.

Side by side: Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck were a pair of glowing newlyweds when they were spotted swinging by Bel-Air this week

Sweeping her luxurious locks into a bun, the pop act lent her outfit a dash of glitz by modeling multiple pairs of dazzling hoop earrings.

Jennifer bought the sprawling Bel-Air mansion from CSI: NY actress Sela Ward in 2016, plunking down a staggering $28 million for the pleasure.

Now, as she and Ben settle into life as a married couple after tying the knot earlier this year, Jennifer's spread is being renovated.

Earlier there had been a swirl of reports that 'Bennifer' were house-hunting with hopes of moving into a whole new marital home.

Showbiz hot couple: Ben, 50, cut a dashing figure in a fashionably faded blue blazer thrown over a checked shirt, while JLo, 53, was Los Angeles chic in massive orange aviators

However, a report in TMZ this week revealed that rather than buying a new house, they will just jointly move into Jennifer's Bel-Air home.

The move will take place only after the remodel is finished, a milestone expected to be reached in the later part of next year.

In the meantime they are reportedly staying at a Beverly Hills rental owned by Australian billionaire James Packer, who used to be engaged to Mariah Carey.

Meanwhile Ben has reportedly put his own mansion in the Pacific Palisades on the market with an asking price of $30 million.

Lap of luxury: The dynamic duo were evidently checking in on the renovation of the sprawling $28 million pad Jennifer owns in the upscale enclave

Ben reputedly acquired the Pacific Palisades property for its proximity to his ex-wife Jennifer Garner, with whom he amicably co-parents three children.

Ben was first engaged to J-Lo in the early aughts, and after their split he was married to Jennifer Garner for a decade until 2015.

Years after his divorce, Ben and J-Lo rekindled their romance last year and officially tied the knot in Las Vegas in July.

Just married: Years after his divorce, Ben and J-Lo rekindled their romance last year and officially tied the knot in Las Vegas in July

After the small Vegas wedding, they honeymooned in Paris before throwing a massive affair in August at a plantation-style estate in Georgia.

Jennifer Garner hit the headlines for not attending the Georgia wedding because it conflicted with her scheduled shoot in Texas.

However she has apparently been gracious about Ben's romance, and an E! News source dished she was 'happy' for him when he got engaged to J-Lo.

Wow: After the small Vegas wedding, they honeymooned in Paris before throwing a massive affair in August at a plantation-style estate in Georgia

Ben and Jennifer Garner's children Violet, 16, Seraphina, 13, and Samuel, 10, did attend both the Las Vegas wedding and the Georgia functions.

Notably, Ben's brother Casey Affleck also skipped the latest wedding on account of what a People source described as 'family, parental obligations at home.'

Meanwhile J-Lo, who is now on her fourth husband, shares her 14-year-old twins Max and Emme with her third and latest ex-husband Marc Anthony.
Karlie Kloss proved that less is more as she took to the A-list filled Business of Fashion, also known as BoF, Gala in Paris on Saturday during the city's fashion week.

The model, 30, donned a simple nude gown by designer Alexandre Vauthier, which was completely emblazoned with diamonte detailing.

And she joined fellow covergirl Ashley Graham inside the bash, who looked gorgoeus in a silky black gown as the pair posed for a slew of snaps together.

Stunners: Karlie Kloss, 30, dazzled in a simple diamante studded gown on Saturday as she joined a glamorous Ashley Graham in attending the star-studded BoF Gala during Paris Fashion Week

Karlie's maxi number featured a figure-hugging fit as it came all the way to her neck, with shoulder pads adding some extra shape.

She teamed it with a pair of open-toed strappy black heels, holding on to a mini black handbag to match.

The star ensured all eyes were on the look itself as she kept accesories to a minimal - simply adding dainty line-shaped earrings.

Her dark chestnut locks were styled in a tousled wave as they fell freely from a middle parting for the evening.

Less is more: Karlie donned a simple nude gown by designer Alexandre Vauthier, which was completely emblazoned with diamonte detailing

Design: The maxi number featured a figure-hugging fit as it came all the way to her neck, with shoulder pads adding some extra shape

And adding a spot of Hollywood glamour, Karlie opted for a bold red lip to complement her fair complexion - which was enhanced with a dewy base and bright blush.

The runway star appeared in high spirits for the gala, beaming for a slew of snaps as she took to the golden carpet.

Meanwhile, Ashley oozed style in a satin black dress - with was decorated with a keyhole bust cut-out, draping cold shoulder design and a gold metal halter-neck.

Bold lip: And adding a spot of Hollywood glamour, Karlie opted for a bold red lip to complement her fair complexion - which was enhanced with a dewy base and bright blush

Style: Meanwhile, Ashley oozed style in a satin black dress - with was decorated with a keyhole bust cut-out, draping cold shoulder design and a gold metal halter-neck

She matched the ankle-length dress with a black and gold metal purse, adding single strapped heels to the look.

Ashley bundled her dark tresses away from her face in a sleek high bun, going for a statement winged eyeliner look for her makeup.

Completing her black and gold theme, the covergirl added a pair of statement gold earrings - with one featuring a dramatic drop design.

The BoF 500 is described as the 'people shaping the global fashion industry', and is curated by the editors of The Business of Fashion, based on nominations and intelligence from around the world.

Taking place as Paris Fashion Week is in full swing, the gala celebrates the BoF's 'Class of 2022'.
She never disappoints with her incredible sense of style.

And FKA twigs certainly stood out as she arrived at the swanky Business of Fashion Gala dinner in a plunging bustier during Paris Fashion Week on Saturday evening.

The musician, 34, looked incredible in her quirky ensemble, featuring an ultra-distressed purple maxi skirt with an acid-washed tie-bust crop top.

Stunning: FKA twigs, 34, certainly stood out as she arrived at the swanky Business of Fashion Gala dinner during Paris Fashion Week on Saturday evening

FKA twigs, whose real name is Tahliah Debrett Barnett, accessorised with a pair of fingerless gloves that resembled the sleeves of a jacket.

She boosted her height with a pair of heels and styled her raven locks in two neat braids.

The Business of Fashion Gala Dinner celebrates the people shaping the global fashion industry.

Stylish: The musician looked incredible in her quirky ensemble, featuring an ultra-distressed purple maxi skirt with an acid-washed tie-bust crop top

Her outing comes after she and Margaret Qualley, who both dated actor Shia LaBeouf, were in a heated argument at the Bel-Air Hotel in Los Angeles that left them both 'shaken.'

Insiders told Page Six in a story published last month that it was not immediately clear who approached whom in the incident.

FKA twigs has filed a suit against LaBeouf, 36, accusing the actor of assault, sexual battery and infliction of emotional distress during the time they dated from mid-2018 until early-2019.

Edgy: FKA twigs, whose real name is Tahliah Debrett Barnett, accessorised with a pair of fingerless gloves that resembled the sleeves of a jacket

Radiant: She styled her raven locks in two neat braids

While LaBeouf has denied specific claims made by FKA twigs, he has past said he was abusive to people around him.

FKA twigs made the accusations against LaBeouf in September 2021 in an Elle magazine piece.

At the time, Qualley, 27, who was romantically involved with LaBeouf early in 2021, took to social media with the cover of the issue, captioning the post, 'Thank you.'

Qualley subsequently told Harper's Bazaar in September of 2021 that she had put up the aforementioned message in support of FKA twigs.

Drama: Her outing comes after she and Margaret Qualley, who both dated actor Shia LaBeouf , were in a heated argument at the Bel-Air Hotel in Los Angeles that left them both 'shaken'

'It was important to me for her to know that I believe her - and it's as simple as that,' Qualley told the publication.

Sources told Page Six that after the piece was published, FKA twigs and Qualley had messaged once another, and FKA twigs was hoping Qualley would take the stand in court proceedings involving LaBeouf slated for April of 2023.

FKA twigs was upset that Qualley - who she had never spoken to prior to the Elle story - did not want to further get involved in the lawsuit, insiders told the outlet.

The celebs crossed paths at the high-end establishment, where they engaged in what sources described to Page Six as 'an intense verbal dispute over the matter in full view of the other hotel guests.'
Lea Michele was the epitome of chic as she stepped out in New York on Saturday.

The 36-year-old star of Funny Girl on Broadway wore a black top with a pair of light high-waisted jeans with trendy rips, and a chic black coat draped over her shoulders.

To tie to look together, the beauty opted for a pair of classic black heels and a chic taupe Celine 'luggage' tote bag.

Chic: Lea Michele was the epitome of chic as she stepped out in New York on Saturday wearing a black top with a pair of light high-waisted jeans with trendy rips, and a chic black coat

The Glee star completed her look with an oversized pair of black shades.

The multi-talented performer wore her raven tresses parted in the middle and pulled into a slick bun.

She seemed to be in great spirits and gave the cameras a friendly wave at one point.

Stylish: To tie to look together, the beauty opted for a pair of classic black heels and a chic taupe Celine 'luggage' tote bag

Healthy: Later in the day she switched out of her heels and into a pair of more comfortable flat shoes, and was seen grabbing a green smoothie

Later in the day she switched out of her heels and into a pair of more comfortable flat shoes, and was seen grabbing a green smoothie.

The star stayed protected with a black face covering for the outing.

The outing comes a day after Michele appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and performed the song People from her hit Broadway production Funny Girl.

Show stopper: The outing comes a day after Michele appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and performed the song People from her hit Broadway production Funny Girl

The Glee star is playing Fanny Brice in the revival of Funny Girl at the August Wilson Theatre, a role she recently took over after Beanie Feldstein left the production midway through its run.

Michele delivered a show-stopping performance for the television audience and discussed returning to Broadway after more than a decade.

'Ive been wanting to come back to Broadway for so many years; I was gone for 15 years; Spring Awakening was the last show I did. To be back and to be in the show that Ive loved for so many years, but Im such a fan of this production. Incredible cast. Incredible score, Michele said.

Back on Broadway: Michele delivered a show-stopping performance for the television audience and discussed returning to Broadway after more than a decade

On Thursday, the New York Times published a rare re-review of the musical and praised Lea in the starring role.

After Jimmy Fallon read some of the critical accolades for Micheles performance in Funny Girl, the actress talked about her character on the cult high school show Glee, which had a Funny Girl arc for her character.

Now Im doing it. Im 36 now, and the story of Funny Girl spans through the course of many years. You see her love and her loss and her failures and her successes and becoming a mom and a wife I feel like, at this point, being where I am right now, its just perfect. Timing is everything and I am so grateful, Michele said.

Stunning: She was seen arriving on the set of Jimmy Fallon on Friday in a Michael Kors Collection dress that showcased her fabulous figure

The brand-new version of Funny Girl is a bittersweet comedy about a girl from the Lower East Side who dreams of a life on the stage but is told by everyone that she will never be a star.

One day her luck changes when something funny happens, and she becomes one of the most beloved performers to ever shine on Broadway.

The broadway story was revised by Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein and is based on the original book by Isobel Lennart.

The show is directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer and features the classic score by Tony, Grammy, and Academy Awardwinner Jule Styne.
Kim Kardashian showed off her flawless complexion while advertising her SKKN skincare line on Saturday.

The reality TV beauty, 41, went topless for the occasion, gazing into the camera over her shoulder, and wore her platinum tresses slowing down her back.

The savvy businesswoman also shared a behind the scenes look of her latest pajama collection that was officially launched for her SKIMS brand earlier Saturday.

Flawless: Kim Kardashian went topless as she showed off her flawless complexion while advertising her SKKN skincare line on Saturday

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star flaunted a few sets from the new 'drapey' pajama collection which she shared onto her Instagram story.

The businesswoman shared a few short clips onto her Instagram stories for her 330 million fans and followers to promote her new SKIMS collection.

The TV personality shared a video of a paper that showcased a visual of what the pajamas looked like.

New launch: The reality TV star, 41, also launched her new drapey pajama collection for her SKIMS brand earlier on Saturday

'I want you guys to see our drapey sleep, like what it looks like on a mannequin. It is so comfy,' she explained in a voiceover, adding that the material is 'comfy' and feels like 'cotton.'

The camera than panned away from the piece of paper to the items on hangers in a spacious room.

The set includes a 'wrap top' with long sleeves, and can be secured at the waist with a belt of the same material. The bottoms include long pants with an elastic waistband.

Stylish: The reality star appeared to be excited to talk about her latest collection which recently launched

Stylish: Kim expressed that her new drapey pajamas set is very 'comfy' and also very 'chic' which she explained during a video on her Instagram story

Another clip switched to Kim holding her phone camera in the direction of a floor to ceiling mirror, to capture her reflection as she modeled both an ivory and ash-colored pajama SKIMS set.

Her blonde hair was slicked back into a tight, sleek bun to keep her hair from falling into her face.

The reality star could be seen standing on a soft, white rug with a large couch positioned behind her.

Numerous pieces of clothing could be seen hanging around her in what looked like a walk-in closet.

'I am loving this style pajamas,' Kim said out loud. 'It's like the same material as our Hotel SKIMS and it's like a cropped pant with a pocket.' She also revealed that the pajamas feel incredibly 'soft.'

Behind the scenes look: Kim shared a sneak peak video onto her Instagram story of what the SKIMS pajama sets look like, including the ash and ivory colors that are available

To conclude the assortment of videos, Kim added that the set is not only 'comfy' but also very 'chic.'

The new collection launched on the SKIMS website on Saturday, and is available in two colors which include an ash black and an ivory cream. The sets can be purchased at $128, according to the brand's official website.

The entrepreneur has been busy and on-the-go, and recently returned to sunny Los Angeles after spending time in Milan.

The beauty not only debuted her Ciao, Kim collection at the Dolce & Gabbana runway show at the end of last month in September, but has also been pictured leaving photo shoot sets in the city.

Kim uploaded an adorable photo series onto her main Instagram page showcasing her oldest daughter, North, also enjoying time in Milan. The reality star shares North, Chicago, Saint, and Psalm, with her ex-husband, Kanye West.

Wow! The SKIMS founder uploaded an adorable photo series onto her Instagram page showcasing her daughter, North, also enjoying some sites in Milan

Stunning scenery: Kim's oldest daughter, North, was pictured 'site seeing' at the popular tourist destination known as the Duomo di Milano

In the caption of the post, Kim typed out, 'Site seeing.' In the first snap, North could be seen posing in front of a main tourist destination in Milan called the Duomo di Milano, which is a gothic style cathedral.

The nine-year-old wore an all-black ensemble, which comprised of a long-sleeved black coat and pleather pants. She also wore a Dolce & Gabbana black shirt along with platform sneakers also from the luxurious Italian brand.

Another picture captured North inside the crowded Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, which is an ornately structured building full of shops and cafes.

After a lavish and successful trip to Milan, Kim is back to work and launching new collections for her SKIMS brand while simultaneously studying to acquire a law degree.
Despite the protracted COVID-19 pandemic and the downward pressure on the economy, foreign companies are optimistic about the Chinese market and plan to further increase their investment in China.

Listen to what foreign enterprises in the Chinese metropolises of Guangzhou and Shanghai have to say. #GLOBALink

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
Emily Ratajkowski lambasted the new Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde for 'fetishizing female pain, even in death.'

She posted a TikTok video denouncing the Netflix film starring Ana De Armas - while admitting she has yet to actually watch it.

The 31-year-old, who recently left her allegedly unfaithful husband, argued that 'anger' is more difficult to 'fetishize' and thus declared herself to be in her 'B**** Era.'

Not having it: Emily Ratajkowski lambasted the new Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde for 'fetishizing female pain, even in death'

Denunciation: She posted a TikTok video denouncing the Netflix film starring Ana De Armas - while admitting she has yet to actually watch it

'So Ive hearing a lot about this Marilyn Monroe movie Blonde, which I havent seen yet, but Im not surprised to hear that its yet another movie fetishizing female pain, even in death,' Emily began her TikTok monologue.

Her perspective appears to have been colored by the bad reviews of Blonde, which has sharply polarized the critics to the tune of 43% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Wall Street Journal called the film 'one long slog into sadness and more-than-predictable tragedy,' the New York Times accused it of 'exploiting Marilyn Monroe for old times' sake' and the New Yorker slammed it as 'ridiculously vulgar - the story of Monroe as if it were channeled through Mel Gibsons The Passion of the Christ.'

Moving forward: The 31-year-old, who recently left her allegedly unfaithful husband, argued that 'anger' is more difficult to 'fetishize' and thus declared herself to be in her 'B**** Era'

In death: 'Ive been hearing a lot about this Marilyn Monroe movie Blonde, which I havent seen yet, but Im not surprised to hear that its yet another movie fetishizing female pain, even in death,' she began

Slings and arrows also came from overseas, with Australia's News.com.au calling the movie 'two hours and 46 minutes of agony after agony,' India's NDTV dismissing it as 'unrelentingly bleak' and Ireland's state broadcaster RTE saying: 'The nearly three-hour slog feels like yet another brutal layer of exploitation of the 20th century icon.'

Emily, having evidently read the press around the film, said: 'We love to fetishize female pain. Look at Amy Winehouse, look at Britney Spears, look at the way we obsess over Dianas death, the way we obsess over dead girls and serial killers. Watch any CSI episode and its like this crazy fetishization of female pain and death.'

In a more reflective mode, she remarked that 'as women, I mean I can say for myself for sure that Ive learned how to fetishize my own pain and my own hurt in life, so that it feels like something that can be tended to, thats kinda sexy, and like, you know: "Im like this, oh, f***ed up girl, whatever."'

Obsession: 'We love to fetishize female pain. Look at Amy Winehouse, look at Britney Spears, look at the way we obsess over Dianas death, the way we obsess over dead girls and serial killers. Watch any CSI episode and its like this crazy fetishization of female pain and death'

Come to think of it: In a more reflective mode, she remarked that 'as women, I mean I can say for myself for sure that Ive learned how to fetishize my own pain and my own hurt in life'

Her tack: The supermodel concluded: 'So Im gonna be p***ed off when I see this movie, I already know it, but its nothing new and yeah, Im just gonna get angry'

Emily, who wrote a book of essays called My Body exploring themes like her own sexualization including while in the public eye, said: 'And I think we do that in many, many different ways, but I want that to change.'

She went on: 'But I was thinking about it and you know whats kinda hard to fetishize? Anger. Anger is hard to fetishize. So I have a proposal. I think we all need to be a little more p***ed off. Im gonna be in my B**** Era  2022, baby, is my b**** era. This is, I think we should all be in our B**** Era.'

The supermodel concluded: 'So Im gonna be p***ed off when I see this movie, I already know it, but its nothing new and yeah, Im just gonna get angry.'

Directed by Andrew Dominik, the Netflix movie set tongues wagging earlier this year when it was revealed it was so explicit it had garnered an NC-17 rating.

Divisive: Her perspective appears to have been colored by the bad reviews of Blonde, which has sharply polarized the critics to the tune of 43% on Rotten Tomatoes

Sensation: Directed by Andrew Dominik, the Netflix movie set tongues wagging earlier this year when it was revealed it was so explicit it had garnered an NC-17 rating

The film is based on a Joyce Carol Oates novel of the same name detailing Marilyn's turbulent career and love life until her death at 36 in 1962.

Bond girl Ana De Armas has won praise for her performance as Marilyn even from some critics who expressed their distaste for the overall movie.

Emily's proclamation that she is entering her 'B**** Era' comes after she left her husband Sebastian Bear-McClard, a producer who works with the Safdie brothers.

They married secretly in 2018 after reportedly dating for just a few weeks, but Emily later confirmed that she had in fact known the sizzling heartthrob for years.

Dead ringer: Bond girl Ana De Armas has won praise for her performance as Marilyn even from some critics who expressed their distaste for the overall movie

Sebastian and Emily welcomed their firstborn child Sylvester last year and celebrated his first birthday together this March. However by June, Emily had stopped wearing her wedding ring in public and neglected to wish Sebastian a happy Father's Day on Instagram.

News broke the following month that they had split, and a Page Six source said Sebastian 'cheated. Hes a serial cheater. Its gross. Hes a dog.'

Emily then added fuel to the conjecture that month by liking a tweet that read: 'cant believe that little b*** cheated on emrata.'

However she has otherwise remained assiduously private about the matter, refraining from directly commenting on the split in public.
Rosario Dawson turned heads in a colorful, flowy dress as she attended the special screening of the documentary film, Below The Belt, in Los Angeles earlier Saturday evening.

The Mandalorian actress, 43, was accompanied by her boyfriend and philanthropist, Nnamdi Okafor, who was also dressed to impress.

Other celebrities walked the red carpet before the film's premiere at the Directors Guild of America, such as Jamie Foxx, his daughter, Corinne Foxx, and Hailey Bieber's older sister, Alaia Baldwin.

Stunning: Rosario Dawson, 43, turned heads in a colorful dress as she attended the screening of Below The Belt in Los Angeles earlier Saturday evening

The talented actress opted for a triangle-patterned dress that fell down towards the ground.

The long-sleeved gown contained hues of green, light blue, and indigo. A black and white belt made of the same cotton material was tied to accentuate her waist.

To accessorize her glamourous look for the night, Rosario added a pair of long, black dangly earrings. She also added an assortment of stylish rings.

The beauty appeared to be in high spirits as she paused for a brief photo session before the screening of the film.

Having a blast: The talented actress was all smiles as she stopped for a brief photo session before the screening of Below The Belt

Cute! The star was accompanied to the premiere with her boyfriend, Nnamdi Okafor, who was also dressed to the nines

The Dopesick star also posed for a few loving snaps with her boyfriend, Nnamdi, who is both a philanthropist and a poet.

He donned a pair of black dress pants which he paired with a black dress shirt. He added a tweed jacket on top to compete his overall ensemble.

The couple were first linked earlier this year in April shortly after it was confirmed Rosario had ended her relationship with Senator Cory Booker in February.

Below The Belt is a documentary that focuses on women that suffer from the medical condition known as endometriosis and their journey to finding answers on how to get better, even though there is not a known cure.

Public: The Dopesick actress has shared a few photos and videos of her relationship with the poet on her main Instagram page

Happy: Rosario and her beau were first linked earlier this year in April shortly after the actress split from Senator Cory Booker in February

Special role: The actress served as an executive producer for the documentary Below The Belt

According to the Mayo Clinic, endometriosis is a disorder that affects one in ten women around the globe and is ultimately caused when tissue grows outside of the womb.

Symptoms range from severe pain, and in other cases, can cause infertility. Rosario served as one of the executive producers for the documentary.

Director Shannon Cohn, who also suffers from the painful disorder herself, opened up to Forbes about the film.

She also weighed in about the executive producers who took part in the project. 'We are honored to work alongside these incredible Executive Producers to amplify the stories and give a voice to millions with endometriosis,' she expressed.

Father daughter duo: Corinne Foxx, and her father, Jamie Foxx, attended the special screening together on Saturday evening

Important part: Corinne also served as an executive producer and assisted in bringing the project to life

Talented: The beauty has followed in her father's footsteps, and has starred in multiple projects, such as the series called, Dollface

'When we asked each Executive Producers to collaborate, they were enthusiastic and supportive. They know well that it's past time that endometriosis gets the attention it deserves.'

Other executive producers for Below The Belt included Hillary Clinton and Jamie Foxx's daughter, Corinne Foxx.

The father daughter duo also made a stylish appearance together on the red carpet.

Corinne exuded business chic in tan-colored pants and a matching blazer. She added a dark brown top which she tucked into the waist of her slacks.

Fashionable pair: Rosario and Corinne took time to pose for a few pictures together before the special premiere

Group photo: Rosario, her mother Isabel Celeste (far right), Jamie, and his daughter Corinne, all posed for a memorable photo together

A pair of fashionable brown boots completed her overall ensemble for the star-studded event.

The Django Unchained actor kept his look comfortable and casual for the night, and wore a pair of classic blue jeans and a flannel shirt. He added a cream-colored cowboy hat on top of his head.

Rosario took time to pose for a few stylish snaps with Corinne and her father, Jamie.

Alaia Baldwin, the older sister of Hailey Bieber, also was in attendance. She donned a sleeveless white blouse and white capri pants that were secured with a thin black belt at the waist.

Another special guest that accompanied Rosario included her mother, Isabel Celeste.

Beautiful: Alaia Baldwin, Hailey Bieber's older sister, was also in attended at the Below The Belt screening in Los Angeles

She was seen posing in a group photo with Jamie Foxx and his daughter, Corinne. Similar to her stylish daughter, Isabel wore an ensemble comprising of the same triangle pattern and material.

Along with serving behind the scenes as an executive producer, Rosario has been working on both the Disney+ series, The Mandalorian and also the Hulu miniseries, Dopesick.

The critically acclaimed drama has been nominated for a number of awards and accolades, including Golden Globes and Emmy Awards. During the 2022 Emmys held last month in September, Michael Keaton was honored with an Emmy for Lead Actor for his role in Dopesick.
Mishel Karen revealed that last week she'd been swindled out of $77,267 after falling for an online financial trading scam.

But it seems the Married At First Sight star, 51, has all the tools to weather the storm difficult time thanks to the power of calm breathing.

Posting to Instagram on Sunday, the grandmother shared photos of herself sitting in the sun with her eyes closed, presumably as she practiced her calming techniques.

Married At First Sight's 'OnlyFans gran' Mishel Karen, 51, (pictured) revealed on Sunday how she 'blocks out all the noise' - after falling for a financial trading scam that left her penniless and heartbroken

'When did you last breathe? I mean sit and breathe. Being present and feeling the moment,' Mishel wrote alongside post, which was sponsored by a meditation app.

'If you are struggling to block out the noise around you, tune your state with [meditation app],' she wrote.

Fans quickly showed their support for the adult actress, with one commenting: 'Sorry you got scammed for $770000. Never trust men... never... even the good ones. Dont trust them !!!!'

Posting to Instagram on Sunday, the grandmother shared photos of herself sitting in the sun with her eyes closed, writing in the caption: 'When did you last breathe? I mean sit and breathe. Being present and feeling the moment'

'OMG you are absolutely stunning and hot Mishel,' another added.

It comes after the mother-of-two revealed she'd been defrauded out of her OnlyFans earnings after being targeted in an elaborate financial trading scam that's left her broke and emotionally devastated.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the reality star said that conmen ran off with over $77,267 of her money, on top of leaving her broken-hearted after one wooed her with a fake romance.

It comes after the mother-of-two revealed she'd been defrauded out of her OnlyFans earnings after being targeted in an elaborate financial trading scam that's left her broke and emotionally devastated

'I feel like a really big dumb dumb, I really do,' she admitted.

'They know the person, they know your weakness and then they start playing on that.'

Mishel was originally tricked into signing up with an online brokerage, which Daily Mail Australia cannot name for legal reasons, after being seduced by misleading reviews and media articles about the company.

Mishel d has been working as a porn star on OnlyFans for the last year, but her bank account was bled dry by the scammers, who claimed to run a successful financial brokerage

One article she was presented with claimed that several prominent Australian celebrities, including a notable TV host, had endorsed the brokerage on television - only for Mishel to later to discover that the entire article had been fabricated to fool her.

She was also given a fake London address for the business and directed to websites that featured phony, glowing reviews of the company along with false claims touting the credibility and security of the service.

'It was a scam story that wasn't real,' she said.

'I read the article... but it was a fake story and I didn't realise.'

Mishel was also seduced and wooed by one of the scammers, who claimed to be a suave businessman from London

Mishel says that she started to get suspicious after a few months of not seeing any financial returns, which is when the company sent out a handsome financial broker named 'Charles' to woo her into staying - and paying.

'They must've known who I was, because all of a sudden they gave me a financial broker that became a love interest,' she confessed.

'He started wooing me with chocolates and flowers.'

The love rat even convinced Mishel that they were going to meet and that he'd fly her out to London so they could be together.

'It just turned into a romance and he was getting more and more money out of me,' she lamented.

The fraudster convinced Mishel to hand over her savings with false promises that she was investing in their 'future' together - only to run off with the star's money

To keep the 51-year-old on the line, the brokerage would fabricate online stocks to make it look like Mishel was earning thousands of dollars and doubling her investment, even though in reality they were simply stealing all of her money.

'They have all the shares and you can see them buying and selling, but it's not real,' she explained.

'He'd say, "Look Mishel, invest this much more because this is for us! This is for our future".

Mishel said that Charles would speak to her 'almost every day' via Whatsapp, leading her to believe that they were romantically involved and would one day be together.

Mishel and the fraudster, known as 'Charles', would chat daily on WhatsApp and he even sent her chocolates and flowers to keep her from growing suspicious

In screenshots of their conversations provided to Daily Mail, Charles flirts with the MAFS star by promising to buy her a pony and telling her that she's beautiful.

'I am very attracted to you and I want to get to know you more,' he wrote in one message. 'This year I am flying you over to London.'

Despite the fraudulent lover claiming that he was a suave businessman based in London, Mishel revealed that he had a suspicious South African accent but she was so enamoured with him that she pushed her concerns aside.

'Maybe I should've just known,' she sighed. '

I just really didn't know. He kind of had a bit of an English accent but with a twinge of South African.'

'I am very attracted to you': The fraudster woos Mishel with compliments in screenshots of their private conversations

At one point, 'Charles' promises to buy Mishel a pony - but it was all a lie to fool the lonely grandmother into handing over more cash

The former MAFS star finally realised that something was wrong when she had to make an emergency trip to hospital following a nasty bout of pancreatitis.

'I wanted to pull out $5,000 [for medical bills] and that's when the wheels came off,' she said.

At the time, Mishel had been fooled into believing that she had more than $180,000 in her account.

She was then tricked with another story from Charles, who told her that there was an investigation going on at the company and that he was unable to access her funds.

'Maybe I should've just known,' she sighed. 'I just really didn't know. He kind of had a bit of an English accent, but with a twinge of South African'

Once Mishel finally put her foot down and tried to leave the brokerage, she was told that she'd only get her money back if she coughed up another $12,000.

'The last call I got, they said I could get my money back if I paid an additional $12,000. I just thought, "Oh my god, they don't stop!"'

After Mishel realised something was wrong she wrote some negative reviews online to warn other potential victims, only to have the reviews mysteriously vanish from the site shortly after they were published.

'They kept getting taken down,' she explained.

'I was writing back to them saying, "Why are you taking my reviews down? This is a scam!"'

The fraud didn't stop there, with the scammers infiltrating Mishel's mobile phone and computer after she gave them access via the remote desktop application AnyDesk.

The 51-year-old didn't know that her computer had been infiltrated until one day she logged on and saw a website open with a basket full of purchases that she'd never made.

Mishel has since reported the fraud to 'everyone', including the ACCC (Australian Competition & Consumer Commission), the police, the ACSC (Australian Cyber Security Centre), and her bank, but has been told that she 'probably' won't get her money back.

Some of Mishel's porn scenes include extreme acts, including a 12-person bisexual orgy

Despite losing everything and having to build her bank account back up from scratch, the single mum confessed that one of the most heartbreaking parts of the entire experience was being misled by the man who wooed her.

'The stupidest thing is that I kinda missed the guy I was having a fake relationship with,' she said.

'I missed him calling me,' she continued. 'I have to keep telling myself, "This is not real, Mishel. He didn't have those feelings." I don't know...' she trailed off.

'I just don't want somebody else to go through this. It's heartbreaking.'

Mishel has been working full time as an OnlyFans model and porn actress ever since losing her job in policy training last year for refusing to comply with vaccine mandates.

Despite losing everything and having to build her bank account back up from scratch, the single mum admits that she still misses the man who scammed her

She's also been financially supporting her daughter Eva, 21, who she says suffered heart issues and myocarditis after being vaccinated.

Pericarditis and myocarditis have been observed in an extremely small number of people after receiving mRNA vaccines, of which Pfizer is one.

Mishel, a mother of two and grandmother of one, is older than most of her contemporaries at 51, and is also known for performing hardcore acts other OnlyFans models aren't prepared to do.

In order to stay afloat financially, the star has done everything from lesbian threesomes and a 12-person orgy to selling her used underwear to fans.

Mishel says she's now 'worried' about her financial future and how she'll be able to continue helping out her two children, son Samuel and daughter Eva. All pictured

Now that her bank account has been bled dry, Mishel admitted that she's concerned about her financial future and the wellbeing of her family.

'I'm worried about money. I'm worried about my OnlyFans not doing so well eventually,' she said.

Mishel is hoping to turn her fortunes around soon and is set to appear at Sydney Sexpo from October 28-30.
Dame Kelly Holmes is calling on LGBTQ+ veterans whose lives were ruined under the Forces' ban on homosexuality to provide evidence.

The former Olympic athlete, 52, who came out as gay in June, is urging ex soldiers to give proof to an independent probe into the scandal, which left queer servicemen and women stripped of their honours, military pensions, discharged and even jailed.

Since it was illegal for members of the community to serve until 2000, many subsequently struggled with homelessness, unemployment and mental health issues while being forced to come out to their family.

'This review must force the Government to do something!' Kelly Holmes is calling on LGBTQ+ veterans whose lives were ruined under the Forces' ban on homosexuality to provide evidence

Approximately 500 people have already given testimonies to the independent review, which was approved cross-party in the 2021 Armed Forces Bill and is led by Lord Etherton, ahead of its November 15 deadline.

Kelly, who lived in fear of being exposed after joining the British Army at the age of 18, told The Mirror: 'This review needs to be as strong as possible so it can force the Government to do something.

'For some people, just acknowledgment that they have been impacted could be enough. But others will need support.'

The Honorary Colonel of the Royal Armoured Corps Training Regiment is also calling on the Prime Minister to make an apology on behalf of the State, however will settle for 'a notable national figure'.

Tragic: The former Olympic athlete, 52, who came out as gay in June, is urging ex soldiers to give proof to an independent probe into the scandal (pictured in 1995)

She said: 'It has to be somebody high up who recognises the effects it's had  somebody like the Prince of Wales who has empathy and connection with the military, to recognise that it's wrong  or even the King.'

She's also appealing for the return of soldiers' medals that have been taken away and wants a formal compensation programme to be established in her campaign, which she is working on in conjunction with Fighting With Pride.

The athlete, who won the 800m and 1,500m titles at the 2004 Olympic games, spoke openly about her sexuality for the first time in June as she declared that she 'finally feels free' after years of living a 'secret' life.

Free: Kelly, who lived in fear of being exposed after joining the British Army at the age of 18, is also calling on the Prime Minister to make an apology on behalf of the State (pictured in 2004)

The Honorary Colonel of the Royal Armoured Corps Training Regiment lived in fear of being exposed after joining the British Army at the age of 18 as the forces had a ban on LGBTQ+ soldiers, which was only lifted in 2000.

Speaking about coming out as gay on BBC's Morning Live, Dame Kelly said the reaction from people has been 'incredible', with people reaching out to her after the documentary aired.

She told hosts Gethin Jones and Kimberley Walsh that although she is feeling more 'positive' now, she also feels like she is 'in limbo' as she adjusts to living her 'new normal'.

Army: She said: 'For some people, just acknowledgment that they have been impacted could be enough. But others will need support' (pictured in her Colonel role at Trooping the Colour)

When asked what the public's reaction has been like, she explained: 'I have to say it's been incredible, the warmth, the feedback of people coming forward to watch my documentary and you know, it's kind of strange because I feel like I'm essentially still in a bit of a bubble and a little bit in limbo, you can't just change.

'I'm still the same person, don't get me wrong, but with the announcement, to suddenly to live the new norm is very different.'

The former Olympian went on to admit that she is still 'processing' everything that has happened since her announcement but said she feels like she can finally have a 'brighter' future now.

She continued: 'It's just one step at a time, I'm processing everything that's come out in the last two weeks and I'm sure though, on a real positive note, that my future will be a lot brighter.'

Dame Kelly also spoke about how 'heartwarming' it has been for her to read other people's stories, with many telling her that they have 'found strength' from her speaking about her own experiences.

'When you do talk, you get a lot of stories back,' she said.

'There are so many people who have emailed and messaged who have found strength from my conversation and my stories and announcements - in lots of different ways, all different people of all different ages - and that has been so heartwarming.'
Richie Anderson and Giovanni Pernice incorporated some Beyonce choreography into their quickstep during Saturday's Strictly Come Dancing.

The radio personality, 34, and his professional partner, 32, appeared to have taken inspiration from the 2008 Single Ladies music video.

Surprised viewers soon rushed to their keyboard to laud the 'excellent' routine on Twitter, while going wild over the reference to Queen Bey.

'I LOVED the Single Ladies dance!' Strictly fans went wild as Richie Anderson and Giovanni Pernice incorporated some Beyonce choreography into their quickstep on Saturday night

One wrote: '#StrictlyComeDancing #Strictly #RichieAndGiovanni THAT WAS EXELLENT! Such a fun quickstep and I love the references to the Charleston and Beyonce's Single Ladies. It also gave really big 20's vibes, which I liked a lot.'

Another said: 'This quick step looks fun, the choreography really suits Richie. Did you see the Beyonce tribute? #Strictly #BBCStrictly #StrictlyComeDancing.'

A third user penned: '#Strictly Richie - 8/10. That was incredible! Never put a foot wrong and just enjoyed it from start to finish! I loved the single ladies in the middle too.'

One enthusiastic fan typed: 'Ritchie and Giovanni have just given me SO MUCH F*****G JOY! They Beyonced! Cartwheeled! SEQUINS! OUTSTANDINGLY OLD HOLLYWOOD HOMOSEXUAL AND CAMP! loved it #strictly.'

Mimic: The radio personality, 34, and his professional partner, 32, appeared to have taken inspiration from the 2008 Single Ladies music video (Beyonce in centre)

Bagging 32 out of 40 points, the performance was dubbed 'absolutely beautiful' by judge Motsi Mabuse.

The pair put on a united front during the show and appeared to brush off recent rumours of a feud behind the scenes - following reports that they 'haven't clicked' off camera.

As the pair donned matching sequinned suits for the visually pleasing dance, the performance was dubbed 'absolutely beautiful' by Motsi - as Shirley got up onto her feet.

The head judge explained: 'I wasn't quite expecting it to be so synchronised and so good, today you were laser focused - you did amazing. What a transformation!'

Wow! Surprised viewers soon rushed to their keyboard to laud the 'excellent' routine on Twitter, while going wild over the reference to Queen Bey

'You're a real showman, I loved it. If you could put that sequin jacket back in my room I'd be absolutely delighted,' jested Anton.

And discussing the dance backstage following the performance, Richie explained: 'This dance required a lot of good posture. And look at me, I've got the posture of Mr. Bean.'

Continuing: 'Thank you for being so patient,' as he turned towards Giovanni.

As Giovanni gushed: 'Very very proud of you, we can definitely see improvement, You delivered a good performance, well done'.

Moving on: The pair put on a united front during the show and appeared to brush off recent rumours of a feud behind the scenes - following reports that they 'haven't clicked' off camera

Deserving: Bagging 32 out of 40 points, the performance was dubbed 'absolutely beautiful' by judge Motsi Mabuse

The pair managed to bag 32 out of 40 points, over ten points above their debut performance the week before.

And their display of support comes after the partners have been plagued by rumours of a fued off of the camera, with sources telling The Sun that professional dancer Giovanni was becoming frustrated with Richie not listening to him in rehearsals.

One insider said: 'The pair haven't clicked. Richie is so swept up by the whole experience that he is talking 100 words a minute, and it can be hard for Giovanni.

'He has told pals that Richie talks instead of listening during training, and it is frustrating.'

They then added that it was early days and they were still getting used to each other: 'Giovanni thinks Richie has real potential in the competition.'

However, a source close to the pair told MailOnline: 'Talk of them not getting on is nonsense. They are having such a laugh and were thrilled at the reaction on Saturday night.'

Strictly Come Dancing continues on BBC One at 7:15pm on Sunday - when one couple will be eliminated from the contest for the first time this season.
Kerry Katona has revealed she got into a physical fight with bandmate Natasha Hamilton before being kicked out of Atomic Kittens.

The TV personality, 42, was on tour in Australian and New Zealand with band members Natasha and Michelle Heaton, who was standing in for Liz McLarnon.

The girls enjoyed a boozy day out, which resulted in Michelle being taken to hospital by ambulance and being photographed in a bad state.

Drama: Kerry Katona has revealed she got into a physical fight with bandmate Natasha Hamilton before being kicked out of Atomic Kittens

Natasha blamed Kerry for the incident and believes she tipped off the photographs which resulted in a physical fight breaking out between the two.

The Sun reported that Kerry penned in her new book Whole Again: 'We got into a huge fight. I'm not proud of the fact it turned physical but I was absolutely fuming that she was accusing me of doing something I absolutely didn't do.

'I was going mental. I kicked off in front of everyone. They ended up locking me out of the pub, so I tried to break the door down to get back in. I was absolutely furious.'

Kerry was just 18 when she joined the group and quit in 2000 but revealed she would return to the stage with her former group 'in a heartbeat'.

She said: 'There's no better feeling than being in front of an audience with your mates singing songs and doing dance routines. I'd be there in a heartbeat if they wanted me back.

The Sun reported that Kerry penned in her new book Whole Again: 'We got into a huge fight. I'm not proud of the fact it turned physical but I was absolutely fuming that she was accusing me of doing something I absolutely didn't do.'

Kerry complained about being left out of the band's reunion in 2021, when they recorded a new version of their 2000 hit Whole Again called Southgate Youre The One.

The media personality speculated the reason why she kept being left out of their reunions saying she believed that they didn't like her.

She told OK! at the time: 'I was never asked to be part of it  I don't know why! I get the feeling they don't like me.'

Cheeky: Kerry posted a tongue-in-cheek photo of Coronation Street stars Gail Platt, Audrey Roberts and Rita Tanner with the caption: 'See Atomic Kitten have reformed for the Euros'

Fan comment: One of Kerry's social media followers asked 'what went on' between her and her former bandmates

Kerry addressed the group's return, telling one of her Instagram fans she 'never left' the band and thought they were 'on a break'.

The former popstar added that Natasha Hamilton, 38, Liz McClarnon, 40 and Jenny Frost, 43, decided to 'crack on without her' but added: 'I wish them all the best.'

Doting mother Kerry struck up a conversation with one of her social media followers after posting a tongue-in-cheek photo of Coronation Street stars Gail Platt, Audrey Roberts and Rita Tanner with the caption: 'See Atomic Kitten have reformed for the Euros'.

Beneath the cheeky snap, one fan wrote: 'Still confused as to what went on. One minute you where in the band, next minute you'd left again.

Clarification: Kerry clarified: 'I never left darling Tash said she didn't want to do it anymore wanted a break so I just thought we were on a break!'

'And now they've had the other one back and there's no trace of you. Did you fall out with the other two?' [sic]

Kerry then clarified: 'i never left darling Tash said she didn't want to do it anymore wanted a break so I just thought we were on a break!

'A bit like Ross and Rachel. but her and Liz cracked on doing gigs xxx but wish them all@the best I'm super proud as I'm where I'm where I am today because of atomic kitten.. come on England.' [sic]

The Tide Is High hitmaker now has five children  Molly Marie, 20, Lilly-Sue, 19, with Brian, Heidi Elizabeth, 15, Maxwell Mark, 13, with Mark, and Dylan-Jorge Rose Kay, seven, who she shared with George.
Florence Pugh looked nothing short of sensational on Sunday as she arrived at the Valentino show at Paris Fashion Week.

The actress, 26, stepped out in a pink minidress, that clung to her svelte figure and was decorated in a chain pattern.

Her legs were on full display in the high-necked number and Florence gave herself a few extra inches in a pair of 810 cream platform heels from Valentino.

Incredible: Florence Pugh looked nothing short of sensational on Sunday as she arrived at the Valentino show at Paris Fashion Week

Keeping the cold at bay, she wrapped up in a white cape coat that exuded elegance and sophistication.

Opting to keep her accessories simple, Florence only added a pair of gold hoop earrings and her silver septum piercing.

Her blonde tresses were straightened and styled in a side part, and she chose a smoky eyeshadow look with a slick of pink lipstick.

Looking good: The actress, 26, stepped out in a pink minidress, that clung to her svelte figure and was decorated in a chain pattern

It comes after she attended the premiere of Don't Worry Darling at Venice Film Festival at the start of September.

Leading star Florence has been at the centre of speculation about a reported on-set rift with director Olivia Wilde, with original co-star Shia LeBeouf adding to the drama.

Florence chose to limit her time spent for Don't Worry Darling promotional activities and press calls, due to a busy schedule with other projects, but did appear at the Venice premiere.

Fancy footwear: Her legs were on full display in the high-necked number and Florence gave herself a few extra inches in a pair of 810 cream platform heels from Valentino

But she skipped a press conference for the film in Italy because her flight allegedly would land too late for her to get there, though she was seen in Venice nearby enjoying an Aperol spritz while it was taking place.

Elsewhere at Venice Film Festival, fans claimed footage showed leading man Harry Styles allegedly appearing to gob in co-star Chris Pine's, with the actor seeming to stop, look down at his leg, and stick out his tongue in disbelief.

The laughing actor, 42, shot an amused look back at the pop star, with fans speculating afterwards that Harry had spit on Chris' lap.

But it has been denied that any spitting took place, with a source close to Chris Pine telling MailOnline: 'Harry Styles did not spit at all. People are seeing some odd illusion of sorts online that is clearly deceiving.'

Classy: Keeping the cold at bay, she wrapped up in a white cape coat that exuded elegance and sophistication

Flawless: Her blonde tresses were straightened and styled in a side part, and she chose a smoky eyeshadow look with a slick of pink lipstick

And Olivia also shut down rumours of any spitting occurring, insisting that people are trying to 'look for drama'.

Florence and Olivia reportedly came into conflict during filming, as the Black Widow star was said to be unhappy over allegations that Olivia 'hooked up' with Harry Styles while engaged to Jason Sudeikis.

Olivia, 38, and Jason, 46, got engaged in 2012 and share children Otis, eight, and Daisy, five. They were thought to have split in November 2020 and Olivia made headlines with Harry in January 2021.

While it's never been confirmed that Olivia and Harry's romance began while she was still engaged to Jason, Page Six reported that Florence fell out with Olivia over the coupling.

Drama: It comes after she attended the premiere of Don't Worry Darling at Venice Film Festival at the start of September

Then in the lead-up to the film's release, Florence did little-to-no promotion for the movie and was seen enjoying a cocktail nearby in Venice as she skipped a press conference for Don't Worry Darling.

The rumours intensified after Olivia suggested Florence should have a 'wake-up call' in a leaked video, shared by Shia as he refuted Wilde's claim that he had been fired.

Shia was originally set to star in Don't Worry Darling before Olivia replaced him with Harry, with Olivia claiming Shia's process was 'not conducive to the ethos that I demand in my productions'.

But in response, Shia - who claims he quit 'due to lack of rehearsal time' - shared an an email he sent to the director and a video that she allegedly sent to him, proving he walked away from the film rather than being fired.

Group line-up: The cast were all seen attending the premiere at Venice Film Festival amid the drama. Pictured: Nick Kroll, Florence Pugh, Chris Pine, Olivia Wilde, Sydney Chandler, Harry Styles and Gemma Chan

In the footage, Olivia can be heard encouraging Shia to stay signed on to the film, rather than leave it, while also hinting at apparent tension with Pugh, 26, who she referred to as 'Miss Flo'.

In the clip, she said: 'I feel like I'm not ready to give up on this yet, and I, too, am heartbroken and I want to figure this out.

'You know, I think this might be a bit of a wake-up call for Miss Flo, and I want to know if you're open to giving this a shot with me, with us.

'If she really commits, if she really puts her mind and heart into it at this point and if you guys can make peace  and I respect your point of view, I respect hers  but if you guys can do it, what do you think? Is there hope? Will you let me know?'

Iconic: But Florence was seen in Venice nearby enjoying an Aperol spritz while a press conference was taking place, after skipping it and saying her flight wouldn't land on time

But in a recent interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Olivia doubled down on her claims that she fired Shia, insisting that she 'chose Florence' after she claimed Shia had issued her with an ultimatum.

When asked if she fired Shia, Olivia said: 'We had to replace Shia. He is a fantastic actor, but it wasn't gonna work. When he gave me the ultimatum of, you know, him or Florence, I chose Florence.'

'That was him feeling he was stepping away and me feeling like we were moving on without him,' she added.

Addressing the conflicting accounts of Olivia claiming Shia was fired and the actor saying he quit, Stephen asked if he left in such a way that they could both believe they were correct in their stances.

Feud? Leading star Florence has been at the centre of speculation about a reported on-set rift with director Olivia Wilde, with original co-star Shia LeBeouf adding to the drama

To which, Olivia said: 'It's a question of semantics. It wasn't going to move forward in a way he wanted it to, so he had to leave.'

In the interview, she also addressed the widely-rumoured feud with Florence, insisting she has 'nothing but respect' for the star, despite by being plagued by claims to the contrary.

Olivia gushed about Florence's performance in the controversial movie, and suggested being questioned about the feud is sexist because it's not something her 'male director colleagues are answering'.

'She is sensational in this film. And it is about her being brave enough to listen to the brave people who've come before her who everyone else has ignored and trust her instincts,' Olivia said.

Clashing: They reportedly came into conflict as the Black Widow star was said to be unhappy over allegations that Olivia 'hooked up' with Harry Styles while engaged to Jason Sudeikis

'And she is the one brave enough to dismantle the system. She is a super hero. And Florence Pugh is as good at dramatic work as she is at action. There are real action sequences in the film. She has a run which I refer to as her 'Tom Cruise run.' It's the most impressive run I've ever seen,' she added.

Elsewhere, crew members that worked on Don't Worry Darling shared a statement last month refuting rumours of any on-set issues between Olivia and Florence.

A total of 40 individuals, including producer Miri Yoon, came forward to release a statement obtained by DailyMail.com with the 'need to correct' the alleged claims, calling them 'absurd' and 'completely false.'

The recent statement came shortly after an insider told Vulture that both Olivia Wilde, 38, and Florence, 26, got into a 'screaming match' during filming last year.

No drama: But crew members recently came forward to state that there was never any issues between Olivia Wilde, 38, and Florence Pugh, on set of Don't Worry Darling

'As a crew, we've avoided addressing the absurd gossip surrounding the movie we're so proud of, but feel the need to correct the anonymous 'sources' quoted in a recent article,' the statement began.

'Any allegations about unprofessional behavior on the set of are completely false,' they further stated.

Olivia was addressed in the statement, with the crew expressing that she was nothing but, 'an incredible leader and director who was present with and involved in every aspect of production.'

Towards the conclusion, the individuals jointly took time to shoot down the claims made by other 'sources' to Vulture, which was shared earlier on Friday.

Keeping the peace: The recent statement came shortly after an insider told Vulture that both Olivia Wilde, 38, and Florence, 26, got into a 'screaming match' during filming last year

'There was never a screaming match between our director and anyone, let alone a member of our cast.'

The crew further reiterated in their statement that the set was always professional, and that, 'We are happy to put our names on this, as real people who worked on the film, and who have witnessed and benefitted from the collaborative and safe space Olivia creates as a director and leader.'

'We're also thrilled that the movie is in theaters this weekend. We can't wait for you to see it on the big screen,' they added at the very end.

The new claims counteract what a previous unnamed insider informed Vulture in regards to the drama that allegedly occurred on set in 2021.

The source, who had spent ample time on the Don't Worry Darling set, claimed that Olivia and Florence had a 'screaming match' due to Olivia's 'absences' during filming.

Tribute: Despite the differing rumours and alleged drama that occurred on set, Florence shared a heartfelt tribute post on her Instagram last month towards Don't Worry Darling

Tension: The actress, 26, thanked those involved in bringing the film to life and shared a snap of herself on set alongside director Olivia

'Olivia and Harry would just disappear,' the source stated, referencing to Harry Styles, who played one of the leading roles in the movie alongside Florence. The former One Direction member and Olivia have been in a relationship since January 2021.

The insider further added to the publication that the drama taking place on set had reached Warner Bros. executive, Toby Emmerich, who then had to instill a 'long negotiation process,' to keep the peace.

Despite the differing rumours and alleged drama that occurred on set, Florence shared a heartfelt tribute post on her Instagram last month towards Don't Worry Darling.

In the caption, she expressed her thanks to all who helped bring the film to life, and reflected on the memorable moments spent on set.

Olivia also shared a behind the scenes photo, which showed herself sitting next to Florence, Harry, and a crew member on set. They all appeared to be in good spirits as they prepared to shoot a scene.
Yazmin Oukhellou cut a very stylish figure on Saturday night as she enjoyed a night out at Roka Japanese restaurant in London.

The TOWIE star, 28, displayed her hourglass figure in a tight black minidress, that clung to her curves.

Her tanned legs were left on full display, and she added height to her frame with a pair of quirky black leather boots.

Looking good: Yazmin Oukhellou cut a very stylish figure on Saturday night as she enjoyed a night out at Roka Japanese restaurant in London

Toting her belongings in a black quilted handbag, she styled her raven tresses in bouncy waves.

Finishing off her look, she opted for a full face of glamorous makeup complete with fluttery lashes and a slick of lipgloss.

With her arms bare, the scarring on her arms was visible from the fatal fatal crash that killed her boyfriend Jake McLean three months ago.

It comes after the influencer admitted she's 'learning to live' again after the crash, in an Instagram post from a month-long escape to a Marrakesh retreat.

Traumatic: With her arms bare, the scarring on her arms was visible from the fatal fatal crash that killed her boyfriend Jake McLean three months ago

Yazmin had jetted off to a 3,000-per-week Wellness Retreat Worldwide to put the trauma behind her.

While posing with her mentors at the spectacular Nouba Restaurant, she wrote in a post: 'Honestly cannot thank you both enough for being my rocks since my accident.

'You two are such a blessing and have completely changed my outlook on life this past week.

'I've learnt so much about myself and can honestly say for the first time in a long time that I am proud of me.

'I never thought I'd start back my retreats in Marrakech @wellnessretreatworldwide but I cannot wait to share my story and help so many of you as I can.

'For any of you who are struggling right now please just know that nothing lasts. You will never forget what you have been through but you will learn to live with it.

'And know that it's okay to have shit days and then good days. It's normal. Something that has helped me so much is just changing my daily habits. Start small.

'Write down three things you are grateful for this morning. And let me know how you get on. Love Yaz. [white heart emoji].'

Jake was killed on July 3 when his blue Mercedes E class saloon crashed in Bodrum, while Yazmin was left with serious injuries after she had to break her own arm to escape the wreckage as Jake was in the driving seat unconscious.

The crash took place at around 4.30am and investigators have established that the car hurtled around 70 feet over a left turn bend and landed in a ravine almost 30 feet below.

Jake was pronounced dead at the scene while Yazmin was rushed to hospital, where she underwent treatment for her injured arm.

After the crash, she clambered through thick, thorny bushes to stop a passing motorist for help.

She has told of how she is still coping with post traumatic stress following her return to the UK.

It has been claimed the couple had a blazing row at a nightclub shortly before the crash, something which Jake's mum Anita Walsh told Turkish authorities she believed could have played a role in her son's death.

This led to a bitter fallout between Yazmin and Anita, who banned the reality star from Jake's funeral in Essex last month.

If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org.
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Fashion royalty mingled with the great and good of Hollywood's acting community as Valentino unveiled its latest collection at Paris Fashion Week on Sunday afternoon.

Catwalk veteran Naomi Campbell dominated the red carpet while rubbing shoulders with rising star Zendaya, British actress Florence Pugh and stunning model Lori Harvey ahead of the Italian brand's ready-to-wear show.

The model, 52, looked the epitome of chic in a black feather coat which she wore over a crisp white shirt and matching trousers.

Star-studded: Fashion royalty mingled with the great and good of Hollywood's acting community as Valentino unveiled its latest collection at Paris Fashion Week on Sunday afternoon (Naomi Campbell and Zendaya pictured)

Glam: Catwalk veteran Naomi Campbell dominated the red carpet while rubbing shoulders with rising star Zendaya, British actress Florence Pugh (right) and stunning model Lori Harvey (left) ahead of the Italian brand's ready-to-wear show

Naomi accessorised with an oversized pair of sunglasses, a dazzling diamond necklace and a chic handbag as she posed beside Zendaya.

Euphoria star Zendaya, 26, shows off her incredible figure in a sheer black catsuit, which she paired with a blazer, shorts and stilettos.

The beauty sported a bronzed makeup palette which accentuated her natural features, teamed with a swipe nude lipstick.

Incredible: The model, 52, looked the epitome of chic in a black feather coat which she wore over a crisp white shirt and matching trousers

Wow! Euphoria star Zendaya, 26, shows off her incredible figure in a sheer black catsuit, which she paired with a blazer, shorts and stilettos

Gorgeous: The beauty sported a bronzed makeup palette which accentuated her natural features, teamed with a swipe nude lipstick as she sat front row

Lori looked effortlessly chic in a mesh top which she wore over a black bra, teamed with a pair of high-waisted trousers which cinched her waist.

The model completed her look with a pair of gloves, white platform heels and a stylish handbag.

Florence stepped out in a pink minidress, that clung to her svelte figure and was decorated in a chain pattern.

Her legs were on full display in the high-necked number and Florence gave herself a few extra inches in a pair of 810 cream platform heels from Valentino.

Incredible: Lori looked effortlessly chic in a mesh top which she wore over a black bra, teamed with a pair of high-waisted trousers which cinched her waist

Looking good: The actress, 26, stepped out in a pink minidress, that clung to her svelte figure and was decorated in a chain pattern

Incredible: Florence's legs were on full display in the high-necked number and Florence gave herself a few extra inches in a pair of 810 cream platform heels from Valentino

Classy: Keeping the cold at bay, she wrapped up in a white cape coat that exuded elegance and sophistication

Sizzling: Dove Cameron, Ashley Park, Florence and Zendaya appeared in great spirits at the event (pictured L-R)

Keeping the cold at bay, she wrapped up in a white cape coat that exuded elegance and sophistication.

Opting to keep her accessories simple, Florence only added a pair of gold hoop earrings and her silver septum piercing.

Her blonde tresses were straightened and styled in a side part, and she chose a smoky eyeshadow look with a slick of pink lipstick.

Couple: Brooklyn Beckham and his wife Nicola Peltz attended the Valentino ready-to-wear Spring/Summer 2023 fashion collection on Sunday

Hot stuff: The heiress, 27, flashed her black bra beneath a sheer turtle neck top with white embroidery, which she teamed up with baggy faded jeans

Suave: Meanwhile, Brooklyn, 23, cut a dapper figure in a brown checked coat which he layered with a white Valentino T-shirt and light blue jeans

Looking good: He completed his look with black boots and wore his brown locks in a short shaggy do, while Nicola wore her matching tresses in a sleek middle parting

Stylish: Simone Ashley put on a very leggy display in a sheer white dress, teamed with a pair of blacklace up heels

Bold: Erykah Badu stood out from the crowd in a hot pink feather coat, teamed with a tight-fitting catsuit and chunky boots

Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz also attended the Valentino ready-to-wear Spring/Summer 2023 fashion collection.

The heiress, 27, flashed her black bra beneath a sheer turtle neck top with white embroidery, which she teamed up with baggy faded jeans.

Having bleached her eyebrows for the event, she toted her essentials around in a miniature black handbag while elevating her height with white platform heels.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn, 23, cut a dapper figure in a brown checked coat which he layered with a white Valentino T-shirt and light blue jeans.

He completed his look with black boots and wore his brown locks in a short shaggy do, while Nicola wore her matching tresses in a sleek middle parting.

Jam-packed day: Naomi also took to the L'Oreal Ready To Wear show during the day, sitting alongside Estelle Lefebure

Stylish: She donned a fishnet cut-out leather jacket for the appearance, smiling for snaps from the front row

Giggles: The supermodel and Estelle appeared in high spirits, laughing with one another during the show
Christine Quinn made sure all eyes were on her when she attended the Balenciaga Womenswear Spring/Summer 2023 show during Paris Fashion Week on Sunday.

The mother-of-one, 33, stood out from the crowd in a black bra that showed off her ample cleavage.

She teamed it with a pair of casual blue denim jeans and wrapped up in a oversized navy hoodie.

Radiant: Christine Quinn made sure all eyes were on her when she attended the Balenciaga Womenswear Spring/Summer 2023 show during Paris Fashion Week on Sunday

Elevating her already impressive height, Christine added a pair of black pointed high-heeled boots.

She toted her essentials in a black and gold Balenciaga handbag and sported a large silver necklace emblazoned with the brand's logo.

Sweeping her blonde tresses up in a tight sleek bun, she hid her eyes behind a pair of black sunglasses.

Real estate agent Christine recently announced that she had left the Oppenheim Group and has been dabbling in her own business, RealOpen, with her husband Christian.

Fashion forward: The mother-of-one, 33, stood out from the crowd in a black bra that showed off her ample cleavage

Christine and Christian started a brokerage called RealOpen, which focuses on the real estate industry and purchasing homes with cryptocurrency.

In an interview with People, Christine opened up about moving on. 'I had to make a business decision that was for me, so I had to terminate the contract so I could move it over to my brokerage.'

She also talked about breaking the news to Jason, her boss. 'Jason and I, we have a really good understanding. I told him, "This comes from a career move. I have to do my own thing." So that's why I made the company.'

Christine's new business has also taken her across the country to sunny Miami, where her brokerage has some listings.

Although her time on the Netflix show has come to an end, the hard-worker will still pursue working in real estate and selling luxury homes.

She recently shared a post on her Instagram to her 3.2 million followers that she was now, 'Selling Miami.'


Zimbabwe is a giant that is now awake and ready to take its pride of place among the fast-developing countries, regardless of the sanctions imposed by the West, President Mnangagwa has said.

Addressing thousands of Gospel of God Church International pilgrims at their annual gathering at the Gandanzara shrine in Makoni district, Manicaland province, yesterday, President Mnangagwa said the country would not capitulate to external pressure.

Zimbabwe will continue developing, whether our detractors want or not. We are an enemy to none, but a friend to all, said President Mnangagwa, who became the first Head of State and Government since independence to visit the Gandanzara shrine.

I was in the United States of America recently for the United Nations General Assembly and I told them in their own language that with or without sanctions, Zimbabwe will continue developing.

Zimbabwe is a giant which is now awake and ready to take its position among the fast-developing nations.

He hailed African countries for unequivocally calling for the removal of sanctions against Zimbabwe, at the recent 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. The two-decades-old unilateral coercive measures, he added, will not break our spirit of working hard.

Zimbabwe has been under sanctions for 21 years now, but they will not break our spirit of working hard. After we embarked on the land reform, the whites decided to punish us with the sanctions, thinking that we would go down on our knees and beg them to come back and repossess the land, He said.

This is now history! We now own the land. Whether it is cold or hot, whether we have poor harvests or surpluses, we will not succumb to Western pressure. Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo, and we will not relent on that resolve.

I want to express my sincere gratitude for the solidarity we received from most African Heads of State during the United Nations General Assembly. The Heads of State all spoke strongly against the sanctions.

President Mnangagwa said the country will leverage its bountiful resources to grow the economy.

We are equipping our youths with requisite skills for them to fully exploit the vast resources in the country, especially minerals. Our minerals should benefit everyone and facilitate economic growth.

On land utilisation, President Mnangagwa said Government will not hesitate to repossess unproductive land in order to ensure food security.

They should be prepared to go back to the reserves and pave the way for those who can produce and feed the nation. We should work hard to produce enough food. No sweat, no gain. You cannot expect a fruit to walk to your table without producing it and you cannot expect a fish to find its way into your plate without fishing it. Idya cheziya!

If you slumber, you will lose everything. You cannot develop the country in your sleep, he added.

He praised Gospel of God Church Internationals stance of encouraging self-employment among its members.

The founder of this church, Baba Johane, encouraged you to be innovative and self-reliant. This is the spirit that we want. Let us continue working hard in whatever we will be doing.

I am happy to note that your church has embraced the land reform programme. We will support you in this regard. We will provide inputs and centre pivots for your farms so that they become mechanised. This will ensure more output and many people will benefit from their farming ventures.

Government will also construct two schools for the church and will soon send a team to assess their needs so that these projects start in earnest.

The Gospel of God Church International was founded by Baba Johane Masowe in 1932 and has since spread its tentacles globally. Sunday News
Davide Sanclimenti puckered up to his girlfriend Ekin-Su Culculoglu as they arrived at the boohooMAN by Davide launch at Crazy Pizza in London on Sunday.

Actress Ekin-Su, 27, put on a leggy display in a black minidress while toting her essentials around in a coordinating handbag and adding inches with lace-up heels.

Italian Stallion Davide, 27, cut a trendy figure in a white polo shirt and contrasting black trousers while accessorising with a dazzling silver watch.

Couple: Davide Sanclimenti cosied up to his girlfriend Ekin-Su Culculoglu as they arrived at the boohooMAN by Davide launch at Crazy Pizza in London on Sunday

Ekin-Su added to her look with a delicate chain necklace and had flawlessly applied a full face of make-up for the event.

The pair arrived hand-in-hand to restaurant, before being greeted by their fellow Islanders Ikenna Ekwonna, Jay Younger and Dami Hope inside.

Davide's partnership with the brand will see him working on various projects including presenting, social content creation, modeling and fronting a series of collaborative campaigns.

Cute: They puckered up for a kiss while posing for photographers

Hot stuff: Actress Ekin-Su, 27, put on a leggy display in a black minidress while toting her essentials around in a coordinating handbag and adding inches with lace-up heels

Suave: Italian Stallion Davide, 27, cut a trendy figure in a white polo shirt and contrasting black trousers while accessorising with a dazzling silver watch

Out of this world: Ekin-Su accessorised her look with a delicate chain necklace and had flawlessly applied a full face of make-up for the event

For his first venture, Davide will be the face of boohooMAN's latest going-out campaign with the shoot taking place in New York.

Davide has hand-picked his own edit consisting of looks customers can dress up or down this holiday season.

On being appointed as a brand ambassador, Davide said: 'I'm so pleased with how this collection looks with boohooMAN. The Team has really understood my Italian style.

Stunning: Ekin-su look sensational in the plunging number

Loved-up: The pair arrived hand-in-hand as they posed for photographers at the doors of the restaurant

In their element: They appeared to be in high spirits as they posed for snappers inside

Dapper: Davide put his modelling skills to use while shooting serious expressions

Looking great: He wore his short brown locks in a trendy side parting

'To shoot in a famous Italian restaurant in New York was amazing but to have my own billboard in Times Square was a dream come true!'

A perfect fit for the brand, Davide's style, fun personality and social relevance allows him to connect with the brand's core audience and engage with them.

Davide's ambassadorship will also see him stand alongside the likes of Jack Grealish, James Maddison and Simeon Panda as well as a number of other high profile names.

Adorable: Davide looked loving at his girlfriend while they posed for snaps

Pals: He was soon joined by his fellow Islander Dami Hope (left) who wore a purple top

Gang: Ikenna Ekwonna (left) and Jay Younger (right) chatted away with Davide (centre)

Modelling: Davide emulated his own pose as he sat in front of a poster of himself

Samir Kamani, CEO of boohooMAN, said: 'We are pleased to welcome Davide to the boohooMAN family. He is a great ambassador for the brand and fits in with us all so well.

'We look forward to some new and exciting projects coming up so keep your eyes peeled!'

The collection will be available from Sunday 2nd October on www.boohooman.com.

Fashionable: A black T-shirt featuring a photoshopped image of a naked woman and a pair of unmissable pink trousers feature in Davide's edit
Henry Cavill cut a smart figure as he enjoyed a lavish date night at the Dream in Los Angeles with his girlfriend Natalie Viscuso on Sunday.

The Superman actor, 39, opted for a bright blue round neck jumper with black jeans as he walked hand-in-hand with his girlfriend, 33, during a romantic date night.

The Man of Steel star rolled up his sleeves as he headed to his car with Natalie who looked stunning in a black shirt and silk blue midi skirt which boasted a large split.

Amazing: Henry Cavill cut a smart figure as he enjoyed a lavish date night at the Dream in Los Angeles with his girlfriend Natalie Viscuso on Sunday

The beauty styled her blonde tresses in luxurious waves and donned a glamorous palette of makeup and a pair of chic glasses.

The couple announced they were dating via Instagram back in May 2021 and have revealed snips of their relationship on social media since.

Henry will appear alongside Millie Bobby Brown as Sherlock Holmes in Netflix's hit film Enola Holmes 2.

Loved-up: The Superman actor, 39, opted for a bright blue round neck jumper with black jeans as he walked hand-in-hand with his girlfriend, 33

Fans were given a sneak peek at the upcoming film which shows Sherlock Holmes's younger sister taking to the streets of London to open up her own detective agency

In the trailer Enola, played by Millie, can be seen fleeing the police alongside her brother Sherlock before being handcuffed and carted off to jail.

Resigned to accepting the cold realities of adulthood, Enola is about to close shop when a penniless matchstick girl offers her first official job.

Back in action: Henry (left) will appear alongside Millie Bobby Brown (centre) as Sherlock Holmes in Netflix's hit film Enola Holmes 2 (right Louis Partridge as Tewkesbury)

The task at hand is to find the girl's missing sister - but the case proves to be far more puzzling than expected.

The brand new film is being released on Netflix on November 4 and will see the next instalment of Enola Holmes' detective career, with the first being released back in 2020.

Netflix's latest movie is based on the Nancy Springer book series The Enola Holmes Mysteries.
Kanye West has been on daddy duty in Paris.

On Saturday, the rapper, 45, took his four kids out to dinner at the Ferdi restaurant.

The Gold Digger artist was decked out in one of his favorite outfits, a black hoodie, dark jeans, and Balenciaga Croc boots.

Daddy duty: Kanye West has been on daddy duty in Paris. On Saturday, the rapper, 45, took his four kids out to dinner at the Ferdi restaurant

The fashion designer topped off the outfit with a billed hat.

North, nine, looked comfortable in black pants with silver studs, a matching jacket and an oversized graphic T-shirt.

It was the same jeans and T-shirt the fourth grader wore when she arrived at her hotel earlier in the day wearing a leather full face mask.

Favorite look: The Gold Digger artist was decked out in one of his favorite outfits, a black hoodie, dark jeans, and Balenciaga Croc boots

Top off: The fashion designer topped off the outfit with a billed hat

Comfortable: North, nine, looked comfortable in black pants with silver studs, a matching jacket and an oversized graphic T-shirt. Saint, six, was dressed in a black shirt, joggers and sneakers

Kid friendly: Chicago, four was also styling in a kid friendly black shirt, joggers and sneakers

Her long hair was styled in several braids.

Saint, six, and Chicago, four were dressed similarly, in a black shirt, joggers and sneakers.

It's unknown what the little ones ordered for dinner, but a look at the menu showed the chef offered some kid friendly foods such as macaroni and cheese and French fries.

Menu: It's unknown what the little ones ordered for dinner, but a look at the menu showed the chef offered some kid friendly foods such as macaroni and cheese and French fries

Split time: The children seem to be splitting time between their parents as both are involved in the fashion industry. Kanye's ex, Kim Kardashian, 41, appeared to have the children with her in Milan for Fashion Week there last week

Mask: North wore the same jeans and T-shirt the fourth grader wore when she arrived at her hotel earlier in the day wearing a leather full face mask

The children seem to be splitting time between their parents as both are involved in the fashion industry.

Kanye's ex, Kim Kardashian, 41, appeared to have the children with her in Milan for Fashion Week there, where she launched her collaboration with Dolce and Gabbana for their Spring 2023 line.

Reconcile?: Hollywood Life has reported an insider said the Praise God artist is still hoping to reconcile with his ex, claiming 'Kanye has not given up hope on getting with Kim'

Social media: The Yeezy founder changed his profile picture on Instagram to that of his former mother-in-law, Kris Jenner, 66, with no explanation

Bullying behavior: The music producer engaged in bullying behavior toward Kim and her then-boyfriend, Pete Davidson, 28, during their relationship

A source told Hollywood Life, 'Kanye understands that things might not happen now, or anytime soon, but he knows theyll always be in each others lives no matter what'

Realization: A source told Hollywood Life Kanye often took his ex-wife for granted, saying, 'Hes mentioned a few times that the saying you dont know what youve got until its gone is so true because he admittedly took Kim for granted at times'

Low-key: Kanye seemed to try to keep his presence low-key at the busy restaurant

Hollywood Life has reported an insider has said the Praise God artist is still hoping to reconcile with his ex.

'Kanye has not given up hope on getting with Kim. Kanye understands that things might not happen now, or anytime soon, but he knows theyll always be in each others lives no matter what.'

The Yeezy founder changed his profile picture on Instagram to that of his former mother-in-law, Kris Jenner, 66, with no explanation.

Incognito: The City of Gods artist tried to remain incognito Sunday when he arrived at the Balenciaga show

Similar look: Ye arrived at the show wearing a look very similar to the night before, a black hoodie, dark jeans, and Balenciaga Croc boots. The Grammy winner topped off the outfit with the same billed hat

The music producer engaged in bullying behavior toward Kim and her then-boyfriend, Pete Davidson, 28, including a scary 'Skete Davidson dead at 28' post right after the break-up, which has since been deleted from Instagram.

A source close to the comedian revealed to People in early August that Pete had sought trauma therapy to deal with the online threats.

On Sunday, the rapper arrived at the Balenciaga Fashion Week show with his three youngest kids in tow.

Like Dad: Saint followed his dad's fashion style wearing black pants, a cream colored pullover hoodie with a black zip-up hoodie over it, and a black billed cap

No hiding: The I Wonder rapper tried to hide his face, pulling the neck of his hoodie over his nose when he first arrived, but that soon proved fruitless as he and a woman who appeared to be a caretaker guided the children into the venue

Ye arrived at the show wearing a look very similar to the night before, a black hoodie, dark jeans, and Balenciaga Croc boots.

The Grammy winner topped off the outfit with the same billed hat.

The I Wonder rapper tried to hide his face, pulling the neck of his hoodie over his nose when he first arrived, but that soon proved fruitless as he and a woman who appeared to be a caretaker guided the children into the venue.

Kiddie style: Psalm toddled along in a pair of black Balenciaga labeled sweat pants and a hoodie. Chicago wore a black sweatshirt, with pink pants and sneakers. Her dark hair was pulled back in two buns on either side of her head

Saint and Psalm were dressed similarly to their father. Saint wore black pants, a cream colored pullover hoodie with a black zip-up hoodie over it, and a black billed cap.

Psalm toddled along in a pair of black Balenciaga labeled sweat pants and a hoodie.

Chicago wore a black sweatshirt, with pink pants and sneakers. Her dark hair was pulled back in two buns on either side of her head. Daughter North was not seen.

Runway debut: Kanye made his runway debut during the show, wearing leather pants, an oversized camo flack jacket, a black hoodie covering his head and a billed cap. The collection was called 'The Mud Show'

Kanye made his runway debut during the show, wearing leather pants, an oversized camo flack jacket, a black hoodie covering his head and a billed cap.

The collection was called 'The Mud Show.' Many guests didn't realize it was him, until they zoomed in with their phone cameras. He shared a photo of the look on social media, writing 'WAR' next to it.

Kanye will be making another mark at Fashion Week Monday, when he will debut his Yeezy Season Nine collection.
Brooklyn Beckham and wife Nicola Peltz looked chic as they stepped out to the Givenchy Spring/Summer 2023 show during Paris Fashion Week on Sunday.

The couple, who had been invited to sit on the front row at the event, coordinated their looks by wearing matching black suits.

Aspiring chef Brooklyn, 23, look dapper in his black ensemble which he wore with a crisp white shirt that he left open at the collar.

In sync: Brooklyn Beckham, 23, and wife Nicola Peltz, 27, looked chic in matching outfits as they stepped out to Givenchy's Spring/Summer 2023 Paris Fashion Week show on Sunday

He walked hand-in-hand with actress Nicola, 27, who wore a tailored suit in the same colour, with the jacket cinched in at the waist.

Her trousers reached down to the ground, covering the platform heels she wore to add a few inches to her stature.

The screen star wore a white shirt with keyhole detail at the front and opted for a gold chain necklace with a cross pendant.

Fashion set: The couple, who had been invited to sit on the front row at the event, coordinated their looks by wearing matching black suits

In style: Aspiring chef Brooklyn, 23, look dapper in his black ensemble which he wore with a crisp white shirt that he left open at the collar

She carried a black handbag with her to match the rest of her look and wore lashings of make-up to highlight her pretty features.

Having attended the Valentino ready-to-wear Spring/Summer 2023 fashion collection earlier in the day, this was the couple's second show, with Nicola debuting her bleached eyebrows for the occasion.

The pair were seen posing-up together inside at the Givenchy show before heading off to take their seat on the front row.

Strike a pose: Nicola wore a tailored suit in the same colour, with the jacket cinched in at the waist

Cosy couple: Her trousers reached down to the ground, covering the platform heels she wore to add a few inches to her stature

Fashion forward: The screen star wore a white shirt with keyhole detail at the front and opted for a gold chain necklace with a cross pendant

Accessorising: She carried a black handbag with her to match the rest of her look and wore lashings of make-up to highlight her pretty features

It comes after Victoria was seen chatting to Brooklyn outside her Paris Fashion Week show this week while Nicola socialised with Cruz's girlfriend Tana Holding as the family reunited following feud rumours.

The Spice Girl had extended an invitation to her eldest son and his wife Nicola, for her French fashion debut on Friday following rumours of a family feud after Victoria reportedly pulled out of designing a wedding dress for Nicola at the last minute for her April wedding to Brooklyn.

The couple attended and arrived half an hour early to show their support, with 'lots of hugs' going on when they were all reunited for the first time since this summer, said a source in the room.

Unique: Nicola sported bleached eyebrows for the occasion having debuted them at the Valentino ready-to-wear Spring/Summer 2023 fashion collection earlier in the day

Side-by-side: The pair were seen posing-up together inside at the Givenchy show before heading off to take their seat on the front row

Family affair: It comes after Victoria was seen chatting to Brooklyn outside her Paris Fashion Week show this week as the family reunited following feud rumours

Feud: The Spice Girl invited her eldest son and his wife, for her French fashion debut on Friday after she reportedly pulled out of designing a wedding dress for Nicola in April

Back together: The couple attended and arrived half an hour early to show their support, with 'lots of hugs' going on when they were all reunited for the first time since this summer

And video footage taken outside the event showed Victoria laughing with her son Brooklyn, while Nicola socialised with Cruz's girlfriend Tana Holding and Harper Seven.

Brooklyn and Nicola - who arrived separate to the Beckhams - walked hand-in-hand as they stepped out at the event, with the heiress gazing lovingly into her husband's eyes.

After entering Victoria's much-anticipated fashion show, the couple sat on the front row with Brooklyn's father David, 47, and his siblings - Harper, Romeo, 20, and Cruz, 17.

Loved ones: After entering Victoria's much-anticipated fashion show, the couple sat on the front row with Brooklyn's father, David Beckham, and his siblings

Victoria couldn't hold back her tears as she broke down while taking to the runway - reaching out to hug her husband David during the appearance.

Afterwards, the family got together to celebrate with cocktails, as a source said: 'There were a lot of smiles and a lot of love in the room, it was a lovely family atmosphere.'

Posing for a snap, Brooklyn and Nicola appeared in high spirits as they beamed while sitting alongside siblings Romeo and Harper, dad David and Vogue's Anna Wintour and Edward Enninful.
Lori Harvey dared to bare at the star-studded Valentino Paris Fashion Week Show on Sunday.

The beauty, 25, displayed her svelte abs in a sheer top which also showcased her black bra.

She cut an edgy figure as she posed at the runway show, where also also donned a slick pair of sunnies and high waist black slacks.

Strike a pose! Lori Harvey dared to bare at the star-studded Valentino Paris Fashion Week Show on Sunday

From her sleek bob hairstyle to her gloved hands, Lori was a vision of style.

The star, who is the stepdaughter of TV host Steve Harvey, looked radiant with a slick of lip gloss and bronze blush brushed onto her cheeks.

She carried her belongings stylishly about in an edgy yet glam leather purse decked out with gold accents.

To finish off the look, she headed to the show in black-and-white footwear.

Dare to bare: The beauty, 25, displayed her svelte abs in a sheer top which also showcased her black bra

Lori was just one of many stars watching Valentino unveil its latest collection at Paris Fashion Week.

Catwalk veteran Naomi Campbell dominated the red carpet while rubbing shoulders with rising star Zendaya, British actress Florence Pugh and Lori ahead of the Italian brand's ready-to-wear show.

The model, 52, looked the epitome of chic in a black feather coat which she wore over a crisp white shirt and matching trousers.

Star-studded: Fashion royalty mingled with the great and good of Hollywood's acting community as Valentino unveiled its latest collection at Paris Fashion Week on Sunday afternoon (Naomi Campbell and Zendaya pictured)

Naomi accessorised with an oversized pair of sunglasses, a dazzling diamond necklace and a chic handbag as she posed beside Zendaya.

Euphoria star Zendaya, 26, shows off her incredible figure in a sheer black catsuit, which she paired with a blazer, shorts and stilettos.

The beauty sported a bronzed makeup palette which accentuated her natural features, teamed with a swipe nude lipstick.

Florence stepped out in a pink minidress, that clung to her svelte figure and was decorated in a chain pattern.

Her legs were on full display in the high-necked number and Florence gave herself a few extra inches in a pair of 810 cream platform heels from Valentino.
He's touched down in Paris for the cities Fashion Week.

And Jared Leto showed off his new purple hair do as he enjoyed a bike ride through the French capital on Sunday.

The actor, 50, was joined by a mystery woman who followed closely behind as they embarked on a relaxing tour of the city.

Relaxing: Jared Leto, 50, showed off his new purple hair do as he enjoyed a bike ride through the French capital on Sunday

Jared donned a practical waterproof coat with the hood up as he long hair peaked out from underneath.

He added a pair of Gucci jogger and competed his casual look with some black trainers.

His companion opted for some loose fitting trousers and a long sleeved beige top, with her long raven locks in a straight style.

Pals: The actor was joined by a mystery woman who followed closely behind as they embarked on a relaxing tour of the city

Out and about: Jared donned a practical waterproof coat with the hood up as he long hair peaked out from underneath

Throughout his trip through Europe, Jared has sparked a number of romance rumours.

He was joined earlier this month by Victoria Secret model Kelsey Merritt, 25, as the pair went rock climbing in Sardinia.

He was also spotted on a romantic outing with Russian model Daria Korchina, 25, as the pair walked arm-in-arm around Portofino in July.

Tour: He added a pair of Gucci jogger and competed his casual look with some black trainers

Fun: His companion opted for some loose fitting trousers and a long sleeved beige top, with her long raven locks in a straight style

The actor has previously been linked to Cameron Diaz, Katy Perry, Lindsay Lohan, Scarlett Johansson and Ashely Olsen, as well as model Valery Kaufman.

Jared has been having a blast abroad during the sweltering summer season after working on films such as Morbius, and before jumping on set with upcoming projects such as Adrift and Tron 3.

He recently worked alongside Lady Gaga in House Of Gucci and Anne Hathaway in the hit series, We Crashed.
Khloe Kardashian stunned in a set of sexy photos shot in her hotel room during her trip to Paris Fashion Week on Sunday.

The 38-year-old lay across her bed as held a glass of champagne, displaying her long legs and a touch of shoulder as she wore a peach robe with the Ritz Paris logo.

Her blonde locks are twisted in a bath towel, and the influencer posed with dark sunglasses for a shade of Hollywood glamor.

Stunning: Khloe Kardashian, 38, stunned in a set of sexy photos shot in her hotel room while she's enjoying Paris Fashion Week Sunday

The Good American founder wrote, 'It's giving Kris Jenner energy,' next to the picture set on Instagram.

It's unclear if she meant the photos were giving her 66-year-old mother energy, or if she was emulating her.

Last week, The Kardashians star posted a photo with Kris from the two of them at Milan Fashion Week, referring to the family matriarch as 'Forever My Queen.'

Sexy: The reality star lay across her bed as held a glass of champagne, displaying her long legs and a touch of shoulder as she wore a peach robe with the Ritz Paris logo

In her Instagram stories, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians alum posted video from Sunday's Balenciaga show.

The mom of two welcomed her second child, a son, with former boyfriend Tristan Thompson, 31, two months ago. Neither parent has revealed many details about the little one, including his name.

The former couple also share a four-year-old daughter, True .

Energy: The Good American founder wrote, 'It's giving Kris Jenner energy,' next to the picture set on Instagram. It's unclear if she meant the photos were giving her 66-year-old mother energy, or if she was emulating her

E! News has reported information from an insider, who claimed Khloe and Tristan 'are currently not on speaking terms,' but do communicate for co-parenting and are 'coordinating for the kids.'

The couple broke up when Khloe learned her beau had fathered a child with another woman.

That revelation came after the surrogate was pregnant with the new baby.

Hollywood glamor: Khloe's blonde locks are twisted in a bath towel, and the influencer posed with dark sunglasses for a shade of Hollywood glamor
Olivia Molly Rogers appears to have split from her husband Justin Mckeone just six months after tying the knot.

The former Miss Universe Australia, 30, has quietly changed her Instagram handle back to her maiden name and unpinned wedding posts.

Just days ago, Olivia fuelled split whispers after she shared a cryptic post to her Instagram Stories addressing her recent silence on social media.

Former Miss Universe Australia Olivia Molly Rogers appears to have split from her husband Justin Mckeone just six months after tying the knot. Pictured together a friends party in July

'I know I've been quiet on here recently - thank you to everyone who has reached out to me and checked in,' she began.

'I'm not quite ready to share what's been going on just yet, and I might still be quiet on here for the next little while.'

'I'll still be posting here and there, and so appreciate your support.'

The Melbourne-based model, 30, has quietly changed her Instagram handle back to her maiden name and unpinned wedding posts

Just days ago, Olivia fuelled split whispers after she shared a cryptic post to her Instagram Stories addressing her recent silence on social media

Olivia and Justin were last photographed together in August in a series of loved-up holiday snaps from their time together in New York City.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Olivia and Justin for comment.

The couple married at a lavish ceremony in February after they were forced to delay their nuptials due to the pandemic.

Olivia and Justin were last photographed together in August in a series of loved-up holiday snaps from their time together in New York City (pictured)

Olivia looked radiant in the white, long-sleeved wedding gown by Marquise Bridal as the couple wed at the Terindah Estate on Victoria's Bellarine Peninsula.

The date held special meaning for the model, as it's the same day her grandparents wed in 1959.

Social media from guests at the wedding showed the ecstatic couple hoisted on friends' shoulders as they partied into the night.

Olivia and Justin met at the start of 2018 before stepping out together at the Aussie Formula One Grand Prix.
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Florence Pugh put on a glamorous display as she arrived for the Valentino dinner after their Spring/Summer 2023 show during Paris Fashion Week on Sunday.

The actress, 26, ensured she stood out from the crowd as she wore a completely sheer co-ord with a glitzy sequinned pattern emblazoned across it - after defending her nipple-baring outfits in the past.

Screen star Florence showed off her toned stomach as she wore the cropped long-sleeved top which featured a daring plunging neckline.

Glitterati: Florence Pugh, 26, put on a glamorous display as she arrived for the Valentino dinner after their Spring/Summer 2023 show during Paris Fashion Week on Sunday

Her matching skirt reached almost down to the ground, with her long legs visible through the material.

She wore a pair of high-heeled shoes to add a few inches to her stature and carried a white handbag with her.

The Falling star wore lashings of make-up to highlight her pretty features and went for a dramatic look with her eyeliner.

Eye-catching: The actress ensured she stood out from the crowd as she wore a sheer co-ord with a glitzy sequinned pattern emblazoned across it

She styled her hair back off her face, going for a wet look for her shoulder-length blonde tresses.

Completing her look, Florence wore a pair of sparkling earrings while she wore a chain necklace with a pendant hanging at the front.

It comes after she addressed criticism of her decision to wear a nipple-baring, hot pink gown to the Valentino Haute Couture show in Rome in July.

In style: Screen star Florence showed off her toned stomach as she wore the cropped long-sleeved top which featured a daring plunging neckline

After noticing an egregious amount of comments from 'vulgar' men pointing out her 'flaws' and 'tiny t**s' across social media, the Black Widow star defended her dress - hitting out at those who chose to 'publicly destroy a woman's body'.

She wrote in an impassioned post on Instagram: 'What's been interesting to watch and witness is just how easy it is for men to totally destroy a woman's body, publicly, proudly, for everyone to see.

'So many of you wanted to aggressively let me know how disappointed you were by my 'tiny t**s', or how I should be embarrassed by being so 'flat chested'.

Glamour puss: The Falling star wore lashings of make-up to highlight her pretty features and went for a dramatic look with her eyeliner

Edgy look: She styled her hair back off her face, going for a wet look for her shoulder-length blonde tresses

'I've lived in my body for a long time. I'm fully aware of my breast size and am not scared of it.'

The British actress started her post by telling fans she knew the dress would provoke a reaction, but she was 'excited' to wear the gown.

She wrote alongside a a slideshow of snaps: 'Listen, I knew when I wore that incredible Valentino dress that there was no way there wouldn't be a commentary on it. Whether it be negative or positive, we all knew what we were doing.

Hitting out: It comes after she addressed criticism of her decision to wear a nipple-baring, hot pink gown to the Valentino Haute Couture show in Rome in July (pictured)

'I was excited to wear it, not a wink of me was nervous. I wasn't before, during or even now after.'

'What's been interesting to watch and witness is just how easy it is for men to totally destroy a woman's body, publicly, proudly, for everyone to see. You even do it with your job titles and work emails in your bio?'

While acknowledging this is 'isn't the first time and certainly won't be the last time a woman will hear what's wrong with her body by a crowd of strangers', Florence said it was 'worrying' just how 'vulgar some' men can be.

The actress also opened up on her previous body insecurities, revealing she 'couldn't bear to look' at herself as a teenager.

Not staying quiet: The Black Widow star, 26, defended her dress - hitting out at those who chose to 'publicly destroy a woman's body'

'So many of you wanted to aggressively let me know how disappointed you were by my 'tiny t**s', or how I should be embarrassed by being so 'flat chested'

She added: 'It isn't the first time and certainly won't be the last time a woman will hear what's wrong with her body by a crowd of strangers, what's worrying is just how vulgar some of you men can be.

'Thankfully, I've come to terms with the intricacies of my body that make me, me. I'm happy with all of the 'flaws' that I couldn't bear to look at when I was 14.

'So many of you wanted to aggressively let me know how disappointed you were by my 'tiny t**s', or how I should be embarrassed by being so 'flat chested'.

Fashion: The British actress started her post by telling fans she knew the dress would provoke a reaction, but she was 'excited' to wear the gown (pictured with Anna Wintour)

'Why are you so scared of breasts?' The actress also opened up on her previous body insecurities, revealing she 'couldn't bear to look' at herself as a teenager

'I've lived in my body for a long time. I'm fully aware of my breast size and am not scared of it.'

The screen star went on to say she was perplexed as to why people were 'so loudly upset by the size of my boobs and body'.

Florence added: 'What's more concerning is. Why are you so scared of breasts? Small? Large? Left? Right? Only one? Maybe none?

'It makes me wonder what happened to you to be so content on being so loudly upset by the size of my boobs and body?'

The actress declared she was 'very grateful to grow up in a household with very strong, powerful, curvy women' and said she will continue to 'be loud about being comfortable'.

'Respect bodies': The screen star went on to say she was perplexed as to why people were 'so loudly upset by the size of my boobs and body'

Florence wrote: 'I'm very grateful that I grew up in a household with very strong, powerful, curvy women. We were raised to find power in the creases of our body. To be loud about being comfortable.

'It has always been my mission in this industry to say 'f**k it and f**k that' whenever anyone expects my body to morph into an opinion of what's hot or sexually attractive.'

The Lady Macbeth actress told those that still 'loudly' body shame women in 2020 to 'grow up' and 'respect people.

'Respect bodies. Respect all women. Respect humans. Life will get a whole lot easier, I promise. And all because of two cute little nipples,' she concluded.

Meanwhile, the British star looked nothing short of sensational as she attended the Valentino show earlier in the day.

She stepped out in a pink minidress that clung to her svelte figure and was decorated in a chain pattern.

Her legs were on full display in the high-necked number and Florence gave herself a few extra inches in a pair of 810 cream platform heels from Valentino.

Keeping the cold at bay, she wrapped up in a white cape coat that exuded elegance and sophistication.

Opting to keep her accessories simple, Florence only added a pair of gold hoop earrings and her silver septum piercing.

Her blonde tresses were straightened and styled in a side part, and she chose a smoky eyeshadow look with a slick of pink lipstick.

It comes after she attended the premiere of Don't Worry Darling at Venice Film Festival at the start of September.

Incredible: Florence looked nothing short of sensational as she arrived at the Valentino show earlier in the day

Leading star Florence has been at the centre of speculation about a reported on-set rift with director Olivia Wilde, with original co-star Shia LeBeouf adding to the drama.

Florence chose to limit her time spent for Don't Worry Darling promotional activities and press calls, due to a busy schedule with other projects, but did appear at the Venice premiere.

But she skipped a press conference for the film in Italy because her flight allegedly would land too late for her to get there, though she was seen in Venice nearby enjoying an Aperol spritz while it was taking place.

Looking good: The actress stepped out in a pink minidress that clung to her svelte figure and was decorated in a chain pattern

Peace out: Dove Cameron threw up a peace sign as she left the Valentino dinner

Sensational: Olivia Palermo took a walk on the wild side in an animal faux-fur coat

Fashion forward: She teamed it with a pair of skintight black leather leggings and a pair of lace up boots

Legs for days: Also in attendance at the dinner was Tina Kunakey who put on a very leggy display in a little black dress

Dramatic: She elevated her height in a pair of strappy black high heels, decorated with feathered tassels for an extra dose of drama
She's always puts on a very stylish display.

And Naomi Campbell made sure to turn heads as she stepped out in a head-to-toe leather ensemble for the L'Oreal show during Paris Fashion Week on Sunday.

The supermodel, 52, looked as chic as ever in a bomber jacket with quirky fishnet sleeves as she was joined by a dashing companion at the event.

Edgy: Naomi Campbell, 52, made sure to turn heads as she stepped out in a head-to-toe leather ensemble for the L'Oreal show during Paris Fashion Week on Sunday

Naomi boosted her height with a pair of heeled boots as she lifted the edge of her wide leg trousers.

She slicked her raven locks in to a very sleek plait with a deep side parting and opted for a glamorous bronze eyeshadow to complete her look.

Taking her seat on the front row, Naomi joined French fashion model Estelle Lefebure, 56, as they got ready for the show to start.

Stylish: The supermodel looked as chic as ever in a bomber jacket with quirky fishnet sleeves

Shady lady: She later shielded her eyes behind a pair of black sunglasses

Helping hand: She was joined by a dashing companion at the event

Elegant: Naomi boosted her height with a pair of heeled boots as she lifted the edge of her wide leg trousers

Naomi's outing comes after Naomi revealed that she has a 'great baby whisperer' as she gave a rare insight into motherhood with her 14-month-old daughter.

The stunner detailed that her child, whose name is still unknown, is growing up to become 'very tough'.

Speaking to BBC News after receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of the Creative Arts (UCA), Naomi said: 'She's very tough. She falls down, she doesn't cry. She doesn't cry very much at all.'

Pals: Taking her seat on the front row, Naomi joined French fashion model Estelle Lefebure, 56, as they got ready for the show to start

Giggles: The supermodel and Estelle appeared in high spirits, laughing with one another during the show

Stunning: Estelle looked radiant in a black blouse with white trousers

Dazzling: She wore a pair of distinctive silver diamond dangly earrings

Polished: She slicked her raven locks in to a very sleek plait with a deep side parting

Flawless: Naomi opted for a fresh makeup look, complete with a slick of clear lipgloss

Stunning: Naomi documented the day on Instagram, penning '#aboutlastnight #FAMILY #Dinner #ivorycoast #africatotheworld @assinieparis wearing @riccardotisci17 @burberry'

Loving life: Naomi was seen hugging Riccardo Tisci as she joined her pals after the show, including British Vogue Editor Edward Enniful

When asked if her daughter is a 'good sleeper', she added: '12 hours [sleep]. We got her on 12 hours when she was like two months. I have a great baby whisperer.'

Naomi has been extremely private about her daughter and did not reveal she was expecting a child until announcing her arrival in an Instagram post.

In an interview with British Vogue, Naomi insisted her daughter was not adopted while revealing her face for the first time.
Hyderabad: Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan spoke about how people doubted her capability to handle two posts as Governor of Telangana and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry. She said she rebutted them saying she was also gynaecologist and if she could handle newborns, singles or twins, she could handle these posts.

She was addressing alumni and students of the Post Graduate Programme in Management for Senior Executives (PGPMAX) course at the Indian School of Business Hyderabad campus. It is an annual event organised to bring current and future leaders from the ISB community under one roof. The theme for this years summit was Where Leaders Meet  Strategy, Synergy, Success.

The Governor shared some management lessons by drawing examples from her personal experience. She said when she took over as the Governor of Telangana, her critics doubted her ability to handle it as Telangana was the countrys youngest state. I rebutted them, saying that I am a gynaecologist and if I can handle newborn babies I can handle this too.

She said a year later, she was given additional charge of Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, leading her critics to again question her ability to handle two posts simultaneously. I said as a gynaecologist, whether a single baby is born or twins are born, I can handle it. So whatever the assignment, you should have courage, conviction and commitment to do it, she advised students.

She advised students to manage their subordinates well. Narrating a personal anecdote, she said how her friend in Chennai had expressed surprise at how she had employed the same cook and driver for over a decade.

The Governor said her cook makes idli better than dosa, and due to this, though she used to like dosas more, she started liking idli. Similarly, my driver drives very slow and I like going fast but now I am learning to enjoy slow speed. So I changed myself instead of changing them. Managing our subordinates and workforce is an art. Make them love the job. If we are able to do that, half the battle is won, she told the students.
Visakhapatnam: The death of 22 cows as a lorry overturned at Gorlesitarampuram village in Bobbili mandal on Sunday exposed the rackets in smuggling of cattle from north coastal Andhra and South Odisha to various states and occasionally to Bangladesh.

Reports said the lorry was carrying a full load of adult cows from Rayagada to Telangana. When it came to Vizianagaram district, the vehicle driver came across a road of potholes and inundated with stormwater. While he attempted to cross the stretch, the vehicle overturned.

While 22 cows died, several others were injured. The accident blocked the road and caused a traffic jam in which hundreds of vehicles carrying people home for the festival were stranded.

Illegal transportation of cattle is a flourishing business in the region and the police in north coastal Andhra Pradesh are often bribed to get the cattle through.

The problem is also that when the cattle are seized, the district administration faces the problem of sheltering them either temporarily or permanently.

After the Visakha Society for Protection and Care of Animals (VSPCA) moved the AP High Court in 2010, the court asked the AP government to set up shelters in all the districts.

A shelter was set up in Kasulavada in Anandapuram to an extent of five acres, but does not have a single cow. We saw a barbed wire fencing and a small thatched house, said VSPCA founder president Pradeep Kumar.

Talking to Deccan Chronicle on Sunday, he said, The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act says transporters must have a valid certificate from a veterinarian from the point of origin and the vehicles should halt along the route for water and feed. Not more than six large animals are allowed to be transported in a lorry, or about 12 calves.

Sometimes, more than 40 cattle are being loaded onto a truck and transported for thousands of kilometres without giving them food or water,'' the activist said.
Hyderabad improved its position in the Swachh Sarvekshan rankings from last years 37 to 26 in the latest list of top 100 urban local bodies based on total score.

HYDERABAD: Due to poor sanitation, the city managed to get only a three-star rating in the Swachh Sarvekshan rankings on Saturday. A GHMC official claimed that while senior officers were sure of achieving the coveted five-star rating, their juniors ensured a flop show with poor maintenance of sanitation.

In cities with more than 10 lakh population, 47 cities participated and the GHMC was ranked at 10 rank. The city jumped three ranks from last year's rankings.

In the above 1 lakh category, competing with 342 urban local bodies (ULBs), the city secured 26 rank, one above last year. In the above 40 lakh population category, Hyderabad competed with nine cities and retained its fifth position. It scored 5,612.68 marks out of 7,500.

According to highly placed sources, GHMC officials allegedly misguided those from the Centre and showed them around prime areas. Sources said corporation officials even deployed their staff to give positive feedback and ensured that very few citizens interacted with the ministry representatives.

However, the city retained its water plus certification. If a city is certified open defecation free (ODF)++, it will automatically get the water plus certification. The ODF ensures 100 per cent accessibility of toilet facilities to everyone. ODF+ proper maintenance of toilets by ensuring basic facilities like water and cleanliness by connecting to sewer networks. ODF++ ensures solid and liquid waste management (STPs) and visually clean toilets.

The Centre took nine indicators into consideration after conducting surveys in Hyderabad district with a population of 67,31,790 after conducting field inspections for the water plus city category.

A top GHMC official, requesting anonymity, told Deccan Chronicle that the city's sanitation had deteroirated. He admitted that the delay in collecting door to door garbage, poor maintenance of public toilets and delay in collecting roadside garbage, which was dumped at the same spots where dumping bins were placed earlier.

The official said that the city sanitation improvement in Hyderabad will secure rank in the top ten cities competing with ULBs across the country. On the 4,000 missing public toilets, the official refused to comment.
RTC has announced that no extra fare will be charged on special buses during the Dasara season. The company is ready to run additional buses if required, based on demand.  DC File Image

Visakhapatnam: Public transport companies the Railways and the Public Transport Department (erstwhile APSRTC) -- have introduced more services to meet the rush of passengers at both bus and railway stations in Visakhapatnam for the Dasara festival season.

As Dasara holidays were announced for schools and colleges till October 6, the rush of passengers at Dwaraka bus station started increasing from Saturday.

To clear the Dasara rush, RTC has announced 520 special buses from Visakhapatnam to major areas like Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Kakinada and Rajahmundry till October 9.

RTC Visakhapatnam regional manager Appala Raju said 280 special buses were currently being operated between Visakhapatnam and various areas till October 4. There are 40 buses for Hyderabad, 70 for Vijayawada, 50 for Rajahmundry, 20 for Kakinada and 100 for Srikakulam, Ichchapuram, Patapatnam. Palasa, Vizianagaram etc.

After Dasara, another 240 special buses will be plying between Visakhapatnam and other places between October 6 and 9. This includes 20 for Hyderabad, 100 for Vijayawada, 50 for Rajahmundry, 20 for Kakinada and 50 for Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts.

RTC has announced that no extra fare will be charged on special buses during the Dasara season. The company is ready to run additional buses if required, based on demand.

On the other hand, special trains between Visakhapatnam-Hyderabad and Mahbubnagar have been started and are currently running till further notice from the railways.
Navaratri, celebrated as Durga Pujo by Bengalis is a festival of food, spirituality and welcoming goddess Durga to the mother's house with her children. DC Image

Hyderabad: Navaratri, celebrated as Durga Pujo by Bengalis is a festival of food, spirituality and welcoming goddess Durga to the mother's house with her children. Durga Pujo is celebrated from the fifth or the sixth day known as Panchami or Shashti.

While others strictly prohibit consumption of non-vegetarian food, the pandals will have all kinds of stalls, including those serving non-vegetarian food.

Urmi Mazumdar, an English teacher at a private school here, said that the five to six days festival is celebrated on a grand note. Food is partaken only after the morning aarti in temples.

"The sixth day is auspicious as goddess Durga is welcomed home with colours and various food items. The pandals will have idols of the goddess, and her children Lord Ganesh and Karthikeya, goddess Saraswati and Lakshmi," she said.

Other than offering 'bhog' to the goddess, Bengalis have a special form of aarti or worship, the thanksgiving dance called 'Dhunichi Nach'. The dancers hold a dhunuchi containing several kinds of aromatic material, agarbattis, dhoop and lit coconut husk with dhuno sprinkled on it. It is said that before killing Mahishasura, Goddess Durga performed this dance to gain more strength.

Ayushi Mazumdar, who works for an MNC, said that growing up, she has seen mostly men taking part in the dhunuchi naach but now women have started taking part in it.

"The dance was often considered as a masculine form as one had to hold the heavy dhunuchi, but over a period of time women have taken to it with equal gusto. I can tell from experience that the feeling is beyond words. Celebrating the festival and dancing with people you have never met spread positive vibes. It is priceless," she said.

For Roshni S., the festival is all about spirituality. Apart from fasting, she avoids eating non-veg dishes on all the nine days. "The festival ushers in hope, new beginnings and positive vibes," she said.

Ashtami is considered as one of the most auspicious days where devotees bid farewell to the Goddess, who is known to leave to her in-laws place. 'Sindoor Khela' is performed where married women dance and apply 'kumkum' on each other's cheeks. It is believed that the goddess is trying to bless the women by giving them the blessing that their husbands live a long life. The ritual is like a typical 'bidai', she said.

"We shed tears, fix the goddess hair and clothes as she will be returning to her in-laws house. We also pack her food and water for her journey. We give her a curry made of leafy vegetables mixed with warm rice," said Urmi.

Several singing, dancing and cultural competitions are also held at the pandals. Many stalls are also set up for shopping and playing games. The most patronized are food stalls with traditional Bengali food, mostly non vegetarian dishes.

Kolkata Kathi rolls and sweets are most preferred. For bhog, other than fruits and flowers, kheer and khichdi are offered to the goddess.
HYDERABAD: TRS working president and IT minister K.T.Rama Rao took a dig at BJP leaders for announcing Munugode Assembly bypoll dates even before the Election Commission of India (ECI) does. He asked the BJP to change its name to BJ-EC-P.

Rama Rao was referring to the reported statements of BJP national general secretary and BJP Telangana affairs incharge Sunil Bansal that appeared in sections of the media on Sunday in which he reportedly said that the Munugode bypoll notification would be issued before October 15 and asked party leaders to execute 'quintuple strategy' to win the bypoll.

Rao took a jibe at Bansal's remarks on Twitter on Sunday. The minister tweeted, "Before "EC", BJP announces The Poll Dates! Before "ED", BJP announces The Names! Before "NIA", BJP announces The Ban! Before "IT", BJP announces The Amount! Before "CBI", BJP announces The Accused! Appropriately BJP should rename itself as: "BJ...EC-CBI-NIA-IT-ED...P" (sic)".

In another tweet, he lashed out at Union government entities like Jal Jeevan Mission and PIB (Press Information Bureau) over the issue of TS winning award for Mission Bhagiratha.

Rama Rao tweeted, "It's a shame that Union Govt Ministries like PIB and Jal Jeevan Mission have become super spreaders of Fake News & False Propaganda (sic)".

He was responding to a tweet on Sunday which said, "Less than 24 hours after selectively leaking factually incorrect info to certain media houses about Award to Mission Bhagiratha, Union Minister for Jal Shakti hands over Award to Mission Bhagiratha team in Delhi!"
Hyderabad improved its position in the Swachh Sarvekshan rankings from last years 37 to 26 in the latest list of top 100 urban local bodies based on total score.

Hyderabad: Hyderabad improved its position in the Swachh Survekshan rankings from last years 37 to 26 in the latest list of top 100 urban local bodies based on total score. President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday released the rankings of the Centres annual cleanliness survey

Secunderabad was adjudged the best city in citizen feedback (cantonment board) category while Badangpet was deemed the cleanest city in the 50,000 to one lakh population category.

Apart from Hyderabad, cities from Telangana, Siddipet (30), Warangal (84) and Karimnagar (89) also featured on the list.

Indore topped the list for cities with over one lakh population for the sixth consecutive year, with Surat, Navi Mumbai, Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada (AP) rounding off the top five.

In the same category, for cities or towns with a population of less than one lakh, Badangpet is the only place from Telangana, with Maharashtras Panchgani and Chhattisgarhs Patan topping the list.

In the ranking of cantonment boards based on total score, Secunderabad Cantonment secured the fourth position. The list was headed by Deolali (Maharashtra) and Ahmedabad (Gujarat).

Telangana also received 17 Swachh Sarvekshan awards under various categories.

The surveys for the rankings are conducted under the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) to recognise the work done for cleanliness by towns/cities, states and Union Territories under various initiatives of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban).

President Murmu gave away the awards to the winners at an event here also attended by Union housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri and others.

The 7th edition of Swachh Survekshan was conducted to study the progress of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) and rank the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) based on various cleanliness and sanitation parameters.

The Survekshan has evolved from being an assessment of 73 cities in 2016 to covering 4,354 cities this year.
AICC in-charge for the state Manickam Tagore felt that the BJP was trying its best to ruin the spirit of senior party leader Rahul Gandhis Bharat Jodo yatra (DC File Image)

HYDERABAD: Strongly condemning the Enforcement Directorate notices served on Telangana Congress leaders, AICC in-charge for the state Manickam Tagore felt that the BJP was trying its best to ruin the spirit of senior party leader Rahul Gandhis Bharat Jodo yatra, which will be entering the state by the last week of this month.

Describing the notices as a clear case of misuse of Central agencies, he affirmed that the party would not succumb to such pressure tactics.

As Bharat Jodo Yatra continues to disturb the Sanghis. After notice to Karnataka PCC president DKS (DK Shivakumar) now Telangana leaders got ED notices as the Yatra will be entering Telangana this month. Congress wont surrender but will fight against the misuse of power by Shah & Narender baba (sic), he tweeted.

It may be recalled that senior party leaders including Shabbir Ali, J. Geeta Reddy, Sudharshan Reddy, M. Anjan Kumar Yadav and Gali Anil had received ED notices in the National Herald case.
VIJAYAWADA: The BJP has started implementing its strategy to occupy the position of the main opposition party in Andhra Pradesh and gradually as the lone alternative to the ruling YSR Congress.

The recent aggressive approach of BJP national leaders and their local leaders against the ruling dispensation in the State are indicative of this game-plan. The saffron brigade is conducting public meetings against the YSRC government in 5,000 places across 26 districts under Praja Poru yatra.

According to party sources, BJP realized that an alliance with TDP did not help it strengthen its bases but it helped TD to get more seats. The BJP think tank is going by the fact that they succeeded in getting to power in other States after first emerging as the principal opposition party. They are applying the same strategy in Telangana state. Party sources affirmed that they are in no mood to sail with TD and would continue its alliance with Jana Sena.

The sources said that the BJP central leadership had understood that TD joining the NDA campaign was a mischievous ploy by a section of the opposition parties following a call given by Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan that there was a need to unite opposition parties to keep the anti-YSRCP vote intact. The BJP high command realised that such an arrangement will not help the party grow in AP.

It launched Prajaporu meetings in 175 Assembly constituencies on September 17 and this will continue till October 5.

BJP state president Somu Veerraju, and other slike Vishnuwardhan Reddy, Y Satya Kumar, Sunil Deodhar, PVN Madhav, Kanna Lakshminarayana, GVL Narasmiha Rao, and Vakati Narayana Reddy are exposing corruption, illegalities, irregularities, misuse and diversion of funds, stamping of central government funds by Jagan government and issues during the Prajaporu meetings.

Senior political analysts recalled that the aggressive remarks against YSRC and Reddy made by Union minister Anurag Thakur in Vijayawada created a flutter in political circles in the State.

Union ministers S. Jaishankar, Hardeep Singh Puri, G. Kishan Reddy and Dr Bharathi Pravin Pawar and BJP national president, J.P. Nadda visited Andhra Pradesh to highlight the good work done by the Centre for Andhra Pradesh. There are indications that visits of high-profile BJP leaders will increase in the next few months.

Both BJP parliamentary board member and national OBC Morcha president, K. Laxman, and state co-incharge, Sunil Deodhar ruled out any possibility of an alliance with TDP either in Telangana or Andhra Pradesh.

Deodhar said that BJP will continue its fight against YSRC government and against the wrongdoings of TD, including Amaravati.
BENGALURU: In what appears to be a retaliation to the Congress PayCM poster campaign launched in Bengaluru recently, the state unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has hit back at Congress leaders by releasing a poster stating fakegandhis targeting the family members of late prime minister Indira Gandhi.

In a poster posted on Twitter on Sunday, BJP leaders questioned Congress leaders, Why didnt Congress remember Gandhis call for the stoppage of cow slaughter in the country?

The upper portion of the poster bears a picture of Mahatma Gandhi while the lower portion has entire family pictures of late Prime Ministers-Indira Gandhi and Rajv Gandhi, interim AICC president Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul Gandhi and her daughter Priyanaka Gandhi Vadra.

The poster in the below portion stated Encouraged cow slaughter are fake Gandhis.

Terming the Congress as bail party, after paying tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his 153rd birth anniversary in Bengaluru, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai reacted to a charge made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi that the state is under a corrupt government, There is no need to speak on fake Gandhis. Both, former president of All India Congress Committee (AICC) Rahul Gandhi and mother Sonia Gandhi are on bail. The president of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) D.K. Shivakumar is also on bail. Shivakumar has been facing charges for the past 2-3 years.

Earlier, he said, Karnataka was the Any Time Money (ATM) for the Congress party. Not anymore. Bommai stated People of the state are aware that 40 per cent commission does not exist and assured that "if anyone furnishes relevant documents on commission charge, then, suitable action will be initiated against the erring persons."

Responding to Bommai's statement, Congress president and former minister D.K. Shivakumar stated Yes, I'm on bail. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are also on bail. Theyve (BJP) dozens whore on bail. Does not former Chief Minister and BJP leader B.S. Yediyurappa have cases against him?

Adding, he said, Bommai has registered cases against me and sarcastically said, Let him send me to the Parapanna Agrahara Jail. I will take some rest.
HYDERABAD: Responding to the debate over the Centre's awarding Mission Bhagiratha, the Congress described it as a major scam and demanded that the Centre conduct inquiry into all major projects and schemes which were undertaken by the state government.

Speaking to DC, Ponnala Lakshamaiah, the former irrigation minister, felt that as against the claims and hype created by the state government despite huge costs involved in the projects, none in the villages were drinking these waters.

You can visit any of the villages and no one is drinking those waters. It is a huge scam, as close to `900 crore have been earmarked for supplying water to 300 villages in my area. You can assume where this money is going, he alleged.

Earlier during the day he emailed Jal Jeevan Missions Director questioning the awarding in a sarcastic way. Wish the director himself drinks the water supplied and the supply as against daily requirements of households, he asked.
The TD chief, in his recent Kuppam visit, announced that he will implement welfare schemes beyond Navaratnalu and that such poll promises will be included in the TDs next election manifesto.  Twitter

VIJAYAWADA: Freebies will be a deciding factor in elections in Andhra Pradesh. Ruling YSR Congress echoes its welfare mantra to attract masses while the opposition Telugu Desam, which opposes disbursal of money in the name of welfare, has changed its tune.

TD chief Chandrababu Naidu has announced that, if elected to power, he will provide more welfare aid to people than the present Jagan government.

Recently, the Jagan government filed an implead petition in the Supreme Court in the freebies case, stressing its dedication to continuation of the welfare schemes. The other parties are also planning to offer innovative freebies to attract the public in the elections. Hence, freebies will be the main agenda for the 2024 elections.

Chief Minister Jagan Reddy, banking on his governments flawless welfare schemes implementation, started a negative campaign against Chandrababu Naidu by warning the people that these benefits would be stopped if the TD comes to power.

The Navaratnalu welfare schemes are the main strengths of Jagan now, as he implemented the YSRC manifesto promises in the first three years of his rule against all odds. Two out of the three years since Jagan came to power were consumed by the woes of the Corona pandemic. Even the financial crisis caused by the pandemic situation did not deter him from the implementation of these schemes.

Almost every poor family is benefiting from one or the other scheme of the state government. A sum of Rs 1.60 lakh crore was disbursed to beneficiaries of these schemes without any break since 2019.

TD chief Naidu had accused Jagan of disbursing public money as Pappu-Bellalu (dal-jaggery), and was saying that this made people lazy, forced AP into huge debts and turned the state into a Sri Lanka kind of situation.

Naidu and all leaders conducted extensive campaigns on state finances, debts and crises but these failed to click, as people trusted Jagan and gave his party victory in every election in the past three years, including the local elections in Naidus bastion Kuppam. These results forced the TD to have a rethink.

The TD chief, in his recent Kuppam visit, announced that he will implement welfare schemes beyond Navaratnalu and that such poll promises will be included in the TDs next election manifesto. According to reports, TD will chalk out better welfare schemes compared to Navaratnalu to win support of the masses.

Political analysts note that Jagans dedication cannot be questioned vis-a-vis implementation of poll promises, compared to Naidu. Naidu promised loan waiver to farmers and women but he did not implement this fully by weakening it with many norms, they pointed out.

The unemployment allowance, marriage assistance, free education of Minority girls, free laptops to students and interestingly Anna Canteens also started six months before the last assembly elections, that too in selected areas. People distrusted Naidu even though he started disbursing amounts to DWACRA women before elections, and voted for YSRC, it was noted.

Jagan is disbursing the benefits of all schemes by pressing a button and the money goes directly into the accounts of the beneficiaries without any corruption. He thus won the trust of a majority of the people.

Analysts note that Naidu was famous for shunning welfare schemes by citing excuses but is now sensing danger and hence opted for freebies. Freebies are thus going to play a major role in 2024 elections, but Naidu will first have to win the trust of the people that he would implement his promises.
Mallikarjun Kharge represents continuity, asserted Shashi Tharoor, whereas I represent change. In so saying, Mr Tharoor has pitted himself not just against Mr Kharge, but Rahul Gandhi as well. RG is supposed to be the agent and symbol of change. The party needs both the symbols of continuity and change as it seeks to relaunch itself.

Many in New Delhis political commentariat have mocked the Congress Party for what they see as a faux election. However, there is some method in this madness. It is perhaps fair to assume that the original plan to get Rajasthans chief minister Ashok Gehlot to take up party presidentship was partly also a surreptitious attempt to get him out of the state, to enable sending Sachin Pilot as his replacement. It backfired for a simple reason.

One of the basic lessons that students of Indian State power learn is that there are only three offices of the State that really matter in power terms -- PM, CM and DM. Prime Minister, chief minister and district magistrate, or collector. Each one of them enjoys constitutional authority for independent action that few other functionaries of the State do. So, why should a chief minister who has majority support in his state give up that power to take on an essentially ornamental party post?

Ornamental because no party president can act independently of those who matter within the power structure of the party. J.P. Nadda of the BJP should know that well. He is even more ornamental, taking instructions from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and the RSS bosses. That is the power structure that a BJP president has to deal with.

Ashok Gehlot, Digvijaya Singh, Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor know very well that in the Congress Party a successful tenure as party president would require constant consultations with Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. So, the presidents of both the national parties have to work in tandem with the partys real power centres. Most of the regional political parties are anyway run by the leaders near and dear ones.

Therefore, the criticism that the Congress Party presidential elections are a sham is unfair and misses the point. The point is that the so-called high command has finally understood that political legitimacy within the party is a necessary condition for a leader to secure wider public support. Sonia Gandhi succeeded in her effort to foist herself on the party because the party organisation was under the control of Rajiv Gandhi loyalists, who helped her stage a coup against Sitaram Kesri. Her elevation was in sharp contrast to P.V. Narasimha Raos daring political decision to get himself elected as party president in 1992, defeating powerful rivals. Sonia Gandhi, however, failed to ensure dynastic succession and RG has had to find other ways to secure his control over the party organisation. The padayatra is aimed at just that.

The Digvijaya Singh interlude was stillborn. It was always well known that even within his own state, Madhya Pradesh, his support base is extremely narrow. His election would not have sent out any important political message. Shashi Tharoor's self-sponsored candidature, hailed by friends in the Lutyens Delhi media, was like his contesting for the post of United Nations Secretary-General.

The result was not to be in the actual outcome of the election. No one expected Mr Tharoor to win in the UNSG race, and no one expects him to win in the party election. But there is nothing wrong in entering a race and making a point or two.

Mr Kharge as Congress president will play the same role that Manmohan Singh played as Prime Minister. Keep the Nehru-Gandhi family in play. Both were smart political decisions, hitting many buttons. While many have pointed to Mr Kharges age, the fact is that it is his caste and regional identity that serve a temporary political purpose. No point pooh-poohing such considerations in politics. They matter. Mr Kharge is a Dalit from Karnataka, and elections are looming in that state. Interestingly, his candidature was announced the day RGs padayatra entered Karnataka.

An election for the post of party president in 2022 is not about who will lead the party in the elections of 2024. Make no mistake, RG will. What RG needs in the run-up to the general election is an organisation man, much like Mr Modis J.P. Nadda, who will manage the dull and boring day-to-day organisational matters and can lend an ear to the party cadre across the country. Mr Tharoor is essentially a non-organisation man. Flamboyant, charming, articulate, media savvy, and so on. All the characteristics that RG should have as the partys mascot. What the party internally needs is Mr Kharges patient ear more than Mr Tharoors smart mouth.

Once the Bharat Jodo Yatra is done, the Congress leadership has to come to terms with the ground reality of its diminished political presence across the country. Gaining more seats at the expense of the Left Front in Kerala is not smart politics. The Left and the Congress are now joined at the hip. What the Congress needs is to gain at the expense of the BJP and allow other non-BJP parties that are explicitly hostile to the BJP and are unlikely to switch sides to retain their space.

The Narendra Modi-Amit Shah BJP is still well ahead of its rivals, but the ground beneath its feet is shifting. Consider how much time and effort Prime Minister Modi is devoting to his pocket borough, Gujarat. He is taking no chances. Which means that chances exist for others. The Hindi-speaking states are wavering. Bihar has already slipped away. The BJP will still be the single largest party in Parliament in 2024, and may well retain a simple majority, but the prospects for the non-BJP parties are not entirely hopeless. Politics is, after all, the art of the possible.

Pushed to the wall by the BJP, the non-BJP parties have demonstrated the capacity to fight back. Mamata Banerjee did so in West Bengal and K. Chandrashekhar Rao is doing so in Telangana. The Congress Party too has to demonstrate to its own cadres its capacity, willingness and imagination to fight back. The padayatra and the organisational elections may serve this internal purpose. If they do, the party would have the energy required, if not the funds, to take on the far bigger challenge of defeating the BJP.
At least 92 people have been killed nationwide in Iran's crackdown on two weeks of protests that erupted following the death of Mahsa Amini who had been arrested by the morality police, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) NGO said on Sunday.

And at least 41 people were separately killed by the Iranian security forces in clashes that erupted last week in the city of Zahedan in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, it said.

"The killing of protesters in Iran, especially in Zahedan, amounts to crimes against humanity," said IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam.

Read more | Iran allegedly arrests woman for eating out without hijab

"The international community has a duty to investigate this crime and prevent further crimes from being committed by the Islamic Republic."

Its previous toll had said 83 people were confirmed to have been killed in the protests that have shaken Iran since the death of Amini, amid continued severe disruptions to the Internet.

But in what IHR described as "Zahedan's bloody Friday", the NGO also accused the security forces of "bloodily repressing" a protest that erupted on Friday after prayers in the city.

It said that the protest was sparked by accusations that a police chief in the port city of Chabahar, also in Sistan-Baluchistan province, had raped a 15-year-old girl from the Sunni Baluch minority.

The identities of those killed had been confirmed by the regional NGO Baluch Activists Campaign (BAC), it added, saying this meant at least 133 people had been killed in total during protests in Iran over the last fortnight.

Accounts posted on social media at the time had spoken of dozens of dead in Zahedan on Friday while images had shown overwhelmed hospitals and bloodied corpses. Some reports have said protesters sought to take control of certain streets but this is not possible to confirm.

Neighbouring Pakistan, Sistan-Baluchistan is one of Iran's poorest regions and home to the Baluch minority who mostly adhere to Sunni Islam and not the Shiism that dominates Iran.

Activists have over the last months complained that Baluch convicts were being executed in disproportionate numbers as hangings surged in the Islamic Republic.

Iran says five members of the Revolutionary Guards were killed in Zahedan in what official media described as a "terrorist incident". State media said on Saturday that 19 people had been killed in total.
India and Nepal have agreed to prevent the misuse of their respective territories by "anti-nationals" as their top paramilitary officials discussed the mechanism to prevent illegal border crossing of third nation citizens through the Indo-Nepal border.

The joint Coordination meeting between Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) Director General Sujoy Lal Thaosen and Nepal's Armed Police Force (APF) Inspector General Raju Arya, which concluded here on Thursday, discussed measures for streamlining the mechanism to curb trans-border crimes, timely exchange of information and enhance security across the Indo-Nepal border.

Heads of both the forces agreed to develop the mechanism to prevent illegal border crossing of third nation citizens through the border, the SSB said in a statement.

It was also decided that border forces will continue to reform methods used in view of present day challenges. "They mutually agreed to prevent misuse of their respective territories by anti-nationals," the statement said.

The Indian side requested Nepal to stop the entry of Pakistani and Chinese nationals into India through the border points, after engaging in illegal activities in the border areas, MyRepublica quoted a senior official who attended the meeting as saying.

The SSB delegation led by DG Thaosen also called on Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand and reiterated the commitment of the SSB to work for strengthening the friendship and cooperation between two border forces of India and Nepal.

The security issues were also discussed for upcoming federal and provincial elections in Nepal.

The Director General, SSB and Inspector General, APF are holding Coordination meeting every year since 2012, alternatively in India and Nepal.

Earlier, the 5th Annual Co-ordination meeting between DG, SSB (India) and IG, APF (Nepal) was held in October last year at New Delhi. The 7th Coordination meeting will be held in India next year.

Nepal shares a border of over 1,850 km with five Indian states  Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Land-locked Nepal relies heavily on India for the transportation of goods and services.
The son of a County Derry woman, who was murdered in her home 35 years ago, is calling for a fresh inquest into her death.

Mary McGlinchey, the wife of former INLA leader Dominic McGlinchey, from Bellaghy, was shot nine times in the bathroom of her Dundalk home on January 31, 1987.

The 31 year-old was bathing her two sons, Dominic Og, aged nine, and ten year-old Declan at the time.

Now, Dominic Og McGlinchey, the sole remaining immediate relative of Mrs McGlinchey, is calling for a fresh inquest into her death.

Mullholland Law, who have been instructed to act on his behalf, have made representations to the Attorney General in Dublin.

In a statement, solicitor Ciaran Mulholland, said: Given the scant documentation received from the Coroner for Co. Louth and the extraordinary apathetic attitude of Gardai to our enquiries we have made representations to the Attorney General seeking that they exercise their statutory discretion and order a fresh inquest pursuant to s.24(1) of the Coroner Act.

It is absurd to think that one of the most horrific murders during the recent Troubles is officially recorded by the State as 'cause of death  laceration of brain'.

He continued: A swift inquest a year after those dreadful events with merely two civilian witnesses, two Garda witnesses and the State Pathologist. There is no doubt that there was insufficiency of inquiry as to how death occurred.

Mary McGlinchey was murdered having been assaulted and shot several times at close quarters in the presence of her children. This was most definitely an unlawful killing  nothing less and should of lead to a full thorough investigation whcih was effective and efficient.

The cases and failures of numerous State agencies necessitate why we need urgent radical reform to our discriminatory Coronial System.
JMK Solicitors, Northern Irelands Number 1 Personal Injury Claims Specialists, have opened the doors to their new office in Derry as part of their expansion plans across the province. Their new office is located on the Culmore Road, a prime location close to the city centre.

Established in 2003, and with offices also located in Belfast and Newry, the team has successfully helped tens of thousands of people recover compensation after an accident or injury. Since 2015 JMK Solicitors has been the Number 1 Personal Injury Solicitors practice in Northern Ireland, successfully assisting more injured people than any other solicitor.

Maurece Hutchinson, Managing Director of JMK Solicitors commented, We are delighted to announce our expansion to the North West with the opening of our Derry office. We are very proud to invest in the city, with our new office initially creating three new jobs.

As a specialist law firm operating solely in personal injury claims and road traffic accidents, we pride ourselves in putting our clients first and we strive to do our absolute best for each client which is reflected by the fact that 99% of our clients would recommend us. Our team understand the stress, upset, and inconvenience an accident can cause, and work tirelessly to ensure our clients achieve the possible outcome.

We have recently been awarded the Lexcel Quality Mark for the fifth year in a row which is a reassurance for our North West clients that they are dealing with a reputable firm that works above the recognised standards of excellence in legal practice and client care. We are looking forward to providing a personal service to our clients in the North West.

Aidan OKane, President of Derry Chamber of Commerce commented, On behalf of the Derry Chamber, I extend a warm Derry welcome to JMK Solicitors as they open their new location on the Culmore Road. We are delighted to see their investment in the city and wish them many successful years of business.

For more information about JMK Solicitors please visit www.jmksolicitors.com or call the Derry branch: 028 7122 1016.
The family of Derry broadcasting legend Gerry Anderson lave prompted to launch a dedicated website featuring Gerrys work at GeraldMichaelAnderson.com after a tweet by journalist Paul OKane linking an animation from BBC'S 'On The Air' series, went viral on Twitter.

The tweet states, "This is one of the funniest pieces of live radio youll ever hear. And the animation adds an extra layer."

It has been viewed over two million times and has brought Gerrys unique talent to a new audience.

The clip features a man phoning in to Gerry Anderson's radio programme to tell him that one of his hens has become hypnotised from a trick discussed on the show the day before. Gerry gives the man some advice and while the hen breaks from its hypnotized state, it causes a frenzy inside the caller's house and smashes a Child of Prague statue.

The clip has been shared by Derry Girls creator Lisa McKee. Also sharing the clip was daytime favourite Lorraine Kelly, who said: "This is what twitter is for - this right here" as well as LBC's James O'Brien and many others.

Gerrys son David collected the many tributes and articles made to and written about Gerry, who died in August 2014 and last month he presented Gerrys guitar at the Ulster Folk Museum for BBCs Antiques Roadshow.

David comments: Its been brilliant to see the warm reaction to Pauls tweet from an online audience ranging from expats living overseas to grown up children reminiscing about their parents listening to my Dad as they went about their lives.

"And also his fans who have really missed hearing his voice.

David continued: "We have been wanting to create a website for Dad for a few years. But Pauls tweet and the subsequent positive reaction gave us the encouragement we needed to get started.

This is one of the funniest pieces of live radio youll ever hear. And the animation adds an extra layer. #Radio #GerryAnderson pic.twitter.com/AkcNy0QaSG  Paul OKane (@pmokane) September 21, 2022

In August 2014, tributes poured in for the late Gerry Anderson. Numerous warm statements to his intelligence, humour and honesty were paid to him by leading figures in broadcasting and public life, including a joint statement by Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness, the then first and deputy first ministers of Northern Ireland.

At the time, BBC Director General Tony Hall said he was a "distinctive and iconic voice" and "that he was inducted into the UK Radio Academy Hall of Fame speaks volumes of how special and unique a broadcaster and personality he was," he said.

The Anderson Family are asking fans to visit the website and subscribe for updates. And also to get in contact if there is anything missing as there is more material out there. Or simply visit the website if fans would like to connect GeraldMichaelAnderson.com
This years Bounce Arts Festival, organised by the University of Atypical, will include a host of exciting events in Derry from October 7-9.

The line-up includes legendary local DJ, Johnny McAllister aka Warriors of the Dystotheque on Friday, October 7 from 10pm to 1am at the Nerve Centre.

He will be presenting Antropause, a House and Techno session featuring another native of the city, Reverse Jazz and Belfast-born electronic artist, Micky OBrien.

Visual Artist Shiro Masuyama will be presenting his latest show, Feeding Carrots from the South to Wild Donkeys in the North which relates to the partition of Cyprus.

The exhibition will be staged at the Centre for Contemporary Art on October 7 and 8 from 12.00pm to 6.00pm and is free to the public.

Shiro, a Japanese Artist, now living in Northern Ireland, says he was struck by how the wild donkeys have thrived in Cyprus since the island was divided in 1974.

Feeding Carrots from the South to Wild Donkeys in the North

I am interested in the fact that while the political conflict has resulted in a loss of freedom for the people of Cyprus, Cypriot donkeys have acquired more freedom and have become a symbol of anarchy in the country.

Other events include:

Liminal  a new visual and poetic performance by artist Hugh ODonnell at the Centre for Contemporary Art on October 7 at 2.00pm - 3.30pm.

Digital Innovation  meet two outstanding neurodiverse artists Grace Fairley and Porcelain Delaney at the Void Gallery on October 7 from 4.30pm - 6.30pm.

Get it out of you!  new live work by artist Paul Moore at the Centre for Contemporary Art on October 8 from 2.00pm -3.00pm.

My Place and Space  a group photography exhibition on October 8 from 12noon - 2.00pm at the Alley Theatre and Conference Centre in Strabane, the Ardhowen Theatre in Enniskillen and Strule Arts Centre in Omagh. The exhibitions are free. The festival partnered with Derry and Strabane District Council and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council for this exhibition.

Project Sparks  a free and inclusive music event on October 7 from 2.00pm - 4.00pm at the Amphitheatre, Playtrail, 15 Racecourse Road in Derry. An opportunity to explore melody, movement and rhythm with Project Sparks talented disabled, neurodivergent mentors.

Hugh O'Donnell (left) and Jonny McAllister

Meanwhile, the University of Atypical for Arts and Disability had opened a new performing arts studio as it celebrates the tenth anniversary of Bounce, which showcases the best new work by D/deaf, disabled and neurodiverse artists at venues across Belfast, Derry and online in Fermanagh and Omagh.

The Ledger Studio in Royal Avenue, Belfast will be used for training, workshops, rehearsals, and theatre, comedy, dance, music and spoken word events performed by D/deaf, disabled and Neurodiverse artists and will be officially opened on October 7.

Bounce, which is supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland ,the Department for Communities and Belfast City Council has grown into one of the top disability arts festivals in Europe.

Damien Coyle, Chief Executive of University of Atypical, speaking at the launch of the Bounce programme said: This is an exciting time for University of Atypical. Over the past decade our fabulous Bounce Arts festival has expanded and we are proud to launch an exciting and eclectic programme that includes music, performance and visual art, drama and dance as well as a book launch by one of the recipients of the Chris Ledger Legacy Awards.

"While we make Bounce events as accessible as possible to D/deaf, disabled and neurodiverse audiences, we want Bounce to be for everyone.

Patricia Lavery, Acting Head of Community Arts & Education, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, added: The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is committed to supporting the work and career development of our D/deaf, neurodivergent and disabled artists.

Project Sparks

"The Bounce Arts Festival offers an important platform to shine a light on work from these artists whilst also showcasing work by disabled artists from the UK and Europe.

Congratulations to the University of Atypical who have curated a terrific programme for Bounce this year which features some of the most talented artists from Northern Ireland.

For more information on all the live shows, workshops, and online content and to book tickets, go to www.universityofatypical.org/bounce
Families bereaved in the Republic of Ireland during the Troubles have called for more state recognition of their loss as they attended a service for hidden victims of the conflict.

Victims organisation South East Fermanagh Foundation (SEFF) hosted its 10th annual Service of Remembrance and Thanksgiving on Sunday at St Tighernachs Church in Clones, Co Monaghan.

It selected a venue on the southern side of the border this year, as the theme of the service was acknowledging hidden victims of the Troubles in the Republic of Ireland.

Irelands Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys attended, as did former justice minister Charlie Flanagan, and a senior officer from the Garda.

DUP MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone Deborah Erskine was among attendees from Northern Ireland.

Michael Donegan, whose Garda inspector father Samuel was murdered by the IRA at Butlers Bridge on the Cavan/Fermanagh border in 1972, said he and fellow victims felt they had been ignored by the authorities.

The peace process has moved on and it is wonderful that it has, but I suppose I feel that people who have suffered because of these events many years ago, and in many case are still suffering, they deserve their suffering to be recognised, he said as he arrived at the church on Sunday.

Mr Donegan criticised what he said was a failure by the authorities in the Republic of Ireland to offer therapy, counselling and other services that may help victims.

Anthony OReilly, whose 15-year-old sister Geraldine was one of two teenagers killed by a loyalist bomb in Belturbet, Co Cavan, in 1972, also attended the service.

My father and mother never got over it, my sisters and brothers as well, he said.

It has had an awful impact on our lives.

He added: Its been completely forgotten about, nobody wanted to talk about it.

It makes me feel why was it forgotten about.

Edward ONeills father died and he was left with lifelong injuries after the 1974 Dublin bombings.

He said the service was a chance to remember forgotten victims of terrorism in Ireland.

Mr ONeill was just four when he was caught up in the blast on Parnell Street, part of the Dublin/Monaghan series of bombs.

No one has ever been convicted over the four no-warning bombs on May 17 1974 which killed 35 people, including two unborn babies. The attacks have been blamed on loyalist paramilitaries.

Mr ONeill was in the city centre with his brother and his father, also called Edward.

He said: I was four years old, walking out of the barber shop.

My dad had me by his left hand and my brother by his right hand and he was swinging my brother.

My brother pulled a button off his coat.

He bent down to pick up the button and the bomb exploded.

Mr ONeill is still receiving treatment for his injuries, including skull fractures, a broken jaw, fractured cheekbone, collapsed lung, first and second-degree burns and severe lacerations to both legs.

He has undergone more than 60 operations.

His mother Martha was heavily pregnant at the time and went on to lose her baby.

Martha juniors name was added to a memorial for victims in Talbot Street earlier this year.

Mr ONeill said: It is like groundhog day with me every single day because of the injuries. It just devastated everybody, my whole family.

Victims of the Troubles in Ireland have been forgotten. This is why the service of remembrance is incredibly important, because we have been overlooked by successive governments.

It has always been a case of hoping we will be quiet and go away.

The Dublin and Monaghan bombings were the single biggest case of mass murder in the history of the Troubles and nobody has ever been charged or convicted for anything to do with it.

All of us that are left are getting older. We are left to try and fight on for justice.

SEFF director of services Kenny Donaldson said: On legacy, both the UK and Irish states need to step up their responses. They need to cease burying their heads in the sand and instead respond to the legitimate needs of victims and survivors around justice and accountability.
Google is hosting its hardware launch event on October 6. The October event is supposed to showcase the Pixel 7 series along with a bunch of other new products. Earlier this year, Google first showcased the Pixel 7 series at its 2022 I/O event, although they did not reveal all the details at that time.

Google October 2022 Event: Expectations

As of now, Google has confirmed that along with the Pixel 7 series, the Pixel Watch and the Pixel Buds would also be unveiled. Further, according to reports, the Google Nest Smart Home devices like the new Nest Mini and Nest Hub Max could also be launched.

The Pixel 7 Pro is expected to come with a 6.7" 1440p 120HZ OLED display. The device will be powered by the newer Tensor 2 chipset. In terms of optics, the device could come with a 50MP main camera, a 48MP 4x zoom with a 12MP Ultrawide camera as well.

Meanwhile, the regular Pixel 7 will come with a much smaller 6.2" 1080p 90Hz OLED display. Itll be powered by the same Tensor 2 chipset, however, instead of the triple camera setup on the 7 Pro, the device will only come with a 50MP main and a 12MP ultrawide camera.

How do I watch the Google October Event?

While the Google launch event will take place in the Williamsburg neighbourhood of NYC, the in-person event is limited to the press only. However, people can tune into the live event at the Google Store which is available in the United States, Great Britain, and Australia. If you are looking to watch the event outside of one of those countries, check out the live stream here.

The event will take place on October 6 at 10 a.m. ET. Timings for other countries are mentioned below:

Delhi, India  7:30 p.m. IST

Shanghai, China  10 p.m. CST

Dallas, Texas  9 a.m. CDT

Honolulu, Hawaii  4 a.m. HAST

Hong Kong  10 p.m. HKT

San Francisco, California  7 a.m. PDT

Halifax, Canada  11 a.m. ADT

Berlin, Germany  4 p.m. CEST

Dubai, United Arab Emirates  6 p.m. GST

Seoul, South Korea  11 p.m. KST

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in.
Facing a massive controversy over the proliferation of child pornography on its platform in India, Twitter said on Saturday that it banned 57,643 accounts in the country for promoting child sexual exploitation, non-consensual nudity and allied content between July 26 and August 25.

Earlier this week, Delhi Commission for Women chairperson Swati Maliwal had said the replies received from Twitter in the child pornography complaints were incomplete and the Commission was not satisfied with them.

Maliwal had on September 20 summoned Twitter India Policy Head and Delhi Police over tweets depicting child pornography and rape videos of women and children on the micro-blogging platform.

Taking suo moto cognisance of several tweets openly depicting videos and photographs of sexual acts involving children, the Commission said that most of the tweets portrayed children completely naked and many of them also depicted brutal rape and other non-consensual sexual activities with children and women.

Twitter, in its monthly report in compliance with the new IT Rules, 2021, also said that it received 1,088 complaints from users in India in the same time-frame through its grievance redressal mechanisms.

Acting on the complaints, the company took action against 41 URLs.

In addition, "we processed 76 grievances which were appealing Twitter account suspensions. These were all resolved and the appropriate responses were sent", said the company.

"We overturned none of these account suspensions after reviewing the specifics of the situation," it added.

Twitter also received 15 requests related to general questions about accounts during this reporting period.

The company said it "does not tolerate any material that features or promotes child sexual exploitation -- whether in Direct Messages or elsewhere throughout the service".

In India, the users complained the most about online abuse and harassment (544) and hateful conduct (502), among other categories.

Meanwhile, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk this week expressed grave concerns over reports about the presence of tweets soliciting child pornography on Twitter.

Reacting to a report on how major advertising brands have pulled out from Twitter as their promotion posts appeared alongside child porn tweets, Musk said: "Extremely concerning."

(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.
Lenovo's new ThinkReality VRX is meant to improve virtual 3D immersive enterprise remote training, collaboration, visualization, and meetings.

The device features a Snapdragon XR platform and has a small form factor. The device is expected to be available to selected clients by the end of this year and to the general public in early 2023.

Vishal Shah, general manager of XR and Metaverse at Lenovo, said Hardware and software are critical, and you really cant do much in the metaverse without them, he told Hypergrid Business. But the combination of hardware, software, and services is going to be a major differentiator in the nascent XR industry  because speed-to-solution is what is going to accelerate in the new business reality of the enterprise metaverse and give first-mover advantages to firms that get it right.

Lenovo ThinkReality VRX is backed by a comprehensive package of end-to-end services ranging from consultancy and content creation to cloud deployment and customer support.

Lenovos ThinkReality VRX is aimed at business customers. A video AR mode enables new usage scenarios.

The X in the name stands for an augmented reality mode via color video passthrough. The headset features inside-out tracking via four built-in cameras and supports content streaming for more sophisticated graphics.

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in.
Like the previous years, Google is partnering with Flipkart to sell the Pixel 7 series in India. Prospective buyers can book the Pixel 7 series on Flipkart at 9:30 pm on Thursday.

The company has been teasing the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro phones. They are coming with premium metal and glass finish. The regular Pixel 7 is coming three colours-- lemongrass, snow, and obsidian black. Even the Pixel 7 Pro will be available in three-- hazel, snow white, and obsidian black.

They will feature a dual-tone colour scheme. They feature a dark-shaded thick metal badge horizontally aligned at the top of the shell with a camera module and LED flash. The rest of the light-coloured body has a glossy finish. And, there will be 'G' Google brand engraving in the middle. Very minimalistic in design language.

Both devices will be powered by Tensor G2 silicon. It promises to offer a better user experience, helpful, personalized features for photos, videos, security, and speech recognition.

The standard Pixel 7 features a dual camera and the 7 Pro boasts a triple camera. However,the specific details of the photography hardware, we have to wait till the launch day.

The Pixel 7 will come with a 6.3-inch FHD+ OLED 90Hz display, while the Pixel 7 Pro will sport a 6.7-inch QHD+ OLED 120Hz screen. Meanwhile, the Pixel 7 Pro will have a 50-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens, and a 48-megapixel telephoto snapper on the rear.

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in.
Two past Bush Secondary School students, Ciaran Flynn and Peter Suresh, have been given the prestigious honour of becoming Trinity Scholars.

To become a Trinity Scholar, a student of Trinity must get a first class honour grade in the Scholarship Exams of their chosen course.

The exams, which are non-compulsory, are taken in early January, and the results of those elected to Scholarship are announced by the Provost from the steps of the Exam Hall on Trinity Monday (in April; the first Monday of Trinity Term).

Benefits of being a Trinity Scholar include free rooms on campus from October to June, the waiving of fees and registration charges, and the right to dine on Commons for free.

They can also put 'Sch.' after their name if they wish.

Currently there are around 350 Scholars.

Guidance Counsellor at Bush Post Primary said all at the school were very proud that two of this elite group are past pupils of Bush.
Waterstones in Drogheda has been longlisted for the An Post Bookshop of the Year category at this years An Post Irish Book Awards, the annual literary event that celebrates and promotes Irish writing and authors to the widest range of readers possible.

The An Post Bookshop of the Year category was introduced last year to acknowledge the significant role played by independent bookshops and local branches of bookshop chains in helping their local communities to find and savour the titles of their choice. Kennys Bookshop in Galway was crowned the overall winner in 2021.

The longlist of twelve bookshops around Ireland for 2022 are:

Waterstones, Drogheda, Louth

Kerrs Bookshop, Clonakilty, Cork

Philips Bookshop, Mallow, Cork

Charlie Byrnes Bookshop, Middle Street, Galway

Tertulia, Westport, Mayo

Liber, Sligo

Bridge Street Books, Wicklow

Chapters Bookstore, Parnell Street, Dublin

Books at One LetterFrack, Letterfrack, Connemara, Galway

Bridge Books, Dromore, County Down

Books on the Green, Sandymount, Dublin

Genius Juniors, Online Bookshop

Customers were asked to vote for their favourite bookshops and to explain the reason for their choice. The bookshops that received the most votes were then longlisted and invited by the judges to enter a written submission.

Mystery shoppers will now visit the twelve bookshops as part of the judging process to establish the shortlist of six bookshops. The shortlist will be officially announced on the 20th October. The overall winner of the An Post Bookshop of the Year category will then be announced at the An Post Irish Book Awards event on November 23rd. The winner will receive a trophy along with a prize worth 5,000 from An Post Commerce.

The annual An Post Irish Book Awards bring together a huge community passionate about books including readers, authors, booksellers, publishers and librarians. Celebrating and recognising the very best of new and established Irish writing talent on offer. Other categories in the An Post Irish Book Awards include Novel of the Year, Childrens (Junior and Senior), Cookery, Crime Fiction, Popular Fiction, Non-fiction, Sports, Short Story, Poetry, Teen and Young Adult and Irish Language.

Brendan Corbett, Chairperson of the An Post Irish Book Awards, says:

Bookshops sit at the heart of their communities cultural and social lives, and we introduced this category last year to acknowledge the important contribution they make to not only their communities and readers, but the significant role they play in the Irish book business. The holy trinity of bookshops, writers and readers is a wonderful alliance we should all support, and thats why Im delighted to see 12 such deserving bookshops on the longlist.

Aoife Roantree, Chair of Bookselling Ireland, says:

What a great longlist! Its really wonderful to see booksellers who work every day to connect readers with books they'll love getting recognition for what they are so passionate about. They all work so hard to foster a love of reading among everyone  including children and those new to the world of literature  as well as supporting great new writing and illustrating talent. They play a significant role in our society and its great to be able to give them the credit they truly deserve.

Commenting on the importance role bookshops play in local communities, David McRedmond, CEO of An Post, says:

Our local bookshops are an essential and vibrant part of local communities. Great booksellers and good books help us all through the best and worst of times in our lives. This award recognises their business acumen, creativity and human touch in reaching and connecting with their customers.

The shortlist for all categories in the An Post Irish Book Awards 2022 will be announced on Thursday 20 October, while the winners will be announced on Wednesday 23 November. A television programme will be broadcast on RTE One television in December and will culminate in one of the 2022 winning titles being announced as the An Post Irish Book of the Year 2022.

An Post is also continuing with their hugely successful #ReadersWanted campaign, celebrating the value and joy of reading and encouraging everyone to pick up more books, more often. Simply search for the hashtag online to get involved.
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On Saturday night, a group of ministers and government representatives led by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will fly off for a two-week trip to Europe.

The group lead by the CM would first go to Finland through Delhi. Among those travelling to Finland are General Education Minister V Sivankutty, Chief Secretary V P Joy, and General Education Principal Secretary Mohammed Hanish. The goal is to research the educational system in the European nation.

Additionally, the crew would be touring important global corporations and IT firms. The ayurvedic and tourist industries would also be included in the discussions.

The purpose of the Norway visit is to improve maritime sector cooperation. Delegation members P Rajeeve and V Abdurahiman would accompany them.

The group would then travel to Britain and have conversations regarding the Welsh healthcare system while there. The Chief Minister would travel with Minister Veena George as well.

The Loka Kerala Sabha would hold a local meeting in London. An MoU on the creation of a graphene park in Kerala is anticipated to be inked after visiting the universities in London. There would also be delegation members from the Kerala Digital University.

Additionally, a pleasant gathering of investors would be planned, with participation from regional industries. Also attending in London would be Minister P. Rajeev.

The group would return on October 12, the Chief Minister announced at the most recent cabinet meeting, notwithstanding prior reports that they would do so on October 14.
TikTok plans to bring its live shopping "TikTok Shop" feature to North America using outsourced technology, according to The Financial Times. It'll reportedly be launched "over the next month with large brands" to take advantage of holiday shopping.

TikTok Shop is based on a similar, successful feature on TikTok's sister app Douyin in China, and is available in Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia. Last year, it launched in the UK  the only country with availability outside of Asia.

A similar feature on Douyin has reportedly hosted 9 million live ecommerce broadcasts per month, selling over 10 billion products in a single year from May 2021 to May 2022  triple what it did the previous year. However, TikTok Shop apparently hasn't fared as well in the UK, and because of that, TikTok postponed a planned launch elsewhere in Europe.

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The underlying technology will supposedly be provided by the US company TalkShopLive, which will also support livestreams hosted by influencers and brands. The agreements are still under discussion and "no contracts have been signed," according to the FT.

TikTok didn't deny or confirm upcoming US availability. "When it comes to market expansion for TikTok Shop we are always guided by demand and are constantly exploring new and different options for how we can best serve our community, creators and merchants in markets around the world," the company told the FT. "These efforts include exploring partnerships which further support a seamless ecommerce experience for merchants, which is an important part of our ecosystem."

The report comes just a day after rival Facebook abandoned its own Live Shopping feature. Facebook is now asking merchants to showcase products via Reels, Reels ads and product tagging on Instagram Reels. Last year, TikTok started testing a Shopping tab, letting business users add their profiles, sync their product catalogues and link to their online stores. It has also previously piloted live shopping in the US, most notably with Walmart.


Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has opened Eastern Europes first wide-body conversion site at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport. IAI is the worlds leader in passenger to cargo conversions of the Boeing 767, 737 and 747 aircraft, with lines in Israel and Mexico, while its Abu Dhabi site is expected to open in partnership with Etihad Engineering. The state-owned Israeli company is preparing to begin work on Boeing 777 conversions, for which it has partnered with AerCap, the worlds largest owner of commercial aircraft, requiring it to increase overall global capacity, resulting in the opening of its Belgrade facility. IAI has also obtained certification for Airbus A330-300 conversion programs. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has opened Eastern Europes first wide-body conversion site at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport. IAI is the worlds leader in passenger to cargo conversions of the Boeing 767, 737 and 747 aircraft, with lines in Israel and Mexico, while its Abu Dhabi site is expected to open in partnership with Etihad Engineering. The state-owned Israeli company is preparing to begin work on Boeing 777 conversions, for which it has partnered with AerCap, the worlds largest owner of commercial aircraft, requiring it to increase overall global capacity, resulting in the opening of its Belgrade facility. IAI has also obtained certification for Airbus A330-300 conversion programs.





IAI is said to have already begun work in Belgrade and is preparing to roll out its first passenger to cargo converted aircraft with a Boeing 767-300ER having arrived in the Serbian capital in mid-September, with work on its conversion set to begin soon. The B767-300BDSF (BEDEK Special Freighter) is the advanced converted freighter type of the B767 family, offered by IAI as a follow-up to the successful B767-200BDSF. The company has delivered more than 100 converted B767-300 aircraft. Israel Aerospace Industries says that it transforms about 25 planes a year, up from eighteen annually before the Covid-19 pandemic. The process takes about three months.





The cost of the per plane conversion amounts to approximately 35 million US dollars, which is much cheaper than the price of a new cargo plane. Global giants such as Amazon and DHL have jumped onboard in the competitive shipping market, with IAI officials saying that orders are booked for the next four years. Air Serbia has recently said it is exploring the possibility of converting three of its ATR72-200 aircraft into cargo planes. Cargo aircraft are being rushed into service amid a worldwide shortage in shipping capacity and the segment has proved to be extremely lucrative for airlines amid the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Air Serbia said the airline is generally interested in further expanding into the freighter market but a lack of dedicated cargo aircraft, as well as conversion slots, are an issue.




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ADEN, Yemen, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Two Yemeni soldiers were killed on Saturday in a roadside bomb explosion in the country's southern oil-rich province of Shabwa, a military official told Xinhua.

The incident took place when a roadside bomb went off near a patrol of Shabwa's defense troops of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Ataq, capital of Shabwa Province, the local military source said on condition of anonymity.

The blast partially destroyed the military vehicle, killing two soldiers, and wounding five others aboard, the source said.

The explosion comes hours after the STC's forces backed by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition launched a military operation against hideouts of the Yemen-based al-Qaida branch in the mountainous areas of Shabwa.

The number of attacks carried out by militant groups against the pro-government southern troops surged in various areas of Yemen despite a recent truce brokered by the United Nations.

The Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) network has been responsible for many high-profile attacks against the security forces in the country's southern provinces.

The AQAP has exploited years of deadly conflict between the Yemeni government and Houthi militia to expand its presence in the war-ravaged Arab country. 
Vietnam recently opened a garment factory in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang with Dutch investment worth 253 billion VND ($10.6 million). The Spectre An Giang Garment Technologies Factory, whose construction started late last year, can produce 2 million products a year and create jobs for more than 1,200.

Spectre started its production in Vietnam more than 10 years ago with joint ventures in Thai Binh province, followed by Nam Dinh and An Giang. With several years of operational experience in Vietnam, the company considers the country a promising market, Danish ambassador to Vietnam Nicolai Prytz was quoted as saying by a news agency.

Vietnam recently opened a garment factory in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang with Dutch investment worth $10.6 million. The Spectre An Giang Garment Technologies Factory, whose construction started late last year, can produce 2 million products a year and create jobs for more than 1,200. Spectre started production in Vietnam 10 years ago.

He said Vietnams political stability and impressive socio-economic growth have made it easy for Spectre to expand its investment in the country.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
To reduce dependence on foreign-owned vessels in export-import, Vietnams maritime sector is working on upgrading its international merchant fleet. A lack of its own container ships and large tonnage ships operating on international routes, experts say, is limiting the countrys competitiveness. A project on the development of Vietnams international merchant fleet between 2022 and 2030 is being planned.

Vietnam Maritime Administration (VinaMarine) has consulted the ministry of transport regarding the project. About $1.5 billion will be needed to add more vessels to the fleet in the first phase of the project running until 2026.

To reduce dependence on foreign-owned vessels, Vietnam's maritime sector is working on upgrading its international merchant fleet. A lack of its own container ships and large tonnage ships on international routes, experts say, is limiting competitiveness. A project on developing Vietnam's international merchant fleet between 2022 and 2030 is being planned.

Deputy minister of transport Nguyen Xuan Sang said the development of an international merchant fleet under the project requires efforts from relevant state agencies, firms and associations.

Also important is to raise the quality of crew members and adopt incentives designated to support seafarers.

While containers imported and exported to and from Vietnam are mainly handled by foreign shipping lines, especially on long-distance sea routes to developed countries, Vietnams domestic fleet mainly operates on domestic and short international routes in Asia, VinaMarine deputy director general Hoang Hong Giang told a news agency.

The country has 10 container shipping companies owning 48 container vessels capable of carrying 39,520 TEUs and only 17 of them are able to sail on Asian waters.

Its merchant fleet ranks third among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and 28th in the world. A Vietnamese firm has invested in a 320,000-DWT oil tanker and over-1,000-DWT bunkers. The move paves the way for the domestic fleet to move step by step in line with the global trend and optimise shipping costs.

Along with an average annual growth of 12 per cent of export-import turnover in the 2016-21, the cargo throughput of the country's seaports saw stable increase in the period, a VinaMarine report showed.

In the first seven months of this year, the throughput growth slowed down, but still showed a year-on-year (YoY) rise of 2 per cent, reaching about 63 million tonnes.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
An Idaho-based company seeks to disrupt the deal origination process of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) through its specialized consulting service.

Boise, Idaho--(Newsfile Corp. - October 2, 2022) - OutFlow has unveiled a deal origination service that outsources lead generation and pipeline management for clients. The service was designed for various professionals involved in M&A, including investment bankers, lawyers, analysts, private equity professionals, and more.

Further details are available at https://outflow.agency.





Outsourced Deal Origination, Pipeline Management For M&A Launched By OutFlow



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/139169_b91aa9155420fab7_001full.jpg

The agency serves both the "buy side" and "sell side" of M&A, offering clients the same hands-off approach to finding deal opportunities. "All the heavy lifting is 100% done for you," the company stated.

Its process begins with targeting, where it builds a database containing an exhaustive list of prospects. According to the company, due diligence is exercised on each entry to ensure data accuracy.

After building the database from scratch, OutFlow performs outreach on the client's behalf to secure meetings and learn more about the available opportunities. Evaluating each opportunity is also part of its service, and the agency pre-qualifies each prospect before turning them over to the client.

Buy-side professionals can take advantage of this service to identify profitable companies to acquire on behalf of their clients, who are mostly composed of institutional investors. Meanwhile, sell-side parties, such as investment bankers and M&A brokers, can employ OutFlow to help expedite the search for potential buyers.

When asked what sets its service apart, OutFlow said that it offers a more reliable alternative to the traditional process, which depends on referrals and trying to outbid the competition. Instead, its service ensures that a client's M&A pipeline remains filled consistently throughout the engagement. "We generate the volume of opportunities, on a consistent basis, with the right targets, so you can focus on what you do best," it added.

OutFlow was founded with the goal of supporting M&A professionals by taking care of the deal origination part of the business. The company explained that this area tends to get neglected, as deal closing often takes precedence.

Despite being a new player in the M&A space, OutFlow's clientele has already reached over 200 professionals.

The company also offers insights into the closing aspect of M&A through Dealmaker's Dose, a weekly publication that shares tips and strategies gleaned from real-world cases.

Interested parties can learn more about its service at https://outflow.agency.

Contact Info:

Name: Jason Dodd

Email: jason@outflow.agency

Organization: OutFlow

Address: 500 S 8th St, Boise, Idaho 83702, United States

Website: https://www.outflow.agency

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/139169


ESSEN (dpa-AFX) - RWE AG (RWEOY.PK), a German energy firm, said it has agreed to buy Con Edison's Clean Energy Businesses for an enterprise value of $6.8 billion. Closing of the transaction is expected to take place in the first half of 2023.



Furthermore, with EBITDA of around $600 million from year one on, the acquisition is earnings accretive.



RWE said that the deal will almost double RWE's renewables portfolio in the US to more than gigawatts (GW) and grow its regional project pipeline to more than 24 GW.



The acquisition will be partly funded by RWE issuing a 2.43 billion euros convertible bond to a Qatar Investment Authority unit, through which the QIA will become a 9.09% shareholder in RWE.



RWE has raised its earnings outlook for the year and earmarked up to 15 billion euros for investment in the US as part of its Growing Green strategy, which envisages global spending of 50 billion euros by 2030. The company said it maintains its plan to pay a dividend of 0.90 euros per share for fiscal 2022.



'The acquisition of Con Edison Clean Energy Businesses is a major boost for RWE's green expansion in the United States, one of the most attractive and fastest growing markets for renewable energy,' Chief Executive Officer Markus Krebber said.



In a separate statement, Con Edison said it intends to forego its previously announced plan to issue up to $850 million of common equity in 2022 and withdraws its equity guidance for 2023 and 2024.



'The transaction we announced today will allow Con Edison to sharply focus on our core utility businesses and the investments needed to lead New York's ambitious clean energy transition,' Con Edison CEO Timothy Cawley said.



Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

RWE-Aktie komplett kostenlos handeln - auf Smartbroker.de
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Siwar Foods has signed an exclusive partnership with Italian Dessert Manufacturer Dolceria Alba. The agreement will see Siwar introduce a range of desserts under its own brand in the KSA market, covering retail and HORECA.





The range includes several semi frozen ice cream (Semi Freddo) desserts including; Chocolate Lava Cake, Wild Berry Cheesecake, Coffee infused Tiramisu and the exotically indulgent Pistachio Cake. Siwar entered the ready to eat market in May 2020 and in a short space of time has become a leading FMCG player in the frozen convenience category with strong retail presence across KSA. Based in Italy, Dolceria Alba started producing high quality desserts in 2006 and the company operates 1 plant in the north west of Italy.

Commenting on the partnership, CEO Loaye Al-Nahedh said: 'we are delighted to be partnering with one of Europe's finest frozen dessert manufacturers. This will, not only, allow us to bring some of the world's best desserts to Saudi customers, but we will benefit from the leading innovation and R&D that Dolceria Alba are known for, ultimately allowing us to anticipate consumer trends in our market '

Mr Carlo Rolle, Commercial Director, Dolceria Alba further added: 'it's a privilege to be working with such a new dynamic player in the FMCG space, this will allow us to penetrate one of the largest untapped countries in the region and ultimately grow with Siwar in other regional markets'

The full range of Siwar's ready to eat meals and desserts can be found in retailers across KSA or ordered online via the Siwar mobile application.

About Siwar Foods: We are a new Saudi FMCG company, focused on redefining the 'time saving' food sector in KSA and the region. Built on an agile business model, we work with leading suppliers to bring ready to eat products, inspired by flavours from around the world, to our market. Our products help people live a better life, without compromising on what's important to them; variety, taste, quality and affordability. We serve consumer and business sectors, with an omni channel presence in retail, online and 'Chef in a Box' vending machines, a first for the region. With our commitment to sustainability and an environmentally friendly business approach, we are proudly aligned to Vision 2030.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1912504/Siwar_Foods_Dolceria_Alba_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/siwar-foods-signs-an-exclusive-partnership-with-italian-dessert-manufacturer-dolceria-alba-301638450.html
STOCKHOLM (AP)  A right-wing populist party that received the second-most votes in Swedens general election last month landed the chairmanships of four parliamentary committees Saturday and with it, the ability to wield more influence in mainstream Swedish politics.

The positions to be held by lawmakers from the Sweden Democrats include chairing the Riksdag's justice, foreign affair, business affairs and labor market committees.

It is important for us, a milestone in the partys history, legislator Richard Jomshof, a Sweden Democrat who was tapped to be the next chairman of the justice committee, told Swedish public broadcaster SVT. It is an expression of the fact that we are Swedens second largest party.

In addition to the four chairperson posts, the party was allowed to name the vice-chairs of parliament's civil affairs, traffic, defense and tax committees.

Sweden Democrats, a nationalist and anti-immigration party with roots in the neo-Nazi movement, is part of right-wing bloc that won a narrow majority in the Riksdag in the Sept. 11 election.

Decisions on the posts were announced Friday in a joint statement from the four center-right parties that are in talks to form a coalition government. Sweden Democrats, which is one of the four, announced its nominees Saturday.

Ulf Kristersson, the leader of the center-right Moderates, the party that placed third, has been tasked with forming a government that is likely to have the Sweden Democrats as part of a governing coalition or at least the party's support in securing a majority in parliament.

Kristersson has until Oct. 12 to present results of his talks with parties to Parliament speaker Andreas Norlen.
New York, USA, Oct. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Global Nuclear Power Plant Equipment Market Size was USD 32.44 billion in 2021. The market is growing from USD 38.82 billion in 2030 growing at a CAGR of 2.6% as per the latest research report by Spherical Insights & Consulting.

Get a Sample PDF Brochure: https://www.sphericalinsights.com/request-sample/1088

Governments all around the world are recognising the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and nuclear energy is set to become a major factor in the energy mix of the future. New technological breakthroughs in nuclear power reactors are expected to boost the market for nuclear power equipment in numerous industries. For example, the United Kingdom's government revealed in October 2021 that it was developing a new technology called small modular reactors (SMRs) for its new large-scale plant. SMR has a significant cost advantage over traditional large-scale reactors. Furthermore, increased industrialization in both developed and developing countries, as well as nuclear power plants' ability to generate significant amounts of energy while emitting fewer greenhouse gases than thermal power plants, are predicted to drive the market. The market outlook is projected to improve as energy demand rises and clean electricity is produced. Various countries around the world are looking for efficient and clean energy sources, such as nuclear power plants, to meet the growing energy demand. For example, in October 2021, Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC) stated that solar and nuclear energy would be used to totally power its activities, signing a clean electricity supply contract with Emirates Water and Electricity Co. After the contract, ADNOC's grid power will fulfil up to 100% of its power needs from nuclear and solar. ADNOC claims that as a result of the arrangement, it will be the first major oil and gas corporation to decarbonize its power.

Buy Now Full Report: https://www.sphericalinsights.com/checkout/1088

The island equipment segment is expected to dominate the market share in 2020 of global nuclear power plant market owing to its vital role in operation safety and numerous uses in a nuclear power plant, the island equipment segment dominates the market and is expected to hold a considerable position in the market. The pressurized water reactor (PWR) segment is expected to dominate the market share in 2020 of global nuclear power plant market owing to the the increase is mostly due to an increase in the number of projects and investments in pressurised water reactors. Asia Pacific dominated the global market owing to the because of rising capital income in both developed and developing countries. According to the IAEA's 2021 report, China has 50 operational reactors with a total capacity of 47.52 GW across the region. In addition, China's government plans to build 58 GW of nuclear power by the end of 2021 and 150 GW by 2030. The government has a nuclear power drive-build programme in the works, as well as a robust project pipeline, which bodes well for the market. On the other side, the Indian government is focusing on growing nuclear power capacity in the next years to support its massive infrastructure building programme. By the end of 2031, the government expects to reach a capacity of around 22.5 GW. In addition, by 2050, the Indian government wants nuclear energy to produce 25% of the country's electricity, a 2.5 percent increase over current levels.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Alstom SA, Larsen & Toubro Ltd., Dongfang Electric Corporation Ltd, Alstom, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Energy, Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Orano, Doosan Heavy Industries, Babcock and Wilcox.

Inquire Before Buying This Research Report: https://www.sphericalinsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/1088

Browse key industry insights spread across 190 pages with 117 market data tables and figures & charts from the report Global Nuclear Power Plant Market By Equipment Type (Island Equipment & Auxiliary Equipment); By Reactor Type (Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR), Boiling Water Reactors (BWR), Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR) & Others); By Region (U.S., Canada, Mexico, Rest Of North America, The UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Nordic Countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden, Norway), Benelux Union (Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg), Rest Of Europe, China, Japan, India, New Zealand, Australia, South Korea, Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Rest Of Southeast Asia), Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Kuwait, South Africa, Rest Of Middle East & Africa, Brazil, Argentina, Rest Of Latin America)  Global Insights, Growth, Size, Comparative Analysis, Trends And Forecast, 2021-2030 in detail along with the table of contents

https://www.sphericalinsights.com/reports/nuclear-power-plant-equipment-market

Key Companies & Recent Developments

Partnerships, strategic mergers, and acquisitions are expected to be the most successful strategies for industry participants to get speedy access to growing markets while also improving technological capabilities. Key companies Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Alstom SA, Larsen & Toubro Ltd., Dongfang Electric Corporation Ltd, Alstom, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Energy, Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Orano, Doosan Heavy Industries, Babcock and Wilcox.

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SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hagens Berman urges Carvana Co. (NYSE: CVNA) investors who suffered significant losses to submit your losses now.



Class Period: May 6, 2020  June 24, 2022

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: Oct. 3, 2022

Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/CVNA

Contact An Attorney Now: CVNA@hbsslaw.com

844-916-0895

Carvana Co. (NYSE: CVNA) Securities Fraud Class Action:

The action challenges Defendants statements touting Carvanas growth in retail units sold purportedly driven by the Companys increased penetration in existing markets.

The complaint alleges Defendants statements were misleading by omitting to disclose that Carvana: (1) faced serious ongoing issues with documentation, registration, and title with many of its vehicles; (2) was issuing unusually frequent temporary license plates; (3) was violating laws and regulations in many of its existing markets; (4) risked its ability to continue business and/or expand its business in existing markets; (5) was at increased risk of governmental investigation and action; (6) was in discussion with state and local authorities regarding the above-stated business tactics and issues; and, (7) was facing imminent and ongoing regulatory actions including license suspensions, business cessation, and probation in several states.

On June 24, 2022, Barrons published an article revealing that [i]n its haste to seize market share from competitors, Carvana was selling cars faster than it could get them registered to their new owners, Carvana has sold cars before it had title and, at one point, Carvana scrambled to respond to these problems by forming the undriveable-car task force unit. Barrons also observed that Carvana is facing scrutiny from several state motor vehicle agencies over its failure to meet vehicle registration deadlines, the use of out-of-state permits by customers, and other compliance issues.

This news sent the price of Carvana shares sharply lower.

Were focused on investor losses and proving Carvana concealed its rampant violation of documentation regulations, said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.

If you invested in Carvana and have significant losses, or have knowledge that may assist the firms investigation, click here to discuss your legal rights with Hagens Berman.

Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Carvana should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email CVNA@hbsslaw.com.

About Hagens Berman

Hagens Berman is a global plaintiffs rights complex litigation law firm focusing on corporate accountability through class-action law. The firm is home to a robust securities litigation practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and fraud. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.
SYDNEY, Australia, Oct. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Adaptive streaming company SeenThis announces the hiring of Steve Alpe, Laura Horsley, Jordan Scott and Frankie Tsoi to boost presence in the Australian market.







SeenThis technology allows high quality video and image ads to be streamed to display inventory, improving performance with instant loading speeds at reduced costs compared to running traditional video campaigns. The technology effectively removes unnecessary data transfer, leading to a more sustainable advertising solution.

Steve Alpe joined SeenThis earlier this year as Partnerships Director, leading the companys relationships with publishers, ad networks and other media vendors. Laura Horsley and Jordan Scott have joined as Commercial Directors to oversee relationships with Australian agencies, while Frankie Tsoi has stepped in as the markets first Technical Creative Producer.

Tom Jones-Barlow, SeenThis General Manager APAC, says, Weve already seen quick growth in the Australian market, delivering for all major agencies. These new hires will allow us to capitalise on this success and reflect that we view Australia as an essential growth market. The SeenThis solution is particularly effective in combatting variable connectivity in Australia, while meeting growing demand for more sustainable ways to run our campaigns, and driving bottom line results.

Adam Roberts, SeenThis Sales Director ANZ, adds, Establishing a diverse and hugely experienced local team will ensure we continue the rapid growth and adoption of adaptive ad streaming as an attention driven, high quality video performance solution that we have seen with our partners in ANZ over the last 12 months.

For more information, please contact:

Adam Roberts, SeenThis Sales Director ANZ at adam@seenthis.co .

About SeenThis

Since 2017, Swedish tech company SeenThis has been evolving screen experiences for everyone, everywhere. With its groundbreaking adaptive streaming technology, SeenThis is transforming the distribution and climate impact of digital content. With billions of streams served for 1000+ brands in 40+ countries, the company is on a journey to reshape the internet  for good. Working across eight offices globally, SeenThis employees are obsessed with creating a truly high-speed and energy efficient Internet. For more information, visit seenthis.co.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/463499c8-b31e-4917-bdb8-0ead2846d40f
The first megapixel race started around 2004 (when camera phones first crossed the 1MP mark) and came to an end in 2013 or so with the arrival of the Nokia 808 PureView. Its 41MP camera would only be beaten in terms of resolution in 2018. During that period phones focused on other aspects of the camera rather than resolution. But now a second megapixel race is upon us.

The first one ended in part because common wisdom shifted from more pixels is better to bigger pixels are better. The arrival of computational photography also played a major role and allowed iPhones, Galaxys and Pixels to stick to a 12MP resolution for their main cameras for several years (in fact, Apple only now left 12MP behind).

These days things have swung back towards more pixels is better, although not completely  the current trend is actually a mix of the two approaches. We already have phones with 200MP sensors as well as phones with 1 sensors.

We will take a closer look at the two branches that have emerged, starting with the more pixels is better branch today and leaving the other one for next time.

The second megapixel race brought about the proliferation of 48MP sensors, which became quite popular on mid-rangers (with flagships still preferring larger sensor size to higher resolution). Lets look at the Samsung ISOCELL GM1 from 2018, for example. Its not huge at 1/2 optical format, but it had 0.8m pixels, which grew to rather big 1.6m with binning.

Here we have to take a small detour to talk about the Bayer filter. We wrote a detailed explanation back in the day, but Bayer  and Quad Bayer and so on  filters are central to todays topic. The GM1 sensor used Tetrapixel technology, Samsungs term for Quad Bayer. It looks like this, four neighboring pixels sharing the same colored filter square. This makes it natural to combine the four into a single output pixel (4-in-1 binning).

There are now sensors that cover 3x3 groups and even 4x4 groups of pixels with the same color filter, they use 9-in-1 and 16-in-1 binning, respectively. The 12MP resolution we mentioned earlier didnt go away  108MP and 200MP cameras still target 12MP as the final output after binning. That makes for a good default setting as you get enough resolution to zoom in but dont have to juggle photos that take up tens of megabytes of storage.

Back to the megapixel race. As high resolution sensors started becoming the standard on mid-range phones, there was a push to keep costs low and that meant only one thing  smaller sensors.

Whereas the GM1 had 0.8m pixels, the 48MP ISOCELL GM5 from 2020 dropped to 0.7m, making it a 1/2.55 sensor. The JN1 from 2021 went even smaller with 0.64m pixels, so despite its high 50MP resolution it only had a 1/2.76 optical format.

Samsung is not alone in using tiny pixels, for example, OmniVisions OV60A is a 60MP sensor, 1/2.8 optical format with 0.61m pixels and a Quad Bayer filter. There are also larger sensors like the 1/1.34 OV64A, but again well talk about those next time.

Alright, weve covered pixel sizes and Bayer filters, its time to cross the 100MP barrier. The first sensor to go beyond was the Samsung ISOCELL Bright HMX. Its full resolution was 12,032 x 9,024px and it had 0.8m pixels, making for an optical format of 1/1.33.

The first phone to use it was the Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro (it was supposed to be the Mi Mix Alpha, but that was canceled). You can check out our hands-on review for camera samples. The phone defaulted to shooting in one quarter resolution, 27MP, with pixel binning.

Another 108MP 1/1.33 sensor is the HM3, which also has 0.8m pixels and was used in the Galaxy S21 Ultra. However, this one does 9-in-1 binning, defaulting to 12MP resolution. Like with the 48MP sensors things may have started at 0.8m, but quickly started going down - at 0.7m and 108MP we have the likes of the 1/1.52 HM2, then at 0.64m and 108MP resolution there is the HM6, a 1/1.67 sensor.

We already mentioned the JN1, another 0.64m sensor. As you can probably tell, sensors can be grouped by pixel size. For example, Samsung built several sensors on its 0.7m tech:

Now we get to the 200MP sensors, Samsung has two  the 1/1.22 HP1 (0.64m pixels) and the 1/1.4 HP3, which has the smallest pixels weve seen yet at just 0.56m.

OmniVision has a pair of competing sensors. The OVB0B has 0.61m pixels, the OVB0A matches the HP3 at 1/1.4 and 0.56m.

200MP is as high as current smartphone cameras have gotten. However, Samsung is said to be working on sensors with up to 600MP resolution, so this isnt the end of the road.

Before we wrap up we should quickly go over the advantages of having that many pixels. The first is obvious, bragging rights. We know that marketing departments love this, especially when they can slap a First! label on it.

But there are practical advantages too. Digital zoom has greatly benefited from this  the sensors that use pixel binning can usually do lossless digital zoom at the same factor (e.g. binning 2x2 pixels and zooming in 2x). Even when forced to do interpolation the end result is better because there are more pixels to work with.

Without a motorized lens this is the only way to achieve smooth zoom (e.g. in videos). Motorized zoom lenses that are tiny enough for modern smartphones are already on the market, though they are extremely rare.

Another cool use for high-resolution sensors is to treat them as two or even separate sensors. For example, half of the pixels can shoot at low ISO and the other half at high ISO, which can then be combined into a single image that has detail both in bright and dark areas. Staggered HDR does a similar trick except it varies the exposure time (low, medium and high).

Dual ISO

Staggered HDR

Thats it for today, next time we will look at the other branch and we will track the growth of smartphone image sensors up to the 1" mark. We've had 1" phone cameras before, but the Panasonic CM1 makes even the Xiaomi 12S Ultra look slender.
The vivo X Fold+ is this weeks biggest release (figuratively and literally) with its 8-inch folding screen, new chipset and larger battery. Does it have what it takes to make you reach for your wallet?

The big factor for many will likely be availability  vivo has not yet confirmed whether the X Fold+ will be offered in markets outside of China. The original X Fold from earlier never got its world tour so well just have to wait and see if the Plus model will fix that.



vivo X Fold+

We can also get pricing out the way  vivo X Fold+ starts at CNY 9,999 which is roughly $1,400/1,440/INR 114,500 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage trim while the 512GB storage model is CNY 10,999. That puts it in line with the likes of the Galaxy Z Fold4, Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 and Oppo Find N.

The big update with the X Fold+ is undeniably the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset which should provide 10% better performance compared to the SD 8 Gen 1 while also drawing 30% less power than before, bringing the phone in line with the latest Samsung and Xiaomi foldables out on the market.

The other noteworthy update is the battery department where the X Fold+ brings a 4,730mAh cell, which is rated at nearly 2 more hours of video playback than the X Fold and its 4,600 mAh battery pack. Charging is the best you can get on a foldable right now with 80W wired and up to 50W wirelessly if you have the proprietary vivo wireless charger around.

The display remains an excellent LTPO E5 Samsung AMOLED with 2K+ resolution (1916 x 2160 pixels) and a 120Hz refresh rate. You get a squarish 4:3.55 aspect ratio, which means some apps like Instagram will continue to look weird. The panel features an improved anti-reflective coating and is HDR 10+ certified.



6.5-inch cover display and 8-inch folding display

One of the key benefits on the vivo compared to something like the Galaxy Z Fold4 is its cover display which brings a more mainstream 21:9 aspect ratio. This should make it more usable in those times you dont want to open the big screen.

The cameras are impressive too  you get a proper 50MP wide, 48MP ultrawide and two telephoto modules - a 12MP camera with a 47mm lens for 2x portraits and an 8MP periscope camera with 5x magnification (60x digital zoom) and OIS. This is the same setup used on the original X Fold and is a lot more versatile than just about any other foldable out there.

Speaking of size, the X Fold+ is still a brick of a phone weighing 311 grams. Thats way heavier than the Mix Fold 2 (262 grams) and Z Fold4 (263 grams) and pretty much any other phone on the market. Its also physically larger than both of those devices at 162 x 144.9 x 6.3 mm in its unfolded state. Theres no official ingress protection rating though which is a bummer.

The software side brings vivos Origin OS Ocean on top of regular Android 12 and not the 12L version thats optimized for foldables and tablets. There are some neat additions like the mode that lets you prop the device on a surface in its half-unfolded state during video calls or while watching movies though thats pretty much it. Samsung is still the leader in terms of software on folding phones and we dont expect that to change in the coming months.

The X Fold+ also comes in a catchy new Huaxia Red color, which was not offered on the standard vivo X Fold. With the case for and against the X Fold+ made, lets take a look at the competition.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 is arguably the large screen foldable to beat right now. It boasts the most polished software experience, has the latest Qualcomm chipset and is IPX8 water resistant  something no other foldable apart from the Z Flip4 can brag about. The Z Fold4 also boasts stylus support, a decently sized battery and other neat features like Samsung DeX.

Sure, the cameras are still not on the level of the top-tier flagship phones, but they do match the ones on the S22 and S22+ which are very dependable. Charging is still capped at just 25W, though, which is far behind the rest of the industry at this point.

Theres Xiaomis Mix Fold 2 which brings a similarly sized 8-inch 120Hz AMOLED screen and Snapdragon 8 + Gen 1 chipset alongside a 4,500 mAh battery with 67W fast charging. The camera department is pretty respectable with a 50MP main cam, 13MP ultrawide and 8MP telephoto with 2x optical zoom.

Xiaomis foldable is also one of the sleekest such devices on the market at just 5.4 mm thin and its built like a tank. Its only available in China and we found its GPU to overheat in our review. Video recording capabilities here are less than impressive.

Lastly, we have yet another China-exclusive foldable  the Huawei Mate Xs 2. This one is the most expensive phone on the list at CNY 14,000 (2,000). It brings the less widely used outward fold design which wraps the screen around the device. The benefit here is that theres no crease which is quite appealing but the downside is that the device is more susceptible to damage with its screen wrapped around.

The cameras on Mate Xs 2 bring great quality both in daylight and at night. Mate Xs 2 runs on the older generation Snapdragon 888 (4G), has pretty disappointing battery life and no IP rating alongside the usual software limitations that come with Huawei devices.



Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4  Xiaomi Mix Fold 2  Huawei Mate Xs 2

So, what are your thoughts on the vivo X Fold+? Would you be willing to try it out if its available in your corner of the world or do you prefer the foldables offered from Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei and Oppo? Cast your vote below and chat it up in the comment section.

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You can also cast your vote here if you are having trouble with the widget above.
Contractors work on residential homes in Yigo in October 2021. The Guam Association of Realtors Community Service Committee will be hosting the Rise Up Housing Empowerment Workshop for prospective homeowners from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Oct. 8, 2022, at the Micronesia Malls center court.
A look at the University of Guam's 70th Anniversary Exhibit "Ina, Deskubre, Setbe" at the Guam Museum in Hagatna.
Dave Lotz is a vocal advocate for protecting Guams unique heritage, a knowledgeable and long-time hiking enthusiast and environmental advocate, and critic of inept government. He has been a resident of Guam since 1970 and retired from the Guam Department of Parks and Recreation, Andersen AFB Environmental Flight and the National Park Service.




Haiti - New Judicial Year : The Federation of Bars of Haiti refuses the invitation of the PM.





Friday, September 30, 2022, 3 days before the official date of the return to court (new judicial year), the Board of the Federation of Bars of Haiti (FBH) refused the invitation of Prime Minister a.i. Artiel Henry to discuss with lawyers by videoconference, of the reopening of the Courts on Monday, October 3, 2022.



In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister a.i., the Federation explains that the conditions are not met to organize a return to justice, reminding him, among other things, of the dysfunction of the Court of Cassation and the occupation by gang members of the Palace of Justice from Port-au-Prince...



Letter from FBH :



"Friday, September 30, 2022

Mr. Ariel Henry Acting Prime Minister

In its offices,



Mr. Acting Prime Minister,



It is with astonishment that the Board of Directors of the Federation of Bars of Haiti (FBH) has read a correspondence sent to us by your Chief of Staff this Thursday, September 29, 2022. This includes a kind of convocation for a videoconference set for this Friday, September 30 to discuss the reopening of the Courts.



The form adopted clearly reveals the weakness of the approach. What reopening are you talking about? The one that should have taken place in two days, this Monday, October 3, 2022?



Should we remember that the Court of Cassation of the Republic, Institution called to proceed with the solemn reopening, is no longer able to meet in audience, for lack of President, for lack of magistrates ?



Should we need we remind you that you have not yet deigned to grant new premises to the Palace of Justice of the largest Court in the country, evicted manu militari by a gang of thugs, that for more than four months ? https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36930-haiti-flash-bandits-make-the-law-at-the-palace-of-justice-in-port-au-prince.html



Should we remind you that in several jurisdictions such as Les Cayes, Saint Marc, Cap Haitien, the Government Commissioners multiply arbitrary and illegal actions, without any response from the Ministry of Justice, which does not even bother to respond to the multiple alerts from our Bars ?



Should we remind you that the Secretary General of our Federation, Incarcerated for more than two months [July 22, 2022] https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37226-haiti-flash-arrest-of-the-secretary-general-of-the-federation-of-bars-of-haiti.html for misleading reasons, will not be able to travel to meet you ?



Should we need we remind you that the country has been practically blocked for weeks, that it has been months since citizens no longer have access to fuel or essential goods and services ?



This off-the-cuff approach illustrates the quality of the 'dialogue' that you seem to promote in an attempt to maintain control. But of what control are you talking about ?



The control of this legal system which for a year has not been able to move forward on the slightest emblematic file, which buries the truth like the bodies of prisoners who died of hunger and thirst, who died from being piled up under your responsibility in unsanitary jails without ever having access to justice ?



The control of the inhabitants of this country whose hope for a better tomorrow is dying day by day, or even that of the armed gangs, whose power continues to grow ?



Control, finally, above all, of an image, of an appearance of control, as if our schools and our courts could function normally, as if our international friends could continue to conceal the real problems while evacuating the all of their staff.



Mr. Prime Minister, the Federation of Bars of Haiti (FBH) regrets to note that the conditions are not met to organize a ceremony for the return to court. They are not either to allow us to participate in the meeting fixed for this day.



With our regards,



For the Board of the Federation of Bars of Haiti (FBH):



Me Jacques LETANG President



Me Carl-Henry VOLMEUS Vice-Chairman."



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37253-haiti-arms-trafficking-me-robinson-pierre-louis-at-the-national-penitentiary.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37247-haiti-arms-trafficking-order-to-remain-in-prison-against-me-robinson-pierre-louis.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37226-haiti-flash-arrest-of-the-secretary-general-of-the-federation-of-bars-of-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37108-haiti-flash-seizure-of-120-000-ammunition-me-michelet-virgile-releases-the-alleged-traffickers.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37058-haiti-flash-seizure-of-tens-of-thousands-of-ammunition-at-the-wharf-of-port-de-paix-video.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34162-haiti-flash-president-jovenel-moise-assassinated-by-mercenaries-official-updated-7am-+-video.html



HL/ HaitiLibre


















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Pittsfield First Fridays Artswalk Features Exhibits, Studios

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  A dozen art shows and exhibits will be on display during the First Fridays Artswalk on Friday, Oct. 7 from 5 to 8 , with most art on open for viewing all month long.

The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, 28 Renne Avenue, and the Berkshire Art Association will present RE*Fresh, a Juried Biennial Show, for the month of Oct.. The exhibit will be on view Oct. 7 through Nov. 26, and there will be an opening reception for the public during the First Fridays Artswalk on Oct. 7 from 5 to 8 p.m.

RE*Fresh speaks of the challenges, inspirations, and new possibilities presented to all of us over the past two years. These issues are expressed and explored by 33 artists from the Northeast United States. In this juried show, 44 works, including paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography, and graphic design are represented, offering wide ranging interpretations of the theme.

Berkshire County artists included in RE*Fresh are Carolyn Abrams, Karen Bognar-Khan, Marguerite Bride, Joan Burkhard, Kasha Cooper, Kit Curry, Margaret Dotchin, Patricia Frik, Adrian Holmes, Marion Grant, Sarah Horne, Karen Kane, Ronald Maitland, John Mancia, Mark Mellinger, Alan Papscun, Ivor Parry, Barbara Patton, Janet Pumphrey, Ilene Richards, William Riley, Stacey Silkey Schultze, Ilene Spiewak, Kyle Strack, Scott Taylor, Jay Tobin, Jesse Tobin McCauley, Diane Wespiser, and Terri Wise.

Artists from the greater Northeast region include Evelyn Addante, Carrie Crane, Lydia Kinney, Julie Eisen-Lester, Joan Lengel, Kristina McComb, Janell ORourke, and Meg Rogers Eldredge.

RE*Fresh opens on Friday, Oct. 7, and there will be an awards reception on Saturday, Oct. 8 from 3 to 5 p.m. Gallery hours during the 6 weeks of the show are by appointment. Admission is free. To view this show virtually or in person after Oct. 8, call 413-499-9348 to schedule an appointment.

Hotel on North, 297 North Street, will feature Puzzle Pieces by J J Tobin for the Oct. Artswalk. There will be an opening reception with the artist on Friday, Oct. 7, 5 to 8 p.m., and the show will be on view through Nov. 30.

Tobins paintings have been influenced by Asian art, in particular calligraphy and folding screen painting. Puzzle pieces are used as an abstract design element or a kind of calligraphy. The work on display dates from 2018 to 2022, and features acrylic, collage, and polyurethane on canvas or wood.

Join Berkshire Art Center (BAC) at their new Pittsfield location at 141 North Street for creative family fun! Each month, BAC will offer Free Family Drop-Ins on the First Friday (5:30 to 7:30 p.m.) and Third Saturday (10 am to 12 p.m.) of every month. There will be a rotating set of projects for families to participate in at their own pace, with the guidance and support of a Faculty Artist, during this ART-tastic drop-in event. Free Family Drop-Ins are open to the public and all children must be accompanied by an adult. No registration is required.

For the month of Oct., TKG Real Estate, 137 North Street, will present Looking at Favorite Places Through Different Eyes. In this show, plein air artists from The Guild of Berkshire Artists have painted Berkshire landmarks in new and different ways. These artists see different perspectives, colors, and images: a novel view of familiar sights.

Presenting artists are Emily Bunnell, Kinney Freylinghuysen, Joan Gluck, Jenny Hensell, Caroline Medina, Walt Pasko, Susan Sabino, Sharon Stanfield, and Joan Stark.

There will be a reception as part of First Fridays Artswalk on Friday, Oct. 7, 5 to 8 p.m. The work will be up during the month of Oct. and can be viewed when TKG Real Estate is open.

The Marketplace Cafe, 53 North Street, will present Fine Art Photographer and Digital Artist, Nicole March, for the month of Oct.. There will be a reception with the artist on Friday, Oct. 7 from 5 to 7 p.m., and the work will be on view throughout the month.

Nicole March is an emerging artist born and raised in the Berkshires. "Creation begins with shooting pictures, often nature-related on a macro level, emphasizing fine details easily overlooked," says March. "I then digitally adjust components of the image including hues and slayers and the unconventional result is paired with an equally unique medium, metallic printing."

The Artists at the historic Clock Tower will host an open studios event on Friday, Oct. 7, 5 to 8 p.m., on the third floor of the Clock Tower at 75 South Church Street. Five established, visual artists are settling into their new studio spaces and have been joyfully working on new projects. Stop in to share their art and provide insight into their creative processes.

The artists hosting open studios at the Clock Tower during the First Fridays Artswalk are Marion Grant, Caroline Kelley, Mark Mellinger, Ilene Richard, and Sally Tiska-Rice. For more information, visit https:// clocktowerartists.gator.site.

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Pittsfield, 175 Wendell Avenue, will present PHOTOGRAPHIC VIEWS by W Katherine Hoak for the month of Oct.. There will be an opening reception with the artist on Friday, Oct. 7, 5 to 8 p.m., as part of First Fridays Artswalk, and the art will be on display through Oct. 23.

"The photographs being presented in this show indicate what I have always been drawn to, a love of animals, wildlife, and the beauty of nature," says Katherine. "My longing to see wild-life spurred my husband and I to go where we could see it. Wanting to hold on to those experiences led me to a deep involvement with photography."

Lee Bank, 75 North Street, will present paintings by Sally Tiska Rice for the month of Oct.. This will be a window display on view throughout the month. Select paintings will also be on view inside the bank during normal bank hours.

Sally uses spontaneity to compose artwork. She focuses on blending and layering to achieve depth and dimension. She also experiments with light and color to create a piece that will be enjoyed. Sally employs many different techniques into her paintings, using acrylic, watercolor, pastels, and oils. She also creates many beautiful commission pieces for customers internationally.

There will be drop-in art activities at ReDefine, 5 Melville Street, during the First Fridays Artswalk on Oct. 7 from 5 to 8 p.m. Their Endless Possibilities Pop Up Market will have a variety of artists and vendors, and there will be free community paint and creativity activities available.

Other participating venues are The Funky Phoenix (441 North Street), Mission Gastropub (438 North Street), The Beacon Cinema (57 North Street), and Somas Aromas (81 East Street).

Download the Downtown Pittsfield app in the App Store or on Google Play to follow a virtual walking tour of art on your cell phone.

For more information on First Fridays Artswalk, visit firstfridaysartswalk.com or call 413-443-6501.
Pittsfield Man Charged in Murder

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Police have arrested a suspect in the murder of a Pittsfield man on Friday evening.

Desmond Phillip, 42, is facing charges in the murder of 43-year-old Teddy Cepeda.

Police responded to a Goodrich Street address at approximately 6:30 p.m. Friday after receiving a 911 call and found Cepeda with a gunshot wound. Paramedics transported Cepeda to Berkshire Medical Center, where he died.

The Pittsfield Police and the Berkshire State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Berkshire District Attorney's Office established probable cause to arrest Phillip for the shooting.

The investigation into the shooting remains ongoing. Anyone with information should contact Pittsfield Police Detective Ignacio Matos at 413-448-9700, Ext. 576.

Phillip is expected to be arraigned on Monday.
Around 200 people participate in Saturday's 'Out of Darkness' walk to raise awareness and funds for suicide prevention. Berkshire Coalition for Suicide Prevention Vice President Bertha Connelley speaks at Saturday's walk. PreviousNext

Community Walks 'Out of The Darkness' for Suicide Prevention



Lori Murphy speaks at Saturday's walk about how mental illness and suicide has affected her family.

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Some 200 people participated in the Berkshire County Out of the Darkness walk for suicide prevention on Saturday. For some, it was a day to honor the life of a loved one and for others, it was a day to acknowledge themselves as survivors.

Walkers began at the Common, made a loop around Silver Lake, and returned back to the park. The walks began nationally in 2004 and has been in the Berkshires since 2015.

Members of the Berkshire Coalition for Suicide Prevention and others shared their stories during the event of how suicide affected them and their families.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. To contact the Crisis Text Line, text HELLO to 741741.

"We're all here because we have a connection to suicide," said coalition Vice President Bertha Connelley. "We acknowledge all the different connections that bring you here today."



According to data from American Federation for Suicide Prevention, around 46,000 people died by suicide in the United States in 2020. That is 125 per day and one every 11 1/2 minutes.



"We also know that 90 percent of these people had a diagnosable and treatable psychological illness at the time of their death," Connelley added.



"We've gathered here today to raise awareness, decrease the stigma, and support research that will help identify and treat people suffering from mental illnesses with the ultimate goal of continuing to lower these numbers ...



"So these are statistics, but behind every statistic, there's a real human being, someone that is loved beyond death, and who during their lifetime had many hopes and dreams."



She stood at the event for her brother, father, and son.



"All good men who suffered from depression. Whatever their demons were, over the years, the pain became too great to bear. These deaths were years ago, but they still hold more questions than answers for me. But those deaths fueled my passion for suicide prevention," Connelley explained.



"I stand here today for my whole family impacted by loss. I stand here because I don't want another parent, sibling, child, or friend to learn from a phone call that someone that they love has died by suicide. I don't want anyone to feel shame for having mental illness. It's not a choice and often it is treatable. We know that removing the stigma opens the doors to treatment as well as prevention."



She said stigma surrounding a death can also affect how well people adjust after loss and how community support can help them adapt, cope, and even grow through it.



"I look out at this crowd and I don't see a bunch of numbers. I see a gathering of courageous individuals who are willing to work together in the name of love to bring about change," Connelley concluded.



Coalition board member and recently retired Pittsfield teacher Lori Murphy shared her connections to the cause. Murphy is a survivor who also lost her brother to suicide.



She said her story has five short chapters.



"My journey out of the darkness began in 2007. It was my first year teaching psychology to high school students. While I relished creating lesson plans about the brain and other topics, I began to struggle with how to teach the unit on mental illness. I had a choice to make: deliver the lessons from a textbook perspective, or be real with my students and share my personal journey," Murphy explained.



"I chose the latter, although I was plagued with doubts and anxiety. Quite terrified, the first time I spoke about my experience with severe clinical depression, hospitalization, and the long road to recovery, when I finished the lesson one of the students spoke up 'But Miss Murphy, you seem so normal, and that was the point. To allow my students to see that mental illness, as with other illnesses, could in many cases be diagnosed and treated and a person could recover and flourish."



She taught the lesson plan for the next dozen years while omitting her own suicide attempt that led to her hospitalization, a fact only shared with close family and friends.



In late 2008, she was notified that her brother was greatly suffering from anxiety and sadness. For the next six months, she called him every night at 7 p.m. to check in and talk.



"For the first time in our lives. Dan talked to me about his struggles and his emotions. While we had always been close, like many men, he was never one to go down those roads. It was terribly difficult for him to ask for help. He did not want to appear weak or vulnerable," Murphy said.



"Dan was also suffering terribly every moment of every day, as he put it so well 'I just can't find my way back to myself.' While he did seek treatment, nothing worked and he refused to be hospitalized. Each day he put on what he and I would call 'the face' and gutted through work and life."



Dan drove away on May 20 and did not return. This forever altered the family and began chapter four of Murphy's story.



"The early stages of grief over the loss of my beloved brother were debilitating. My own three children, my sister, my students, and my closest friends were amazingly supportive. They were direct and loving. Many people, some I barely knew, shared stories of the suicides of their loved ones and invited me for dinner or walks. I am eternally grateful to all of them," she explained.



"I struggled the most when people purposefully avoided me or the subject of Dan's death. I went back to therapy and immediately found the local suicide support group which I still attend. I hiked alone in the woods with grief as my constant companion but slowly began to let go of guilt and what ifs. Neither was going to bring Dan back or keep me from sliding downhill. I also knew that what Dan had wanted the most in those last six months was to be able to laugh again and to feel joy, and I knew he would want that for me as well. So I just kept moving forward one step at a time."



The last chapter of this story of where fully Murphy came out of the darkness in 2011, attending her first overnight walk in New York City.



Murphy said it was overwhelming and comforting to see tens of thousands of people walking in memory of loved ones lost to suicide and for the first time, she was able to let others know that she was a survivor of and lost someone to suicide by wearing the colored beads.



"I do not stay silent anymore if I know that sharing my story will help someone. We know from research that talk saves lives and silence can be deadly. A wise man from our support group recently noted that while none of us signed up to be in this club, our loss can make us more compassionate and empathetic. We are connected to each other through our grief," she concluded. "I am still moving through the trauma of loss toward finding peace. I know that I am not alone. Please know that you are not alone."



Nine different colors of beads were available at the event to allow participants to indicate how they have been touched by suicide  loss of a child, spouse or partner, parent, sibling, friend, person in the military or first responder, or personal struggle or attempt, as well as for supporting someone who struggles and for prevention.



"It's not something that I like to talk about. It's not something that that's easy to talk about," survivor Paul Johansen said. "And I've been thinking about trying to turn that into something positive and I guess today's the day."



After a fellow patient died of suicide in the mental health facility that Johansen was in, he became convinced that it was not a good option. Though he did not know her well, there was shared devastation among the patients at the facility and it was difficult for him to imagine what her family was going through.



In 2015, Johansen went through that grief process when his cousin died of suicide at the age of 55.



"This is my seventh walk. It's nice to see that it gets bigger and bigger every year, even on cold rainy days," he said. "I think that speaks to reducing stigma and I think that's the only way to face this problem."



The fundraising goal for the walk was $80,000. The top fundraising teams were the Stockbridge Stompers, Team Tommy, BCSP, Annie's Angels, and Dylan's Eagles.

For resources and to find more walks, visit the American Federation for Suicide Prevention's website.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. To contact the Crisis Text Line, text HELLO to 741741. More information on crisis hotlines in Massachusetts can be found here.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 207 kg of drugs valued at Rs 1,476 crore in Mumbai concealed in cartons of imported oranges.

Acting on intelligence inputs, the DRI mounted a vigil and on 30th Sept intercepted a truck in Vashi, carrying Valencia oranges imported from South Africa. After being cleared from the Customs area, the oranges were moved to a cold storage in Vashi.

DRIs Mumbai team searched the truck on October 1 and recovered 198 kg of high purity crystal methamphetamine (ice) and 9 kg high purity cocaine the total value of the drugs is Rs. 1,476 crores. This is one of the biggest drug seizures in the country.

The modus operandi appears to have been adopted as perishable goods normally get easier clearances and are not stopped on the way.

The importer of the goods has been caught and is being interrogated. Further search operations are on to crack the wider network of the drug smuggling racket.
India continues to support the long-term development and progress of Maldives as both countries exchanged an agreement for USD 100 million Line of Credit (LoC) on Sunday to assist and facilitate ongoing key infrastructure projects in the island nation.

India also handed over a speed launch to the Maldives Correctional Services under Indian grant assistance as Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, currently on a three-day visit to Male, reviewed the entire spectrum of India-Maldives cooperation with his counterpart Ahmed Latheef.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced an offer of a new Government of India Line of Credit of USD 100 million to finance infrastructure projects in the Maldives during the visit of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to India in early August, this year.

India-Maldives development partnership has witnessed rapid growth in recent years and covers large infrastructure projects, community-level grant projects, and capacity-building programmes that are based purely on the requirements of the Maldives.

The largest landmark infrastructure project in the Maldives  the USD 500 million Greater Male Connectivity Project  is also being built under the grant and concessional loan support from India.



Both sides also positively assessed the robust growth in bilateral ties and discussed ways to further build on the momentum.

Thanking New Delhi for the vessel procured under Indian Grant Assistance which will greatly assist Correctional Officers in serving the Maldivian community, Latheef said that the relationship between both countries continues to grow stronger and deeper, setting the stage for more intense discussions on a diverse range of issues of mutual interest.

The impacts of these projects are profound and meaningful, as they contribute and serve to keep our community constantly developing and thriving, tweeted the Foreign Minister of Maldives.



Earlier in the day, the Indian Foreign Secretary also called on Solih at the Presidents Office.

At the meeting, Kwatra emphasised that the Maldives response to the Covid-19 pandemic was exemplary as the country has nearly restored its economy to pre-pandemic levels.

He also stated that the Maldives is one of the most important regional partners and that India would continue to support numerous developmental projects in the Maldives.

President Solih stated that India has consistently proven to be the closest friend of the Maldives and conveyed his gratitude to the Indian government for its continued support and assistance to the country.

Also Read: Singapore says India will be a major tent pole in the emerging multipolar world
How often do we find ourselves in the same spot? Maybe a favourite restaurant, that nostalgic bookstore you keep visiting year after year, or your cosy corner coffee shop at the end of the street Now imagine someone capturing you in that exact spot after a gap of nine years. Feels surreal, no? Well, this is exactly what happened with a woman in London.

Woman captured in the same spot, 9 years apart

Mother captured on Google Maps standing in exactly the same spot in Carlisle NINE years apart : Leanne Cartwright, 41, was photographed by the Google car standing in the same spot in her hometown of Carlisle, Cumbria - nine years apart in a 'one in a https://t.co/QQFEUWc7Xr pic.twitter.com/6XlTFgHYQC      (@SunDispatch) September 30, 2022

A mother, Leanne Cartwright, was captured at a traffic crossing on the corner of Victoria Place in London with a carrier bag in her left arm in April 2009. Nine years later, Google captured her in exactly the same position, holding two bags in a similar style, in August 2018. The moment is being described as a one in a billion moment. Leanne told LADbible, "It's like I'm frozen in time. I'm standing on exactly the same paving slab, and I've still got a bag on my shoulder. It's so funny but so bizarre."

She posted the picture on Facebook, and some people thought she was a time traveler. She said, "People probably think I'm a time traveller. I could be the only person in the world who they've caught in exactly the same place almost a decade later."

And he also added, "I did see the car the first time, so when it got published, we went on and had a look. Everyone thought it was quite funny, and I didn't mind at all."

People love the coincidence

People on the Internet had a gala time looking at the bizarre coincidence. A user commented, "That's kind of cool coincidence! She's also had a glow-up during the years, so that's nice for her."

Facebook Screengrab

Another user joked, "She must have been standing there the whole time, she just changes clothes sometimes because of the weather."

Facebook Screengrab

For more trending stories, follow us on Telegram.




Ecuador's embassy in the U.K. says it alone was responsible for cutting WikiLeak's founder Julian Assange's internet connection, stating that the country doesn't want to interfere with the U.S. elections.

"The government of Ecuador respects the principle of non-intervention in the affairs of other countries," it said in a Tuesday statement. "It does not interfere in external electoral processes or support a particular candidate."

As result, the government has temporarily cut access to some private communications at the embassy, where Assange has resided for four years.

Earlier on Tuesday, WikiLeaks blamed U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for asking Ecuador to cut Assange's internet access, which was shut down on Saturday. The State Dept. said that didn't happen.

"Thats just not true. He didnt raise that." said spokesman Mark Toner. "We werent involved in this. We had no involvement in any way, shape, or form in trying to shut down Mr. Assanges access to the internet."

In its Tuesday statement, the Ecuadorian government indicated it was a unilateral decision, saying it does not yield to pressure from foreign states.

It pointed out that while Assange has no internet access, Wikileaks hasn't been restricted from carrying out its journalism.

Assange had previously vowed to release stolen emails from a Hillary Clinton aide, which might hurt her presidential election chances. WikiLeaks has already released thousands of those documents and continues to do so.

The U.S. government, however, suspects that WikiLeaks is helping Russian government hackers to influence the outcome of the presidential election. Earlier this month, U.S. intelligence agencies publicly pointed a finger at Russia for hacking U.S. officials and political groups, and then publishing the stolen documents through sites such as WikiLeaks.

WikiLeaks hasn't named its sources, but Assange has denied trying to sabotage Clinton's campaign. The site is fighting off speculation that he is a Russian spy and also recruiting an army of internet users to defend itself from critics.
Voice of Americas documentary, Symphony of Courage, had its world premiere on October 1 at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, Portugal. The documentary recounts the 2021 escape from Afghanistan - and to a new home in Portugal - of the Afghan National Institute of Music and its acclaimed Zohra Orchestra, Afghanistans first all-female ensemble, in the wake of the Taliban ban on most music performances in the country ANIMs first public concert since the evacuation followed the screening.

VOA will air the gala concert, titled Light and Hope, in Afghanistan on October 8 (8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. local time), bringing into Afghan homes a concert the Taliban has denied them. In addition, the concert will be available on VOAs full-time satellite TV channel, Ashna TV (Yahsat Y1A, channel 469), and on its web and social media platforms. Anchored by VOA reporters, Farkhunda Paimani and Munaza Shaheed, the concert will be presented in the two primary languages spoken in Afghanistan, Dari and Pashto. The program will also include a behind the scenes look at the musicians. In addition to Dari and Pashto, VOA will carry news coverage of the concert in Lisbon in many other languages.

The VOA documentary, Symphony of Courage, features two girls, cousins Farida and Zohra Ahmadi, ANIMs last students to escape the Taliban.

Through their eyes and their experience, we see the struggle of the Afghan people who have temporarily had their music taken from them, said Acting VOA Director Yolanda Lopez. The loss of the freedom to create, perform and enjoy music in Kabul mirrors the loss of many other freedoms in Afghanistan under the Taliban, like freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

Lopez welcomed a distinguished panel at the screening: The institutes founder and director, Dr. Ahmad Sarmast; ANIM board member Lesley Rosenthal of the Juilliard School and who assisted with ANIMs evacuation; and the VOA documentarys executive producer and director, Beth Mendelson. The moderator, composer Luis Tinico, is the director of the Youth Music Festival and Competition in Portugal.

The screening and concert coincided with the festival and International Music Day, an annual observance created by the International Music Council.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin has said the Leaving Cert has to be reformed and has warned some price rises in recent months will be permanent during his speech to the Fianna Fail Ard Fheis.

In his closing address, Mr Martin addressed Covid-19, health, housing, education, the cost-of-living, the climate and culture and identity.

He said the Leaving Cert in its current form has to be reformed and make sure that courses help students to prepare for the world of today and tomorrow.

He said: The Leaving Certificate in its current form was designed following Fianna Fails introduction of free secondary education.

But that was before most of the modern economy existed and before many of the pressures experienced by young people today had even been imagined.

The Leaving Certificate examination has to be reformed. It has to provide more options for assessment and to measure a more complete range of skills.

On the cost-of-livingtarget="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">, he said rising costs are caused mainly by Russias war in Ukraine.

He said the Government is determined to do everything wit can to help families, businesses and to protect jobs.

He said some factors pushing up prices, and especially energy prices, will hopefully be short-term in their impact and prices will follow the historical trend and reverse.

But he warned others will likely be more permanent.

He said the sheer scale of rising prices led to the Governments response to help people through the budget.

Every single household and business will benefit  with the biggest benefits going to those who are most in need, he added.

On housing, the Taoiseach said housing is the single most important social issue facing our country.

He said although the pandemic stopped a lot of building activity for a time, the strategy is starting to make an impact.

Mr Martin also took aim at Opposition partys and said the emptiness of their policys lack of a credible alternative shows that they know that our plans will deliver and they are doing everything they can to block them.

They claim to care about housing but have objected to 6,000 homes in Dublin alone in the last two years.

On healthcare, he said we have to do better and provide faster access to services and make new specialist services available.

To get faster access to treatments, and to reduce the waiting lists which have been made much worse because of the pandemic, there are many things which are being done, but the most important step is clear: We need to continue to provide more hospital beds  more doctors, nurses and health care professionals.

He said the Governments task to tackle climate change becomes more urgent every day.

He said: To protect our environment and to secure sustainable and affordable energy we simply have to end reliance on fossil fuels.

And the scale of biodiversity loss is becoming clearer all the time  we have to act to protect this most precious element of our natural heritage.

Ireland has the potential to be a world leader in offshore wind energy  and we are determined that this will happen.

The Ukrainian ambassador was also present for Mr Martins speech and said Ukraines struggle has been an inspiration.

Pictured Leader of Fianna Fail and An Taoiseach Michael Martin TD speaking to the media at the Fianna Fail Ard Fheis in the RDS Dublin. Photo: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

The Taoiseach paid tribute to the people of Ireland who have opened their communities, their homes and their hearts to the people of Ukraine.

Mr Martin said Ireland will not waver in our support for Ukraine and their future as a member of the European Union.

Mr Martin said Fianna Fail will always be proud of its central role in securing ceasefires, negotiating the Good Friday Agreement and developing North/South cooperation.

He said opportunities to tackle disadvantage and to tackle sectarianism have not been taken, and remain unfulfilled.

He said: There has been a lot of talk about unity and reconciliation but very little work done to actually build the bridges which make it happen.

Well that time is over. On the partys identity, he said we believe in the Republican vision set out in 1916 of a country which truly unites all the people of our island, which respects diversity, different identities and puts behind it the divisions of the past.

Mr Martin told the crowd that Fianna Fail believes it is the duty of every one of us to do the hard work of building understanding, unity and a sense of shared community.
A sculpture of a mother breastfeeding her baby will be the first Irish contemporary work acquired by one of the great museums in Florence, Italy.

It represents a remarkable achievement for its sculptor Paddy Campbell, who is a former owner of Dublins famous Bewleys Cafe.

The sculpture Mother and Child depicts Mr Campbells family friend Emily Dawson nursing her newborn daughter Coco 17 years ago.

The work will be inaugurated at Italys historic Museo degli Innocenti.

Coco and I are immensely proud of this collaboration. Paddy captured our love and eternal bond that words cannot convey

Mr Campbell, who began work on the sculpture in Dublin in 2005, said he was honoured.

This is a tremendous honour and so fitting for the beautiful story of Emily and Coco as the Innocenti museum is unique in exhibiting works of art relating to children, said Mr Campbell said.

It is part of the oldest public institution in Italy, originally a convento, which had been devoted to the hospitality and protection of children and their rights for six centuries.

Emily and 17-year-old Coco travelled to Florence to see the sculpture.

Emily said: Coco and I are immensely proud of this collaboration. Paddy captured our love and eternal bond that words cannot convey.

A dear family friend, Paddy had asked me while I was pregnant if I would be willing to sit for the sculpture once Coco was born.

Paddy Campbells Mother and Child sculpture in its new home in The Museo degli Innocenti in Florence (Media Consult/Agatino Vacante/PA)

Coco was just five weeks old when we sat on a makeshift wooden revolving stand as Paddy moulded us over the course of six weeks into a life-size wax model.

My newborn and I sat bare, she didnt know any different, kept comforted by the warm milk from my breast and skin-to-skin contact.

We were warmed by a small gas fire, hot tea and conversations on life, love and loss in a small studio above a garage in Fairview.

Mr Campbell cast his Mother and Child sculpture in various materials, which culminated in the Carrara marble version carved by Dario Tazzioli.

This is now installed on permanent display at the Museo degli Innocenti alongside works by artists such as della Robbia, Botticelli and Ghirlandaio.

The former orphanage turned museum also houses Unicefs research centre for child wellbeing, which carries out work into the importance of breastfeeding, among other issues.

Mr Campbells book about the sculpture, Mother and Child  A Secret Hidden In Stone, will be launched in Bewleys Cafe on Grafton Street on Thursday October 6.

The book is available for a recommended donation of 20, with the proceeds going to Unicef to help children at risk of famine.

Unicef Ireland executive director Peter Power said the charity was grateful for Mr Campbells support.

It is fitting that Paddys touching depiction of Mother and Child will find its home in the same institution in Florence as Unicefs global research teams, he said.

For more than six centuries, this historic building has been devoted to the protection of vulnerable children. And now, the support generated by Paddys work will help to further Unicefs mission to safeguard the rights of every child.
The federal government has accused telco Singtel Optus of dragging its feet on providing full details of users whose data was compromised in a data breach which the telco reported on 22 September.

Government Services Minister Bill Shorten told a media conference in Melbourne on Sunday morning that a request on 27 September had sought more details about the Medicare and Centrelink data that had been leaked in the data breach.

The best thing you can do right now @optus to repair your brand is spend less time posting ads in newspapers and bus stops and more time helping people replace their ID numbers at no cost to them. And then overhaul your security (or lack there of) pic.twitter.com/bk4Cxu1wqr  Glen Codes (@GlenCodes) October 1, 2022

Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said it was important that Australians realised that 10,200 people had already had their data shared on the Internet.

"Optus have advised me that they have [told] those 10,200 people who they are. And I want to say to those people that I would advise you and the Australian Government's advice to you is that if you have been told you are the subject of that particular part of the breach, you should proceed immediately to cancel relevant ID cards, to cancel your passport and do whatever else is needed to make sure that you are getting fresh identity documents based on the email that was provided to you."

Inreleased on 28 September, headlined "Optus update on Medicare ID Number", the telco claimed, "We are in contact with Services Australia and we will be letting all affected customers know the guidance on the steps they can take."

Optus has said more than 37,000 Medicare numbers were exposed in the data breach of which about 15,000 are active.

Said Shorten: "...it's one thing to say how many people use Medicare numbers, but we actually need to get the data. So we're in a position to, if there's an attempt to use that number to gain further information, if we know who the affected people are, the Optus customers, then we can at least red flag if there's an attempt.

"I should also just repeat that we have multi-factor identification with Medicare. Just because someone has a Medicare number [it] won't be enough to be able to hack into your Medicare records. This data, we don't know what form [it is in].

"I'm sure Optus will eventually give it to us, but we don't know what form, how usable the information that they keep in there are. The way they keep their data will be for us to assess. So just the sooner we can get the data, the sooner we can get to putting in some protection plans for anyone who's been the victim of this crime."

Basic question about the Optus hack has to be: why are they holding all this information? Surely, there has to be a total ban on any such operators accumulating more information on people than is absolutely necessary for their basic function. It should not have to be 'opt out'.  Prof. Peter Doherty (@ProfPCDoherty) September 30, 2022

Shorten added: "...it's one thing to say how many people use Medicare numbers, but we actually need to get the data. So we're in a position to, if there's an attempt to use that number to gain further information, if we know who the affected people are, the Optus customers, then we can at least red flag if there's an attempt.

"I should also just repeat that we have multi-factor identification with Medicare. Just because someone has a Medicare number [it] won't be enough to be able to hack into your Medicare records. This data, we don't know what form [it is in].

"I'm sure Optus will eventually give it to us, but we don't know what form, how usable the information that they keep in there are. The way they keep their data will be for us to assess. So just the sooner we can get the data, the sooner we can get to putting in some protection plans for anyone who's been the victim of this crime."

"Keeping the very personal data of customers who had ceased to be

customers years ago. I have yet to hear a reason why that was going on."



What changes should be made to data protection laws in the wake of the Optus hack?#Insiders #auspol pic.twitter.com/08RUOFWFXY  Insiders ABC (@InsidersABC) October 1, 2022

Shorten stressed that it was the customers who had their data compromised who were the victims. "The people who are really in pain are not the senior Optus executives. The people in pain are the 10 million people who've had their privacy breached," he said.

"Sure, I get [it] if they've got to have a legal strategy, that's what corporations do. But the first priority has to be surely to protect Australians. That's why we just want to be honest. I don't know why they're not on the phone every couple of hours telling us how they're going, getting the data ready in a form which we can use... the drawbridge needs to come down."

The last public statement made by Optus about the breach was two days ago.
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.
A United Nations peacekeeper has been killed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the UN and Congolese officials said on Saturday, in the latest violence to hit the conflict-torn region.

The UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC, known as MONUSCO, stated that suspected members of the Twirwaneho militia conducted the attack on Friday night in the Minembwe area of South Kivu province.

"A peacekeeper was killed by armed men who approached the base after having contacted MONUSCO for a surrender," MONUSCO said.

"Attacks against peacekeepers may constitute a war crime," it added, calling on Congolese authorities to hold the perpetrators responsible.

The Twirwaneho militia is one of over 120 armed groups in volatile eastern DRC. It claims to represent the interests of the Banyamulenge, a Congolese Tutsi community.

A Congolese army spokesman in the Minembwe area, Lieutenant Jeremie Meya, also said that Twirwaneho militiamen had killed the UN peacekeeper under the "ruse" of turning themselves in.

"These thugs shot the victim at close range and (he) died on the spot, they fled after this crime and disappeared," Meya said.

Kibibi Saint Cadet, the head of a civil-society group in Minembwe, told AFP that the UN peacekeeper who had been killed was Pakistani.

MONUSCO was unable to immediately confirm the nationality of the slain peacekeeper, however.

The attack comes after deadly anti-UN protests shook eastern DRC in July. Thirty-two demonstrators and four UN troops died over the course the week-long unrest, according to a Congolese toll, and UN bases were ransacked.

Many Congolese are frustrated by MONUSCO's perceived ineffectiveness in the face of persistent violence.

The UN first deployed an observer mission to eastern Congo in 1999.

It became the peacekeeping mission MONUSCO -- the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo -- in 2010, with a mandate to conduct offensive operations.

It currently has about 16,000 uniformed personnel.
NEW YORK, Oct. 1, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE)  WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, is reminding buyers of the securities of Palantir Technologies Inc. (NYSE: PLTR) between November 9, 2021 and May 6, 2022, both inclusive dates (the Collection Period), of the important November 14, 2022 Deadline for Lead Plaintiff.

SO WHAT: If you purchased Palantir Securities during the Class Period, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of expenses or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join Palantirs class action lawsuit, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=8711 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll free at 866-767-3653 or by email [email protected] or [email protected] for information about the Class Action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you want to appear as lead plaintiff, you must call the court by November 14, 2022 at the latest. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other group members in conducting the litigation.

WHY ROSES LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified advisors with a track record in leadership positions. Frequently, companies that issue notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or meaningful recognition from peers. Many of these law firms do not actually conduct securities class actions, but are merely intermediaries who refer clients or work with law firms who actually hear the cases. Be wise in choosing a lawyer. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors worldwide and focuses its practice on securities class actions and shareholder derivatives litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest-ever settlement of a securities class action lawsuit against a Chinese company. Rosen Law Firm was ranked #1 in 2017 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for the number of securities class action settlements. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 every year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019
Bosnia will head to the polls on Sunday to take part in the general election after a campaign season marked by threats of secession, political infighting and fears of future unrest as ethnic tensions rise in the country.

Voters will cast their ballots in a dizzying array of contests, including for the three members of Bosnias tripartite presidency, deputies to the central parliament and a number of local races.

Polling stations will open at 7:00 a.m. local time (5:00 GMT).

Nearly three decades after war devastated the Balkan country, Bosnia continues to be weighed down by its ethnic divisions.

The Balkan state was governed by a dysfunctional administrative system created by the 1995 Dayton Accords, which successfully ended the war in the 1990s but largely failed to provide a framework for the countrys political development.

Bosnia remains divided between a Serbian entity  the Republika Srpska (RS)  and a Muslim-Croat federation linked by a weak central government.

After the war, ethnic political parties have long exploited the countrys divisions to stay in power.

 coalition conflict 

Ahead of Sundays vote, the country was torn between secessionist Orthodox Serbs and Catholic Croats, who called for more autonomy and electoral reforms.

The countrys Muslim Bosniaks will also face the choice of voting for a disparate 11-party coalition seeking to overthrow the rule of the mainstream SDA.

Led by Bakir Izetbegovic  the son of independent Bosnias first president  the SDA has largely dominated the countrys political scene for decades.

Many voters say the lack of young candidates with fresh ideas has left them largely uninspired on the eve of the election.

Most of the candidates who apply are the ones weve observed over the past twenty years, said Sara Djogic, a 21-year-old philosophy student in the capital, Sarajevo.

There are not many who offer something new, she added.

With little or no polling data available, analysts say incumbents and nationalist parties that have dominated the post-war political scene are likely to win many of the races.

Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik is seeking his third term as RS President after serving one term in the tripartite presidency.

Over the past year, Dodik has fueled tensions with his frequent calls for Bosnian Serbs to move further away from the countrys central institutions, earning him fresh sanctions from the US in January.

Dodiks main challenger Jelena Trivic has vowed to crack down on corruption in the RS if she is elected.

Our revenge will be the law, said Trivic before the election.

 fear of turbulence 

Political unrest is also brewing for the countrys Catholic Croats.

Ahead of the election, many Croatians have called for electoral reforms and the leading nationalist party HDZ has threatened to boycott the contest.

Their grievances are riddled with the Bosniaks huge numerical advantage in the Muslim-Croat federation, which has allowed Muslim voters to retain de facto control over who can be elected to lead the Croats at the presidential level.

The HDZ and other Croatian parties have called for the creation of a new mechanism that would allow the community to elect its own representatives to the presidency and the upper house.

However, the move was fiercely opposed by the ruling Bosniak Federation Party.

With threats of new boycotts, fears are growing of potential post-election turmoil if incumbent Croatian co-president Zeljko Komsic  who has been widely reviled by all Croatian parties that see him as a Bosniak proxy  is re-elected.

The ever-present threats and vitriol have prompted some to skip Sundays voting booth.

I dont expect anything new after these elections. Everything will stay the same, said Mira Sladojevic, a pensioner in her 70s in Sarajevo.

I havent voted in a long time, she added.
Germanys most strategic construction site lies at the end of a windswept pier on the North Sea coast, where workers are assembling the countrys first liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal.

From this winter, the oil rig near the Wilhelmshaven port will be able to deliver the equivalent of 20 percent of the gas that was imported from Russia until recently.

Since invading Ukraine, Moscow has cut gas supplies to Germany, while the Nord Stream pipelines, which were transporting vast amounts under the Baltic Sea to Europe, were damaged last week in what a Danish-Swedish report called a premeditious act.

In its search for alternative sources, the federal government has invested billions in five projects like the one in Wilhelmshaven.

In total, the new fleet should be able to process around 25 billion cubic meters of gas per year, which is about half the capacity of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.

 New platform 

At the construction site in Wilhelmshaven, the semi-finished concrete platform jutting out of the sea sprays workers in fluorescent yellow vests with a fine mist.

Back on the mainland, a steady stream of trucks is delivering lengths of gray pipe that are meant to route the terminal to the gas grid.

LNG terminals allow for sea imports of natural gas that has been refrigerated and liquefied for ease of transportation.

A special vessel known as the FSRU, which can store the fuel and convert LNG back into ready-to-use gas, will also be connected to the platform to complete the installation.

Unlike other countries in Europe, Germany has not had an LNG terminal so far, but was dependent on relatively cheap pipeline supplies from Russia.

But since invading Ukraine, Germany has set about weaning itself off of Moscows gas exports, which previously made up 55 percent of its supplies.

To diversify its sources, ensure adequate fuel supplies and keep its factories running, Berlin has bet heavily on LNG to fill the gap left by Russian imports.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz last week signed a deal with the United Arab Emirates for the supply of LNG while touring the Gulf states in search of new sources.

Renting five FSRU vessels to connect to the new terminals has also cost Berlin three billion euros ($2.9 billion).

 Surroundings 

After the outbreak of war in Ukraine, Germany passed a law that drastically accelerates the approval process for LNG terminals.

In Wilhelmshaven, the work is progressing rapidly. The terminal should be ready this winter, says Holger Kreetz, who heads the project at German energy company Uniper.

The strategic importance of the terminal allowed the construction work to progress surprisingly quickly. Typically, a project like this takes five to six years, Kreetz told AFP.

The arrival of the new terminal was welcomed by many residents of Wilhelmshaven, where deindustrialization has pushed the unemployment rate to 10 percent, almost double the national average.

Its good that its in Wilhelmshaven it will bring jobs, Ingrid Schon, 55, told AFP.

Opposition comes from groups concerned that the accelerated permitting and construction deadlines could come at the expense of the environment.

In August, young activists from the Ende Gelande group managed to block the site in Wilhelmshaven for a day.

The German environmental organization DUH said the work would irreversibly destroy sensitive ecosystems and endanger the habitat of endangered porpoises.

The source of the fuel was also a sore point, as concerns were raised that natural gas produced by fracking in the United States could be imported through the new terminal.

Criticism of the project was dismissed by Economy Minister Robert Habeck, a Green Party politician, who emphasized the importance of energy security.
The body of prominent US ski mountaineer Hilaree Nelson, who died on Nepals Manaslu summit, was cremated near a Buddhist stupa in Kathmandu on Sunday.

Nelsons body was found on the slopes of the worlds eighth highest mountain on Wednesday, two days after it disappeared while descending from its summit.

Monks chanted prayers and played traditional drums while their families and other climbers offered flowers and traditional Buddhist shawls on their bodies.

The cremation was conducted today, accompanied by her brother, other climbers and officials, Jiban Ghimire of Shangri-La Nepal Trek, which organized the expedition, told AFP.

Orange marigold flowers adorned the cremation area at the base of the Swayambhu Nath Stupa, one of the holiest Buddhist sites in Nepal.

Nelson, 49, was recognized as one of the worlds most talented ski mountaineers and has been involved in dozens of expeditions around the world.

A decade ago, she became the first woman to scale both the worlds highest mountain, Everest, and the adjacent Lhotse peak within 24 hours.

Then, in 2018, she returned to Lhotse and made the mountains first ski descent, and her accomplishments earned her the prestigious National Geographic Adventurer of the Year award that year.

Jim Morrison, who had accompanied Nelson and was able to drive away safely, led the search operations that located her body after poor weather hampered earlier rescue efforts.

Morrison said after the ceremony he would take the ashes home to the United States, where Nelsons two children live.

It was meant to be a beautiful tribute that Hilarees family and I think they would like to see things done that way, he said. Your charisma will continue to touch us all.

Tributes are pouring in from top climbers around the world, thanking her and calling her a groundbreaking and inspiring adventurer.

On the day of Nelsons accident, an avalanche hit between Camps 3 and 4 on the 8,163-meter mountain, killing Nepalese climber Anup Rai and injuring a dozen others who were later rescued.

The deaths of Nelson and Rai are the first confirmed casualties of the autumn climbing season in Nepal.

Constant rain and snow presented a challenge for the 404 paying climbers attempting to reach the summit of Manaslu this year.
Ryu Sung Joon (Ok Taecyeon) bloodily escaped from Baek Moon Gang (Kim Beop Rae), who was trying to kill him. Fortunately, he found Jo Eun Ki's (Jung Eun Ji) card and asked her for help in "Blind" episode 5.

'Blind' Episode 5: Jo Eun Ki Helps Ryu Sung Joon Escape From Baek Moon Gang

Detective Ryu Sung Joon is wanted as he was accused as the mastermind behind the Joker murder case. However, he went missing from the public after Baek Moon Gang abducted him with the thought that he was the real culprit in his daughter's death.

He tortured him but was able to escape from his hands. Sung Joon, who was covered with blood, has no one to call. Luckily, he found Jo Eun Ki's card and asked her for help.

In particular, Eun Gi received a favor 10 years ago from judge Ryu Il Ho (Cho Hong Il) Sung Joon's father, and promised her strong trust as she received help from his father and son.

Ryu Sung Hoon Digs Deeper To Find More Evidence For Joker Murder Case

Meanwhile, the police were all on the lookout to find Sung Joon. As he was branded as a murder suspect, sparks began to ignite his brother Ryu Sung Hoon (Ha Seok Jin), who was in charge of the Joker murder case. He even received civil complaints and bloody letters delivered to his office. Public opinion toward him rapidly deteriorated.

Sung Hoon, who is well aware of the weight of a judge that a person's life depends on his decision, ran everywhere in search of the truth to take responsibility for it. He met an autopsy doctor and conducted a field investigation. But the more he did it, the more suspicious his brother was.

In the middle of the chaos, Baek Moon Kang, who was frantic about catching Ryu Sung Joon, like the police, went to the children's center warehouse where Sung Joon was hiding. But thanks to Eun Ki, who entered the place just in time, Sung Joon overcame the crisis, but he cannot be left alone without any countermeasures.

Did Ryu Sung Hoon Really Betray Ryu Sung Joon?

After their conversation, Sung Joon accepted Eun Ki's suggestion to ask his brother for help, and they immediately set a plan. Jo Eun Ki approached Sung Hoon and delivered a note written by Sung Joon. However, after he received the note, he reported it to the police.

The tension soared to a climax as Baek Moon Gang also joined to catch Sung Joon. Although he barely escaped with the help of his colleagues, the sense of betrayal towards his older brother, who reported him must be considerable. In front of Ryu Sung Joon, who was disappointed by his brother's action, Eun Ki welcomed a visitor. Ryu Sung Hoon suddenly appeared in front of them.

Sung Hoon completely deceived not only Sung Joon, but also the police to save his brother.

Interest is now focused on the reasons why Sung Hoon, who values law and principle, broke his own rules and came to help Sung Joon. What changes will come to their relationship who have been reunited with the situation.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 'One Dollar Lawyer' Episode 1-2: Namgoong Min Meets Kim Ji Eun

What can you say about "Blind" episode 5? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at KDramastars.

KDramastars owns this article.

Shai Collins wrote this.
Kenoshas public museums are offering a host of fall seasons programs:

Celebrations

Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead): noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22 at the Kenosha Public Museum. Join the Kenosha Public Museum and Bradford High School in celebrating the Day of the Dead. Learn about traditions of the holiday, celebrate loved ones through ofrendas, play Mexican games, create paper crafts for celebrating at home, and explore educational displays on community and culture by the Bradford students. Free and open to the public.

Native Artist Market: noon to 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 5 at the Kenosha Public Museum. Join the Kenosha Public Museum to celebrate Native American Heritage Month, which honors the rich and diverse cultures, traditions, histories and contributions of the 12 Tribal Nations of Wisconsin. In addition to being able to view and purchase art from the artisans themselves, there will be live music and several hands-on activities. Free and open to the public.

Halloween programs

Victorian Spiritualism: 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, at the Civil War Museum. Connect with your past self  or peer into your future  at this otherworldly event. Inspired by the golden age of magic, explore the spiritual lives of the Victorians through a performance by a stage medium, palm and tarot card readers, ghost stories and more. Light snacks and drink tickets provided. Adults only. The cost is $55 ($40 for Friends of the Museums members). Registration required at thecivilwarmuseum.org

Dinos in the Dark: Fridays, Oct. 7, 14 and 21 at the Dinosaur Discovery Museum. Bring a flashlight and walk among the skeletons of the Dinosaur Discovery Museum. The dinosaurs will come alive in the shadows as you discover their unique features. Sessions are at 6pm, 7pm, and 8pm. Advance registration required for this popular event. www.dinosaurdiscoverymuseum.org

Ghost Hunting: 9 to 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, at the Dinosaur Discovery Museum. Join the Dinosaur Discovery Museum after hours to hear spooky stories of strange happenings, explore possible evidence of the paranormal captured by real life ghost hunters including pictures and EVPs, and investigate the museum for yourself. For ages 18 and older. The cost is $20 ($10 Friends of the Museums members).

Crafting workshops

Woven Witch Hat Workshop: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15. Participants will weave a Halloween decoration. This witch hat is woven over a wire frame using black reed. Included are witchs legs and feet to hang from the bottom of the hat and ribbon. Perfect for the front door or a wall. The cost is $55, plus a $12 supply fee. Advance registration required.

Wet Felted Pumpkins Workshop: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20. Learn the basics of wet felting wool fibers in this fun  and soapy  class. Each participant will get to make at least 3 small pumpkins. No experience is needed, all supplies are included. The cost is $40, plus a $10 supply fee. Advance registration required.

Programs at Public Craft Brewing

PUBLIC Education: What the Heck is That? Museum Edition: 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18. Grab a beer and put on your thinking caps as you investigate some interesting items from the museum collections. This interactive, game-show style program will place you and your friends in the hot seat as you try to guess the identity and function of the object before the other teams. Will you come out on top? For adults 21 and over. The cost is $25 ($15 for Friends of the Museums members) and includes one beer. Held at Public Craft Brewing Co., 628 58th St.

PUBLIC Education: The Dinosaur Birds and Bees, 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15. How did dinosaurs, well, you know  Dinosaurs survived on our planet for hundreds of millions of years. Thats a lot of generations of dinosaurs and dinosaur babies. But how did these enormous reptiles do the deed? Join us to talk about the prehistoric birds and bees, to learn what we know about dinosaur sexuality, courtship, and nesting and parenting behavior. For adults 21 and over. The cost is $25 ($15 for Friends of the Museums members) and includes one beer. Held at Public Craft Brewing Co., 628 58th St.

Kids programs

Artsy Afternoon: 2 to 4 p.m. on select Fridays at the Kenosha Public Museum. Participants will explore the amazing world of art through the eyes of artists and see how their artwork can inspire your own. Try new techniques and get your creativity flowing. All materials included. For ages 5-6 and ages 7-10. Admission is free. Registration in advance is requested, but participants can drop in anytime from 2 to 4 p.m. The subjects: Oct. 14, relief printing; Nov. 18, painting fall trees; Dec. 9, watercolor snowflakes.

Resource Center Family Activity Days: 1 to 3 p.m. on select Saturdays at the Civil War Museum. Admission is free and open to the public. Oct. 29: Apple Cider Press Day. Learn how to make apple cider by hand. Do you have the strength to make this still-popular drink? Nov. 12: Candle Making Day. When days got shorter and nights longer during the Civil War, candles were important for light and warmth. Hand make your own beeswax candle to take home.

Sensory Friendly Days: Visitors of all ages with complex developmental disabilities, sensory sensitivities, or on the autism spectrum are given a safe, comfortable environment to explore the museum exhibits during special early-morning hours before the museum opens to the general public. Where possible, lights are dimmed and sound turned off. Trained staff are available to help visitors navigate the museum and offer supportive resources (noise-canceling headphones, fidgets, weighted blankets, quiet spaces), as well as opportunities for sensory engagement during your exploration of the museum. The sessions are 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, at the Kenosha Public Museum; 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, at the Civil War Museum; and 11 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 10, at the Dinosaur Discovery Museum.

Museum Munchkins: 9:30 to 10 .m. Wednesdays at the Public Museum. Get your preschoolers excited about science and the world around them. Each week they will learn about a different museum collection animal through songs, stories and activities. Subjects are: Oct. 5, Potoos; Oct. 12, Ravens; Oct. 19, Spiders; Oct. 26, Bats. Nov. 2, Vaquita; Nov. 9, Star-nosed Mole; Nov. 16, Gorillas; Nov. 23, Turkeys; Nov. 30, Whale Sharks. Dec. 7, Walruses; Dec. 14, Penguins; Dec. 21, Reindeer; Dec. 28, Polar Bears.

Civil War Museum lectures

Brother Joseph Dutton: Badger Soldier, Sinner, Saint: noon on Friday, Oct. 14. Brother Joseph Dutton, was born Ira Dutton in Storrs, Vermont, and grew up in Janesville. He served for the duration of the Civil War in the 13th Wisconsin rising from Quartermaster Sergeant to Lieutenant and District Quartermaster. Then went to Molokai Island Hawaii and spent 44 years ministering to the leper colony.

The Civil War Nursing Service of Sister Anthony OConnell and the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati: 11 a.m. to noon Friday, Nov. 11. Sister Anthony OConnell, and Irish Catholic immigrant, entered a religious community when she was barely out of her teens and spent her life serving in Catholic sponsored ministries. Her work in hospitals of Ohio, Tennessee, and Kentucky as a U.S. Army nurse during the Civil War brought her fame and undying admiration of the soldiers she treated
WGTD (91.1 FM) is owned and operated as a public service of Gateway Technical College and is an affiliate of Wisconsin Public Radio. For an updated schedule, go online to wgtd.org. WGTD 91.1-FMs Morning Show airs 8:10 to 9 a.m. weekdays.

Guests this week include:

Monday: Journalist Nora Neus, co-author of Muhammed Najem: War Reporter. The book (intended for young readers) tells the true story of a young Syrian teenager who demonstrated tremendous courage in venturing out on to the streets of his city to capture images of the violence there. His videos began to go viral after they were shown on CNN.

Tuesday: Herschel Kruger, director of Carthage Colleges production of Antigone.

Wednesday: Elaine Khosrova, author of Butter: A Rich History.

Thursday: Dr. Jason Karlawish, Professor of Medicine, Medical ethics and health policy, and Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. He is visiting the University of Wisconsin-Parkside next week to give a presentation on Alzheimers Disease.

Friday: Concert pianist Joanne Polk, who is on the piano faculty at the Manhattan School of Music. She plays a concert at Carthage College on Tuesday, October 11th.
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Securing prior authorizations is a daily ordeal for most doctors offices. Doctors report that, on average, they must get insurance company approvals 41 times every week. Of the authorization requests that are denied, fully 73% ultimately get reversed and approved, but the delays cause many patients to abandon treatment.

More significantly, many contested prior authorization requests cause serious harm  even when they are ultimately approved. In surveys done by the American Medical Association, 24% of doctors report that delays in prior authorization have led to serious adverse events for their patients. And 16% report that such delays have led to hospitalization.

Steve Cohen is an attorney.

He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, Denying essential medical care doesnt save money  or lives.

This episode is sponsored by the Nuance Dragon Ambient eXperience.

With so many demands on their time, physicians today report record levels of burnout. Burnout is caused by many factors, one of which is clinical documentation. Studies indicate physicians spend two hours documenting care for every hour spent with patients.

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Weather Alert

...FREEZE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM TUESDAY MORNING... * WHAT...Sub-freezing temperatures from the mid 20s to around 30 expected. * WHERE...Central and eastern Missouri, as well as west central and southwest Illinois. * WHEN...From 9 PM Monday to 9 AM CDT Tuesday. * IMPACTS...Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold. &&




An anti-Pyongyang group of North Korean defectors said Sunday they released eight giant balloons carrying face masks, Tylenol pills and other items toward North Korea the previous day.







Park Sang-hak, head of the Fighters for a Free North Korea, told Yonhap News Agency that the balloons also carried vitamin C tablets, booklets outlining South Korea's development over the past 50 years and USBs containing U.S. lawmakers talking about North Korea's human rights situation.







The balloons, which were launched from Paju, north of Seoul, around 10 p.m., also had placards reading, "The humankind condemns Kim Jong-un who is threatening to launch preemptive strikes on the Republic of Korea with nuclear missiles," he said.







The Republic of Korea is South Korea's official name.







Police dispatched to the scene seized balloons that the group had not yet sent and took Park into custody for questioning.







Sending such balloons across the border is banned under a law that was legislated to help reduce tensions in the border regions as North Korea has bristled strongly against such balloons and even threatened to shoot them down.







Earlier this year, Pyongyang also blamed its coronavirus outbreaks on items flown from South Korea.







South Korea's unification ministry has urged anti-North Korea civic groups to refrain from flying such balloons. (Yonhap)


In a bid to support the popularity of Korean wave or Hallyu worldwide, leading soju brand Soonhari is set to release a limited-edition collectible featuring 3 signature flavors headlined by BLACKPINK's Jennie in an all-new campaign.

Having selected Jennie as the global ambassador to represent the Soonhari ChumChurum brand, South Korean manufacturer Lotte Chilsung Beverage Co. Ltd. intends to launch a dynamic marketing campaign specifically targeting key areas such as the United States, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

READ ALSO: All BLACKPINK Members to Attend Paris Fashion Week as Luxury Brands' Global Ambassadors

The Korean beverage company is also set to unveil a much trendier packaging for its brand, designed to match the aspirations and active lifestyles of the younger market who are avid consumers of the popular soju drink.

"We are releasing the Soonhari x Jennie edition in limited quantities and will also introduce a special collectible gift box. The gift set will include a Jennie photocard, mini sticker, soju glass, and a limited edition Soonhari bluetooth microphone," says James Lee, General Manager at Lotte Chilsung Beverage Co. Ltd. "In addition, we will also release an exclusive Soonhari x Jennie merch promo to boost sales in key target areas such as the United States, China, and Southeast Asia."

"With this partnership, we hope to make Soonhari the premiere signature drink of Korea while also advancing the popularity of Korean wave or Hallyu using the star power of BLACKPINK's Jennie - one of the world's biggest K-pop idols."

Soonhari ChumChurum is a clear, colorless distilled spirit native to South Korea. It offers a light, sweet, crisp, clean taste, and a refreshing finish with fewer calories and lower alcohol content.

In 2016, Lotte Chilsung Beverage exported Soonhari for the first time in the US market. Since then, the brand has posted an average annual growth rate of 57% over the past 5 years. Demand for Soonhari has also risen exponentially together with the unprecedented surge of K-Pop's popularity worldwide.

RELATED ARTICLE: BLACKPINK Jennie to Make Special Appearance in 'Squid Game Season 2'? Here are the 'Clues'
New York, US (PANA) - The UN Secretary-General has strongly condemned last Friday's attack against a Company Operating Base (COB) of the United Nations Organization Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) in Minembwe, South Kivu, by suspected Twirwaneho combatants
Kanpur, Oct 2 (PTI) Five people were killed and 10 others seriously injured after a speeding truck rammed into a minivan in Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh in the early hours of Sunday, police said.

Four members of a family were among those killed in the accident that occurred in the Ahirwan area. The occupants of the minivan were headed to the Vindhyachal Dham for a 'mundan' ceremony, they said.

Also Read | Gandhi Jayanti 2022: Gandhis Sane Voice Guides Humanity That War is Not a Solution to Any Problem, Says Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.

Commissioner of Police, Kanpur, B P Jogdand told reporters that Sunil Paswan, a resident of Usmanpur, Naubasta was travelling in the minivan along with his family members.

One of the tyres of the vehicle was punctured when it reached the Ahirwan flyover on the Kanpur-Etawah highway. The driver, Suraj Singh, was changing the tyre when a speeding truck hit the minivan from behind, he said.

Also Read | Hurricane Ian: PM Narendra Modi Conveys Condolences to US President Joe Biden Over Loss of Lives in Florida Storm.

The injured were taken to the Kanshiram Trauma Centre where Paswan (45), his mother Rama Devi (61), sister Gudia Paswan (40) and sister-in-law Kasak (17) and Singh (20) were declared dead, the police said.

The remaining injured were shifted to the Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital for further treatment, they said.

Joint Commissioner of Police Anand Prakash Tiwari said an investigation has been launched into the matter and efforts are being made to trace the truck.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Amaravati, Oct 2 (PTI) The Andhra Pradesh government has sanctioned Rs one crore for the treatment of a two-and-a-half year old girl suffering from the rare Gaucher's disease.

Also Read | Mumbai Drugs Bust: DRI Officers Seize 198 Kg Crystal Methamphetamine, 9 Kg Cocaine Worth Rs 1,476 Crore From Truck.

Dr B R Ambedkar Konaseema district Collector Himanshu Shukla handed over the first set of 13 injections on Sunday to the girl's family for her treatment, an official press release said.

Also Read | MP Shocker: Pregnant Woman Drugged, Gang-Raped on Pretext of Giving Job; 4 Held.

In all, at least 52 injections have to be administered to the girl, with each costing Rs 1.25 lakh.

Gaucher's disease affects a person's bones and liver due to building up of fatty substances, causing enlargement of the organs.

As the family could not bear the high cost of treatment, it appealed to the Chief Minister during his recent visit to Konaseema to come to its aid.

The Chief Minister promised not only to sanction funds for the girl's treatment but also for her education and well being.

The district Collector submitted a proposal to the government on required funds and accordingly, a sum of Rs one crore was sanctioned for treatment of Gaucher's disease, an official release said.

The government coordinated with the injection manufacturer and secured the first lot of 13 to commence the girl's treatment.

Himanshu Shukla handed over the injections to doctors at the government area hospital in Amalapuram for the girl's treatment.

"This is a rare disease and there are 14 such children suffering from it in India. This is the first government hospital in the country where treatment for the disease is being provided," he said.

The Collector said a monthly pension would also be given to her family.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Kaziranga, October 2: The Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve under the jurisdiction of Eastern Assam Wildlife Division were reopened on Sunday for the 2022-23 season tourists. In a general notice issued by Ramesh Kumar Gogoi, Divisional Forest Officer of Eastern Assam Wildlife Division in Bokakhat stated that currently the park is partially opened only for Jeep Safari in two ranges-- Kaziranga Range, Kohora and Western Range in Bagori due to the conditions of the roads because of inclement weather.

"At present, tourists are allowed to travel up to Bimoli Tiniali via Donga tower under Western Range, Bagori and from Mihimukh via Daflang tower to Vaichamari Junction under Kaziranga Range, Kohora till further notification/orders," the DFO said in the notice.

On September 22, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma along with Sadhguru Vasudev opened the Kaziranga National Park for tourists for this season. Chief Minister Sarma, on the day, also unveiled three rhino statues at Mihimukh in Kaziranga along with Vasudev.

These rhino statues have been created using the ashes collected from burning rhino horns. It may be noted that on September 22, last year, the Assam government made history when a stockpile of 2,479 rhino horns were consigned to flames to send across a strong message to the poachers and illegal horn traders that rhino horns have no medicinal value.

The rhino statues thus created are an attempt to immortalize the efforts and dedication of those who selflessly protect Assam's pride, the great one-horned rhinoceros.

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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
New Delhi [India], October 2 (ANI): In view of the ongoing festive season and to review the preparedness of forces in case of any terrorist attack or untoward incident, the Delhi Police is conducting mock drills across the city.

An anti-terror response exercise was carried out in the South, North, North West, East and North East districts of Delhi.

Also Read | Twitter Bans Over 57,000 Accounts for Promoting Child Porn, Nudity in India.

Today, a simulated anti-terror response exercise was carried out at Shree Dharmik Ramleela, Madhodas Park and Red Fort.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police, North district Sagar Singh Kalsi, the mock drill scenario was like four fully armed terrorists caused a bomb blast and injured a few civilians while taking some civilians hostage in the basement of the ticket counter, Red fort.

Also Read | Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, CPI(M) Leader From Kerala, Passes Away at 69.

Immediately, a message was flashed to all agencies concerned including SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics), Fire, District Disaster Management Authority, Special Cell of Delhi Police. Within minutes of the incident, a command post was set up. 5-6 teams from the North District police were pooled in with complete bulletproof jackets and firepower to act as first responders.

First of all, complete access control was established within minutes and the incident site was cordoned off to avoid any further damage. All agencies responded swiftly. The terrorists were challenged by the team of North District under the supervision of Vijay Singh, ACP, Kotwali along with the Special Cell and SWAT team of Delhi Police.

During the mock drill, Out of the four terrorists, one was overpowered by the SWAT Team while the remaining three were neutralised. One hostage was recovered and evacuated safely and the injured were rushed to the hospital in good time.

The Ramlila at Red Fort is one of the oldest Ramlila venues in Delhi witnessing heavy footfall. Red Fort itself being a vital installation is a highly sensitive place and is vulnerable to anti-social threats.

Apart from this, a mock drill was also conducted near Model Town-II, North West Delhi.

According to Delhi Police, a PCR call regarding an unattended tiffin box with electric wires lying over it, near a medical store in Model Town-II was made at 1.17 pm. Immediately, police vans reached the spot at 1.20 pm. Subsequently, ACP, Model Town and SHO, Model Town, alongwith local police station staff with proper arms and ammunition, reached the spot.

Subsequently, reserve staff, along with the bomb disposal team and dog squad, were mobilized at the spot with arms and ammunition.

After this, DCP, North-West, initiated the operation to neutralize the tiffin box suspected to be a bomb. The suspicious tiffin was surrounded by sandbags to mitigate the potential threat and the area was cordoned off in two layers, the first layer upto 50 metres and the second layer upto 100 metres and information was shared with other teams including the ambulance, fire and traffic department.

The area was cordoned off and shops in the vicinity were closed the public were evacuated from the surroundings and thereafter secured the perimeter upto 200 metres. Information was shared with other teams including the ambulance and fire department.

ACP, Operations and his teams were tasked to analyse CCTVs nearby and to gather intelligence. Thereafter, a bomb disposal squad, dog squad, traffic team, Quick Response Teams of North-West District, CATS Ambulance and fire engines reached the spot. Traffic was managed on all the artillary roads.

A bomb disposal team examined the suspicious tiffin box with the help of the bomb detector and the dog squad also examined it. Nothing suspicious could be detected inside the tiffin box. Also, nothing suspicious could be found by teams of ACP/Operations. The tiffin box was then opened, taking due care and attention, by the bomb disposal squad team and some wires and nails were found in it. All the police stations of the district were alerted and markets in the area were checked.

The above operation was handled smoothly and without any hindrance. Due to swift action and the use of fine skills by police personnel and a stampede was also prevented. The situation was found under control, said Delhi Police.

In South District, two mock drill exercises were conducted in Main Market, Malviya Nagar and Saket mall. During the mock drill, a PCR call regarding a bomb blast was made, wherein the police vans reached the spot.

Subsequently, local police station staff, along with SWAT duty staff with arms and ammunition, reached the spot. Ambulance, BDS, Mobile Crime Team, Fire tenders, DDMA, QRT etc also reached the spot. 10 injured persons were shifted to Madan Mohan Malviya Hospital, Malviya Nagar from the spot.

Earlier on Friday, East District police had undertaken a special convoy patrolling and group foot patrolling covering the sensitive and crime-prone areas of the district.

The convoy patrol started from the DCP East Office complex with 14 four-wheelers, 60 two-wheelers, two buses and approximately 100 police personnel including female staff and additional staff got added to the convoy in each police station.

The convoy passed through the identified sensitive and crime-prone areas in the jurisdiction of four police stations -- Gazipur, Kalyanpuri, Pandav Nagar and Mayur Vihar which included Murga Mandi, Paper Market, Mulla colony, Rajbir Colony, Kalyanpuri, Supershine Chowk, NH-9, Noida More, Amichand Chowk etc. The convoy patrolling ended at Mayur Vihar police station and thereafter a group foot patrolling was carried out covering 16/16 Block Chowk, Trilokpuri, 20/22 Chowk, 26, 27, 28 and 32 Block, Trilokpuri etc. The residents, as well as the passers-by widely cheered, encouraged and appreciated the exercise of the police.

Earlier on September 28, anti-terrorist exercises were organized in North-East District. According to DCP North East Sanjay Kumar Sain, a comprehensive drill, involving all formations including Vajra, Multi barrel launcher, Water Canon etc, to impart practical training in mob control and use of tear smoke shells. During the exercise, a riot-like situation was created and tear smoke shells, and various formations (Arrowhead formation, Wall formation, Umbrella formation etc) were exercised. More than 250 police personnel participated in the exercise and 252 shells were used.

A mock drill for the execution of the "Yellow Scheme" which is a part of the Emergency Response Plan was conducted. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Mumbai, Oct 2 (PTI) A case was registered after an unidentified person sent an email to the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) threatening to blow up a flight of IndiGo airline, a Mumbai police official said on Sunday.

Also Read | Death Threat To Eknath Shinde: Threats to Maharashtra CM From Unknown Caller, Security Tightened at Official Residence Varsha.

The email threat, which was received on Saturday night, turned out to be a hoax after nothing suspicious was found post a thorough check of the aircraft, the Sahar police station official said.

Also Read | Haryana Shocker: House Help Dies of Electrocution in Gurugram, Sister Alleges Murder; 3 Booked.

The email had a sentence that read "I will blow up flight 6E 6045", he said, adding that an FIR has been registered under Indian Penal Code section 506B (issuing death threat) and other offences.

IndiGo, in a statement, said "due to a specific bomb threat, IndiGo flight from Mumbai to Ahmedabad was impacted on October 1, 2022."

"The bomb threat protocol was initiated and the flight operated after all the checks were completed," the airline said in its statement, though it did not share details like the number of passengers on board, flight number and delay in departure due to the incident.

Mumbai Airport, which is operated under a joint venture between Adani Group and the Airports Authority of India (AAI), declined to comment.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Mapusa (Goa) [India], October 2 (ANI): Mapusa Police on Saturday arrested a man from Belgavi, Karnataka with 11 grams of cocaine, worth Rs 1 lakh.

According to the police report, PSI Bablo S Parab informed that on Saturday at New Bus Terminus, Mapusa, a narcotics raid was conducted and the accused was caught red handed.

Also Read | Bihar Agriculture Minister Sudhakar Singh, Who Criticised Own Government, Resigns From the Post.

The accused has been identified as Zaheer Sheikh, who is a resident of Veerbhadranagar.

The team was led by PI Paresh Naik under the supervision of SDPO Mapusa, Jiviba Dalvi. 11 grams of cocaine, worth Rs 1 lakh was seized and a case under section 21 (b) of NDPS Act has been registered

Also Read | Mumbai: Minor Dies After Electric Scooter Battery Explodes in Vasai While Getting Charged At Home.

Further investigation in the case is underway. (ANI)

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Hyderabad, Oct 2 (PTI) Apparently taking a swipe at Centre's policies, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Sunday said that jawans and farmers are under stress, going against the spirit of 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan.'

Also Read | Udhampur Bus Blasts: Pakistan Exposed as Lashkar-E-Taiba Module Behind Explosions Uncovered, 1 Nabbed.

After unveiling a 16-feet Gandhi statue at the state-run Gandhi Hospital here, Rao said Father of the Nation is the source of inspiration for some of the state government's flagship programmes such as 'Palle Pragathi' (Rural development scheme) and 'Pattana Pragati' (Urban development scheme).

Also Read | Jharkhand Accident: Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik Announces Rs 2 Lakh Ex-Gratia to Kin of People Killed in Road Mishap.

The famous slogan 'Jai Jawan (soldier), Jai Kisan (farmer)' was coined by former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri.

I want intellectuals to ponder over what is happening before our eyes today.. We should not keep quiet what is happening today? The words of Shastri ji- Jai Jawan is being crushed by Agneepath (Centre's new scheme for recruitment in armed forces)."

On Jai Kisan slogan, he said the financial condition of farmers is facing deterioration due to lack of Minimum Support Price for their produce. Several suicides are taking place, he said.

Rao said statehood for Telangana was achieved following Mahatma Gandhi's principles and the state has been moving forward with the same ideology.

Earlier, the Chief Minister paid floral tributes at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Secunderabad.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Mumbai, Oct 2 (PTI) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday launched a campaign, under which it targets to connect with nearly 15 lakh beneficiaries of various government schemes and collect letters from them thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Also Read | Swachh Survekshan 2022 Ranking: 'BJP Has Yet Again Brought Shame to Delhi, Proved Its Incompetence,' Says AAP.

BJP's Maharashtra unit president Chandrashekhar Bawankule launched the "Thank You Modiji" campaign here and held a meeting on this in suburban Goregaon with party members.

Also Read | UP Accident: CM Yogi Adityanath Holds High-level Meeting After Kanpur Road Mishap.

"PM Narendra Modi has initiated several schemes for the benefit of the common people and successfully implemented them. There are some five crore beneficiaries of various schemes in the state. The party has planned to connect with nearly 15 lakh beneficiaries out of them and take letters duly signed by them thanking the PM," Bawankule said.

These letters will be sent to New Delhi on November 15, he added.

"Every party worker will get in touch with at least five such beneficiaries and collect their hand-written letters thanking PM Modi. In the second phase of the campaign, the target is to reach out to two crore beneficiaries by February 2024," 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 [India], October 2 (ANI): The Government of India on Wednesday cleared the appointment of Gen Anil Chauhan as the second Chief of Defence Staff of Indian defence forces.

His appointment as the new CDS came around 10 months after the death of his predecessor Gen Bipin Rawat, who died in a Mi-17 crash over Nilgiri hills in Tamil Nadu while moving towards the Defence Services Staff College there.

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Sources in the security establishment said that the government had seen the mettle of the officer during his various stints in the Army and post-retirement too.

Talking about the role played by Gen Chauhan in service, sources said that he was the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of the Indian Army at the time of the Balakot air strikes on February 26, 2019.

Also Read | Bihar Agriculture Minister Sudhakar Singh, Who Criticised Own Government, Resigns From the Post.

After the strikes, the Gen Chauhan as the DGMO at that time carried out the deployment of troops to deter the Pakistan Army from attempting any misadventure on the ground.

The Indian Air Force had successfully fired missiles on terrorist infrastructure created inside Pakistan. However, the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) facility was the main target of the aerial strikes mainly involving the Mirage-2000 fighter aircraft where terrorists had gathered for training.

In his role as the Eastern Army Commander when the Chinese Army showed aggression along the Northern borders in Eastern Ladakh, sources said that the Chinese had deployed their troops in the forward locations all along the sector.

"Gen Chauhan as the Eastern Army Commander being responsible for the areas stretching from the Chicken's Neck in West Bengal to Arunachal Pradesh carried out the force buildup all along the Eastern sector of the LAC," they said.

"The buildup was done by remaining below the radar and kept formations including the 17 Mountain Strike Corps at the forward positions to keep adversary confused on Indian reaction to any possible misadventure by them," people aware of the matter said.

The deployment and force match-up by Eastern Army helped in keeping the Chinese in check in their territory without any major incident except for a few instances including the one in Nakula in North Sikkim.

After his retirement in May 2021, Gen Chauhan was appointed as the Military Advisor to National Security Council Secretariat and was also deeply involved in building India's stand on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in talks with the Chinese at the Corps Commander level. He was also a part of the discussions at the China Study Group level to decide on the country's stand in the talks.

As a result of the tough stand by India on the LAC issue, troops of both countries disengaged from the friction points in eastern Ladakh created after the May 2020 unilateral aggression by the People's Liberation Army. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Bhopal, Oct 2 (PTI) The COVID-19 tally in Madhya Pradesh reached 10,54,343 on Sunday after the detection of 23 cases at a positivity rate of 0.5 per cent, an official said.

Also Read | Lumpy Virus: Karnataka Govt Releases Rs 2 Crore Compensation to Cattle Owners in State for Livestock Deaths.

The death toll remained unchanged at 10,771, while the recovery count increased by 20 to touch 10,43,461, leaving the state with 111 active cases, the official informed.

Also Read | Swachh Survekshan 2022 Ranking: 'BJP Has Yet Again Brought Shame to Delhi, Proved Its Incompetence,' Says AAP.

With 3,921 samples examined during the day, the number of coronavirus tests in MP went up to 3,00,53,298, he added.

A government release said 13,31,69,342 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered so far in the state, including 4,227 on Sunday.

Coronavirus figures in MP are as follows: Total cases 10,54,343, new cases 23, death toll 10,771, recoveries 10,43,461, active cases 111 number of tests so far 3,00,53,298.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Muzaffarnagar, Oct 2 (PTI) More than 200 Muslim inmates of district jail in Muzaffarnagar are observing navratra by fasting, apparently in solidarity with the Hindu prisoners and send a message of peace.

Jail superintendent Sitaram Sharma said that 218 Muslim inmates and 1,104 Hindu inmates are observing navratra fast for communal harmony.

Also Read | Mumbai Drugs Bust: DRI Officers Seize 198 Kg Crystal Methamphetamine, 9 Kg Cocaine Worth Rs 1,476 Crore From Truck.

He added that the jail authorities have made special arrangements to provide fruits, milk, and 'kuttu' flour for the fasting inmates.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Lucknow, October 2: Anil Shastri, son of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, vividly remembers the legendary leader's last birthday, especially the cutting of a cake resembling a Patton tank used by Pakistani forces against India. He said the celebrations on October 2, 1965, as compared to Shastri's previous birthday, were much higher as he had emerged as a hero, especially after the India-Pakistan war.

"I describe him as an honest, sincere, committed, dedicated and a fine gentleman, a brave person and a decisive man," Anil, a Congress leader, said about his father. Recalling Shastri's last birthday, he said, "Thousands of people from different walks of life had gathered at 10 Janpath, then the prime minister's official residence, to greet my father. At the time, a Congress leader had brought a cake, which resembled a Patton tank and urged my father to cut it.

"My mother Lalita Shastri expressed her unwillingness to the idea saying, "Hamare yahan cake kaatna sahta nahi hai," (cutting a cake is considered inauspicious in our family). But the visitors insisted saying it was not just a cake but a Patton tank. And eventually, the cake was cut," Anil, a former Union minister recalled. Lal Bahadur Shastri Birth Anniversary 2022 Images & HD Wallpapers for Free Download Online: Share Inspirational Quotes, Wishes, Greetings and Messages on Shastri Jayanti.

Narrating an incident wherein Shastri scolded him for using the official car, a Chevrolet Impala, Anil said, "He got angry, took the logbook from the driver and told him to take money from my mother for the distance covered."

When the country was reeling under food shortage after the US refused to send wheat, Shastri had appealed to the people to undertake fast, but not before asking his own children to make the same sacrifice.

"He checked whether we, the children in the family, could observe fast. Only after he was convinced that children in the family could do so, he appealed to the people of the country to go without food for sometime," Anil recalled. "This had a tremendous impact and this was the reason Shastriji's credibility was so high. People had faith in him as there was no difference in his words and actions," he said. Lal Bahadur Shastri Birth Anniversary 2022: Lesser-Known Facts About India's 'Man of Peace' on 2nd October.

After a rail accident in 1956, Shastri resigned as the railways minister taking moral responsibility. Narrating this incident, Anil said he was seven years old at the time. "I had asked him, 'babuji, you have resigned but you were not the loco pilot.' His replied saying, 'bete, I am the driver of my ministry'."

Shastri was born on October 2, 1904, in Uttar Pradesh's Mughalsarai and passed away on January 11, 1966, in Tashkent, which was part of the USSR and is now in Uzbekistan.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Rajkot, October 2: A plastic water bottle was thrown in the direction of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at a Garba event in Gujarat's Rajkot city, but the object did not hit him and passed over his head, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders said on Sunday.

A video grab of the incident, which took place on Saturday night during Kejriwal's visit to the Navratri event, showed the bottle thrown towards AAP national convener Kejriwal from behind as he walked waving at the participants. Gujarat Assembly Elections: Arvind Kejriwal Promises Permanent Jobs, Equal Work, Equal Pay to Contractual, Outsourced Workers If AAP Comes to Power.

The Delhi CM was accompanied by security officials and senior party leaders as he walked through the crowd of revellers. AAP's media coordinator Sukanraj said, "The bottle was thrown from some distance. It passed over Kejriwal's head. It appears the bottle was thrown at Kejriwal, but we cannot say for certain that this was the case. There was no need to approach the police."

Watch: Attack on Arvind Kejriwal in Gujarat.

Attack on Arvind Kejriwal in Rajkot, Gujarat. Bottle hurled at Kejriwal in a public rally. No complaint registered by AAP yet. Amit shares more details with @MalhotraShivya pic.twitter.com/1u9MaizMxk  TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) October 2, 2022

Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann are on a two-day visit to Gujarat from Saturday, ahead of the Assembly polls in the state due later this year. Mann also took part in a Garba event at another venue in the city. Gujarat Assembly Elections 2022: AAP Releases First List of 10 Candidates for Gujarat Polls.

The two CMs stayed in Rajkot during the night after holding rallies at Gandhidham in Kutch district and Junagadh on Saturday. They will jointly address two rallies in Surendranagar city and Khedbrahma town of Sabarkantha on Sunday.

(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, Oct 2 (PTI) President Droupadi Murmu will be on a two-day visit to Gujarat beginning Monday, according to a statement by the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

This will be her first visit to Gujarat as the President of India, the statement issued on Sunday said.

Also Read | Udhampur Bus Blasts: Pakistan Exposed as Lashkar-E-Taiba Module Behind Explosions Uncovered, 1 Nabbed.

Murmu will commence her engagement by visiting Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad on Monday, it said.

Later in the day, she will inaugurate/lay the foundation stone for various projects related to health, irrigation, water supply and port development at GMERS, Gandhinagar, the statement said.

Also Read | Jharkhand Accident: Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik Announces Rs 2 Lakh Ex-Gratia to Kin of People Killed in Road Mishap.

In the evening, she will attend a civic reception hosted by the government of Gujarat in her honour in Gandhinagar, it added.

On October 4, the president will launch 'herStart' -- a start-up platform of Gujarat University for women entrepreneurs -- and lay the foundation stone for various projects related to education and tribal development at Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, the statement said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Raipur (Chattisgarh) [India], October 2 (ANI): Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel today inaugurated the ambitious 'Mahatma Gandhi Rural Industrial Park Scheme' of the Chhattisgarh government and laid the foundation stone of 300 rural industrial parks in different districts of the state on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti.

On the initiative, CM said, "Gauthans of the state are being developed as Rural Industrial Parks to provide employment and additional income sources to the poor rural families of the state. Various livelihood activities are being conducted here with the joint effort of the state government and the rural populace".

Also Read | Eknath Shinde 'Death Threat': Angry With Hotelier, Drunk Man Calls Cops With 'Info' on Threat to Maharashtra CM's Life; Booked.

Addressing the programme, Baghel added that the Rural Industrial Parks will play a vital role in realizing Mahatma Gandhi's dream of Gram Swaraj by creating self-reliant villages. "Gandhi ji has always stressed on the need to give respect for labour intensive village-based small scale industries which have the potential to improve the rural and urban economy as well. Our government is also committed to doing the same. The state government is making and operating schemes keeping the individual at the centre, the motive of the scheme is to improve an individual's financial condition which in turn affects the society in a positive way" he said.

The Chief Minister informed that 300 Rural Industrial Parks are being developed in the first phase. For this, one to three acres of land has been reserved.

Also Read | Ankita Bhandari Murder Case: 3-Day SIT Remand of Three Accused Ends, Probe Agency Successfully Finds Motive Behind Crime.

In the first phase, two Gauthans in each development block are being developed as Rural Industrial Parks. A provision of Rs 600 crore has been made for this scheme in the budget of the state government.

"Rs 1 crore each has been provided to all the approved rural industrial parks. With this amount, arrangements are being made for the training of youth. These parks will be equipped with electricity and water facilities, a working shed and an approach road. Units for the manufacture of vermicompost, poultry, goat rearing, agricultural and horticultural crops and processing of minor forest produce are also being set up in the Gauthans developed under the Suraji Gaon Yojana", the CM said.

Baghel further added that Flour-mill, pulse mills, and oil mills are being established and a large number of women and youth of self-help groups in rural areas are getting good means of income along with employment by engaging in such income-generating activities. Due to this their financial condition is getting better and better each day. Panchayat and Rural Development Department have been made the nodal department for this scheme.

Chief Minister Baghel initiated the inauguration ceremony of Mahatma Gandhi Rural Industrial Parks by paying floral tributes to the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi, the former Prime Minister Late Lal Bahadur Shastri and Chhattisgarh Mahtari. The Chief Minister also released the logo of the Rural Industrial Park. The guests present in the inauguration ceremony were welcomed by presenting kits of products prepared in Gauthans.

The Chief Minister further said that it is the state government's responsibility to provide a market to sell the products being manufactured in Gauthans. He further said that the manufacturing of bandanas is a very large industry and it should be included in rural industrial parks. Women of Baloda Bazar wish to manufacture bandanas through Rural Industrial parks. C-Marts have been established in every district to provide a platform to sell homegrown products made in the state at a fair price.

He further said that the producer now just has to produce according to the demand, from an economic point of view it is necessary that the product should be according to the demand. Considering the need and local resources, it has to be decided which items are to be produced in which Rural industrial parks.

The Chief Minister said that the youths of rural areas who want to start their own industries should also be provided co-working space in the Rural Industrial Park where state-of-the-art technology will be used for processing and value addition process of agricultural, horticultural and minor forest produce, the finished goods will be marketed at national and international level. For this, the State Planning Commission has signed an MoU with Tata Technologies.

Panchayat and Rural Development and Agriculture Minister Ravindra Choubey while addressing the program said, "Rural Industrial Park will take the development story of Chhattisgarh to new heights and here a continuous training program will be run for the youth in livelihood-oriented activities. The economic activities that started in the Gauthans have boosted the confidence of rural women".

He added that the rural women and youth are willing to start new activities like the Murrah industry, Poha industry, Dona-pattal manufacturing, Fabric manufacturing from Banana fibre, and Gunpowder production. 8600 Gauthans have been prepared in Chhattisgarh. In order to realize the vision of Bapu's Gram Suraj, there is a need to implement this scheme in the rest of the Gauthans in the coming time.

During the program, the Chief Minister discussed with the women and youth associated with the Rural Industrial Parks of Jarve in Janjgir-Champa district, Amaldih in Bemetara district, Saraghu Navgaon in Kanker district, Latuva in Balodabazar and the Gothan in Dongitarai village of Raigarh during the program. He also took information about the activities conducted there. Describing the Rural Industrial Park scheme as a good initiative of the state government, the women of the Self-Help Groups said that confidence has increased with this scheme and family income has increased substantially as well.

In the program organised through video conferencing at the Chief Minister's residence, Home Minister Tamradhwaj Sahu, Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Ravindra Choubey, Forest Minister Mohammad Akbar, and Women and Child Development Minister Anila Bhediya, Parliamentary Secretaries Chandradev Prasad Rai and Vinod Sevan Lal Chandrakar, Rajya Gow Seva Ayog Chairman Mahant Rajeshree Ramsunder Das, State Civil Supplies Corporation Chairman Shri Ram Gopal Agarwal, Advisor to Chief Minister Shri Pradeep Sharma, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation CEO Shri Vijay Mahajan and Environmentalist Ashok Khosla, Chief Secretary Amitabh Jain, Additional Chief Secretary Subrata Sahu were also present. (ANI)

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Pune, Oct 2 (PTI) Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday met the kin of a farmer who had allegedly committed suicide on September 17 after leaving behind a note in which he had wished Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this birthday.

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Dashrath Lakshman Kedari (42) had ended his life in Junnar tehsil in Pune allegedly due to not receiving minimum support price (MSP) for his produce and, in his note, had asked the PM to guarantee remunerative prices for onions, police had said at the time.

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Pawar claimed the farm laws enacted by the Union government were beginning to have an impact on the country's horticulture sector, leading to such suicides.

Tweeting about his visit to Kedari's kin, Pawar said, "The farm laws made by central government is now having an impact on horticulture farming. Thus, farmers like Kedari are forced to commit suicide. This incident is unfortunate. A farmer is feeder of masses and he should be respected."

He asked the Eknath Shinde government to provide aid to the farmer's kin, adding the Centre and the ruling dispensation in Maharashtra must pay "immediate attention to the problems of the farmers and solve them".

Pawar also attended the Adivasi Samaj Prabodhan Melava in the district and said tribals continued to struggle despite several laws being enacted for their emancipation.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], October 2 (ANI): Former deputy chief minister of Bihar and Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Modi on Sunday hit back on Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav for slamming the BJP after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched fifth-generation (5G) telephony services. The member of Parliament (MP) said that Yadav was criticising, rather than welcoming the 5G rollout.

SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday said that people were already experiencing 5G's of garibi (poverty), ghotala (scam), ghapla (swindle), ghalmel (adulteration), and gorakhdhanda (unethical practices) under the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) rule.

Also Read | Gujarat: Four Teachers of Hathaj Primary School in Kheda Suspended For Forcing Students to Chant Ya Hussain at Garba Event (Watch Video).

Speaking to ANI, Sushil Kumar Modi said, "Akhilesh Yadav statement is no relation to 5G, at one time RJD chief Lalu Yadav said that what is IT (information technology)." "Similarly, Akhilesh Yadav is an educated man, he should welcome 5G," he said.

Sushil Kumar Modi said the speed of 5G is 10 gigawatts and would be 100 times faster than 4G. "India is entering a club of few countries in the world in terms of 5G speed network. Yadav should first ask 40-50 crore youth of the country what is the importance of 5G," he said.

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Sushil Kumar Modi further told ANI that: "Does Akhilesh Yadav want to say that by closing 5G, that money (for launching 5G) should be spent on poverty? Today, the poor of the country also have internet connections and the internet is as much as important like roti, kapra, makaan, and fast-speed mobile internet is the need of the hour. That's why the public is rejecting the leaders like Akhilesh Yadav and their parties."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched 5G services on Saturday, promising ultra-high-speed internet on mobile phones, saying it signals the start of a new age and gives a plethora of prospects.

In a tweet in Hindi, Akhilesh Yadav said, "People are already getting 5G under the BJP rule: G = garibi (poverty), G = ghotala (scam), G = ghapla (swindle), G = ghalmel (adulteration) and G = gorakhdhanda (unethical practices)."

During the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2022 conference, the Prime Minister announced the start of operations of 5G services in chosen locations. Over the following few years, the services will gradually expand to encompass the entire country.

Modi said that his government's strategy for 'Digital India' is built on four pillars: Device cost, digital connection, data cost, and a digital-first approach. (ANI)

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Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 2 (ANI): The death toll in the Kanpur road accident in Uttar Pradesh, where a tractor trolley carrying pilgrims overturned, rose to 26 on Saturday.

The incident took place in the Ghatampur area of Kanpur district on late Saturday evening.

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The tractor trolley carrying devotees was returning from Unnao. Following the accident, the police rushed to the spot and started the rescue operation along with the locals.

The injured were sent to the community health centre immediately for treatment. Five injured have been referred to Kanpur Hallet Hospital.

Also Read | Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, CPI(M) Leader From Kerala, Passes Away at 69.

"A total of 26 people have lost their lives and others are injured. The pilgrims were returning from Chandika Devi temple in Fatehpura. The injured people have been sent to Hallet hospital. The investigation is underway. Rescue work has been completed," said Vishak G Iyer, District Magistrate, Kanpur.

Further details into the matter are awaited.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next kin of each of the deceased while the injured would be given Rs 50,000, said the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

"Distressed by the tractor-trolley mishap in Kanpur. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their near and dear ones. Prayers with the injured. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to the affected," tweeted the PMO.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the senior officers have been instructed to reach the spot immediately.

"The road accident in Kanpur district is very heart-wrenching. The District Magistrate and other senior officers have been directed to reach the spot immediately and conduct relief and rescue operations on a war footing and make arrangements for proper treatment of the injured. Wishing a speedy recovery to the injured," tweeted CM Yogi.

"The loss of life in this accident is very sad. My condolences are with the bereaved family. Praying to Lord Shri Ram to grant the departed souls a place at his feet and the families of the dead to bear this unfathomable loss," he added. (ANI)

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New Delhi, Oct 2 (PTI) Equity market will be guided by global trends, macroeconomic data announcement and foreign fund movement in a holiday-shortened week ahead, analysts said.

Movement of the rupee and Brent crude oil will also remain in focus this week, they added.

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"The bulls need some support from global markets to continue Friday's momentum. The geopolitical situation, macro numbers from the USA, direction of the US dollar index, and bond yields will be key factors to watch out for at the global level," Santosh Meena, Head of Research, Swastika Investmart Ltd, said.

Bouncing back after seven straight sessions of decline, the 30-share BSE benchmark jumped 1,016.96 points or 1.80 per cent to settle at 57,426.92 on Friday. The broader NSE Nifty climbed 276.25 points or 1.64 per cent to end at 17,094.35.

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"Institutional flows will play a critical role in the direction of the market. We will have a truncated week as markets will remain shut on Wednesday on account of Dussehra," Meena said.

PMI (Purchasing Managers' Index) data for the manufacturing sector is scheduled to be announced on Monday, while the services sector data will be out on Thursday.

"This week is a holiday-shortened one and marks the beginning of the new month also so important data like auto sales, S&P manufacturing PMI and S&P services PMI will be in focus. Besides, performance of the global markets, FIIs trend, and movement in currency and crude will also remain on participants' radar," said Ajit Mishra, VP - Research, Religare Broking Ltd.

Last week, the Sensex shed 672 points or 1.15 per cent, while the Nifty lost 233 points or 1.34 per cent.

Amol Athawale, Deputy Vice President - Technical Research, Kotak Securities Ltd, said, global macro factors will continue to dictate the domestic market sentiment going ahead as any fresh spell of negative news could once again trigger the downward spiral.

(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, Oct 2 (PTI) The government plans to set up 100 labs for 5G technology across India and at least 12 of them will be used to train students and conduct experiments, Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Sunday.

The minister also asked companies participating in the Indian Mobile Congress to provide their input for the new telecom bill through which the government aims to simplify licensing regime.

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"We are going to set up 100 5G labs across the country. I request the telecom industry to come together and convert at least 12 of these 100 labs into telecom incubators to train students and do experiments.

"The government is working significantly towards simplifying the licensing regime for all telecom players. I am really happy to see the energy of startups and MSMEs, who are going to rural areas to benefit people," Vaishnaw said.

Also Read | 5G Launch in India: Airtel Announces Launch of 5G Service in 8 Cities, Likely To Cover Entire India by 2024.

At the event, indigenous telecom gear maker HFCL announced the launch of 5G Lab-as-a-Service to accelerate the rollout of 5G solutions and services. It will provide an automated test environment for the private sector, academia and government to work together on product innovations from concept to reality.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal also visited the India Mobile Congress, where he said that the launch of 5G is going to be a defining moment for not only India, but for the world.

"A large economy like India, which has talent, is emerging from the shadows to take a leadership role. We are now indigenously designing, developing and manufacturing goods and showing the world the scale and speed with which we will take 5G through the length and breadth of India.

"Some of the products that I saw displayed here, at one point in time it was assumed that they had to be imported. I must compliment all the researchers, and private organisations for their innovative work," Goyal said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Beijing, Oct 2 (PTI) After a two-year Covid-induced hiatus, Gandhi Jayanti celebrations returned to China's sprawling Chaoyang Park here as it resonated with the recitation of his famous quotes by Chinese school children and his bhajans by members of the Indian diaspora.

Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated every year at the picturesque Chaoyang Park in Beijing ever since the statue of Gandhi, sculpted by acclaimed sculptor Yuan Xikun, was installed in 2005 on the banks of a lake amid serene surroundings to enable his admirers to pay tributes to the Mahatma.

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Yuan besides being an acclaimed sculptor, who sculpted the statues of famous Chinese and world leaders, is also well connected with the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) and the long-time Curator of the famous Jin Tai Art Museum located in the Chaoyang park.

Yuan carved out the Gandhi statue with a unique posture of the Mahatma sitting with a book in his hand.

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The installation of Gandhi's statue for the first time officially in Beijing was regarded as politically significant as for decades the Mahatma, a contemporary of Mao Zedong who led China's national liberation movement, has remained an enigma in China as the two leaders professed contrasting political philosophies.

While Mao remained a firm advocate of violent liberation movements with his famous dictum that power flows through the barrel of the gun, Gandhi's successful non-violent movement against the British, in contrast, caught the attention of the world.

Since the installation of Gandhi's statue, on every October 2 a set of Chinese school children recite his famous sayings, highlighting non-violence, adherence to truth and the importance of conservation.

The practice was disrupted due to the pandemic for the past two years.

This year, over a dozen school children recited Gandhi's sayings in both Chinese and English, drawing applause at a well-attended gathering at the Jin Tai Art Museum which included Indian Ambassador Pradeep Kumar Rawat and Yuan himself.

Rawat, who played a role in the installation of the statue along with Yuan during his previous diplomatic stint in Beijing in 2005, said though born in India, Mahatma Gandhi's message resonated with the entire humanity.

Mahatma Gandhi's principle of non-violence was all-encompassing  human against human, human against animal and more importantly human against nature," Rawat said.

Yuan in his address said Gandhi's sculpture has also become a symbol of friendship between the people of India and China.

"Why do I want to create Mahatma Gandhi? Gandhi's devotion, self-restraint and self- motivation have many refractive intersections with the ancient Chinese thinkers Confucius, Mencius and Lao Zhuang," Yuan said.

The excellent cultural heritage he left us is the glory of the whole of mankind. He was a man of nature and used in moderation, which is the sustainable development we advocate now," he said.

This year's highlight, however, was the short play "Being Mahatma" which was enacted at the museum, highlighting the handling of some of the most tense situations by Gandhiji at the height of the independence movement.

Scripted and directed by T S Vivekanand, a diplomat from the Indian Embassy here, Being Mahatma' is a play which attempts to understand why Gandhi was a great soul.

"It tries to make the case that Gandhi communicated with the masses differently than others," Vivekanand, a poet in Tamil and English, said.

He recently released an anthology of poems called CogVerse.

The cast included Joji Luka, a security officer of the Indian Embassy in Beijing who acted as Gandhi, besides Rajashree Behera, first secretary and Neeru Thakkar wife of Lekhan Thakkar, Counsellor, (Economic and Commerce) of the India mission.

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Paris [France], October 2 (ANI): Several civil society organizations protested against Beijing's human rights violations and policy of aggression against various ethnic groups in Paris on the occasion of China's National Day on October 1.

At a large demonstration near the Chinese Embassy, more than 100 persons from organisations like Students for Free Tibet (SFT), Committee for Liberation of Hong Kong, Association of Uyghurs in France, as well as Mongolian, Taiwanese and Vietnamese groups joined this protest.

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Marking the day as the Global Day of Action, the protesters, carrying placards with slogans against China, demanded China end the Uyghur genocide and other violations against the people of Tibet, Hong Kong and Taiwan etc.

They also called on the global community to unite to prevent China from committing these crimes against humanity.

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October 1st is generally celebrated as China's National Day; a day filled with a widespread celebration around the country based on the ideological preaching of Mao Zedong. Historically, on the 1st of October in 1949, China's newly declared Premier, Mao Zedong hoisted the Chinese flag on Tiananmen Square and announced the birth of a new communist nation, The People's Republic of China.

Soon after the declaration of China as a communist regime, on 2nd October 1949, the new government passed the resolution on the National day leading to October 1st of each year being celebrated as the country's National Day.

Around the globe, Tiananmen Square, however, is not remembered for its celebratory statues and festivities of 1st October, but is somewhat synonymous with its horrendous massacre in China's independent history.

The brutal massacre of protesters indeed does not require any recounting, yet at the same time, it is an important reminder of what the Chinese Communist Party has come to be in these modern times. A totalitarian government riding on the repression of its own citizens and a hawkish nature with the world is what summarises the projection of China in front of the rest of the world. (ANI)

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Kheda, October 2: Four teachers of Hathaj Primary School in Gujarat's Kheda district were on Sunday suspended after they allegedly forced school students to chant 'Ya Hussain' at a garba event organised on Friday.

District Primary Education Officer K.L. Patel told IANS, "On Sunday morning, I along with other officers and police team visited the village, and after gathering facts from students and other school members, suspended four teachers with immediate effect. Teachers are suspended because in the garba event organised on Friday, 'Ya Hussain' slogans were chanted and school students were compelled to sing 'Ya Hussain'. This has hurt the sentiment of the majority community."

He has simultaneously asked the Taluka Primary Education Office to carry out an investigation and submit a report by Monday. Teachers suspended are Jagruti Sagar, Saberaben Vora, Ektaben Aakashi and Sonalben Vaghela. Attack on Arvind Kejriwal in Gujarat: Plastic Bottle Hurled Towards Delhi CM at Navratri Event in Rajkot, Passes Over His Head Without Hitting Him (Watch Video).

Watch Video From School:

Four teachers of Hathaj Primary School in #Gujarat's Kheda district were suspended after they allegedly forced school students to chant 'Ya Hussain' at a garba event organised on Friday. pic.twitter.com/AtJKG1DIl5  IANS (@ians_india) October 2, 2022

He said on Saturday, Hindu Dharma Sena leaders had drawn my attention towards the incident. After which an inquiry was constituted against Hathaj Primary School teachers.

"Garba is Hindu festival in which another religion was promoted that has hurt the sentiment of the majority community and so Hindu Dharma Sena demanded swift and stern action against teachers," said Rajan Tripathi of Hindu Dharma Sena. Gujarat Shocker: Girl Dies by Suicide After Being Beaten by School Principal and Her Husband in Navsari.

"Parents came to know, when students told them after returning from school. Some 30 students wearing Muslim group T-shirts started chanting 'Ya Hussain', which was followed by Hindu students," he alleged.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 02, 2022 01:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
The birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri falls on October 2. Lal Bahadur Shastri was the second Prime Minister of India who was born on the same date in the year 1904. Lal Bahadur Shastri served as the second Prime Minister of India from 1964 to 1966 and the sixth Home Minister of India from 1961 to 1963. He was a great Indian politician who promoted the White Revolution. White Revolution was a campaign to increase the production and supply of milk by supporting the Amul milk cooperative of Anand, Gujarat and creating the National Dairy Development Board. As you celebrate the birth anniversary of Indias second Prime Minister, we at LatestLY have compiled a few quotes by Lal Bahadur Shastri that you can download and share with all your near and dear ones on this day. Gandhi Jayanti 2022 Date: What Is International Day of Non-Violence Theme This Year? Know History & Significance of the National Holiday Marking Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

He studied at East Central Railway inter-college and Harish Chandra High School, which he left to join the non-cooperation movement. He was influenced by the reading about Swami Vivekananda, Gandhiji and Annie Besant. He was impressed by Gandhi and therefore joined the Indian Independence Movement in the 1920s. He was the president of the Servants of the peoples' society founded by Lala Lajpat Rai and was a prominent member of the Indian National Congress. Here are some motivational quotes by Lal Bahadur Shastri that you can download and send to one and all to remember him on his birth anniversary.

Lal Bahadur Shastri Birth Anniversary 2022 Quotes

Quotes by Lal Bahadur Shastri for Celebrating His Birth Anniversary 2022 (File Image)

Quote Reads: Discipline and United Action Are the Real Source of Strength for the Nation.

Lal Bahadur Shastri Inspirational Quotes

Quotes by Lal Bahadur Shastri (File Image)

Quote Reads: The Preservation of Freedom, Is Not the Task of Soldiers Alone. The Whole Nation Has to Be Strong.

Quotes By Lal Bahadur Shastri

Lal Bahadur Shastri Birth Anniversary 2022 Quotes (File Image)

Quote Reads: The Rule of Law Should Be Respected So That the Basic Structure of Our Democracy Is Maintained and Further Strengthened.

Lal Bahadur Shastri Birth Anniversary 2022 Quotes and Sayings

Lal Bahadur Shastri Quotes (File Image)

Quote Reads: Those Who Govern Must See How the People React to Administration. Ultimately, the People Are the Final Arbiters.

Lal Bahadur Shastri Birth Anniversary 2022 Sayings

Quotes By Lal Bahadur Shastri (File Image)

Quote Reads: The Economic Issues Are Most Vital for Us and It Is of the Highest Importance That We Should Fight Our Biggest Enemies - Poverty, Unemployment.

He raised the slogan of 'Jai Jawaan, Jai Kisaan' as he led the country in the Indo-Pakistan war of 1965. The war formally ended with the Tashkent agreement on January 10, 1966, and he died the following day. Though the cause of his death was said to be cardiac arrest, his family was not satisfied with the reason. He was also awarded the Bharat Ratna.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 02, 2022 07:32 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Punjab police had brought him on transit remand from the Tihar jail in Delhi on July 4 in the Moosewala killing. The role of the CIA in-charge is under suspicion and the police have kept mum on his escape. It is still not clear why the gangster was taken out of the jail in the midnight and where he was being taken.
Second United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress (UNWGIC) scheduled in Hyderabad from October 10-14, 2022.



Conference will be attended by over 2000 delegates including 700 plus international delegates & participants from about 120 countries. Prasar Bharati News Services & Digital Platform (@PBNS_India) October 2, 2022

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#SouthKorea's point man on #NorthKorea said Sunday he believes North Korea's recent series of missile launches are aimed at "taming" the new South Korean government while at the same time grabbing #US attention. pic.twitter.com/icPxTPtsNe IANS (@ians_india) October 2, 2022

(SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
Tanzanian Ambassador to India Anika K. Mbega said that attending garba in Vadodara is a special moment for her as most of Indians who live in Tanzania are from Gujarat. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is in Gujarats Vadodara city with at least 50 ambassadors and high commissioners to participate in the ongoing Navratri festival.

Watch Video:

#WATCH | Vadodara, Gujarat: "India & Tanzania have a special connection as most Indians living in Tanzania come from Gujarat, so this is a special moment for me," says Tanzanian High Commissioner in India, Anisa K. Mbega pic.twitter.com/c4GgtnlHuJ  ANI (@ANI) October 2, 2022

(SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
IAEA chief expected to visit Kyiv, Moscow next week.



UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi is expected to travel to Kyiv and Moscow next week to discuss the creation of a safe zone around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the International Atomic Energy Agency said. The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) October 1, 2022

(SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
Of all the weighty issues about self-rule and democracy confronting China and Hong Kong, the former British colony that reverted to mainland control in 1997, who could have imagined it would come to this?

A 2-year-old boy defecating on a Hong Kong sidewalk has elicited an increasingly mean-spirited fight between some mainland Chinese and Hong Kong residents, who are exchanging words, including curses, and threatening to exchange bodily fluids.

FOR THE RECORD:

China behavior: In the May 1 Section A, an article about a dispute between some mainland Chinese and Hong Kong residents stemming from a toddlers defecating on a Hong Kong sidewalk stated that the Communist Partys official Peoples Daily had denounced Hong Kong protesters. The publication was the Global Times.



It started April 15 when a mainland couple shopping in Hong Kong allowed their toddler to go on a crowded sidewalk in the Mong Kok district. An offended Hong Kong man started to take photos, whereupon the shrieking mother grabbed his memory card and started to scuffle with him on the street. Another Hong Kong man tried to seize the familys stroller.

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Dont you have kids? Dont your kids need to use the toilet? the mother screamed, while the father held the wailing toddler.

Police arrived and booked the mother on charges of assault and the father on receiving stolen property  to wit, the memory card his wife had seized from the camera.

Waggishly called Bladdergate (although video of the child caught in the act shows more than urine involved), the altercation has become a defining incident in the strained relationship.

The stink has hardly dissipated. On Sunday, a dozen or so demonstrators at the giant Harbor City mall in Hong Kong mocked mainlanders by squatting and pretending to defecate on a photo of Mao Tse-tung and brandishing toilet paper. One wore a pig mask and another dressed as a Red Guard. A skirmish nearly broke out between the protesters and offended customers and staff, who screamed at one another across the malls atrium.

The Communist Partys official Peoples Daily weighed in Wednesday, denouncing the Hong Kong protesters as skinheads and hooligans.

This handful of radicals in Hong Kong remind us of the rampant skinheads and neo-Nazis in Europe. Xenophobia is the cult of these groups, the paper opined. We need to fight back and overwhelm any forces that try to harm the integrity of the nation.

Hong Kong, which has a population of about 7 million, receives more than four times that many visitors from the mainland each year.

Residents complain that the deluge has left Hong Kong with impassable streets, skyrocketing prices and shortages of consumer goods, especially products like baby formula.

Posters and banners have gone up denouncing the mainlanders as locusts. Facebook pages are plastered with photographs of visitors engaging in what the British-mannered Hong Kong residents consider uncivilized behavior like eating on subways or allowing children to relieve themselves in the streets, a habit common in the Chinese countryside.

Many people think this is ridiculous, but it is a serious matter, said one of the activists, 24-year-old Hong Kong-born Sky Ip. There are big cultural differences between China and Hong Kong, and big political differences. I worry about our future.

Some Chinese mainlanders are fighting back. One mainland blogger last week suggested on a forum hosted by Tianya.cn, Lets take our children to Hong Kong and let them pee and poo everywhere and lets see which idiot will come and take pictures of us -- a threat that made headlines in Hong Kong media.

The dispute is a boon to punsters and the butt of jokes, but the hostility is not funny to everyone. Chinese authorities have considered a travel advisory warning mainlanders about visiting Hong Kong, according to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.

Anti-mainland activists are planning a protest May 4 at the home of Hong Kongs secretary of commerce and economic development, Greg So Kam-leung, who dared to suggest that Hong Kong residents learn to be more tolerant.

According to one advertisement for the protest, supporters are urged to relieve themselves in front of his home -- at least using colored water and fake feces.

In the May 1 Section A, an article about a dispute between some mainland Chinese and Hong Kong residents stemming from a toddlers defecating on a Hong Kong sidewalk stated that the Communist Partys official Peoples Daily had denounced Hong Kong protesters. The publication was the Global Times.


MANILA  With the vast scale of death and destruction slowly coming into focus, international relief teams rushed toward the central Philippines, where one of the strongest storms on record left bereft survivors looting food and water or scrambling for a way out.

Aid agencies said they were hurrying supplies to the area hit early Friday by the typhoon. U.S. Marines were en route from bases in Okinawa, Japan, and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel directed the Pacific Command to deploy helicopters, logistics officers and cargo planes to assist the effort.

Initial reports suggested that the Philippines had escaped widespread loss of life from fast-moving Typhoon Haiyan, called Yolanda by Filipinos. But as reports trickled in Sunday from areas that had been cut off from the rest of the country, it became clear that the nation had suffered a major natural disaster.

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The storm weakened over the South China Sea after leaving the Philippines, and made landfall in Vietnam on Monday. Thousands of people there had been evacuated as a precaution.

In the Philippines, police Supt. Elmer Soria told reporters that officials on the island of Leyte had estimated 10,000 deaths. The U.S. Agency for International Development said that in some parts of the central Philippines, 90% of the housing had been destroyed.

There was death everywhere, said Danny Larsen, a 35-year-old Dane, who arrived Sunday at a military air base in Manila from Leytes main city, Tacloban.

With few if any cars around and no gas available, Larsen said he walked about 10 miles to the airport from a village where he had ridden out the typhoon in a basement. The road was like death row, he said. Multi-story buildings had been reduced to heaps of broken concrete, and bodies were strewn about.

There were people  babies, children, old people  lying out on the street, with blisters over their bodies  hundreds of them, said Larsen.

Television footage showed wooden houses in splinters, cars floating on their sides through floodwaters, upended trees and telephone poles and houses with their roofs blown off.

Many of the most desperate remained trapped in remote, mud-choked coastal towns without power, transportation or telephones.

In Tacloban, a city of 220,000, officials said that more than 100 bodies had been found on the airport grounds alone. The homeless and injured crowded around the airport hoping to escape, or at least to find food or fresh water.

Larsen, who had moved to Tacloban two weeks earlier with his girlfriend, said he had waited eight hours with about 1,000 people to get on a cargo plane to Manila. Their main concern was not the typhoon damage but the lawlessness.

Everything is being looted.... There is no law enforcement  its a free-for-all, he said. Hotels, everything, cash registers, even McDonalds.... It is World War III.

As reports trickled in from more far-flung areas, there were more tales of death and destruction.

We just made a mass grave for 57 people, Mayor Edgar Boco of the small coastal town of Hernani told reporters.

While survivors tried to escape, dozens of others in Manila were hoping to catch a ride on a transport plane from Manilas Villamor Air Base to the scene of the disaster in hopes of finding out what happened to loved ones.

Evangelista Sumalbag said she was sick with worry about her sister and daughter, a 28-year-old police officer in Tacloban.

I cant describe my feelings today. I dont have contact, and I dont know what happened to them, said Sumalbag, wiping tears.

I dont want to see the TV anymore, because it hurts me. I am unable to watch all that devastation.

The typhoon hit the eastern coast of the Philippines with winds estimated at 147 mph, gusting to 170 mph, and a storm surge of about 20 feet. The death toll appeared likely to be far in excess of the Philippines largest from previous natural disasters  a 1976 earthquake and a 1991 storm that each killed more than 5,000 people.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino III toured the area by helicopter Sunday, landing in Tacloban. Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said the storm destroyed everything in its path.

From a helicopter, you can see the extent of devastation. From the shore and moving a kilometer inland, there are no structures standing, Reuters news service quoted him as saying. I dont know how to describe what I saw. Its horrific.

An initial USAID survey said the cities of Tacloban and Ormoc were wiped out, Jeremy Konyndyk, the agencys director of foreign disaster assistance, said in a statement.

UNICEF said it was sending supplies for 3,000 families from stocks already in the Philippines, and that its warehouse in Copenhagen was airlifting $1.3 million worth of water purification tablets, soap, medical kits, tarpaulins and nutritional supplements for an additional 10,000 families. The World Food Program said it was preparing to send 40 metric tons of high-energy biscuits from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Mammoth Medical Missions, a nonprofit based in Mammoth Lakes that provides health services to underserved communities, said a 16-member team had arrived in Tacloban after being diverted from a mission in Chiapas, Mexico.

As part of their mutual defense treaty, the U.S. and Philippines conduct multiple training exercises to prepare for scenarios including disaster response.

The U.S. Navy was flying two P-3 Orion surveillance planes above the islands to help rescuers locate the most severely damaged areas and find survivors.

On Sunday, about 80 Marines from the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade stationed in Okinawa boarded two KC-130 cargo planes bound for the Philippines, Col. Brad Bartelt, a Marine Corps spokesman, said in a statement. They brought supplies and communications equipment.

The Marine Corps will also be sending MV-22 Osprey aircraft. The Osprey is shaped like a cargo plane but can rotate its propellers vertically, enabling it to land and take off without a long runway, like a helicopter.

In a statement released Sunday, President Obama said that he and First Lady Michelle Obama are deeply saddened by the loss of life and extensive damage done by Super Typhoon Yolanda.

I know the incredible resiliency of the Philippine people, and I am confident that the spirit of bayanihan will see you through this tragedy, Obama said, adopting a term commonly used in the Philippines that means communal cooperation.

In Southern California on Sunday, Filipino church groups shared scant information and raised money, in some cases expanding on efforts already planned to help victims of a magnitude 7.2 earthquake last month.

barbara.demick@latimes.com

Special correspondent De Leon reported from Manila and Times staff writer Demick from Beijing. Staff writers Brian Bennett in Washington and Marisa Gerber in Los Angeles and news agencies contributed to this report.
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A Mountmellick couple are living in fear in their home due to a deadly dangerous situation which has seen cars crash through the boundary of their property on multiple occasions.

So claimed Cllr Paddy Bracken who flagged the situation to Laois County Councils management and engineers at a recent meeting.

The Fianna Fail county councillor tabled a motion calling for traffic calming at a safety barrier on the N80 at Chapel Street/Mollrose Corner.

He explained The situation further to fellow council members and staff.

The wall has been taken out of it five times. It is all down to speed. They are an elderly couple but it is frightening for those elderly people to have to put up with this, he said.

He insisted: Something has to be doneit is deadly dangerous.

He was backed by Cllr Seamus McDonald who said he travels the road every day and has seen the wall knocked on several occasions.

In a written reply, Mr. Farhan Nasiem, Acting /Senior Executive Engineer said Transport Infrastructure Ireland would have to be consulted.

The Road Design Section will meet with Cllr Paddy Bracken to confirm the exact location of the issue and assess proposals to and submit to TII for approval, he said.

The issue was raised at the Borris-in-Ossory Mountmellick Municipal District meeting.
Adam Alexander  aka the seed detective  has spent much of his life in search of delicious vegetables from around the world.

On his plot within 3.5 acres in Chepstow, Wales, he grows around 100 varieties of veg  and he dries, saves and gives away the seeds, so others can benefit from the diversity of his collection.

Alexander has now written a book, The Seed Detective, in which he shares stories of his seed-seeking travels.

Saving your own seed enables you to have seed which is more adapted to growing in local conditions, tends to germinate more quickly so it has greater viability, and above all, you have its provenance. You know where its come from, he enthuses.

Its also cheaper than buying new packets every year. Plus, many seeds you buy now are F1 hybrids, which wont come back true in subsequent years. You need to buy open pollinated varieties for produce to come back true, Alexander advises.

Here are some tips from the seed detective, on how to collect seeds from some of our most popular veg

Peas and beans



All you need to do is grow your crop and leave a few on the plant, let them ripen and dry. If the weather is wet, pick them off when they are nearly dry and starting to shrivel and put them in a dry, airy place like a shed or windowsill, then shell the peas and the beans, put them in an envelope somewhere cool and dry.

For me, because I am storing seeds often for years and I have so many  nearly 500 varieties at the moment  Im a great believer in keeping them cold and dry, so everything goes into a jam jar or envelope and then into an airtight plastic box and into the fridge.

Good varieties of runner bean include Czar and Achievement. Alexander also rates the peas Hurst Green Shaft and Feltham First. The plants which are really easy to save seeds from because they are self-fertile are things like climbing French beans  Delinel is a good variety, he adds.

Tomatoes



Grow open pollinated varieties. The main seed companies do sell them, but so do smaller seed merchants. Good varieties include Cherokee Purple and Harbinger, a traditional variety. Pick the tomatoes when they are ripe, slice them into halves or quarters, scoop the seeds out, rinse them in a sieve under a cold tap to get rid of the pulp and give them a good wash. You dont have to be gentle with them, he says.

Then spread them out thinly on to a piece of greaseproof paper, leave them in a warm, airy environment like a kitchen windowsill, but out of direct sunlight. After two to three days, get a knife and scrape them off the greaseproof paper, rub them between your fingers just to separate them, and leave them on the paper for maybe a week or so to get really dry, put them in an envelope, then in a plastic box in a cool place.

Put the name of the variety on the envelope and the year. Tomato seeds can last for 10 years if they are kept cold and dry.

Squash and courgette



When you harvest squash in the autumn, scoop the seeds out and rinse them in a colander under the tap to get rid of the pulp, then put them on greaseproof paper and let them dry. I really love Turks Turban, which is an old traditional variety, which is beautiful to look at and delicious. Uchiki Kuri is an orange round squash is another good one, Alexander adds.

With courgettes, leave them until theyve grown really big, like a huge marrow, then cut them off the plant, cut them in half and scoop the seeds out, rinse them under the tap in a colander and then spread them out to dry on greaseproof paper in an airy place. You know when they are really dry because when you break the seeds in half, they snap.

Lettuce



Invariably, we grow too many and some of them will bolt (run to seed). Allowing even one lettuce to bolt will give you seeds. When first lettuces start bolting in early summer, let one flower. They will grow quite tall, so I tend to stake them and after a few months, the flowers have been pollinated by bees and you will then get these little puffs like cotton wool buds and inside them will be black or white seeds, he says.

Pick off the cotton buds with the seeds inside, rub them through your hands to dislodge the seeds and gently blow off the cotton wool. One lettuce plant will give you thousands of seeds.

If you like Cos lettuce, buy a packet of Little Gem or Webbs Wonderful, which are open pollinated varieties.

Chillies and peppers



View this post on Instagram A post shared by Alan Buckingham (@allotmentdoctor)

Saving seeds of chillies and peppers is very easy, but they have to be ripe, not green. Simply scrape the seeds out of the ripe fruit and place them on greaseproof paper on a sunny windowsill and within two or three days, they are ready for storage.

Spinach

You dont want to save the seed of spinach, which bolts quickly in the summer, but if you have spinach which has grown through the winter, leave a few plants in the ground, thinning the plants out to a foot apart, suggests Alexander. They are pollinated by wind. Let the plants continue to grow through the summer and the seed will ripen. As you get the ripe seedheads, which can grow to about 6ft, bend them over a bag and give them a good shake.

Parsnips



View this post on Instagram A post shared by Clairs Allotment (@clairs_allotment_garden)

If youve left a few parsnips in the ground over winter and into spring, just let them bolt. You get big clusters of small white flowers in summer. Carefully cut off the flowering stems, put them in a big paper bag and hang them up in the shed to complete ripening, says Alexander.

Leave them for a few weeks and the seeds will all fall out. When parsnip seed is really fresh, its incredibly viable.

The Seed Detective by Adam Alexander is published by Chelsea Green on September 29, priced 18.99.
A popular uprising against oppression, heroic women in the vanguard for equality, a dictatorship shaken: The revolt of Iranian society since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in Tehran on September 16 after her arrest by the morality police highlights many of the values that the left has carried throughout its history. Logically, the marches shouting "woman, life, freedom," the incredible spectacle of Iranian women tearing off their headscarves and burning them in bonfires, should have aroused massive processions of support and enthusiastic actions of solidarity.

Read more Subscribers only Fury grows in Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini, who has become a symbol of the regime's brutality

As expected, feminist movements and left-wing elected officials in France participated in rallies and issued statements of support. The Parti Socialiste (PS) "saluted the courage of Iranian women" and La France Insoumise (LFI) paid tribute to "a citizen revolution of Iranian youth." But the demonstrations were slow to happen, poorly attended, and the commentary was limited to generalities. It was as if LFI and the Greens, entangled in their own affairs mixing violence against women and leadership battles, had little energy to devote to a major international event.

In France, Iran's anti-scarf revolt brings the left back to a question that has been fracturing it since 1989, the year of the fatwa against Salman Rushdie launched by Ayatollah Khomeini, and of the exclusion of veiled students from a school in Creil. Is the Islamic headscarf a clothing accessory whose meaning is strictly a matter of free individual interpretation or is it a vector of political domination? The first view prevails within the factions of the Nouvelle Union Populaire Ecologique et Sociale (NUPES).

An instrument of political oppression

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"If you decide how women should dress, you will not get away with it," saidLFI leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, on French television channel C8, in February, citing the headscarves of "good Catholic grandmothers," which "was not a problem." His position is best understood in light of the 69% of the votes of Muslim voters in France, according to a study by IFOP, that the LFI leader collected in the first round of the presidential election in April. For her part, Sandrine Rousseau (Europe Ecologie-Les Verts), during an interview on television channel LCP at the end of 2021, said she "felt despair" that women's bodies and the way they dress was still a topic for debate, adding that "women wearing the veil is not political Islam" and that some wear it as mere embellishment.

The trouble is that the events in Iran say something quite different. The demonstrators confronting the police are focusing on the veil because the religious character of the regime serves as a pretext for the military in power. The enslavement of women, through the criminalization of any non-conforming dress, is a part of controlling society as a whole. "Keeping women under the veil means keeping society under the yoke of traditional Islamic law. The corrupt and repressive elite [of the Iranian regime] needs this shield of the subjugation of women to maintain its power," the French-Iranian sociologist Farhad Khosrokhavar said in L'Obs (aka Le Nouvel Observateur). The rebellion is all the stronger because it is not inspired by the West and comes from women who are themselves Muslims.

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Then foreign minister Amadou Ba in Dakar, Senegal February 16, 2020. POOL / REUTERS

Senegalese President Macky Sall named Amadou Ba prime minister on Saturday, September 17. The position had been abolished in 2019 and was reinstated last year, with the new prime minister appointed off the back of July's tense legislative elections.

Mr. Ba, a former foreign minister, was named by presidential decree five days after the return of parliament, which was marked by a series of incidents and carried out under heavy security. He previously served under President Sall as finance minister between 2013 and 2019 before becoming foreign minister in 2019 until 2020.

Mr. Sall promised to appoint a figure from the winning party in the polls. His coalition narrowly won the election but was only able to keep its absolute majority with the support of an opposition MP.

Read more Senegal's presidential coalition forms fragile majority in the National Assembly

In a speech to the nation broadcast on Friday, Mr. Sall said the new prime minister would be responsible for addressing the rising cost of living. "Measures to reduce the cost of living and support employment and entrepreneurship for young people, the fight against floods and costly rents will remain the highest of priorities for me," he said.

Mr. Ba echoed these sentiments during his first speech after the presidency's secretary general read out the decree.

Sall, 60, was elected in 2012 for seven years then re-elected in 2019 for another five. When he removed the role of prime minister, the opposition and parts of civil society denounced his attempt to seize greater power. Concerns over his rule persist and some accuse him of wanting to break the two-term limit and run again in 2024.

Authorities on Friday banned a concert due to be held on Saturday, organized by civil society groups promoting limited mandates in Africa because of what authorities said were the "risks of unrest", triggering a wave of anger on social media.

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Mr. Sall has also fallen out with a key figure in his camp, former prime minister Aminata Mimi Toure, who was not chosen to lead the National Assembly and has since denounced an "injustice".

Read more Subscribers only Senegalese students and families face long delays getting a French visa before the start of the school year

Le Monde with AFP
People watch the presidential debate, in Rio de Janeiro, on September 29, 2022. MATIAS DELACROIX / AP

The long-awaited "clash of the titans" is here. In the presidential election on Sunday, October 2, Brazil's two biggest political figures will be pitted against one another: on the far right, the outgoing head of state, Jair Bolsonaro, and on the left, the former trade unionist and president (2003-2011), Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. A high-level duel, historic and perilous, in a country, polarized and electrified as never before.

On the eve of the election, the left-wing candidate was polling largely in the lead. Lula would get 50% of the votes cast (excluding blanks and nulls), against 36% for Mr. Bolsonaro, according to the latest survey by the Datafolha public polling institute, leaving open the possibility of a victory for the leader of the Workers' Party (PT) in the first round. The Labor supporter Ciro Gomes and the centrist Simone Tebet are capped at 6% and 5% of voting intention respectively, against 0% to 1% for the seven remaining candidates.

In recent weeks, Mr. Bolsonaro has tried everything to make up ground among the poorer segments of the electorate. Increased social minima, energy vouchers, tax cuts  nearly 8 billion will have been spent in a heretofore unprecedented operation to buy votes. The president also forced the oil giant Petrobras to lower its prices, and in mid-September, the average price of gasoline fell to 4.97 reais (0.94 euro), its lowest level in two years.

A campaign marked by violence

In order to reassure moderate voters, Mr. Bolsonaro has also tried to soften his image. Although on September 7, the day of the bicentennial of independence, many expected him to call for insurrection, he did not. Instead, the far-right candidate attacked judges, polls, the left, and electronic ballot boxes. He encouraged single men to find "a princess" and had the crowd of his supporters chant the word "imbrochavel," which loosely translates to "never limp." A revolution, however, was not to be.

A few days later, on the 12th, he was invited to speak on an evangelical podcast, during which Mr. Bolsonaro surprisingly maintained that he will acknowledge his defeat. "If it is God's will, I continue. If not, I'll pass the sash [to my successor] and retire. At my age, I have nothing else to do on earth once my time in politics is over," said the outgoing president, who, unrecognizably, goes so far as to apologize for his outrages during the Covid-19 crisis: "I screwed up, I lost my head. And I regret it."

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Former Brazilian president (2003-2010) and left-wing candidate for the Workers' Party, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, shortly before the debate ahead of the October 2 election, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, September 29, 2022. MAURO PIMENTEL / AFP

But despite these gestures of appeasement, his campaign has been marked by violence. In July, a 50-year-old leftist activist was shot and killed by a Bolsonarist supporter in Foz do Iguacu (in the state of Parana) in the middle of his birthday party. At the beginning of September, a rural "Lulista" worker in Mato Grosso (central-western Brazil) died after receiving 70 axe and knife wounds from a far-right colleague. A few days later, an apartment in Recife (Nordeste) was shot at for daring to put a PT flag in its window.

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Brazilians voted Sunday in a polarizing presidential election, with leftist front-runner Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva vowing to get Brazil "back to normal" amid fears far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro will not accept a defeat.

Lula, who led Brazil in the 2000s and is seeking to make a comeback at 76, voted in his bastion in the southeastern state of Sao Paulo, saying he wanted "a country at peace" after four years under Mr. Bolsonaro.

"We don't want more hate, more discord," said the ex-president (2003-2010), kissing the paper slip given to voters after casting his ballot in a dark suit and button-up shirt.

Mr. Bolsonaro, for his part, voted in Rio de Janeiro in a T-shirt with the yellow-and-green of the national flag, telling reporters the results must be respected if elections are "clean."

The 67-year-old incumbent, who has repeatedly alleged Brazil's electronic voting system is plagued by fraud  without evidence  did not directly answer journalists' questions on whether he would respect the result if he loses, saying he was confident he would win despite opinion polls showing Lula with a double-digit lead. The campaign has left the Latin American giant deeply divided.

Read more Subscribers only Brazil chooses between Bolsonaro and Lula in a tense vote

Lula went into Sunday leading Mr. Bolsonaro with 50% of valid votes to 36%, according to a final poll from the Datafolha institute. This put Lula within arm's reach of the outcome needed to win outright and avoid a runoff on October 30: half of valid votes cast, plus one.

Mr. Bolsonaro's attacks on the voting system have raised fears of a Brazilian version of the riots at the US Capitol last year after his political role model, former president Donald Trump, refused to accept his election loss. Mr. Trump gave Mr.Bolsonaro a last-minute endorsement, calling him a "fantastic leader" and "one of the great presidents of any country in the world" in a video posted on social media.

'Some kind of turmoil'

Casting her vote in the capital, Brasilia, housewife Aldeyze dos Santos, 40, told AFP she supports Mr. Bolsonaro because "I'm a Christian, I only vote for candidates who are for what's in the Bible."

In Rio, retired psychologist Katia Ferrari, 67, said: "I hate Bolsonaro. In Lula's time, things were much better, no matter if he stole... everyone steals," she said in an allusion to Lula's controversial graft conviction, later overturned.

Political analyst Adriano Laureno said it is likely Mr. Bolsonaro will try to contest the result if he loses. "But that doesn't mean he'll succeed," added Laureno, of consulting firm Prospectiva. "The international community will recognize the result quickly... There might be some kind of turmoil and uncertainty around the transition, but there's no risk of a democratic rupture."

More than 500,000 security-force members were deployed to keep the peace Sunday, the government said.

Read more Subscribers only Brazil: The great environmental destruction of the Bolsonaro years

Heavyweight bout

Lula, the ex-metalworker who rose from destitute poverty to become the most popular president in Brazilian history, is seeking to stage a return after falling spectacularly from grace and spending 18 months in jail.

Convicted in a massive graft scheme involving state-run oil company Petrobras, Lula regained the right to run for office last year when the Supreme Court annulled his convictions.

Read more All you need to know about Brazil's presidential election

Mr. Bolsonaro, who swept to office in 2018 on a wave of anti-establishment outrage, has since lost much of his outsider shine.

Vowing to defend "God, country and family," the ex-army captain retains the die-hard backing of his "Bibles, bullets and beef" base  Evangelical Christians, security hardliners and the powerful agribusiness sector.

But he has lost moderate voters with his management of the weak economy, his vitriolic attacks on lawmakers, the courts and the press, a surge in Amazon rainforest destruction, and his failure to contain the devastation of Covid-19, which has claimed more than 685,000 lives in Brazil.

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Many voters are deeply disillusioned with both contenders  and the lack of alternatives  in a race where none of the other nine candidates managed to break out of single digits in the polls. Brazil's 156 million voters are also electing the lower house of Congress, one-third of the Senate, and governors and state legislators in all 27 states.

Read more Subscribers only Brazil: Widespread hunger will be one of Jair Bolsonaro's legacies

Le Monde with AFP
LIMERICK librarians have condemned the removal of thousands of e-books from a publishers database that has led to many students being unable to access course material.

In August, publisher Wiley removed more than 1,300 e-books, many of which were recommended by faculty to their students as key books on course reading lists, from these collections.

Ciara McCaffrey, Deputy Librarian at the Glucksman Library, University of Limerick (UL) has condemned the move in the midst of what she termed as a global crisis in e-book publishing.

The timing of this most recent action taken by Wiley Publishers at the start of the academic year and in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis that is hitting students and their families particularly hard is particularly objectionable, she said on the impact the move has had on UL students.

Her condemnation was echoed by librarians industry-wide in Ireland who in a collective statement expressed their grave satisfaction at the publisher.

They said: We condemn Wileys lack of consultation with libraries, the suddenness of this move and the timing which has caused high levels of disruption at the beginning of the new academic year.

The statement objected to the publishers new business model, which is to sell its books as e-textbooks on a subscription model based on class sizes for exorbitant fees.

It also lamented the fact that academic libraries pay hundreds of thousands of euros from public funds per year to ensure students have access to the books they need.

Removing access to core e-book titles at the start of the educational year is a slap in the face for students, faculty and librarians, Ciara said.

In response, Wiley contacted Limerick Live to issue a statement, informing that Wiley notified its library aggregator partner ProQuest in June 2020 that approximately 1,380 e-books would transition out of its Academic Complete online digital library.

"To allow time for ProQuest to inform its institutional customers about the change and to allow librarians ample time to explore alternatives for their institutions, this transition took place on August 31, 2022. Wiley is working to provide solutions to those customers who experienced inconvenience as a result of the transition.

"ProQuest's Academic Complete collection continues to include a robust collection of Wiley e-books. An additional 1,380 were added in June, bringing Wileys e-book count to 12,267. Wiley remains committed to providing students with affordable e-books through our inclusive access and course materials affordability programs," the statement said.
A BUS serving pupils of a Limerick secondary school has not operated since the start of the academic year due to a lack of a driver.

Thats according to Ballylanders man Michael McCarthy who has two children going to Scoil Pol in Kilfinane.

Hes told the Limerick Live that since August 29  when the school re-opened after summer  the transport the family relied on has not been present.

His eldest daughter Fifi, 17, who is in her Leaving Certificate year, has, for the last five years, boarded the bus which took in Glenroe, Ardpatrick, Kilfinane and Ballylanders on its route.

Mr McCarthy was told that the bus company which provided the service last year is not able to resource the route, causing problems not just for his daughter, but his son Reuben, 13, who has just began secondary school.

We were not told there would be no bus and people were left waiting at the pickups the first morning back only to be informed later by the school that presently there is no bus on the route, he said. Apparently, the guy who has the contract has no driver. That's all we have been told.

For its part, a spokesperson for the Department of Education and Skills said it could not comment on individual cases.

But it admitted there are constraints in the supply of both vehicles and drivers.

Mr McCarthy l has made several calls to the department, but is getting no feedback at all, claiming emails he is sending were failing. Its having a huge impact on the family, he said, pointing out he runs an accountancy firm in Ballylanders, while his wife works as a nurse .

It's having a huge impact. We have to drive to school every morning. My wife is a nurse in Cork, I've my own business in Ballylanders. It's the evening-time when it's a huge inconvenience. We need someone to pick them up from school. There's no-one to bring them home. Grandparents are a huge help to us, he said.

The businessman said the lack of a bus service is unsettling.

I know a lot of people are having to try and get their kids to school. People are working a good distance away from Ballylanders and Glenroe, and they are having to make arrangements because there is no bus, he added.
ON ULs campus, I catch up with Donal Ryan. In his office: piles of books, an eclectic collection of literary prizes, a framed edition of The Thing About December, van Goghs Starry Night, and a handful of fruits.

After being fairly isolated for the past year, Donal Ryan seems happy to be back on a frenzied campus as a new semester is about to start. I was trying to get this book finished, and I was working from home, theres no real view from the attic except of houses and mountains in the distance, he smiles.

In August, the acclaimed author released his latest novel, The Queen of Dirt Island. His seventh book has received a lot of praise. As I ask how he deals with compliments, he talks about the art of deflecting.

I suppose theres a kind of natural habit that people have from rural Ireland, to deflect compliments and to say something like oh go on, yeah. Its really strange because one of the worst insults that could be fired at you when I was growing up was you think youre great, dont you. We should all have a robust and buoyant self-image, explains the author.

Despite the compliments, Donal cannot help but focus on the negative at times. Like a typical writer, I suppose I tend to focus on the negative sometimes, and to obsess about it. He continues, In general, its just lovely when people say nice things. Its lovely when somebody actually explains to you how something youve written moved them, or how it resonated with them. Its really gratifying because that means youve done something right for somebody.

Although at times, details that were not in Donals conscious mind seem to reveal themselves to others. You cant send fiction into the world with caveats, its an open-ended contract, and you have no control over how somebody receives your work, says the novelist.

Occasionally, Donal receives quite the surprising mail. I get the odd letter here and there from people whove been upset by something I wrote. I really feel bad for upsetting them, but, on the other hand, I feel that because theyve written to me, I now have the opportunity to explain myself, and maybe make them feel better about it.

The last thing I ever want to do is hurt anybody or make anybody feel bad. Looking back over my career so far, Ive written some very dark stuff and it would be silly of me to think that people wont be negatively affected sometimes, thats inevitable, he says.

Perhaps not all roads lead to Rome after all. When he started writing The Queen of Dirt Island, Donal didnt expect to have to write it all over again.

I was going around talking about it as if this novel was a fait accompli. I just presumed it was going to be published, but my publisher and my editor were very circumspect and politic about it. They explained to me how it needed a huge amount of work in order for it to be a publishable work of fiction.

Shocked not to have noticed the shortcomings of his first draft, the writer couldnt face the idea of turning that book upside down. As he wondered if he could write another novel before the deadline, he received a gift from the ether.

It felt as though I was almost gifted that novel by the universe. It sounds silly, and I know it didnt come from outside, but it felt as if there was a whispered voice somewhere saying, heres a story for you.

Recalling the strange whispers, Donal narrates: It was these women, right? You live in a house, its very like your old house where you lived as a child. It felt as though the story already existed, I just had to put it into words. The first draft took about 12 weeks, which is pretty quick.

Written in short chapters, The Queen of Dirt Island encapsulates the lives of three generations of strong Irish women. On an estate in Nenagh, the Aylwards household goes through conflict, love, and loss. But despite what the neighbours might think of their drama, the Aylwards are one loving family. Set in the early 80s, the novel follows Saoirse as she navigates life as a woman in a judgmental and misogynist society. Through Ryans lyrical prose, The Queen of Dirt Island tells a tale of prejudice, devotion and love, one that is shadowed by the Catholic Church and the IRA.

As Donal mentioned the book felt like it was whispered for him, I wonder whose voice was guiding him.

I suppose my mother and grandmother, their voices were very clear in my head. They were never as profane as the characters in the book, but they had a particular way of communicating that to the uninitiated would almost seem quite aggressive at times.

He remembers: It was this fabulous way of speaking they had, they were always joking. It was always done with love, with a tongue in cheek. They just had a way of communicating in quasi-insults. It was just a beautiful thing to witness as a child.

Until now, it seems the author stored up these voices. Im sure that whispered advice was partly my late grandmother, gifting me this from the next world because she could see I was in big trouble, he smiles.

In The Queen of Dirt Island, the chapters almost read like capsules of life; all because of a pragmatic choice - and to what quickly became an obsession for the author.

I had to get a readable, workable draft written very quickly. I knew the best way to build a story quickly was in a modular fashion where I had clearly defined, delineated and sized units of narrative, Donal explains.

To keep things neat, the writer slowly became obsessed with the idea that each chapter had to be 500 words.

Its not unnatural for me to do this for each unit and fiction narrative to be the same length. I know it adds to the sense of artifice, to the pretence about fiction, but thats fine, he concedes.

I mention his process reminds me of Gadsby, the 1939 novel written without the letter e by Ernest Vincent Wright. As Donal tries to recall a similar book title, he cant help but frantically look it up.

Like many of us, Donal cant help but look up things he cannot remember. I think you and I had this conversation the last time you were here, about using our phones as proxies for our memory, which is dangerous.

He was thinking of Alice Lyonss novel, Oona, which was written without featuring the letter o - quite the challenging endeavour.

Speaking of challenging endeavour, Donal touches on quite a few topics in his fiction. But what is the most challenging one to write about?

Suicide has touched my family. Well, I shouldnt really say too much about it, but its something that Ive had experience of, confides Donal.

Theres kind of a catharsis in rendering something fictional that you know the mechanics of, its strange. It just seems that language has this kind of calming effect, and strangely a limiting effect. He continues: Theres no perfect way of saying anything, language is inherently limited and there is a finite number of words. We can never present an emotion exactly in language, but we can try our best to get somewhere in the vicinity of the truth of it.

The author believes events that cause devastation need to be portrayed in fiction, in a bid to make them real. Things are reported perfectly in the form of statistics, and theyre cold and stark. Its important to really explore the actual human emotion around these things, he says.

Writers often weigh in on whether you should only write about what you know  and what directly affects you. Recently, some have expressed that only women should write about women. As The Queen of Dirt Island revolves around women, does he believe you can only write about what you know?

Its ridiculous, really. Now in fairness, theres a burgeoning auto fiction movement at the moment, and I think its great. Loads of the main proponents of it, for example, Sally Rooney, are just the most wonderful writers. Ive heard Sally say she couldnt have written the books she wrote, if she hadnt had the experiences she had, and I think thats probably true to some extent for all writers, he answers.

Donal points out his life has remained quite traditional. Married with two kids, he lives in a housing estate in Nenagh, and works as a Creative Writing lecturer at the University of Limerick.

There isnt that much grist for any literary mil in my life, so if I stayed stuck to my own experience, itd be very boring, he admits.

But having said that, every character I write is somehow informed by my own experience of life. In a way, were all drawing in on our own experience all the time. If you cant sympathetically, forensically and carefully put yourself in the position of another human as a fiction writer, I think youre going to run into a brick wall very quickly and limit yourself very much.

He believes theres no point in sequestering yourself, and that its vital to look outwards. If I confine myself to my own experience of life, first of all thered be a set of things Id be forbidden to write about, like my mother, and you cant go against your mothers wishes, he laughs.

Donals mother is whom he dedicated his latest book to.

My mom is quite ill at the moment, shes dying, so Im really glad that she got to read this book because its dedicated to her. And I guess the spirit of women in it is drawn very much from her spirit because shes such a strong person. The fact that she read it and likes it means a lot to me, he says, fondly.

Not only was The Queen of Dirt Island inspired by the strong women in Donals life, but it was also influenced by his childhood home. What is the most vivid memory he has of his old house?

The most vivid feeling I have about my childhood home is safety, he says. A feeling he describes as cocooned, yet brittle and fragile.

It felt like this huge armour of love around me. I was very lucky because I couldnt see the world clearly as a child, and I think no child should see the world clearly. I was a late developer when it came to actual clarity about the world. I was well into my teens thinking I knew a lot of things and knowing nothing at all and being shocked into awareness about things over and over again.

I think its almost necessary for writers of fiction to be shocked into awareness, so that the thing you went to write about has had this profound effect on you. It makes it easier and more vivid, he adds.

Originally, Donal wanted his latest book to be a sequel to Strange Flowers. As our conversation is about to end, I cant help but ask about his next book.

Im writing the sequel to this book at the moment. I wont be as silly as I was the last time and say that it will be the next book, he smiles. But it does very much feel like a natural progression, theres kind of a natural setup at the end of this book for a sequel. Again, it feels as though Im being gifted it, its coming pretty easily. Now I wont say its writing itself, but it feels as though the story is almost obvious, and I just have to kind of unveil it somehow, he concludes.
GARDAI in Limerick have charged a second male, aged in his 30s, who was arrested on Saturday in relation to the seizure of cannabis herb valued at approximately 40,000 and a quantity of cocaine.

The man is due to appear before a special sitting of Limerick District Court, sitting in Kilmallock, this Sunday afternoon at 1.30pm.

Gardai in Limerick seized approximately 71,000 worth of suspected drugs and arrested two men following a search operation on Saturday.

Gardai charged a man following the seizure of cannabis herb worth approximately 30,000 on Saturday. The man, aged in his 30s, was detained at Henry Street garda station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.

He is due to appear before Limerick District Court on Monday morning.

On Saturday, a garda spokesperson said: "This morning, gardai attached to Henry Street conducted a search operation at a number of residences in Limerick. Assistance was provided by the Regional Armed Support Unit, the Divisional Drugs Unit and the Community Engagement Unit."

During the search of one residence, cannabis herb with an estimated street value of 30,000 was seized as well as 1,250 in cash. Gardai also seized cannabis herb valued at approximately 40,000 and cocaine valued at approximately 1,000 during the search of a separate residence.
INTERNATIONAL students from 44 different nations have been officially welcomed to the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) by Mayor Francis Foley and President of TUS, Professor Vincent Cunnane.

At the orientation event held in Thomond Park, Limericks first citizen wished the students every success on their "personal and academic journeys in TUS".

"It should be no surprise that you chose TUS for your studies. It is right at the heart of Limericks thriving Education excellence. The context for industry, business and our careers is increasingly global.

"It is a great endorsement of Limerick and this region to have so many international students. TUSs academic partners overseas know that this is a place rich in opportunity for personal and career development," said Mayor Foley.

Professor Cunnane welcomed the international students on behalf of the technological university that spans six campuses and four counties in the Mid-West and midlands.

"We are delighted this year to welcome learners from every continent of the globe to join the growing community of international learners from more than 110 nationalities already studying here at TUS.

"We believe in the benefits of an Internationalised campus and appreciate the great intellectual and cultural gifts that you bring to TUS," said Professor Cunnane.

Vice President for International, TUS, Donnacha McNamara, congratulated the students on making the decision to study abroad.

He encouraged them to continue to challenge themselves by getting out of their comfort zones and trying new things and to make lifelong friends.

The students attending the annual TUS orientation day this year came from Austria, Bolivia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, China, Colombia, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, Iran, India, Italy, Kenya, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Rwanda, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Turkey, UAE, Uganda, Ukraine, USA and Zimbabwe.

As well as receiving a welcome to the Mid-West the students also took part in a scavenger hunt around Limerick to help discover what the city has to offer and ended the day with a pizza party in the city centre.
Ireland does not have the luxury of seeing serial objections stall the building of new homes, Micheal Martin has warned.

The Taoiseach said all politicians needed to count to 10 before considering whether they should object to proposed developments in their constituencies.

The Fianna Fail leader also suggested the Government would be open to amending its controversial concrete block levy to ensure the measure does not penalise home buyers by forcing up new build house prices.

Mr Martin said the principle of the levy announced in the budget, to make the construction industry foot some of the multi-billion euro bill to fix defective homes, would be retained, but he indicated the mechanics of how it is administered could be looked at.

Irelands homeless figures hit a new record high on Friday, with the number of homeless people in the state rising to 10,805.

Mr Martin used his leaders speech at the Fianna Fail Ard Fheis at the weekend to defend the Governments handling of the housing crisis.

On Sunday, he insisted the state was now the biggest actor in Irelands house building sector and was doing everything it possibly can to tackle the shortfall in homes.

Ive been consistently saying in Dail Eireann to all parties, every member of the House, that we simply do not have the luxury to be objecting to housing projects to the degree that we are in this country, he told RTE Radio One.

Mr Martin was particularly critical of Sinn Fein, reiterating his claim that the party has objected to about 6,000 houses in Dublin alone, but he acknowledged that all parties were culpable, including his own.

Sinn Fein have opposed 6,000 and theyre lashing government every day about housing and theyre lecturing government every day about housing, he said.

And Im simply saying  dont lecture me about housing, if youre objecting the following day.

He said most of the objections were ideological and related to the mix of social, affordable and private homes planned for particular developments.

Im not saying this is just about Sinn Fein, Im saying to all TDs, all politicians, the younger generation need housing, they need housing much faster than we, as a society, are delivering.

Were not providing houses fast enough to the younger generation.

Thats the point.

He added: Politicians need to just count to 10 before they start objecting.

There can be pressures locally and all of that, I understand that, Ive been in politics myself, but the crisis is such now in terms of housing (that objections need to be reduced).
Ocean carriers are canceling dozens of sailings on the worlds busiest routes during what is normally their peak season, the latest sign of the economic whiplash hitting companies as inflation weighs on global trade and consumer spending.
Tom Fairless, The Wall Street Journal

Some see Bank of Englands actions compromising inflation mission; central bankers say their goals arent in conflict
After the unfortunate death of first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat in December last year due to an accident while on-board on Mi-17 helicopter flying over Nilgiri hills in Tamil Nadu while moving towards the Defence Services Staff College there, the post had been vacant for 10 months. General Anil Chauhan took over the post as the new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) on Friday.

The Government of India on Wednesday cleared the appointment of Gen Anil Chauhan as the second Chief of Defence Staff of Indian defence forces.

Security establishment sources claimed that the government had evaluated the officer's abilities both during and after his various Army tours of duty.

DGMO in Balakot airstrike

Regarding Gen. Chauhan's role in the military, sources claimed that on February 26, 2019, when airstrikes on Balakot occurred, he served as the Indian Army's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO).

View Full Image Indias strike on Balakot was a reprisal to the Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF men died

In order to prevent the Pakistan Army from engaging in any misadventures on the ground after the strikes, Gen. Chauhan, who was the DGMO at the time, ordered the deployment of troops.

The Indian Air Force had successfully fired missiles on terrorist infrastructure created inside Pakistan. However, the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) facility, where terrorists had gathered for training, was the main target of the aerial attacks, which mainly involved the Mirage-2000 fighter aircraft.

Engagement with China as Eastern Army Commander

When the Chinese Army displayed aggression along the Northern borders in Eastern Ladakh, sources claim that he was the Eastern Army Commander and that the Chinese had stationed their troops in forward positions throughout the sector.

"Gen Chauhan as the Eastern Army Commander being responsible for the areas stretching from the Chicken's Neck in West Bengal to Arunachal Pradesh carried out the force buildup all along the Eastern sector of the LAC," they said.

People with knowledge of the situation said that the buildup was carried out while staying under radar, and formations like the 17 Mountain Strike Corps were kept in forward positions to confuse the enemy about the Indian reaction to any potential misadventures by them.

With the exception of a few instances, such as the one in North Sikkim's Nakula, the Chinese were kept under control in their territory thanks to the deployment and force balance of the Eastern Army.

Military Advisor to National Security Council Secretariat

Gen. Chauhan was heavily involved in developing India's position on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in discussions with the Chinese at the Corps Commander level after his retirement in May 2021. Gen. Chauhan was also appointed as the Military Advisor to the National Security Council Secretariat. He also participated in the discussions to determine the nation's stance in the negotiations at the level of the China Study Group.

Due to India's firm stance on the LAC issue, troops from both nations withdrew from the flashpoints in eastern Ladakh caused by the People's Liberation Army's unilateral aggression in May 2020.

(With inputs from ANI)
General Anil Chauhan, the new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), has asked the Army, Navy, and Air Force to move forward with the creation of integrated theatre commands in his first communication with the three armed forces.

On October 3, the CDS will also travel to Jodhpur to see the Light Combat Helicopter being inducted into the Indian Air Force. This will be Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari's first trip outside of Delhi since assuming his new position.

The creation of theatre commands to aid the Army, Navy, and Air Force in fighting the upcoming wars jointly was one of the top mandates for the newly created position of Chief of Defence Staff in 2019.

"The CDS has communicated to the defence forces to move ahead on creating theatre commands which would be his priority area. A lot of discussions have already been done on the issue and it is now time to move forward," government sources told ANI.

The three services have also done several studies in individual capacity as well as joint ones to discuss the issue of theatre commands in detail, they said.

The late Gen. Bipin Rawat, Gen. Chauhan's predecessor, also put a lot of effort into making the three forces leaner, faster, and more equipped with contemporary weapons.

According to earlier plans, a maritime theatre command, along with western and eastern land-based commands, were to be established. Additionally, Air Defence Command was to be established, with the Ladakh region being temporarily excluded.

However, the Indian Air Force expressed its opposition to the creation of too many theatre commands, stating that doing so could result in the division of its current assets, such as fighter jets.

It was also against any land or maritime commands and wanted theatres to be created to deal with specific threats from different sides.

These investigations and presentations by the three forces have continued following Gen. Rawat's passing, and presentations on the subject have been made to the top officials of the defence ministry.

The establishment of these commands is likely to pick up steam now that CDS Gen Chauhan is in charge, and decisions in this regard are anticipated to be made soon.

(With inputs from ANI)
Union Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said that the central government is planning to set up 100 labs for 5G technology across India and at least 12 of them will be used to train students and conduct experiments, according to the news agency PTI.

The minister also asked the telecom companies participating in the Indian Mobile Congress to provide their input for the new telecom bill through which the government aims to simplify licensing regime.

"We are going to set up 100 5G labs across the country. I request the telecom industry to come together and convert at least 12 of these 100 labs into telecom incubators to train students and do experiments," Vaishnaw said as quoted by PTI.

He also said that the government is working significantly towards simplifying the licensing regime for all telecom players. "I am really happy to see the energy of startups and MSMEs, who are going to rural areas to benefit people," he added.

At the event, indigenous telecom gear maker HFCL announced the launch of 5G Lab-as-a-Service to accelerate the rollout of 5G solutions and services. It will provide an automated test environment for the private sector, academia and government to work together on product innovations from concept to reality.

PM Modi on Saturday launched 5G services in the country, ushering in an era of ultra high-speed internet on mobile phones. He said that a total of 130 crore Indians are getting a wonderful gift in the form of 5G from the country and from the telecom industry of the country.

He said that the use of 5G technology will not be limited to speedy internet access, but has the capability to change lives.

He also urged the leaders of the telecom industry association to visit schools and colleges of the country and unleash every aspect of this new technology and asked them to create an enabling ecosystem for MSMEs to prepare spare parts for electronic manufacturing.

The prime minister pointed out that India was dependent on other countries for 2G, 3G and 4G technologies, but with 5G, India has created a new history. With 5G, India is setting a global standard in telecom technology for the first time," he remarked.

(With PTI inputs)
The news agency confirmed the incident by sharing a video recorded by Tashi Sherpa who was trying to climb the eighth-highest mountain in the world at 8,163 meters.

Also Read: Watch: Massive avalanche plunges down trail behind Kedarnath Temple

In the video, it was visible how the mega avalanche descended towards the base camp. The mountain climber further confirmed that a few tents were destroyed in the avalanche. But there have been no causalities till now. He informed me that more than three dozen tents were destroyed by the avalanche on Sunday.

#WATCH | A fresh avalanche has hit the Manaslu Base Camp today. It has come a week after the last one, which had left two persons dead.#Nepal



(Video source: Tashi Lakpa Sherpa) pic.twitter.com/XLTbDVFq2G  ANI (@ANI) October 2, 2022

Due to this avalanche, several companies have called off their expedition camps for the season. The last week's avalanche not only injured many people but also killed two of them. Over a dozen of people were left injured including an Indian from the base camp after the avalanche ripped through just below camp 4 on 26 September, according to the Tourism Department of Nepal.

It is worth noting that the weather department has not been very favourable for the mountaineers all through the season. There were cases of repeated avalanches this season. Over 400 permits were issued by the Department of Tourism to climb Manaslu this year. But the unfavourable weather condition might not let these mountaineers utilise these permits this time.

An avalanche is basically a snow slide down a slop on a hill or mountain. There can be multiple reasons of avalanche ranging from excessive precipitation (or a decreasing snowpack), or as a result of external sources such as people, animals, and earthquakes.

Large avalanches carries the potential of catching and even moving ice, rocks and trees. Factors behind avalanche could be heavy snowfall, increased human activities, wind direction, steep slopes, warm temperatures, layers of snow, and earthquakes.

For better information and early warnings before such kind of avalanches, Indian Army and the Defence Geoinformatics and Research Establishment (DGRE) have jointly installed the Avalanche Monitoring Radar. This is India's first of its kind avalanche monitoring system and is established in north Sikkimm in September this year.

Along with avalanches, this radar will help in issuing early warning for landslides. This radar was made operational by the Defence Research and Development Organisation's wing DGRE.

( With inputs from ANI)
Colombian ambassador to India Mariana Pacheco Montes in an interview spoke about Sri Lanka being a learning experience with respect to BRI, and said you have to be very, very careful about where you put your eggs." Montes also articulated the Latin Americans country stance of not involving itself in the race between the US and China; and spoke about an expansive bilateral agenda with India, with the South American country planning to take a leaf out of Indias pharmaceutical playbook. She said that four MoUs are to be signed between the two countries for medical research with ICMR, pharmaceuticals, regulation and biotechnology. She also spoke about a proposed agreement on entertainment; wherein Colombia will be promoted as a filming destination, thereby helping attract more tourists. She also talked about a preferential trade agreement in the works, her country expected to join International Solar Alliance (ISA), and ISRO being looked at as a partner for Colombias nascent space program. She also spoke about growing prospects for bilateral trade, Hero Motocorp leveraging Colombia as a hub to sell EVs in Latin America, and Colombias plans to establish itself as a key energy partner for New Delhi

Edited Excerpts of the Ambassadors interview with Mint:

Colombias Ecopetrol and Indias Indian Oil Corporation have just signed a long term agreement for the supply of oil. Since when has the engagement on energy security between India and Colombia expanded?

This cooperation has been going on for years. ONGC Videsh has been in Colombia since 2014 and had a joint venture with a Chinese company for the exploration and production of crude oil. ONGC has also succeeded in bids for its own fields and is expected to start producing more than 40,000 barrels per day by next year. This is high quality oil and more than 90% of it is purchased by EcoPetrol. This Embassy has worked very strongly with ONGC Videsh. With the war In Ukraine, both countries have worked for energy supply security.

Further, we have also worked with India on coal. Last year, we were able to provide some exports of coal during the energy crisis but this year we were unable to provide this because Europe and China secured these supplies. Indias energy matrix is very dependent on coal and we have very good quality coal.

India is in the middle of an energy transition. Are we going to see any collaborations between India and Colombia on this front?

I am very much looking forward to that. This was a particular focus for the previous Colombian government which worked on expanding and changing our energy mix. We went from around 0.2% of alternative fuels in our energy mix to almost 9%. Colombia is also a part of the International Renewable Energy Alliance (IRENA). This Embassy has also asked the Ministry of Mines and Energy in Colombia to look into joining the International Solar Alliance. The vision that Prime Minister Modi has articulated is the same as Colombias vision. Todays world is very uncertain and a crisis here or a war there might change the energy environment.

Latin America has come into a great deal of focus because of critical minerals like lithium and copper. This is also very important for Indias own green transition. Have there been talks between India and Colombia about critical minerals?

We have not spoken about critical or rare minerals with India. Colombia was pretty much unexplored for these minerals because we were in the midst of a conflict. We are now in the sixth year of a peace agreement and now have the opportunity to look into this. Many of Colombias rare mineral deposits are also in environmentally fragile areas.

Latin America has increasingly become another front in the competition between America and China. As this competition escalates, how is the region and Colombia specially looking to manage these tensions?

Were very close to the US. We have historically looked north and also have a large diaspora in the United States. America has also been our largest cooperation partner. On the other hand, China has also been coming to Colombia and other countries in the region. For example, China is building the metro in Bogota. It is also involved in telecom, connectivity and infrastructure in the country.

Colombia sits in the heart of the Americas. As President Petro of Colombia has said, we must not get in the middle of these super powers. I must say that Indias position on this issue is very respected. We live in a world of many uncertainties. I think Colombia is doing a good job of moving ahead and trying to take one step at a time without breaking any eggs.

Your views about what Chinas BRI means for developing economies as some believe that countries like Sri Lanka seem to have landed themselves into a debt trap?

You have to be very, very careful about where you put your eggs. Countries like Sri Lanka are a learning experience where we must take the good, the bad and the ugly. I think multilateral agencies are doing their best but I dont know if it is going to be enough. However, I think what India is doing with Sri Lanka, going in with funding and humanitarian aid, is an example to the world.

There is a long-standing trade relationship between India and Colombia. However trade volumes have remained in the mere millions. Could we get a sense from you on what Indias strengths are for Latin America and which growth sectors are being targeted?

Pharmaceuticals are a priority. What India has built with its pharmaceutical ecosystem is just incredible. This is something that Colombia needs to learn. India has a pharma industry that is high tech, innovative and manufactures affordable and accessible medicines. No other country has that. Four Memorandums of Understanding are almost ready to be signed. One is in medical research with the Indian Council of Medical Research, one aims to strengthen the pharma relationship, another is between our regulatory agencies and one on biotechnology. There is also one joint venture between Genova pharmaceuticals and a Colombian pharma company for the production of vaccines and other biosimilars for the Colombian market and the rest of Latin America. Colombia only has 50 million people so we have to be a hub for the region. We would love to take a leaf out of Indias pharma playbook.

Is India talking to Colombia about a Preferential Trade Agreement?

There have been talks but they are going very slowly. There are certain sensitive areas especially in agriculture. Colombia has more than 17 Free Trade Agreements in place and the Ministry of Trade is looking into this matter. We advanced a study in Colombia and so did the Indian side. But both sides have not yet exchanged these plans. However, a lot is also happening on the private sector side. Colombia has TCS, Tech Mahindra, Hero Motocorp Royal Enfield, Bajaj. Hero Motocorp has a factory near Cali and is also looking to sell electric motorcycles by using Colombia as a hub to other markets like Brazil. Indias IT companies are performing well in the financial and insurance sector. I have encouraged them to look into other sectors like manufacturing and government. Indias companies have a very good reputation in the country and like to work with local employees unlike other foreign countries that like to bring in their own workers.

There is a sense that India and Latin America have under-invested in their relationship and dont figure in each others thinking. What is your sense of this issue?

I think India is making great strides with Latin America. There is a real opportunity for India to look into the Pacific Alliance and organizations like the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), CELAC and other multilateral organisations in the region. Minister Jaishankar is leading that effort. Since I came to India in the beginning of 2021, it is incredible how many visits have taken place from Minister Jaishankar, Minister Lekhi and government secretaries to the region. However, beyond the governments, person-to-person links will be very important. Often, links between people and the private sector drag the public sector along.

Both countries have also started looking at cooperation in space. Could you tell us something about that?

We had Minister Lekhi visit Colombia and an MoU on aerospace was signed with ISRO. I then visited ISRO and we had our Minister of Science and Technology put in a proposal for using a satellite that will be utilized for peaceful purposes like agriculture, meteorological measures and demographic measurement among others. The only satellite that Colombia has launched into space was launched by ISRO. Further, the Minister of Science and technology has spoken to ISRO about jointly developing a satellite. We are currently developing it ourselves and are encountering some challenges as we do not have the technology. Of course, other countries have come in and offered their expertise and India is on a list of countries who are going to collaborate. However, a final decision will need to be made by the new Minister for Science and Technology and the Colombian Air Force.

India and Colombia both have a massive entertainment industry. What are the possibilities for collaboration here?

I truly began to understand what soft power is once I arrived in India. Culture is an important part of my diplomatic mission here. We have started negotiating an MoU on co-production of audio-visual content. The dream would be to have a Bollywood movie shot in Bogota, Medellin or Cali in Colombia. This is an MoU between our Ministry of Culture and your Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Is Wickremesinghe the solution for Sri Lankas economic and political debacle? But the problem remains: Sri Lanka has no money, little food or medicines, no fuel and has to keep borrowing.

by Gamini Weerakoon

For every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong  H.L. Mencken (American writer and humorist).

The validity of this contention in Sri Lanka can be gauged if we listen to pundits on radio and television providing solutions to the most devastating problem this country has faced in its 73 years after Independence.

Sri Lankan governments have been attempting to resolve problems in the usual way that all democratic governments do: Appoint commissions of inquiry and investigations and even presidential commissions to determine what went wrong. Maximum publicity is provided to the progress of commissions on radio, TV and the print media but gradually the pressure is eased till time erases memories of the devastating problem.

File photo of Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Education Minister awards a prize to a student while the then President J. R. Jayawardene and Prime Minister R. Premadasa look on [ Photo  Sunday Observer]

The financial and political abyss that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, his brothers and nephews confidently marched into with their military and civilian advisors was beyond the capabilities of presidential commissions to resolve and they remained in their bunkers until the GotaGoHome boys and girls rallied tens of thousands of protesters, stormed the bastions of power of the Rajapaksas, forcing them to resign and Gota to go home the way of Parangiya Kotte Giya (The circumcircuitous way the Portuguese were taken from Colombo Fort to Kotte). Gota went home in a High Security Zone in Colombo by air via the Maldives, Singapore and Thailand.

But the problem remains: Sri Lanka has no money, little food or medicines, no fuel and has to keep borrowing.

Ranil Wickremesinghe was a free and defeated man with no problems to resolve but he seems to relish problems for power.

He volunteered to take on all the terrifying problems of the country left over by the Rajapaksas by volunteering to become the prime minister and then be elected president by politically destitute members of the Rajapaksa party, who are not his fans.

Wickremesinghe has done his job well in negotiating with the IMF and the Western bloc of nations but has kicked into his own goal by cracking down on the GotaGoHome boys and girls who had unwittingly paved the way for his political resurrection.

Wickremesinghe during the past week or so has gone through Westminster Castle and Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, chatted with King Charles III and been able to present Sri Lankas case in a favourable light, reports said.

This week he was in Tokyo with powerful Japanese politicians and in the Japanese Imperial Palace with Emperor Akihito in the vicinity of the Chrysanthemum Throne.

Japan has been our all-weather friend since the San Francisco conference speech of his uncle J.R. Jayewardene who pleaded for Japan at that critical moment when the world was sitting in judgement over Japans conduct in the War. The nephew of JR pleading for Lankas cause now may have revived poignant memories way back.

Japan has been showering assistance on this country without any strings attached. The Kotte Parliament in a picturesque setting, the Jayawardenapura Hospital, the Administrative Capital of Kotte and the development of the entire region of Colombo East that has now become the best residential area of Colombo are all spin-offs of Japanese munificence.

Gotabaya Rajapaksas wooden-headed military mind destroyed that seven-decade-old friendship by boorishly halting the Japanese light rail project which would have eased the traffic congestion in the area. Ranil Wickremesinghe now has the opportunity to undo the damage although he is working for the Pohottuwa government.

From Japan, Wickremesinghe went to Manila to chair a meeting of the Asian Development Bank where he called for the support of creditors and stakeholders for Sri Lankas economic recovery.

Is Wickremesinghe the solution for Sri Lankas economic and political debacle?

There is tremendous opposition to him continuing as the President and there are daily protests demanding his resignation. But indications are that he has no intention of giving up the presidency and intends to carry on for the next two years till the presidential term ends. He has had no qualms in crushing opposition forces rising against him although it is being pointed out that non-violent protests against legal governments are permissible under Sri Lankan law.

The parallels between Ranil Wickremesinghes and his uncle JRJs careers are striking. JRJ even when he was in his seventies did not have control of his party, the UNP, which he had stood by in all adversities and also put it back on its feet.

Even after the rout of the party in 1970 by the Sirima Bandaranaike-led United Front, Dudley Senanayake continued to be the leader with JRJ trying his utmost to oust him.

At one stage, JRJ declared that he wanted to join Sirima Bandaranaikes coalition but the left leaders including Samasamjist N.M. Perera and Communist Pieter Keuneman were vehemently against it. N.M. Perera declared: If he comes through the front door, I go out through the back door and if he comes through the backdoor, I go out from the window.

JRJ tried many tactics to oust Dudley. He even tried to storm Siri Kotha (then located at Kollupitiya) with elephants!

And then Dudley Senanayake passed away plunging the entire nation into grief. The astute JRJ then played his master stroke. His funeral oration at Independence Square was a masterpiece of oratory in democracy and hypocrisy: Goodbye Sweet PrinceMay a thousand Devas..

JRJ took control of the party and in 1977 swept the polls with a five-sixth majority for the party to hold power for 17 years.

Ranil Wickremesinghe still is the leader of the UNP but the vast majority of members ditched him in favour of Sajith Premadasa and Wickremesinghe could not even win a single seat  not even his own. Speculation is that he will try to wean away former UNPers now with Sajith Premadasa and contest the next election as leader of a rejuvenated UNP and win like his uncle did.

Sajith Premadasa had only one months time to organise his presidential election campaign against the formidable Gotabaya Rajapaksa. He contested under a new party name with ex-UNPers backing him. He polled a creditable 41.99 percent of the poll against Rajapaksas 52.25 per cent. Premadasa is today the sole opposition leader directly opposing both Wickremesinghe and the Rajapaksas and is no lame duck.

Can Wickremesinghe repeat his uncles feat. Time will tell.

Growth of Artificial Intelligence and decline in Human Intelligence

A voluminous newspaper supplement in a state-owned newspaper last week aimed at boosting artificial intelligence in Sri Lanka had us wondering about the possible science fiction scenario of the takeover of the former Pearl of the Orient by electronic robots.

A determined effort, it appears, is being made to have robots with artificial intelligence (AI) to help us Lankans in our domestic chores as well as work in factories. Glancing through some of the articles we were impressed at the enthusiasm and optimism expressed which made us conclude that robots functioning on artificial intelligence will grow at an exponential rate.

This accelerated growth of artificial intelligence in Lanka per se was not a matter of concern to us. What concerns us is its rapid growth alongside the rapid decline of human intelligence in this country. It began decades ago and this year accelerated blindly with

open eyes into the chasm of financial bankruptcy and political wilderness.

The scenario we envisage is not the usual sci-fi battle between robots vs humans because the robots have to be fed with instructions by humans into the foreseeable future. Increasingly intelligent robots coming up with solutions with dumb Lankans may not be able to comprehend, is a challenge to those now nurturing artificial intelligence.
To avoid a deepening rife in the government, Bihar agriculture minister Sudhakar Singh has resigned from his position today, confirmed his father and state RJD President Jagadananad Singh.

It is worth noting that Bihar agriculture minister Sudhakar Singh's outspokenness on several issues has been a cause of embarrassment for the Nitish Kumar government.

For the past few days, the RJD leader has been flagging off on issues related to farmers and APMC mandi. He was constantly raising his voice against in the favour of farmers.

RJD President Jagadananad Singh said that Sudhakar Singh had been "raising his voice in favour of farmers", decided to put in his papers so that "the rift does not deepen" ('taaki ladaai aage nahin badhe').

The minister who claimed of corruption in his department, was unavailable to PTI for any kind of comments on the issue.

Recently, Sudhakar Singh has said that he will not allow the continuation of BJP agenda" in agriculture department the formation of the Grand Alliance government in the state.

Sudhakar Singh ,on Saturday, said that he will not stay silent till the restoration of Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act in Bihar. He regarded the scrapping of the act from Bihar in 2006 as anti-farmer" in nature.

It is worth noting, that the APMC Act and Mandi system, which was a prime bone of contention in the nationwide farmer agitation, was repealed by the Nitish Kumar Government in Bihar in 2006.

Being the state Agriculture minister, I will not allow continuation of BJP agenda in the agriculture department after the formation of the Mahagathbandhan government in the state" told Sudhakara Singh to PTI.

A day ago, Sudhakar Singh also raised issues on the new fertiliser policy of Bihar that is being drafted on Saturday. He also questioned Bihar's progress in terms of grain production in last seventeen years. The minister said, despite three agricultural roadmaps, our total grain production was 1.77 lakh tonnes in 2011-12 and we produced 1.76 lakh tonnes in 2021-22.

(With inputs from PTI)
Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar has challenged the BJP-led government in the state to take action against him and former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for the PayCM" t-shirt after reports suggested that multiple party workers were arrested for wearing the t-shirt during the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Talking about the issue Shivakumar said, "The Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Siddaramaiah and I and other leaders will participate in Bharat Jodo Yatra by wearing 'PayCM' t-shirts. Let's see what the BJP will do,"

He alleged that multiple cases had been filed against the congress workers for wearing the PayCM" t-shirts during the Bharat Jodo yatra in Gundlupet while adding "We are not afraid of this (cases)."

A Congress worker was forced to remove his "PayCM" T-shirt on Saturday while participating in the Bharat Jodo Yatra, and an FIR was also filed against him at the Chamarajanagar police station.

Talking about the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Shivakumar called it a 'people's programme' which connects minds instead of a party programme. He added, "We are trying to find answers to problems and give courage to worried people,"

Karnataka congress launched the PayCM campaign against Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai by pasting the PayCM posters with a QR code and a message 40 percent accepted here.

This was done in a bid to reportedly accuse the Bommai-led BJP government of charging a 40 percent commission on public works. When scanned the QR code took the person to a parody "40 percent Commission Government" website run by the congress where people would be asked to register their complaints against the CM.

Congress and BJP have been battling each other on the corruption charges since then with the Karnataka government dismissing charges raised by the congress as politically motivated.

Shivakumar while talking about the PayCM campaign said, "The government is sunk in 40% commission. All sections including farmers are suffering. On the one hand, there is corruption and unrest, on the other hand, there is the problem of farmers and unemployment. An atmosphere of fear has been created among the people,"

The State congress chief criticized the BJP for slander and baseless criticism and accused that the development of congress was not acceptable to the saffron party. He said, "BJP is doing petty politics to divert people's attention. They are criticizing us even though it has dead rats on its plate".

With inputs from ANI
A north Longford based father of five has been sent forward for trial charged with the possession of a firearm and ammunition following a garda operation last December.



Forty-three-year-old William OConnor, of 48 Trumra Road, Granard, Co Longford, appeared before a sitting of Longford District Court last week where he was served with the book of evidence.

Garda Campbell Brennan told of how he served the book on the accused the same morning where it was revealed the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had directed Mr OConnor be sent forward for trial on two charges.



They allege Mr OConnor was found with a 9mm pistol and 10 blank cartridges which had allegedly been concealed in a magazine at Granard garda station on December 30, 2021.

That came after gardai allegedly stopped a car in the north Longford town shortly before 3pm.

A lengthy application to vary Mr OConnors bail terms was made by defence solicitor Fiona Baxter with the court hearing how the accused had been confined to stringent conditions for the best part of 12 months.



They included stipulations that the accused sign on seven days a week and abide by a 10pm to 6am curfew.

Ms Baxter said her client was seeking to relax those terms in order for the Granard man to visit his five children that reside in Dublin.



She said the vast bulk of Mr OConnors immediate family lived in the capital apart from his mother who he is a carer for.

The local solicitor added Mr OConnor was an individual who suffers from anxiety and had a particular difficulty going into confined spaces.



Sgt Mark Mahon, for the State, said gardai would be objecting to the application on the basis the charges before the court were very serious and at the higher end of the offending scale.

Ms Baxter replied, saying Mr OConnor had been fully compliant with his current bail conditions, adding there was no issue about whether the accused would turn up for his trial.

He has five children and would like the option of staying overnight with them, said Ms Baxter.

Mr OConnor, for his part, stood with his hands clasped in front of him and remained silent throughout the duration of the brief ten minute hearing.



In giving her ruling, Judge Bernadette Owens said she could see merit in part of the application made by Ms Baxter.



A curfew is a very significant restriction on somebodys liberty, she stated, before indicating her intention to lift the condition but declining to do likewise with obligations concerning Mr OConnors daily sign on requirements.

The court granted an application to extend legal aid and appoint a junior defence counsel to Mr OConnors case.

He was subsequently remanded on continuing bail to the next sessions of Longford Circuit Criminal Court on October 4, 2022.
The Balearic parliament will this week hold its annual debate about general policy in the region. Prior to this debate, parties' representatives (although not all the parties it would seem) have been invited to a meeting at the government's Consolat de Mar headquarters to discuss the current economic situation.

This is scheduled to take place on Monday. Among the opposition parties, Ciudadanos (Cs) and Vox say they haven't received invitations. The Partido Popular and El Pi are adamant that they won't be attending. Mes in Minorca, separate to Mes in Mallorca but generally supportive of the government, are unsure whether they will attend.

The PP's Toni Costa justifies his party's refusal to meet the president because he believes that the gathering is all about "taking a photo". "For a second year ahead of the general policy debate, Armengol is engaging in propaganda and trying to relegate the debate to the background and ignore parliament, as she has been doing for four years. The Popular Party wish to discuss proposals for problems that concern the public and not waste time having photos taken. Therefore, we have declined the invitation.

"We have been reaching out for a year and making proposals to Armengol for major agreements on matters such as EU Next Generation funds and the tourism law, but we have always received a 'no'. What Armengol has to do is to stop having ever more photos taken and listen. Listen to the Confederation of Balearic Business Associations and the Pimem federation for small businesses when they, for instance, point to European funds not getting to businesses."

El Pi's president, Tolo Gili, stresses that "we are not against sitting down and listening to what Armengol has to say, but not one day before the general policy debate". He highlights the fact that there is already "the Reactivation Pact" for political parties and employers' and union representatives to meet. The Monday meeting, in his view, "is more an act of propaganda than a meeting to assess the current situation".

The regional coordinator of the Cs in the Balearics, Patricia Guasp, says that her party will not be attending, because "this type of meeting must take place within the framework of the Reactivation Pact." "It is shameful that she intends to hold a meeting now, just on the eve of the general policy debate, when she has not called the Reactivation Pact since March. This is the forum which is supposed to reach agreements and take measures to reactivate the islands' economy.

"We are not going to be part of a propaganda attempt by President Armengol. She wants everyone to believe that she is committed to dialogue with the opposition, when in reality she ignores us for everything that doesn't earn her political capital. The Cs only found out about this meeting through the media and other parties. We have not received any invitation and we don't know who has been summoned to the meeting."

Vox's Jorge Campos says they haven't received an invitation and wouldn't have attended even if they had. He is critical of "one more example of the lack of democratic spirit of Sra. Armengol's government". The meeting is a "whitewashing operation for disastrous management and the division represented by Sra. Armengol". Moreover, "it's a joke just 24 hours before the general policy debate".
Kim Kardashian visited Milan with her eldest daughter, North.

And again, the internet mocked Kim Kardashian after she committed a spelling mistake while sharing pictures of her daughter in Italy.

What did Kim Kardashian do this time?

Kim Kardashian photographed North inside the Duomo di Milano cathedral in the heart of Lombardy, captioning her post: "Site Seeing".

However, Kim K didn't write the caption correctly. "Sightseeing" was the right word the influencer wanted to write. It was too late before the internet took on the Kardashian.

"I always thought it was sightseeing?", A Reddit user commented, and someone answered, "You know d**n well she can't spell."

"Ms. Lawyer can't spell," another user mentioned.

The internet doesn't like Kim Kardashian at all?

When Kim Kardashian was a special guest on the James Corden show, the British host and the celebrity spoke about the alleged career Kim K is pursuing.

During the show, Kim Kardashian mentioned to all witnesses she was studying for a law degree. The influencer commented she was doing her homework while traveling to the forum.

Despite receiving applause at the forum, social media users did not believe Kim Kardashian's words. Many of them doubted her aspirations because Kim hates to work, she stated that several times on 'Keeping up with the Kardashians'.

"I don't believe anything he says," one person commented in a thread.

"I agree. I feel like one of these days, the lies are going to catch up with them all. However, I think Kim thinks image is more important than reality. She has to portray herself as a woman who could have it all if she put her mind to it, which helps sell her brand," commented another person.
The more information about Prince Andrew that emerges, the least likable he becomes to the general public and his own family. As it turns out, Prince Andrew has been misbehaving against most people for his entire life. But in the eyes of the public, he was actually the most popular Royal with a dashing appearance and great looks.

For many, he was considered the most popular and beloved out of all Queen Elizabeth II's children. What happened behind-the-scenes is what worried people. His biggest success was always with women, one that earned him the nickname of Randy Andy. But there are countless accounts from staff members of the Royal Family in which the prince was terribly rude towards them.

Queen Elizabeth II's four children stand vigil by her coffin in Westminster Hall

Fetching an umbrella for the Queen

Author Valentine Low reported many incidents in which members of thr Royal Family's staff were mistreated by the prince. He wrote a book called 'Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown'. They all agreed that the isn't a very bright individual and he lacks the manners other Royal Family members do possess. A certain account involved press secretary James Roscoe and his request to a low ranking officer to fetch an umbrella for the Queen on a rainy day at Richmond Park.

As this happened, several staff members realized nobody brought an umbrella for the Queen. Roscoe approached a group of Army officers who were about to meet Her Majesty. He politely asked the most junior of them, a captain the following question: "I know this is ridiculous, but do you mind just trying to find an umbrella for the Queen, and ideally someone who can hold it and walk alongside her?"

Prince Andrew didn't seem to like this one bit as he rushed to Roscoe's face and reportedly yelled: "Who the f*** are you to ask these men to find you a f***ing umbrella? You go and find your own f***ing umbrella." The press secretary did his best to ignore the Duke of York and repeated his request to the Army captain. After the incident, Roscoe found out Prince Andrew told a different story to the Queen in an attempt to cover his behavior.

The Queen asked Roscoe at a later meeting if it was true that he asked Prince Andrew for an umbrella. Roscoe smiled and said: "What do you think, Ma'am? Do you think I asked the Duke of York to fetch an umbrella?" The incident matter was closed then and there.
You might be wondering if you'll have to pay taxes on your forgiven debt if you qualify for President Joe Biden's widely implemented federal student loan forgiveness program. The response? It varies.

The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Act COVID relief plan passed in March 2021 contains a clause that cancels federal taxes on forgiven student loan debt through 2025, so you won't owe the IRS any money. However, you might still be responsible for paying state or local taxes.

Here's all you need to know about how your student loans effect your tax bill, regardless of whether you earn forgiveness through the federal student loan cancellation plan, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, or another program. We'll also discuss a few tax breaks that could reduce your tax liability or increase your refund the following year.

Some states are taxing forgiven student debt

In the majority of states, forgiven student loan balances are not subject to taxes. To prevent taxation on cancelled student loan debt through 2025, the American Rescue Act made measures that some states currently do not follow. Some states may therefore tax forgiven debt.

As of right now, we are aware that North Carolina, Mississippi, and Indiana all want to tax student loan forgiveness. And three additional states might do the same but haven't yet formally announced their tax strategies: Arkansas, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

There are 28 states and Washington DC that either have no income tax (and would not tax forgiven student loan debt as a result) or automatically follow federal law and will not tax this canceled debt. These consist of: Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, DC, and Wyoming.

Other states, such as Hawaii, which do not automatically comply with the federal rule, recently declared that forgiven student loan debt would not be subject to state taxation.

The Associated Press reports that a spokespeople for Virginia, Idaho, New York, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky that their states will not tax borrowers on forgiven student debt.

Though California might theoretically tax forgiven student debts, lawmakers have declared residents won't be subject to taxation on forgiven student loans.

Anthony Rendon, Speaker of the California State Assembly, indicated in a tweet that the state is prepared to act to stop Californians from paying taxes on forgiven debt and will do so as soon as the specifics of the federal student loan forgiveness scheme are established.

What will happen in the states that weren't named at this time is unclear.
The regionalisation of supply chains and Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies are among the most critical components in future-proofing global economies against systemic shocks like the Covid-19 pandemic, experts at the just concluded inaugural US roadshow of the Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit (GMIS America) said.

The forum  which was hosted by the Honorable Thomas Wolf, Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, under the theme of Advancing global industrialidation and net-zero  convened dozens of experts from across government and the private sector. The event witnessed discussions on how digital technologies can accelerate the global energy transition and support the growth of sustainable manufacturing.

The first discussion of the day discussed how regional trade agreements can be structured to protect supply chains and global economies, resulting in profound effects on innovation, technology transfer, and citizen prosperity. It comes as deep trade agreements increasingly cover a multitude of policy areas including technology, labour, investment and intellectual property rights. Speakers participating in the panel included Petra Mitchell, President and CEO, Catalyst Connection; Thomas Bruns, Regional Senior Commercial Officer at the US Embassy Abu Dhabi; Mohammed AlAhmedi, CEO, Ducab Metals; and Kendrick Tang, Director of Rail Planning and Sales, Etihad Rail.

Petra Mitchell, President and CEO, Catalyst Connection, said: The adoption of the latest technology is going to continue to be critical to the success of small manufacturing companies. Its going to be those companies that can really accelerate the pace of technology adoption that are going to be successful, so our role is to make sure we dont leave companies behind  and more importantly we dont leave people behind.

Commenting on the importance of progress towards regional trade agreements that harness Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies to increase collaboration, Mohammed AlAhmedi, CEO, Ducab Metals, added: With exporting to more than 50 countries we faced a lot of challenges, especially during the pandemic with disruptions to the availability of containers and freight.

The GCC countries have had a very strong system and its been there for a while, but now we can take it and utilise advanced solutions like blockchain and artificial intelligence to help boost collaboration. When having a unified system between parties and a fully integrated ecosystem, where partners talk to each other, the flow of products will follow. Globally we are waiting for a role model of this sort of regional trade agreement, but in the UAE, our government is working on this at a stable pace.

The days next panel featured speakers from some of the worlds most prominent industrial services organisations discussing how their companies are adapting to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Manufacturers, like consumers, are expecting a digital-first insights-based approach from their industrial services provider, which is in turn prompting changes to contracts and business models.

Mansoor Al Janahi, CEO, Sanad, said that end-users are increasingly demanding that products and components are serviced locally, so they dont rely on suppliers outside the country of their operations. Customers are looking for flexibility and agility, he said, adding, There is a rising need from end users for service providers and manufacturers to focus on ESG practices so its aligned with the SDGs.

On the same topic, Daniel J. Crowley, Chairman, President and CEO, Triumph, added: Consumers have become more demanding. Theyve seen in their personal lives the speed of service or ease of access to information from services on demand, and they want to see the same delivery from traditionally older industries like aviation. Other speakers joining the expert panel included Elias Merrawe, Vice President, Civil Business - UAE, Thales; and Richard Petrucci, Managing Director, WhiteOak.

During the afternoon, experts from UNIDO, the Lloyds Register Foundations and leading industrial organizations joined a panel focusing on industrial safety in the smart era. The discussion reviewed industrial safety from a technology perspective with a particular focus on the immediate actions required to address new and deep-rooted industrial safety challenges. The session focused on how to accelerate the adoption of new technology-enabled solutions to address ongoing safety challenges, while ensuring that these new technologies do not unlock other risks related to cyber-security.

Panellists also highlighted the Global Initiative for Industrial Safety (GIFIS), a global platform for a safer world enabled by technology, launched by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), the Lloyd's Register Foundation (LRF) and the Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit (GMIS) in collaboration with the Cambridge Industrial Innovation Policy (CIIP).

Speaking on the panel, David Reid, Director of Strategic Communications and Global Engagement, Lloyds Register Foundation highlighted that the pace of change is happening faster than anticipated and reaction is slow in terms of education and training and adoption of safety regulations. Farrukh Alimdjanov, Industrial Development Officer, UNIDO, emphasized that businesses are more prone to cyberattacks as they get more connected and how there is a need to build win-win partnerships, capitalising on global collaborative platforms such as the Global Initiative for Industrial Safety to bring in different sectors to promote cyber security for everyone.

They were joined by Dr Himanshu, Khurana, VP of Engineering, Industrial Scientific, Fortive; and Dr. Carlos, Lopez-Gomez, Head of Policy Links, IfM, Engage, University of Cambridge.
German delegation arrives in Taiwan on 5-day visit

Berlin, Oct 2 (UNI) A delegation of German lawmakers headed by Klaus-Peter Willsch, Chairman of the Germany-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group, has arrived in Taiwan on a five-day visit for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, the island's foreign ministry said on Sunday.

"Vice Minister Yui warmly welcomed the 1st post-epidemic German delegation. We wish Bundestag's Taiwan friendship group chair Klaus-Peter Willsch & 5 deputy chairs from their respective parties a fruitful 5-day visit. Time & distance don't dim friendship!," the ministry tweeted.

The delegation is set to hold meetings with Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen and Vice President Lai Ching-te as well as to visit the Legislative Yuan (the island's highest lawmaking body) along with analytic centers and security organizations.
How to use the mindat.org media viewer

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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.

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< 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.

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> 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.

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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.

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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.

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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
02.10.2022 LISTEN

Ghanaian Afro fusion musician Supa Gaeta known in real life as Solomon Boako Aggrey has released his first EP titled Road to DND.

Supa Gaete started his music career during his high school days as a hobby where his craft and style were heavily influenced by the late 90s and early 2000s hiphop, RnB and Hiplife by listening to the likes of Aliyah, Bow Wow, B2K, Static Major of Playa, Pretty Ricky, Ofori Amposah, Kofi Nti and others.

With five years experience in the music industry, Supa Gaetes craft and freestyles on social media has gotten indusrty giants like Mr Eazi, Kiss Daniels, Guiltybeatz, Jae5, Magnom beats and many more endorsing him.

Talking about his new EP, he said that his EP talks about his road to succes and his experience as an upcoming artiste.

Its important for me to tell my story the best way through music, the good, the bad and the ugly, Supa Gaeta said.
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) on Friday seized documents and equipment from alleged tax defaulters for failing to issue Value Added Tax (VAT) invoices.

The Authority urged all taxpayers, who are into commercial businesses, and had registered with the Authority should issue VAT invoices.

When the Authority embarked on a mystery visit to three Auto mechanic shops, around the Adenta and Madina enclave, noted that all three shops had registered with the Authority but were not issuing the VAT invoices.

The GRA officials, therefore, collected some documents and system units of these three businesses, since they contain information relating to the business to allow for a thorough search on their operations.

Speaking with the Ghana News Agency, Mr Nathaniel Tetteh, Chief Revenue Officer of the Debt Management Compliance and Enforcement Unit, GRA, said the documents collected would be assessed to know the services they rendered and the amount they were to pay back to State

He said all businesses were supposed to register with the Authority to charge VAT on the services they render to their customers and equally give same to the Authority.

Mr Tetteh said Items gathered were being signed with contact address by business owners to ensure concern and legality.

Accumulated equipment will be sent to the Authority's Office for assessment, while business oowners had been invited to assist retrieve the information needed.

It is a civil responsibility and duty that once you are offering a service you should charge the VAT and pay same to the Authority, he said, adding that ignorance of the law should not be an excuse to business owners.

He said the Electronic-VAT (e-VAT), which would commence on October 1, 2022 would help the GRA regulate and check businesses across the country.

The operations are part of an ongoing nationwide VAT Invigilation exercise by the GRA to retrieve some taxes due the State.

GNA
Ralph Apetorgbor

01.10.2022 LISTEN

Journalist cum political activist, Ralph Apetorgbor has filed his nomination form to contest as Deputy Communication Officer for the second time in the upcoming elections for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) leadership roles in the Anyaa Sowutuom constituency.

Ralph was accompanied by a huge crowd comprising several youth and party members to the NDCs office in Sowutuom, on Thursday 29 September, 2022, where he submitted his completed form.

The nomination exercise by the party commenced on Wednesday, September 28, and was expected to close at 1700 hours Thursday, September 29.

Ralph Apetorgbor who defied the heavy rains was met on arrival by Kwame Asare Obeng, the constituency electoral committee member, who accepted the nomination form after checking them to verify whether the necessary information had been provided.

The NDC is expected to vet all the aspirants on September 30, ahead of the Constituency Conference scheduled to take place at the Deoke Foundation School within the constituency on October 22.

Addressing media colleagues and supporters after filing his nomination, Ralph Apetorgbor could not contain his emotions as he was overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from branch executives from across the constituency who gathered at the constituency office.

Apetorgbor promised to continue offering communication leadership for the NDC in the constituency by bringing his Proactiveness, Expertise and Experience (or PEE skills) to the advantage of the partys presidential and parliamentary election campaigns.

Ralph Apetorgbor who also works as a communications specialist, explained that his aim was to see the NDC win election 2024, become the incumbent party in 2025 and through that develop the constituency in diverse ways.

I am forever indebted to you for your continuous support, Ralph Apetorgbor stated with emotion in his voice, given the show of support and cheers. I will never take you for granted for this huge confidence reposed in him.

Ralph is being contested by three other aspirants for the same position.

Who is Ralph Apetorgbor?

Ralph Apetorgbor is a journalist, policy analyst and administrator who has worked with several media houses in Ghana, including The Ghanaian Times, Spectator, Daily Express and Telegraph; and researcher at Parliament House.

He has contributed enormously to the NDC at both National, Regional, and Constituency party levels.

He is the current NDC Deputy Communication Officer for Anyaa Sowutuom, a member of the National IT Directorate; Secretary to the National Collation Committee of the NDC, former President of Pentecost University branch of the Tertiary Education Institution Network (TEIN) of the NDC; former branch Secretary; and a former polling agent.

Ralph Apetorgbor is two time Central President of the Graduate Students Association of Ghana, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Chapter; two time Media Relations Director for the Private Universities Students Association of Ghana; current Deputy Chief Justice of Graduate Students Association of Ghana-National and an alumnus of former President Barack Obamas Young Africa Leadership Initiative (YALI).
The African Union on Saturday condemned the "unconstitutional change of government" in Burkina Faso, a day after the second coup this year in the deeply poor and restive West African country.

Junior officers toppled a junta leader on Friday, saying he had failed to fight jihadist attacks in the country.

"The chairperson calls upon the military to immediately and totally refrain from any acts of violence or threats to the civilian population, civil liberties, human rights," the AU said in a statement, calling for the restoration of the constitutional order by July 2024.

AU chief Moussa Faki Mahamat said he was deeply concerned about the resurgence of unconstitutional ousters in the West African nation and elsewhere on the continent.

In Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, an uneasy calm reigned as soldiers in armoured vehicles and pickup trucks guarded the national television centre but traffic slowly resumed on arterial roads.

Shops slowly started reopening in the dusty and spread-out city, where pre-dawn gunfire on Friday around the presidential palace culminated in the latest coup, that drew wide condemnation.

The Economic Community of West African States regional bloc "condemned in the strongest possible terms" the latest seizure of power, calling it "inappropriate" at a time when progress was being made for a return to constitutional order by July 1, 2024.

Burkina Faso's former colonial ruler France told its citizens in Ouagadougou, believed to number between 4,000 and 5,000, to stay home, while the European Union expressed "concern" at the unfolding events.

The United States called "for a return to calm and restraint by all actors".

Just before 8:00 pm (2000 GMT) on Friday, more than a dozen soldiers in fatigues appeared on the state television and radio broadcaster to announce the removal of Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba.

They proclaimed 34-year-old Captain Ibrahim Traore in charge.

Damiba came to power in a January coup after overthrowing Burkina's elected president. By OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT (AFP/File)

"We have decided to take our responsibilities, driven by a single ideal: the restoration of security and integrity of our territory," they said.

"Damiba failed. Since he came to power, the zones that were peaceful were attacked. He took power but then he betrayed us," Habibata Rouamba, a trader and activist said on Saturday.

With much of the Sahel region battling a growing Islamist insurgency, the violence has prompted a series of coups in Mali, Guinea and Chad since 2020.

In January, Damiba installed himself as leader of the country of 16 million after accusing elected president Roch Marc Christian Kabore of failing to beat back the jihadists.

Damiba accused of failure

But with more than 40 percent of the country outside government control, the latest putsch leaders said Damiba, too, had failed.

"Far from liberating the occupied territories, the once-peaceful areas have come under terrorist control," the new military leaders said.

They then suspended the constitution, sealed the borders, dissolved the transitional government and legislative assembly and instituted a 9:00 pm to 5:00 am curfew.

New strongman Traore was previously head of anti-jihadist special forces unit "Cobra" in the northern region of Kaya.

Junta leader's fate unclear

Damiba's fate remains unknown.

Soldiers patrol the streets of Ouagadougou after shots rang out during the morning. By Olympia DE MAISMONT (AFP)

In the morning, shots rang out in the Ouaga 2000 neighbourhood, which houses both the presidential and junta headquarters.

State television was cut for several hours prior to the military announcement, broadcasting just a blank screen with the message "no video signal".

Though Damiba had promised to make security his priority when he took charge on January 24, violent attacks have increased since March.

Map of Burkina Faso locating the town of Djibo. By (AFP)

In the north and east, towns have been blockaded by insurgents who have blown up bridges and attacked supply convoys.

As in bordering countries, insurgents affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group have stoked unrest.

Thousands have died and about two million have been displaced by the fighting since 2015 when the insurgency spread to Burkina Faso, which has since become the epicentre of the violence across the Sahel.

In September, a particularly bloody month, Damiba sacked his defence minister and assumed the role himself.

Earlier this week, suspected jihadists attacked a convoy carrying supplies to the town of Djibo in the north of the country. The government said 11 soldiers died and around 50 civilians were missing.
THREE main arguments are parroted out when the issue of effectively ending the galamsey madness in Ghana is brought up.

The first, usually canvassed by politicians, is that their loyal constituents are often so poor that they come to the politicians to beg for money.

They corner say, Honourable, things are tough now oh! You learned people say that Covid-19 is the cause of it all. Also, you say, there is a war in Youcry that is affecting prices! But if someone known to poor people like us says, Please close your eyes when unusual activities occur near your farm or stream. It will be us! And here is GHC200 to help you shut your eyes  what are we supposed to do? Send him away? Report him to the police for trying to stop my family from dying from hunger?

The argument is strengthened by an unmentioned consideration, namely, Don't forget that you can only continue to be an Honourable, if we vote for you!

The second argument goes like this You want the Government to send the military and the police to use brute force to arrest galamseyers and burn their excavators, bulldozers and other mining equipment. But these are our own people. If you catch Chinese people with them, they have been brought because they have greater technical knowledge. Now, Ghana boasts of being a practitioner of the Rule of Law. In burning excavators and other machinery without a court order, are you not violating the sanctity of the owner's right to own property and not be deprived of it except by a court of law?

The third argument runs as follows: You make so much noise about the Chinese being involved in galamsey. You are exposing them to public ridicule.

Yet Ghana is supposed to be one of the most hospitable countries in the world. Aren't you destroying that reputation by the rough treatment the Chinese are getting? Won't that also affect Ghana's relations with China when it comes to loans for projects?

Before you read my answers to those questions, I would like you to experience the REALITY of the galamsey situation in our country so that any sentimental planks in your eye that can create illusions in you will be removed. Please go to the Internet and open the following web-links:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Now, let me answer Question One: in life, we all have to make sacrifices sometimes. In choosing to become a Minister, or Member of Parliament, or a District Chief Executive or an Assemblyman, you have decided  in fact sworn to put the national interest of Ghana above ALL other considerations, including your own personal interests and those of your relatives and friends. The term, our own people ought to be outlawed from your thinking: it is the people of Ghana, as a whole, who are your own people.

Now, it is patently clear that excavators, bulldozers, changfans and chemicals, when used in rivers and water-bodies to win gold, destroy the water-bodies and also, through subterranean pollution, affect the quality of the produce from our food and cocoa farms, as you, no doubt, would have seen with your own eyes from the films on Youtube to which I directed your attention earlier.

As I maintain, we all have to make choices in this world. And in this case, our choice is stark: either we use unorthodox but effective methods to PREVENT GALAMSEY going on, or we allow sentimentality to make us close our eyes to it and find that in the next few years, MOST of our water-bodies have become poisoned in such a way that we drink them only to attract diseases into our bodies, and deform the genes which we pass on to our offspring. Once they enter your body, genetic diseases, as you probably know, mutate from generation to generation. Already, there have been reports that some Ghanaians in the galamsey-ridden areas, are giving birth to children without eyes and noses.

Anyway, when our country runs out of water that's safe to drink, where will we find water to import (assuming we can afford to do so):

Regarding the Rule of Law, in times of national emergency, even the most fervent champions of the Rule of Law, change their attitude to its sacred principles. During the Second World War (for instance) the United States Government found it necessary to round up and incarcerate in prison camps, Japanese residents in America, as well as other enemy aliens. These poor prisoners were not tried and so could not plead their innocence of the Americans' charge that they might be sympathetic to the cause the Americans were fighting against!

The British, for their part, imprisoned politicians in Northern Ireland without trial under a system called internment. Some Irish politicians were killed in cold blood by the Royal Ulster Constabulary and British soldiers. The murders occurred not only in Northern Ireland but in foreign countries (as in Gibraltar in! 988).

As for relations with China, China and Ghana are sovereign states which enact laws for the welfare and economic advancement of their peoples.

Neither country can force the other to allow its citizens in the other (host) country to break the laws of the host  a la the ongoing Aisha Yuang case  with impunity.

Sovereignty, whether in Ghana's case or that of any other country, is simply NOT NEGOTIABLE! Ask the Chinese what they think of the American domination of Taiwan  an island far away from the Chinese mainland, but which the Chinese have been claiming as their own for over half a century!

We have a clear duty to end galamsey. Let us carry out that duty. Without fear or favour.

By CAMERON DUODU
A French-Moroccan imam accused of hate speech and anti-Semitism has been arrested in Belgium after trying to avoid deportation back to Morocco.

A police source said Hassan Iquioussen had been taken into custody "without incident" late Friday in Tournai, near the French border.

The Muslim preacher had been missing since the Council of State, France's highest court, gave the green light for his expulsion to Morocco.

He was also the subject of a European arrest warrant.

Iquioussen stands accused of "a proselytising speech interspersed with remarks inciting hatred and discrimination and carrying a vision of Islam contrary to the values of Republic", according to the expulsion document.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told AFP he was "delighted" with Iquioussen's arrest.

"Evading expulsion from national territory is an offence," he added.

Acts of provocation

The council said his "anti-Semitic speech" and his "systematic speech on the inferiority of women" constituted "acts of provocation ... to hatred".

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said the preacher, had been on the "S" file (for national security) by the DGSI "for 18 months" prior to the deportation order.

The 58-year-old's lawyers had in July successfully applied to the Paris court to suspend the order, saying it would create "disproportionate harm" to his private and family life.

But this was effectively overturned with Tuesday's decision.

Born in France but of Moroccan nationality, Iquioussen has five children and 15 grandchildren, all French.

Nationality refused

When he came of age, he decided not to opt for French nationality and to keep only his Moroccan nationality, even if "he only knows his so-called country of origin through short vacations", explained his lawyer, Lucie Simon.

Iquioussen claims to have tried twice to recover his French nationality without success since he turned 18 years old.

He says his second request was refused in 1999 because of his "very strong ties" with the Union of Islamic Organisations in France, which has since become Muslims of France (MF).

In a 29 July video, viewed 228,000 times on his YouTube channel, Iquioussen claims to be "French in heart and soul, in thought and in [his] culture".

It is thanks to the famous online platform that he has built his reputation over the years: no less than 178,000 subscribers (for 33 million views) follow his courses and sermons on Islam in everyday life.
Soldiers blocked main roads and gunfire was heard in the capital of Burkina Faso on Saturday, as world powers condemned the second coup this year in the deeply poor and restive West African country.

Junior officers toppled a junta leader on Friday, saying he had failed to fight jihadist attacks in the country.

On Saturday, several witnesses told AFP they heard gunfire in the centre of the capital Ouagadougou, after which troops once again blocked the main roads in the city, including around the presidency.

Helicopters hovered above the city and shops that had opened for business in the morning shut their doors.

The European Union and the African Union added their voices to a chorus of global condemnation to the change in power.

"The chairperson calls upon the military to immediately and totally refrain from any acts of violence or threats to the civilian population, civil liberties, human rights," the AU said in a statement, calling for the restoration of the constitutional order by July 2024.

AU chief Moussa Faki Mahamat said he was deeply concerned about the resurgence of unconstitutional ousters in the West African nation and elsewhere on the continent.

The European Union warned that the coup put in danger efforts undertaken to restore constitutional order by July 1, 2024 and called for the new authorities to respect previous agreements.

"The European Union also deplores the degradation of the security and humanitarian situation in the country," the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement.

The Economic Community of West African States regional bloc "condemned in the strongest possible terms" the latest seizure of power, calling it "inappropriate."

Burkina Faso's former colonial ruler France told its citizens in Ouagadougou -- believed to number between 4,000 and 5,000 -- to stay home.

The United States called "for a return to calm and restraint by all actors".

On Friday, pre-dawn gunfire erupted in the dusty and spread-out capital around the presidential palace and culminated in the latest coup.

Just before 8:00 pm (2000 GMT) on Friday, more than a dozen soldiers in fatigues appeared on the state television and radio broadcaster to announce the removal of Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba.

They proclaimed 34-year-old Captain Ibrahim Traore in charge.

Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba came to power in a January coup after overthrowing Burkina's elected president. By OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT (AFP/File)

"We have decided to take our responsibilities, driven by a single ideal: the restoration of security and integrity of our territory," they said.

"Damiba failed. Since he came to power, the zones that were peaceful were attacked. He took power but then he betrayed us," Habibata Rouamba, a trader and activist said on Saturday.

With much of the Sahel region battling a growing Islamist insurgency, the violence has prompted a series of coups in Mali, Guinea and Chad since 2020.

In January, Damiba installed himself as leader of the country of 16 million after accusing elected president Roch Marc Christian Kabore of failing to beat back the jihadists.

Damiba accused of failure

But with more than 40 percent of the country outside government control, the latest putsch leaders said Damiba, too, had failed.

"Far from liberating the occupied territories, the once-peaceful areas have come under terrorist control," the new military leaders said.

They then suspended the constitution, sealed the borders, dissolved the transitional government and legislative assembly and instituted a 9:00 pm to 5:00 am curfew.

New strongman Traore was previously head of anti-jihadist special forces unit "Cobra" in the northern region of Kaya.

Junta leader's fate unclear

Damiba's fate remains unknown. Though he had promised to make security his priority when he took charge on January 24, violent attacks have increased since March.

Map of Burkina Faso locating the town of Djibo. By (AFP)

In the north and east, towns have been blockaded by insurgents who have blown up bridges and attacked supply convoys.

As in bordering countries, insurgents affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group have stoked unrest.

Thousands have died and about two million have been displaced by the fighting since 2015 when the insurgency spread to Burkina Faso, which has since become the epicentre of the violence across the Sahel.

In September, a particularly bloody month, Damiba sacked his defence minister and assumed the role himself.

Earlier this week, suspected jihadists attacked a convoy carrying supplies to the town of Djibo in the north of the country. The government said 11 soldiers died and around 50 civilians were missing.
Dr. Theophilus Acheampong, an economist has raised doubts government will be able to conclude the deal with the International Monetary Fund before the year ends.

We have done our own Debt Sustainability Analysis as part of the budget cycle. When the IMF comes to town, they also do theirs, and then both sides sit to agree on the numbers, the debt schedule, how much of that will potentially have to be reprofiled, among others.

We are going to the conversation with a sense of where we are as a country, whilst the IMF is also coming with their own DSA. Beyond that, we have to look at how to bring our creditors together to restructure the debt. That is what could potentially extend the duration of the engagement exercise and that means that the December timelines we are looking at to conclude the IMF deal will actually slip a little bit, he said on The Big Issue on Citi FM/TV,

He further explained that should any of the foreign creditors decide to trigger a number of the collective action clauses or decides to prolong the process, the process will be further delayed.

From where I sit and given past experiences I struggle to see how we will conclude the Debt Sustainability Analysis and then sit down with the creditors to agree on some sort of Debt Restructuring package, after which we will go through the IMF board for approval and the programme signed.

I think we are looking at about a 6-month time period which could go into the first quarter of next year, especially when we are looking at a comprehensive package.

Reacting to Dr, Acheampongs projections, the New Patriotic Partys Director of Communications, Richard Ahiagbah, said they are nothing but mere speculations.

He urged stakeholders not to jump the gun, but to be hopeful and see how things unfold.

The formal negotiations for a Fund-supported programme have begun, with the IMF team currently meeting government officials for a period of ten days.

Talks have begun on a comprehensive debt sustainability analysis with the IMF for a US$3 billion support programme.

Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta on Wednesday, September 28, 2022, said government will fast-track negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to ensure key aspects of the programme are reflected in the 2023 budget statement.

---citinewsroom
Dhaka, Oct 2 (UNI) The Liberation War fighters of Bangladesh held a protest rally and organised human chain programme in Dhaka Sunday against the torture of Uyghur Muslims by China.

Presiding over the event, President of the Bangladesh Muktijuddha Manch expressed deep concern over the condition of Uyghur Muslims in China. He said over 12 million Uyghurs living in the Xinjiang province of China are suffering violation of human rights such as forced birth control, conversion and detention in camps.

Speaking on the occasion, Adviser to the organisation and veteran freedom fighter Ruhul Amin Majumder said the Chinese government is constantly interfering with the social, political and religious freedom of the Uyghur Muslim minority.

He said China claims it is adopting policies to combat separatism and religious extremism but they cant explain how keeping a beard or fasting during the month of Ramadan is religious extremism. Renowned sculptor Rasha said a UN Committee has learnt that close to one million Uyghur Muslims are being held in camps in the Xinjiang region of China.

The Liberation War Fighters organisation put forward a four-point charter of demands seeking to stop torture of Uyghur Muslims, guaranteeing them social, political, economci and religious freedom and trial of China by the International Criminal Court for the genocide of Uyghur Muslims.

Another organisation named Islamic Movement Bangladesh held a press meet in Dhaka on Saturday on the issue of Uyghurs. It condemned the torture and oppression of the Uyghur Muslims in China. It urged Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to speak against the persecution of Uyghurs by the Chinese government. It demanded that China must stop the harassment and torture of Uyghur Muslims.

UNI MAZ SY
The army officers who have seized power in Burkina Faso said in televised comments on Saturday that toppled junta leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba was planning a counteroffensive from a "French base".

Damiba "is believed to have taken refuge in the French base at Kamboinsin in order to plan a counter-offensive to stir up trouble in our defence and security forces," they said in a statement read out on national television and signed by Captain Ibrahim Traore, the country's new strongman.

France, the former colonial power in Burkina Faso, denied any involvement.

An hour before the televised comments by the military figures, who overthrew Damiba on Friday, the French embassy issued a statement "firmly denying any involvement of the French army in the events of the last few hours".

Ousted leader Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, pictured in March. By OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT (AFP/File)

The embassy also denied "rumours that Burkinabe authorities have been hosted or are under the protection of French military".

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres "strongly condemns any attempt to seize power by the force of arms and calls on all actors to refrain from violence and seek dialogue," his spokesman said in a statement Saturday.

"Burkina Faso needs peace, stability and unity to fight terrorist groups and criminal networks operating in parts of the country," the UN statement added.

Damiba himself came to power in a coup in January.

He had installed himself as leader of the country of 16 million after accusing elected president Roch Marc Christian Kabore of failing to beat back jihadist fighters.

With much of the Sahel region battling a growing Islamist insurgency, the violence has prompted a series of coups in Mali, Guinea and Chad since 2020.

According to the new Burkina putschists, the actions by Damiba and the French forces are in response to their willingness "to go to other partners ready to help in the fight against terrorism".

No country was explicitly mentioned but Russia, whose influence is growing in French-speaking Africa, is among the possible partners in question.

France has a military presence in Burkina Faso, with a contingent of special forces based in Kamboinsin which is some 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the capital Ouagadougou.

Tense

The situation in Ouagadougou was tense on Saturday, with gunfire and the deployment of soldiers in the streets, raising fears of clashes between Damiba's supporters and the country's new strongmen.

Helicopters hovered above the city and shops that had opened for business in the morning shut their doors.

The European Union and the African Union added their voices to a chorus of global condemnation of the second coup this year in the deeply poor and restive West African country.

"The chairperson calls upon the military to immediately and totally refrain from any acts of violence or threats to the civilian population, civil liberties, human rights," the AU said in a statement, calling for the restoration of the constitutional order by July 2024.

Troops are still guarding the national television centre after Burkina Faso's second coup this year. By Olympia DE MAISMONT (AFP)

The junior officers who toppled Damiba on Friday said he had failed to fight jihadist attacks in the country.

The European Union warned that the latest coup put in danger efforts undertaken to restore constitutional order by July 1, 2024 and called for the new authorities to respect previous agreements.

"The European Union also deplores the degradation of the security and humanitarian situation in the country," the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement.

The Economic Community of West African States regional bloc "condemned in the strongest possible terms" the latest seizure of power, calling it "inappropriate."

The United States called "for a return to calm and restraint by all actors".

On Friday, pre-dawn gunfire erupted in the dusty and spread-out capital around the presidential palace and culminated in the latest coup.

Damiba accused of failure

Just before 8:00 pm (2000 GMT) on Friday, more than a dozen soldiers in fatigues appeared on the state television and radio broadcaster to announce the removal of Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba.

They proclaimed 34-year-old Captain Traore in charge.

Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba came to power in a January coup after overthrowing Burkina's elected president. By OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT (AFP/File)

"Damiba failed. Since he came to power, the zones that were peaceful were attacked. He took power but then he betrayed us," Habibata Rouamba, a trader and activist said on Saturday.

More than 40 percent of the country remains outside government control.

The new leaders swiftly suspended the constitution, sealed the borders, dissolved the transitional government and legislative assembly and instituted a 9:00 pm to 5:00 am curfew.

New strongman Traore was previously head of anti-jihadist special forces unit "Cobra" in the northern region of Kaya.

Map of Burkina Faso locating the town of Djibo. By (AFP)

In the north and east, towns have been blockaded by insurgents who have blown up bridges and attacked supply convoys.

As in bordering countries, insurgents affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group have stoked unrest.

Thousands have died and about two million have been displaced by the fighting since 2015 when the insurgency spread to Burkina Faso, which has since become the epicentre of the violence across the Sahel.

In September, a particularly bloody month, Damiba sacked his defence minister and assumed the role himself.
The founder and leader of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), Percival Kofi Akpaloo, has disclosed that the appointees of President Nana Akufo-Addo are gradually failing him.

He stated that the President put those appointees in the position because he trusted them and felt they were competent enough to do the work.

Kofi Akpaloo reiterated that "the leaders surrounding the President have failed him and are disgracing him to all Ghanaians; making the ongoing hardships in the country look like it is his fault when it is actually no fault of his."

He added, They have all been assigned to responsibilities but they are not working.

Speaking on Kumasi-based Adeheyee FM Kofi Akpaloo told Ghanaians to stop blaming President Akufo-Addo for the hardships in the country.

According to him, appointees responsible for the various sectors of the economy are the ones to blame for the mess.

He stressed that the earlier President Akufo-Addo act the better for the economy and the country.
Wisconsin International University College, Ghana, on Saturday, October 1, held its 19th Matriculation Ceremony.

The ceremony took place simultaneously at the Accra and Kumasi campuses.

In all, 3018 new entrants consisting of 579 males and 1708 Females for the Accra campus, and a total of 731 students, consisting of 194 males and 537 females for the Kumasi campus were matriculated.

Saturdays ceremony officially welcomed all the January/February and August/September 2022 intakes.

Delivering an address at the matriculation ceremony at the Accra campus, the President of Wisconsin International University College, Professor Obeng Mireku explained that the matriculation ceremony is an integral part of any universitys calendar owing to its importance to both the university and the student.

He stressed that the ceremony is very important to the university as it serves as an occasion to formally admit new students as bona fide junior members of the university.

In his address, Professor Obeng Mireku charged the new students to take their academics seriously, insisting that there is no magic formula for success.

There is no known magic formula for success. What we do know is that those who have achieved true success have consistently displayed a number of characteristics: Integrity, Transparency, and Accountability, Teamwork, Excellence in service delivery, customer satisfaction. These characteristics represent our core values; values we believe in and uphold.

Matriculants, you will do well to embrace and embody these values if success is to be within your reach. On behalf of the Chancellor, Management, Faculty, and Staff of this great Institution, I once again extend a warm welcome to all matriculants, the President of Wisconsin International University College said in his address.

President of Wisconsin International University College, Professor Obeng Mireku

To achieve the vision to become the first-choice private university in Ghana, with highly qualified and motivated staff, the University has introduced unique innovative practical training methods.

While on course to achieving that vision, the university is also firm on its mission to develop world-class human resources equipped with the appropriate knowledge, skills, and attitudes to meet national development needs and global challenges.

To this end, Professor Obeng Mireku disclosed at the matriculation ceremony that the university has procured state-of-the-art facilities for its Law, Nursing, Communication Studies, IT, and Music students.

He assured students that the university is bent on doing everything in its power to help them achieve their potential.

Investing in your tertiary education has come at great cost and sacrifice to many of you and your families. On our part, we the management, faculty, and staff of Wisconsin pledge to do all that is in our power to help you achieve your full potential.

"Throughout the course of your study, we will also provide numerous opportunities for you to develop your skills, expand your networks, and prepare you for employment, career advancement, and entrepreneurship, Professor Obeng Mireku emphasised.

Professor Obeng Mireku added, Matriculants, the partnership we are entering into today requires that you also uphold your end of the bargain. Work hard, exercise integrity, and seize all opportunities available for your betterment.
Burkina Faso's army Saturday dismissed a claim by junior officers that they had seized power in the West African country as an "internal crisis", as foreign leaders voiced deep concern over a reported coup.

Junior officers toppled a junta leader on Friday, saying he had failed to fight jihadist attacks, in the second coup this year in the restive West African country.

In its first reaction since late Friday, the army's general staff however appeared not to recognise the coup.

"Following an internal crisis within the national armed forces, a few units have taken control of some arteries of the city of Ouagadougou, demanding the departure of Lieutenant-Colonel (Paul-Henri Sandaogo) Damiba," it said in a statement.

"Dialogue is ongoing," it added.

The army officers who seized power said in televised comments earlier that Damiba was planning a counteroffensive from a "French base".

Burkina Faso. By (AFP)

Damiba "is believed to have taken refuge in the French base at Kamboinsin in order to plan a counter-offensive to stir up trouble in our defence and security forces," they said in a statement read out on national television and signed by Captain Ibrahim Traore, the country's new strongman.

France, the former colonial power in Burkina Faso, denied any involvement.

An hour before the televised comments by the military figures who overthrew Damiba, the French embassy issued a statement "firmly denying any involvement of the French army in the events of the last few hours".

The embassy also denied "rumours that Burkinabe authorities have been hosted or are under the protection of French military".

'Refrain from violence'

Among a wave of international condemnation, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres "strongly condemns any attempt to seize power by the force of arms and calls on all actors to refrain from violence and seek dialogue," his spokesman said in a statement Saturday.

"Burkina Faso needs peace, stability and unity to fight terrorist groups and criminal networks operating in parts of the country," the UN statement added.

Damiba himself came to power in a coup in January.

Ousted leader Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, pictured in March. By OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT (AFP/File)

He installed himself as leader of the country of 16 million after accusing elected president Roch Marc Christian Kabore of failing to beat back jihadist fighters.

With much of the Sahel region battling a growing Islamist insurgency, the violence has prompted a series of coups in Mali, Guinea and Chad since 2020.

According to the new Burkina putschists, the actions by Damiba and the French forces are in response to their willingness "to go to other partners ready to help in the fight against terrorism".

No country was explicitly mentioned but Russia, whose influence is growing in French-speaking Africa, is among the possible partners in question.

France has a military presence in Burkina Faso, with a contingent of special forces based in Kamboinsin which is some 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the capital Ouagadougou.

Confusion reigns in Ouagadougou

The situation in the capital Ouagadougou was tense on Saturday, with gunfire and soldiers deployed in the streets, raising fears of clashes between Damiba's supporters and the country's new strongmen.

Helicopters hovered above the city and shops that had opened for business in the morning shut their doors.

Late Saturday a French government spokeswoman strongly condemned "violence" against its embassy, after an AFP reporter said he saw a fire burning outside the building in Ouagadougou in the afternoon.

Witnesses said a fire also broke out in front of the French Institute in the western city of Bobo-Dioulasso.

African Union chief Moussa Faki Mahamat condemned the "unconstitutional change of government" in Burkina Faso, calling for the restoration of the constitutional order by July 2024.

Troops are still guarding the national television centre after Burkina Faso's second coup this year. By Olympia DE MAISMONT (AFP)

The European Union warned that the latest coup put in danger efforts undertaken to restore constitutional order by that same date.

The Economic Community of West African States regional bloc also "condemned in the strongest possible terms" the latest seizure of power, calling it "inappropriate."

The US government said Saturday it was "deeply concerned" by events in the country.

Damiba accused of failure

Just before 8:00 pm (2000 GMT) on Friday, more than a dozen soldiers in fatigues appeared on the state television and radio broadcaster to announce the removal of Damiba.

They proclaimed 34-year-old Captain Traore in charge.

Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba came to power in a January coup after overthrowing Burkina's elected president. By OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT (AFP/File)

"Damiba failed. Since he came to power, the zones that were peaceful were attacked. He took power but then he betrayed us," Habibata Rouamba, a trader and activist said on Saturday.

The new leaders suspended the constitution, sealed the borders, dissolved the transitional government and legislative assembly and instituted a 9:00 pm to 5:00 am curfew.

New strongman Traore was previously head of anti-jihadist special forces unit "Cobra" in the northern region of Kaya.

More than 40 percent of the country remains outside government control.

In the north and east, towns have been blockaded by insurgents who have blown up bridges and attacked supply convoys.

As in bordering countries, insurgents affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group have stoked unrest.

Thousands have died and about two million have been displaced by the fighting since 2015 when the insurgency spread to Burkina Faso, which has since become the epicentre of the violence across the Sahel.
Chad on Saturday extended the transition period to democratic elections and agreed junta leader Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno could run on the ballot, despite international opposition.

The decisions were made by a national reconciliation dialogue forum, which has been boycotted by most opposition members, two out of three main armed rebel groups and civil society organisations.

The forum adopted by "consensus" a measure to "extend the transition for a maximum of 24 months".

Chad, one of the world's poorest countries, has endured repeated uprisings and unrest since gaining independence from France in 1960.

The hundreds of delegates also decided that Deby would not only continue as transitional president but be eligible to run for the presidency when elections are held.

These decisions will face "resistance from political parties, civil society and the African Union", said Chadian political scientist Evariste Ngarlem.

Neither the European Union nor the United States would accept Deby's eligibility to run or the extended transition period, Ngarlem said.

"These partners will take sanctions against Chad and the Transitional Military Council's back will be up against a wall," the analyst added, using the junta's formal name.

Government spokesman Abderaman Koulamallah said there would be a debate on Monday before an official decision was announced.

Up to God

Deby took over in April last year after his father, Idriss Deby Itno, the country's iron-fisted ruler for 30 years, was killed during a military operation against rebels.

He had vowed to hand back power to civilians after 18 months, a deadline that would run out this month.

Deby also pledged to Chadians and the international community that he would not run in the upcoming presidential elections.

After coming to power, the junta of 15 generals scrapped the constitution, dissolved parliament and dismissed the government.

The international community had urged Deby not to extend the transition beyond 18 months, and not to run for president in the eventual elections.

However, in June last year, the junta leader dealt a first blow to those hopes, envisaging another 18 months of transition "if the Chadians do not manage to reach an agreement" on the way forward.

He also said then that he would leave the question of his presidential candidacy to God.

The national dialogue, which began on August 20 after repeated delays, intended to seal changes to the constitution and other reforms.

During the talks, Chad's foreign minister Mahamat Zene Cherif resigned on September 20, accusing the junta of sidelining him.

In his resignation letter to Deby, Cherif accused the junta of "repetitive and untimely" interference and said he had been "thwarted by parallel initiatives and actions by certain members of your cabinet and of the government".
Burkina Faso's junta leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba on Saturday urged junior officers to "come to their senses" after they claimed to have ousted him in a reported coup that sparked deep concern among foreign leaders.

The officers on Friday said they had toppled Damiba, accusing him of failure to quell jihadist attacks. It is the second coup this year in the West African country, and the latest in the Sahel region, much of which is battling a growing Islamist insurgency.

Making his first comments since the putsch, Damiba in a written statement urged his rivals "to come to their senses to avoid a fratricidal war that Burkina Faso doesn't need".

He rejected allegations by the army officers who seized power that he was hiding in a French base, but provided no further details about his location.

Damiba himself came to power in a coup in January. He installed himself as leader of the country's 16 million people after accusing elected president Roch Marc Christian Kabore of failing to beat back jihadist fighters. But the insurgency has raged on.

Burkina Faso. By (AFP)

Damiba "is believed to have taken refuge in the French base at Kamboinsin in order to plan a counter-offensive to stir up trouble in our defence and security forces", the junior officers said Saturday in a statement read out on national television and signed by Captain Ibrahim Traore, the country's new leader.

In his comments on the presidency's official Facebook page, Damiba called that claim an attempt "to manipulate opinion".

France, the former colonial power in Burkina Faso, via its embassy earlier Saturday also denied "any involvement of the French army in the events of the last few hours".

It denied "rumours that Burkinabe authorities have been hosted or are under the protection of the French military".

The general staff of Burkina Faso's army dismissed the coup as an "internal crisis" within the military, and said dialogue was "ongoing" to remedy the situation.

'Burkina Faso needs peace'

Among a wave of international criticism, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres "strongly condemns any attempt to seize power by the force of arms and calls on all actors to refrain from violence and seek dialogue", his spokesman said.

"Burkina Faso needs peace, stability and unity to fight terrorist groups and criminal networks operating in parts of the country," the UN statement added.

Jihadist violence has also prompted a series of coups in Mali, Guinea and Chad since 2020.

The main gates of the market in Ouagadougou were shut after the coup. By OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT (AFP)

The new Burkina Faso putschists said they were willing "to go to other partners ready to help in the fight against terrorism".

No country was explicitly mentioned but Russia, whose influence is growing in French-speaking Africa, is among the possible partners in question.

France has a contingent of military special forces based in Kamboinsin which is about 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the capital Ouagadougou.

A few hours before the coup occurred on Friday, hundreds of people had rallied in the capital seeking the departure of Damiba, the end of France's military presence in the Sahel and military cooperation with Russia.

Gunfire, helicopters

The situation in the capital Ouagadougou was tense on Saturday, with gunfire and soldiers deployed in the streets.

Ousted leader Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, pictured in March, 2022. By OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT (AFP/File)

Helicopters hovered above the city and shops shut their doors.

Late Saturday a French government spokeswoman strongly condemned "violence" against its embassy after an AFP reporter said he saw a fire burning outside the building in Ouagadougou.

Witnesses said a fire also broke out in front of the French Institute in the western city of Bobo-Dioulasso.

African Union chief Moussa Faki Mahamat condemned the "unconstitutional change of government" in Burkina Faso.

The European Union warned the latest coup put in danger efforts towards restoring constitutional order by July 2024, while the US government said it was "deeply concerned".

Damiba accused of failure

Just before 8:00 pm (2000 GMT) on Friday, more than a dozen soldiers in fatigues appeared on the state television and radio broadcaster to announce Damiba's removal.

They proclaimed 34-year-old Captain Traore in charge. He was previously head of the anti-jihadist special forces unit "Cobra" in the northern region of Kaya.

"Damiba failed," said Habibata Rouamba, a trader and activist.

"Since he came to power, the zones that were peaceful were attacked. He took power but then he betrayed us."

The new leaders suspended the constitution, sealed the borders, dissolved the transitional government and legislative assembly, and instituted a 9:00 pm to 5:00 am curfew.

More than 40 percent of Burkina Faso remains outside government control.

In the north and east, towns have been blockaded by insurgents who have blown up bridges and attacked supply convoys.

Thousands have died and about two million have been displaced by the fighting since 2015 when the insurgency spread to Burkina Faso from Mali.
02.10.2022 LISTEN

Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor is blaming Chiefs, District Security Councils, Mineral Commission officials, and regional authorities for the worsening state of illegal mining in the country.

According to him, irrespective of enforcement efforts by the government, the galamsey situation will not improve if people in mining communities do not help authorities in addressing the menace.

Government appears to be struggling to address the issue of illegal mining in Ghana, as many people continue to get involved in it. Vast lands have been destroyed, and water bodies have not been spared.

The activities of these illegal miners are very visible in various mining communities, as the level of devastation speaks volumes.

In an area such as Manso Datano in the Amansie South District of the Ashanti region, hectares of land have been destroyed. This is common in many mining communities in the Ashanti Region and other mining areas.

Citing the Manso Datano case as an example, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor said it is curiously obvious that various stakeholders such as chiefs, and district and regional authorities among others have been aiding the activities.

I come from a palace and I can say without a shred of equivocation that in most cases, no one, and I repeat, no one can bring a chain saw to harvest in the forest or an excavator to mine in the bush or chanfang to work on a river body in a community without the knowledge, acquiescence or passive approval somehow of the Chief, Elders, the assemblymen, opinion leaders and or local authorities in the community. We have to begin to be blunt about this situation on our hands. It is the honest truth and, sadly for me, I am having to say it and do so publicly. Ladies and gentlemen, you may have heard that on Thursday 29th September 2022 on behalf of the president of the republic, I paid a working visit to our men and women in uniformthe operation halt two team in Manso Datano in the Amansie South District.

I was shocked by what I saw. Almost a whole community has been created in the heart of the forest with poultry and goat rearing, beds, a kitchen, and bathrooms among others. The devastation must have been occasioned by years, if not decades of destruction. The question I ask is, how could this have happened on the blind side of the Chief, elders, assemblymen, unit committee members, district police commander, district chief executive, district officers of the minerals commission, forestry commission, environmental protection agency and the members of the community? I do not seem to tarnish the reputation of any person or institution, but I dare say that even regional authorities may not be able to escape from this particular situation and feign ignorance of it.

The minister is thus calling for all to be involved in addressing the matter, devoid of partisanship.

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources made these statements at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) at its faculty of renewable natural resources 40th Anniversary celebration.

The Asantehenes representative at the event, Asakyirihene, Nana Mensah Bonsu used the occasion to urge students and faculty members at the faculty of renewable natural resources to research into finding the best ways of addressing the illegal mining issue.

citinewsroom
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) contends that the partys contribution to the development and stability of the country is unmatched.

The party arguably is the longest-serving government in the history of Ghana, and its leadership says the history of the country cannot be well captured without the mention of it.

These were said at the launch of the Administrative history book of the NDC in Tamale in the Northern Region.

The General Secretary of the party, Mr. Johnson Aseidu Nketiah, speaking at the launch outlined why it is important for the party to document its own history.

The purpose of writing history is to gather our current knowledge and transfer it to the future generations and to make sure where we made mistakes they will do better and write it successfully so that society can progress. We think that the history of Ghana will not be complete if we do not consciously write about the National Democratic Congress.

The contribution of the NDC towards the sociopolitical and economic development of this country can never be wished away. Indeed, it is so enormous that Ghanas history would not be complete without adding what the NDC has done.

Touching on the content of the book, the General Secretary said it is the NDC that brought the threshold on the political and economic stability in the country.

The NDC moved the economy into positive growth and since then the GDP growth of the country has never gone back into negative growth again, we established that threshold of Economic and political stability of the country.

On her part, the former running mate of the NDC, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang said that just as the issue of the founder of the country has been manipulated, it is important for the party to document its own history to avoid any misrepresentation.

You tell your story so that nobody uses an apostrophe to change the hard-won reputation of others so that the founder which is singular does not become founders plural.

The National Chairman of the party Mr. Samuel Ampofo underscored the partys contribution to the development of the country.

He said the contribution of the party to the history of Ghana is unmatched.

Launching the book that talks about the Administrative history of the NDC have come at a very tightening opportunity, especially at the time that the party is celebrating its 30th milestone and this is the icing on the coke for the celebration of 30 years of progressive contribution of our party towards the socio-economic development of our country. It is, therefore, necessary for us to know where we have come from, where we are today and where we are going in future.

If we are to compare the performance of the NDC and the NPP for the past 30 years since we ushered into Democratic dispensation, the NDC has done far more than any other political parties in the history of this country. The performance of NDC is unmatched, if the history of Ghana is to be written.

Alhaji Hudu Yahaya intimated that it is the NDC that brought development to the northern sector and that if history is not told, some people will one-day claim credit for things that they have not done.

A lot has been achieved for the country by the NDC and if it is not recorded, it would be lost. When you tell a lot of the youth in Tamale that in secondary schools, law and order broke down in Tamale that we used to have blackouts, and examination results became very poor because there was no power. It was the PNDC that brought Akosombo to the Northern sector in Tamale in 1991. It is NDC that brought development to the North.

One of the authors of the book, Albert Tanbot the General secretary of the partys school Alumni Association, said it is their contribution towards ensuring the victory of the party in the next election.

The current situation we have found ourselves in, we have taken it upon ourselves to use the academic arm to support the party to achieve its aim of winning 2024 elections.

The coming election is an election of all hands on desk. We are leaving no stone unturned to make sure come 2024, the NDC comes back to power and by getting that opportunity we need to use it to empower our base.

citinewsroom
India has banned the Muslim political organisation the Popular Front of India (PFI) along with eight of its affiliates over their alleged links to terrorist groups.

The five-year ban comes after raids on the group and its members were carried out by India's top anti-terror agency, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and the Enforcement Directorate, which fights financial crimes.

More than 350 alleged PFI members were arrested in two rounds of raids.

The government said it had banned the PFI and its associate groups for allegedly undertaking "unlawful activities" that were "prejudicial to the integrity, sovereignty and security of the country".

While operating as a "socio-economic, educational and political organisation", the PFI had been "pursuing a secret agenda to radicalise a particular section of the society, the government said.

With a strong presence in the southern states of Kerala and Karnataka, the PFI is active in more than 20 Indian states  counting its membership in the "hundreds of thousands".

The organisation emerged in the aftermath of the ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India and has projected itself as an organisation that fights for the rights of minorities, Dalits and other marginalised communities.

India's Muslims face growing violence as religious polarisation continues

It has never contested elections but has been involved in carrying out social and Islamic religious work among Muslims along the lines of the work done by right-wing Hindu groups.

This is the new India, where terrorists, criminals and organisations and individuals who pose a threat to the unity, integrity and security of the nation are not acceptable," said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Government alleges terror links

While many mainstream politicians agree support the ban, some within the opposition have called for a similar crackdown on the right-wing Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological wing of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In Kerala, both majority communalism and minority communalism should be equally opposed," said former Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala.

"Both the outfits have stirred up communal hatred and thus tried to create division in the society.

India calms diplomatic storm in wake of street protests over anti-Islamic remarks

The government accused the PFI of having links with with the banned Students Islamic Movement of India, the Jamat-ul-Mujahideen of Bangladesh and Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Hindu groups have long demanded a total ban on the PFI, which the Kerala High Court once described as an "extremist organisation".

However, the PFI continues to deny any involvement in terror activities.

Dozens banned

Before the government's ban on the Popular Front of India, 42 organisations were banned by the central government as "terror organisations" under the Unlawful Activities Act.

The list includes the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and International Sikh Youth Federation.

According to a document of the Home Ministry, the ban came in the wake of over 1,300 criminal cases registered across the country by law enforcement agencies against PFI members.

These include offences related to the killing of leaders associated with Hindu organisations, organising suspected terror camps, alleged radicalisation of youth and links with foreign terrorist organisations.
Some finality should have been put to illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) by now after President Akufo-Addo staked his presidency on it, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has said.

Speaking at a meeting with the new US Ambassador to Ghana at the Manhyia Palace, the Asante monarch said: At the district level, we have the political administration, district chief executive, and the security council. Are they all saying that they are unaware of the activities of these galamseyers?

If they are unable to detect and stop the operation of these galamseyers then they are unworthy to be there, it is as simple as that, the chief noted.

We should have brought finality to this issue by now.

The President had even put his presidency on the line, and yet this is going on. To me, something is wrong somewhere, he added.

A few days ago, Akonta Mining Limited, which belongs to the Ashanti regional chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Bernard Antwo-Boasiako (Wontumi), was stopped from mining in the Tano Mimiri forest reserve.

The stop order was contained in a statement issued by the minister on Friday, 30 September 2020.

The ministry said it has taken note of publications about certain operations by Akonta Mining Limited in the Tano Nimiri forest reserve in the Amenfi West municipality in the Western Region.

It said even though Akonta Mining Limited has a mining lease to undertake mining operations in some parts of Samreboi, the company has no mineral right to undertake any mining operations in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve.

Mr Jinapor, according to the statement, has, thus, Forestry Commission to, forthwith, ensure that the company does not carry out any operation in the Forest and to take the necessary action against any person found culpable in this matter.

The statement said: Our records show that Akonta Mining Ltd, on August 25, 2022, applied for a mining lease to undertake mining operations in the said forest reserve. By a ministerial directive, all reconnaissance, prospecting and/or exploratory activities in forest reserves in the country are suspended, except in exceptional circumstances.

Although this directive does not affect mining in forest reserves, Akonta Mining Limiteds application has not been determined. Accordingly, any alleged activity being undertaken by the company in the forest reserve is illegal, the statement noted.

Source: ClassFMonline.com
Security forces fired tear gas to disperse angry protesters outside the French embassy in Burkina Faso's capital on Sunday, as unrest simmered in the impoverished West African nation following the claim of a second coup this year.

The latest unrest began on Friday, when junior military officers announced they had toppled the country's junta leader, sparking deep concern among world powers over the latest putsch to hit the Sahel region battling a growing Islamist insurgency.

Late on Saturday, the junta leader, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, said he had no intention of giving up power and urged the officers to "come to their senses".

His comments came shortly after the army general staff dismissed the coup as an "internal crisis" within the military and said dialogue was "ongoing" to remedy the situation.

Burkina Faso. By (AFP)

The capital remained tense overnight, with demonstrators gathering on the main roads of Ouagadougou as a helicopter hovered above.

In a statement read out on television on Sunday, the officers who claimed the coup said they had lifted a curfew they had imposed and called for a meeting of ministry heads for later in the day.

The officers had accused Damiba of having hidden at a military base of former colonial power France to plot a "counteroffensive," charges that he and France denied.

On Sunday, dozens of supporters of the new self-proclaimed putsch leader, Ibrahim Traore, gathered at the French embassy in the capital.

Security forces fired tear gas from inside the compound to disperse the protesters after they set fire to barriers outside and lobbed rocks at the structure, with some trying to scale the fence, according to an AFP reporter on the scene.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The French foreign ministry condemned "the violence against our embassy in the strongest terms" by "hostile demonstrators manipulated by a disinformation campaign against us."

It marked the latest incident against a France-linked building in two days, after a fire at the embassy on Saturday and a blaze in front of the French Institute in the western city of Bobo-Dioulasso. A French institute in the capital also sustained major damage, the foreign ministry said.

The main gates of the market in Ouagadougou were shut after the reported coup. By OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT (AFP)

The officers said they had carried out their putsch because Damiba had failed to quell jihadist attacks in the country.

Damiba himself came to power in a coup in January. He installed himself as leader of the country's 16 million people after accusing elected president Roch Marc Christian Kabore of failing to beat back jihadist fighters. But the insurgency has raged on.

More than 40 percent of Burkina Faso remains outside government control.

Thousands have died and about two million have been displaced by the fighting since 2015, when the insurgency spread to Burkina Faso from Mali.

'Burkina Faso needs peace'

Friday's coup claim sparked a wave of international criticism, including from the United States, the African Union, the European Union and the regional grouping ECOWAS.

Ousted leader Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, pictured in March 2022. By OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT (AFP/File)

"Burkina Faso needs peace, stability and unity to fight terrorist groups and criminal networks operating in parts of the country," said a statement by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Jihadist violence has also prompted a series of coups in Mali, Guinea and Chad since 2020.

The new Burkina putschists said they were willing "to go to other partners ready to help in the fight against terrorism".

No country was explicitly mentioned but Russia, whose influence is growing in French-speaking Africa, is among the possible partners in question.

A few hours before the coup on Friday, hundreds of people had rallied in the capital seeking Damiba's departure, the end of France's military presence in the Sahel and military cooperation with Russia.

France has a contingent of military special forces based in Kamboinsin, which is about 30 kilometres (19 miles) from Ouagadougou.
02.10.2022 LISTEN

Ghanaians are a wise and aspirational African people. We also believe in the longterm benefits of peaceful coexistence amongst neighbours, in all our communities across our beautiful and welcoming African nation. Those who take us for fools, just because we are long-suffering, lack wisdom, for we are not fools, at all, koraaa, oooo. Yooooooo...

In that light, we will, in the fullness of time, exact retribution from all those who have enabled our priceless natural capital to be destroyed, by powerful and influential individuals, in the current government. Full stop. Case closed. Yooooooo...

Every public sector employee, who, in exchange for cash-filled fat brown envelopes, broke laid down regulatory procedures, and colluded with greed-filled clever-criminals, who went into politics, only in order to protect themselves, from being forced to pay for their many crimes agsinst Mother Ghana, such as Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, will be spared. Let there be absolutely no doubt, at all, about that, koraaa, ooooo, Ghanafuo. Those participating in the ongoing brutal gang-rape of a defenceless Mother Ghana, must beware, oooo. Yoooooooo...
02.10.2022 LISTEN

In 2016 during the Electoral commission's Limited Registration exercise, I was a NPP polling station agent in one the communities in the Sissala East constituency. I challenged certain decisions there and it brought the whole exercise to a stand still. For about a hour or two, we were just stuck there and nothing happening. This raised the tension in the said community and there were threats to attack and beat me. As for the insults, they were uncountable. I had to call for the police to come and protect me and the exercise. Whilst all these noise was happening, a man passed through the crowd and came to me. He was from the community, heard what was happening, came to find out about the "small boy" that was preventing them from registering their people etc. He asked others about where I come from and whose son I was. It was when he had answers to his questions that he felt he needed not to only come to me but to protect me and also assure me of my security. Whilst standing with others, he told them they should leave me and that he knew my late father very well. He said he used to come to him in Accra to always take "tea". An indication they used to be close before he came home(to the Sissala East). I wondered whether he could have actually given me the security and protection judging from the way the community was tensed but I never forgot his gesture and the reason behind his gesture.

At the beginning of this year, I was at my Hon. MPs office in Tumu when a man came there and was to join him travel to Accra. I greeted the man and we were both quietly standing there. I realized he couldn't recognize him eventhough I knew him since I was a child back in Accra. I then asked him whether he can recognize him and he said no. So I told him who I was and after realizing who I was he opened the conversation and he started talking straight away about how my late father was good to him when he first came to Accra and how he made life comfortable for him though my late wasn't a wealthy person. He said after he made it in life, he tried contacting and helping my father but he realized he was no longer in Accra and he later realized he passed away.

What then occasioned these recollections? On Friday the 30th of September, 2022 between 9:30 to 10am, I had a call from an elderly man now probably in either his late 70s or early 80s. He said he heard of him and searched for my contact. He was not calling in relation to me but he was calling to tell me the good my father has done for him. In fact, he doesn't even know my mother. It was my stepmom who is my father's first wife and first love that he knows. He asked about how many we are now and what we are all doing currently. After these inquiries, he then to told me that back in the 70s he was in Accra hustling and struggling. My father was then a watchman for the Graphic Corporations Limited (publishers of the Daily Graphic, Ghanaian Times and other newspapers). The corporation said they wanted some 12 people to employ. A lot of people applied. My late father advised him to also apply. He applied. Even then, the 'who knows you' or 'who you know' stuff was also there. He didn't know and doesn't have anyone to push him. The only person he knew and could talk of was my late father who was just a watchman. My father pushed through and out of the many applicants, he was one of those picked. He worked there and then took the opportunity to apply to the Ghana Institute of Journalism before he left for overseas. He is now back home. Like the second story, he also said he wished he could have done something for my late father but by the time he came back, he was already deceased (my father died in 2012). We then delved into some history lessons and our conversation ended.

These scenarios and many others have kept me thinking since Friday. In fact the last call from the old man has kept me asking myself numerous questions: what would I also be remembered for? How would my children also assess me? What would others tell my children about me after I'm also dead and long gone? What am I putting in place for my children to always be proud to associate my name to theirs? Do I need much wealth before I can impact the life of others?

Material possessions I have realized are good but they do not become the cornerstone of the human legacy. The little good things we do, some we forget, some we do not even take them serious are eventually the things that others appreciate mostly. I have also realized that the good things we do though some do not appreciate and value them, there are others who even if they do not do anything physically good to payback, they keep it golden in their hearts, keeping you permanently in their memories and praying for you always. It is good to always be good and concentrate on being good. Do good based on your standard and try not to turn yourself to the standard of another just because of how bad he treated you or has been treating you.

I will end with a statement from the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon Him), "Do good, because you don't which of your good deeds would lead you to Jannah" (Hadith). To paraphrase, do good because you don't know which of your good deeds would become your lasting legacy in this world and which would leave a permanent mark in the memory of those you helped and the society you leave in.

Fuseini Abdul-Fatawu

(Son of late Jagbe Batie Fuseini aka Fuseini Sissala)
Professor Mavis Dako-Gyeke, Director of Centre for Ageing Studies, College of Humanities, University of Ghana, has urged the Parliament of Ghana to expedite the passage of the Aged Persons' Bill into law.

She said the Bill when passed would highlight the principal guidelines for the holistic care of older persons.

Professor Dako-Gyeke said this when she addressed the media ahead of the United Nations International Day of Older Persons.

The Day, which is celebrated on every October 1, seeks to raise awareness on the importance of improved care and living conditions of older persons.

This year's day would be commemorated on the theme, Resilience of Older Persons in a Changing World.

Professor Dako-Gyeke said the theme highlighted the resilience of older persons in the face of environmental, social, economic and lifelong inequalities.

Extant research on older persons in Ghana report that chronic ailments, geriatric-specific situations, isolation and neglect, and ageism constitute some of the challenges experienced by older persons. To overcome these challenges, older persons may have to adopt certain coping strategies to become resilient, she added.

She stressed that it had become necessary to devote time to focus on ageing-related issues to unearth solutions that could enhance their overall wellbeing.

Professor Dako-Gyeke, therefore, called on government and other stakeholders to explore the use of policies and legal framework to ensure that older persons maintained resilience and improved their quality of life.

She urged society, especially young people, to pay attention to older persons and assist them, saying, in future, old age would catch up with them as well.

She said the Centre had also been training health workers and caregivers in elderly care as well as had been undertaking outreaches programmes for the elderly.

Dr Frank Dzifa Kpesenu, National Programme Coordinator for Healthy Ageing Programme, Family Health Division, Ghana Health Service, said the Service was training specialised health workers who would handle older persons at district hospitals.

He said it was to ensure that older persons were treated with outmost care and dignity at health centres.

Dr Kpesenu added that as parts of efforts to improve healthy living among older persons, the Service was ensuring they had access to curative services of common diseases.

GNA
Security forces fired tear gas to disperse angry protesters outside the French embassy in Burkina Faso's capital on Sunday, as unrest simmered in the impoverished, restive West African nation following the claim of a second coup this year.

The latest upheaval began on Friday, when junior military officers announced they had toppled the country's junta leader, sparking deep concern among world powers.

Late on Saturday, the junta leader, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, said he had no intention of giving up power and urged the officers to "come to their senses".

His comments came shortly after the army general staff dismissed the coup as an "internal crisis" within the military and said dialogue was "ongoing" to remedy the situation.

Burkina Faso. By (AFP)

In a statement read out on television on Sunday, the officers who claimed the coup said they had lifted a curfew they had imposed and called for a meeting of ministry heads for later in the day.

The officers had accused Damiba of having hidden at a military base of former colonial power France to plot a "counteroffensive", charges that he and France denied.

On Sunday, dozens of supporters of the new self-proclaimed putsch leader, Ibrahim Traore, gathered at the French embassy in the capital Ouagadougou.

Security forces fired tear gas from inside the compound to disperse the protesters after they set fire to barriers outside and lobbed rocks at the structure, with some trying to scale the fence, according to an AFP reporter on the scene.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Hundreds of protesters headed to the headquarters of Burkina Faso's public television, where Traore went in a motorcade to deliver a national address on Sunday.

Some of them were carrying Russian flags and chanted slogans hostile to France and Damiba. Traore supporters were also continuing to occupy several main squares and roads in Ouagadougou, an AFP correspondent saw.

The French foreign ministry condemned the violence against its embassy. By - (AFP)

The French foreign ministry condemned "the violence against our embassy in the strongest terms" by "hostile demonstrators manipulated by a disinformation campaign against us".

It marked the latest incident against a France-linked building in two days, after a fire at the embassy on Saturday and a blaze in front of the French Institute in the western city of Bobo-Dioulasso.

A French institute in the capital also sustained major damage, the French foreign ministry said.

Traore called for an end to the attacks on Sunday.

An officer, reading a statement on television from Traore, who stood by his side, told the public "to refrain from any act of violence and vandalism", notably against the French embassy and military base.

The main gates of the market in Ouagadougou were shut after the reported coup. By OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT (AFP)

The officers said they had carried out their putsch because Damiba had failed to quell jihadist attacks in the country.

Traore said talks with Damiba were ongoing and that order was progressively being restored, although the country's borders remained shut on Sunday.

Damiba himself came to power in the nation of 16 million people in a January coup, accusing elected president Roch Marc Christian Kabore of failing to beat back jihadist fighters.

But the insurgency has raged on and more than 40 percent of Burkina Faso remains outside government control.

Thousands have died and about two million have been displaced by the fighting since 2015, when the insurgency spread to Burkina Faso from neighbouring Mali.

'Burkina Faso needs peace'

The events Friday sparked a wave of international criticism, including from the United States, the African Union, the European Union and the regional grouping ECOWAS.

Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, pictured in March 2022. By OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT (AFP/File)

"Burkina Faso needs peace, stability and unity to fight terrorist groups and criminal networks operating in parts of the country," said a statement by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Jihadist violence has also prompted a series of coups in Mali since 2020 and fuelled instability in neighbouring Niger.

The new self-proclaimed Burkina putschists said they were willing "to go to other partners ready to help in the fight against terrorism".

No country was explicitly mentioned but Russia, whose influence is growing in French-speaking Africa including Mali and the Central African Republic, is among the possible partners in question.

A few hours before events unfolded on Friday, hundreds of people had rallied in the capital seeking Damiba's departure, the end of France's military presence in the Sahel and military cooperation with Russia.

France has a contingent of military special forces based in Kamboinsin, which is about 30 kilometres (19 miles) from Ouagadougou.
The Sub-Regional Office for West Africa of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA-SRO/WA), in collaboration with the Regional Institute of Population Studies (RIPS) and the Population Reference Bureau (PRB), have met in Accra to strengthen the demographic dividend in West Africa.

The second edition of its Think Tanks and Experts Seminar on Population Dynamics for Development in West Africa, held from September 28 ending Saturday, October 01, in Accra, was under the theme, "Bridging the Research-Policy Gap to Accelerate the Demographic Dividend in West Africa."

The meeting aims to accelerate progress toward the demographic dividend by stimulating policy-oriented research and translation to strengthen evidence-based policy and planning processes in the West African sub-region.

It is to deepen the survey results and facilitate knowledge sharing and peer mentoring; facilitate experience sharing, and collaboration among researchers to promote evidence-based policy-making; and enhance the link between ECA-SRO/WA, knowledge producers, and policymakers in the sub-region.

Ngone Diop, the Director of the ECA Sub-Regional Office for West Africa, said "the major challenge is to make good use of the powerful and important results of research on population dynamics to inform and guide the choice of economic, social and governance policies, as well as resources allocation.

We need to do more, better, and faster," said Ms Diop, "that is the key message coming out of our substantive survey of 164 researchers, the results of which helped us identify and understand the missing link between research and policy, research and action, and the fact that research results are only marginally taken into account in the formulation of policies and programmes, in this case those aiming at accelerating the capture of the demographic dividend.

The African Union Commission (AUC) in collaboration with the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), UNFPA and other partners developed a roadmap focusing on four key pillars: employment and entrepreneurship, education and skills development, health and wellbeing as well as rights, governance, and youth empowerment.

The roadmap and pillars are to support and guide member states to develop country specific action plans and areas of focus to achieve the demographic dividend at national levels.

To implement this AU roadmap to achieve the demographic dividend (DD) and in effect the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2063, there is urgent need for robust policy reforms and programmes at country levels.

Evidence of what works will play an essential role in fostering effective and efficient policies and programs. The use of evidence in policy and practice has not only proven to produce better results, but also reduces poverty, improves health outcomes and advances development performance.

The four-day seminar was attended by think tanks, universities, research institutes, individual researchers, and intergovernmental organisations (IGOs) at the forefront of research in the West African sub-region. Selected policy makers are also invited to join the conversation.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has made a donation of medical equipment to the neurosurgery unit at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

The donation, made on Friday, September 30, 2022, follows similar benevolence the MP has previously shown to the Saint Anne Catholic Polyclinic in Tagadzi of the North Tongu Constituency and the Volta Regional Hospital in Ho to augment healthcare delivery to his constituents.

Upon realising holistic healthcare goes beyond medical facilities in his district, Mr Ablakwa extended his donation tradition to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in the Greater Accra Region.

I believe in integrated solutions. Whatever you do, you must recognise that there will be complicated cases; there will be special cases that will require a referral and if you think that you are an island and you are okay, when those moments arise, you will be found wanting, he said.

The lawmaker also mentioned an international partner which aids in these efforts.

So, in putting the package together, we said that  why not take advantage of this network we have established with our partners in the United State of America, an institution called Suppliers Overseas, who we spoke to and signed an MOU with and have agreed to partner them. So, we only made a contribution which is just about 20% of the actual cost if we were to pay fully. And, so, we said that instead of being myopic or narrow minded, why not ensure that you have full advantage and full impact across the entire spectrum? he explained.

Mr Ablakwa furthered pointed out his team liaised with the leadership of the neurosurgery unit at Korle-Bu to determine the exact needs of the facility in order not to create a white elephant; that is, donate equipment that will not be needed by the facility.

Expressing appreciation, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Opoku Ware Ampomah, said the hospital has many logistical challenges hence donations such as Mr Ablakwas go a long way to addressing some of the shortfalls in the facility. He also appealed to all who are capable to emulate the gesture of the North Tongu MP.

This is somebody who has put his mouth where it matters  in the sense that he has taken a step and he is contributing to making a difference. So, those of you watching us and those corporate entities, what are you doing? he challenged.

We know that this is not the only place he is supporting but so many other interventions he is doing as an individual MP and I believe that it is a very good example that others should emulate, Dr Ampomah added.

The head of neurosurgery at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Hadi Mohammed Abdallah, could not hide his joy as he noted it was probably his first time seeing some of the equipment donated.

He bemoaned also that the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, arguably, has the best brains in the sub-region but is bedeviled by logistical shortfall.

When things like these are donated, it makes a big difference, Dr Abdallah noted.

What you see here is Aneurism Set for those who could easily bleed in the brain from an abnormal cell in the brain and I can tell you that such surgery is not done in any part of West Africa, but, we have experts here who can do this. This is really a surprise to me because he [MP Ablakwa] didnt mention it to me, Dr Abdallah continued.

Korlebu Turns 99 in October

The Korle-Bu Teachoing Hospital was established on Monday, October 9, 1923, and the hospital has grown from an initial 200 bed capacity to over 2,000.

It is currently the third largest hospital in Africa and the leading national referral centre in Ghana.

It has over the years been faced with many logistical challenges and over congestion.

The congestion, the CEO of the hospital explained, is as a result of the low cost the facility charges the public for its services as many of the services the facility renders are very expensive in other hospitals.

Source: classfmonline.com
Kinshasa, October 2, 2022: Concerned with safety of Africas largest tropical forests, climate justice torch (CJT) campaign is in the DR Congo to exert pressure on the world leaders to increase funding that would support effort of protecting one of the worlds largest carbon sink.

With 160 million hectares (395 million acres) of rainforest, DR Congo forests sink carbons that it negligibly produces, spending a huge part of its GDP to protect it with minimal support from the international community.

As climate justice campaigners, we have come from every part of the continent to call upon the global leaders meeting here for a pre-COP 27 to consider supporting not just the DR Congo, but all countries with remaining tropical forests such as Gabon, Equatorial Guinea among others, said Dr Mithika Mwenda, the executive director, the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA).

According to Mrs. Drothee Lisenga, Representative of Indigenous community, forests of the DR Congo are massively being destroyed. We are losing our super market, we are losing our natural resource, we are losing the fish, we are losing all the animals, we are losing the rivers drying up. Today we decree our struggles as usual and say Stop climate change. Because it affects us. We want climate justice and we also want climate finance. When the forest leaves, we must also have the benefits of the causes, because it is our wealth, she said .

The CJT, an initiative of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance, is a mobilization campaign initiated to raise interest among the African public and coalesce various African voices towards a common position as the continent prepares to host the 27th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in November in Egypt.

The Republic of Congo is currently among leading countries remaining as carbon sink country, thanks to the vast forest cover. Forests have a sequestration capacity that far exceeds emissions. But for Anatole Keleri who struggles to put food on the table, clothes on his children talkless of affording fees for them, he wonders how the forest benefits him.

Keleri is not alone. The population of the DR Congo is one of the most vulnerable to climate change thanks to limited climate action due to poverty.

Mrs. Berthilde Gitira, member of environmental civil society and women's coalition for the environment and sustainable development said Congo like the rest of Africa is experiencing global warming. We feel it. Today we have come to claim our climate justice. Our country is the second lung of the world and all this gas emission, when released in industrialized countries, are sequestered in our forests and as a reward, we have nothing. We are the poorest in the world and we cannot afford this situation. As today the DRC organizes the PRE COP27, we call the [Government] authorities through the Ministry of the Environment to carry out this advocacy so that the DRC can benefit from this outcome (finance) from climate change, she said.

The DR Congo is seeing massive losses of forest at an estimate rate of about 17,000 hectares per year. Thus, maintaining the services provided by the natural resources ecosystems (forests, savannahs, hydrological basins, etc.) is essential to ensure future development, limit the impacts of climate change and provide opportunities adaptation to the most vulnerable strata, including women and young people of all socio-cultural categories of urban and rural centers.

During COP 26, the DRC committed to modify the rate of emissions, which used to be 18%, to 21%. This is reflected in the revised National Determined Contribution in 2021.

Despite the commitments made by the countries, it should be noted that the actors have difficulty in applying the decisions, whereas this essentially contributes to amplifying the impacts of change on the environment and the populations.

The Climate Justice Torch Campaign is to mobilize local communities  including youth, womens movements  fishers, farmers and NGOs at the national level for climate justice and Increase the pressure of Congolese and African citizens on their national governments and on international negotiations during COP 27 in order to better take into account their realities, priorities and aspirations.

About PACJA

The Pan African Climate Justice Alliance is a consortium of more than 1000 organisations from 48 African countries that brings together a diverse membership drawn from Grassroots, Community-based organizations, Faith-based Organizations, Non-Governmental organizations, Trusts, Foundations, Indigenous Communities, Farmers and Pastoralist Groups with a shared vision to advance a people-centered, right-based, just and inclusive approach to address climate and environmental challenges facing humanity and the planet.

For more information, contact Mr Fidele Niyigaba, Communication and Knowledge Management Manager, PACJA. Tel: +250 788 616 669/ +254743236888
The Overlord of Dagbon, Ya-Naa Abubakari Mahama II, has commended the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for his relentless efforts at strengthening the country's religious harmony between Muslims and Christians.

The Vice President has earned lots of plaudits for his religious tolerance and excellent relationship with the Christian community

Welcoming Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to the Gbewaa Palace in Yendi on Sunday before the commencement of the Vice President's working tour of the north, Ya-Naa Abubakari Mahama II highlighted a number of leadership attributes of the Vice President, and among them was his religious tolerance, which the Ya-Naa said, has promoted harmony in the country.

"Your quest to harmonize the religious diversity of our country is commendable," the Ya-Naa said.

"As a Muslim, you hold on to your faith at all times while you find it no harm to be amongst Christians and this speaks loudly about nothing, but, the necessity of peace and tolerance amongst ourselves even when we disagree with each other," the Ya-Naa added.

The Ya-Naa was also full of praise for the Vice President for his competence, hardwork, tolerance, humility and remarkable support to President Akufo-Addo to developing the north and the nation at large since assuming the role of Vice President.

"Since your occupation of the second most important political seat in Ghana, you have shown sterling performance with your sacrifice and hardwork which has achieved so much for mother Ghana," the Overlord of Dagbon said.

"Through your efforts, our region has seen the construction of its first interchange.This is a promise you made and as expected of you, you have delivered.

"Under you as Vice President, you have also supported the President to make our region and all other four regions in our part of the country benefit from the national cake, through social interventions. Today, we can boast of countless infrastructure from roads , markets, factories, hospitals, schools, water and sanitation projects among others. All these were achieved through the Northern Development Authority, which you were instrumental in its formulation," the Ya-Naa noted.

He continued: "Remarkably you have discharged and keep discharging your duties with great tolerance even when your opponents come after you and this proves your competence and how focused you are.

"Your exceptional humility is worth emulating and makes us proud of you. You have not departed from the training your elders gave you," the Yaa-Naa added.

The King of Dagbon also acknowledged the wind of peace blowing through Dagbon, and in expressing his delight, he lauded President Akufo-Addo for his role towards the peace process, and to the Vice President, for his contributions.

"Mr Vice President, your achievements cannot be mentioned without outlining your zealous contribution to couple the efforts of the President to resolve the protracted Dagbon crisis. Today, we have peace in Dagbon as we expected and we owe it an obligation to appreciate your efforts in realising this feet. Dagbon is grateful to you."

Dr. Bawumia, who is being accompanied on his working tour of the north by a number of government officials and party executives, expressed gratitude to the Ya- Naa for his kind words and encouragement.

He assured the King and the people of Dagbon of Governments continuous support and commitment to developing the north and the nation.
During her first trip to the Ashanti Region, U.S. Ambassador Virginia Palmer met his Royal Majesty the Asantehene, other traditional leaders, civil society, and U.S. government alumni in Kumasi.

The trip reiterated the United States' commitment to economic development, inclusive prosperity, and accountable governance in Ghana.

I'm thrilled to visit Kumasi, the historic capital of the Ashanti Region. I was honored to meet the Asantehene today. Kumasi and its people are an important priority for the United States and I'm glad to have met so many Kumasifuo. I will be back soon, said the U.S.

The Ambassador met His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II at the Manhyia Palace. Their discussions centered on the continuous U.S investment in Ghana's human capital based on strong bilateral ties rooted in history and common democratic values. The Ambassador also paid a call on the leadership of the National House of Chiefs to discuss the vital role of traditional leaders in development, prosperity, and peace.

She also met with the Ashanti Regional Minister Honorable Simon Osei-Mensah, focusing on the U.S government's support for peacebuilding and governance, as well as promoting opportunity and development through inclusive investments in people.

At a media roundtable with Kumasi journalists, Ambassador Palmer reiterated to journalists the United States' commitment to safeguarding press freedoms while promoting professional development for journalists.

Meeting with the local entrepreneurs during her visit to the Kumasi Hive, Ambassador Palmer underscored the importance of entrepreneurship in developing Ghana's economy. Promoting inclusion and economic growth, trade and investment is one of the top priorities of the U.S. government and enhancing the skills of entrepreneurs across various sectors can boost sustainable economic growth, said Ambassador Palmer. Earlier this year, with the support of the U.S. Embassy, the Kumasi Hive trained more than 300 local Senior High School students with entrepreneurship skills, including design thinking, marketing, and a pitch competition.

Ambassador Palmer concluded her trip with Kumasi-based alumni of U.S. Government exchange programs, including alumni of the Fulbright Program and Mandela Washington Fellowship.

DGN online
02.10.2022 LISTEN

Senator Magnus Abe, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) flag bearer for the 2023 Rivers State governorship election, has spent years in and around the political corridor, which speaks to his ocean of political experience.

Abe is also an orator in the likes of Walter Ofonagoro, a Nigerian scholar, politician, and businessman who is a former Minister of Information and Culture. Abes astute oratory prowess is comparable to that of Bill Clinton of the United States, whose oratory analysts say marries argument and passion; and twenty-five years after he was elected president, no one surpasses his speechmaking.

Unlike Abe, hardly anybody in the government or out of government is talking in Rivers state. Those who were not like Abe don't see, as far as state politics and security were concerned. According to Irvine Welsh, what he (not Abe) is interested in is work that speaks the truth to power in some way... Welsh added that he doesn't think people speak the truth to power for powers ear, but for the ear and the imagination of future generations who would seek to live in a world free from the malign and self-serving influence of those who wield it.

When in September 2022, Abe made two remarks while presenting his deputy and also the Director-General of his campaign council in Port Harcourt, he focused his efforts on proving that competency is required for governance and that this is both the norm and the right thing to do. In contrast to certain records of indecisiveness between two scheme gangs, where disinterested and non-intelligentsia are fads, Abe showed that his political environment was established with an aristocracy that was truly interested or an intelligentsia that was truly intelligent.

Abe said he chose the states retired permanent secretary, Dr Patricia Ogbonnaya (Ada Ekpeye Logbo II of Ekpeye Kingdom'), as a running mate because of her outstanding career in civil service. He described his Director-General of his campaign council, Senator Wilson Ake, as someone well known to the Rivers residents. Since then, spectators have been on the lookout to see where Abe will head to in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in the state.

Caution, honesty, understanding, and responsibilities are composite items. Trust is the basis of any relationship. And Rivers state needs someone with the best leadership qualities like Abe with a high acumen.

Abe has said that he presents himself to the people as a leader who can serve them the way they want to be served, in a way that prioritizes their interests above all other interests. These are the things Abe wants to talk about. He will not want to talk about politics; that will bring him down.

In "IT Auditing: Assuring Information Assets Protection," Robert E. Davis says that since knowledge and ideas are an important part of cultural heritage, social interaction, and business transactions, they retain a special value for many societies, Abe without a doubt is a leader who understands that in this day and age, people want to have opportunities.

While spectators and political analysts have a right to survey Abe's moves, his hardest challenge while aspiring to sit in the seat as governor of Rivers state has not been to persuade the public. Abe has stated that he is still unwaveringly devoted to the principles that have guided his politics over the years and that he will keep working hard to advance internal democracy in Nigerian politics and put the needs of the populace first.

The influential Rivers politician who left the APC in July 2022 mocked a letter claiming Asiwaju refused to participate in APC Rivers politics. That is absurd, he said, adding that all politics is local. After all, Abe has been patient enough with this political cause, which has resulted in his rapid growth. And his political obstinacy in ensuring stability first has earned him the title of one of the popular politicians in Nigeria's new political era, not just in Rivers state.

As an intellectual, Abe has made the realm of ideas his utmost home. He believes that any administration should have good governance and good ideals. His main focus is implementation with honesty. He realizes that a strong government encompasses more than just military prowess or a well-functioning intelligence network. It should stand for "good government," which is an administration that is efficient and equitable. In the eyes of the electorate, this represents Abe.

Although everyone is entitled to a political party, this should not fall on the words of the leader of a political party from Ogoniland, Marvin Yorbana, who said in September in Port Harcourt that Rivers people should vote for his candidate. Not Abe?

In his remarks, Yorbana, who is said to be a former youth leader, pointed out that there is no single Ogoni faction, whether it is the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) or Kagote, which represents three Ogoni councils, will support the candidates from Ogoni for the governorship because they know what it means.

While Yorbana sold his people for soup in his party, he believed that a foreigner would understand the plight of the Ogoni people when he said that his people should vote for his party and that they should not allow the promises these Ogoni candidates have made, because he hopes his candidate will win elections to attract development in their area.

But Ogoni groups like MOSOP and Kagote have thrown their support behind the likes of Abe, saying it would be a grave injustice in politics and crime if no Ogoni is voted for to rule the state in next year's elections.

And Abe represents the hope for the Ogoni people to rule the River state since the creation of the state 55 years ago, as no Ogoni indigene had become a governor, deputy governor, speaker, or chief judge of the state. While MOSOP pointed out governorship candidates from Ogoni to include Dr. Lessi Gborogbosi of the Action Peoples Party (APP), the Labour Party picked Kaninee Barikpoa as the running mate for its governorship candidate, and the APC chose Innocent Bariate Barikor, a lecturer with the Department of Political Science/Administration, University of Port Harcourt, as deputy governorship candidate for Tonye Cole, Senator Magnus Abe of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), represents the face and yearnings of Ogoni people.

Abe, with his wealth of political reasonableness, has indicated his interest in a government of inclusiveness when the likes of Yorbana were championing divisiveness. It was as if Aristotle had Abe at heart when he said that the legislator should direct his attention above all to the education of youth, for the neglect of education does harm to the constitution.

Like Abe, Aristotle said that the citizen should be molded to suit the form of government under which he lives. Abe knows that each government has a peculiar character that it originally formed and that continues to preserve it. The character of democracy creates democracy, and the character of oligarchy creates oligarchy. Judging by this context, Yorbana is oligarchic, while Abe represents the face of democracy.

Since 2015, Abe has been trying to rule the state. Although some successive state governments said that Rivers funds, contracts, and appointments were reserved for Rivers indigenes, Abe believes that everyone should be on board and that all residents of the state should be treated equally.

Abe, who served as a Senator for the Rivers South East Senatorial, said this on the dedication of SDP non-indigenes and the acceptance of converts to the party. It was obvious that Abe did everything as a unifier to unite the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) when he was in the party, no matter the court litigation experienced among attention seeking individuals here and there in the party.

On May 26, 2022, when traducers said that he had dropped his governorship ambition, he declared he was still in the race for the 2023 poll and would not quit for anyone. This statement represents "A Summary View of the Rights of British America," in which Thomas Jefferson says that the whole art of government consists of the art of being honest. Only aim to do your duty, and mankind will give you credit where you fail.

Abe also said his name would be on the ballot papers for the election and there was nothing anybody, no matter how highly placed, could do about it. The senator, who represented Rivers South-East Senatorial District, stated this in his campaign office, Freedom House, in Port Harcourt, while members of the faction of the former Minister of Transportation were at Adokie Amiesimeka Stadium holding a party primary.

No matter the politics that played out before he left the APC, he buttressed the urgent need to bring the party together if it was to be relevant in next years election. This also applies to his Ogoni people.

Like what he is doing in the SDP  giving his salient ideals in making sure that the party succeeds, Abe once told the APC he wouldn't care how much power anyone thought he had, but the reality was that the APC in this state could not win an election as a divided house.

Therefore, it is important for the Ogoni people to come together with Abe to rally the Rivers residents to support the Ogoni candidate. It is good for everyone to talk to each other, listen to each other, and try to calm things down so that the Ogoni people can win the Rivers governorship election in 2023.

However, just as Abe told the APC, whatever anger you have, you should just let it go so that the Ogoni people can come together to show that they can defeat and save not only Ogoni but the state. It is true that Abe left APC due to a serious challenge, but the Ogoni people will not abandon Ogoni for any reason.

Odimegwu Onwumere writes from Rivers state via: [email protected]
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has announced plans by the government to develop a state-of-the-art tourism and hospitality training school in Accra.

The $10 million facility would provide customer care training to operators in the hospitality and tourism value chain across West Africa.

The President made the announcement when he formally opened the Tema branch of the Alisa Hotel at the weekend.

The hotel, situated at Community 12, Tema, features a total of 50 rooms including four exquisite suites, a sky bar, pool bar, restaurant, spa, a conference and events hall, gym, among other facilities.

The third of such facility held by the Alisa brand, the hotel is envisaged to fill a niche in the hospitality industry in the port city.

President Akufo-Addo told guest at the event that the project was in furtherance of his administration's vision to market Ghana as an exciting destination for leisure, conferences, sports, health, educational and cultural tourism.

With the hospitality industry now the third largest contributor to the country's GDP after cocoa, oil and gas, he said the government would implement initiatives to transform the sector into a strong tool for economic transformation.

The President pointed out that building the capacity of tourism players was therefore important in government's quest to make the country the tourism destination of choice in West Africa.

When customers are happy and delighted, they do not only stay longer in hotels but also spend more and likely to return in future with family and friends

Our focus over the next 18 months is to exploit our culture, heritage history, hospitality and beautiful natural scenery to attract tourists, fun lovers and leisure seekers hoping to find a unique experience in Africa

President Akufo-Addo said government since assuming the reins of authority, government had put in place measures and initiatives which had resulted in the construction of a thriving tourism economy in the country.

He related that over the past few months, the government had embarked on a product improvement plan where several tourism sites in the country are currently undergoing site renovation under the Ghana Tourism Development Project.

This year alone it is expected that some $25 million will be expended to upgrade some of our iconic sites.

We want to use tourism as an effective tool for economic transformation, which will help to create jobs and prosperity for the people. That is why Government, with the support of international partners, is investing heavily in key tourism attractions, which will, in turn, boost tourist arrivals this year and beyond.

The President commended the Group Chair of the Alisa Hotels, Mr Kwame Ofosu Bamfo, for the brilliant initiative and reiterated the commitment of the government to build a conducive environment for businesses to thrive.

Despite the current difficulties facing our nation, we will continue to build a business-friendly environment that will enhance entrepreneurship-a vital component of economic growth and development, he said.

Mark Okraku Mantey, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, said through the practical effort of the government to train people and improve tourist sites, Ghana had now become the number one destination for tourism in West Africa.

He said the ministry was promoting tourism by aggressively improving tourist sites to bring surety of returns and ensure that standards of hotels across the country are improved

The Deputy Minister commended the Mr Bamfo for his contributions in advancing the growth of the hospitality industry in the country.

Mr Bamfo, said the addition of the Tema branch of the hotel would go a long way to advance the course of the growth of the hospitality industry and well as impact the sustainability of the group.

He appealed to the government to offer the industry some respite and access to credit to help create jobs.

GNA
The National Media COMMISSION (NMC) has expressed concerns over the increasing weaponization of the media in the Bawku conflict. 

It noted an escalation in incidences of hate speech, disinformation and incitement on radio of a scale and scopethat posed a clear and present danger to the Bawku community and cautioned radio stations in the enclave to be circumspect.

A press release issued by Mr George Sarpong, Executive Secretary, NMC, said some of the cases were closely reminiscent of the egregious misbehaviour of Radio Television Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM) in the Rwandan genocide.

It said the collective search for peace must be anchored on a proper balance between the right of radio stations to broadcast and the legitimate need of society to protect public order as envisaged under articles 162,163 and 164 of the Constitution (1992).

The Commission said, drastic consequences attend on culpability, and called on owners of radio stations in Bawku to adopt stronger gatekeeping measures to ensure that persons with interests in the conflict did not hijack radio stations to foment trouble.

 Owners must be careful who they recruit as programme hosts and, which persons are invited as guests on discussion programmes. Owners must remember that they bear ultimate responsibility for whatever happens on their networks.

It gave all owners of radio stations in the Bawku area two weeks to submit to the Commission clear measures they had put in place to ensure professionalism.

The Commission also advised media houses outside Bawku to be very circumspect in their coverage of the conflict and reminded media practitioners about the prosecution of journalists at the International Criminal Court and asked them to be guided by that.

Ultimately, it is important for stakeholders to understand that at the core of the tension between free expression and public safety is the need to seek the public good, the Commission said.

It said the Media Foundation for West Africa and the Ghana Independent Broadcasters' Association had offered to assist any broadcaster in Bawku who may require assistance to review gatekeeping and professional systems and asked radio stations there to take advantage of the offer.

GNA
Burkina Faso's junta leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba agreed to step down Sunday, religious and community leaders said, two days after military officers announced his removal from power, sparking unrest in the West African country and international condemnation.

Damiba "himself offered his resignation in order to avoid confrontations with serious human and material consequences", the religious and community leaders said in a statement.

It followed mediation between the junta chief and the new self-proclaimed leader, Ibrahim Traore, by the religious and community leaders, they added.

They also said that Damiba had set "seven conditions" for stepping down.

These included a guarantee of security for his allies in the military, "a guarantee of his security and rights" and that those taking power must respect the pledge he had given to West Africa's regional bloc for a return to civilian rule within two years.

The religious and community leaders -- who are very influential in Burkina Faso -- said that Traore accepted the conditions and "invites the population to exercise calm, restraint and prayer".

The upheaval began on Friday when junior military officers announced they had toppled Damiba in the second change of leadership to hit the impoverished, restive nation this year.

Damiba -- who led a coup in January -- had said late Saturday he had no intention of giving up power and urged the officers to "come to their senses".

The French foreign ministry condemned the violence against its embassy. By - (AFP)

Tension has been high in the country where security forces fired tear gas to disperse angry protesters outside the French embassy in the capital Ouagadougou earlier Sunday.

A statement issued on Sunday by the pro-Traore military said he would remain in charge "until the swearing-in of the president of Burkina Faso designated by the nation's active forces", at an unspecified date.

'Disinformation campaign'

The officers had accused Damiba of having hidden at a military base of former colonial power France to plot a "counteroffensive", charges he and France denied.

On Sunday, dozens of Traore's supporters gathered at the French embassy in Ouagadougou.

Security forces fired tear gas from inside the compound to disperse the protesters after they set fire to barriers outside and lobbed rocks at the structure, with some trying to scale the fence, according to an AFP reporter on the scene.

The French foreign ministry condemned "the violence against our embassy in the strongest terms" by "hostile demonstrators manipulated by a disinformation campaign against us".

Protesters set fire to barriers outside and lobbed rocks at the structure, with some trying to scale the fence. By AFPTV teams, Idrissa OUEDRAOGO (AFP)

It marked the latest incident against a France-linked building in two days, after a fire at the embassy on Saturday and a blaze in front of the French Institute in the western city of Bobo-Dioulasso.

A French institute in the capital also sustained major damage, the French foreign ministry said.

The officers said they had acted because Damiba had failed to quell jihadist attacks in the country.

Damiba came to power in the nation of 16 million people in a January coup, accusing elected president Roch Marc Christian Kabore of failing to beat back jihadist fighters.

But the insurgency has raged on and more than 40 percent of Burkina Faso remains outside government control.

Thousands have died and about two million have been displaced by the fighting since 2015, when the insurgency spread to Burkina Faso from neighbouring Mali.

'Burkina Faso needs peace'

The events Friday sparked a wave of international criticism, including from the United States, the African Union, the European Union and the regional grouping ECOWAS.

Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, pictured in March 2022. By OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT (AFP/File)

"Burkina Faso needs peace, stability and unity to fight terrorist groups and criminal networks operating in parts of the country," said a statement by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Jihadist violence has prompted a series of coups in Mali since 2020 and fuelled instability in neighbouring Niger.

The new self-proclaimed Burkina leaders had said they were willing "to go to other partners ready to help in the fight against terrorism".

No country was explicitly mentioned but Russia, whose influence is growing in French-speaking Africa including Mali and the Central African Republic, is among the possible partners in question.

A few hours before events unfolded on Friday, hundreds of people had rallied in the capital seeking Damiba's departure, the end of France's military presence in the Sahel and military cooperation with Russia.

France has a contingent of military special forces based in Kamboinsin, which is about 30 kilometres (19 miles) from Ouagadougou.
Burkina Faso's junta leader agreed to step down on Sunday, religious and community leaders said, two days after military officers announced his ouster in a coup that sparked internal unrest and international condemnation.

Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba "himself offered his resignation in order to avoid confrontations with serious human and material consequences", the religious and community leaders said in a statement.

It followed mediation between the junta chief and the new self-proclaimed leader, Ibrahim Traore, by the religious and community leaders, they added.

Regional diplomatic sources said Damiba -- who himself took power in a January putsch -- had fled to Togo's capital Lome on Sunday following the unstable and impoverished West African nation's second coup this year.

The religious and community leaders also said Damiba had set "seven conditions" for stepping down.

These included a security guarantee for him and his allies in the military and that those taking power must respect the pledge he had given to West Africa's regional bloc for a return to civilian rule within two years.

The religious and community leaders -- who are very influential in Burkina Faso -- said that Traore, 34, accepted the conditions and "invites the population to exercise calm, restraint and prayer".

Burkina Faso. By (AFP)

The putschists lifted a night-time curfew they had imposed on Friday and reopened the country's borders.

The upheaval began on Friday when junior military officers announced they had toppled Damiba.

Damiba had said late Saturday he had no intention of giving up power and urged the officers to "come to their senses" amid a backdrop of protests.

A statement issued on Sunday by the pro-Traore military said he would remain in charge "until the swearing-in of the president of Burkina Faso designated by the nation's active forces", at an unspecified date.

'Disinformation campaign'

The officers had accused Damiba of having taken refuge at a military base of former colonial power France to plot a "counter-offensive", charges he and France denied.

On Sunday, dozens of Traore's supporters gathered at the French embassy in Ouagadougou.

Security forces fired tear gas from inside the compound to disperse the angry protesters after they set fire to barriers outside and lobbed rocks at the structure, with some trying to scale the fence, according to an AFP reporter on the scene.

The French foreign ministry condemned the violence against its embassy. By - (AFP)

The French foreign ministry condemned "the violence against our embassy in the strongest terms" by "hostile demonstrators manipulated by a disinformation campaign against us".

It marked the latest incident against a France-linked building in two days, after a fire at the embassy on Saturday and a blaze in front of the French Institute in the western city of Bobo-Dioulasso.

A French institute in the capital also sustained major damage, the French foreign ministry said.

"We decided to take control of our destiny" and support Ibrahim Traore, said protester Yaya Traore. "If it doesn't work out, we'll come out again to tell him to go. It's up to him to do things well."

The officers said they had acted because Damiba had failed to quell jihadist attacks in the country.

Protesters set fire to barriers outside and lobbed rocks at the structure, with some trying to scale the fence. By AFPTV teams, Idrissa OUEDRAOGO (AFP)

Damiba came to power in the nation of 16 million people in a January coup, accusing elected president Roch Marc Christian Kabore of failing to beat back jihadist fighters.

But the insurgency has raged on and more than 40 percent of Burkina Faso remains outside government control.

Thousands have died and about two million have been displaced by the fighting since 2015, when the insurgency spread to Burkina Faso from neighbouring Mali.

'Burkina Faso needs peace'

The events on Friday sparked a wave of international criticism, including from the United States, the African Union, the European Union and regional grouping the Economic Community .

Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, pictured in March 2022. By OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT (AFP/File)

"Burkina Faso needs peace, stability and unity to fight terrorist groups and criminal networks operating in parts of the country," said a statement by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Jihadist violence has also prompted a series of coups in Mali since 2020 and fuelled instability in neighbouring Niger.

The new self-proclaimed Burkina leaders had said they were willing "to go to other partners ready to help in the fight against terrorism".

No country was explicitly mentioned but Russia, whose influence is growing in French-speaking Africa including Mali and the Central African Republic, is among the possible partners in question.

A few hours before events unfolded on Friday, hundreds of people had rallied in the capital seeking Damiba's departure, the end of France's military presence in the Sahel and military cooperation with Russia.
October 02, 2022

The MoA Week In Review - (Not Ukraine) OT 2022-163

Last week's posts on Moon of Alabama:

> The US views the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines as a tremendous opportunity to wean the continent off of Russian energy, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters on Friday. With winter approaching, Blinken said that the US wants Europe to decrease its fuel use. <

Beguiling the traitors:

Secretary Antony Blinken @SecBlinken - 15:59 UTC  Sep 29, 2022 Congratulations to my friend and German Foreign Minister @ABaerbock on being named to @TIME Magazines 2022 #TIME100 Next List. Thank you for your steadfast support for democracy, freedom, and human rights during challenging times.

2022 TIME100 Next: Annalena Baerbock

> However, I would maintain that with this speech the Russians have both the Chinese and the Indians by the tail, not the other way around. There is no way that either of these great powers can walk away from Russia without losing all credibility in the Global South as champions of a multipolar world and challengers to the rapacious collective West. <

---

Other issues:

Ukraine:

Afghanistan:

Rulez based order:

Economy:

Use as open (Not Ukraine related) thread ...

Posted by b on October 2, 2022 at 11:51 UTC | Permalink

Comments

next page 
October 02, 2022 Ukraine Open Thread 2022-164 Only for news & views directly related to the Ukraine conflict. Please stick to the topic. The current open thread for other issues is here. Posted by b on October 2, 2022 at 12:19 UTC | Permalink Comments next page  next page 
CNMI Workforce Investment Agency Director Frances Torres receives a copy of the memorandum of understanding from Hawaii Job Corps Director Ellen May.
Ousted Burkina Faso leader leaves country for Togo View Photo

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP)  Burkina Fasos ousted coup leader Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba left the country for Togo Sunday two days after he himself was overthrown in a coup, while the new junta urged citizens not to loot or vandalize.

Damibas departure was confirmed by two diplomats who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. It was not known whether Togo was his final destination.

Earlier Sunday, religious leaders who had mediated between the factions said that Damiba had offered his resignation as long as his security and other conditions were met. A junta representative later announced on state television that their leader, Capt. Ibrahim Traore, officially has been named head of state following the Friday coup that ousted Damiba.

Their power grab marked Burkina Fasos second military coup this year, deepening fears that the political chaos could divert attention from an Islamic insurgency whose violence has killed thousands and forced 2 million to flee their homes. It followed unrest in Ouagadougou, the capital, in which mobs on Saturday attacked the French embassy and other French-related sites, wrongly believing that they were sheltering Damiba.

Along with agreeing not to harm or prosecute him, Damiba also asked Traore and the new junta leadership to respect the commitments already made to the West African regional bloc ECOWAS. Damiba, who came to power in a coup last January, had recently reached an agreement to hold an election by 2024.

In a statement late Sunday, ECOWAS said it would be sending a team of mediators to Ouagadougou on Monday including former Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou.

The ECOWAS statement, signed by Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, noted that Damiba had resigned in order to avoid a violent confrontation and possible bloodshed.

Earlier in the day, the new junta leadership had called for an end to the unrest that engulfed Ouagadouou in wake of Friday nights coup.

In a statement broadcast on state television, junta representative Capt. Kiswendsida Farouk Azaria Sorgho called on people to desist from any act of violence and vandalism especially those against the French Embassy or the French military base.

Anti-French sentiment rose sharply after the new junta alleged that interim president Damiba was sheltering at a French military base following his ouster. France vehemently denied the allegation, but soon protesters with torches thronged the perimeter of the French Embassy in Ouagadougou.

Saturdays violence was condemned by the French Foreign Ministry, which denied any involvement in the rapidly developing events. French Institutes in Ouagadougou and the countrys second-largest city, Bobo-Dioulasso, had also been targeted and French citizens were urged to be very cautious.

The situation is very volatile in Burkina Faso, a French spokeswoman told The Associated Press on Sunday.

Damiba came to power in January promising to secure the country from jihadi violence. However, the situation only deteriorated as jihadis imposed blockades on towns and have intensified attacks. Last week, at least 11 soldiers were killed and 50 civilians went missing after a supply convoy was attacked by gunmen in Gaskinde commune in the Sahel. The group of officers led by Traore said Friday that Damiba had failed and was being removed.

To some in Burkina Fasos military, Damiba also was seen as too cozy with former colonizer France, which maintains a military presence in Africas Sahel region to help countries fight Islamic extremists.

Some who support the new coup leader, Traore, have called on Burkina Fasos government to seek Russian support instead. Outside the state broadcaster on Sunday, supporters of Traore were seen cheering and waving Russian flags.

In neighboring Mali, the coup leader has invited Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group to help with security, a move than has drawn global condemnation and accusations of human rights abuses.

Conflict analysts say Damiba was probably too optimistic about what he could achieve in the short term but that a change at the top didnt mean that the countrys security situation would improve.

The problems are too profound and the crisis is deeply rooted, said Heni Nsaibia, a senior researcher at the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, adding that militant groups will most likely continue to exploit the countrys political disarray.

___ Mednick reported from Barcelona. Associated Press writers Jeffrey Schaeffer in Paris and Krista Larson in Dakar, Senegal contributed.

By SAM MEDNICK and ARSENE KABORE

Associated Press
Cat. 3 Hurricane Orlene heads for Mexicos Pacific coast View Photo

MEXICO CITY (AP)  Hurricane Orlene lost some punch, but remained a dangerous Category 3 storm on Sunday as it headed toward Mexicos northwest Pacific coast between the tourist towns of Mazatlan and San Blas.

After growing into a hurricane Saturday, Orlene quickly added power, peaking as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph) early Sunday, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. But winds slipped back to 115 mph (185 kph) by late Sunday.

The storm was moving over or near the Islas Marias, a former prison colony being developed as a tourist draw. The island is sparsely populated by government employees and buildings there are made of brick or concrete.

Orlene was forecast to hit Mexicos Pacific coast sometime Monday along a sparsely populated, lagoon-dotted stretch of mainland south of Mazatlan by late Monday.

By late Sunday, Orlene was centered about 80 miles (125 kilometers) west-northwest of Cabo Corrientes  a point of land that juts into the Pacific just south of Puerto Vallarta  and was headed north at 8 mph (13 kph) early Sunday.

A hurricane warning was in effect from San Blas to Mazatlan.

The government of Jalisco state, where Puerto Vallarta is located, suspended classes Monday in towns and cities along the coast.

The state civil defense office posted video of large waves crashing on a dock at Cabo Corrientes.

In Sinaloa, where Mazatlan is located, some emergency shelters were opened.

The center said the storm would likely begin weakening as its moved closer to land. But it was still projected to hit as a hurricane.

It could bring flood-inducing rainfall of up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) in some places, as well as coastal flooding and dangerous surf.

The ports of Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta were closed to ships and Mexicos navy announced that ports including Mazatlan, San Blas and Nuevo Vallarta were closed to small craft.

Mexicos National Water Commission said Orlene could cause mudslides, rising river and stream levels, and flooding in low-lying areas.

The hurricane center said hurricane-force winds extended out about 15 miles (30 kilometers) from the center and tropical storm-force winds out to 70 miles (110 kilometers).
Israeli leader welcomes US plan for sea border with Lebanon View Photo

JERUSALEM (AP)  Israels prime minister on Sunday welcomed a U.S. proposal for setting the maritime border with Lebanon, saying the American plan for resolving a long-running dispute between the neighboring countries would lift Israels economy and boost regional security.

Prime Minister Yair Lapid said the proposal was delivered over the weekend to both Israel and Lebanon. While he said it was still being studied, he said the plan would strengthen Israels northern areas near the Lebanese border, allow Israel to produce additional natural gas and deliver new revenues to the national coffers.

This is a deal that strengthens Israels security and Israels economy, Lapid told his Cabinet.

He also said Israel would not oppose the development of an additional Lebanese gas field straddling the maritime border, as long as Israel receives the share we deserve. He said this would weaken Lebanons dependence on Iran, restrain the Hezbollah militant group and promote regional stability.

He said the deal was being reviewed by legal and defense officials before it is to be voted upon by the government. Israeli media said a vote could take place Thursday.

On Saturday, the proposal was also delivered to Lebanese leaders.

Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, under whom the negotiations began in 2020 and who is hoping to return to power in November elections, said he opposed the emerging deal and wouldnt be bound by it if reelected. Lapid, the countrys caretaker premier, is hoping to fend off Netanyahu in the polls.

Lapid has no mandate to give sovereign territory and sovereign assets that belong to all of us to an enemy state, Netanyahu said.

Lebanon and Israel have been officially at war since Israels creation in 1948 and both countries claim some 860 square kilometers (330 square miles) of the Mediterranean Sea.

Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser for energy security at the U.S. State Department who has been mediating between the two neighbors, last visited Beirut in September, where he expressed optimism after meeting with Lebanons leaders.

Lebanons parliament speaker, Nabi Berri, said in an interview with the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper Saturday the proposal in principle meets the Lebanese demands.

Lebanon hopes to unleash offshore oil and gas production as it grapples with the worst economic crisis in its modern history, plunging three-quarters of its population into poverty.

A Lebanese official who attended the talks last month told The Associated Press that the proposal put forward by the U.S. envoy gives Lebanon the right to the Qana field, located partially in Israels domain. A part of it stretches deep into a disputed area. The official added that the main point now is how to draw the demarcation line in a way that stretches south of Qana. Lapids comments appeared to be a reference to the emerging agreement over Qana.

Israel set up a gas rig at its designated location at the Karish field. Israel says the field is part of its U.N.-recognized exclusive economic zone, while Lebanon insists Karish is in a disputed area.

In July, the Israeli military shot down three unarmed drones belonging to Lebanons Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah flying over the Karish field. Hezbollahs leader has issued warnings to Israel over the maritime dispute, saying that any arm that reaches out to steal Lebanons wealth will be cut off.

The heavily armed group, which has fought several wars with Israel, has repeatedly said in the past that it would use its weapons to protect Lebanons economic rights. Hezbollah officials have however said they would endorse a deal reached between Lebanons government and Israel.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a speech Saturday echoed similar sentiments to Lebanons top political leaders about Hochsteins proposal, and reasserted that the Iran-backed party will back the Lebanese political leaderships position. God willing, if it reaches the desired and best result, it would be the result of national unity, cooperation, and solidarity, he said.

By JOSEF FEDERMAN

Associated Press
Trump: King to some in Pennsylvania, but will it help GOP?

Trump: King to some in Pennsylvania, but will it help GOP? View Photo

MONONGAHELA, Pa. (AP)  The Trump-Pence sign still hangs on the older building off Main Street in this historic town, a lasting vestige of the campaign fervor that roused voters, including many who still believe the falsehood that the former president didnt lose in 2020 and hope hell run in 2024.

The enthusiasm for Donald Trumps unique brand of nationalist populism has cut into traditional Democratic strongholds like Monongahela, about 25 miles south of Pittsburgh, where brick storefronts and a Slovak fellowship hall dot Main Street and church bells mark the hours of the day. Republicans are counting on political nostalgia for the Trump era as they battle Democrats this fall in Pennsylvania in races for governor, the U.S. Senate and control of Congress.

Trump just came along and filled the empty space, said Matti Gruzs, who stitches old blue jeans into tote bags, place mats and other creations she sells at the weekly Farmers Market downtown. Hes still the king, and the kingmaker.

Against the backdrop of this picturesque place, House Republicans recently released their campaign agenda, hoping their Commitment to America can tap into the same political sentiment Trump used to attract not just Republican but independent and former Democratic voters. But its unclear whether the support that propelled Trump to the White House will be there on Election Day, Nov. 8.

Perhaps even more challenging for the GOP is whether Trumps false claims of voter fraud will cost the party if people believe, as the defeated president claims without evidence, the elections are rigged. Some may just decide to sit out the election.

It started out as a low-enthusiasm race, said Dave Ball, the Republican Party chairman in Washington County, which includes much of western Pennsylvania.

Ball said enthusiasm has been building rapidly  his main metric for voter interest in the elections is the demand for lawn signs. We were wondering, at one point, you know, we were going to see any, he said. Right now, I cant get my hands on enough.

But Amy Michalic, who was born and raised in Monongahela and works the polls during elections, said she hears skepticism from some voters, particularly Trump supporters, who think my vote doesnt count.

Trumps claims of fraud have no basis in fact. Dozens of court cases filed by Trump and his supporters have been dismissed or rejected by judges across the nation, but he continues to challenge Joe Bidens victory. In every state, officials have attested to the accuracy of their elections, and Trumps own attorney general at the time, Bill Barr, said in 2020 there was no voter fraud on a scale to change the outcome.

Michalic reminds skeptical voters in her hometown of the importance of voting and notes that in 2016, no one thought Trump could win. Look what he did, he took Pennsylvania, she said.

At the Farmers Market on a recent afternoon, voters shared concerns that many people in the United States voice this election year  about the high prices of everything, about finding workers and good-paying jobs, about the culture wars.

Where do you start? said Michelle DeHosse, wearing an American flag shirt as she helped vendors set up stands.

DeHosse, who runs a custom-screen print and embroidery shop on Main Street, said she has had trouble hiring employees since the pandemic. While she said just cannot afford the $20 an hour and health care benefits many applicants demand, she understands that many workers need both. Its the economy thats the biggest concern, she said.

Democrats were sparse among the voters, who didnt seem to have strong feelings for their choices this fall for either of the Senate candidates, Democrat John Fetterman or the Trump-backed Republican Mehmet Oz. Several said they probably would vote party line.

I dont like either one of them, said Carolyn McCuen, 84, a Republican enjoying sunset with friends and McDonalds coffee at a picnic table by the river.

Me either, said another Republican, Sam Reo, 76, a retired mechanical engineer, playing oldies from the portable speaker he sets up for the group.

Both still plan to vote. Support for the GOP candidate for governor, Doug Mastriano, who was outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, can be seen in the giant signs along Lincoln Highway, an east-west route across the state.

Mastriano is a folk hero around here, said Gruzs, who recalled his regular updates broadcast during the pandemic.

A history buff who home-schooled her children, Gruzs hasnt missed a vote since she cast her first presidential ballot for Ronald Reagan. The same goes for her husband, Sam, a plumber. They moved here two decades ago from Baltimore, for a better life. Now a grandmother, she spends her days working on her crafts and listening to far-right broadcasts  Steve Bannon, Charlie Kirk and others.

She is not a fan of House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. and isnt convinced he has the toughness needed to push the partys ideas forward. But she did attend the event at a nearby manufacturing facility where lawmakers outlined the GOP agenda. She was heartened to see far-right Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene at the event with McCarthy, and made sure to shake Greenes hand.

If shes behind him, she said, trailing off. It looked today he had enough behind him, pushing him.

Trump remains popular, and the sign hanging on the building off Main Street from his 2020 campaign was far from the only one still visible in the state, two years since that election.

Several of the voters dismissed the investigations against Trump as nothing more than a witch hunt designed to keep him from running again office, despite the potentially serious charges being raised in state and federal inquiries. Some voters said they didnt believe the attack on the Capitol was an insurrection, despite the violence waged by pro-Trump supporters trying to overturn Bidens election.

Those views stand in contrast to the hard facts of Jan. 6: More than 850 people have been arrested and charged in the insurrection, some given lengthy sentences by the courts for their involvement. Hours before the siege, Trump told a rally crowd to fight like hell for his presidency. Loyalists soon broke into the Capitol, fighting in hand-to-hand combat with police, interrupting Congress as it was certifying the election results. Five people, including a Trump supporter shot by police, died in the immediate aftermath.

And if Trump runs again?

I wish he would, said McCuen, a retired church secretary. But I dont know if he will.

-

Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter, https://twitter.com/ap_politics

By LISA MASCARO

AP Congressional Correspondent
Lambert and I, and many readers, agree that Ukraine has prompted the worst informational environment ever. We hope readers will collaborate in mitigating the fog of war  both real fog and stage fog  in comments. None of us need more cheerleading and link-free repetition of memes; there are platforms for that. Low-value, link-free pom pom-wavers will be summarily whacked.

And for those who are new here, this is not a mere polite request. We have written site Policies and those who comment have accepted those terms. To prevent having to resort to the nuclear option of shutting comments down entirely until more sanity prevails, as we did during the 2015 Greek bailout negotiations and shortly after the 2020 election, we are going to be ruthless about moderating and blacklisting offenders.

Yves

P.S. Also, before further stressing our already stressed moderators, read our site policies:

Please do not write us to ask why a comment has not appeared. We do not have the bandwidth to investigate and reply. Using the comments section to complain about moderation decisions/tripwires earns that commenter troll points. Please dont do it. Those comments will also be removed if we encounter them.

* * *

Google Glass  which aimed to revolutionize wearable tech  was a carnival of failure according to the author of a dishy new book on the early 2010s non-phenom Insider (KW)

How Amazon, Google, and Facebook Helped Fund the Campaign to Overturn Roe The Intercept

NASAs Juno spacecraft takes closest images of Europa for 20 years New Scientist

Why the Florida Fantasy Withstands Reality The Atlantic (Resilc)

A broken insurance market threatens Florida and its star governor FT (DL)

The New Math of Wrinkling Qanta Magazine

The utopian machine Aeon

#COVID19

In case you missed it, some bombshell reporting today revealed that Quebec essentially outsourced our pandemic response to McKinsey. An american consulting firm that was also working for pfizer. Conflict of interest much?https://t.co/8iXzukBAgU  Dr. Lisa Iannattone (@lisa_iannattone) October 1, 2022

China?

China drops the gauntlet on NSAs serial cyberattacks Asia Times (KW)

The Koreas

North Korea fires fourth missile in a week as South flexes military muscle Reuters

Fukushima: Novel Fixes Fail, Waste Dumping Threatens Pacific Ocean CounterPunch

Myanmar

Thai Court Rules Suspended PM Prayut Can Resume Office Barrons

India, Brazil Help Stop Chinese Roadblock to AUKUS Supply of N-Powered Submarines to Australia The Wire

India

Syraqistan

Burkina Faso coup: Gunshots in capital and roads blocked BBC

Montenegro parliament rejects presidents request to dissolve parliament Anadolu Agency

European Disunion

Revealed: the secret British plan to keep Italys communists from power The Guardian

Old Blighty

What is Nigel Farage doing in Australia? The Saturday Paper

Apropos of nothing, US intel wants to improve low-dose radiation detection The Register

New Not-So-Cold War

Venezuela releases 7 jailed Americans; US frees 2 prisoners Al Jazeera

Jail warden and brother charged in roadside shooting of Mexican migrants WaPo

2022

Democrats worry polls showing them as Senate favorites are wrong The Hill

What all that stealing says about America Yahoo (KW)

State Governments Are Colluding With Billionaires to Shield Their Wealth From Taxation Jacobin

2024

Ex-eBay execs jailed for cyberstalking web critics The Register

The Bezzle

Class Warfare

Antidote du jour (via):

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
(Natural News) It is being reported that communist China runs a network of police stations in Canada that track and trace Chinese citizens while living or traveling abroad.

The Globe and Mail published a report about these stations, which are run by the Fuzhou Public Security Bureau (PSB). In Toronto alone, there are said to be three PSB stations currently in operation. (Related: The Biden regime is another entity controlled, in part, by communist China.)

It turns out that there are PSB stations in other countries, too. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) says some 50 PSB stations are currently operating all around the world to keep tabs on Chinese citizens, their whereabouts, and their various activities.

Should a Chinese citizen become involved in a crime while abroad, the CCP is ready and waiting through the PSB to deal with the person  even if the country where an incident occurred does not deem an activity or incident to be criminal.

The CCP is basically imposing its own rules in other countries, using foreign PSB stations to police the world. Safeguard Defenders, a watchdog group, says more than 230,000 people have been processed through PSB stations and sent back to China  in many cases under threat.

Politicians on communist Chinas payroll are a nations biggest threat, says former spy

Safeguard Defenders says one of the tactics the CCP uses involves targeting families in mainland China whose relatives are living abroad. These families are often threatened with loss of education or even having their homes torn down for alleged crimes.

It leaves legal Chinese residents abroad fully exposed to extra-legal targeting by the Chinese police, with little to none of the protection theoretically ensured under both national and international law, the group says.

Daria Impiombato, an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, says that Chinese citizens abroad are already very much aware that information about them can be sent back home, possibly leading to repercussions for their family or friends back in mainland China.

China is especially involved in the affairs of Chinese citizens living, working or studying in Canada. A former spy who was involved in such activities revealed much about how the process works, warning that the true threat to Canada is corrupt politicians, many of whom are on Chinas payroll.

Back in July, LifeSiteNews reported that an analysis conducted by a federal research unit revealed that the CCP may have exerted influence on the outcome of the 2021 federal election in Canada.

We are told that the CCP spread disinformation across Canada about the Conservative Party of Canada, which drove many voters to choose Liberal Party candidates instead.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau famously praised China for its basic dictatorship, as he called it during a 2013 fundraising event for the Liberal Party. Trudeau had just been asked which country besides Canada he admires most.

Police stations? Interesting name. How about ammunition dumps? wrote a commenter, speculating as to what PSB facilities might really be.

China could be loading both Canada and Mexico, and even USA, with hidden weapon stashes. China will be prepared when they choose to invade USA from north and south and west.

Another wrote that if anything like this appears in the United States, Americans need to destroy them.

My bet is they are here in USA and they have massive ammunition dumps perhaps hidden in underground facilities abandoned by U.S. government, the first commenter responded.

Someone else expressed skepticism about the claims of Safeguard Defenders concerning the more than 230,000 individuals who have supposedly been processed through PSB facilities.

More of the latest news about communist China can be found at Tyranny.news.

Sources for this article include:

LifeSiteNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) A top cardiologist in the United Kingdom is calling for an immediate end to all further administration of Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines around the world.

Dr. Aseem Malhotra, who has appeared numerous times in the media over the past year and a half to warn against the shots, now says the evidence is overwhelming that a pause on the injections is warranted.

Any alleged benefits associated with the jabs simply do not outweigh the prolific risks, Malhotra revealed in a paper he authored that was published on September 26 in the Journal of Insulin Resistance. That work contains all of the latest evidence against the shots, which Malhotra calls the smoking gun.

Now that we know both Pfizer and Moderna lied in their clinical trials, covering up the risk of serious adverse events, there is no question that the only right thing to do is to stop jabbing people straightaway.

Those same Pfizer and Moderna trials, Malhotra revealed, also prove that the injections do not in any way reduce mortality or even severe disease as was claimed at the beginning of Operation Warp Speed. This means the shots are certifiably useless in terms of public health.

Nearly 100,000 people need to get vaccinated in order to maybe prevent one death from covid

An analysis of safety and effectiveness data in the United Kingdom that was conducted by the Health Advisory & Recovery Team made another important discovery worth noting.

In order to maybe save one life from covid, some 93,000 people or more, aged 18-29, would need to get jabbed. That is a lot of people risking myocarditis or worse, just so one individual might not die from the Fauci Flu.

According to Malhotra, all of this and more substantially proves that the shots have absolutely no business getting injected into peoples bodies  and especially the bodies of young, developing children.

Malhotra reportedly received the primary series of Pfizers messenger RNA (mRNA) injection back in January 2021. At the time, he was a supporter of the jab, appearing on the Good Morning Britain television program to promote it.

After Malhotras father, Dr. Kailash Chand, suffered a cardiac arrest at his home about six months after receiving his Pfizer injections, Malhotra began to dig deeper into the matter, only to later change his mind about the shots.

The post-mortem showed two of Chands major arteries were severely blocked, even though Malhotra described his father as a fit person who didnt have any significant heart problems, reports The Epoch Times.

Malhotra began reading about post-vaccination issues, including a study abstract in the journal Circulation that identified a higher risk of a heart attack following vaccination with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and a study from Nordic countries that identified a higher risk of myocarditis.

The Big Pharma-government industrial complex has tried to combat studies like this, claiming that myocarditis risk is much higher from covid than from the injections  but this claim is patently false.

Ive always approached medicine and science with uncertainties because things constantly evolve. And the information I had at the time is completely different to the information I have now, Malhotra told the Times.

And in fact, it is my duty and responsibility as the information has changed to act on that information. And thats what Im doing.

Even though Malhotra is a board member at the Journal of Insulin Resistance, he says his article went through a thorough independent peer review before publishing. He also has no financial ties to the journal.

I dont think that theres any validity to question the integrity of the piece, he said. People can argue Ive got an intellectual bias. We all have intellectual biases, but theres certainly no financial bias for me.

The latest news about Fauci Flu shots can be found at ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Former Trump administration official and Justice Department prosecutor Kash Patel is calling for the disbanding of the FBIs District of Columbia field office, arguing that officials serving there have turned the U.S. into a police state.

(Article by Randy DeSoto republished from WesternJournal.com)

Patel  who served as senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council under former President Donald Trump and a terrorism prosecutor at the DOJ under former President Barack Obama  is pained to see how political the DOJ has become in recent years.

The attorney is perhaps best known for uncovering that the Democratic National Committee and the 2016 Hillary Clinton presidential campaign funded the infamous Steele dossier used to help justify the FBI spying on Trumps campaign over alleged collusion with Russia.

Patel was senior counsel for the House Intelligence Committee under then-Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes of California at the time.

His central role in the investigation that revealed all of this was powerfully addressed in the 2020 documentary film The Plot Against the President, directed by Amanda Milius.

Patel wrote a bestselling childrens book on the events in simple allegorical form in The Plot Against the King, released in the spring, and last week released a sequel, The Plot Against the King: 2,000 Mules.

Kash Patel wrote fun allegories about Russiagate and the 2020 election in The Plot Against the King and The Plot Against the King 2: 2000 Mules. https://t.co/sdB1LE0vh3 pic.twitter.com/KCr9mCAsfO  Randy DeSoto (@RandyDeSoto) September 29, 2022

In a Tuesday interview with The Western Journal, Patel lamented the current state of the FBI, at least in the upper echelons.

It used to be that everybody that wore the badge and the gun executed the mission of law enforcement without bias or partisan politics or corruption, he said.

But Russiagate showed us those days ended under the [James] Comey and [Robert] Mueller administrations at the FBI, and they make J. Edgar Hoover look like Garfield. These guys are more vicious and more evil than that man ever was, and were going to need a Church-style commission to fix it, Patel said.

A bipartisan select committee under Chairman Sen. Frank Church of Idaho was established in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal in the 1970s to investigate alleged illicit spying by federal government agencies  including the FBI and the CIA  on American citizens.

Intelligence agencies have undermined the constitutional rights of citizens, the final report published in 1976 concluded, primarily because checks and balances designed by the framers of the Constitution to assure accountability have not been applied.

Patel argued that in recent years, unchecked government gangsters have taken over agencies like the FBI and are committing abuses again. He pointed to Comey, former FBI agent Peter Strzok, former FBI attorney Lisa Page and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe as examples.

They break the law and they lie about it to the world because their arrogance is that we are saving everyone and going to get Trump, as if that were the definition of what the FBI is supposed to be doing, Patel added.

Strzok texted Page in August 2016 about an insurance policy they had discussed in Andys office in case Trump was elected. The insurance policy referred to the Russia probe and Andy to McCabe, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Read more at: WesternJournal.com
(Natural News) German-language newspaper Der Spiegel has reported that highly effective explosive devices were used to sabotage the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in the Baltic Sea.

The German security officials interviewed by the newspaper calculated that explosive devices with an effect comparable to blowing up 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) of TNT at the same time must have been used to sabotage the pipelines.

This information strongly suggests that only a state actor could have sabotaged the pipelines, as no other known organization would have the resources to plant approximately 500 kg worth of explosives in the Baltic Sea in a sabotage operation.

The German federal government is holding back on speculating even further. Its leading assessment is that Russia may be behind this action, a claim that Moscow has vehemently denied and instead has called the sabotage of the pipelines an act of terrorism directed against Russia. (Related: America likely sabotaged Nord Stream pipelines to provoke Russia and make Europe more reliant on American natural gas.)

Sweden, Denmark agree explosives caused the pipeline leak

The findings of the German officials who spoke with Der Spiegel are in line with all other evidence, including statements from Swedish researchers and a joint letter submitted by Denmark and Sweden to the United Nations Security Council.

Bjorn Lund, director of the Swedish National Seismic Network ruled out the possibility that the leaks were caused by an underwater earthquake.

The network recorded two explosions on Monday, Sept. 26. The first targeted Nord Stream 2, which was not yet operational, and had an epicenter to the southeast of the Danish Island of Bornholm. The second stronger blast targeted Nord Stream 1 and had an epicenter to the northeast of Bornholm. Nord Stream 1 still had natural gas in it even though Russia was limiting the amount of gas flowing into Europe at the time. Seismic stations in Denmark, Norway and Finland also registered both explosions.

Theres no doubt, this is not an earthquake, said Lund.

In their joint letter, the permanent missions of Denmark and Sweden to the United Nations noted that the pipeline leaks were likely caused by at least two detonations with the help of several hundred kilograms worth of explosives.

At least two detonations occurred underwater, damaging the pipelines belonging to Nord Stream 1 and 2, causing major leaks of natural gas into the Baltic Sea, the letter stated.

The magnitude of the explosions was measured at 2.3 and 2.1 on the Richter Scale, respectively, probably corresponding to an explosive load of several hundred kilos. All available information indicates that those explosions are the result of a deliberate act.

This joint letter was supported by a joint statement from the defense ministers of the Nordic nations  Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Norway  on Friday, Sept. 30.

It cannot be ruled out that this is a reckless attack on Europes energy infrastructure and an attempt to destabilize the already tense security situation, they said.

Learn more about the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage at Chaos.news.

Watch this episode of the Health Ranger Report as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, discusses how all signs point to the United States being the perpetrator of the Nord Stream pipelines sabotage.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Former Polish defense minister says U.S. could be behind Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions.

Thousands of German protesters declare: Without Russian gas, our economy will be dead!

TO ASHES: Desperate Europeans burn TREES for warmth following destruction of Nord Stream pipelines.

Nord Stream pipeline SABOTAGE clearly orchestrated by ruthless Biden regime: Nuland, Biden and Sen. Johnson all demanded ending it permanently by any means necessary.

CIA recently warned Germany about possible Nord Stream pipeline attack, says German magazine.

Sources include:

SHTFPlan.com



News.Yahoo.com

Euronews.com

Barrons.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Not nearly enough has been said about Tony Faucis numerous covid scamdemic profit streams, which enriched him massively.

Auditors from OpenTheBooks.com received and took a look at Faucis FY2021 financial disclosures from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), revealing massive new profits.

From 2019 through 2021 when Operation Warp Speed was launched, Faucis net worth hovered around $5 million. Today, billions of vaccines administered later, Fauci is said to be worth at least $12.6 million.

Where, oh where, did all that new money come from? The answer is the jab contracts, mask mandates, lockdowns and other globalist fascism that enriched not only Fauci but also many of his fellow criminals. (Related: Billionaire eugenicist Bill Gates also profited handsomely from the scamdemic.)

Fauci tried to hide his FY2019 and FY2020 financial disclosures until Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) forced him to release unredacted copies of both. Following a heated exchange on the Senate floor, Marshall could be heard calling Fauci a moron.

It was Faucis code red moment when Americas top doctor melted down on national television in the Senate hearing. (When Marshall cited Forbes, that was our research on Faucis financials published in my then-column at Forbes.) writes Adam Andrzejewki for OpenTheBooks.

Its been a dogfight to open the books on the Fauci finances. For example, our organization has filed four federal lawsuits versus NIH to open the books.

Israeli non-profit gave Fauci nearly $1 million as a prize for speaking truth to power throughout the plandemic

OpenTheBooks even created a Fauci Household Net Worth Tracker graph to watch Faucis bank accounts as they continue to increase  you can view that graph at the OpenTheBooks Substack.

Here are some highlights gathered from the disclosures that Fauci never wanted the world to see:

 Since Jan. 1, 2019, Faucis household disclosed net worth increased from $7.6 million to over $12.6 million (as of Dec. 31, 2021)  keep in mind that this includes only what Fauci has disclosed

 Fauci continues to be the highest paid federal employee, raking in $456,000 in 2021 and $480,000 in 2022  he even out-earns the president, all four-star generals, and roughly 4.3 million other federal bureaucrats

 In 2021, Fauci augmented his already bloated government income stream another $1 million via prizes he accepted from various non-profit organizations around the world

One of these so-called non-profits is the Israel-based Dan David Foundation, which gave Fauci $901,400 for speaking truth to power and defending science throughout the plandemic, including when Donald Trump was still president.

In 2021 alone that we know of, Fauci raked in $2,832,876, which includes the award from the Dan David Foundation, his federal salary, various other awards and royalties totaling $1,019,205, as well as investment gains.

Faucis investment gains in 2021 reached nearly $1 million that year (the exact amount that we know of is $910,174), which came from stocks, bonds and money markets. The year prior, Fauci raked in nearly $800,000 in investment gains.

These funds were held in a mix of trust, retirement, and college education accounts. Fauci has an IRA worth $706,219 (up $67,700); a defined benefit brokerage account totaling $2,551,210 (up $147,688); and a revocable trust worth $7,014,197 (up $1,718,299). His wifes revocable trust is worth $2,269,225 (up $306,406) and an IRA totaling $136,662 (up $16,385), OpenTheBooks reports.

The disclosures show that hes invested in fairly broadly targeted mutual funds, with no reported holdings of individual stocks. The Faucis deposited an additional net $1,346,304 in savings during this period.

OpenTheBooks has compiled an extensive analysis of every known financial tidbit from Faucis life. If you are interested in reading through all of it, you can do so at the groups Substack page.

He is a vile little demon of death, wrote a commenter about Fauci and his financials.

More of the latest news about covid and Faucis criminality can be found at FauciTruth.com.

Sources for this article include:

OpenTheBooks.substack.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Now that the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) scamdemic is over, India is attempting to repurpose its contract tracing app as a new mass surveillance, tracking and spying tool.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology originally developed Aarogya Setu, as the app is called, in 2020 at the onset of the Fauci Flu plandemic. Government officials promised the Indian people at that time that it was just a temporary solution to a temporary problem, the implication being that the app would eventually be deactivated and eliminated altogether. (Related: Remember when Apple and Google falsely promised the very same thing?)

While it might be true that Aarogya Setu will no longer be used to contact trace Indian people believed or suspected to have the Fauci Flu, it will now be used for generalized tyranny to control the Indian public  and all under the guise of health care.

The latest marketing push for Aarogya Setu dubs it as a convenience tool for Indians to book doctor appointments, for instance. Indian officials say it will become the countrys sole app for all things related to health care, which has many privacy advocates concerned.

It stores location data and requires constant access to the users Bluetooth, with the app justifying its invasive measure as essential to letting people know if theyve been near a person infected with the COVID-19, writes Natalie Winters of The National Pulse about the new Aarogya Setu app.

The app then allows for authorities to upload the gathered information to a government-owned and operated server, which provides data to persons carrying out medical and administrative interventions necessary in relation to Covid-19.'

Indian government quietly ads clause to app washing its hands of all liability for data breaches

Unfortunately for the Indian people, Aarogya Setu is mandatory for millions of them. Officials announced that both government and private employees will need to download it, while some municipalities such as Noida have made the app mandatory for all residents.

Those who refuse the app are subject to jail time of up to six months. And perhaps the worst part is that the Indian government maintains no liability whatsoever should users privacy be breached, which is likely to happen.

The Terms and Conditions for the app contain a nondescript clause that users must agree to, acknowledging that the Government of India will not be liable for  any unauthorised access to your information or modification thereof.

The Aarogya Setu app is a sophisticated surveillance system, outsourced to a pvt (private) operator, with no institutional oversight  raising serious data security & privacy concerns, tweeted Rahul Gandhi, the leader of Indias Congress party, as a warning.

Technology can help keep us safe; but fear must not be leveraged to track citizens without their consent.

The Software Freedom Law Centre also called out the Arogya Setu app for invading peoples privacy, stating that the government of India will now be free to share any data collected by it with practically anyone it wants.

MIT Technology Review also awarded the app one out of five stars in an assessment of its privacy implications, citing data storage concerns and the collection of unnecessary information.

The Indian government claims the apps source code is public and that people should not worry, but independent technology experts say the apps server-side code has not yet been publicly released.

It is also said that the Indian government is repurposing its covid injection website, CoWIN, as a new portal to promote the countrys universal immunization program.

If you enjoyed reading this story and would like to read more stories like it, head on over to Tyranny.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheNationalPulse.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) New information regarding the act of sabotage against two of Russias natural gas pipelines leading to Europe  Nordsteam 1 and 2  has surfaced.

According to a report in German news outlet Der Spiegel, German security officials think that highly effective explosive devices were employed to blow up the pipelines in the Baltic Sea.

According to SPIEGEL information, it was calculated that explosive devices with an effect comparable to that of 500 kilograms of TNT must have been used to destroy the tubes. The seismic signals registered by various measuring stations were also included in the estimate.

The previously unknown estimates support the assumption that only a state actor can be behind the action. So far, the federal government has held back with speculation about the background to the interruption of the pipelines.

There is a lot of speculation that Russia is behind the action. The Russian leadership, however, described the process as international terrorism directed against Russia.

The federal government is hoping for more information from a more detailed examination of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which are interrupted to the north-east and south-east of the Baltic Sea island of Bornholm. In security circles it was said that divers or a remote-controlled robot could possibly assess the damage at the weekend, the report continued.

In the best-case scenario, one could then draw initial conclusions about the type of explosion under water and the explosives used, according to security circles. However, it is difficult to predict how many traces can still be found, the report added.

Officials at the Swedish National Seismic Network said that the two blasts were so big that one measured 1.9 on the Richter scale and another measured 2.3.

The monitoring network said the first explosion occurred on Monday at 2:03 a.m. Swedish time with a magnitude of 1.9 on the Richter scale, followed by a second at 7:04 p.m. on the same day, a report noted.

A Bloomberg News journalist, Javier Blas, noted how strong the pipeline sections were, in order to protect them and to prevent leaks.

How strong is a Nord Stream pipe? Quite! The steel pipe itself has a wall of 4.1 centimeters (1.6 inches), and its coated with another 6-11 cm of steel-reinforced concrete. Each section of the pipe weighs 11 tonnes, which goes to 24-25 tonnes after the concrete is applied, he noted in a tweet that contained several photos of the Nordstream sections.

How strong is a Nord Stream pipe? Quite! The steel pipe itself has a wall of 4.1 centimeters (1.6 inches), and its coated with another 6-11 cm of steel-reinforced concrete. Each section of the pipe weighs 11 tonnes, which goes to 24-25 tonnes after the concrete is applied. pic.twitter.com/BFYnv36CaF  Javier Blas (@JavierBlas) September 27, 2022

Interestingly, even as the Biden regime is denying responsibility, Zero Hedge reports that the CIA warned German officials weeks ago of a potential attack against the two pipelines.

CIA Warned Germany Of Possible Nord Stream Pipeline Attack https://t.co/jwV0uWSmrV  zerohedge (@zerohedge) September 27, 2022

Interestingly, NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday called the incident an act of sabotage and pledged a response.

All currently available information indicates that this is the result of deliberate, reckless, and irresponsible acts of sabotage. We, as Allies, have committed to prepare for, deter and defend against the coercive use of energy and other hybrid tactics by state and non-state actors. Any deliberate attack against Allies critical infrastructure would be met with a united and determined response, a statement from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization said.

The sabotage of the Nordstream pipelines is of deep concern. #NATO is committed to deter and defend against hybrid attacks. Any deliberate attack against Allies critical infrastructure would be met with a united and determined response, he added in a tweet.

The sabotage of the Nordstream pipelines is of deep concern. #NATO is committed to deter and defend against hybrid attacks. Any deliberate attack against Allies critical infrastructure would be met with a united and determined response. https://t.co/XSiqWK20xF  Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) September 29, 2022

Biden essentially threatened to take out Nordstream 2, at least, not long ago.

Maybe Biden can clarify what he means does it sound like a false flag promise? https://t.co/f4dszQVcYI  Loekr (@loekr) September 29, 2022

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

Spiegel.de
(Natural News) Brand-new Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has put the globalist elite on notice during a fiery speech following her election victory Sunday in which she said she plans to dismantle the New World Order.

Meloni, who is no stranger to standing up for ordinary Italians, warned the tiny global elite who have stacked the deck against billions of ordinary citizens in dozens of countries for decades that our main enemy today is the globalist drift of those who view identity and all its forms to be an evil to overcome and who constantly ask to shift real power away from the people to supernational entities headed by supposedly enlightened elites, according to a report by NewsPunch.

Let us be clear in our mind because we did not fight against and defeat communism in order to replace it with a new international regime, but to permit independent nation states once again to defend the freedom, identity, and sovereignty of their peoples, she added.

A partial transcript of her victory speech helps explain why the globalist leftist elite are freaking out:

Why is the family an enemy? Why is the family so frightening? There is a single answer to all these questions. Because it defines us. Because it is our identity. Because everything that defines us is now an enemy for those who would like us to no longer have an identity and to simply be perfect consumer slaves.

And so they attack national identity, they attack religious identity, they attack gender identity, they attack family identity. I cant define myself as: Italian, Christian, woman, mother. No. I must be citizen x, gender x, parent 1, parent 2. I must be a number. Because when I am only a number, when I no longer have an identity or roots, then I will be the perfect slave at the mercy of financial speculators. The perfect consumer[But] we will defend it.

We will defend God, country, and family. Those things that disgust people so much. We will do it to defend our freedom. Because we will never be slaves and simple consumers at the mercy of financial speculators.

That is our mission. That is why I came here today. Chesterton wrote, more than a century ago. .. Fires will be kindled to testify that two and two make four. Swords will be drawn to prove that leaves are green in summer. That time has arrived. We are ready.

Wow. Italys new Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni sums it up perfectly. No wonder the elites and establishment dont want her to succeed. pic.twitter.com/aYdecShaNs  Malcolm Roberts ?? (@MRobertsQLD) September 26, 2022

She literally talks about Christianity, the core family (mother and father), the fact that there are only two genders, and she pledges to put her own country above all others, in a very Trump-like fashion.

Conservatives in the West are celebrating her victory and, more importantly, how she achieved it.

Heres what Giorgia Meloni says at campaign rallies. I am Giorgia. I am a woman. I am a mother. I am Italian, I am Christian. You will not take that away from me! For this, the Left calls her a fascist and an heir to Mussolini. Italians dont believe it, and we shouldnt either, filmmaker and documentarian Dinesh DSouza wrote on Twitter.

Heres what Giorgia Meloni says at campaign rallies. I am Giorgia. I am a woman. I am a mother. I am Italian, I am Christian. You will not take that away from me! For this, the Left calls her a fascist and an heir to Mussolini. Italians dont believe it, and we shouldnt either  Dinesh DSouza (@DineshDSouza) September 26, 2022

In Italy, Giorgia Meloni is called centrodesta which means center-right. But the Western media calls her far right, which is more revealing of the Western medias place on the ideological spectrum. From the vantage point of the far left, centrodesta appears to be far right, DSouza added.

In Italy, Giorgia Meloni is called centrodesta which means center-right. But the Western media calls her far right, which is more revealing of the Western medias place on the ideological spectrum. From the vantage point of the far left, centrodesta appears to be far right  Dinesh DSouza (@DineshDSouza) September 26, 2022

When a far Left female enters politics whether its democracy denier @staceyabrams or socialist @jacindaardern they are met with fawning media coverage. When a conservative women becomes prime minister its nothing but bile & unhinged hate from the media. Congrats @GiorgiaMeloni pic.twitter.com/NUNHImGlm4  Rita Panahi (@RitaPanahi) September 26, 2022

Misogynistic attacks on Giorgia Meloni disgust me. Shes the FIRST FEMALE PRIME MINISTER of Italy. If you oppose her, you hate women. Youre like the Iranian mullahs who think they have the power to control women. Evil!  Cernovich (@Cernovich) September 25, 2022

Sources include:

NewsPunch.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday signed a raft of radical new laws expanding abortion access throughout the Golden State. The bills will allocate over $200 million in new abortion funding, greenlight recruitment of abortionists to broaden availability, and ensure that almost no abortion will be prosecuted under the law.

(Article by Ashley Sadler republished from LifeSiteNews.com)

The legislative package also includes a controversial bill that critics have warned could be interpreted as decriminalizing infanticide.

In a September 27 press release, Newsom explicitly said the laws are meant to stand in opposition to legislation recently passed in Republican-led states to enshrine legal protections for the unborn.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed more than a dozen laws aiming to make California an abortion sanctuary state. Several of the new laws deliberately clash with restrictions in other states. https://t.co/IGD3P1D5Li  The Associated Press (@AP) September 28, 2022

An alarming number of states continue to outlaw abortion and criminalize women, and its more important than ever to fight like hell for those who need these essential services, Newsom said, according to the press release.

Perhaps the most well-known law signed as part of Newsoms abortion package was AB 2223, dubbed the infanticide bill by pro-life critics.

As LifeSiteNews previously reported, pro-life attorneys and activists have argued the bill could legalize infanticide by prohibiting the investigation or prosecution of any woman or abortionist for pregnancy outcomes, including abortion, miscarriage, and perinatal death, a nebulous period that can span as far as two years after a child is born.

Though a later draft of the law was amended to specify perinatal death due to causes that occurred in utero, sources have told LifeSiteNews the amended language remains problematic and could still decriminalize the murder of infants even outside the womb.

Jeffrey Trissell, special counsel with the conservative Thomas More Society, told LifeSiteNews earlier this month that the amended version of the bill decriminalizes fatal neglect after botched abortions.

This statute seems intended to make sure that we no longer have any abortion survivors, Trissell said.

California Right to Life outreach director Mary Rose Short also told LifeSite that since the bill penalizes state authorities who investigate infant deaths, it is effectively legalizing infanticide.

A.B. 2223 is a pro-infanticide bill that blocks investigations into miscarriage, stillbirth or abortion even if a coroner sees evidence of foul play in the childs death, including drugs in the babys system.  Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) September 29, 2022

Other laws signed by Newsom on Tuesday include AB 2091 and AB 1242, which promote California as a destination for abortion tourism by shielding women from pro-life states who opt to kill their unborn babies in California.

AB 2091 prevents California health care providers from releasing medical information related to abortions even if served with a subpoena. AB 1242 forbids law enforcement cooperation between California and pro-life states if states seek to prosecute an abortion obtained in California.

Another law signed Tuesday, SB 523, will force health care plans to cover the cost of certain over-the-counter birth control.

SB 1375, which also received Newsoms rubber stamp on Tuesday, will increase the number of people authorized to commit abortions in California by expanding training options for Nurse Nurse Practitioners and Certified Nurse-Midwives for purposes of performing abortion care by aspiration techniques. So-called vacuum aspiration is an in-clinic abortion procedure that involves sucking the infant out of the womb and using a metal tool to scrape out the childs remains from the mothers uterus.

Additional legislative items signed by Newsom will expand the states self-described status as a sanctuary for abortion by:

Fast-tracking the licensing process for out-of-state health care practitioners looking to provide abortions in California (AB 657)

Standing up a state-run abortion resources website and requiring evaluation of the Abortion Practical Support Fund, which will allocate up to $20 million to help abortion-seeking women in California and out-of-state get abortions in the Golden State (AB 1142)

Launching a scholarship program to to recruit, train and retain abortionists to kill unborn babies in underserved areas of the state (AB 1918)

Initiating a fund to subsidize abortionists who kill unborn babies at no cost for low-income mothers (AB 2134)

Establishing a fund to bankroll sex education and abortions in disproportionately impacted communities (AB 2586)

Additional measures will protect abortionists from having their licenses pulled for committing abortions (AB 2626), and allocate $20 million for an LA County program to support innovative approaches and collaborations to safeguard abortion access.

The Steering Committee of the California Future of Abortion Council hailed the legislation in a statement included in the governors press release.

Claiming that California continues to take historic steps towards its promise to be a Reproductive Freedom state, the committee remarked that in addition to the $200+ million in new funding, the bills will go a long way in helping people seeking care in California and the community organizations and providers already on the ground doing the work across the state.

Pro-lifers, however, have noted that the new laws present extreme danger to the lives of preborn babies.

Newsom is destroying my beautiful state, fighting daily to make it a more hostile and violent place for life, remarked Live Action president Lila Rose.

All year we have been fighting these bills to make people understand what is coming down the pike, California Family Council (CFC)s Greg Burt said in a Facebook livestream. It is really horrendous.

The legislative package comes as Newsom has made abortion a core element of his leadership and a central plank of his re-election campaign, deliberately positioning California in opposition to the dozens of Republican-led states that have enacted legal protections for the unborn following the U.S. Supreme Courts landmark decision to roll back 49 years of federal abortion precedent by overturning Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992).

Earlier this year, in anticipation of Roes demise, Newsom allocated $125 million to expand abortion access in the state. Following the Supreme Courts decision, Newsom joined neighbors Oregon and Washington in a multi-state pact to ensure women can still kill their unborn babies on the West Coast of the United States.

Several weeks ago, Newsom paid for a highly controversial ad campaign to set up abortion advertisements on billboards in pro-life states. Some of the billboards included misquoted Scriptural passages to promote the murder of the unborn, drawing widespread backlash from Christians and other conservatives.

@tatereeves the people of Mississippi deserve to know they have access to the care you are refusing to provide. This will be launching in your state today. pic.twitter.com/8qg7psYT2j  Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) September 15, 2022

In November, California voters will decide whether or not to create an amendment enshrining the right to abortion into the state constitution.

Read more at: LifeSiteNews.com
(Natural News) Renowned virologist and biomedical research scientist Dr. Judy Mikovits told the equally controversial InfoWars founder and host Alex Jones that the real agenda behind the engineered Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is to take full control of the human race following the depopulation efforts.

The plan of globalists is to control us, put us in a place of subservience and to try to make us think our God is not all we need, Mikovits told Jones in her recent appearance on the show. The end game was to control your brain and movement to create human 2.0. The end game is to be God.

The New York Times bestselling author added that the summation of what they are doing is driving a narrative to the premeditated murder of everyone who was vaccine injured over the last 40 years, regardless of the vaccine, and preservation of the favored species that they can control.

Mikovits pointed out that what theyre injecting is a synthetic lab-manufactured virus called xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV). (Related: Dr. Judy Mikovits: Every single mRNA vaccine is a synthetic virus  Brighteon.TV.)

She also emphasized that the experts who engineered the plandemic knew that a virus knows the immune system based on race gender and even culture and so it can target the vaccine-injured.

Its been a giant experiment for 40 years to kill these susceptible people. They intended to kill the blacks, women and children as they knew their immune systems, she said. The synthetic RNA was weaponized to kill the people who had been injured with the shots.

Jones added that pieces of evidence are now surfacing and people are stepping up. Government agencies are slowly backing off, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) admitting that it failed to do its job and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) board now saying not to give the vaccine to kids.

With all that has happened in the last two to three years, Mikovits is confident more people will resist the vaccines and not let the presidents Chief Medical Advisor Anthony Fauci get away with the crimes to humanity he committed.

She is standing firm on the fact that lab origins of the current pandemic are hardly novel  that every pandemic has had lab origins since 1984 when Fauci started working at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Mikovits even said in an article on Tap News Wire last year that the scenario will be the same as how Fauci, Institute of Human Virologys Bob Gallo, the people at the top of the National Institutes of Health, CDC and FDA lied to the people about HIV/AIDS.

Until we hold these criminals accountable, we wont see the end of this, she said.

Freebies, incentives offered to entice people to get vaccinated

Elsewhere in the show, Jones played a montage of videos showing various adverts and enticing commercials to get people vaccinated. The presentation showed how people are incentivized just to take the COVID-19 shots  bribing them with cash, college scholarships, free beer, lottery tickets, vehicles, guns, Super Bowl tickets donuts and hamburgers.

They need you to give up your free will and accept this. Theyre just out there in the open, Jones said after playing the clip.

Mikovits quipped: I honestly thought the hamburger is GMO which is an adjuvant to the poison. So itll kill you quicker.

She added that everyones being forced to take the shots right now or maybe most people arent taking the shots.

Weve won already. Nobodys taking that shot, she said. Public health officials may attempt to put back restrictive measures and put other diseases in play, but Mikovits believes the people have already learned their lesson. It doesnt matter because people will say not again,' she said.

Visit MedicalTyranny.com for more news about government tyranny being implemented in the guise of public health measures.

Watch the full segment of InfoWars with Alex Jones featuring Dr. Judy Mikovits below.

This video is from the Leona Wind channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Dr. Judy Mikovits sounds the alarm on EXPLODING cancer rates courtesy of COVID vaccines.

Dr. Judy Mikovits: Never bypass innate immune response, never get the COVID shot  Brighteon.TV.

Dr. Judy Mikovits  Fauci is behind every pandemic since 1984.

Dr. Mikovits: SARS-CoV-2 is actually a lab-made monkey cell virus, readily deployed through the flu, MMR and polio vaccine supply.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

TheRealDrJudy.com

TapNewsWire.com
(Natural News) A physician assistant in Michigan was fired and branded as evil for refusing to call transgender patients by their preferred pronouns.

Valerie Kloosterman, a physician assistant at the University of Michigan Health-West (UMHW) hospital, called transgender patients by their first name. She also expressed unwillingness to refer patients for gender reassignment surgery, owing to her Christian faith. This did not sit well with UMHW administrators.

Kloostermans refusal to bow down to the LGBT agenda and violate her beliefs was tackled in a July 2021 meeting with hospital officials. According to Kloosterman, UMHW Director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Thomas Pierce grew hostile, visibly angry with tight fists and a flushed demeanor. He subsequently attacked Kloostermans religious beliefs, telling the physician assistant that she could not take the Bible or her religious beliefs to work with her, either literally or figuratively.

Pierce also accused Kloosterman of being responsible for transgender suicides, calling her evil for abusing her power as a healthcare provider  given her opposition to preferred pronouns and gender reassignment surgery. She was fired on August 2021, a month after the meeting. (Related: Christian doctor FIRED for saying gender is determined at birth the anti-science assault on biological reality goes ballistic.)

According to Kloosterman, UMHW Human Resources Director Marla Cole and Advanced Practice Providers Liaison Officer Catherine Smith handed her a notice of termination during an Aug. 24, 2021 meeting. The physician assistant was not informed prior that she would be fired on that day, and that she was not allowed to return to her office and complete patient charts. Kloosterman was also banned on the premises of any hospital under the Michigan Health network, which UMHW is a part of.

Peter VanLaan, associate general counsel for UMHW, said the hospital is committed to providing appropriate medical treatment to all patients and respects the religious beliefs of its employees. He added that the health system does not discuss personal issues and, as such, has no further comment.

Requests for comment sent to Pierce and the Michigan Health media relations team were not immediately returned.

Kloosterman pushes back, threatens legal action

In response to her termination, Kloosterman reached out to the First Liberty Institute (FLI). The religious liberty nonprofit then wrote a letter to UMHW, accusing it of violating religious freedom laws.

The FLIs Sept. 27 letter alleged that the hospital denigrated her religious beliefs, attempted to compel her to speak against her conscience and make referrals for medical services that violate her conscience, discriminated against her for her religious beliefs and refused to reasonably accommodate her.

Moreover, the FLI outlined that the hospital violated the First Amendment, the Michigan Constitution, Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the states Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act of 1976.

We respectfully request that Michigan Health reinstate Kloosterman to her position, with an acceptable accommodation and assurance as soon as possible, the letter wrote, warning that failure to do so will continue to violate federal and state law and will result in legal action against all responsible parties.

Citing performance reviews Kloosterman provided, the letter mentioned exemplary comments about her during her 17-year stint at UMHW.

Valerie goes way beyond the call of duty when dealing with patients. She is very ethical [and] responsible, and treats all with respect, wrote her supervisor. Another review described her as a pleasure to work with due to her excellent knowledge, ethics, respect, communication and skills.

The letter by FLI elaborated that Kloosterman, a longtime member of a United Reformed Church, believes that one should not attempt to erase or alter his or her [biological] sex  especially through drugs or surgical means.

Moreover, as a Christian medical professional  she believes that it would be sinful to assist a patient in procuring sterilizing drugs or surgical procedures designed to erase or alter his or her sex.

Watch this video that talks about Chicago-based NorthShore University HealthSystem settling a religious discrimination lawsuit for $10 million.

This video is from THE HEALTHY AMERICAN channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Judge orders reinstatement of Virginia teacher fired over comments against transgenders.

TRANS TYRANNY: Teacher arrested and IMPRISONED for using wrong student pronouns.

Virginia Supreme Court upholds reinstatement of teacher who refused to use made-up preferred pronouns.

Federal appeals court rules in favor of professor who refused to use preferred pronouns of transgender student.

Woke medical student brags on social media about intentionally injuring patient over gender pronouns comment.

Sources include:

JustTheNews.com

FirstLiberty.org [PDF]

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) The attacks on free and open discussion are becoming more and more widespread. Now, as Toby Young explains in an article this morning, the payment service PayPal has closed the accounts of the Daily Sceptic, which often publishes criticism of the government policy in various matters.

(Article by Thorsteinn Siglaugsson republished from BrownStone.org)

PayPal has also closed the account of the Free Speech Union, which provides support to people whose freedom of opinion is under attack, for example those fired from their jobs because of their opinions. PayPal has even gone as far as to close the rarely used personal account of Toby Young, who is in charge of both the Daily Sceptic and the Free Speech Union, and is also associate editor of The Spectator, one of the worlds most respected newspapers.

As Toby reports in his article, the company has offered no explanation for this move.

When payment services or banks begin to act in this way, it should dawn upon us what a serious threat to free and open exchange of opinions we are facing. Not only can you be fired from your job, your very possibility to make a living will be taken away also.

Now, there is little doubt that many people think that as long as their own opinions are allowed, everything is fine, even if other opinions are forbidden. But that position, apart from being morally wrong, is based on an utter lack of understanding of the threat we face; the question is not if, but when it will be your own opinions that are censored, your own livelihood taken away.

Okay to ban right-wing bullshit a thoughtless leftist might think. Okay to ban communist propaganda the thoughtless right-winger might think. But as Toby points out in his article, it is in fact also left-wing media outlets that PayPal is now attacking, not just right-leaning ones like the Daily Sceptic.

PayPals actions are based on blatant opposition to the freedom of expression, opposition that until recently one thought belonged to the scrap-heaps of history. But we are now seeing more and more examples of this. The other day, people were arrested and taken to prison in Britain for protesting against the monarchy in the vicinity of funeral parades for the late Queen. And most people thought nothing of it, although attempts to silence the opinions of opponents of the monarchy had not been seen since the 15th century.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is currently awaiting extradition and life imprisonment in the United States for publishing information inconvenient to the government, but most people take this lightly. Those are just two of countless recent examples, which clearly show what is going on and where we are heading.

Freedom of expression is a fundamental value that concerns us all, no matter where we stand in politics, what our religion is or our preferences in life. We must have the maturity and moral standing to defend it unconditionally, no matter how annoying or inappropriate we might find the views currently being attacked.

If we do not stand up now for the freedom of expression, next time it will be our own views getting censored, our own livelihood taken away.

Read more at: BrownStone.org
(Natural News) As many warned would eventually happen, the Cult of LGBT is pushing yet another boundary  and a major one  in trying to normalize pedophilia using the excuse that children should be allowed to love whomever they want.

Irene Montero, Spains Minister of Equality, spoke at a meeting recently in which she delivered an impassioned plea for pedophilia to be legalized. She framed her argument as freeing children to be able to get to know their own bodies with adults, if that is how they choose to express their own sexuality.

 but to talk about sex education, for example, which is a right of boys and girls, Madam Deputy  regardless of who their families are. Because all the boys, the girls, the childrenx of this country have the right, have the right to get to know their own bodies, Montero said at the meeting (watch below).

Spains Minister of Equality Irene Montero: Childrenx have the right to consent to sexual relations with adults pic.twitter.com/eZ5BauvD3Q  Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) September 24, 2022

To know that no adult can touch their body if they do not want them to, she went on to state. If they do not want them to, and that that is a form of violence.

(Children) have the right to know that they can love or have sexual relations with whomever they want to  based, of course, on consent. And these are acknowledged rights that they have. And that you dont like.

Do not let them normalize pedophilia

You will notice that Montero created a brand-new word, childrenx, that apparently identifies children who are sexually attracted to, or willing to engage in sexually activity with, adults.

It is a deviation of the similar word Latinx, which is another leftist buzzword to describe LGBT-identifying people of Latin American descent, including Mexicans and other Hispanics.

The left is really trying hard to include pedophilia as just another letter in the LGBT-plus category of sexual deviancy, or as just another color on the LGBT rainbow (which only has six colors in its original form compared to the seven colors found in a real rainbow).

After receiving massive backlash for her statements, Montero tried to claim that she was simply misunderstood and was not actually promoting pedophilia. This is what these types of people often do when challenged to a greater degree than expected.

In this case, Montero may have assumed that her words would not end up going viral around the world, so she later tried to play the thats not what I said! card. (Related: The Biden crime family is full of pedophiles, including the big guy himself.)

She ought to be doing hard time, a commenter wrote about Monteros original statements at the meeting.

Her eyes say it all, wrote another. Dark and revealing a soul demented and grossly evil. They say: Lets destroy as many young lives as we can. Reprobate, perverted monsters!

All pedophiles should be skinned, then burned alive, suggested another as to how he would prefer to deal with these kinds of people.

This is what happens when you create ridiculous and unnecessary positions like Ministry of Equality, then appoint a crazy liberal to that position, noted another.

Keep in mind that the Biden regime is creating similar such positions with words like equity and inclusion in the title. Pretty much all of these positions exist to push and normalize evils such as the transgender mutilation of children, which for all intents and purposes is a form of pedophilia that involves the sexual destruction of minors.

The latest news about the lefts push to legalize and normalize pedophilia can be found at Evil.news.

Sources for this article include:

Twitter.com

NaturalNews.com

CitizenFreePress.com
(Natural News) Social media giant Twitter recently received criticisms from different companies advertising on its platform after their ads appeared alongside tweets linked to child sexual abuse (CSA).

According to a review conducted by cybersecurity group Ghost Data, the ads of more than 30 companies showed up alongside Twitter accounts connected to online CSA. The ads were from companies such as The Walt Disney Company, The Coca-Cola Company and NBCUniversal Media. Verification by Reuters revealed that the aforementioned accounts were peddling exploitative material, with key words related to rape and teens.

Reuters cited two examples of this in an article. In one example, a promoted tweet for footwear brand Cole Haan appeared next to a post asking to exchange exploitative content. In another instance, a users tweet about content centering on young girls only was followed by a promoted tweet from Scottish Rite Childrens Hospital in Dallas.

The hospital did not return multiple requests for comment on the matter. Cole Haan, meanwhile, expressed outrage.

David Maddocks, the footwear brands president, remarked: Were horrified. Either Twitter is going to fix this, or well fix it by any means we can  which includes not buying Twitter ads.

Other brands, however, moved swiftly in response.

Dyson, Mazda, Forbes and PBS Kids joined several major advertisers in either suspending their marketing campaigns or removing their ads from parts of Twitter, as confirmed by their respective companies. Satellite TV provider DIRECTV and tech consultancy Thoughworks also confirmed that they paused their ad campaigns on the site. (Related: Major corporations cut ties with Twitter after discovering their ads were placed alongside child porn tweets.)

Twitter spokeswoman Celeste Carswell reiterated in a statement that the company has zero tolerance for child sexual exploitation. She added that Twitter is working closely with its advertising clients and partners to investigate and take steps to prevent the situation from happening again.

According to Carswell, Twitter is investing more resources dedicated to child safety, including hiring for new positions to write policy and implement solutions.

Twitter aiding and abetting child sexual abuse

Twitter bans CSA just like other social media platforms. However, the site founded by Jack Dorsey allows content from adults. In fact, an internal document seen by Reuters revealed that pornographic images comprise about 13 percent of all Twitter content.

In a separate study shared exclusively with Reuters, Ghost Data managed to identify the more than 500 Twitter accounts in its review done in September 2022 alone. The cybersecurity company lamented that Twitter failed to remove more than 70 percent of these accounts analyzed during a 20-day period that month. A separate verification done by the publication found that dozens of these accounts were soliciting child pornography.

Reuters later shared a sample of 20 accounts to the tech giant on Sept. 29, which prompted a removal of an additional 300 accounts. But a review by Ghost Data and the publication saw that more than 100 accounts remained up as of Sept. 30.

Following the review, Reuters sent the full list of more than 500 accounts that showed up alongside promoted tweets to the company on Sept. 26 for action. Carswell confirmed the next day that the erring accounts were reviewed and permanently suspended for terms of service violations.

The company then sent an email to advertisers on the morning of Sept. 28. It stated that ads were running within Profiles that were involved with publicly selling or soliciting CSA material.

Back in February 2021, a team of Twitter employees concluded that the company needed more investment to identify and remove CSA content at scale. It noted in a report that moderators had a backlog of cases to review for possible reporting to law enforcement.

While the amount of [CSA content] has grown exponentially, Twitters investment in technologies to detect and manage the growth has not, it stated.

Watch this video about Twitters inaction toward CSA content on its platform.

This video is from the Red Pill channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Twitter defends its child sex trafficking users, cites Section 230 immunity protection for pedophiles.

Twitter refuses to take down child porn because it doesnt violate policies, but theyre happy to censor Trump.

Twitter openly allows and endorses horrifying child trafficking content, despite threats of legal action by victims.

Twitter now protecting pedophiles, child traffickers and corrupt Democrat politicians by selectively banning transparency channels.

Sources include:

Reuters.com

Brighteon.com
While experts still quantify the amount of leak from the Nord Stream pipelines, they said it could threaten the environment.

The leaks from the Nord Stream have become a global concern because of the threat to Europe's environment and energy systems.

The alarming explosion of the Nord Stream leak produced harmful methane, prompting investigations about the magnitude of the leak.

The two Nord stream pipelines were not operational.

Furthermore, scientists and experts explained that the methane from the leak poses an environmental issue since it is a harmful greenhouse gas.

According to the Reuters report on October 1, Russia requested a council meeting to address issues on leaks from Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines.

The same report showed that Gazprom spokesperson Sergei Kupriyanov said at the meeting that 800 million cubic meters of natural gas leaked.

Also Read: Crop Disruption in Ukraine May Affect Food Security and Increase Global Carbon Emissions

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) emphasized that methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that harms and pollutes the environment, making the Nord Stream's methane the biggest leak recorded.

Methane leak

On the other hand, the Guardian published a joint report of Denmark and Sweden told the United Nations (UN).

The same report noted that scientists estimated 100,000 and 350,000 tonnes of methane leak from the Nord Stream pipelines.

The Guardian article said that countries, including Denmark, Sweden, and Poland, believed that the North Stream pipelines leak in the Baltic Sea was caused deliberately, and investigations are ongoing if how explosives reached the pipelines.

On the other hand, Finland, Norway, and Sweden observed sharp methane increases.

Meanwhile, Russia denied its involvement in the Nord Stream gas leak.

In an interview with Reuters, Manfredi Caltagirone said that the leak from the Nord Stream pipelines result could be the largest emission detected.

Caltagirone is the head of UNEP's International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO for UNEP).

Why methane is harmful

The UN report also added that methane is recorded to contribute 30 percent of global warming.

It said that the methane emissions caused by humans are from gas processing companies, fossil fuels, landfills and waste, and livestock agriculture.

Moreover, the Environment Programmed also noted that methane contributed the following:

Over 260,000 premature deaths

775,00 asthma-related hospitalization

25 million tonnes were recorded in crop losses

On the other hand, the Climate Clean Air Coalition said that methane, unlike carbon dioxide (CO2), is an environmental pollutant that remains in the atmosphere for about 12 years.

Methane is harmful and warms the environment worst than carbon dioxide.

It explained that methane is seen to affect the climate and has indirect health risks to humans and animals.

Reducing methane emissions is important to slow down the worsening effects of climate change. Immediate mitigation to cut back the methane amount can prevent potential environmental risks.

In the Global Assessments to reduce methane, the United Nations Environment Programme explained that human-caused methane reduction by 45% could prevent risks of global warming.

The report urged immediate action as human-caused methane emissions are seen increasing.

Related Article: Rising Ozone Pollution is a Silent Threat to Pollination and Plants' Health [Research]

For more similar stories, don't forget to follow Nature World News.
A recent study discovered concerning findings in a specific region in the United States using over 35,000 computer simulations of storm tracks evolution.

The study urged communities to achieve resilience to the impact of storms and hurricanes, highlighting the significance of reducing human-caused emissions.

According to AccuWeather, the 35,000 computer simulations provide insights on how to understand the behavior of storms in the future.

The simulation of the future climate outcome resulted in the storm tracks of the researchers ranging from the pre-industrial to the modern era.

In addition, the simulation considered high emissions situations in the study.

Also Read: Forecasts Say Tropical Storm Orlene to Unleash Flooding Rainfall in Western Mexico and Could Become Hurricane

Climate scientists from Rowan University in New Jersey conducted the study with Dr. Andra Garder as the study's lead researcher.

Impact

In an interview with AccuWeather, the lead researcher Garner explained that the research employed climates models useful to analyze the storm behavior evolution, discovering that storms could unleash unforgivingly in the decades to come.

The research found key things, according to Garner:

Hurricanes seem to form closer to the southeast coast of the United States (U.S), highlighting northeast cities could have less time to prepare for storms.

They observed that hurricanes seem to move at the slowest as they move along the East Coast of the U.S. As the storm or hurricane moves slowly, communities could suffer from bad weather longer.

Even though the researcher focused on New York City's future impact, they revealed East cities would have concerning hurricane and storm impacts.

Tropical cyclones are also seen to form closer to the U.S. southeast coast, reaching the slowest speed in the U.S Atlantic. The research added that the time duration of tropical cyclones in reaching cities is said to be reduced. The cities mentioned in the study are New York City, Boston, and Norfolk.

Ultimately, the slow movement of storms could result in heavy rains that can flood communities.

Moreover, the study also emphasized the role of harmful greenhouse gases, which have been exacerbated by dependence on fossil fuels.

Community resilience

Climate change and global warming can aggravate storms and hurricane impacts on communities.

The researchers suggested that communities and cities should start working on resiliency and effective policies to prevent the disastrous effects of hurricanes or weather.

According to AccuWeather, the study's lead emphasized the importance of working together to take large-scale actions to reduce emissions, noting that the research employed high emission scenarios.

Garner said that cities on East Coast should develop plans for the future to adapt to climate change.

The study elaborated on the importance of resilient communities to prevent the sea-level rise and storm surges.

Current hurricanes such as Hurricane Ian, Hurricane Fiona, and Hurricane Kay unleashed rainfall, flooding, and strong winds, causing massive flooding, widespread power outage, and damage to property to businesses.

The mentioned hurricanes forced communities to evacuate, especially people living in flood-risk areas.

As the study presented simulations with high emission scenarios, there is a need to contribute to the environment, which can reduce the impact of climate change on the weather.

Related Article: Man Became Social Media Hero Saving a Trapped Cat in Hurricane Ian

For more similar stories, don't forget to follow Nature World News.
Tropical Storm Orlene is expected to become Hurricane, according to forecasts. The recent advisory from the National Hurricane Center said Orlene is set to unleash heavy rainfall.

Affected residents are urged to prepare for Orlene.

In the advisory published on October 1, 2022 (3:00 a,m MDT), the National Hurricane Center reported that Islas Marias could feel hurricane conditions on Sunday as Orlene draws near. Hurricane Watch has been issued to alert residents.

The heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Orlene can lead to flash flooding and landslide in rugged areas of Southwest Mexico into Monday evening.

Moreover, Playa Perula, San Blas, and portions of southwestern and west-central Mexico could expect tropical storm conditions.

On Sunday, there is a potential for tropical storm conditions in Southwestern and west-central Mexico.

Tropical Storm Orlene is placed 16th storm of the East Pacific Hurricane Season.

Also Read: Tropical Storm Orlene to Bring Heavy Rains and Gusty Winds to Mexico

According to the Washington Post, Tropical Storm Orlene, which strengthened in the eastern Pacific, is set for a projected landfall (Monday) on the Northwestern coast of Mexico.

Tropical Storm Orlene

AccuWeather reported that the tropical Storm Orlene maintained a 60 mph (95 km/h) sustained winds. The storm was seen about 275 miles (440 km) southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico.

The weather website noted that Tropical Storm Orlene, a compact storm, could reach hurricane level as it moves Mexico's southwestern coast. Forecasts said that the storm could grow on Saturday.

Based on AccuWeather's Orlene impact, flash flooding, mudslide, damaging winds, and rough seas are expected from the storm starting Friday night to Tuesday. The tropical storm is placed one on the AccuWeather RealImpactTM Scale for Hurricanes in Mexico.

For more information about the tropical storm, visit the website of the National Hurricane Center.

Orlene preparations

Forecasts said that Tropical Storm Orlene could reach a hurricane level. The storm will unload heavy rains, causing small to catastrophic flooding. During the storm, it is essential to value your safety. Here are some early reminders.

Stay updated with the official announcements of Tropical Storm Orlene from the local authorities, weather stations, especially if you live beside or near coastal and flood-prone areas.

Prepare an emergency bag with basic food supplies if there is an evacuation announcement. Tropical Storm Orlene could cause coastal flooding.

Before you travel, look at road closures, repairs, or damages. Be careful on roads with landslide risk.

Check your house and outdoor equipment for potential damages.

In case of emergency, evacuate to the nearest shelter.

Fully charge mobile devices and power bank. Power outage is possible during Hurricane or storm onslaught.

Check your home for damages sustained from Tropical Storm Arlene. After the storm, be wary of falling debris, downed trees, or powerlines. If a power source, including wires or outlets, was flooded, seek a professional electrician.

Residents in areas in rugged and mountainous terrains are advised to observe possible flooding and landslides in the area starting Monday evening.

Related Article: Man Became Social Media Hero Saving a Trapped Cat in Hurricane Ian

For more similar stories, don't forget to follow Nature World News.
Human hair dye is being used on Australian sea lions at Carnac and Seal Islands off the coast of Perth in an innovative new project to track and learn about the local population.

Edith Cowan University (ECU) is co-leading the project with marine researchers from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation, and Attractions (DBCA), in collaboration with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD).

hair dye is helping the conservation of Australian sea lion

The Australian sea lion (ASL) project is part of the Westport Marine Science Program at the Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI), as per Phys.org.

The hair dye marks are temporary and completely safe, just like human hair color, but they allow us to identify each sea lion and monitor how frequently they move among the six haul-out islands, such as Carnac Island and Seal Island, for about two months.

This project also allows for the monitoring of total numbers that occur in the Perth metropolitan area when the animals are at their peak, which is expected to be around December or January, according to ECU Associate Professor Chandra Salgado Kent.

The marking method, which has been used on other species of seals and sea lions in the past, is non-invasive and causes no harm to the animals.

A layer of dye is spread on foam numbers, and the numbers are mounted on a plate attached to a long pole, which is then pressed onto the sea lion's back or side.

The expert team, which includes DBCA, ECU, and ANU researchers, DBCA and Werribee Open Range Zoo wildlife veterinarians, and DBCA and DPIRD marine rangers and wildlife officers, is also using satellite tags.

"We're trying to figure out how many sea lions use the area and where they might be foraging," explained Kelly Waples of the DBCA.

To accomplish this, we will equip a small number of sea lions with satellite tracking devices.

These tags are a small package that is unobtrusively glued to the fur on their back, just behind their shoulders, and will be retrieved from the sea lions a few months before the animals fully molt.

The satellite tags have already been successfully attached to four sea lions that have also been dyed with hair dye.

Male sea lions typically migrate between breeding islands in the Jurien Sea and haul-out sites in the Perth metro area, with many using the Perth metro area during non-breeding seasons.

The satellite trackers will aid in the collection of high-resolution data on where they forage and what habitat is required for them to find and capture their prey.

Understanding which habitats are important will help researchers better understand how to manage and protect this endangered species, which has seen a 60% decline in numbers over the last 40 years.

Read more: Overexposure to Hair Dye May Cause Cancer

What effects do hair dyes have on the environment?

These dye chemicals endanger the environment because when people wash commercial hair dyes, they enter our water supply system via sewage and end up in bodies of water such as rivers, streams, and the world's oceans, where they are harmful to aquatic life, as per Our Endangered World.

You may also be unaware of the presence of chemicals in your drinking water because most water treatment plants do not filter out the illegal chemicals found in commercial dye.

You may also be unaware of the presence of chemicals in your drinking water because most water treatment plants do not filter out the illegal chemicals found in commercial dye.

Many people do not consider the impact of putting chemicals on their bodies until it causes harm to other parts of the environment, which is why it is critical to be aware of how your personal choices affect the environment.

It is the world's third most popular cosmetic. It is estimated that 75% of people in North America use this product, and this figure is increasing year after year.

According to the FDA, these products were sold in 6.5 million units for a total of 303 million dollars in 2010.

You can reduce your environmental impact by using hair dye alternatives instead of chemical dyes. Coloration is a popular alternative that uses natural ingredients rather than chemicals, making it safe for both you and the environment.

Another excellent option is a henna dye, which is made from henna leaves and has coloring properties similar to chemical dyes.

Related article: Blue Jays' Feathers Never Fade: Sophisticated Nanostructures Underlying Birds' Vivid Plumage Revealed In New Study
Animals have now been found to be the subject of monkeypox cases. Scientists are concerned that it may be more difficult to stop this spread.

When Stephanie Seifert learned that the first dog to contract monkeypox from a human, she experienced a wave of anxiety.

But Seifert, a viral ecologist at Pumllman's Washington State University, who researches how viruses jump between different species, was also aware of the case's potential importance. She and her coworkers kept an eye out for reports of animals contracting the virus from humans in the months following the spike in monkeypox cases around the world that began in May.

Human-To-Dog Transmission... To Wildlife

In August, the first instance of human-to-dog transmission was documented. The Italian greyhound in France had shared a bed with a couple who were experiencing symptoms, and the dog's viral DNA matched that of one of the owners. The case of a puppy contracting the virus from a person was reported by Brazil's health ministry in the same month.

Malachy Okeke, a virologist at the Yola's American University of Nigeria, claims that Since sick animals can be quarantined at home, the uncommon instance of human-to-dog transmission is not a problem. The circumstance in which the monkeypox virus spreads to wild animals outside of its typical range in Central and West Africa worries scientists more. Such animals include rodents. The virus might then spread from such animal reservoirs back to people. He claims that it would be impossible to eradicate the virus because it would be very difficult to control the spread in populations of wild animals.

Read also: United States Records First Monkeypox Fatality Since Global Outbreak Began in May

Animal carriers

According to information gathered, monkeypox is known to affect more than 50 species of mammals. According to what is known so far, the virus is spread throughout the continent of Africa by rodents and other small mammals. People have been experiencing monkeypox outbreaks in various parts of Africa for the past decades.

In comparison to earlier outbreaks, a lot more people have become infected in recent months, increasing the likelihood that the virus will interact with animals. Over 3,400 new cases of the disease were confirmed last week, according to data from the World Health Organization, which shows that the count of weekly reported cases peaked at nearly 7,500 in August.

Huaiping Zhu, director of the Canadian Centre for Disease Modelling at Toronto's York University, says that when human-to-animal and animal-to-human spread is taken into account, the transmission process becomes significantly more complicated. Zhu is also the lead author of the study. He claims that without insight into how animals alter the dynamics of transmission, researchers will find it difficult to stop the virus's spread and stop further outbreaks.

Virus surveillance

According to Okeke, a lack of active, ongoing surveillance for the monkeypox virus and cases in the wild, and a lack of interest are both contributing factors to why scientists don't know the virus' reservoir. Because this virus is widespread in the so-called resource-poor nations, he continued, people weren't taking it seriously, Nature reports.

Related article: Dog Gets Quarantined After Contracting Monkeypox From Its Owner and Becoming Ill
Florida's power outages in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian could last more than a week after the deadly, destructive storm wreaked havoc in the Sunshine State in recent days.

This is according to local reports, which said that residents are still facing major flooding and will have to wait longer until power lines are fully restored.

Residential and business establishments are both affected by the outage indefinitely.

Ian made landfall in southwestern Florida by mid-week, bringing colossal hurricane-force winds, powerful storm surges, and causing widespread flooding due to heavy rain.

The storm also led to large-scale property and infrastructural damage, including downed power lines, which caused the Florida blackout.

Dozens of counties in Florida were affected, as well as portions of North Carolina and South Carolina.

Ian arrived in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, bringing a combination of coastal flooding and riverine flooding.

This combination caused the flash flooding in multiple areas, where floodwaters trapped some residents and pulverized some coastal homes.

Based on recent reports, flooding is believed to the be major cause of deaths in Florida, where dozens of people have died, and gusty winds also played a role.

Ian has downgraded into a tropical storm following its landfall in South Carolina.

However, the catastrophic storm also left several fatalities in North Carolina.

It also caused similar power outages affecting hundreds of thousands of customers in the Carolinas and Virginia.

Furthermore, emerging anecdotal accounts reportedly suggest that Ian could be the most powerful hurricane that struck Florida.

Florida Power Outages

It could take up to a week from Sunday, October 2, before power is fully restored in storm-damaged counties, according to Eric Silagy, the president and CEO of Florida Power & Light Company, as cited by CNN.

Silagy added that some customers may still experience outages in "weeks or months" since some buildings that incurred structural damage will require safety inspections first.

According to the utility monitoring site poweroutage.us, over 1 million customers in Florida still have no electricity as of Saturday evening, October 1.

In addition, more than 99,000 customers had no power in North Carolina.

There is no specific date provided yet as to when all power outages will come back to normalcy in Florida and other affected states.

Also Read: Hurricane Ian to Unleash Heavy Rains in Florida As It Quickly Intensifies

Hurricane Ian US Death Toll

The initial death toll from Hurricane Ian rose to at least 32 people on Saturday as rescue crews in Florida continue their search and rescue missions to search for survivors, according to USA Today.

However, latest updates on the Florida death toll as of late evening on Saturday shows at least 72 people have died.

Meanwhile, four people were reported dead due to the hurricane in North Carolina, according to the states' local officials, as cited by ABC News.

Expected to be the most expensive storm in Florida, Ian also prompted authorities in the Carolinas to start assessing the damage from one of the country's strongest hurricanes.

Related Article: Hurricane Ian Intensifies As it Approaches Florida and Cuba
Patricia Hruby Powell is the author of the award-winning Josephine, Loving vs Virginia and Struttin With Some Barbecue, among others. She teaches community classes at Parkland College. Find out more at talesforallages.com.
John Frayne hosts Classics of the Phonograh on Saturdays at WILL-FM and, in retirement, teaches at the UI. His email is frayne@illinois.edu.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

A few passing clouds, otherwise generally sunny. High 49F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Some clouds early will give way to generally clear conditions overnight. Low 29F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government that is distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death.

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David Bernthal of Mahomet is a retired 21-year federal magistrate. He is a counsel with the Webber & Thies PC law firm. His email is askthejudge1@gmail.com.
Brett Kepley is a lawyer with Land of Lincoln Legal Aid Inc. Send questions to The Law Q&A, 302 N. First St., Champaign, IL 61820.
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David James is a freelance writer who lives in Fairbanks. Creating Alaska is an ongoing series documenting the lives of artists and creators in Fairbanks. Feedback and suggestions for future interviews can be emailed to nobugsinak@gmail.com.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain has long punched above its weight in the region on its push to diversify its economy and energy mix. A bold move in this scenario was the 5% renewable energy target Bahrain sees in its energy mix by 2025 and 10% by 2035.

This target comes as oil continues to provide about 70% of government revenue while Bahrain witnessing a 6% annual growth in power demand. But not for long, says EWA, which is fast establishing new innovative projects for a bright solar future.

The latest, in this regard, is a 100-megawatt Independent Power Producer Solar photovoltaic (PV). The Electricity and Water Authority plans to establish this project, which could power more than 17,000 homes on average and offset approximately 170.43 million kg of CO2 annually, on a two-square-kilometre remediated site at Askar landfill.

EWA has launched a request for proposals from interested parties, who may be a single entity or an arrangement, to remediate the landfill site. Reportedly, the municipal solid waste landfill will reach its capacity in the next few years.

Plans are also on the anvil for a new landfill in the Kingdom, which produces around 2 million tonnes of waste every year.

Tender for solar project soon

Upon completion of site remediation, EWA will launch another tender for developing the 100 MW solar plant.

EWA and the MOFNE are jointly working on the project. The tender also calls for studying the feasibility of establishing a gas collection system, leachate collection system, and air quality monitoring system to ensure the site readiness for the solar project.

Leachate occurs when rainwater filters through wastes placed in a landfill. When this liquid comes in contact with buried wastes, it leaches or draws out chemicals or constituents from those wastes.

Converting this landfill site to a solar farm capable of producing 100 MW is one of the many steps the country hopes to execute to realise the objective of bringing carbon emission in Bahrain to net zero by 2060, Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed, EWA President, said.

Works scheduled

The tender says the project involves site remediation and studies, including permitting process and a list of associated studies.



The tender scope also includes site investigation to meet the required performance specification and environment monitoring of the landfill site at agreed intervals until 12 months following the completion of the site remediation.

Three stages

The project procurement, according to EWA, will be conducted in three stages. Accordingly, authorities will assess bids against Minimum Eligibility Requirements, while pre-qualified bidders will get further evaluated in line with RFP requirements.

In the third phase, EWA will award an EPC contract for Land remediation. Interested companies could download the tender documents from https://bit.ly/3C0DxLr.

Bids should reach the tender board with BD5,000 initial bond and BD100 tender fees before the 23rd of October 2022. The closing date of the tender is the 13th of November 2022.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The stage is set for yet another high-voltage poll battle in Bahrain, with the authorities here welcoming aspiring candidates to make their candidacy official for the upcoming Parliamentary and Municipal Council election next month.

Starting today, candidates could file their nominations and pay their candidacy and insurance fees to make their candidacy official.

Candidates for municipal council elections should pay BD50, and parliamentary seats should pay BD200 as nomination fees.

Municipal election candidates should also pay BD100 as insurance on electoral advertisements and headquarters.

They, however, will get back this amount once they clear their electoral advertisements and tents after concluding campaigns.

Last year, the House of Representatives rejected a bill by the Shura Council to raise the fee for parliamentary elections from BD200 to BD400.

The deputies had also rejected another proposal to increase the nomination fee for municipal elections from BD50 to BD200.

Candidates vying for a seat at the 40-member national assembly may pay their nomination fees on the first floor of the Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Ministry building in the Diplomatic Area during official working hours.

They may also pay those fees at relevant supervisory committees between October 5 and 9, from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm, said Mohammed Abdulrahim Bucheeri, Assistant Undersecretary for Courts and Documentation Affairs at the Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Ministry.

Candidates for municipal election may pay their fees and insurance amounts at the offices of Muharraq Municipality, the Northern Area Municipality in Aali, Hamad Town and Budaiya and Southern Area Municipality during working hours. 

Candidates may also pay their fees and insurance amounts at supervisory centres from Wednesday until Sunday between 5 am and 9 pm, said Mohammed Adel Abu Hassan, Assistant Undersecretary for Resources and Information at the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Director of the Holy Quran Affairs Directorate at JusticeIslamic Affairs and Endowments Ministry Shaikh Abdulla Abdul Aziz Al Omari said that a group of the Holy Quran memorizers is preparing to represent Bahrain in two international Quran competitions this month.



He added that the ministry had received invitations to participate in the 11th Kuwait International Prize for Memorizing the Holy Quran, and in the 62nd session of the Malaysian Holy Quran International Competition.



Shaikh Al Omari stressed that the ministry is keen to participate in international competitions, noting that it has developed a strategic plan to qualify and prepare the contestants internationally.



He stressed that this participation embodies the continuous support of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who pays special attention to the service of the Holy Quran.



The director praised the governments follow up headed by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince The Prime Minister, on elevating Quran institutions.
TOKYO, Oct 03 ( gearrice.com ) - Google is ready to revolutionize computer keyboards with this incredible bar-shaped keyboard.

Forget everything you know about keyboards. Google Japan just submitted G-board Bara keyboard in the form of bar with the keys in a rowwhich measures 1.6 meters long.

It sounds really crazy, but Google claims that this keyboard with custom keys it is much more ergonomic, and has unsuspected utilities.

What Google Japan has done is to place the more than 100 keys of a conventional keyboard, all in a row. Thus he has obtained a keyboard 165 centimeters long, for only 2 centimeters wide. ...continue reading
Srinagar: Hurriyat office attacked over Kashmiri Pandit killing

The Hurriyat leaders are divided on whether they want an independent state or to unite with Pakistan. This disagreement eventually led to the division of the Hurriyat Conference into two factions, one led by late Syed Ali Geelani and the other by Miwaiz Umar Farooq. The Hurriyat leaders are divid...
Malik Ado-Ibrahim, presidential candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), has been summoned by the party over the slow build-up o...

Malik Ado-Ibrahim, presidential candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), has been summoned by the party over the slow build-up of his activities for the 2023 elections.

Egbeola Wale-Martins, YPP national secretary, disclosed this on Sunday in a statement issued at the end of the partys 20th national working committee (NWC) meeting in Abuja.

Ado-Ibrahim became the partys flag bearer in June 2022 after defeating Ruby Isaac.

In the statement, Wale-Martins said the party was displeased at the slow build-up of political activities due to gaps in communication between the presidential candidate and the appropriate organs of the party.





According to NAN, he said the NWC has acknowledged the concerns of its members, supporters, and other critical stakeholders on the poor visibility of the party and its presidential candidate.

Having done so much hitherto to build a political capital that should have made YPP the third force, the NWC therefore has directed the national secretary to summon the presidential candidate, Prince Malik Ado-Ibrahim, through official communication within 7-working days, the statement reads.

He is to appear and address several issues, including but not limited to his blueprint and a comprehensive campaign plan going into the 2023 presidential election, for the purpose of speedy harmonisation to avoid working at cross purposes.





It was also unanimously agreed that the outcome of the proposed engagement would help the NWC to either embrace available strategies aimed at covering lost grounds or take difficult informed steps in the interest of the party, our members, and all Nigerians.

The national secretary further said the NWC ratified the expulsion of Matthew Namo, the suspended Nasarawa state chairman of the party, for allegedly going incommunicado.

He added that in pursuit of justice, the NWC further mandated the legal directorate to give necessary support to all aggrieved members.

He also urged candidates running for various positions on the YPP platform to work in synergy with the party leadership across state, local government, and ward levels.
If you are a job seeker or need to change jobs, the best career advice is for you to become an activist. Sure, you are passionate about so...





If you are a job seeker or need to change jobs, the best career advice is for you to become an activist. Sure, you are passionate about something: the environment or climate change, out-of-school children, drug addictions among juveniles and the likes. You are not just becoming an activist, Im talking about the biggest of all  a political activist. This is the latest goldmine many young people arent currently exploring.

Like every other career, you must be meticulous and deliberate in your choices. To make it big, you just need a quick few steps to become a star political activist.

You may wonder why Im sharing this information with you. Believe me, its been the same pattern since my undergraduate days at Obafemi Awolowo University. Its the last home of Students Unionism in Nigeria. So, trust me if I say you can make it as an activist. I just chose not to make a career of it because I dont see activism as a career but as a vocation. But, I want you to make it a career because everyone seems to be doing it.

Before we go, please dont come out in the beginning to use the tag political activist. That is an automatic red flag. Everyone suspects politicians. Politicians are not trustworthy people. Just call yourself things like human rights activists, active citizen, civic organizer etc. the tag human rights activists seems overused. So, I dont strongly recommend it.

Following the caveat, you can now follow me in your journey to become an activist  sorry, political activist. Do the following and you will be just fine:

1. Attack the government

As an activist, I dont need to tell you that the easiest route is to attack the government. Everyone does not trust the government. So, attack. Say very ridiculous things. Attack the governments fault lines.

Dont neglect this step. Its crucial in getting credibility. Pretend you care about justice. Emphase your rights to propagate absolute falsehoods in public.

It may not be easy in your first few weeks but continue. Nothing good ever comes easy. If it looks like things arent working, change the plans a bit. Single out some politicians you know people hate, then launch the missile on them. Do not stop. Call them names. The more the name sticks, the more your credibility.

Becoming a political activist is showbiz. You will need all publicity you can get. The easiest way to get this is by attacking the government or specific politicians.

Mind you, some politicians will ignore you but others will care for their reputation. The point is to pick your battles carefully.

2. Organise Protest

After youve invested heavily into attacking the government, you will need to further demonstrate your credibility and capacity for your growing audience. At this point, I need not tell you about the importance of social media.

Your followers will believe whatever you tell them. They trust you absolutely by now. With this trust earned, look for anything to protest against. Just anything but make it something many people dont like. It could be government officials using sirens on public roads.

If your followers dont turn up in their numbers, dont be discouraged. Nothing good comes easy. Continue pressing for protests. Jump at every opportunity to organize protests  online or offline. If organizing an offline protest isnt working, start organizing Twitter Space. It is cheaper and safer for your growing followers. You need to keep them engaged. Let them talk, rant, and vent. You need to get them as angry as you can. Make them look stupid for not getting angry enough. Talk angrily, yourself. After all, holy anger is in the Bible.

At all costs, organize a protest. That is your work experience as a political activist. Nobody will take you seriously without this all-important work experience.

3. Get Arrested

As a political activist, the peak of your career is to get arrested by security agencies. If it seems the security agencies are ignoring you, arrange to be arrested. Be desperate to get arrested.

There are so many ways to do this. If you are a lawyer, commit contempt of court deliberately. Make the case that the judge does not have the right to stop you from talking.

You can even deliberately assault a law enforcement officer on duty and claim you were arrested because youre an activist.

In everything you do, get arrested. After the arrest, add it to your profile like I was detained four times by the Buhari regime.

4. Open an account for Donation

As an activist, you need money. A lot of it. Activism is not cheap. You need money to buy data and move around. Noise-making costs money. This money will come from donations.

You will have to open a GoFundMe account where you will be receiving donations. You dont need to account for this money at all. Accountability should be the least of your worries. After all, politicians are embezzling billions, so, why care about a few millions in my account? Its not taxpayers money in any case, why should I be accountable when you didnt donate to my account?

5. Set up an NGO

You will need to have your non-governmental organisation. You cant rely on existing NGOs except they have agreed to fund your activities. I doubt they will. Even if they do, as your profile grows, so will your need to be independent. So, you will need to have your NGO where you will be the absolute authority over funds.

You cant be following protocols every time you need to withdraw N100,000 for your hookup babe now? In which account will you write that?

6. Keeping making noise and increase your voice

Your noise level tempo will need to be increased. Always have hot takes on social media no matter how controversial. Unleash your growing online mob on anyone who questions your credibility. Let them fight for you. Youre too big to be responding to small fries. After all, you are the one who fought the might Federal Government. Why should you stoop so low to be dealing with ants when your ever-loyal followers have the best responses?

7. Try seeking asylum The state is after me

At this point, you may have to deal with some scandals: financial impropriety, sexual predation and the likes. The best thing to do is leave the country by claiming the government is after you for exposing them. Say it as you mean it. You need to distract attention away from your dirty linens. Claim that your life is in danger to get asylum in neighbouring countries.

You are now a career activist if you can just do all these. You may not become Gani Fawehinmi or Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. But, that is how its done in Nigeria, at least!

Olalekan Adigun, an Accidental Writer, sent this piece from Lagos. His Twitter handle is @MrLekanAdigun. His email address is adgorwell@gmail.com
The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has denied withdrawing from the race. Tinubu...

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has denied withdrawing from the race.

Tinubu posted a short video of himself on a treadmill on Sunday evening, in a bid to debunk rumours making the rounds.

The former Lagos State Governor wrote alongside it: Many have said I have died; others claim I have withdrawn from the presidential campaign.

Well Nope.

This is the reality: I am strong, I am healthy and I am READY to serve Nigerians from Day One.
New York City Mayor, Eric Adams, has joined Nigerians from all walks of life to celebrate the 62nd independence anniversary of their homel...

New York City Mayor, Eric Adams, has joined Nigerians from all walks of life to celebrate the 62nd independence anniversary of their homeland.

Adams, in his speech at the Independence Day Carnival, on Saturday evening, paid glowing tribute to Nigerians for their resilience and unique social and cultural life.

The mayor recalled, with memories, his visit to Africa but that his experience in Lagos State stood out.

Adams said, I remember landing in Lagos. I remember landing on a Monday and not sleeping again until Sunday.

No one throws a party like Lagos in Nigeria. No one knows how to celebrate life, like Nigeria.

And right here in New York, your rich culture and contribution to the city is unbelievable.

He added, I reached out to the youth league of this organisation and others, you were 100 per cent saying we are going to be with our brother, our fellow African so that he can become the mayor of the city of New York.

So dont let anyone deny you of the history. Im very clear. Although I live in America. Im African because I will always be African.

The mayor also recalled the pain of the slave trade and declared that Africans built America to become the greatest country on earth.

America owes Africa so much. America is what its because of the people of Africa that were ripped from their soil years ago to come here.

So, all those years we have been separated, were here today to say well be united forever and never ripped apart from each other again.
There are feelers that some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who are one way or the other unhappy with the presidential c...

There are feelers that some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who are one way or the other unhappy with the presidential candidate of the ruling party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu may either sit on the fence or work against him in the 2023 election.

Some stakeholders of the party fell out with the former Lagos State Governor after he clinched the APC presidential ticket during the June 8, 2022, primary elections.

Recall that prior to the partys national convention, which produced Asiwaju as APC flagbearer, National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu had announced Senate President, Ahmad Lawan as APC consensus presidential candidate.

The move was, however, swiftly antagonized by some governors and party members believed to be loyal to Asiwaju who insisted on a Southern presidency.

Similarly, some members of the National Working Committee, NWC, kicked against the move and insisted that other Presidential aspirants, including Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Engr. David Umahi and Rotimi Amaechi must be allowed to contest the primary election.

Tinubu, who was finally declared winner of the indirect primary election, told Ahmad Lawan during his victory speech at the Eagles Square, Abuja that the lawmaker can now lick his wounds.

According to him, Im a little agitated that you contested against me, but thank you, you can now lick your wounds.

Tinubu scored 1,271 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Rotimi Amaechi, who polled 316.

An APC chieftain, Dr. Martins Apeh, who spoke in Abuja on Saturday, claimed that the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo actually rejected the offer to be included in the recently released APC Presidential Campaign Council.

According to him, the vice president and the former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi have no confidence in Tinubus candidacy and would distance themselves from the campaign.

He said, You see, Osinbajo believes in the New Nigeria Project, he doesnt believe in the old politicians who may not have anything to offer to Nigerians but only see power as property that can be acquired.

When Osinbajo lost the primary election, he stated clearly that his dream to support a New Nigeria has not changed. That should send a message to you and other Nigerians. Dont be surprised if the VP makes a big announcement to support a candidate of another party.

On the former Rivers State governor, Martins opined that Amaechi is still very angry with the party on what played out during the APC primary. It was a shock to him and other Nigerians.

He said Amaechi, Osinbajo and Lawal may work for the presidential candidate of another party, stating that those who want the country to work again will not jeopardize another four years in the hands of people they dont believe can deliver.

There was an indication that the immediate past minister of Transport, Amaechi, may not accept his appointment as the Special Adviser on Infrastructure of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council.

Recall that Amaechi had in July 25 said in Port Harcourt that the delegates who voted Tinubu during the APC presidential primary were regretting their decision.

According to Amaechi: Those who voted at the APC primaries, who are they? They are ordinary Nigerians. The small money they got solved their immediate problem, now they are saying they made a mistake, you are now hearing different things.

Another chieftain of the party, Mr Patrick Okwori, who spoke with our correspondent, alleged that the cabals in the presidency were not happy that Tinubu clinched the partys ticket.

Even some of us that are trying hard to push our party even to the grassroot levels, we are doing it not because of any candidate but because it is our party and the party must work.

We have several stakeholders who are not happy that the party is fielding Muslim-Muslim ticket. If either Amaechi of Osinbajo had won the primary, the campaign would have been very easy because they are Christians and getting a Muslim northerner would have been a simple thing, he added.
Five governors on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Sunday, held a closed-door meeting in Enugu state. Governor...

Five governors on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Sunday, held a closed-door meeting in Enugu state.

Governors present at the meeting were Samuel Ortom (Benue), Nyesom Wike, (Rivers), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, (Enugu), Seyi Makinde, (Oyo), and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia).

According to a statement by the Enugu government, the governors held a crucial meeting in the Enugu Government House to discuss matters of public interest.

The meeting was said to have lasted for several hours.

The meeting comes amid a crisis in the party over calls for Iyorchia Ayu to step down as national chairman of the party.

The five governors were also absent at the inauguration of the PDP presidential campaign council, which held on September 28.

Meanwhile, allies of Wike have insisted that they will not work for the party in the 2023 presidential election if Ayu does not step down as chairman.

The calls for the resignation of Ayu is said to be on the grounds that the party chairman and presidential candidate cannot be from the same region.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun this morning followed by increasing clouds with showers developing this afternoon. High near 50F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low near 35F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
The Music Box Village will unveil its newest architectural installation, Mbongi Spirit House, on Saturday at Liberation Vibrations, a participatory ceremony and performance that reflects the overall projects two years of development and roots and connections that reach well beyond the Bywater art space. Mbongi Spirit House has roots stretching to the Kingdom of Kongo and Bulbancha, and the peoples represented there.

Construction of the Mbongi house involved Congolese master drummer and healer Papa Titos Sompa, local artist Rontherin Ratliff, J. Renee and Houma Nation master carver Ivy Billiot and weaver Janie Verret Luster. The house combines elements of heritage and culture from the collaborators, says Monique Moss, the projects artistic director.

We were creating a structure that was supposed to be a Creolized aesthetic, based on cultures of peoples of Bulbancha  Houma Nation, Africans and Europeans together, Moss says. I wanted to use columns, which is a European aesthetic, but they would be the slit drums, which are Congolese. We would have traditional thatching as the roof. Then wed bring in a master carver and weaver from the Houma Nation to work on roof and walls, and then have the carver maybe work with the drum.

Thatching on the roof reflects traditional methods from Congo and also the Houma Nation, and it is made from local palmetto leaves. Congolese slit drums also are used in healing practices, which suited the Mbongi projects as well.

Moss originally was supposed to be part of a project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by Music Box Villages parent New Orleans Airlift. Moss had researched Congolese artifacts at Southern University of New Orleans, and she was in contact with Papa Titos, who currently lives in New Orleans. The project was scuttled by the pandemic, so the organizers regrouped around a project with similar subject matter that could be done at the Music Box.

The Music Box Village opens its season of performances, new house installations and a new direction Opening festivities come as the organization finds itself in transition as organizers turn the onetime DIY art project into a legacy institution.

Mbongi Houses name relates to the Congolese tradition of Mbongi circles, or healing circles, a democratic conflict resolution process in which everyone is heard before a group agrees upon a decision.

At the start of the process two years ago, research on the Music Box Village revealed it occupies land that was once part of a plantation owned by Manuel Andry. The 1811 Slave Revolt, or German Coast Uprising, started on a sugar plantation he owned in Assumption Parish. He moved to the New Orleans site after the revolt was suppressed.

That history and recent events with the Black Lives Matter movement and response to incidents of racism in the U.S. led the group to develop a process to talk about racism and healing. Project founders from the Music Box, Moss, Papa Titos and project collaborator Kara T. Olidge, then of the Amistad Research Center, participated in the process with artists, organizers and board members of the Music Box and other groups.

The debut of the Mbongi Spirit House is a milestone in the project and its ongoing relationships. Its both a ceremonial dedication and a celebration. Attendees will enter through elaborate gates and a walkway beginning outside the Music Boxs enclosure. The sequence invites introspection, interactions with healers and grios and music.

Inside the Music Box, each house will feature a musician and dancer or performer. Eventually, the event will focus on Mbongi House and musical connections. Louis Armstrong famously visited Brazzaville in Congo, which Papa Titos remembers. Connections of jazz and dance highlight the celebratory aspects of the new houses premiere, with participating musicians including Papa Titos and members of the Soul Rebels.

For tickets and information about Liberation Vibrations, visit musicboxvillage.com.
German beer will flow amid plates of brats and sauerkraut this weekend as Oktoberfest, the annual celebration of all things German, kicks off at Deutsches Haus, located along Bayou St. John at 1700 Moss Street.

The organizations roots in New Orleans date to 1928. Deutsches Haus was the successor to the German Society of New Orleans, founded in 1848 as one of several charitable and social groups serving the citys German immigrant population.

In 1929, property at 200 S. Galvez Street was purchased and Deutsches Haus was located there for nearly 75 years. At its height, the group consisted of some 300 members, but its ranks dwindled during World War II when wartime hostility drove the local German culture underground.

Chef Mike Larkin and Deutsches Haus GM Jack Gonzales talk about Oktoberfest and German food Larkin and Gonzales told us about how the food has changed at Oktoberfest, the Deutsches Haus' kitchen and what to drink this year.

In the decades after the war, Deutsches Haus revived its activities, including Oktoberfest. In 2005, Hurricane Katrinas federal levee failures swamped the original Deutsches Haus. Members rebuilt it, only to have the site expropriated by the state in 2011 to make way for the University Medical Center and Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

As members looked for a new home, they continued to hold Oktoberfest in Kenner and work out of an American Legion Hall in Metairie. The group moved in 2018 to brand-new digs on a 4.5-acre tract at 1700 Moss Street. That location previously was the site of a home for Civil War veterans, a National Guard facility and later the NOPD Third District police station.

Oktoberfest at Deutsches Haus runs for the next three weekends  on Fridays from 4 p.m. until 11 p.m. and Saturdays from 1 p.m. until 11 p.m. For more information, visit deutscheshaus.org.
Hey Blake,

With Edward Wisners name in the news because of the dispute between the mayor and City Council over Wisner Trust money, Im curious about Wisner himself. Who was he and where did he make his money?

Dear reader,

Edward Wisners obituary on the front page of the March 9, 1915, Times-Picayune called him perhaps the most important promoter of land reclamation in Louisiana and a leader in the new development of agricultural resources of the state.

Born in 1860, Wisner was a native of Athens, Michigan. In 1888, he moved to northeast Louisiana. Wisner edited a small newspaper and became active in the banking, timber and cotton industries. He eventually purchased 5,000 acres of land in northeast Louisiana. He developed the town of Wisner in Franklin Parish before losing much of his fortune in the Panic of 1896.

Clancy DuBos: City Council suit could finally fulfill Wisners beneficence City Council's lawsuit seeks to annul Cantrells inexplicable decision to give Wisners far-flung heirs millions of dollars that rightfully should go to the city.

In 1900, Wisner moved to New Orleans. At the time, the marshlands of south Louisiana were considered worthless and could almost be had for the asking, according to his obituary. Before long, Wisner had purchased 1,350,000 acres of swamp and marsh, some for as little as 12.5 cents an acre. He organized the Louisiana Meadows Company to develop the land.

Wisner died in 1915. The year before his death, he formed a trust and donated more than 50,000 acres of land to the city. (Erosion has reduced that to about 38,000 acres, including what is now much of Port Fourchon.) Money from oil leases and other royalties was dedicated to the city for charity as well as to Tulane University, Charity Hospital, the Salvation Army and Wisners heirs. The current legal wrangling is over control of the fund.

In 1917, a fountain and monument to Wisner were unveiled in West End Park, and in 1950, Wisner Boulevard was named for him. Theres also Wisner Playground on Laurel Street, which was built using money from his trust.
In most of the United States, the National Night Out Against Crime is on the first Tuesday in August. But August daily temperatures in New Orleans average 84.7 degrees, so local police decided some years ago to move their events to a cooler time of year.

This year, it's Oct. 4, so law enforcement agencies across the region are encouraging neighbors to host block parties and cookouts, or at least sit outside with porch lights on, on Tuesday night. Many of the agencies plan to send officers and equipment to the events.

+2 It's about to be another Night Out in St. Tammany Law enforcement officers across the parish will meet some neighbors for the first time and renew the acquaintenace of others during National N

To generate more interest, at least seven agencies are getting an early start, with a free public celebration Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner. Two bands, the Topcats and Karma, will play, and first responders will show off their SWAT vehicles, canine units, motorcycles and rescue equipment.

The National Night Out Against Crime began in 1984, when the National Association of Town Watch introduced it as a way to improve relations between residents and law enforcers. Over time, it has grown from small gatherings on porches to a larger demonstration of neighborhood camaraderie, the association says.

Check your local police department or Sheriff's Office for details.

Night Out Against Crime events planned by the Sheriff's Office and neighborhoods alike Neighborhoods have until Sept. 27 to either register their own Oct. 4 Night Out Against Crime events with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Off

"Programs like these empower you to take a stand against crime and to help others do the same, said Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley, who invited residents to organize their own events Tuesday night.

Gretna police said they are sponsoring an event Tuesday night at Mel Ott Park, with free food and drinks, games for kids, music by Ryan Foret and Foret Tradition and a display of police equipment.

"This will be a fun evening for you and your family and give you the opportunity to get to know your Police Department  we hope to see you there," says a post on Gretna police Facebook page.
James Madison, shown in an undated engraving, has been called the father of the U.S. Constitution. (Photo from The Associated Press archive)
UGreen has launched its new 140W PD3.1 Nexode Charger in the UK. The company claims its GaN charger, which debuted in the US earlier this year, is as fast as any other on the market. You can use the gadget to charge three devices simultaneously. With the PD3.1 fast charging protocol, you can charge a MacBook Pro 16-in to 56% in 30 minutes via a 140 W USB-C port. Other outputs on the device include 100 W USB-C and 22.5 W USB-A ports.

The Power Dispenser System intelligently optimizes the power when charging multiple devices; when all three ports are in use, the maximum outputs are 22.5 W USB-A, plus 65 W and 45 W USB-C. The device is suitable for various products, such as a MacBook, Dell XPS, iPhone, Nintendo Switch and DJI Mavic 3. The compact gadget is 22% smaller than an original Apple charger.

Thermal Guard Technology takes 800 temperature readings each second to reduce the risk of the device overheating. The gadget comes with a 1.5 m (~5 ft) 240 W PD3.1 nylon braided charging cable with a 480 Mbps data transfer speed. You can buy the UGreen Nexode 140 W charger in the UK for 149.99 (~US$167.24). On Amazon, you can currently save 10% with an in-page voucher, enabling you to purchase the charger for 134.99 (~US$150.51).
The United States imported 2.51 million tons of steel in August, down 6.2% versus July, according to preliminary U.S. Census Bureau data.

That included 2.084 million tons of finished steel that would not need to be further processed by American workers, such as those at steel companies at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor. Finished steel imports were down 8.4% from July, according to preliminary U.S. Census Bureau data.

So far this year, total steel imports are up 8.8% as compared to the same period in 2021. Finished steel imports are up 28.7% through the end of August as compared to the first eight months of last year, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.

Finished steel imports grabbed 23% of the market share in August and 24% so far this year.

In August, imports of heavy structural shapes were up 31%, sheets and strip hot dipped galvanized 29%, tin plate 21%, sheets and strip all other metallic coatings 13% and cold rolled sheets 13%, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.

Through the end of August, the largest year-over-year increases were in oil country goods by 105%, wire rods by 82%, cold rolled sheets by 59%, plates in coils by 58% and line pipe by 55%.

Last month, the largest suppliers of foreign-made steel were Canada, Mexico, South Korea and Brazil. Imports rose by 8% from Canada, 5% from Mexico and 110% from Vietnam. It fell 37% from South Korea and 30% from Brazil.

Over the last 12 months, imports are up 9% to 7 million tons from Canada, up 50% to 5.77 million tons from Mexico, down 16% to 2.98 million tons from Brazil, up 21% to 2.9 million tons from South Korea and up 160% to 1.296 million tons from Vietnam.
HAMMOND  To some, Joe Foster is known as the owner of Performance Cycle; to others, hes referenced as incredible, a machine and an outstanding mechanic.

"Super Joe Foster" earned his nickname after drag racing his motorcycles for 30 years. Hes embraced that nickname by having a successful business selling motorcycle parts for the past 48 years.

I know Joe is a pretty modest guy, but hes the single best mechanic Ive ever seen in my life, said Dan Stern, a former employee and lifelong friend of Foster.

Performance Cycle, in Hammond, has been in the same location on Calumet Avenue since it was unveiled in 1976. Foster has assisted customers across Northwest Indiana and Illinois for nearly 50 years by selling motorcycle parts, replacing them and creating customized bikes.

Foster, 75, is ready for retirement after devoting his life to motorcycles and serving thousands of customers.

I decided this year the business will be closed and the building will be sold at the end of the year, said Foster, of Cedar Lake. Ive done well in the motorcycle industry."

He noted that he doesn't have many plans during retirement aside from relaxing and watching the sunset.

Foster started his mechanics career in the 60s working on lawnmowers with his father. He was 13 years old. He transitioned to working on Triumph Motorcycles in 1966 after having a growing passion for them during his youth.

Motorcycle drag racing became an important aspect of Fosters life around the time Performance Cycle opened. He said hed frequently race at Old US 30 Drag Strip in Hobart, Great Lakes Dragaway in Wisconsin and Byron Dragaway in Illinois.

I have a very vivid memory of walking through Joes store and right to the left would be three to four full-on, laydown drag bikes. I was a big drag racing fan and going to races regularly, Stern said. Seeing these drag racing motorcycles when going to buy parts from Joe was very intriguing to me.

At the peak of his drag racing career, Foster would race upward of three times per week. During this time, motorcycles were allowed to race against cars for larger monetary incentives, which he normally did.

In 1983, Foster was sent to the National Hot Rod Association U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis by the Great Lakes Dragaways owner to compete in a race. Although he didnt win the race, his bike was declared the best engineered and best appearance for the race, Stern said.

This had never been done before, a motorcycle had never been given that honor, said Stern, who now lives in California. He was dominant in drag racing. Joe was incredible, a real machine.

By the mid-80s, Foster said the demand for customizing bikes had tapered off. The customization for creating a bike used to be easier, but now can be dangerous, he added.

Those customized bikes now look good, but handle terrible, Foster said. If I could tell anyone what to do, Id tell them to leave their bikes as stock.

After customization slowed down, Foster transitioned to solely selling parts and replacing parts if a customer needed assistance. To this day, his shop sells all of the necessities for Japanese motorcycle brands including Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki.

Some of the main parts sold are tires, rims, oil and inner tubes, Foster said. He also has a variety of leather jackets and gloves for riders.

Over the past 48 years, Performance Cycle has never had an in-store computer or paid advertisements. Fosters customer base has all been from word of mouth.

What launched me going into retail was all those years of seeing Joe, and his ability to draw people in and make them a loyal customer, said Stern, who formerly owned a Harley Davidson dealership in California. He always knew the stores inventory in his head, too.

Malcolm Gladwells book Outliers said talented people become experts in their given field after devoting 10,000 hours of work, Yvonne Foster said. She said her husband has spent over 10 times that amount of time becoming an expert with motorcycles.

You may look at Joe and see a tough-looking, cigar-smoking 75-year-old man, said Yvonne Foster, his wife of over 20 years. But what youre looking at is the determination to serve his customer base, who is now bringing their grandchildren in to purchase parts for their motorcycles.

Foster still rides around the Region in one of his three motorcycles, most recently in the Victory for Veterans Memorial Ride at Wicker Park. Although retirement is near, he doesn't plan to hang up his leather jacket and quit taking joyrides anytime soon.
Birding, fall foliage and photo ops abound at the Indiana Dunes this fall.

The Indiana Dunes National Park is hosting upcoming hikes and a digital photography class.

A birding expert from the Dunes-Calumet Audubon Society will lead a migration birding hike from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sunday. Anyone interested should meet at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center at 1215 North State Road 49 in Chesterton and bring binoculars.

A National Park Service ranger will lead a hike on the Dune Ridge Trail in Beverly Shores from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 8 and 22. Hikers can "enjoy the sweeping views of the Great Marsh from the top of the dune ridge and admire the leaves as they transition to their fall colors," according to the National Park Service press release.

The meetup spot for both hikes is the Kemil Beach parking lot on East State Park Road, one mile north of U.S. Highway 12 in Beverly Shores.

National Park volunteer Ron Seman and the Duneland Photography Club also will host a smartphone photography class from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 15 at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center auditorium.

A half-hour-long introductory lesson will cover the property use of light and motion and how to frame and focus shots. It will be followed by an hour-and-a-half-long photography hike around the Visitor Center.

Anyone interested should bring their smartphone and make sure it's fully charged.

For more information, call 219-395-1882 or visit nps.gov/indu.
Nicole Hipp discovered what seemed like an abnormality while she was breastfeeding her baby son.

She quickly made an appointment with her doctor and was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer.

Hipp underwent surgery, chemo and radiation therapy to battle the disease.

She's a fighter.

During treatment, she lost her family home in Burns Harbor to fire. Twice.

Her prematurely born son was rushed to a Chicago hospital and placed on life support because of a respiratory virus.

"It was a long, treacherous travel we had to go through," she said.

Hipp, 39, a mother of five and a 12-year cancer survivor, was one of 12 area women honored as the 2023 calendar honorees at the 21st annual Pink Ribbon Society Survivors' Celebration luncheon last week.

A friend, who nominated Hipp to be a calendar nominee, describes her as a strong, positive, intelligent and beautiful woman. Having cancer left behind scars, but it did not define or defeat her."

It is for cancer survivors like Hipp that Ann M. Peters, president and founder of the Pink Ribbon Society, holds the annual luncheon.

Saluting survivors

"Twelve amazing role models were recognized in the 21st Breast Cancer Awareness Calendar, ranging in survivorship from three to 18 years. Survivors included professionals and homemakers who share the experience from diagnosis to surgery to treatment," Peters said.

The Pink Ribbon Society, founded in 2001 by Peters, is dedicated to supporting the men and women in Lake, Porter, Jasper and Newton counties whose lives have been touched by breast cancer.

Peters, who herself was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1977, said the mission of her organization is to reduce the number of breast cancer diagnoses by spreading the word about prevention and pushing for regular checkups and mammograms.

"We pray that someday soon there will be a cure for breast cancer," Peters said.

Peters said that when she was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer, she was only 33 years old with three young children.

There was no history of breast cancer in her family, so statistically, her odds of getting breast cancer were low.

"If I didn't go to a doctor when I did, and had he not insisted I had a problem, I wouldn't be here today," she said.

The one-year chemotherapy treatments Peters underwent and the surgery were all well worth it, she said.

"Best of all, I'm a grandmother of four beautiful grandchildren, and I turned 79 this year and celebrated my 54th wedding anniversary," she said.

"I don't know why I'm here. I share these facts because this is what happens if you pay attention. Early detection saves lives."

Crystal Bixenman, of Hobart, who was named Ms. January on the calendar, was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago after she found a puckering under her armpit.

Bixenman, who had been traveling in Texas, went to her doctor immediately upon returning home to Northwest Indiana.

"She (Dr. Mary Nicholson) knew right away and immediately put me at ease," Bixenman said.

Still, Bixenman had fears throughout the process, so she used social media app Snapchat to make funny photos of herself.

"I was afraid, so I would make silly pictures to make myself laugh," Bixenman said.

She also wrote a book, filled with hope and humor, about her breast cancer journey. It's called "Breast Cancer is a Bad Mammajamma but No Match for the Princess Warrior Within You."

Lisa Kavanaugh, who was named Ms. March, said she discovered a lump while shaving under her arms.

Kavanaugh, a former cardiac nurse caring for hospital patients, is a three-year survivor.

When going through her own cancer battle, Kavanaugh's fiance was diagnosed with cancer and facing his own issues.

"My fiance was fighting cancer and passed away," she said.

Kavanaugh, 52, of Munster, stresses positivity when facing cancer.

"Being positive will fight the disease," Kavanaugh said.

Since its inception, the Pink Ribbon Society has made it a priority to give back to the local community through various support programs. Pink Ribbon Society has returned over $750,000 to both individuals and other organizations who share passion and commitment to support men and women in our communities, Peters said.

Some of the Pink Ribbon Society programs include:

NorthShore Health Systems  United Health Services Breast Health Programs

Its Breast Health Program helps to underwrite the cost of mammograms and ultrasounds as well as routine screenings for those who are unemployed, uninsured, underinsured or simply don't have the means for which to pay for these life-saving tests.

This year alone, Pink Ribbon Society has granted over $31,000 to help fund their breast programs.

Pink Ribbon Wig Reimbursement Program

In 2007, Pink Ribbon Society established a wig reimbursement program to help underwrite the cost of wigs for those who lose their hair during treatment. To date, Pink Ribbon Society has underwritten over $111,000 or 750 wigs.

Pink Compression Program

This is one of the newest programs, and under it, Pink Ribbon Society will reimburse patients up to $75,000 for compression sleeves for those experiencing lymphedema after undergoing a mastectomy.

Pink Pockets Program

Pink Ribbon Society offers the pink pockets program to several of the local hospitals.

When patients are sent home from the hospital following a mastectomy, they are sent home with drains to catch the fluid from the surgical site.

Indiana Women in Need (IWIN)

This organization helps provide pre-paid services to patients going through cancer treatments. These services include childcare, housekeeping, lawn service, massage therapy, transportation costs, and much more.

For more information about the Pink Ribbon Society, go to pinkribbonsociety.org.
INDIANAPOLIS  U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn was at a conference in Hungary when a coup detat toppled Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the summer of 1991. A Soviet contact called him. Youve got to get over here, Nunn was told. Big things are happening; great opportunities and huge dangers.

Once in Moscow, Nunn would spend half a day milling around the Russian White House where Boris Yeltsin had made his stand. In the Duma, Nunn sat for two days in the gallery and watched the debate which would bring about the collapse of the Soviet Union, a stunning turn of events that, literally, no one saw coming.

I combined that with having been so involved with the Vietnam War and knowing what happened when a country lost a war, Nunn explained to me during a 2007 interview in Yekaterinburg during a congressional delegation with Sen. Richard Lugar. I saw that Russia was unraveling and multiplied it by 100 because we lost one conflict that was devastating to our psyche and military.

Today, Nunn is co-chair of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a private organization working to reduce nuclear and biological threats. He partnered with the late Sen. Richard Lugar to create the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, which would eventually secure and eliminate thousands of Russian nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.

On Monday, I interviewed Nunn in a week where Putin had a series of humiliations on the battlefield and received only tepid backing from Chinese President Xi. Indian President Modi lectured him on ending the war. And 18 local officials from Moscow and St. Petersburg had called on him to resign.

We, municipal deputies of Russia, believe that the actions of its President Vladimir Putin are harmful to the future of Russia and its citizens, the public statement said. We demand Vladimir Putins resignation from the post of the President of the Russian Federation!

Is Nunn witnessing history potentially repeating? Could Putin face a similar fate as Gorbachev, or worse?

Were in the most dangerous period weve been in since the breakup of the Soviet Union, Nunn said, comparing it to the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. We have the threat of escalation, we have the threat of Russia bombing supply lines which would involve Poland and NATO. We have the increased dangers of cyber interference to command and control, (and) warning systems leading to blunder. The Russian invasion makes that all more likely. As you mention, we have the added danger of turning a nuclear power plant into a military base.

It is a very dangerous time, Nunn said.

Recently, in a delayed and prerecorded address to the Russian people, Putin issued a threat that, while aimed at a domestic audience, jangled nerves in the West while announcing a 300,000 man mobilization  Russias first since World War II.

To those who allow themselves such statements regarding Russia, I want to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction, Putin said. We will certainly use all the means at our disposal ... Its not a bluff.

If there is to be a change of regime in Russia, it will most likely come in the form of a military coup, analyst of Russian politics Vladimir Juskin told ERR, adding, Russia is peculiar in that everything happens at a moments notice. And it can happen as an uprising, when the people no longer have food, or as a military coup, when the army sees it is being turned into the scapegoat and refuses to go along.

New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman described a potential cascading collapse in the Russian military that mirrors Ernest Hemingways description of bankruptcy  first slowly and then quickly.

Konrad Muzyka, a defense analyst for Rochan Consulting, told the New York Times of collapsing Russian morale, It is no longer science fiction to think that the war will end in a matter of weeks, months, and not years.

New York Times Paris bureau chief Roger Cohen adds, Mr. Putin cornered is Mr. Putin at his most dangerous. That was one of the core lessons of his hardscrabble youth that he took from the furious reaction of a rat he cornered on a stairwell in what was then Leningrad. His speech at once inverted a war of aggression against a neighbor into a defense of the motherland, a theme that resonates with Russians.

And then there is President Putins threat of using nuclear weapons, something Nunn now calls the Putin Doctrine.

The theory of nuclear deterrence of the past made this type of intervention less likely, Nunn said. In the case of the Putin doctrine, if one makes both nuclear and conventional war, I think its a reckless addition to the previous theories of deterrence.

Barbara Tuchman wrote a book called The Guns of August and she wrote another book called The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam, which wasnt as well known at the first one, but basically had 10 chapters of some of the worst decisions by leaders in the history that led to very serious disasters, Nunn said. I think if she were alive today she would write another chapter on Putins decision to invade Ukraine. I clearly think it is a march of folly. Hes made some very, very bad mistakes that are tragic for Ukraine, tragic for Europe, and extremely reckless and dangerous in terms of possible escalation.
WikiLeaks encouraged Guccifer 2.0, the online persona of the Russian operatives, to provide it with the Democratic documents because it would have a much higher impact, according to court papers.

Whether anyone connected with the Trump campaign worked with Mr. Assange or others to carry out Russias scheme to interfere in the 2016 presidential race is at the heart of Mr. Muellers inquiry.

So far, no evidence has publicly emerged that anyone in the Trump campaign conspired with Moscows disruption, and Mr. Trump has repeatedly denied any collusion with Russia. But the special counsels office continues to summon witnesses before a federal grand jury, asking about interactions between allies of Mr. Trump and Mr. Assange through intermediaries or other means.

What has become abundantly clear since the election is that various associates of Mr. Trumps tried their best to figure out what information Mr. Assange possessed, how it might harm the Clinton campaign and when he planned to release it.

About a month before the election, for instance, Donald Trump Jr., a key adviser to his father, sent WikiLeaks a private message on Twitter asking about speculation that Mr. Assange planned to soon release documents that would prove devastating to Mrs. Clinton. Whats behind this Wed leak I keep reading about? he asked. He has said he got no response and never corresponded with WikiLeaks again.

Charges against Mr. Assange would be a big step, said Joshua Geltzer, a former official in the Justice Departments national security division. But, he added, the precise nature of the charges may not be known until Mr. Assange is in the custody of American officials. Mr. Assange has lived in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London since 2012, forced there as he sought refuge from Swedish prosecutors who pursued him on charges of sexual abuse.

The government has certainly been concerned about and looking at Assange for a long time, Mr. Geltzer said. Ultimately, the stakes are high in this one, given the complexities of the case, and the government must be prepared for that going in.
Since its founding in 1966, Bottega Veneta has been producing leather goods in the small northern Italian city of Vicenza, where artisans make handcrafted bags and other accessories using a centuries-old technique called intrecciato, weaving strips of leather into a tightly crosshatched pattern. Refined yet durable, the interlocking motif came to signify discreet luxury. In 2001, when the German designer Tomas Maier arrived as the brands creative director, the fashion industry was at the height of It bag mania and the accompanying obsession with monograms, flashy hardware and other embellishments. But Maier was determined to protect Bottegas bags from trends. Shortly after his appointment, he came across a rounded box clutch circa 1978 in the archives and decided to make it his own, swapping out its rectangular clasp for one shaped like a nautical rope and naming the curvy pochette Knot. Since spring 2002, most seasons have included iterations of the clutch, which has been reimagined in an array of materials, colors and sizes.

Last November, Matthieu Blazy, who had been overseeing ready-to-wear at Bottega since 2020, took over as artistic director. For his fall 2022 debut, the 38-year-old designer  a French and Belgian national who previously worked at Calvin Klein, Celine and Maison Margiela  took inspiration from Umberto Boccionis 1913 Futurist sculpture Unique Forms of Continuity in Space. Bottega Veneta is, in essence, pragmatic, Blazy said in the show notes. Because it specializes in bags, it is about movement ... there is fundamentally an idea of craft in motion. Not surprisingly, intrecciato showed up in many of Blazys creations, including over-the-knee boots, miniskirts, bucket totes, chunky belts and driving loafers  and, notably, his reinterpretation of that now-iconic clutch. Blazys foulard Knot is composed of interwoven strips of paper-thin calf leather, with a slightly softer silhouette than the original and a twisted, brass-toned clasp. The hypertextured bag, which comes in onyx and bone, is unmistakably Bottega  synonymous, said Blazy, with style over fashion in its timelessness.

Photo assistant: Nathaniel Jerome. Set designers assistant: Sam Salisbury
Tristan Stout, 22, surveying the damage to his fathers boat after it was moved across the street on San Carlos Island in Fort Myers Beach.

FORT MYERS, Fla.  As Hurricane Ian charged toward the western coast of Florida this week, the warnings from forecasters were growing more urgent. Life-threatening storm surge threatened to deluge the region from Tampa all the way to Fort Myers.

But while officials along much of that coastline responded with orders to evacuate on Monday, emergency managers in Lee County held off, pondering during the day whether to tell people to flee, but then deciding to see how the forecast evolved overnight.

Lee County Announced Evacuation Orders After Other Coastal Counties In the days before Hurricane Ian made landfall, forecasters predicted significant storm surge along Floridas coast. Despite the warnings, officials in Lee County waited a day later than other coastal counties to announce evacuation orders. Monday, 8 a.m. forecast Tuesday, 8 a.m. forecast 2-4 ft. FLA. FLA. 2-4 ft. 1-3 ft. Other coastal counties 5-8 ft. Peak storm surge forecast Actual path Actual path 5-10 ft. 5-8 ft. Possible track area LEE CO. LEE CO. 4-7 ft. Forecast path Forecast path 4-7 ft. 3-5 ft. 3-5 ft. 2-4 ft. 2-4 ft. Monday, 8 a.m. forecast Tuesday, 8 a.m. forecast 2-4 ft. FLORIDA 2-4 ft. 1-3 ft. FLORIDA 5-8 ft. Other coastal counties Peak storm surge forecast Actual path Actual path 5-8 ft. Possible track area 5-10 ft. LEE CO. LEE CO. 4-7 ft. Forecast path Forecast path 4-7 ft. 3-5 ft. 3-5 ft. 2-4 ft. 2-4 ft. Monday, 8 a.m. forecast FLA. Other coastal counties Actual path Peak storm surge forecast 5-8 ft. LEE CO. 4-7 ft. Forecast path 3-5 ft. Possible track area 2-4 ft. Tuesday, 8 a.m. forecast 2-4 ft. FLA. 2-4 ft. 1-3 ft. 5-8 ft. Actual path 5-10 ft. LEE CO. Forecast path 4-7 ft. 3-5 ft. 2-4 ft.

The delay, an apparent violation of the meticulous evacuation strategy the county had crafted for just such an emergency, may have contributed to catastrophic consequences that are still coming into focus as the death toll continues to climb.

Dozens have died overall in the state, officials said, as Ian, downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone, moved through North Carolina and Virginia on Saturday, at one point leaving nearly 400,000 electricity customers in those states without power.

About 35 of Floridas storm-related deaths have been identified in Lee County, the highest toll anywhere in the state, as survivors describe the sudden surge of water  predicted as a possibility by the National Hurricane Service in the days before the storm hit  that sent some of them scrambling for safety in attics and on rooftops.

Image Destruction on San Carlos Island after Hurricane Ian tore through the area. Credit... Johnny Milano for The New York Times

Lee County, which includes the hard-hit seaside community of Fort Myers Beach, as well as the towns of Fort Myers, Sanibel and Cape Coral, did not issue a mandatory evacuation order for the areas likely to be hardest hit until Tuesday morning, a day after several neighboring counties had ordered their most vulnerable residents to flee.

By then, some residents recalled that they had little time to evacuate. Dana Ferguson, 33, a medical assistant in Fort Myers, said she had been at work when the first text message appeared on her phone Tuesday morning. By the time she arrived home, it was too late to find anywhere to go, so she hunkered down with her husband and three children to wait as a wall of water began surging through areas of Fort Myers, including some that were well away from the coastline.

I felt there wasnt enough time, she said.

Ms. Ferguson said she and her family fled to the second floor, lugging a generator and dry food, as the water rose through their living room. The 6-year-old was in tears.

Kevin Ruane, a Lee County commissioner and a former mayor of Sanibel, said the county had postponed ordering an extensive evacuation because the earlier hurricane modeling had shown the storm heading farther north.

I think we responded as quickly as we humanly could have, he said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and his state emergency management director also said the earlier forecasts had predicted the brunt of the storms fury would strike farther north.

There is a difference between a storm thats going to hit north Florida that will have peripheral effects on your region, versus one thats making a direct impact, Mr. DeSantis said at a news conference on Friday in Lee County. And so what I saw in southwest Florida is, as the data changed, they sprung into action.

But while the track of Hurricane Ian did shift closer to Lee County in the days before it made landfall, the surge risks the county faced  even with the more northerly track  were becoming apparent as early as Sunday night.

Image Diana Kauth, 65, was helped off a rescue rig by the Florida Forest Service after she rode out Hurricane Ian in her neighbors two-story home on San Carlos Island. Credit... Jason Andrew for The New York Times

At that point, the National Hurricane Center produced modeling showing a chance of a storm surge covering much of Cape Coral and Fort Myers. Parts of Fort Myers Beach, even in that case, had a 40 percent chance of a six-foot-high storm surge, according to the surge forecasts.

Lee Countys emergency planning documents had set out a time-is-of-the-essence strategy, noting that the regions large population and limited road system make it difficult to evacuate the county swiftly. Over years of work, the county has created a phased approach that expands the scope of evacuations in proportion to the certainty of risk. Severe events may require decisions with little solid information, the documents say.

The countys plan proposes an initial evacuation if there is even a 10 percent chance that a storm surge will go six feet above ground level; based on a sliding scale, the plan also calls for an evacuation if there is a 60 percent chance of a three-foot storm surge.

Along with the forecasts on Sunday night, updated forecasts on Monday warned that many areas of Cape Coral and Fort Myers had between a 10 and a 40 percent chance of a storm surge above six feet, with some areas possibly seeing a surge of more than nine feet.

Over those Monday hours, neighboring Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties issued evacuation orders, while Sarasota County announced that it expected evacuation orders to be in effect for the following morning. In Lee County, however, officials said they were waiting to make a more up-to-date assessment the following morning.

Image A woman riding her bike past a Chevron One Stop station that was destroyed during Hurricane Ian. Credit... Jason Andrew for The New York Times

Once we have a better grasp on all of that dynamic, we will have a better understanding about what areas we may call for evacuation, and, at the same time, a determination of what shelters will be open, the Lee County Manager, Roger Desjarlais, said on Monday afternoon.

But forecasters with the National Hurricane Center were growing more explicit in their warnings for the region. In a 5 p.m. update on Monday, they wrote that the highest risk for life-threatening storm surge was in the area from Fort Myers to Tampa Bay.

Residents in these areas should listen to advice given by local officials, the hurricane center wrote. New modeling showed that some areas along Fort Myers Beach were more likely than not to see a six-foot surge.

Mr. Ruane, the county commissioner, said that one challenge the county faced was that the local schools had been designed to be shelters and that the school board had made the decision to keep them open on Monday.

By the following morning, at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Mr. Desjarlais announced a partial evacuation order but emphasized that the areas being evacuated are small compared with a previous hurricane evacuation.

The county held off on further evacuations, despite a forecast that showed potential surge into areas not covered by the order. Officials expanded their evacuation order later in the morning.

By the middle of the afternoon, Lee County officials were more urgent in their recommendation: The time to evacuate is now, and the window is closing, they wrote in a message on Facebook.

Image Pete Neelon, a resident of Lee County for more than a decade, pointing to where the water level rose past his headboard on San Carlos Island. Credit... Johnny Milano for The New York Times

Katherine Morong, 32, said she had been prepared earlier in the week to hunker down and ride out the storm based on the guidance from local officials. The sudden evacuation order on Tuesday morning left her scrambling, she said, as she set out in her car in the rain.

The county could have been more proactive and could have given us more time to evacuate, she said. On the road toward the east side of the state, she said, she was driving through torrents of rain, with tornadoes nearby.

Joe Brosseau, 65, said he did not receive any evacuation notice. As the storm surge began pouring in on Wednesday morning, he said, he considered evacuating but realized it was too late.

He climbed up a ladder with his 70-year-old wife and dog to reach a crawl space in his garage. He brought tools in case he needed to break through the roof to escape.

It was terrifying, Mr. Brosseau said. It was the absolute scariest thing. Trying to get that dog and my wife up a ladder to the crawl space. And then to spend six hours there.

Some residents said they had seen the forecasts but decided to remain at home anyway  veterans of many past storms with dire predictions that had not come to pass.

People were made aware, they were told about the dangers and some people just made the decision that they did not want to leave, Mr. DeSantis said on Friday.

Joe Santini, a retired physicians assistant, said he would not have fled his home even if there had been an evacuation order issued well before the storm. He said that he had lived in the Fort Myers area most of his life, and that he would not know where else to go.

Ive stuck around for every other one, he said.

The water rushed into his home around dusk on Wednesday night, and on Friday, there was still a high-water mark about a foot above the floor  leaving Mr. Santini a little stunned. I dont think its ever surged as high as it did, he said.

Lee County is now an epicenter of devastation, with mass destruction at Fort Myers Beach, the partial collapse of the Sanibel Causeway and entire neighborhoods reduced to rubble. With water mains broken, the county utilities agency has advised residents to boil their water.

President Biden said on Friday that the destruction from the storm was likely to be among the worst in U.S. history.

Its going to take months, years to rebuild, he said.

Lauren Sweeney , Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs and Mitch Smith contributed reporting. Kirsten Noyes contributed research.
Russias retreat from Lyman on Saturday leaves its troops in the countrys east in an increasingly perilous position.

The battle for the town was a continuation of Ukraines northeastern offensive in September, which routed Russian forces from cities, towns and dozens of villages and recaptured more than a thousand square miles of territory in the Kharkiv region. The lightning victory there severed most supply lines to Lyman, where Russian forces relied on a north-south rail line that is now mostly under Ukrainian control.

With a prewar population of around 20,000 people, Lyman sits on the northeastern banks of the Siversky Donets, a meandering river that has served as a natural division between Russian and Ukrainian front lines since Russian forces captured the city in May.

Now that Ukrainian forces have retaken the city, they will have a solid foothold on the northeastern side of the river that they can use to advance farther east, applying pressure on the Russian front lines that formed following their recent defeats around Kharkiv.
OPEC Plus, the oil producers group, is considering announcing a major cut in production when it meets on Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the thinking of Saudi Arabia, the groups de facto leader. Such a move, which analysts say is widely expected, would be a blow to the Biden administration, after it lobbied the Saudis to increase output.

A cut would also mark a major turnaround in policy for OPEC Plus, which includes Russia. Since the group slashed oil production in early 2020 when demand collapsed because of the coronavirus pandemic, the producers have announced a series of steady monthly increases, though they have generally not met those goals.

Analysts say that the Saudis appear determined to bring oil prices up to about $90 a barrel. Oil prices, about $85 a barrel on Friday for Brent crude, the international benchmark, have fallen by roughly a quarter since their June high.

Oil prices in Europe and the United States rose 4 percent on Monday.

We certainly see a significant chance that the producer group will opt for a substantial cut to try to signal that there is indeed an effective circuit breaker in the market, Helima Croft, head of commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets, an investment bank, said last week. Ms. Croft estimated that the group was considering announcing a cut of 500,000 to one million barrels a day, roughly 1 percent of the global supply.
Maybe they share maleficent chuckles recalling how he rebuffed questions at his confirmation hearing in 1991 over the allegations that he sexually harassed Anita Hill, calling it, absurdly, a high-tech lynching, or how Ms. Thomas in 2010 left a voice mail message for Hill, demanding that she apologize to her husband.

According to The Times, the message was: Good morning, Anita Hill. Its Ginni Thomas. I just wanted to reach across the airwaves and the years and ask you to consider something. I would love you to consider an apology sometime and some full explanation of why you did what you did with my husband.

What?! Maam, if you dont stop playing on that ladys phone!

The ask was brazen. It was disrespectful. It was delusional. But thats Ginni Thomas.

Sure, maybe the woman with the audacity to call her husbands accuser and ask that person to apologize to the man she says abused her is too bashful at home to raise her most recent antics with her husband. But it seems unlikely; for years, journalists have documented how close and forthright Justice and Ms. Thomas are with each other. As early as 1991, the year he was confirmed, one of his longtime friends, Evan Kemp, told The Washington Post that she was the one person he really listened to.

In the same article, one of Ms. Thomass aunts is quoted as saying Justice Thomas was so nice, we forgot he was Black. She added, And he treated her so well, all of his other qualities made up for his being Black.

Can you imagine? How must it feel to marry into a family where people think of your Blackness as a weight on the wrong side of the scales and you have to achieve at the highest level to balance it out? Of course, Justice Thomas may not object to that characterization. But he and his wife may still spend their quiet time unpacking it.

Ms. Thomas is not a minor player and outside agitator. She is connected and influential. According to The Times, she led a group of hard-right activists in a White House meeting with Trump where members of the group denounced transgender people and women serving in the military.
To the Editor:

Re Entitled to Free Treatment but Hounded by Hospitals (Profits Over Patients series, front page, Sept. 25):

Aggressive debt collection from patients is both a symptom and a perpetuator of the core problem with our health care system, which is that the current financial incentives are misaligned with the goal of providing high-quality, cost-effective care to all Americans.

When patients do not return for follow-up care because they are afraid of incurring further bills, or do not take their medication because their debt burden makes it unaffordable, they end up back in the hospital with serious and sometimes life-altering conditions that could have been prevented. This is an indignity to patients who stand to lose their quality of life and ability to provide for themselves. It is also a key driver of health care costs.

Still, many hospitals face real pressure to maximize revenue to keep their doors open. A narrow focus on greedy behavior by hospitals belies the reality that our nations health care system is designed to promote this conduct, and sometimes necessitates it. We must change the system to incentivize collective health promotion and cost reduction over individual revenue generation.

Bevin Cohen

Brooklyn

The writer is the director of the Center for Nursing Research and Innovation at Mount Sinai and an associate professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
I will never forget my first Yom Kippur in that sanctuary. It was a daunting task at times: Serving the thousands of post-Soviet Jews coming to shul, most of whom had no knowledge of Hebrew and therefore could not follow the prayers and couldnt pray. As a result, people came in for a short time to meditate quietly, independent of the communal prayer, and then strike up a conversation with a neighbor or just read a book or newspaper. I would pause the prayers at certain intervals to explain the liturgy, and then read the prayer word by word. As the years passed, the congregation changed, with more and more community members able to participate and lead.

It is painful to imagine reciting the closing climactic prayers far from my community. Even in my early years there, even when few knew the prayers, we used to shout the final words of the service in unison. It was the sound of a community of survivors  survivors of Communism, antisemitism, the obsessive machine that sought to destroy their identities. And yet, there we were.

This year, I will divide my time between a few Jerusalem synagogues. Here, and across other cities of Israel, I meet new Jewish emigres from Russia, the tens of thousands of fellow Jews who have fled since the start of the war. We reminisce about our pasts, and look ahead to our future.

It is strange to feel in exile in Jerusalem, in the Jewish ancestral land  but home is strange like that. Over the centuries, rabbis used to sign their names on documents, not as a rabbi of a certain city, but rather as a temporary dweller of that city. The role of a religious leader is not only to be a pastoral guide, not only to answer questions and lead services and give sermons, the beautiful and glorious moments that fill one with meaning, a sense of purpose and awe. Those are, so to speak, the easy parts of the rabbinate.

The hardest task of religious leadership is to take moral stances in difficult times, no matter the cost.

And this is perhaps what the shofar, the rams horn that Jews blow on the High Holy Days, represents. According to the Bible, the shofar blow is the sound of freedom. It was historically blown at the beginning of the jubilee year  the year that freed all slaves and returned all sold ancestral property. The sound of the shofar blow is meant to remind us of both freedom and equality.

When we blow that shofar this year, let us remember how a peaceful world must rely on the fundamentals of liberty and life, not only for individuals but also among nations. For so long, we had assumed these qualities were a given in Western society  until they no longer were.
Chief Justice Roberts, whose middle-ground approach in the abortion decision attracted not a single colleagues vote, said the courts role in the constitutional structure must be respected.

If the court doesnt retain its legitimate function of interpreting the Constitution, Im not sure who would take up that mantle, he said. You dont want the political branches telling you what the law is, and you dont want public opinion to be the guide of what the appropriate decision is.

David A. Strauss, a law professor at the University of Chicago, said the chief justices failed effort to broker a compromise in the abortion case presented him with an opportunity.

The reaction to Dobbs would give the chief justice a chance to tell his conservative colleagues I told you so  when you go too far, too fast, people will see the court as nothing more than the judicial wing of the conservative political movement, Professor Strauss said. But I doubt his colleagues would listen.

Justice Elena Kagan, part of the courts three-member liberal wing, spoke frequently over the summer, if in general terms, about ways courts can undermine their own authority.

That could happen, she said in New York in September, when it looks as if judges are an extension of the political process or when theyre imposing their own personal preferences, adding that the public has a right to expect that changes in personnel dont send the entire legal system up for grabs.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, another liberal, has echoed the point.

The court has near-total power to decide which cases it will hear, and it often uses that discretion to resolve disputes among lower courts. The court agreed to hear many of the major cases in the coming term despite a lack of such conflicts, an indication that the new majority is pursuing an agenda and setting the pace of change.
It was her granddaughters cousin, Hance Walters. He lived nearby and had heard she was in trouble.

Mr. Walters, 28, standing in waist-deep water, instructed two of his friends to go to his house and fetch canoes. Ms. Bishop waded to her back porch and snatched inner tubes and rafts to help bring her brothers outside. There, they were hoisted into the canoes.

Russells floating wheelchair was tossed in as well, although parts were missing. Ms. Bishop grabbed a laundry basket and loaded it with medication, birth certificates, health records. She put her dog on a raft and tied the house door shut with an electrical cord from a vacuum before pushing herself away. Outside, the wind kept knocking her over. She saw that water had nearly reached the top of the garage, the cars drowned inside. It seemed to take forever to get to a dry patch, to finally be driven to her anxious daughter.

By Sunday, rescue crews in Florida were still searching for residents who needed to be ferried to safety. They also had the grim task of looking for the bodies of those who drowned in homes and cars. In some parts where rivers and streams continued to rise, people were urged to evacuate.

When Ms. Bishop tells the story of her escape, she sobs at the part where she could not leave her brothers.

She is not sure about the future they face. The house will need to be demolished. The flood insurance company informed her that recouping her losses requires taking a photo of each ruined item and writing down its description. It is an unimaginable undertaking.
DAKAR, Senegal  The army officer who seized power over Burkina Faso in a coup in January conceded on Sunday that he too had been ousted by mutinying soldiers, capping two days of unrest and plunging the West African country again into uncertainty about its political future.

Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who has led the junta ruling the country since the January coup, officially resigned on Sunday after the military assured his security, according to a statement released by religious and community leaders acting as mediators.

The resignation appeared to end two days of tensions in the capital, Ouagadougou, between factions loyal to Colonel Damiba and the man who has now replaced him, Capt. Ibrahim Traore.

Captain Traore was designated as president until a transitional leader could be named, according to a statement read on national television. No timeline was provided.
In its four years in office, the government of the premier, Francois Legault, has banned the wearing of religious symbols like the Muslim veil in some public areas and has further restricted the use of English. In his campaign for the election, Mr. Legault has doubled down on the issue of immigration, describing it as a threat to Quebec society  a stance at odds with that of the federal government, which is planning to increase immigration sharply over the next few years.

The position is also at odds with the stance of Montreal, the multicultural city where the premiers popularity is comparatively weak.

With this electoral strategy, Mr. Legault is deepening the divide between Montreal and the rest of Quebec, said Gerard Bouchard, a historian and sociologist who is a leading intellectual in the province. The result of this strategy is to marginalize immigrants and ethnic minorities who are concentrated in Montreal.

A spokesman for Mr. Legault declined a request for an interview.
Aerial footage of a road next to the coast. Many buildings along the road are destroyed and wreckage is piled in several places.

Aerial footage of a road next to the coast. Many buildings along the road are destroyed and wreckage is piled in several places.

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla.  This barrier island on the southwestern coast of Florida sustained extensive damage when Hurricane Ian made landfall on Wednesday just 22 miles to the north.

Debris littered the beaches, boats washed ashore and some buildings vanished completely. Smaller buildings were carried away by floodwaters and deposited elsewhere. Some buildings remained standing, but their entire first floors were destroyed.

In a survey of photographs and videos from the northern half of the island, The Times identified nearly 400 buildings, shown on the map below, that were visibly destroyed or severely damaged.

A map of Fort Myers Beach showing visibly destroyed or severely damaged structures after Hurricane Ian struck the island. Buildings visibly destroyed or severely damaged 1,000 ft Ians path Fla. Fort Myers Beach ESTERO BLVD. Matanzas Pass Shops and restaurants swept away. Shopping center with damaged roof. Beachfront shops and homes destroyed. FORT MYERS BEACH GULF OF MEXICO ESTERO BLVD. Mobile homes strewn in heaps. Beachfront homes swept away. Matanzas Pass 1,000 ft Ians path Fla. Fort Myers Beach ESTERO BLVD. Matanzas Pass SAN CARLOS ISLAND Shops and restaurants swept away. Shopping center with damaged roof. Beachfront shops and homes destroyed. FORT MYERS BEACH GULF OF MEXICO ESTERO BLVD. Mobile homes strewn in heaps. Beachfront homes swept away. Matanzas Pass SAN CARLOS ISLAND Ians path Fla. ESTERO BAY PRESERVE STATE PARK Fort Myers Beach Shopping center with damaged roof. FORT MYERS BEACH Matanzas Pass Matanzas Pass ESTERO BLVD. ESTERO BLVD. GULF OF MEXICO Beachfront shops and homes destroyed. Shops and restaurants swept away. Mobile homes strewn in heaps. Beachfront homes swept away. 1,000 ft SAN CARLOS ISLAND Ians path Fla. ESTERO BAY PRESERVE STATE PARK Fort Myers Beach Shopping center with damaged roof. Matanzas Pass FORT MYERS BEACH Matanzas Pass Bowditch Point Park ESTERO BLVD. ESTERO BLVD. Mobile homes strewn in heaps. Shops and restaurants swept away. Beachfront shops and homes destroyed. Beachfront homes swept away. GULF OF MEXICO 1,000 ft Sources: Damage assessments were based on a survey of available photos and video as of Friday and are not comprehensive. Building footprints from Lee County GIS department. The New York Times

The damage identified above is just a fraction of the destruction wrought by the storm across all of Fort Myers Beach and the swath of the central Florida coast that was ripped apart by Hurricane Ian. But it provides a window into the devastating power of the storm.

Ray Murphy, the mayor of Fort Myers Beach, shared a video message on Friday from the beach amid the wreckage: We took a real bad shot. A real hard hit. Theres a lot of devastation down here.

Many of the bayside homes north of Estero Boulevard, the islands main thoroughfare, appeared mostly intact, but at least two mobile home communities had been wiped out.

northern half of Fort Myers Beach 2 1

Gulf of Mexico 1 Larger buildings were still standing. ESTERO BLVD. Smaller buildings were swept away. MATANZAS CT. Gulf of Mexico 1 Larger buildings were still standing. ESTERO BLVD. Smaller buildings were swept away. MATANZAS CT. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters 2 Gulf of Mexico ESTERO BLVD. Trailers from a mobile home community were uprooted. 2 Gulf of Mexico ESTERO BLVD. Trailers from a mobile home community were uprooted. Ricardo Arduengo/Agence France-Presse  Getty Images

The main commercial area, nicknamed Times Square, a bustling plaza of restaurants, bars and shops, was almost completely leveled. The first floors of buildings that remained standing were gutted.

Across the street, the new 254-room Margaritaville Beach Resort had been scheduled to open in 2023. In a Facebook post on Thursday evening, the team building the resort said it would not be deterred by this catastrophe of biblical proportions.

Bedel Saget

Next to the Lani Kai Island Resort, the bright blue building shown in the video above, all that remained of Shuckers, a seafood restaurant, and the Cottage Bar, an old local hangout, were bare foundations covered in muck. Other nearby buildings had been demolished.

Christina Thomaison, front desk manager of the Lani Kai, said she saw water from the storm surge rise as high as two stories. After evacuating guests, she and about 30 other employees and family members braved the storm from the second floor of the building  technically the third story because the resort stands on stilts. We saw everything get swept away, she said.

northern half of Fort Myers Beach

Palermo Circle PRIMO DR. ESTERO BLVD. Avenue A Shuckers and the Cottage Bar Lani Kai Island Resort Gulf of Mexico PRIMO DR. ESTERO BLVD. Avenue A Shuckers and the Cottage Bar Lani Kai Island Resort The New York Times; aerial image by Nearmap from April 12 Before Palermo Circle PRIMO DR. Roads were covered in debris and sand. ESTERO BLVD. Avenue A Gulf of Mexico PRIMO DR. Roads were covered in debris and sand. ESTERO BLVD. Avenue A The New York Times; aerial image by Nearmap from Sept. 29 After

Farther from the beach on the other side of Estero Boulevard, most buildings appeared to remain standing. The structure of a 7-Eleven was still intact, but the interior had been swept away.

The Whale, the colorful blue-and-orange seafood restaurant shown below, had crumpled and fallen over. It had been a popular place for both the ocean view and its homemade food.

Bedel Saget

Along the beachfront, most smaller houses and the structures closest to the water had been swept away entirely, leaving only foundations or pilings behind. Larger, more solidly built buildings had been more likely to survive.

Older homes, that just arent as strongly built, they got washed into the sea, Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a press conference. That is something that I think would be very difficult to be survivable.

northern half of Fort Myers Beach 1 2

1 ESTERO BLVD. House House All that remains of this multimillion-dollar house is the pool. BEACH 1 ESTERO BLVD. All that remains of this multimillion-dollar house is the pool. BEACH Ricardo Arduengo/Agence France-Presse  Getty Images 2 ESTERO BLVD. Sandpiper Gulf Resort ... and deposited across the street. These buildings were swept off their foundations ... BEACH 2 ESTERO BLVD. Sandpiper Gulf Resort These buildings were swept off their foundations ... ... and deposited across the street. Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

The Silver Witch, a jewelry and gift shop that was located on the street in the video below, had been in business there for more than 40 years. After Hurricane Ian hit, the entire building had washed away.
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The federal government says Optus still has not provided government agencies with the full details of all customers who had Medicare or Centrelink details exposed by the data breach.
The federal government has urged Optus to hand over the data that was stolen by hackers.
Prominent Republicans are digging in against American support for Ukraine despite Russias threats to use nuclear weapons.
Eurasia Review 07 Oct 2022

By Luke Coffey*



In recent weeks Iran has stepped up its pressure at home, in the region, and beyond.



For the..
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All rights reserved.

One News is a registered trademark

of One News Page Ltd.
A delegation from the German parliament traveled to Taiwan to underline friendly ties between Berlin and Taipeh. The visit comes as China steps up its threats toward the island democracy.
The Conservative mayor of the West Midlands has hit back at a fellow Tory who described Birmingham as a "dump".
Sky News 04 Oct 2022

Police wrongly used tear gas inside the soccer stadium where at least 125 people died in a stampede in Indonesia over the weekend,..
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin hailed Ukraine's capture of the Lyman as encouraging. Meanwhile, UK Defense Intelligence called it a major political setback for Russia. Follow DW for the latest.
Bruce Willis may have retired from acting, but he will live on in future films thanks to deepfake technology. According to The Telegraph, the actor has sold his rights for future films and advertising campaigns to Deepcake, a company that creates "digital twins" of famous folks for use in commercial projects.



It's the same...
Rumble 05 Oct 2022

At least 125 people are dead after chaos and violence erupted during an Indonesian league soccer match into the early hours of..
Gov. DeSantis of Florida spoke to the press and warned criminals not to prey on Hurricane Ian victims, or they will pay for it dearly.
While Dr. Fauci has been a government bureaucrat for more than 55 years, his household net worth skyrocketed during the pandemic, OpenTheBooks CEO Adam Andrzejewski told Fox News. Faucis soaring net worth was based on career-end salary spiking, lucrative cash prizes awarded by non-profit organizations around the...
Chinese billionaire and JD.com founder Richard Liu agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by a former University of Minnesota student who alleged he sexually assaulted her in her Minneapolis apartment in 2018, lawyers for both sides announced late Saturday.
World Animal Day is annually celebrated on October 4. See how humans in the Philippines and Indonesia honor furry, scaly and pointy friends.


WARNING: This article contains graphic and distressing details The first time the Russian soldiers caught him, they tossed him bound and blindfolded into a trench covered with wooden boards for days on end.Then they beat him,...
Mediaite 05 Jan 2022

Former President Jimmy Carter is so concerned about political division in the country that he warned Wednesday that Americans could..
From a high meadow in the future Colorado State Park, Matt Moorhead, with the Nature Conservancy, looks for the abundant wildlife. Elevations in the park range from 6,000 to 9,600 feet, is home to a wide range of habitats, including a year-round elk herd. To Mooreheads left in the background is the Spanish Peaks. (Photo by Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette)
Photo: (Photo : Pexel/Julia M Cameron)

A new Ohio bill can allow parents to be more involved in their children's school lessons. The fight for parents' rights in their children's education continues as a bill that could provide more academic transparency is being heard in the Ohio House of Representatives, NWEF reported.

House Bill 722, or the "Parents' Bill Of Rights Act," once given a go signal in the committee, would provide parents with authority to review school lessons that include "sexually explicit content," and give them the right not to allow their children to participate in the class.

"The focus is to ensure that parents are empowered to be involved in their child's education inside and outside the classroom. In Ohio, we value parents taking an active role in their child's life. When parents are involved, their children succeed. When children succeed, the future of Ohio becomes brighter," Rep. D.J. Swearingen (R-Huron) explained.

Backlashes

The bill is still in committee until the Ohio House of Representatives reconvenes in November. However, it has been creating a rise of different opinions and backlashes.

Rep. Sara Carruthers (R-Hamilton) argued that parents need to know if their children are learning the content at appropriate ages.

Public Policy Director for Equality Ohio, Maria Bruno, however, declared in an interview with Fox 8 that the bill is a "recipe for disaster."

She thinks that having a parent show up at school to say that they do not want this particular lesson to be taught will be chaotic as every parent has a different idea of what a public school curriculum should be like.

Bruno further stated that when parents choose the schools they want their children to be part of, they are already saying that they agree with the school's curriculum, support it, and have no right to dictate against it.

Moreover, despite this bill having the best intentions, Bruno said a real harem would be created when counselors are forced to reveal information about a student that might not be consistent with what the parents think or feel.

Read Also: How Parent Involvement Leads to Academic Writing Success of a Child

Schools and parents working hand-in-hand

The new bill would require schools to create a policy that promotes parental involvement in their child's education, leaving Ohio school districts powerless in discouraging or prohibiting involvement from parents in making "critical decisions" regarding a student's mental, emotional, physical well-being.

School districts would be required to notify a parent of any changes in their student's services or monitoring related to their mental, emotional or physical health. They are to inform parents of each health care service the school offers and make sure that they work alongside parents in creating a health care plan for the students, according to The Center Square.

Carruthers expressed that the goal is to have schools and parents work "hand-in-hand" for the student, as this is how it should be in the first place.

Related Article: How Parental Involvement in Children's Homework Teaches Some Valuable Life Lessons?
An army captain in Burkina Faso has announced on national television that he has ousted military leader Lt Col Paul-Henri Damiba.



Ibrahim Traore cited Lt Col Damiba's inability to deal with an Islamist insurgency as the reason.



He also announced that borders were closed indefinitely and all political activities were suspended.



Lt Col Damiba's junta overthrew an elected government in January, citing a failure to halt Islamist attacks.



But his administration has also not been able to quell the jihadist violence. On Monday, 11 soldiers were killed when they were escorting a convoy of civilian vehicles in the north of the country.



Earlier on Friday, Lt Col Damiba urged the population to remain calm after heavy gunfire was heard in parts of the capital.



More than 20 armed soldiers - most with their faces covered - appeared on state TV shortly before 20:00 local time.



"Faced with the deteriorating situation, we tried several times to get Damiba to refocus the transition on the security question," said the statement signed by Traore.



"Damiba's actions gradually convinced us that his ambitions were diverting away from what we set out to do. We decided this day to remove Damiba," it said.



A curfew from 21:00 to 05:00 was also announced.



Lt Col Damiba's whereabouts are not known.



The United States said it was "deeply concerned" by events in Burkina Faso and encouraged its citizens to limit movements in the country.



"We call for a return to calm and restraint by all actors," a State Department spokesperson said.



The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) condemned the move, stating it "reaffirms its unreserved opposition to any taking or maintaining of the power by unconstitutional means".



Before dawn, shots and explosions were heard in the capital, Ouagadougou, some of them coming from near the presidential palace and main military barracks.



After sunrise, the normally bustling city was largely deserted, with soldiers on the streets blocking some roads and guarding key strategic points.



State television had stopped broadcasting and more gunfire was heard later in the day.



Lt Col Damiba said there was a "confused situation" created by "mood swings" among some soldiers as rumors of a coup intensified.



Urging people to remain calm and avoid social media speculation, the military leader said there were "negotiations underway to bring back calm and serenity".



In January, Lt Col Damiba ousted President Roch Kabore, saying that he had failed to deal with growing militant Islamist violence.



"We have more than what it takes to win this war," the junta chief said when he was sworn in as president in February.



But many citizens do not feel any safer and there have been protests in different parts of the country this week.

On Friday afternoon, some protesters took to the capital's streets calling for the removal of Lt Col Damiba.



The Islamist insurgency broke out in Burkina Faso in 2015, leaving thousands dead and forcing an estimated two million people from their homes.



The country has experienced eight successful coups since independence in 1960.

Source: BBC









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Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has described as well-deserved", the choice of former Minister of Defence, Dr. Kwame Addo Kufuor as the new Chancellor of the Kumasi Technical University.



Speaking at the investiture of the new Chancellor, the Vice President said Dr. Addo Kufuors service to the country in various roles over the years, makes him an excellent choice for the honour bestowed on him.



It is a well-deserved honour, Dr Bawumia said, adding, as all that you (Dr. Addo Kufuor) have done for mother Ghana in the capacity as the former Board Chairman of Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), President of the Ghana Medical Association, Member of Parliament for Manhyia Constituency, Minister of Defence and Acting Minister of Interior establishes that it is entirely appropriate that you have been appointed as the Chancellor of the University.



I commend the authorities of this University, for the excellent choice of a distinguished person, one who is also happily a firm believer of academic freedom, and I am hopeful that the University will definitely fill the added benefit of your rich experiences.



Nonetheless, I believe the University could not have picked a worthier leader than you. Your worth of experience, as a Board Chairman of Suame Magazine Industrial Development Organisation (SMIDO) indicates your in-depth knowledge and already established interest in Technical and Vocational Education."



The Vice President, who could not hide his admiration for Dr. Addo Kufuor, showered more commendations on the respected statesman and spoke of how he inspires many.



For me, today is a little emotional, because I personally know Dr Kwame Addo Kufuor," Dr. Bawumia said.



"We all know him as a brilliant mind, high academic achiever, high professional achiever, a statesman, a family man, a God-fearing man. But for me there is one thing that crowns all of these defining characteristics of this eminent personality. Dr Kwame Addo Kufuor is a man of integrity and therefore is a mentor for all of us in public service. And so for Kumasi Technical University to choose him as your Chancellor, you have virtually won the lottery. You can be assured of stellar leadership.



While assuring the new Chancellor and the University of Governments support, he urged him and the University to help in making technical and vocational education, which the Government has prioritised, better.



I urge you Dr Chancellor and all the heads of our tertiary institutions to continue to make adequate preparations towards the extensive call for prioritizing Technical Education in Ghana and beyond. The Free Senior High School and Free TVET Policies have become permanent features of our educational architecture and their foundations shall be embedded in other reforms in TVET Education.



"I assure you of the government's steadfast commitment and continuous support to the Kumasi Technical University and indeed to all other TVET institutions in the country."

Source: graphic.com.gh









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Ghanas Strengthening Accountability Mechanism (GSAM) activity has contributed immensely to promoting accountable governance, which has helped accelerate development at the local level.



The Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Dan Botwe, who made this assertion, noted that the eight years of the implementation of GSAM through the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) had been beneficial to the country, especially the lessons learnt to deepen democracy and good governance at the local level.



Mr Botwe, in a speech read on his behalf at public accountability conference in Accra last Wednesday, said the GSAM had strengthened the capacity of civil society to advocate, monitor and investigate efforts of primary actors, particularly metropolitan, municipal, district assemblies (MMDAs) to ensure sustainable, accountable and inclusive delivery of quality services to citizens.



The conference was part of the eighth-year activities of the USAID-supported Ghana Strengthening GSAM activity designed to deepen and sustain responsive and accountable governance at the local level.



The rationale for GSAM activity was to address inadequate citizens engagement in local governance processes, increase access to information on MMDAs development processes, deal with real or perceived corruption due to weak oversight and poor service delivery.



The interventions from GSAM, the minister said, had contributed to improving the responsiveness of MMDAs to citizens demands and efficiency in the management and implementation of development projects in communities, working in close collaboration with key stakeholders.



Commendation



Commending USAID for the initiative, Mr Botwe said: We are, therefore, interested in consolidating the gains made with regard to the management interventions that have generated positive results relating to accountability and transparency practices in the MMDAs.



The Deputy Chief of Party for GSAM, Samuel Boateng, said key lessons learnt from the project included the fact that there was a need for mixed communication methods to reach citizens with needed information.



He noted that prior to the GSAM activity, MMDAs relied mainly on assembly and unit committee members, traditional authorities and some opinion leaders to provide information to citizens on capital projects.



However, many citizens remained poorly informed about capital projects because these leaders mostly did not relay such information to citizens.



Other lessons were that the MMDAs had less control of centrally-funded projects. He explained that MMDAs had little control over projects that were implemented by the central government and as a result exercise weak oversight of these projects.



He said the impact of GSAM had been positive, revealing that 51 per cent of 880 community priority needs identified with GSAM support were integrated and budgeted for in the 2022-2025 Medium-Term Development Plans (MTDPs) in 50 districts.



Setbacks



The Chairperson for Star Ghana Foundation, Dr Esther Ofei Aboagye, said interventions such as the GSAM provided civil society organisations (CSOs) opportunities to initiate action, collect data, build capacities, engage district-level authorities and back communities to exact accountability.





The mission director of USAID, Kimberly Rosen, said a USAID-commissioned impact evaluation of the GSAM activity revealed that citizen action with the support of local CSOs had improved consultation between citizens and their respective local governments on infrastructure development.

Source: graphic.com.gh









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Investigate ECG IT Dept Immediately  Sam George To Govt



The Deputy Ranking Member of the Communications Committee of Parliament, Samuel Nartey George, is asking government to institute a forensic investigations into activities of some staff at the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) as a matter of urgency.



He said information he has gathered recently suggests that some staff, particularly at the IT Department, are engaging in illicit moves, raking into their personal vaults GH200 million every month.



In a post on Sunday, the Ningo-Prampram lawmaker said the Managing Director of the Company, Samuel Dubik Masubir Mahama, got wind of this and in his attempt to investigate it, suffered sabotage, culminating in the disruptions in the prepaid metering system recently.



Find the write-up below:



The challenges with the ECG are extremely serious. The attack on their system was not external but carried out by a cabal of criminals within the very same organisation.



The government MUST as a matter of urgency commence a forensic investigation of the IT department of ECG.



My information points to a group that has been siphoning over GH200 million every month! Yes you read that right.



What we are witnessing is internal power play to cripple the new MD who has dared to open an investigation into these matters. The State security apparatus MUST with alacrity take this matter up and ensure the safety and protection of the MD and his team seeking to uncover the mess.



The rot at ECG would make you sick if you truly love this Country and it is not about politicians here. It is Ghanaian citizens taking advantage of the citizens. We demand swift and immediate action!





Source: 3news/facebook









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The Minority in Parliament is demanding a detailed report on an agreement between the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and a US-based Ghanaian-owned energy company, Genser Energy Holdings.



It explained that the conditions of the deal, in which Genser committed to pay a reasonable price for gas to power embedded power plants it leased to various large mines and consumers in the cement and ceramics industries, must be interrogated.



Some of the questions have been answered while others are pending, for the information that cannot be provided, we have directed GNPC to make all those information available to us regarding financial analysis underpinning the agreement and investment decisions, the Minority noted.



The Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) and IMANI Africa revealed in a report that the deal in which Genser Holdings committed to pay a reasonable price for gas to power embedded or off-grid power plants it leases to various large mines and consumers in the cement and ceramics industries triggers possible financial recklessness on the part of GNPC.



Already, the government has described as misleading reports that Ghana is likely to incur a $1.5 billion financial loss in the agreement.



John Jinapor, the Ranking Member on the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament, said the committee would review the deal when Parliament resumes because the Minority was also aware that, Ghana Gas was deeply involved.



We have decided that we will summon Ghana Gas to appear before the House because we are clear in our minds there are some issues that need addressing however, we are expecting further details on the agreement between the GNPC and Genser Holdings, he revealed and raised concern with financial analysis underpinning the agreement and thinking that went into investment decisions.



Mr Jinapor insisted that the committee would interrogate the issue to its logical solution since the committees duty was to ensure the State was not shortchanged.



But Mohammed Amin, a Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy, stated that for now, it was a bit exaggerated because IMANI and ACEP should have been measured while sharing their conclusions.



He intimated that before IMANI and ACEP would put out into the public domain issues of such consequence, they should have made the issues referable to GNPC.

Source: BBC









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The National Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Stephen Ntim, has commissioned the partys Regional Directors of Communication to lead their respective regions in propagating the good works of the government.



According to him, the Regional Directors of Communication have a crucial role to play in ensuring that the NPP break the eight in the upcoming 2024 general election which promises to be keenly contested.



He was speaking at a meeting with all the Regional Directors of Communication of the party at an event held on Tuesday in Accra.



Present at the meeting were the National Director of Communications, his deputies, and the partys Director of Finance and Administration.

















Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A video showing top Gabonese government officials standing under the rain to send off their president as he departed for France on Wednesday, September 28, has gone viral.



President Ali Bongo Ondimba was filmed at the airport with one of his military aides holding an umbrella over him while his cabinet members lined up in a file under the rain to shake him and bid him farewell as he departed the country for France.



The video has received widespread reactions with many condemning the president for allowing his aides to stand in the rain.



Watch the video below..













Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Embassy of the Russian Federation to Canada in Ottawa is seen on Monday, March 26, 2018. Russias recent complaints about protests blocking its Ottawa embassy and a Molotov cocktail tossed over the fence shed light on the tricky balance Ottawa faces in protecting diplomatic missions, with RCMP relying on Canadas foreign service to gauge security risks in the capital, and foreign diplomats asking for more. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
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Former Trump National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster claimed with a straight face that he never saw a problem with the handling of classified info in the Trump White House.

Transcript via CBSs Face The Nation:

MARGARET BRENNAN: Right. Well, the other weapon he has is energy, of course, and tracking this potential sabotage on the gas pipeline. I want to also ask you about- when you were in office back in 2017, which is the first time that the US gave off- offensive weapons to Ukraine, I remember when you were put in that position of having to explain a conversation then-President Trump had with Russian officials in the Oval Office, where he mentioned classified information. And you- you called it wholly appropriate at the time. Given whats going on now with this investigation into the classified material at Mar-a-Lago, were you ever uncomfortable with the former presidents handling of classified information?

LT. GENERAL H.R. MCMASTER: Well, Margaret, remember, I left in February, March of 2018. But while I was there, I did not see any problems in handling of- of classified information. And, and what youre talking about really is a session in which the President did not disclose classified information, but somebody leaked it. And then it was published in the newspaper. So the classified information- I think its important is to go back to that period, and that provision of javelins of the defensive capabilities to the Ukrainians was really important and, and the argument I made to President Trump at the time, was, hey, these people who are telling you that its provocative to provide Ukraine with defensive capabilities, actually, what provokes Putin is weakness. And he was persuaded by that argument. And I think that argument is still relevant today.

McMaster was rewriting history. It wasnt a media leak. It was a Trump leak as he blabbed to the Russians while he hosted them in the Oval Office. It was a constant habit of Trump to give away US secrets while he was pretending like he was a big man.

H.R. McMaster should have been called out and corrected for such a blatantly false characterization of events.

McMaster was defending the same Trump who told the CIA to give Putin US secrets.

Trump is surrounded by enablers, and that is why it is up to the rest of the country to treat him like the national security threat that he is.
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There is free speech, and then there is speech that incites and foments rage and violence. These MAGAs are drifting far more toward the latter. On the same night that Trump told his rallygoers in Warren, Michigan, that the Democrats want him in prison because theyre sick (This coming from a man who won office on Lock her up), Marjorie Taylor Greene told an audience that Democrats are killing Republicans.

From The Insider:

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene deceptively claimed at a rally for former President Donald Trump in Warren, Michigan, on Saturday that Democrats are murdering Republicans. Im not going to mince words with you all, Greene said. Democrats want Republicans dead. Theyve already started the killings.

Greene, who has repeatedly spread bizarre conspiracy theories, went on to reference a local news story to support her baseless claim that Democrats are hunting down GOP voters. An 18-year-old was run down by a Democrat driver who confessed to killing the teenager simply because he was a Republican, said Greene.

However, North Dakota Highway Patrol Captain Bryan Niewind told Fox News that his departments investigations have uncovered no evidence to support the claim that the murder had anything to do with politics or that the victim was a Republican.

It is difficult to establish whether a random 18-year-old is a Republican, Democrat, completely agnostic, whatever.

But these people are conditioned to embrace conspiracy theories. Even more dangerously, many of them are now conditioned to see violence as a legitimate political tool, given that Democrats are sick, and already murdering Republicans. As violent as the MAGA rhetoric may be, if someone claimed on Twitter that MAGAs are murdering Democrats, it wouldnt be believed. It would be a national story if it were a pattern worthy of generalization. Any one incident is meaningless. Awful random stuff happens all the time.

So one is left with the question, why would Greene even say such a thing and there are no good answers. The worst answer, however, is that its coordinated communication meant to normalize the idea of political violence because the MAGA pols want their minority of Americans to lash out violently if Trump is indicted. It is possible.
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The National Archives says that it still doesnt have control over all of the Trump presidential records that it should have.

CNN reported:

In a Friday letter to the panels chairwoman, New York Democrat Carolyn Maloney, the National Archives and Records Administration, or NARA, said it had been unable to obtain records from a number of former officials and will continue to pursue the return of similar types of Presidential records from former officials.

But, while there is no easy way to establish absolute accountability, we do know that we do not have custody of everything we should, NARA said.

Specifically, records from likely to be incarcerated soon Peter Navarro are missing.

It is borderline insane that nearly two years after leaving office, there are still missing presidential records from the Trump administration.

Government officials who are acting in the public interest and not potentially using their offices for corrupt means dont have to hide or destroy their records.

In the long-term, the missing records are bad for the country because governmental transparency is harmed. When the executive branch is not transparent, the connection between a government and the will of the people is broken.

Trump stealing classified documents is the biggest problem facing the National Archives, but it is far from the only one, as the former president and his cronies are attempting to destroy transparency and governmental accountability.
A three-story commercial and residential building is planned for a corner property in downtown Charleston where a house of worship once operated.

Developer CKC Properties plans to build a three-story building at Cannon and St. Philip streets. It will first have to demolish a rundown, one-story structure, formerly Miracle Church of Christ.

The building's bottom floor will house a 1,670-square-foot restaurant and bar while the upper two levels will be set aside for residential units, according to site plans.

The city's Board of Zoning Appeals signed off on a special exception request in March that allows the development to go forward without the required minimum of nine off-street parking spaces.

The panel also noted the developer must cooperate with neighbors and the neighborhood association to mitigate potential noise from any rooftop use.

A CKC affiliate bought the property in June for $1.65 million, according to Charleston County land records.

Trucking in

A commercial development is planned near a key intersection in North Charleston where a large industrial building was recently completed for a trucking company.

A Charleston-based developer plans to build retail tenant structures on the front portion of a 9-acre tract at 9585 Palmetto Commerce Parkway in Barkley Palmetto Commerce Park near Ladson Road.

The property abuts Spinx convenience store and Walmart Neighborhood Market. The Charleston region's second Krispy Kreme donut restaurant operates up the street.

Trident Construction finished building the 80,300-square-foot warehouse where Nashville-based trucking company Accelerated Courier opened in July on about 6.5 acres on the property's backside at 9581 Palmetto Commerce Parkway, according to Miles Barkley, owner of Barkley Palmetto Parkway LLC. He also is managing member and project manager for the site.

Barkley wants to develop the front 2.1-acre parcel for retail, restaurant or other commercial uses.

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"We are negotiating with one tenant now," he said.

The site is expected to see "continued growth and traffic from business along the Palmetto Commerce Parkway corridor and in the Ingleside development over the foreseeable future," Barkley said. "I am very optimistic about this project and its location and potential for development."

Barkley will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. Oct. 6 with North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey.

The commercial real estate firm Lee & Associates, where Barkley is a broker, is marketing the property.

Tour of homes

The Charleston Symphony Orchestra League will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Symphony Tour of Island Homes on Nov. 5 with a tour of several Kiawah Island homes.

"The homes are as impressive as one would expect on this exclusive island," said Sandra Ericksen, chairwoman of the fundraising event. "They showcase the talents of premier designers, architects, builders and landscapers."

From 10 a.m.-3 p.m., symphony musicians and music students will provide music to participants as they tour decorated homes that reflect the interests and lifestyles of their owners.

Organizers require participants to wear flat-heeled shoes. The event does not provide handicapped access and will be held rain or shine with no refunds.

Charleston Symphony Orchestra will perform a free concert at Freshfields Village Shopping Center at 5 p.m. to top off the tour.

Advance tour tickets are $65 online through Nov. 4. Tickets can also be purchased at Indigo Books in Freshfields or at Kiawah Island Town Hall on Betsy Kerrison Parkway during normal business hours.

Tickets at $70 each also will be sold on the day of the event on Freshfields Village Green, where participants exchange their tickets for wristbands and programs, starting at 9:30 a.m.

As part of the 25th anniversary, the league will host a $35-per-person Silver Jubilee Celebration with live music and refreshments 5-7 p.m. Nov. 4 at the Kiawah Island Sandcastle.

Tickets for all events can be purchased at csolinc.org.
GEORGETOWN  Vandals broke into the mailbox outside the Georgetown Post Office, and city officials are warning residents to watch their bank accounts as mail may have been stolen.

The mailbox located at 1101 Charlotte Street was vandalized over the weekend, according to a Sept. 29 news release from the City of Georgetown.

Mail addressed to the city at this USPS location between Sept. 23 and Sept. 26 may have been stolen. City officials recommend residents and utility customers to check their bank accounts if they mailed payments during this time frame.

Stealing mail is a federal offense.

Anyone with information on the crime should notify the United States Post Office at 1-800-275-8777 or the Georgetown Police Department at 843-545-4300.
PAWLEYS ISLAND  All things considered, Jody Tamsberg considers himself blessed.

Tamsberg, who lives in Georgetown full-time, made the brief drive up U.S. Highway 17 on the morning of Oct. 1 with his son, Joel, to assess the damage at the family's two decade-old house, which faces the Pawleys Island beach.

Less than 24 hours after Hurricane Ian made landfall, mud ran along nearby Myrtle Avenue and sand had run into the ground-level garage. The bottom step on the back stairway, which had previously been buried in the sand, had been exposed.

But the house itself, which like most on the island is elevated above ground-level in case of such disasters as Ian, was intact.

"Other than the damage to our dock, we've been very fortunate," Jody Tamsberg said. "We've got a mess to clean up as you can see, with the tide coming up underneath the house, but we don't (have) power yet, so I can't determine if there's anything going on inside, but I don't think so."

Ian entered South Carolina as a Category 1 storm with 85 mph winds near Pawleys Island, a Georgetown County town with a permanent population of 130 that attracts thousands of visitors to seaside homes. They include Gov. Henry McMaster, whose family has owned a home on Pawleys Creek for the better part of the last century.

But the small community found itself, as it has many times before, in the crosshairs of a major storm when Ian made landfall south of Georgetown around 2 p.m. Sept. 30.

Torrential rainfall, hurricane-force winds and storm surge overtook marshland and roadways, quickly severing power to homes. The water began to recede on the afternoon of Sept. 30, allowing the vehicles of homeowners, real estate officers and contractors called in to help with the mess to begin crawling across the north causeway beginning at 10 a.m. Oct. 1.

Pawleys Island Mayor Brian Henry on Oct. 1 called Ian's destruction a "gut punch" during a news conference in Georgetown with McMaster and several other state and local officials.

"We're estimating it was a 7-foot surge," Henry said. "The good news for us is it's a beautiful day for clean up."

In an email sent to island homeowners on the evening of Sept. 30, Henry observed that storm surge on the island had surpassed that of 2016's Hurricane Matthew by about a foot.

At 7 a.m., S.C. Department of Transportation had heavy equipment lined up and ready to go to work, Henry said. By 5 p.m., the town's roads were once again open for residents and construction and debris crews, and power was being restored. The town still has not opened to the public. The mayor said it might be Oct. 3 or Oct. 4 before Pawleys Island opens to the public.

The number of homes damaged in the storm was unclear Oct. 1, town officials said.

Gray skies brought by Ian by Oct. 1 had been replaced with a largely cloudless and blue morning as the Tamsbergs surveyed their property.

The recreational fishermen that often populate the north causeway over Pawleys Creek had returned for their morning catch, though on each side of the bridge they faced several destroyed wooden structures that had fallen into the creek and the marsh.

State road repair crews had arrived early in the morning from as far away as Union and Chester counties to clear the roadways. Sirens from Midway Fire Rescue vehicles periodically sounded on U.S. 17, and state roads trucks backed trailers hauling bulldozers against the creek.

"We will bounce back and will do so as quickly as possible," Henry stated in his Sept. 30 email to homeowners. In another update to homeowners on the morning of Oct. 1, he wrote that properties south of the island's south causeway were still without power, and roads below Pritchard Street were still closed.

Further north, the end of Pawleys Island Pier collapsed into the ocean, while a stairway to the beach from the First Avenue beach access had been swept away. Town Administrator Daniel Newquist said he is still trying to get an idea of the amount of erosion the beach has undertaken.

"We have last year's inspection report of the profile of the beach, and we'll compare that with what we observe post-storm," Newquist said. "I don't know how long that's going to take to process and get a feel for the extent of loss of dunes and beach and stuff."
Georgetown, SC (29440)

Today

Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High 66F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low 39F. Winds light and variable.
When David Sibley was growing up in Camden, a small town outside of Columbia, his home cable system carried two stations that showed long-running trivia show "Jeopardy!"

I could watch one episode at 7, and then watch the same episode again at 7:30, Sibley said. So I would yell all the answers that I knew at the 7 oclock episode, and then I could watch it again at 7:30 and cheat because I had all the answers from watching it once before.

The Furman University alum always knew he wanted to compete on the show. His four-game "Jeopardy!" win streak ended on Sept. 30 with $78,098 in total winnings. An Episcopal priest, Sibley now lives in eastern Washington with his wife and their baby.

He said he has received support from people hes known in different parts of his life, from his church community in Washington to people back in South Carolina. To stay informed, Sibley consumes news, reads books and sometimes ventures down Wikipedia rabbit holes for hours.

Ive sort of always been someone thats just sort of enjoyed soaking up knowledge, and a trivia tournament or a game like 'Jeopardy!' is, I think, one of the few places in life where you actually get to put it to use for something, Sibley said.

Since graduating college, Sibley said his outlet for putting his knowledge to use in a competitive setting has been limited to the occasional bar trivia. But in his role as a religious leader, Sibley said he gets to do new things all the time. Just this week, he worked with the board of his parish on certain legal issues, plunged toilets, and answered questions about understanding Jesus.

If you find the world interesting, theres always something new to learn, and I do. Thats just a joy for me, thats fun, Sibley said.
COLUMBIA  More than six months have passed since a pair of attorneys sounded alarms about a state judges handling of a multi-million-dollar wrongful death settlement involving disgraced lawyer Alex Murdaugh.

Yet the prosecutor and trial attorney who raised complaints about Circuit Judge Carmen Mullen have heard nothing back from the state office that investigates judicial misconduct.

Their questions about Mullens handling of Murdaugh matters could linger for months, even years, as the states judicial watchdog takes its time sorting through the nebulous Murdaugh saga, experts say.

Meanwhile, Mullen remains on the bench in South Carolinas southern 14th Circuit, where generations of Murdaugh attorneys ran a high-powered law firm and served as the areas top prosecutor.

So far, she has declined to publicly address her role in approving a secretive $4.3 million settlement in 2019 that Alex Murdaugh ultimately stole for himself. Nor has she explained her reasons for involving herself in that case just a month after recusing herself from another Murdaugh legal matter.

And Mullens connections to the Murdaugh case werent severed there, it was revealed in a Colleton County courtroom last month.

Eyebrows rose Aug. 29 as Murdaugh defense attorney Dick Harpootlian explained that Mullen had also signed search warrants in the double-murder investigation that ultimately charged Alex Murdaugh with the June 2021 slayings of his wife and youngest son.

Its stunning to me, said Eric Bland, one of the attorneys who filed a complaint against Mullen. I would have thought the prudent thing to do would be to stay a million miles away from Alex Murdaugh. But, for some reason, she wants to dive in head, hands and feet.

Comfortable with controversy

Mullen did not respond to two interview requests for this story. But the Hilton Head Island judge is no stranger to weathering controversy.

Her 2006 election to the bench was challenged all the way to the state Supreme Court. A public interest group alleged that she didnt meet residency requirements because she actually lived in Charleston  more than 30 miles outside the judicial district. Mullen survived the challenge when the states highest court declined to second-guess the judicial screening process.

In 2014, Mullen oversaw a high-profile re-examination of the death penalty conviction of George Stinney, a Black 14-year-old whose speedy trial and execution in 1944 ignited seven decades of controversy. More than 100 people packed into her courtroom for a hearing that garnered national attention.

Mullen pondered her decision for nearly a year before vacating Stinneys conviction, ruling that she could think of no greater injustice than the case of the youngest American to be executed in the 20th century.

That same year, she faced criticism from the state and local press for sealing public records in several notable cases, including a murder indictment that a defense attorney wanted hidden to prevent undue pretrial publicity.

And she squared off with First Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe in 2018 over what he alleged was a sweetheart sentence for a state lawmaker who pleaded guilty in Pascoes yearslong Statehouse corruption investigation.

The lawmaker in question was former Lexington Republican Rep. Rick Quinn Jr., who had emerged as a central figure in the probe along with his father, powerful GOP consultant Richard Quinn. Pascoe wanted Mullen to sentence the younger Quinn to the maximum one year in prison for a single count of official misconduct. But Mullen gave Quinn two years of probation and a $1,000 fine  then cut off Pascoe and instructed him to sit down after he objected.

If Rick Quinn was the worst of the worst, why did you allow him to plead  to one very limited admission? she asked.

In a follow-up hearing, Pascoe accused Mullen of improper communications with Quinns attorneys  which she denied  and wasting a golden opportunity for the state of South Carolina, in a public corruption case, to send the most corrupt legislator up there to prison for up to a year.

The dispute led Pascoe to appeal his own plea deal to the state Supreme Court. The high court sided with Mullen.

Despite such controversies, Mullen has received high marks from most of her fellow lawyers and repeatedly been re-elected by the states Legislature.

Lawyers surveyed by the states judicial screening commission ahead of her 2021 re-election described her as bright, curious and personable, though a minority complained about her poor demeanor at times when on the bench.

I think youve done an excellent job, said trial attorney Pete Strom, who sits on the 10-member Judicial Merit Selection Commission. Youve made us proud that youre one of our judges.

A secret deal

Mullens next challenge came courtesy of the Murdaugh saga and her old foe Pascoe.

In March, Pascoe joined Bland in complaining about Mullen to the states Office of Disciplinary Counsel, which investigates misconduct by lawyers and judges.

Pascoe noted Mullen had recused herself without explanation in April 2019 from a wrongful death lawsuit filed against Alex Murdaugh and his family by the parents of 19-year-old Mallory Beach. The teen had been killed that year when the Murdaugh family boat crashed into a bridge piling in Beaufort County. Murdaughs son Paul was allegedly at the helm and drunk at the time.

Yet a month after her recusal, Mullen signed off on a $4.3 million settlement between Murdaugh and the family of Gloria Satterfield, Murdaughs late housekeeper who died after a trip and fall at his Colleton County home.

Pascoes complaint cited the recent sworn deposition of former Palmetto State Bank vice president Chad Westendorf, who served as personal representative for Satterfields estate in that case.

Westendorf testified that Mullen agreed to a plan to keep that payout hidden so that it wouldnt be discovered by attorneys in the Beach boat crash case.

In his complaint, Pascoe alleged Mullen used her position to help Murdaugh hide details of his finances and insurance coverage from opposing attorneys in an ongoing lawsuit. He claimed her pattern of alleged conduct threatens to erode public trust in our judiciary.

When wealthy and politically connected individuals are treated as a privileged class by members of the judiciary, it erodes public trust in government and the fair administration of law, Pascoe wrote.

But Mark Tinsley, the Beach familys attorney, said he doesnt see the big deal.

Tinsley said he doesnt know why Mullen recused herself from the boat crash case. But it doesnt necessarily mean she needed to recuse herself from the Satterfield matter, especially since that settlement was uncontested, he said.

Tinsley said he doesnt think Westendorf, who repeatedly testified he didnt understand his role as the Satterfield estates personal representative, is a credible witness against Mullen. Tinsley doesnt buy that Mullen agreed to a scheme to hide the settlement.

Today, we look at things differently than we would have looked at them in every respect because of the Murdaugh scandals, Tinsley said. Ninety-nine out of 100 judges would have approved a settlement that was not contested.

The Murdaugh connection

The exact nature of Mullens ties to Alex Murdaugh remains a matter of guesswork, as does her reason for recusing herself from the boat crash case.

Mullen graduated in the same University of South Carolina School of Law class as Murdaugh and Cory Fleming, a Beaufort lawyer who was one of Murdaughs closest friends and an alleged co-conspirator in the Satterfield swindle.

Since her 2006 election to the bench, she has also overseen cases involving Murdaugh and his familys century-old law firm.

And in 2016, the year Murdaugh served as president of the state trial lawyers association, the group honored Mullen with its annual Outstanding Contribution to Justice award.

The honor, presented to one exceptional judge each year during the trial lawyers annual convention in Hilton Head, pays for a portrait of the judge that can be hung in their home courtroom or anywhere else they see fit.

Whatever Mullen's reasons for recusing herself from the 2019 boat crash case, they didn't stop her from delving into a recent Murdaugh matter.

Mullen signed search warrants requested by investigators probing the June 7, 2021, gruesome double murder of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh at the family's Colleton County hunting lodge, Murdaugh's attorney, Harpootlian, revealed in open court in August. Alex Murdaugh was the state polices only known suspect in that case, though he has adamantly denied any involvement.

Little is known about those search warrants, including when Mullen signed them and what investigators sought. State prosecutors and Murdaughs defense attorneys declined to comment on them. They noted those records were among the trove of documents turned over to Murdaughs legal team in pre-trial discovery and that a judge has ordered to remain secret.

Questions unanswered

In his complaint earlier this year, Pascoe also asked the ODC to revisit his 2019 complaint alleging Mullen had improper communications with attorneys and mishandled conflicts of interest.

That complaint, like so many filed against S.C. judges, hasnt led to any public discipline.

A 2019 investigation by The Post and Courier and ProPublica revealed that the states judicial ethics watchdog hadnt publicly punished a circuit judge in two decades despite collecting more than 1,000 complaints over that span.

The disciplinary system, run largely by judges, shields the accused from public scrutiny while complaints against them are vetted slowly and confidentially. Judges can remain on the bench even as their integrity is called into question behind closed doors.

Ginny Jones, a spokeswoman for the states judicial branch, declined to answer any questions about the ODCs Murdaugh investigations, citing state laws that require secrecy.

But Jones noted state law requires the ODC to evaluate all information coming to its attention that alleges the misconduct of a lawyer or judge and launch an investigation if the allegations are severe enough.

Pascoe also declined to comment for this story.

I dont think it is helpful for me to speak before the process is complete, he said. However, prosecutors have a duty to ensure justice is done and our courts have a responsibility to ensure that the appearance of justice is served.

Already, the state Supreme Court has disbarred Murdaugh and suspended Cory Fleming.

But its Murdaugh investigations will likely carry on for a year or more, former ODC investigator Michael Virzi estimated. Thats, in part, because of heavy turnover within the ODC in recent years and the intertwined nature of the allegations against Murdaugh, Fleming and Mullen, Virzi said.

It makes sense that it might take a while, said Virzi, now an instructor with USCs law school. When multiple people are involved, they want to resolve everything before they resolve anything. They want to make sure they know everything.

Bland said he isnt surprised he hasnt heard back from state investigators.

You never do.

Glenn Smith contributed to this story from Charleston.
SUMMERVILLE  The property Wendy Reeds great-grandmother inherited in 1957 near downtown Summerville was sold in 2012 to pay a $112 delinquent property tax bill, and after years of fighting Dorchester County in court over it, Reed has conceded defeat.

A lawsuit that framed the sale as a civil rights issue ended this summer when the S.C. Court of Appeals upheld an earlier ruling in the countys favor.

Former state lawmaker Thomas Limehouse, who bought Reeds eighth-of-an-acre family property for $2,000 at a delinquent tax auction, was also a defendant.

Reed said she hopes to buy the property back from Limehouse, who said he's been negotiating with the family.

Reed's lawyer Nancy Bloodgood had argued Reed should have been able to buy back the property before the county transferred it to Limehouse in 2014, but that she faced discrimination as a Black heirs property owner.

Bloodgood said Dorchester County refused to let Reed reclaim the tax-delinquent property because her name wasnt on the deed. Heirs properties are those that have been handed down through families without the benefit of written wills or probate court, leaving them with tangled titles.

Reed's case illustrates how delinquent tax sales are a particular challenge facing heirs' property owners. People who lose a property through a delinquent tax sale have a year to reclaim it by paying back taxes, fees and interest, but those with heirs' property face the challenge of proving it was their property to reclaim.

I never understood the problem with living on heirs property, said Reed, who raised a son and daughter in her manufactured home on West Richardson Avenue. She's continued living there with her husband and three grandchildren while the court case played out.

I never knew it was so easy to lose property like that," Reed said.

As one heir of the deceased former owners of the land, Reed owned 1/75th of the property, but none of that was legally recorded. Its not an uncommon situation in South Carolina, particularly in Black communities.

Heirs' property has been cited by federal officials as a leading cause of involuntary losses of Black-owned land during the 20th century.

Reed had paid the taxes on the property for years but when it went to the delinquent tax sale and she sought to reclaim it, Dorchester County wanted her to prove she was an owner. At that point it was too late to probate the estate, clearing up the ownership stakes of multiple heirs legally would have been costly and such procedures often take years.

It didnt seem to matter as long as I was paying, Reed said. They were happy to take my money.

Josh Walden, chief of operations at the Center for Heirs Property Preservation, said Reed had sought their help and was told she needed to redeem the property  reclaim it from the tax sale process  before the nonprofit could help her clear up the deed.

Walden said he's not aware of any other South Carolina county "that has such a strict interpretation of what constitutes an owner."

Its an interpretation that can be devastating to a family," he said. At least every county Ive come across, this hasnt been an issue except for Dorchester."

Reed lived on the property and paid the annual tax bill for years until she didn't in 2011. The property then went to the annual delinquent tax auction in 2013. However, having paid the taxes didn't legally make her a "defaulting taxpayer" who could redeem the property, and she could not prove she was a "grantee from (the prior) owner" which also would have allowed her to reclaim the land under state law.

"I went to the big courthouse in St. George and they told me I had to probate the land," said Reed. "I didn't know what probate was."

Walden said most counties would just accept payment, and the property would return to its previous status as an heirs' property with the taxes up to date.

Treating heirs property owners differently in delinquent tax sales is a practice Bloodgood claimed has caused the loss of a significant amount of African American owned property in rural Dorchester County and is motivated by a discriminatory intent.

Courts didnt see it that way.

In a 2019 decision that was upheld on appeal in the summer of 2022, Circuit Judge Edgar Dickson put the blame for the loss of Reed's family property on Reed's shoulders, writing: "It was Plaintiff that failed to pay taxes, failed to respond to the certified notices, failed to probate her fathers estate, failed to have the Probate Court make a Determination of Heirs and failed to respond with any other information necessary to determine her eligibility to redeem."

Dorchester County, through a spokesperson, refused requests for interviews with officials involved in delinquent tax sales and declined to comment on the eight-year court case beyond stating: "The county has and continues to follow the law regarding delinquent taxes and the sale of property."

The county's defense was handled by the state's Insurance Reserve Fund.

After Reed's property went to tax sale, Dorchester County said it sent certified notices to a dozen "parties with an interest in the property" including Reed's great-grandmother who died in 1984, and her late father. None of them responded, according to the county, and Reed was not among those the county listed as having been sent notices.

I know Dorchester County did what they should have done legally and morally," said Limehouse, who was a lawyer before he was sent to jail in 1991 after his guilty plea in the Operation Lost Trust S.C. Statehouse bribery scandal and his law license was suspended.

The takeaway, he said, should be that "this is all the more reason why people need to probate property."

Limehouse had also purchased at tax sale an heirs' property partly owned by Reed's sister, and later sold it back to her.

"Everything is amicable and no one seems bitter," he said.

Limehouse said he's currently talking with Reed and her husband about renting the property they live on, which he now owns, and potentially buying it back from him.
Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations.
It was no surprise that Richland County Council members arent rushing to turn control of the jail over to Sheriff Leon Lott, despite a gross violation of state law designed to protect the public from abusive law enforcement officers and years of chronic understaffing, punctuated by inmate deaths and allegations of inhumane conditions for mentally ill prisoners.

What county council have you ever known, after all, that was willing to acknowledge that its in over its head  much less give up some of its power?

Truth be told, were not sure we would advocate for such a change. Sheriff Lott is by all accounts an honest professional with a long and successful tenure, and hes highly respected by Republicans and Democrats alike, but its always a bad idea to make policy based on personality, not least because the person in office now wont always be in that position. And South Carolina does tend to have a problem with its sheriffs, more than a third of whom have wound up on the wrong side of the law in the past decade.

Of course, weve never seen a county council that's impressed us, but they dont tend to violate the law  well, except the Freedom of Information Act, and unfortunately there are no criminal penalties for doing that.

But the apparently doomed discussion about turning the Richland County jail over to the sheriff points to a significant problem with our states police reform laws.

The calls to stop treating the Richland jail as a bureaucratic outlier and put it under the control of the sheriff came in response to the debacle that was the very brief tenure of Tyrell Cato as jail director. As The Post and Couriers Skyler Laird discovered, County Administrator Leonardo Brown hired Mr. Cato in July without bothering to complete a background check the state requires for all law enforcement hires. That turned out to be more than simply a violation of the law.

Once the administrator finally told the council (and by extension the public) that he had made the hire, Ms. Laird discovered that Mr. Cato had been fired from his previous job as jail director in neighboring Kershaw County after being accused of making suggestive comments about female employees clothes and asking them for sex. The Kershaw County administrator told her that no one from Richland County had ever called to ask about Mr. Cato, as the state requires under a policy designed to prevent police agencies from hiring certified law enforcement officers who got in trouble at their last job.

We cant say for sure why Mr. Brown didnt bother doing the background check  owing in part to the countys reticence to answer even basic questions about the whole matter  but its hard to ignore the fact that the requirement is based on the assumption that the people hiring and firing certified law enforcement officers would themselves be certified law enforcement officers: primarily sheriffs and police chiefs. While enforcement can include fines and other administrative penalties, the hammer is the possibility that the hiring agent will lose his own law enforcement credentials if he fails to comply with the law.

Since those credentials are required in order to serve in law enforcement in South Carolina, that's a great enforcement mechanism in most cases  but completely ineffective when the county administrator is hiring a new jail director.

That doesnt mean its a bad law; its actually a good law, and threatening certification is a very smart way to enforce most of the police reforms the Legislature passed in May. Its particularly useful for deterring inappropriate use of force. What the Richland experience demonstrates is that its an insufficient law.

We dont expect to have a run of cases where a county administrator hires a jail director without conducting the prescribed background check, but the same enforcement problem would come up when a city manager or city council is hiring a police chief. And given all the tiny municipalities in our state  which tend to be magnets for bad cops  that could become a real issue.

State legislators rely on the S.C. Law Enforcement Training Council to enforce the new police reform law, along with pre-existing police conduct laws, and should continue to do so. But they also need to either expand the councils portfolio or else find another mechanism for ensuring compliance with the law by people in charge of hiring, supervising and firing law enforcement officials who arent themselves law enforcement officials. And they need to act before we get a second, and perhaps more serious, example of the loophole in the law's enforcement.
Linda Brown was the young girl who gave her name to the four cases consolidated for consideration in Brown v. Board of Education, the 1954 Supreme Court case that effectively invalidated the regime of public school segregation. She died in 2018 at the age of 75 or 76. Neil Genzlingers New York Times obituary recounted her story.

Genzlinger dealt inadequately with the Brown case. In its ruling, he wrote, the Supreme Court threw out the prevailing separate but equal doctrine, which had allowed racial segregation in the schools as long as students of all races were afforded equal facilities. The separate but equal doctrine had been announced by the Supreme Court in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). Genzlinger implied that the Brown case killed it.

Would that it were so, but its not. The Court ruled that separate educational facilities were inherently unequal, but left the separate but equal doctrine undisturbed.

The principle of equal treatment without regard to race had in fact been advocated by Thurgood Marshall and the NAACP in the rationale of colorblindness (It is [our] thesis[that] the Fourteenth Amendment prevents states from according differential treatment to American children on the basis of their color or racethat the Constitution is colorblind is our dedicated belief). This is the argument the NAACP expressly urged in the Brown case. The Court, however, failed to adopt it.

Andrew Kull provides a history of the Supreme Courts treatment of the principle in The Color-Blind Constitution (1992). Kull devotes two chapters to the separate but equal doctrine set forth in the holding of Plessy.

The Plessy case represents the bygone era of Jim Crow that Linda Brown helped to transform, yet at the outset of his discussion of the case Professor Kull accurately observes: The majority opinion in Plessy makes a comfortable target, and it is routinely vilified. But in its broad holding, as opposed to its particular application, Plessy has never been overruled, even by implication. On the contrary, it announced what has remained ever since the stated view of a majority of the Supreme Court as to the constitutionality of laws that classify by race.

The principle of equal treatment without regard to race was adopted as the law of the land in the great civil rights legislation of 1964 and 1965, or so we foolishly thought at the time. It may even have been the law for a minute or two. Then the federal government began building the whole edifice of affirmative action and racial preferences that we live with today and that has been addressed by the Supreme Court in a number of important cases. Certainly insofar as higher education is concerned, the affirmative action regime and the treatment of students based on the color of their skin are entrenched more deeply than ever under the shibboleth of diversity.

One of the lessons of Kulls great book is that the Court wants to retain for the judiciary the discretion and authority to approve varieties of racial discrimination. Linda Brown and her case to the contrary notwithstanding, the ideal of the colorblind Constitution has remained on the horizon.

It is difficult to capture the absurdity of the affirmative action regime that is operative in higher education with the blessing of the Supreme Court. On the same day that the Court held the University of Michigans racial sorting illegal in the Gratz case involving undergraduate admissions, it approved the University of Michigan Law Schools program achieving the identical result in the Grutter case without the racial grids.

The two cases present the same issue in different form. In substance, they were the same case. The Court opted for the disingenuous version of affirmative action. The Courts decisions in Fisher v. University of Texas in 2013 (Fisher I) and 2016 (Fisher II) are the most recent footnotes to these cases. (The link is to the Courts disappointing decision in Fisher II, yet another illustration of Kulls thesis.)

Can the Supreme Court overcome the absurdity it has wrought? It can, but only a fool would be confident that it will. We can be slightly more confident that the Court will confront it one more time in the Harvard and UNC cases it has agreed to hear in its new term beginning tomorrow.

Our friends at the New Criterion devote their October number to the issue as it presents itself in the affirmative action and voting rights cases on the Courts docket this term. They have convened the symposium Affirmative action and the law. The issue has just been placed online and all of the pieces either are accessible or will be made accessible later this week. The editors introduce the symposium in Adjudicating the racial racket. The following symposium essays are all worth reading:

 Frank Resartus, The affirmative action regime.

 Gail Heriot, An agenda for Congress.

 James Piereson, The Voting Rights Act after six decades.

 John Yoo and Wen Fa, Facially neutral, racially biased.

 Glenn Harlan Reynolds, Affirmative action, democracy & the Supreme Court.
By my lights, nothing in John Fettermans record suggests that he is fit to hold public office. He is both a sponger and left-wing extremist. Having suffered a serious stroke just before securing the Pennsylvania Democrats nomination for the Senate, his mental capacity is in doubt as well.

Most recently, on MSNBC this past Friday evening, he proved unable to answer the opening question posed by host Chris Hayes without betraying his scrambled faculties. Jon Levine covers the story for the New York Post here. RedStates Mr. Bonchie adds some background here.

How you doing, John? Skip to the easy questions, Chris!

Im not laughing. In the age of Biden, Im afraid we may be inured to mental decline and incapacity, at least as it manifests among Democrats.
Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, is a lawyer and conservative activist. She was called to testify before the January 6 Committee on Thursday. The first question is: about what? As to what purported criminality is she a witness?

NPR says that the committees chief focus was Thomass communications with John Eastman, quoting California Democratic Rep. Pete Aguilar:

Ill say broadly that the committee has been very clear that wed like to hear from Ginni Thomas, her discussions and coordination to Mark Meadows and specifically to John Eastman, he said.

Eastman is a law professor who had an interpretation of the Constitution and applicable federal law under which President Trump may have been able to legally challenge Joe Bidens purported election victory. That didnt happen, obviously, but so what? Is it somehow illegal to discuss legal ways of challenging alleged election results? Election challenges happen all the time, and occasionally they succeed.

Jonathan Turley, like Eastman a law professor, asks, Why does a congressional committee care what Ginni Thomas believes'? Good question! Liberal media have accused Thomas of some kind of thought crime:

Now the media is breathlessly reporting that Ginni Thomas tells Jan. 6 panel she still believes false election fraud claims, as if it were a public confession of a reactionary resisting reeducation. On CNN, anchor Jake Tapper declared to viewers that Thomas has not changed her mind and remains untethered from all of the facts and evidence.

***

Select committee chair Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) left the voluntary interview with the Committee to report, according to Politico, she still believes false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump.

Since when is America a country that criminalizes thoughts? Many millions of Americans share Ginni Thomass concerns about election integritya majority, in fact, according to many polls. As I have said before, I dont know whether the Democrats stole the 2020 election, but I know for sure that they tried hard to steal it. Much could be written on this subject, but Mollie Hemingways Rigged is a good place to start.

Why are Democrats so desperate to ban any suggestion that the 2020 election may not have been entirely on the up-and-up? After all, the Democrats themselves claimed that the 2000, 2004 and 2016 presidential elections were invalid and that the Republican presidents elected in those years were illegitimate. So what has changed?

Party designation, obviously; but beyond that, I think Democrats are sensitive about the fact that criticisms of what happened in 2020, often under the guise of a covid emergency, are valid. Laws were illegally and unconstitutionally changed so as to weaken ballot integrity in many states. The Democrats deliberately opened the door to voter fraud. Now, we probably will never know whether the margin of fraud was decisive in the presidential election, or not.

Professor Turley adds this:

None of the media even raised the question of whether such interviews could be viewed as harassment or pressure on a member of the Supreme Court.

Good point. One can imagine the outcry if a Republican-led committee interrogated the spouse of a Democratic Supreme Court Justice in a hearing, over which hovered the potential for criminal charges. For disagreeing with Republicans! That, of course, would never happen. But, with Democrats in control of the absurd January 6 Committee, that is exactly what just took place. Americans of all political stripes should be outraged.

STEVE adds: Look, if liberals didnt have double-standards, they wouldnt. . . Oh hell, why do we even bother any more?
Experts at the 63rd conference of the Nigerian Economic Society (NES) have advised the Nigerian government on the need to empower women economically through financial inclusion and accurate presentation of data on rapid economic growth.

The conference, which was supported by the Development Research and Projects Centre (DRPC), looked at Womens Economic Empowerment (WEE), and how it affects the Nigerian economy.

The conference was held at the Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria in Kano, between Wednesday and Friday, with the theme Fiscal Sustainability and Policy Response for Economic Recovery in Nigeria.

The Founder of TSE Foundation, Sophia Essahmed, said empowering women gives them self-worth, the right to have determined choices and access to opportunities and resources. She said financial inclusion plays a key role in achieving womens economic empowerment.

Financial inclusion contributes to womens empowerment  a key enabler in reducing extreme poverty, it has a multiplier effect that benefits women, their households and communities.

Linking financial inclusion to womens empowerment, empowered the women to capture opportunities and build resilience through generating income and assessing essential services among others, Mrs Essahmed said

Mrs Essahmed said her organisation is committed to enrolling hundreds of unbanked women in financial institutions to empower them and prepare them for opportunities.

Unbanked bulk

Nigeria is one of the countries with the largest number of unbanked people in the world. According to the World Banks 2021 Global Findex report, the six other economies are China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Egypt.

The report said that, globally, about 1.4 billion adults are still unbanked, meaning that they do not have an account at a financial institution or through a mobile money provider.

READ ALSO:

The top five economies hosting the largest share of the world unbanked were the same in 2017 and 2021, the World Banks report stated.

Kareem Abdularraq, a researcher who studied the budgets of federal, and state governments, identified challenges affecting womens economic empowerment.

Mr Abdularraq said some of his findings include the duplication of efforts in womens economic empowerment-related projects across MDAs and a lack of coordination among the MDAs.

There is poor sex disaggregation of empowerment programmes as well as non-specification of programmes prospective beneficiaries and location, thus, making it difficult for researchers to understand the beneficiary based on gender and location.

The data on budget performance from the MDAs have increased in 2022 compared to the 2021 approved budget but it does not provide disaggregated data on Womens Economic Empowerment specific intervention, Mr Abdularraq said.

He said in the National Assemblys N100 billion Zonal Intervention Project under the service-wide vote, the womens economic empowerment projects fund increased by 19.9 per cent in 2020, and 10.3 per cent in 2021 and 0.7 per cent in 2022.

The moderator, Bala Kofar-Mata, a professor of entrepreneurship from Dangote Business School at Bayero University, said Womens Economic Empowerment is important. He said Nigeria cannot develop comprehensively unless we have accurate and reliable data.

The NES 63rd Conference

The President of the NES, Ummu Jalingo, told reporters on Wednesday that they had chosen this years theme to reflect Nigerias current macroeconomic and fiscal challenges.

The conference seeks to address cross-cutting and specific issues in the governments policy response to the fiscal sustainability challenge, Mrs Jalingo said.

According to her, the organisers chose Kano, 42 years after the conference was last held in the state, because of the serenity of the environment and peaceful atmosphere in the state.

She said the organisers also aimed to democratise the economic society so that their activities can go around.

Having it in Kano is a welcome development, and the participants are happy because of the serene environment, she said.
In 2019, when officials of the Nigerian National Park Services (NPS) an agency under the Federal Ministry of Environment, approached Aking village head, Ntufam Patrick-Erom requesting land to plant trees under the green bond National afforestation programme, the community leader obliged.

He agreed to share a portion of a hill-top land which was cleared for the purpose. The NPS officials said they preferred a flat area close to the main road. After weeks of searching, the park officials found land by the roadside and some villagers convinced them to plant without the consent of the village head and the landowner.

After planting some seedlings of mangoes, bitter kola and bush mango (Ogbono trees), the park placed a signpost bearing Osombaa neighbouring community, instead of Aking on the plots planted. This angered the owner of the land and the Aking village youth, who misinterpreted the gesture to mean their community land is about to be grabbed.

When the lady who owns the land saw this, she was angry and she asked them to leave her land, the village head told PREMIUM TIMES.

Even on their signboard, they wrote Osomba instead of Aking, so our youths were annoyed and they scattered everything, he said.

Mr Patrick-Erom said he could not intervene when the incident occurred because he was hospitalised due to his illness.

Aking village is one of the seven communities mapped out for the implementation of the green bond afforestation projects in Cross River National Park. It is about a three hours drive away from the Calabar municipality.

The village is a rural settlement tucked along Oban village road in Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State where the Cross River National Parks head-office is sited.

Subsistence farming is the major occupation of the Aking people. Crops grown by farmers of this community are mainly oil palm, cocoa, cassava, among others, coupled with local brewing (tapping) of alcoholic beverages (kaikai) and palm wine from oil palm trees and raffia palms by locals.

Contrary to the alleged violent reaction from the Aking community youth towards the project, Cletus Asuquo, a council member of the community who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES during a visit to the project site in August, said the green bond project failed because the Park officials did not consult properly with the community village head and the landowner (his wife) before planting was done.

They wanted to collect the land by force, and it is the only thing my in-laws inherited from their late father, that was why the youths reacted, Mr Asuquo said.

Green bond

Green bonds are debt instruments intended to encourage sustainability and to support climate-related and other types of special environmental projects.

Specifically, green bonds finance projects aimed at energy efficiency, pollution prevention, sustainable agriculture, fishery and forestry, the protection of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, clean transportation, clean water, and sustainable water management. Also, they are used to finance the cultivation of environmentally friendly technologies and the mitigation of climate change.

In December 2017 and June 2019, Nigeria issued two green bonds worth N10.69 billion and N15 billion respectively. It was heralded as the most ambitious initiative of its kind anywhere in the continent of Africa at that time. Nigeria, Africas most populous nation, became the first African nation and fourth globally after Poland, France, and COP 23 President, Fiji, to raise a debt instrument for the sole purpose of financing climate smart (mitigation and adaptation) projects.

The objective of the initiative was to fast track Nigerias low carbon development pledges as enshrined in the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) document submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and as well create massive job opportunities for the citizens.

The move offered the country an opportunity to demonstrate leadership in its green financing agenda, while giving exposure to new investors and solidifying the countrys commitment to the Paris Climate Change Agreement which was endorsed in 2015.

According to the Department of Climate Change (DCC) at the Federal Ministry of Environment, N1.99 billion and N1.22 billion was earmarked for the afforestation programme in the first and second series of the green bond issued in both years (2017 and 2019) respectively.

However, Nigerias Conservator General, Ibrahim Goni, in response to PREMIUM TIMESs Freedom of Information request, said the National Park Service received N433.1 million in two tranches (N225.3 million and N207.8 million) between 2018 and 2019 for the implementation of afforestation/restoration projects within support zone communities of the seven national parks in the country.

A total of N433, 119,500(Four Hundred and Thirty-Three Million, One Hundred and Nineteen thousand, Five Hundred Naira Only) was received by the Service for implementation of the Afforestation/Restoration Projects for Two years of the Projects in some Support Zone Communities of the 7 National Parks as detailed below: 2017- N225, 315, 000( But was released in July, 2018) 2018- N207, 804, 500( But was released in September, 2019).Total- N433, 119,500, Mr Goni said in his FOI response letter dated September 21 to PREMIUM TIMES.

According to the letter, the tree planting projects were awarded to two contractors: Hamkool Global Services Limited and Suarez Global Resources Limited. The government gave the contractors five months to complete the work, while the timelines for the trees would take three years to be established.

Key Findings

But now, less than five years after the full implementation of the core afforestation projects funded via proceeds of the bonds, a five month-long investigation by PREMIUM TIMES found that the projects suffered a major setback because they were poorly implemented. We found that the projects suffered as a result of poor community participation, and inadequate needs assessment, and because the tree planting contracts were awarded to individuals (firms) with little or no afforestation experience.

During a recent visit to several locations of the project sites implemented within communities in Cross River and Edo State national parks respectively, PREMIUM TIMES observed that the projects were far from successful.

Meanwhile, in May, at the Summit of Heads of State and Government 15th Conference of the Parties (Cop15) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), President Muhammadu Buhari said Nigeria has forested over 6 million hectares of land through its historic green bond project.

Nigeria had successfully forested over Six Million, One Hundred and Ninety-One Thousand, Three Hundred and Sixty-Three (6,191, 363) hectares of land through the green bond project, while targeting to increase the nations forest cover to 25 per cent in line with global best practices, the president was quoted to have said while addressing leaders at the summit in Cote DIvoire at that time.

Before the presidents claim, a PREMIUM TIMES investigation last year revealed that afforestation projects captured under the green bond programme implemented at Old Oyo National Park in Oyo State were poorly implemented.

Contrary to Mr Buharis claim, a report by an international group of researchers revealed that tropical forests potential for regrowth is substantial if they are left untouched by humans for about 20 years.

According to the report, soil takes an average of 10 years to recover its previous status, plant community and animal biodiversity take 60 years, and overall biomass takes a total of 120-year period.

Mr Goni agreed it takes longer for reforestation to be achieved. With your background, do you think a forest can be created in one year? It is good you have clarified from me, no matter how fast a plant can grow, you cannot form a forest of any species in less than five years, Mr Goni said.

Mr Goni gave a different reason for the failure. He lamented that a majority of the trees planted under the green bond initiative died as a result of late planting of seedlings, fire outbreaks, youth restiveness and droughts among other factors. He said efforts to replant (beat-up) were ongoing in some parks while some areas are no go areas because of banditry activities.

For Gashaka park, they are doing well. Our problem is Kainji Birnin Gwari and the Borno sector in the Chad basin; we have even lost that sector. So you cant talk of the green bond there. For Birnin Gwari, it is a no-go area, Mr Goni said.

The Cross River National Park Conservator of Park (CP), Zanna Lawan, said the green bond projects were spread across seven communities (Aking/Osomba,Ekuri, Obung, Okarara, Akamkpa urban, Busi and Wula) within the two divisions of the park in the state but that unfortunately, fire outbreaks, and youth restiveness- communal clashes, made the projects a failed venture.

The Okomu Park CP Augustine Obekpa, said the green bond projects were implemented in three communities; Inikurua, Iguafole and Igolo, but that after planting, there was a seizure of rainfall which caused many of the plants not to survive.

Observation and limitations of the projects

Cross River National Park

One of the several projects funded from the proceeds of the green bonds issued within the aforementioned periods was the restoration of degraded areas in Cross River National Parks in the South-Eastern zone of Nigeria.

The park occupies an area of about 4000 square kilometres of pristine tropical moist rainforest ecosystems, with montane mosaic on the Obudu plateau and surrounded with about 106 communities.

It is split into two distinct non-contiguous divisions: Oban and Okwangwo. The former occupies the larger parts of the park area (3000 sq.km), which stretches ecologically into the Korup National Park in the Republic of Cameroon, bearing high species (flora & fauna) diversity.

Of the seven communities where the tree planting projects were carried out at the park, officials of the park could only show this reporter two sites (Akamkpa and Busi communities) they said were viable. But this reporter independently tracked others at Aking village.

Like the Aking village, PREMIUM TIMES visit to the park in August revealed there were no green bond afforestation projects at Ekuri, Obung, Wula and Okarara communities respectively. The Park officials said the projects could not be implemented effectively due to communal crises and fire outbreaks they experienced during and after the planting process.

After over two hours of bumpy navigation through highly dense oil palm plantations and shallow streams crossing, this reporter arrived at the green bond site at the Akamkpa community.

The signposts stationed at the project site when our reporter visited indicated that seedlings of oranges, mangoes and bush mangoes were planted in 2019. Only a few stands of mango and orange tree crops were seen sparsely distributed and growing on five hectares of land at the Akamkpa community.

Although the Parks Head of Planning, Research and ICT, Innocent Asuquo, said they planted 500 seedlings of the aforementioned tree plants each, only a few mangoes and oranges survived.

Interestingly too, the project area was used to grow cassava by community members who initially offered the land.

Mr Asuquo explained that the unrelated crops were planted as a strategy for weed control and maintenance of the project site by the community until the seedlings planted are well established, based on permission by the park.

However, of the two thousand trees planted on the project site at the Akamkpa community that year, this newspaper counted just about a hundred trees of mangoes and citrus standing, and a few Bush mango trees.

Many of the seedlings planted did not survive, but relatively, citrus (oranges) did better in the community, officials said.

Asked if soil testing was carried out on the project areas before introducing the seedlings to the project sites, the officials said nothing of such was done, and that the planting of the seedlings was done mainly by locals employed from the communities without pre-scientific checks.

Theres a need to employ the services of experts or soil scientists to tell us if this kind of soil will be okay for the plants we planted here, but nothing of such was done, Mr Asuquo said.  They just gave us the go ahead from Abuja and we carried out the planting.

The officials believe that the projects would have panned out differently if they had employed the services of a specialist, botanists, to provide professional guidance on what needs to be done whenever the seedlings planted are not doing well.

None of this was in place during the implementation of the projects, the official said.

Overtime, Mr Asuquo said we discovered that most of the seedlings planted were wilting away for no reason.

If an expert was around, he could have told us if there is inadequate moisture in the soil or something else happened that makes them wilting away.But nothing like this was done, in future we would need this kind of services to ensure that the viability of the site is guaranteed, he added.

Similarly, at Busi community in the Obudu plateau axis of the park, the green bond project site also suffered a major setback. Only a few trees of oranges and mangoes were seen trying to survive the swampy environment they were planted in.

The site is located at the Okwangwo axis of the Cross River National Park and is about six to eight hours drive from the Calabar municipality. It hosts a large chunk of Nigerias primary forests. However, logging and massive deforestation are some of the thriving business activities that stare commuters in the face along the Butatong community road leading to the green bond site.

At the Busi community green bond project site, the Okwangwo division sector officer, Justina Undelikwo, said they planted oranges, mangoes, bush mango and bitter kola, and that the community members were interested in the project.

But members of the community attached to the green bond site said the project failed due to lack of maintenance, inability of the community members to buy into the project, coupled with massive stealing and late planting of the seedlings.

They said community members lost interest in the project because they thought they would be gainfully employed by the park after the implementation of the project, but since this did not happen, they lost interest in the project and it affected the maintenance of the site.

Solomon Akwu, one of the elders in the community who goes by the nickname Mr Bakassi, noted that the project failed because tree seedlings were planted in late October when the dry season had commenced, causing most of the seedlings to die off.

The ones that could survive we helped them to survive. But even when they were planted in the swamp, some still died,  Mr Bakassi said.

Akwu David, another resident of the community said the projects failed because most of the seedlings were stolen by the neighbouring communities after planting was done.

Aside from this, PREMIUM TIMES observed that the Busi community project was implemented in an already established forest area, instead of a degraded land area as stipulated in the green bond project guidelines published by the environment ministry on its website.

Some of the surviving seedlings of citrus and mangoes seen at the site are still struggling to grow under canopies of already established trees which are depriving the young seedlings of access to direct sunlight.

Likewise, there are no provisions for efficient and seamless irrigation structures across all the green bond sites visited.

Some of the Conservators of parks did not carry out the green bond projects as directed, they did a poor job, a top official of the park who does not want his name mentioned since he was not permitted to speak on the issues told this reporter.

He said most of the CPs of some parks did not implement all the directives contained in the green bond criteria served to them.

Another official said the Top-bottom approach used in the implementation of the project largely triggered the failures of the project across the parks.

Besides this, PREMIUM TIMES observed that lack of mobility, far distance and access roads to some of the project locations are part of what crippled most of the green bond tree planting projects. As some of the parks do not have vehicles to carry out site monitoring across the project areas.

Similar condition in Okomu National Park

By October this year, it will be three years since the Okomu National Park implemented the green bond afforestation projects in three communities bordering the park, but the project failed.

The park is about an hour drive (60 km) away from north west of Benin City municipality and just 20 minutes drive away from the famous Okomu oil palm plantation company.

Formerly known as the Okomu Wildlife Sanctuary, Okomu National Park hosts a forest block within about 1,082 kilometres square in the Ovia South-West Local Government Area of Edo State.

The Okomu park officials said the green bond tree planting projects were implemented in three communities Ugolo, Iguafole and Inikurua respectively, but that many did not survive.

Site visitation to two (Ugolo and Iguafole) of the three project sites in late August revealed that almost all the trees the park claimed to have planted in 2019 did not survive. However, it was observed that the park started replanting of a few citrus seedlings but the leaves are being eaten up by caterpillar pests.

We are trying to see how we can get the chemicals that we can spray to eliminate the caterpillars, Mr Obekpa said.

He said most of the seedlings of oranges and bitter kola planted in 2019 did not survive because they were planted when the rainy season was almost done.

So it really affected the survival rate, the park CP said.

Mr Obekpa lamented that part of the challenges they faced at the initial stage of implementation of the project was the land allocation crisis with the community.

After planting some people said that the land belonged to them, and we reported the issues to the community chief and it was resolved, he said.

Environmentalists lament

The findings by PREMIUM TIMES have alarmed environmental activists and ecological experts who questioned the planning and execution of the projects across the parks.

There is so much lack of transparency in the character of most officials when assigned with responsibilities especially when money is involved, said Ajele Sunday, National Coordinator, Voice of the Earth initiative (VOTEi) in Edo State.

Environmentalists have also criticised the monoculture approach of growing tree crops like oranges on five hectares of land to achieve carbon sequestration.

How do you expect Citrus trees to take the place of a forest or afforestation that will be capable of sequestering (trap) atmospheric carbon? Queried Mr Sunday. Monoculture planting can never take the place of a forest, therefore cannot serve the purpose of a forest, he added.

In a scathing review of the green bond afforestation projects implemented in the State, the environmentalist said, It is appalling that such a beneficial project goes down the drain without achieving the desired result. Therefore, in order to find a cover up, all you get is lies upon lies.

I challenge the NPS to come out with their integrity test if at all they consulted any environmentalist, nor created an awareness to any of the communities, he said.

He said, Very unfortunate that none of the Communities the NPS claimed to have worked are in the know of this project. Very unfortunate that the government will come up with good ideas and some privileged people will just make it not reliable.

Similarly, Peter Oru-Bete, executive director of Biakwan Light Green Initiative (BLGI), an afforestation-driven indigenous group based in Calabar, described the green bond projects in the state as a novel program that failed to serve their purpose because the community entry process was wrong.

The community entry process was quite wrong. The community did not properly buy into the projects from the history of site selection There was no proper engagement of the community, said Mr Oru-Bete who conducted a qualitative analysis of the failed green bond project site at Aking/Osomba community.

In his review, the environmentalist said the park mode of entry into the community triggered a crisis between the two communities ( Aking and Osomba) by placing a signpost bearing Osomba on a project site implemented on land that belongs to the Aking community.

Traditionally, this will ignite conflict between the two communities. Those two reasons might be responsible for the community rising against the projects, he said.

Also, Mr Oru-Bete said the worst thing that largely affected the Cross River State green bond projects was that the timing was wrong.

The trees planted in the State did not survive because they were planted very late, seedlings died naturally because they were planted around September and October, very late, he said.

Not yet Uhuru

While it is evident that the core purpose of the green bond initiative to fast-track Nigerias low carbon development pledges as contained in its NDC document, and as well create massive job opportunities for the citizens has suffered a major setback, and has not been largely felt, Jubril Adeojo, Managing Director, Smefunds Capital Limited, which facilitates investment in climate impact projects, said the green bond failures implies that we (Nigeria) keep wasting funds and taxpayers money.

The implication is that we keep wasting funds and taxpayers money on unproductive projects and without real impact on lives, Mr Adeojo said.

In 2012, green bond issuance amounted only to $2.6 billion. But in 2016, it began to sprout, amid a surge in Chinese borrowers who accounted for $32.9 billion of the totalmore than a third of all issuances. While the interest is global, the European Union and the United States were among the leaders too.

In 2017, when Nigeria issued its first green bond, green bond issuance jumped to a record high, accounting for $161 billion worth of investment worldwide, according to Moody, a rating agency. But growth slowed a bit in 2018, hitting only $167 billion, and later rebounded the following year due to an increased climate-aware market.

According to Investopedia, Green issuances reached a record $266.5 billion in 2019, and nearly $270 billion the following year.

Even when Nigeria was the fourth globally to have issued green debt security as of 2017, between 2014 and 2021, the United States was and still the leading country in terms of issuance of green bonds, followed by China, France and Germany fourth.

Meanwhile, the World Bank is a major issuer of green bonds and has issued $14.4 billion of green bonds since 2008. These funds have been used to support 111 projects around the world, largely in renewable energy and efficiency (33%), clean transportation (27%), and agriculture and land use (15%).

One of the banks first green issuances were used to finance the Rampur Hydropower Project, which aimed to provide low-carbon hydroelectric power to northern Indias electricity grid. It produces nearly two megawatts per year, preventing 1.4 million tons of carbon emissions.

Ironically, with Nigerias failure to establish woodlots and economic trees for climate change mitigation through proceeds from the green bonds issued, the country has also failed to achieve the 4,938 t/CO2 emissions reduction and the 8,579 estimated job creation within this period(2017 & 2018)

The failure of the green Bond project is a double tragedy for future generations, said Razaq Fatai, the Africa Policy and Advocacy Manager for the ONE Campaign.

He said, First, they (the Nigerian government) have to repay the debt for a mismanaged fund, and secondly, they would be confronted with the negative impact of climate change which we have failed to effectively and efficiently address today.

We need a strong accountability mechanism to make sure that future green bonds, if any, will achieve the desired results, he added.

Key recommendations

Mr Sunday explained that for the NPS to achieve optimal results for a gigantic protect such as the green bond afforestation, he said they ought to have organised awareness programs in educating beneficial communities on the menace of deforestation.

This, he said, will create the need for the Communities to see the projects as their own and its benefits.

But they prefer to do it in secrecy, he added.

On his part, Mr Oru-Bete said, For me, I feel there should be a mentorship program that should take no less than a year, the community should be able to raise the nurseries, and when it is mature they should take care and plant the nurseries themselves so that they will own the process. Then the NGO and the park will be monitoring the process.

Martins Ergot, Executive Director of Development Concern, an environmental NGO based in Cross River State, said the green bond project in Cross River should not have been scattered across many communities.

I expect that if they can define 2 to 3 hectares within the national park, especially close to the buffer that they think they can regenerate, they can do that. I dont think it should be widely scattered. That will not clearly (for feasibility studies) give us an account of what we would like to see, he said.

In his remarks, Chief Executive Officer of NGOs Coalition for Environment in Cross River State, Odigha Odigha, said the park should do more by strengthening their stakeholders exercise because if people know, they will buy in and there is a likelihood of the project to achieve its goals.

What people dont know is there is a likelihood for them to abuse it or work against the program, he added.

This story was produced with support from Tiger Eye Foundation and MacArthur Foundation.
A few weeks ago, it appeared as though the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had put its house in order and presented a united front while the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) convulsed from an internal crisis.

But just when the campaign was about to start, the facade of unity in the ruling party started unravelling over the Presidential Campaign Council list released by the Secretary of the Council, James Faleke, a lawmaker from Lagos State.

Following the release of the list, some governors expressed their outrage over the exclusion of their nominees.

PREMIUM TIMES exclusively reported a storm on the WhatsApp group of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) over the list. The governors had nominated five persons each into the council. However, the final list of 422 members did not go down well with them.

It was learnt that the Director General of PCC and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, and the Chairman of PGF, Atiku Bagugu, agreed with the presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, to expand the list, prompting the indefinite postponement of the inauguration of the council.

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Featus Keyamo, who is the spokesperson of the campaign, said the expansion may take the list to over 2,000 members to accommodate the different groups pushing for inclusion.

#WhereIsTinubu

In the midst of all these, Mr Tinubu has been missing in action at public political events in the past couple of days.

The ban on campaigns for national offices was lifted on Wednesday, and while other presidential candidates gathered at the International Conference Center to sign a peace accord, Mr Tinubu sent Kashim Shettima, his running mate, to represent him.

The presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar; the candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi and his running mate, Ahmed Datti; the candidate of New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, and several other candidates attended the ceremony.

Mr Tinubus absence from the event generated the #WhereIsTinubu trend on Twitter, as the opposition demanded information on his whereabouts.

Mr Tinubu has so far avoided sharing a stage with his opponents.

In August, he was billed to speak at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference. Instead, he sent Mr Shettima, having left the country days before the conference to meet with some governors of the PDP, led by Governor Nyesome Wike of Rivers State.

Again, last month, Mr Tinubu was invited to speak at a conference of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry but again delegated Mr Shettima to deliver his speech. This trend of not attending such events has further invigorated the speculation about Mr Tinubus health.

But the former Lagos State Governor attended the 70th birthday programme of a Catholic cleric, Mathew Kukah, where he gave a speech. Also, he hosted some northern bishops at his campaign office some days ago and equally gave a speech.

While it is known that Mr Tinubu is currently in the United Kingdom, the reason for the trip remains a subject of speculations, although, recently, the position of the campaign council is that he is there for a rest.

Even the Deputy Director General of the campaign, Adams Oshiomhole, brushed aside a question on the issue while appearing on Politics Today on Channels TV. The former governor of Edo State said, I dont report to him every day. I am not sure if he is around or not.

Days after, Ayo Ayelabowo, one of the nominees in the PCC, while appearing on Arise TV, stated that the candidate decided to travel to the UK to get some rest before the commencement of campaigns.

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is in London. He cannot rest in Lagos. They will not let him rest. he came to Abuja most of the time, but they will still not allow him to rest. This man has been working for an average of 20 hours each day. So, reasonable people thought he should leave the country because people will not let him rest since the campaign is coming soon.

He explained that the invitation for the peace accord came very late, prompting the last-minute arrangement of Mr Shettima to fill the gap.

Bayo Onanuga, Director, Media and Publicity, on Saturday, also maintained that Mr Tinubu is resting in the UK.

He (Tinubu) was not ill. He didnt go to treat any ailment. We spoke today at about 2 p.m. And he told me how his one-week retreat has not made any difference.

Insiders within the party informed PREMIUM TIMES that Mr Tinubu may likely return to the country on 3 October.

The Osinbajos excluded from the campaign

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will not be campaigning for his former political associate, Bola Tinubu, if the campaign council list is anything to go by.

It also emerged that Dolapo, the wife of the vice president, will also not join the campaign team, if the list of the women campaign team released by Oluremi Tinubu is anything to go by.

Mrs Osinbajo, whose relationship with First Lady Aisha Buhari gave several epic photo opportunities during the 2019 campaign session, was excluded from the APC list.

While Mrs Buhari got the title of Patron, Remi Tinubu, wife of the partys presidential candidate, and Nana Shettima, wife of the vice presidential candidate, Kashim Shettima, will serve as chair and co-chairperson. However, the wife of the vice president was conspicuously missing from the list.

Mr Osinbajo lost the APC presidential primaries to his former boss, Mr Tinubu, at the convention in June. While other aspirants have been drafted into the campaign, the vice president was excluded from the campaign council.

He served as the attorney general and commissioner for justice of Lagos State under Mr Tinubu. The latter is also believed to have nominated Mr Osinbajo for the office of the vice president in 2015.

To debunk speculations of a rift between Messrs Tinubu and Osinbajo, the ruling party in a statement said President Muhammadu Buhari requested the exclusion of his deputy and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, to allow them to focus on governance.

No reason has, however, been given for the exclusion of Mrs Osinbajo.

The APC is still struggling with backlash over its Muslim/Muslim ticket and Messrs Osinbajo and Mustapha are two of the highest-ranking Christians in the administration.

The appearance of Mr Osinbajo, a pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, could have played, and could still play, a significant role in assuaging Christians who may not be favourably disposed to the same faith ticket of the party.
Peter Obis supporters got their noses in front of the field in the opening week of the campaigns for the 2023 presidential election. While the two major parties are still trying to put their houses in order, the upstart Obidients are already in the streets showing off their numbers in simultaneous outings across the country.

They appeared to have seized the initiative in this campaign from the moment in June when Mr Obi abandoned his bid for the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and entered the race on the pony of the then unfashionable Labour Party. Since then, the supporters have managed to shove Mr Obi and themselves into the centre of national and even international media attention in their audacious efforts to rewrite Nigerias political and electoral scripts.

Adopting their moniker from the candidates name and branding themselves as a movement of the Nigerian youth angry with the status quo, they launched their campaign on Twitter, the microblogging platform that had been used so effectively a year and a half earlier for the #EndSARS protests of October 2020.

On Saturday, the Obidients marked Nigerias 62nd Independence Anniversary with rallies and street marches in many cities across Nigeria. Although the candidate did not appear in any of the events, his supporters defied the elements and attempts by the authorities to restrict them in some places and poured out in their thousands chanting the praise of the candidate and dancing to Nigerian pop music.

In Lagos, despite an early morning downpour, the supporters gathered at Lekki, Surulere, Ikeja, and Festac Town for what the organisers called a #4MillionManMarch4PeterObi. But they also made themselves seen in Kaduna, Bauchi, Uyo, Warri, Benin and other cities where they caused traffic gridlocks with their carnivals along major highways.

Mocking Bola Tinubu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the impressive numbers at the rallies in areas considered his stronghold, a spokesperson of the Atiku Abubakar campaign organisation, Daniel Bwala, wrote on Twitter:

They kept saying @PeterObi would steal @OfficialPDPNig votes until they saw the Obidient Lagos rally, then they realized Pitobi is on a mission to plunder Emilokans south west votes. Obis voters are all over the south west, cities, towns and villages. Hahahahahaha.

In a second tweet, Mr Bwala also wrote:

The crowd at Pitobi @PeterObi rally in Kaduna despite @elrufai,..,suggest the decline of APC in that state. This is even labour, not PDP, Obi not Atiku. The EA amendment has de-mystified governors. If 2015 APC victory does not humble APC, the 2023 APC defeat would humiliate them.

The tweets were good music in the ears of the Obidients. One of them responded to Mr Bwala with laughing emojis:

What a time to be alive. They are no longer living in denial. APC is saying Peter Obi will take PDPs vote.PDP is saying Peter Obi will take APCs vote.Ladies and Gents, Peter Obi is the next president of Nigeria.

Mr Obi has been mocked over his decision to run on the platform of the Labour Party, which had never made a serious impression in a national election. He was the running mate to Atiku of the PDP in the last election and started this one initially hesitant, before declaring his bid for the main opposition partys ticket. His hesitation was then seen as a signal of his preference to pair again with Atiku, a man he still publicly reveres as My leader. His appearance at the public declaration of Atiku in Abuja earlier in the year had lent light to that view.

Thus, when he suddenly announced his departure from the PDP and picked the ticket of the Labour Party a few days later, many observers saw it as an act of desperation. Even the immediate traction that his candidature gained on social media did not impress many observers who noted that the party does not have structures in any state of the federation. He had countered that by describing his supporters as his structures. And with what we have seen over the past four months, and especially in the last few weeks since they took the online campaign to the streets, many may want to pay Mr Obi more serious attention.

The Obidients may be blustering political neophytes. But the marks they are making in this campaign and the attention they are drawing, even from their most arrogant opponents, show their hope of taking back Nigeria may not be as illusory as it first appeared.

APC, PDP distracted

While the Obidients are in their elements, the two major parties are being distracted by internal issues. The two had dithered over putting together their presidential campaign councils. This was more surprising for the APC, which appeared to have escaped the post-convention conflict that has manacled the PDP. However, soon after announcing a 422-member council, it emerged that powerful elements in the APC were squabbling over what roles to play in the campaign.

Some of the 23-member governors forum of the party complained that their nominees into the council had either been excluded or assigned minor roles. The bickering was confirmed when the draft of a letter was leaked to the media in which the national chairman of the party, Abdullahi Adamu, expressed his frustration at Mr Tinubu not carrying the national working committee along in his preparations for the campaigns. Although the spokesperson of the party, Felix Morka, later denied the authenticity of the latter, the party has confirmed that the list was being reviewed.

This was one of the reasons why the schedule for the inauguration of the council on Wednesday was cancelled. The minister of state for labour and employment, Festus Keyamo, who is the spokesperson of the Tinubu campaign, later said the party will issue an expanded list of over 2000 members that would accommodate all interest groups in the party.

However, even that list will not accommodate Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha. Mr Keyamo said President Buhari had directed that the two be excluded from electioneering activities so that they can concentrate on government business in the final months of the administration.

That looks like a convenient ruse. The two men happen to be the most senior Christian officials of the administration who may not be pleased with Mr Tinubus emergence as the candidate and his nomination of a fellow Muslim as running mate. Mr Osinbajo was Mr Tinubus bitter rival in the party primary while Mr Mustapha was one of the Christian names Mr Tinubu was said to have rejected before settling for Kashim Shettima as his running mate.

While all the fighting over the campaign council was going on, Mr Tinubu suddenly left the country Sunday morning for London. His aides said the trip was to honour an invitation to a meeting by a group that they refused to identify but a section of the media reported that it was for a medical purpose. That report has taken the speculations about the state of the candidates health back to the front burner.

READ ALSO:

The trip also kept him away from a ceremony in Abuja for the signing of a so-called peace accord in which the 17 candidates committed themselves and their supporters to responsible conduct during the campaigns and elections. Mr Tinubu was represented at the event by his running mate, Mr Shettima, who had earlier been reported to be in London with him.

The ruling party candidates absence expectedly drew the ire of his critics and the mockery of his adversaries who also noted a trend of his avoidance of public events arranged to bring the candidates together. Mr Tinubu had been absent at a conference of the Nigerian Bar Association in Lagos where the candidates were asked to speak on their plans for the country. He also did not turn up at a similar platform organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry where he was also represented by Mr Shettima.

His critics also noted that he has not granted any newspaper an interview or appeared on a live television programme like some of his major opponents. Is the APC candidate avoiding speaking with the Nigerian public and electorate?

Aides said Mr Tinubu will return to Nigeria on Monday ahead of the inauguration of his campaign council and the kick off of his first presidential campaign. The next few weeks on the hustings will answer some of the questions around his person and candidature.

Atikus PDP baggage

Atiku faces perhaps bigger problems than Mr Tinubu in his own party. The PDP candidate has inaugurated his own over 600-member campaign council and has made strategic appearances in Enugu and Gombe even while he is yet to formally begin his third campaign as a presidential candidate.

However, since his nomination at the end of May, the PDP flag bearer has been enmeshed in a well-documented rift with the runner-up in the partys primary, Nyesom Wike. The Rivers governor has since escalated that into a conflict between the southern and northern sections of the party.

Some leaders of the party, including at least four other state governors and many former governors joined Mr Wike in pulling out of the presidential campaign council in protest against the rejection of their demand for the sack of Iyorchia Ayu as the national chairman of the party. They want Mr Ayu to make way for a southern substitute so as to correct a regional imbalance they cited in the party. But Mr Ayu has vowed not to resign and has the backing of the national executive committee of the party which has passed a vote of confidence on him.

The dispute has confronted Atiku with the dire prospect of going to the election without the support of the powerful Rivers governor and his colleagues who have stood on his side. But the clouds darkened considerably more last week for Atiku and the PDP when a financial scandal in the party blew open.

Suggesting that Mr Ayu had attempted to bribe them, four members of the national working committee returned sums ranging from N28 million to N36 million paid into their bank accounts by the party. They said they noticed the payment after the media accused them of taking bribes.

Those who returned the money are the the Deputy National Chairman (South) Taofeek Arapaja; National Vice Chairman (South-West) Olasoji Adagunodo, National Vice Chairman (South-south), Dan Orbih, and the National Women Leader, Stella Affah-Attoe. Not surprising, all of them are associates of Mr Wike.

The scandal exposed the PDP to ridicule over its history of alleged corruption by its officials when it ran the federal government for 16 years until its displacement by the APC in 2015.

In spite of being rebuffed several times, the candidate has persisted in his efforts to appease Mr Wike. Both men met again in Abuja on Friday but Daily Trust reported that no truce was reached. The Rivers governor has since that meeting held another one with Mr Obi of the Labour Party. As things stand, PDP may be heading into the campaigns and the elections as a broken party. That, and the blues Mr Tinubu is facing over his decisions in and outside his party, must be sweet music for the Obidients.
It was a hot evening on 16 October 2013 in Kabayi, a neighbourhood in Mararaba, Nasarawa State, which borders the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

Gabriel Akor, then 16-year-old, and his family members sat on the veranda of their house to enjoy the breeze outside before retiring inside at bedtime.

Suddenly, gunshots erupted in the neighbourhood and residents were scampering in different directions.

Mr Akor had barely stood up from his seat when a bullet hit his left thigh. He screamed as he slumped to the ground bleeding.

Neighbours in the community later reported that some police officers fired the shots. The officers led by Akin Lamigboye, an assistant superintendent of police, had arrived at the area in a Hilux pick-up with the inscription of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the FCT Police Command.

According to the accounts of witnesses that Mr Akors mother, Sarah Saba, narrated, the melee began after the police officers had an argument with a commercial driver after they stepped out of a pub in the community.

In the heat of the argument, the police officers went berserk shooting and throwing the neighbourhood into commotion.

We got to know later that the bullet came from some SARS officers that came to the neighbourhood to drink. We were told they had an altercation with a driver who they accused had blocked the road. They were arguing and from there one of them started shooting, Mr Akors 52-year-old mother said, recounting how he was shot.

By the time normalcy was restored, the police officers had disappeared in their pick-up.

Grieving survivor

Panicked family members and neighbours scrambled to save the teenager. They rushed him to the nearby Kabayi City Clinic, which referred him somewhere else.

He was moved to Nyanya General Hospital where he was given first aid after a period of bleeding. He was again referred to Asokoro General Hospital in Abuja.

At Asokoro General Hospital, diagnostic examinations confirmed that Mr Akor was shot. The bullet, the doctors said, pierced through his left thigh, crushing a bone and nerves.

Doctors recommended two surgical operations for him. With the resources the struggling family was able to scrape, they paid for the operations.

After the operations, the doctors said more needed to be done. He would need to be taken abroad for advanced nerve surgery for him to walk well.

But the family could not afford the recommendation. The victim was barely two years old when his father died leaving him and his two elder brothers with his widow, a petty trader, to raise.

Mr Akor spent months in the hospital taking basic treatments for his wounds to heal. But because he could not get the treatment recommended by the doctors, his injured leg grew thinner over the years and walking became difficult for him.

Unable to walk properly and with his family out of pocket, Gabriel dropped out of school.

Now 24, he walks with a limp. He says he experiences twinges of pain daily and frequents the hospital.

I was in Junior Secondary School 2 when I got shot. I wanted to become a medical doctor, but ever since then, I dropped out of school and cant do anything on my own. I rely on my mother for all the daily human activities, he narrated.

His mother, 52, is physically worn out by the emotional and physical stress of tending a grown-up like a toddler over the years.

We are in pain, anguish and debt that I cannot pay. Eating daily is by the grace of God and help from people around us. Things have been difficult and even I have developed complications in my waist from carrying him all the time, Ms Saba said.

They would have fared better if the family had been able to redeem a court judgement that awarded Mr Akor N60 million compensation in January 2016.

Akor not alone

Faced with the frustrations of enforcing court judgements given in their favour, many victims of police brutality turned to the judicial panels of enquiry set up in the aftermath of the October 2020 #EndSARS protest for help.

Young Nigerians led the #EndSARS protest in different parts of the country against incessant cases of police brutality like the unprovoked shooting of Mr Akor by SARS agents.

It was the culmination of years of pent-up anger against the police unit most notorious for inhuman treatment and reckless violations of the rights of citizens.

The government disbanded SARS in response to the demand of the protesters and promised an extensive police reform that has yet to be seen.

The federal and state governments also set up panels of enquiry, popularly called #EndSARS panels in tribute to the #EndSARS protest that led to their formation, to address the complaints of victims.

As of August 2021, the panels in the 29 states and Abuja had received 2,791 police brutality petitions.

But seven states  Kano, Jigawa, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara in the North-west; and Borno and Yobe in the North-east  did not set up the panels.

In the other 29 states and the FCT, citizens inundated the panels with complaints of extra-judicial killing, unlawful arrest and detention, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and torture, enforced disappearance, and illegal confiscation of property, among others, against the police.

Mr Akor approached the panel in Abuja, which was set up as the federal governments version by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), to seek the enforcement of his court judgement.

This was over four years after he obtained the N60 million judgement.

Judgements worth billions

The Abuja #EndSARS panel in Abuja, officially known as the Independent Investigative Panel (IPP) on Human Rights Violations Against SARS and Other Units of the Police, received 295 complaints of police brutality.

Fifty-six, representing more than one-fifth of the cases, were for enforcement of court judgements.

The court judgements touched on diverse forms of rights violations that had left permanent scars in the lives of families of victims.

One of such victims was Tochukwu Uzuokwu who died in the custody of the Bayelsa State police command in Yenagoa on 11 May 2011. His family, on 5 February 2018, obtained a N100 million judgement from the Bayelsa State High Court in Yenagoa against the police for violating his right to life. Four years after, the police have yet to honour the judgement.

In another case, Adekola Adewale was at home in Benin City, the Edo State capital, when a bullet from a drunken police officer hit his chest on 15 October 2008. The bullet injured his spinal cord and left him with a permanent disability that has thrown him out of jobs and into debt.

On 11 May 2018, Mr Adewale obtained a judgement of the Edo State High Court in Benin City, which awarded him N5 million in damages. The police have yet to honour the verdict after over five years.

Like others, 37-year-old Mathias Eije faced severe torture during 120 days of unlawful detention by the police in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, between January and May 2013. He was arrested for alleged theft, which he vehemently denied.

On 11 November 2013, he obtained a High Courts judgement ordering the police to pay him N50 million as compensation for violating his rights.

In all, the judgements submitted to the Abuja panel for enforcement were cumulatively worth N1,027,800,000 in compensations awarded to victims or their families in cases of extrajudicial killing.

PREMIUM TIMES investigations show the figure is only a fraction of the worth of the monetary judgements the police have yet to obey.

A civil society organisation, the Citizens Gavel Foundation for Social Justice, which monitored the #EndSARS panels across the states, reviewed 35 judgements submitted to the #EndSARS panels in only eight states.

The judgements from the eight out of the 29 states with #EndSARS panels were worth N1,405,991,317 (N1.4 billion).

The few judgements the organisation could obtain were from the panels in Benue, Lagos, Kwara, Ondo, Edo, Osun, Kaduna and Oyo states.

Tough battle for justice

The road to the N60 million judgement that Mr Akor obtained was a tough one and typical of the experiences of many petitioners.

The family did the rounds of relevant government institutions, including the Public Complaints Commission and the NHRC to seek justice. His cousin, Jonah Amade, said he got tired of frequenting the offices when it seemed the government agencies could not help.

When all hope seemed lost, the family got a lawyer through the Brekete Family programme of the Human Rights Radio and Television in Abuja.

The lawyer, Moses Ukachukwu, 2015, filed a fundamental human rights suit against the police at the High Court in Apo, Abuja. He sued the police authorities along with Akin Lamigboye, the assistant superintendent of police who led the invading SARS team.

Defending their men, the police argued that they had gone to Kabayi, Mararaba, Nasarawa State, from the FCT police command to arrest an armed robbery gang led by Kelechi Sunday.

They said the suspects, allegedly holed up in their hideout in Mr Akors neighbourhood, engaged the police team in a shootout. They said the stray bullet that hit him was from the armed robbers.

They also said they eventually arrested the gang members and arraigned them before a High Court in Abuja.

Mr Akor, through his lawyer, faulted the claims of the police, insisting there was no shootout between them and any criminal gang. He said the police rather unleashed mayhem on the neighbourhood after drinking at a pub.

The judge, Muawiyah Idris, dismissed the defence put forward by the police in a judgement delivered on 11 January 2016.

He said if the police were to protect the life of anybody at the time of the incident, it is the life of the applicant (Mr Akor) who was hit by a stray bullet, not for them to disappear until the applicants family traced the officers that took part in the operation

He said the police failed to back their claims, including, arresting and arranging the alleged armed robbers, with documentary evidence.

Mr Idris ruled that the shooting violated Mr Akors right and held the police liable. He awarded N60 million as compensation to Mr Akor and N3.5 million for his medical expenses and continuous medical checkup.

Unfruitful enforcement

More than six years later, the familys efforts to enforce the judgement have met a brick wall.

The familys lawyer instituted garnishee proceedings against the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to enforce the judgement. CBN keeps the Treasury Single Account (TSA) that warehouses the accounts of federal government institutions, including the Nigeria Police Force.

The CBN ignored the courts order to pay Mr Akor the N63.5 million judgement sum from the police account.

In the case of Mr Ejie, who was awarded N50 million by a court as compensation for the torture and long detention he suffered, the CBN mounted stiff opposition against the garnishee proceedings initiated by his lawyers.

A lawyer, Redzie Jugo, who represented a petitioner at the #EndSARS panel in Abuja, says it is near-impossible to enforce judgements against the police and other security agencies.

Getting the bank account of the police is also a big problem. It is next to impossible.

In one of the cases I handled, I tried to talk to individuals within the police force but it was like witchcraft, shrouded in so much secrecy, he said.

Mr Jugo said he wrote to the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation which replied with an assurance to look into the matter. He said to date there have been no other replies.

He confirmed CBNs eagerness to defend the police and other government bodies in judgement enforcement proceedings.

CBN is government and government agencies have a way of looking out for each other, he said.

When contacted weeks ago to clarify the CBNs perceived antagonism to the enforcement of monetary judgements against government institutions, the banks spokesperson, Osita Nwanisobi, promised to get back to this reporter. But he never did even after repeated reminders.

Any hope?

At their inauguration in 2020, the #EndSARS panels of enquiry across 29 states and Abuja raised the hope of police brutality victims about getting justice.

But almost two years down the line, only Lagos State among the 29 states that set up the panels is known to have compensated victims of police brutality.

The reports submitted by the panels to their respective state governors are hidden from the public, making it difficult to press for implementation.

In Abuja, where the federal governments version of the panel set up by the NHRC sat, lack of funding crippled proceedings for months.

On 23 December 2021, based on the available funds, the NHRC awarded a cumulative N146 million to 20 of the complainants hand-picked from among cases concluded by the panel.

Again, on 14 September, the NHRC awarded another batch of 74 beneficiaries a cumulative N289 million as compensation.

It brought the total amount of monetary compensation to N432 million (N431,884,094) and the number of beneficiaries to 94.

However, at the presentation of the panels report to the NHRC on 27 September, the secretary of the #EndSARS panel, Hilary Ogbonna, said the number of beneficiaries had risen to 100 with a total of about N439 million paid to them.

This means that out of the 295 petitioners that approached the panel for redress, 195 returned home without compensation. However, some of the 195 petitions, Mr Ogbonna explained, withdrew their petitions along the line. He said some did not turn up for hearing, some of the petitions were struck out for various reasons, and some were referred to NHRC for further investigations.

Mr Akor and all of the 55 others seeking enforcement of their judgements against the police were part of the uncompensated petitioners.

The experience is the same for the class of petitioners across the states, according to the excerpts of a report by Citizens Gavel Foundation for Social Justice shared with PREMIUM TIMES.

The report said such cases were either struck out or outrightly rejected, primarily because enforcing court judgments doesnt fall within the panels terms of reference.

On its part, however, the Abuja #EndSARS panel took steps to review and confirm the judgements submitted to it for enforcement.

On two occasions, the panel reviewed court judgements that summed up to N575.8 million and N452 million in values, at its executive sessions held on 18 March 2021 and 10 March 2022, respectively.

Mr Ogbonna said the panel confirmed the judgements given across 24 states. The panel could not confirm only about four of the 56 judgements, according to Mr Ogbonna. The judgements confirmed, he said, came down to N870 million.

Indicating that Mr Akor may have reached another dead end, Mr Ogbonna said the panel or the NHRC would not pay them.

We cannot pay them. One, because they are not our judgements. Two, the sums of judgements are incredibly high. We are talking about N870 million.

It is their right to receive it, but hopefully, in future, that arrangement will be worked out by the commission which will implement this report, he said.

Licking their wounds

Amid dwindling hopes of reaping the fruits of their judgements, victims and their families continue to lick their wounds.

Mr Akor believes his court judgement is being flouted because he is an ordinary Nigerian.

If I am able to get proper treatment, I plan to return to school to continue my education and become a medical doctor, he added.

Amid accumulating debts and soaring rent, his family had to relocate to a decrepit one-room apartment in the same Kabayi community.

In their new abode where the family of four lived until when Mr Akors two elder brothers left to be on their own some years ago, there is no water or electricity supply. Their toilet and bathroom are about 50 metres away from their room.

Their mother, Ms Saba, too hangs her hope of better living on the N60 million judgement.

I am crying to God to help me and to also touch the hearts of the police so they pay. They are humans too and must have sympathy and conscience of how he must be doing. What if it was their own son?

Mr Eije, too, reminisces the rosy life he had before his unjust incarceration and torture by the police for 120 days in 2013.

His life has taken a downward turn since the incident. Added to his frustrations is his inability to enforce a judgement that could have brought succour.

Life has not been as easy or rosy as it used to be. On the economic side, the cost of litigation, I have been in and out of the courts (Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt) since 2013.

Constitutional violations

Mr Akors case and others present a gamut of constitutional violations by the police.

The violation of human rights contained in sections 33 to 46 in Chapter Four of the Nigerian constitution is just the starting point.

After violating the victims rights, the police go further to breach other constitutional provisions that compel all authorities to obey and enforce court decisions.

Demonstrating their disregard for statutory processes and the rule of law, many police officers repeatedly shunned the Abuja #EndSARS panels invitations and summonses.

On different occasions, the panel, led by a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Suleiman Galadima, lamented over the uncooperative attitude of the police and expressed disappointment at them. It resorted to issuing threats and warrants of arrest it could not enforce.

The absentee officers frustrated the resolution of many cases, especially those that depended on police records to trace detained suspects who got missing or died in custody.

Aware of the culture of disobedience to court decisions by Nigerian authorities, the immediate-past Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Tanko Muhammad, warned in 2019: Let me assure everyone present here that the consequences of disobeying lawful court orders will be too grave to bear.

As a solution, Mr Jugo, the lawyer who is also struggling to enforce a clients judgement, suggested that the National Assembly should put a law in place to stipulate a timeframe for judgement debts to be paid.

He said as it is currently, there is no law in place that says, once judgment has been gotten, the creditor must receive the awarded compensation within a given time.

Unless that law is made, government agencies will continue to disobey the judgements of the court, he said.

But he added that to be able to get the government to that stage, it must be put under intense pressure.

Before the solution comes, Mr Jugo said, for now, when you get judgement, it is in your hand, but it is not in your hand because of the challenges attached to it.
The police in Lagos State have begun an investigation into the death of a 36-year-old man allegedly mauled by two dogs belonging to a church in Lagos.

The Police Public Relations Officers (PPRO) of Lagos Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Sunday.

Mr Hundeyin said that the younger brother of the victim reported the incident to the police in the Abule-Egba area of Lagos.

He said that on Tuesday at about 11.30 p.m., his elder brother was coming home and two German dogs came out from the church premises and bounced on him.

The man said the dogs gave his elder brother several bites all over his body. The police immediately visited the scene of the incident by detectives led by the Divisional Crime Officer.

On arrival, the dogs were not seen. The victim was said to be rushed to Orile Agege General Hospital for treatment by the family.

On getting to the hospital, it was discovered that the victim has given up the ghost. Family forcefully removed the corpse for burial according to Muslim rite, he said.

The PPRO, therefore, advised members of the public to always cage and vaccinate their dogs.

You are liable for any damage caused by your pets, he warned.

(NAN)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed deep concern over the situation in Burkina Faso following a coup that ousted President Paul-Henri Damiba.

The secretary-general strongly condemns any attempt to seize power by the force of arms and calls on all actors to refrain from violence and seek dialogue, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Mr Guterres, in a statement.

Burkina Faso Army Captain Ibrahim Traore announced Friday night that President Damiba was ousted.

Gunshots were heard in the capital city of Ouagadougou on Friday morning.

Access to the presidential palace, the public television and certain strategic points in the city were blocked by soldiers.

The secretary-general expresses his full support for regional efforts toward a swift return to constitutional order in the country.

Burkina Faso needs peace, stability, and unity to fight terrorist groups and criminal networks operating in parts of the country, said the statement.

Mr Guterres also reaffirmed the commitment of the United Nations to accompany the people of Burkina Faso in their efforts toward durable peace and stability.

Fridays coup was the second this year in Burkina Faso.

On 24 January, President Roch Kabore was overthrown and Mr Damiba was sworn in on 16 February.

(Xinhua/NAN)
The Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, has called on the private sector to invest in the provision of potable water supply for Nigerians.

Mr Adamu made the call on Sunday when he was featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) forum in Abuja.

He said investing in the utilities would end the continued politicisation and poor commitment by state and local governments.

According to the minister, the responsibility for the provision of water for citizens rests on the state governments, as provided in the constitution.

He pledged the commitment of the federal government to continue to play its part in ensuring that its dams had water all year round.

Mr Adamu said it was worrisome that many Nigerians had the perception that water was a social service which should be free, saying water was an economic commodity when harnessed properly.

He said plans were underway in partnership with development partners to corporatise water agencies so that they could make revenue in a sustainable manner.

Corporatisation is the restructuring of a state-owned asset or organization into a corporation.

Huge efforts have been made in the last several years by the federal government through the Federal Ministry of Water Resources with support from institutions like the World Bank.

These efforts were made to corporatise water agencies so that they can run like business entities.

But, they have not been successful in many places, because state governments still dont seem to want to appreciate that water must be paid for, of course, the communities dont want that also, so its a political issue, Mr Adamu said.

He said Nigeria is reaching a point where it is becoming impossible for governments at federal, state or local governments to support water supply without some sort of cost recovery.

And if thats the case, everybody knows also that government is not good at managing businesses or even doing cost recovery.

READ ALSO:

So, we have been coming up with lots of strategies, including this aspect of corporatization of state water agencies.

We are also trying to bring in the private sector, to understand and appreciate that you can actually make money out of water supply delivery, Mr Adamu said.

The minister said under the water, sanitation and hygiene strategy, private sectors and philanthropic organisations had been contacted to carry out corporate social responsibility activities in providing water for the citizens.

Mr Adamu said strengthening the capacity of water institutions through an effective regulatory framework like the proposed Water Resources Bill would go a long way to promote private sector investment.

On the proliferation of boreholes in the country, the minister said with an efficient municipal water supply, Nigeria had no business drilling boreholes indiscriminately.

He said although the federal government could not stifle borehole drilling in the country, it was however worrisome that groundwater depletion might occur.

According to Mr Adamu, there is a need to start issuing licences to industries mining water indiscriminately, while hinting that penalties will soon be handed out to defaulters.

On river basin development in the country, he said the basin authorities had met their mandate in employment opportunities with the handing over of 50,000 hectares of land for commercial farming.

Mr Adamu said the ministry, in partnership with the Bureau of Public Enterprises, had begun the partial commercialisation of Niger Delta, Ogun-Osun, Upper-Niger, and Sokoto-Rima river basins for optimum performance and repositioning.

There is a farm owned by the Ogun-Osun River Basin with a farmers market. They have now entered into agreement with the private sector concerned to rehabilitate the building, lease it out and revenue will come to them.

We want them to stand on their own at least for most of their costs, like personnel costs, so they dont have to rely on budget for something. So I will tell you it is progress, he said.

(NAN)
The federal government says it plans to enforce the mandatory water test policy for the drilling of boreholes and other water projects.

The Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, announced this on Sunday when he appeared as a guest on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) interview forum in Abuja.

Mr Adamu said this policy is part of the federal governments efforts to strengthen its National Reference Laboratories to solve the problems of water quality, standards and monitoring in Nigeria.

We are going to come up with a policy in all our water projects that when you drill boreholes, part of the condition is you must do water tests, he said.

Mr Adamu said that periodic water tests and quality water surveillance were being carried out in adherence to the Nigerian Standard for Drinking Water Quality.

For our own projects, the water quality test should be conducted within our laboratories.

In that way, we keep them busy, but we also use the laboratories for surveillance because we are also in charge of water quality surveillance.

So, periodically, we go out, we test not only existing water supply schemes, but also the rivers with the source of the raw water, he said.

Mr Adamu said that the ministry was equally giving priority to the completion of the National Reference Laboratories.

We give priority to the completion of the laboratories. They are among the projects that we prioritise for completion, and we are working very hard to complete them.

READ ALSO:

One of the things we are looking at is completion, is that well take a few that can be run directly by the government.

We may also align some of them with universities or maybe some arrangement for others to run them, he said.

The minister said this was because there were certain tests or certain situations where one needed to authenticate some of the water quality tests.

He reiterated that the priority of the federal government is to complete the already existing laboratories, strengthen them and authenticate water quality tests.

Mr Adamu explained that sometimes when there was an outbreak of infections, relevant tests were conducted to authenticate some of the hypotheses around the causes of the infections.

Water Schemes

Mr Adamu also said a total of 66,761 water schemes providing potable water to Nigerians have been developed by the Buhari administration since it came to power.

He said the schemes were developed across urban, small towns and rural areas.

He said the government has made considerable progress in providing access to potable water in Nigeria.

The minister said the water schemes have been producing a total of 794 million litres daily and serving 32 million Nigerians.

Mr Adamu also spoke on efforts made by the federal government to boost agriculture and food security in the nation.

Towards this end, the minister disclosed that 10 irrigation schemes were completed in the country, increasing the actual irrigated area from 70,000 hectares in 2015 to 138,000 hectares presently.

To support the countrys energy sufficiency, 12 dams were completed with combined water impoundment capacity of 795.1 MCM and hydropower generation of 110 MW.

Efforts have also been put in place to utilize hydropower potential of 3,466 MW under PPP arrangement, he said.

While speaking about achievements in the sanitation sector, Mr Adamu announced that 3,402 facilities were constructed in institutions and public places.

He listed the locations of these facilities to include markets, schools, motor parks, and camps for internally displaced persons.

Also, a national survey conducted under the 2021 WASHNORM III reported a national access to basic drinking water supply services at 67 per cent and access to basic sanitation services stood at 46 per cent, Mr Adamu added.

He said that programmes and projects developed in the water resources sector were in line with the nine priority areas of the Buhari administration.

(NAN)
The Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, on Sunday, condemned the killing of two herders by a mob in the Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of the state

The states Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, in a statement on Sunday, explained how the herders were lynched.

Security agencies reported that the mob forcefully seized the two herders from security personnel, on unsubstantiated claims that they were linked with banditry.

The mob then lynched and burnt the herders, even though they had not been found complicit in the allegations, the governments statement said.

Governor El-Rufai expressed deep concern at the violent actions of the mob, and strongly condemned the extra-judicial killings. He reiterated the place of lawful methods as the only acceptable option in confronting any suspicions of criminality, it added.

Mr El-Rufai appealed to the families of the victims to remain calm and directed security agencies to conduct thorough investigations towards fishing out the perpetrators.

The Governor has also directed the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs to liaise with the military, police and DSS to contact the victims families for further engagements toward averting counter-attacks.

The statement noted that the Governor cautioned against further actions of self-help and warned against dangerous stereotyping, labelling and similar lawless dispositions capable of stirring up violence.

Mr El-Rufai appealed to the citizens of the state to always resort to constituted agencies to resolve grievances.

Similarly, the Government has received reports from security agencies regarding the conduct of some individuals and groups in the general area, who unwittingly complicate the security situation with insensitive public commentaries. Such actions have been judged by security agencies as unhelpful in the ongoing operations against terrorists and bandits.

While the Government of Kaduna State is not against commentaries on security challenges, the Governments position remains that individuals and groups with useful information should liaise with security agencies, rather than expose citizens to extreme danger through supposed advocacy, the statement added.
The vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, says the crisis within the party would soon be resolved.

Mr Okowa made the declaration in Abuja on Saturday after a meeting with the Acting Chairman of the partys Board of Trustees (BoT), Adophus Wabara.

He told journalists that all stakeholders would work for PDPs success at the 2023 general elections and that no party leader would work against the PDP.

Governors and other members who are aggrieved are members of the party. I believe that my brothers will all work for the party.

PDP is home and they belong to that home. They are not going to destroy their home.

We will all work together. I do believe that we will continue to talk with ourselves and resolve the little issues that are left, Mr Okowa said.

He described the meeting as largely fruitful, and said that leaders, including governors, were interacting to resolve differences realising that there are several leaders within the PDP from across the country.

We understand that there is some level of disagreement, but we will continue to stay in touch with ourselves to resolve the issues, Mr Okowa said.

He recalled that the partys leaders were in the South-east on Tuesday where Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, hosted them very well, describing the move as a very positive step forward.

We had very useful interactions with all our leaders in the South-east and I think that is a great plus for us as a party.

We were in the South-west where we were very well received by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and the other party stakeholders. The few issues are still left on the table.

I am sure well come to discuss them and in the next few days, we are convinced that will be largely reconciled, he stressed.

Mr Okowa advised Nigerians to be guided in making their choices at the 2023 general elections by electing PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

He said Atiku has the capacity to address insecurity, the economy, disunity and other challenges facing the country.

He said that Nigeria needed Atiku, a detribalised man with the right experience, humility, calmness to address present challenges and ready to keep Nigeria together.

I believe that Abubakar is the answer to Nigeria. He has committed himself very clearly in his document to Nigeria: My Covenant with Nigerians.

Others are still thinking of what they are going to do.

They have not been able to commit themselves so that we can truly see of a truth if they have a pathway to solving the problems of Nigeria.

Abubakar is the man that is prepared for the job. He is not going to learn on the job and he is a one man that is acceptable across the six geo-political zones of this nation.

There is no other person that has the kind of credentials that he has. Abubakar is the right person, Nigerians should think deeply and let us be guided that we need to work collectively to take Nigeria out of the decay that we have found ourselves.

It Is important that Nigerians work and support the PDP to deliver the Nigeria of our choice as we move into the future, Mr Okowa said.

In his remarks, Mr Wabara, a former senate president, said the BoT special reconciliation committee visited Mr Okowa to discuss on-going crisis in the party and also to proffer solutions to issues at stake.

Mr Wabara, who said that the committee was properly briefed by Mr Okowa, said the committee members would soon meet with Atiku and Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.

The committee is enlightened now on the issues and we are moving forward.

In the coming days, we will also meet with the principal, the presidential candidate, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and from there we will proceed to meet with Governor Wike.

We have met with some other governors; we have met Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa, Governor Okezia Ikpeazu of Abia and Governor Ugwuanyi of Enugu State.

We have what it takes to resolve this, and very soon we will resolve all the issues, he stressed.

Others at the meeting were former Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki and former PDP Deputy National Chairman, Shuaibu Oyedokun.

(NAN)
A UK court has granted permission to Nnamdi Kanus family to challenge the UK government over its failure to intervene in Mr Kanus alleged extraordinary rendition from Kenya to Nigeria.

Aloy Ejimakor, Mr Kanus special counsel, announced this in a Twitter post on Friday.

The case was filed before the High Court of Justice, Queens Bench Division by Mr Kanus brother, Kingsley, according to a screenshot of a court document posted by Mr Ejimakor.

It is not clear when the permission was granted by the court.

There are indications, however, that the hearing was held on Thursday.

PREMIUM TIMES reported in June that Mr Kanus family threatened to sue the British government over its silence on the alleged illegal extraordinary rendition of Mr Kanu to Nigeria.

The family accused the then UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Liz Truss, now British Prime Minister, of ignoring overwhelming evidence that Mr Kanu was extraordinarily renditioned to Nigeria by the Nigerian government.

Mr Kanu, the leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), is a Nigerian-British citizen.

The IPOB leader, who was granted bail in April 2017, fled the country after an invasion of his home in Afara-Ukwu, near Umuahia, Abia State, by the Nigerian military in September of that year.

He was re-arrested in Kenya and brought back to Nigeria in June 2021, about four years after. He is being detained in Abuja where he is facing trial for terrorism.

Since his alleged extraordinary rendition to Nigeria, successive UK foreign secretaries  Dominic Raab and then Ms Truss  before she became prime minister  have refused to state if Mr Kanu was a victim of extraordinary rendition.

In this latest court hearing, Mr Kingsley, the claimant, sought permission for a judicial review of the UK governments silence on Mr Kanus alleged detention and trial in Nigeria.

The application for permission to apply for judicial review is granted, the judge, Justice Ellenbogen, held.

The application is to be listed for one day, at an in-person hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice. The parties are to provide a written time estimate within 7 days of service of this order if they disagree with this direction.

James Cleverly, the new UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, is the defendant in the case.

Shirin Marker, from the Bindmans LLP, who is representing Mr Kingsley, said it was essential for Mr Cleverly to reach a firm conclusion on whether her clients brother had been the victim of extraordinary rendition in order to decide what steps to take to assist him, according a report by The Guardian UK.

The evidence available to date establishes that he (Mr Kanu) has been subject to extraordinary rendition and torture or inhumane treatment, she said.

It is unacceptable for the UK government to continue to prevaricate on this issue. We are glad that the court has now granted permission for this case to move to a final hearing, Ms Marker stated.

The judge explained her decision to grant the judicial review hearing.

Such decisions/inaction are, in principle, reviewable and do not enter forbidden areas, including decisions affecting foreign policy, she said.
The Acting Sector III Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole and Multinational Joint Task Force, Abdulsalam Abubakar, on Saturday decorated officers and soldiers for their gallantry in the fight against insurgency.

Speaking at the Medal Parade in Monguno, Mr Abubakar, a brigadier general, said it is customary for the military to honour deserving officers and soldiers who distinguished themselves.

Mr Abubakar urged them to continue to do more in their commitment to serve the nation, adding that the medal ceremony was symbolic as it coincided with the nations 62nd Independence Anniversary.

While reminding the troops of the myriads of security challenges bedevilling the nation with its consequential economic realities, he charged all troops to remain steadfast, resilient and professional to surmount all the glaring challenges.

The commander expressed gratitude to the Chief of Defence Staff, Leo Irabor, and the Chief of Army Staff, Faruk Yahaya, for their sustained support to the troops which he said remains a motivation factor.

He also thanked the Theatre Commander, North East Operation Hadin Kai and the Force Commander Multinational Joint Task Force for their strategic guidance and direction that led to successes in the fight against insurgency.

Mr Abubakar, who reiterated the troops loyalty to the President and Commander in Chief, said that the administration has sustained the provision of needed logistics and equipment to the military for its operations.

In his goodwill message, the Chairman of Monguno Local Government, Ahmed Kyari, lauded the military for ensuring and maintaining peace in the Monguno zone.

Mr Kyari, represented by the Vice Chairman, Sanda Amodu, said the return of peace to Monguno and its environs provided the enabling environment that led to the resettlement of communities earlier displaced by the insurgency.

The event also dovetailed into a send-forth ceremony for the Naval Base Lake Chad Commander, K. Muhammad, who handed over command to Y.B Okeke and the decoration of some officers who benefited from this years promotion exercise of the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Air Force.

(NAN)
The Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, has pledged his commitment to ensuring the passage of the National Water Resources bill into law.

Mr Adamu, who made the pledge when he was featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) flagship interview programme in Abuja, said it was for the overall benefit of all Nigerians.

He said, it was saddening that antagonists of the bill went hysterical, giving it different colourations.

An outright call for the bill to be thrown out is against water resources development.

Mr Adamu said the ministry had debunked arguments against the bill through continuous media rounds, saying the next step is to await another public hearing if need be.

Some of the people that are vehemently opposing this bill are the ones that stand to benefit and the ones that are most protected.

For instance, in the riverine areas, it is not good if you dont have a law that protects the interstate waters.

This is because 80 per cent of the freshwater of this country flow from north to south into the Atlantic, if you dont have this kind of protection for the downstream end, what will happen?

If states like Kebbi, where River Niger comes in, or Adamawa where River Benue flows in decide that they want to control the water at that point, what will happen to the downstream communities?

That is why, since independence, our constitution has made it that the water that flows across interstate or inter-regional boundaries as it were at that time, the responsibility for that should be vested in the federal government.

Mr Adamu said that there was nothing unusual about this as this was what was obtained everywhere in the world.

The minister said that Nigeria entered into a treaty with eight other countries in the early sixties to form the Niger-Basin Authority.

According to him, such a partnership has seen the survival of the Kainji and Jebba dams.

He, therefore, urged those with contrary opinions to present them at the proposed public hearing, saying, they are determined to rubbish the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The minister said he would not allow the actions of critics to mock efforts to reposition the water resources sector and that the bill was the major instrument to make it happen.

You know, this bill went through so many things, including a review by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria who is one of the leading legal experts on environmental law and his opinion is that there is nothing wrong with this bill.

So, why tie it to politics when it should be tied to development?

I think we should get out of that cocoon; for those that are opposed to the bill, please have an open mind about it and look at it.

We will continue to pursue this bill because it is our responsibility as government, Mr Adamu said.

He said that the ministry and many experts were involved in the formulation of this bill for the past close to 20 years.

So, to the last day that I am minister in this ministry, I will continue to pursue this bill to its logical conclusion, the minister vowed.

(NAN)
Nigeria has recorded 41 new confirmed cases of Monkeypox infections from 29 August to 4 September, raising the total cases reported in 2022 to 318.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) disclosed this in its latest monthly situation report on Monkeypox which covers Epidemiological (EP) week 35.

The report shows that the suspected Monkeypox cases increased to 815, as the country recorded 111 new suspected cases within the same week under review.

The disease control centre noted that seven deaths have been recorded in seven states in 2022. The states are Delta (1), Lagos (1), Ondo (1), Akwa Ibom (1), Kogi (1), Taraba (1) and Imo (1).

Overall, it noted that 15 deaths have been recorded since September 2017 in 11 states: Lagos (3), Edo (2), Imo (2), Cross River (1), FCT (1), Rivers (1), Ondo (1) Delta (1), Akwa Ibom (1), Taraba (1) and Kogi (1).

Highlights

The NCDC data shows that the confirmed infections were recorded in 12 states.

Lagos topped the list with 14 cases, followed by Abia, Imo and Ogun States with seven, six, and five cases respectively.

While Ondo State reported two cases, seven states: Akwa Ibom, Borno, Delta, Osun, Oyo, Plateau and Rivers reported a single case each.

The report further noted that since the re-emergence of Monkeypox in September 2017, 1,327 suspected cases have been reported in the country and 544 of the figure representing 41.0 per cent were confirmed (358 male, 186 female) were from 32 states.

It added that since 2017, five states: Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Jigawa, Yobe are yet to record a confirmed case, while only Jigawa is yet to report a suspected case.

The report further noted that seven states- Enugu, Ekiti, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Yobe and Jigawa, are yet to record a confirmed case in 2022.
Former governor of Ogun state, Gbenga Daniel, said he owes the successes recorded during his administration in the state to his cordial relationship with the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu.

Mr Daniel was governor between 2003 and 2011; Mr Tinubu governed Lagos from 1999 to 2007.

Now the Ogun East senatorial candidate of the APC, Mr Daniel said the majority of the projects he executed as governor were influenced by Mr Tinubu.

The former governor disclosed this at an empowerment programme held on Sunday in the Sagamu local government area of the state.

Mr Daniel added that many of his projects scattered around the state are still standing the test of time.

When we came onboard in 2003, we said Ogun State was a land we called a sleeping giant and we said our mission was to wake up that sleeping giant, he said.

Let me confess that a lot of those things that I came to implement in Ogun State were because of my relationship with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

You know what we did, it is not only in Ogun East that we worked, we worked in Ogun West and you saw them saying so, we worked in Ogun Central, but there are certain things that God enabled us to commence in Ogun State, one of them is the international airport.

I agree that a lot of people who are now trying to be president are very qualified, but Tinubu is our own.

Also speaking at the event, a former commissioner for finance in Lagos State, Wale Edun, hailed Mr Daniel and attested to his cordial relationship with Mr Tinubu.

Mr Edun added that presenting Mr Daniel as a senatorial candidate at this time is a round peg in a round hole.

Mr Edun recalled that Mr Tinubu and Mr Daniels relationship dated back to 1999.

Mr Edun explained that Mr Daniel donated his Krista Laurel building in Lagos as a campaign office in 1999 while Mr Tinubu was contesting to be the Governor of Lagos State.

Asiwaju asked me to tell you that if you want better Nigeria, vote him as President and OGD as Ogun East Senator, he told the gathering.

He also urged the youths to collect their permanent voter cards to carry out their civic responsibility next year.
Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has denied ordering a sit-at-home in the South-east on Tuesday, his lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, said on Saturday.

A Federal High Court in Umuahia, Abia State, fixed 4 October for the resumption of hearing on the N25 billion fundamental rights suit filed by Mr Kanu.

The IPOB leader is challenging his arrest in Kenya by Nigerian security agents and expulsion to Nigeria.

IPOB, which is leading the agitation for the creation of an independent state of Biafra from the South-east and some parts of the South-south, had suspended Mondays sit-at-home order, in preference for the order to be implemented only on the days Mr Kanu appears in court.

There have been speculations that residents of the South-east would be forced to observe a sit-at-home order on Tuesday because of the court case coming up in Abia.

But Mr Ejiofor in a Twitter post said Mr Kanu, whom they usually call Onyendu, would not be appearing in the court and, therefore, there will be no sit-at-home in the region on that day.

Onyendu, an Igbo expression, means the leader.

The lawyer explained that the court sitting in Abia is for the fundamental rights suit filed by Mr Kanu against the Nigerian government, and not the same with his terrorism charges in the Federal High Court, Abuja.

The lawyer said the legal team received  firm instruction from Mr Kanu to make the clarification.

As such, Onyendu neither directed, approved nor authorised anyone to declare a sit-at-home on that date, he said.

Members of the general public are advised to go about their normal business activities on this said date.

He said the clarification became compelling and necessary due to an avalanche of misleading information on the social media and plethora of calls from concerned residents of the region asking about the authenticity of the rumoured Tuesday sit-at-home order in the region.

The lawyer said several other pending suits, in various courts, filed against the government challenging the alleged extraordinary rendition of Mr Kanu would be heard this week, but that a sit-at-home would not be observed in the region as a result of the court sittings.

Mr Ejiofor assured the people that the legal team would inform them anytime Mr Kanu is scheduled to appear in court in continuation of his trial which would require the sit-at-home in the region.

Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is passing through his present ordeal because of his earnest desire to emancipate his people from any form of suffering or oppression, he said.

There is, therefore, no way he will support anything that will bring more hardship on the same people he is suffering for, the lawyer added.

Mr Kanu was first arrested in October 2015 and charged with treason and terrorism.

He was granted bail on medical grounds in 2017, but fled the country after the invasion of his home in Afara-Ukwu, near Umuahia, Abia State, by military forces in September of that year.

He was intercepted in Kenya in June, last year, by Nigerian security agents and brought back to Abuja.

The IPOB leader had filed a suit at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, urging it to dismiss the terrorism and treason charges against him.

The appeal court on 13 September reserved judgement on the suit.

The court said a date for the judgement would be communicated to both the government and Mr Kanu.
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State on Sunday held a meeting with four Nigerian governors in Enugu State.

The governors who took part in the meeting were Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State and the host governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State.

Mr Ugwuanyi received the visitors at the Akanu-Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, before leading them to the Government House, where the politicians met behind closed doors.

The five governors are members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

They did not speak with journalists after their meeting.

However, sources from the government circle said the governors held the meeting to discuss the prospect of supporting Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in the 2023 presidential election.

The governors meeting comes two days after the LP candidate, Mr Obi, visited Mr Wike for the third time since the PDP presidential primary in May.

The PDP has been enmeshed in a leadership crisis after the partys primary where Nigerias former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, defeated Mr Wike and others to emerge as the partys presidential candidate.

The crisis was worsened after Mr Wike was overlooked for the position of running mate to Mr Atiku. The Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, was picked as the running mate.

Mr Wike accused the party of betraying him and breaching its constitution.

He subsequently demanded the resignation of the partys National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu  a criterion he said must be met before he discusses giving support to Atiku in next years poll.

The Rivers State governors argument is that both Ayu and Atiku hail from northern Nigeria.

Last month, a group of PDP members, led by Mr Wike, withdrew their participation in the presidential campaign committee of the party.

Members of the group vowed not to participate in the campaign committee in whatever capacity except Mr Ayu leaves his position for a southerner.
It was sweet music in my ears considering that we are on the march again, politically speaking. The Nigerian political roulette is in full swing. There will be winners and losers; survivors and corpses. So, we need not frighten ourselves that the contents of our chalice have been laced with hemlock. Have we mapped out what is to be done? Then we should just go ahead and DO IT!

Some people think that the next president of Nigeria will inherit a poisoned chalice because he (yes, he) will find out that what he thought was a throne was but a marble-coated trap programmed to de-ball. If the economic situation is as bad as many experts see it, why are so many people hell bent on becoming the president? Do they have a death wish?

The answer is that no matter how bad the situation may be, there is always a set of remedies that will heal the land and prepare it for growth. While it is true that our voodoo economics and borrow-borrow philosophy have only made us more exposed to the vagaries of the global meltdown, it is also accurate to say that we are a fortunate lot, for there are only a few places on the planet more endowed with natures bounties than Nigeria.

Perhaps one of our greatest contributions to modern civilisation is in the area of human resources. Our sons and daughters are acclaimed champions in various fields, contributing to global advancement and casting a benevolent glance back home to offer words of counsel from the mountain top of global finance and trade on which Providence has placed them. In these critical times, Nigeria is lucky to have two of its illustrious citizens, Dr Akinwumi Adesina of the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General of the World Trade Organisation, occupying positions of critical importance to our collective future.

Dr Adesina, characteristically showed up to identify with Nigeria in its struggle for self-actualisation at the recent Nigeria International Economic Partnership Forum in New York organised on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. I found his treatise tailor-made for our circumstances. Lucky is the parent who has within his household an expert in the peculiar ailment that debilitates him.

A word on the last UNGA: The annual summit showed that Africa still has a long way to go in cultivating the culture of prudence. While our leaders think nothing of begging for debt forgiveness, their demonstration of profligacy during the conference showed that many of them are just bushmen fascinated by glitz and glitter.

While insensitive African leaders begging for debt forgiveness and increased aid took over at least thirty-nine five star hotels in New York, the Prime Ministers of Israel, The Netherlands and Malta slept in a budget hotel far away and the President of Czech Republic also stayed in a low-cost hotel. The Prime Minister of Slovakia, together with leaders from Jordan, chose a small budget office in Harlem. When a street beggar is draped in fine linen, what incentive is there for the prospective almsgiver?

That said, I want to get back to the kernel of Adesinas message. On a cheery note, Adesina still thinks Nigeria is an investors haven if only the countrys leaders would do the right things. He notes that the population of Nigeria, Africas giant, is projected to hit 400 million by 2050. By that time, what will the people eat? Where will they live? How will they cope with the elements if we dont start making massive investments for the future?

It was sweet music in my ears considering that we are on the march again, politically speaking. The Nigerian political roulette is in full swing. There will be winners and losers; survivors and corpses. So, we need not frighten ourselves that the contents of our chalice have been laced with hemlock. Have we mapped out what is to be done? Then we should just go ahead and DO IT!

some government operatives are not quite convinced that we have a debt problem. They think it is more of a revenue problem. I think they are wrong. You must first map out what you want to do by THINKING. How much due diligence went into the procurements we made with borrowed funds? Hasnt it been widely alleged on social media that the new Nigerian railway tracks are the most expensive in the world?

Adesina agrees with Buharis contention at the forum that, The Nigerian economy is ripe for increased investment and that something is being done to tackle insecurity in the country. But he notes that we have to tackle the human element in the equation. We must change our ways he says. To attract greater foreign direct investment to Nigeria, we must fix the security situation. Capital does not like to be troubled. Ultimately, investment capital must be made comfortable. Only then can it be attracted.

As we are now in injury time (Nigerian lingo for the near-end of an old order), maybe the incoming administration will benefit more from Adesinas treatise than the incumbent one which has about six months to wind up.

The AfDB boss categorises the challenges making Africa a continent of debtor nations as the 3 Cs  COVID, Climate and Conflict in Ukraine. These problems can be solved by introducing the 3Fs: Finance, Finance, and Finance!

Financing is critical because the debt to GDP ratio of Africa has increased to 70%. Several countries are at the risk of debt distress due to unsustainable debt levels. Nigerias total debt level is N42.84 trillion or $103 billion. The external debt level stands at N16.61 trillion or about $40 billion. Nigeria needs help to tackle its debt burden, he says.

But some government operatives are not quite convinced that we have a debt problem. They think it is more of a revenue problem. I think they are wrong. You must first map out what you want to do by THINKING. How much due diligence went into the procurements we made with borrowed funds? Hasnt it been widely alleged on social media that the new Nigerian railway tracks are the most expensive in the world?

We have too many holes in the revenue bucket. We are planning to give import tax waivers worth N6 trillion to various firms and individuals, while also arranging to borrow N7.4 trillion from the domestic market and N1.8 trillion from foreign entities. In addition, the Federal Government is expecting N206.1 billion from privatisation proceeds and N1.7 trillion multilateral project-tied loans. The government plans to generate only N8.5 trillion, out of the N19.47 trillion budget.

What is the rationale of giving waivers to the privileged few at the expense of the larger majority? Make no mistake about it, every loan we take without applying it properly, will have direct consequences on the future.

The way we run our train service, for example, shows that we are not interested in the revenue side of things. The trains have been procured with massive loans but there is yet no plan to my knowledge of making the service self-sustaining. Instead it had become a massive racket, another cesspit of corruption where tickets are sold by hand in order to bypass online transactions. Who is there to staunch the haemorrhage? Every godlet has his/her own little empire where he makes hay.

But I digress.

The next Nigerian leader must hearken to Mahatma Gandhis charge by waging a war consistently against what the sage described as the seven deadly sins: Wealth without work; pleasure without conscience; science without humanity; knowledge without character; politics without principle; commerce without morality; and worship without sacrifice.

The African Development Bank and the Global Center on Adaptation have launched the African Adaptation Acceleration Programme to mobilise $25 billion out of the projected $125 billion required for climate adaptation for Africa.

The Bank has invested $4.5 billion in Nigeria. To help unlock its huge agricultural potential, the African Development Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, and the Islamic Development Bank have provided $540 million to develop special agro-industrial processing zones. When these projects fully mature, they will change the landscape of Nigeria for good. But we must take care of the little problem of leadership in the February 2022 elections.

The matter of petroleum subsidy which gulped N1 trillion this year shows how we have left a sore to fester and become a gangrenous ulcer. The Director-General of the Debt Management Office (DMO), Ms. Patience Oniha, recently disclosed that Nigerias public debt stock as of 30 June stood at $42.8 billion, a threshold which she said is within acceptable and sustainable limits.

I was one of Obasanjos critics when he chose to pay off Nigerias debts, instead of fixing critical infrastructure such as electricity, major arterial highways, waterways, moribund government industries, etc. Now we are back in the debt trap. And somebody somewhere is saying that the answer to the problem is to tax the already overburdened people more!

The next government will have to take some courageous decisions if we are ever to get out of this bind. All these fraudulent subsidies must be abolished and all refineries must function at full capacity. Otherwise they should be sold to the private sector.

The next Nigerian leader must hearken to Mahatma Gandhis charge by waging a war consistently against what the sage described as the seven deadly sins: Wealth without work; pleasure without conscience; science without humanity; knowledge without character; politics without principle; commerce without morality; and worship without sacrifice

Buhari will hand over the chalice in 2023. Will it be to someone Obidient or BATified or Atikulated or Kwankwasiya-ed?

And will it be laced with hemlock, or will its contents be determined by where we collectively fetch our brew?

Wole Olaoye is a public relations consultant and veteran journalist. He can be reached through wole.olaoye@gmail.com. Twitter: @wole_olaoye; Instagram: woleola2021.
The aim of the Adamawa DNA Forensic Laboratory, dedicated to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) investigations, is to get evidence for the conviction of GBV perpetrators in court, especially rape cases.

The Head, Forensic Unit, Modibbo Adama University (MAU), Yola, Jaafar Jaafar, made this known in an exclusive interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yola on Sunday.

He said that the laboratory, which is the first of its kind in the country, is being run by the Modibbo Adama University, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA Nigeria) and the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative.

The head, who stressed the importance of evidence toward proving a rape or other forms of GBV cases in court, added that before now, prosecutors were faced with the challenge of not having clear proof to convict perpetrators. It was very difficult.

But with forensic evidence from sample collected from the vagina of suspected rape survivor, the problem is solved if the sample matches what is seen from the perpetrator, or otherwise.

This is because a mans semen will not just enter the vagina like that.

To see the DNA of the perpetrator in the vagina, definitely there has been penetration; that is the most important thing. Now, it is very easy to prove who the perpetrator is.

And if the survivor claims that the act was done forcefully, medical examination will equally corroborate that.

Mr Jaafar said that the forensic laboratory received and analysed more than 60 samples between July 2021 and 14 September 2022.

He added that some people had lost confidence in the prosecution of rape and other forms of GBV cases in the past, saying the establishment of the Adamawa Forensic Laboratory has restored their hope.

He stressed that with proven evidence, perpetrators of rape and other forms of GBV would not go free anymore.

He, therefore, urged the public to promptly report cases of rape to hospitals, the police and relevant authorities and not to wash out anything on the body of the survivor.

This is because any delay or washing may lead to loss of evidence.

Launched in Yola in 2021, the forensic laboratory will help to accelerate access to justice for GBV survivors, he said.

Even though it is in Yola, Nigeria, countries in West and Central Africa can also access the laboratory.

(NAN)
Company continues to move additional repair crews into areas with outages

More than 95% of customers will be restored by tomorrow night

Estimated restoration times will be posted to the map today at duke-energy.com/outages/current-outages

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy crews continue to make progress following Hurricane Ian, restoring power to nearly 750,000 customers in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Nearly 1 million customers lost power during the storm. As of 5:00 p.m., 178,500 customers  most of them in North Carolina  remained without power. The latest outage numbers can be found here .

More than 95% of customers will be restored by Sunday night, with the remainder by Monday.

Power line technicians and specialists from the Carolinas, other states and Canada have been assessing damage and restoring outages since Friday night. Duke Energy restores power in a sequence starting with public health and safety facilities and equipment that restores the greatest number of customers.

Estimated restoration times will be posted to the map today at duke-energy.com/outages/current-outages.

Customers who are registered to receive Duke Energy text outage alerts will receive a text once an estimated restoration time is established for their location.

Duke Energy mobilized thousands of crews early Saturday to respond to the hardest-hit areas in and around Wake and Guilford counties. Significant structural damage hindered progress early on.

Hardest hit areas continue to be Chatham, Guilford, Orange, Stokes.

"We know our customers depend on us for the power they need to live their lives," said Jason Hollifield, Duke Energy's Carolinas storm director. "We are committed to completing this restoration as quickly and safely as possible."

Power restoration process

Click here for more information on how Duke Energy restores power.

Customers who experience a power outage can report it the following ways:

Text OUT to 57801 (standard text and data charges may apply).

to 57801 (standard text and data charges may apply). Visit duke-energy.com on a desktop computer or mobile device.

Use the Duke Energy mobile app (download the Duke Energy app on your smartphone via Apple Store or Google Play).

Call Duke Energy's automated outage-reporting system: 800.769.3766 (800.POWERON).

More tips on what to do before, during and after a storm can be found at duke-energy.com/safety-and-preparedness/storm-safety.

A checklist serves as a helpful guide, but it's critical before, during and after a storm to follow the instructions and warnings of emergency management officials in your area.

Tips to protect refrigerated food during power outages

For customers who lose power and have full refrigerators and freezers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends the following:

Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature.

A refrigerator can keep food cold for about four hours if it is unopened. If the power will be out for more than four hours, use coolers to keep refrigerated food cold.

A full freezer will keep the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed.

The FDA offers additional tips for proper food handling and storage before, during and after a power outage at www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/food-and-water-safety-during-power-outages-and-floods.

Duke Energy

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 28,000 people.

Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business and at least a 50% carbon reduction from electric generation by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The 2050 net-zero goals also include Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 emissions. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2022 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' "America's Best Employers" list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media contact: Jeff Brooks (Carolinas Media inquiries)

Media line: 800.559.3853

Twitter: @DE_JeffB

SOURCE Duke Energy
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Siwar Foods has signed an exclusive partnership with Italian Dessert Manufacturer Dolceria Alba. The agreement will see Siwar introduce a range of desserts under its own brand in the KSA market, covering retail and HORECA.

The range includes several semi frozen ice cream (Semi Freddo) desserts including; Chocolate Lava Cake, Wild Berry Cheesecake, Coffee infused Tiramisu and the exotically indulgent Pistachio Cake. Siwar entered the ready to eat market in May 2020 and in a short space of time has become a leading FMCG player in the frozen convenience category with strong retail presence across KSA. Based in Italy, Dolceria Alba started producing high quality desserts in 2006 and the company operates 1 plant in the north west of Italy.

Commenting on the partnership, CEO Loaye Al-Nahedh said: 'we are delighted to be partnering with one of Europe's finest frozen dessert manufacturers. This will, not only, allow us to bring some of the world's best desserts to Saudi customers, but we will benefit from the leading innovation and R&D that Dolceria Alba are known for, ultimately allowing us to anticipate consumer trends in our market '

Mr Carlo Rolle, Commercial Director, Dolceria Alba further added: 'it's a privilege to be working with such a new dynamic player in the FMCG space, this will allow us to penetrate one of the largest untapped countries in the region and ultimately grow with Siwar in other regional markets'

The full range of Siwar's ready to eat meals and desserts can be found in retailers across KSA or ordered online via the Siwar mobile application.

About Siwar Foods: We are a new Saudi FMCG company, focused on redefining the 'time saving' food sector in KSA and the region. Built on an agile business model, we work with leading suppliers to bring ready to eat products, inspired by flavours from around the world, to our market. Our products help people live a better life, without compromising on what's important to them; variety, taste, quality and affordability. We serve consumer and business sectors, with an omni channel presence in retail, online and 'Chef in a Box' vending machines, a first for the region. With our commitment to sustainability and an environmentally friendly business approach, we are proudly aligned to Vision 2030.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1912504/Siwar_Foods_Dolceria_Alba_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Siwar Foods
Gaza, Oct 2 : Hundreds of Palestinians rallied in Gaza City to protest against Israeli raids on the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The rally was organized on Saturday by the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) at Palestine Stadium in northwestern Gaza city under the title "Al-Aqsa Mosque is in danger". The protesters include Hamas leaders and supporters as well as representatives of Palestinian factions, Xinhua news agency reported.

Protesters chanted anti-Israel slogans and slogans in support of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. They waved Palestinian flags and Hamas green flags, as well as pictures and models of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' top leader in the Gaza Strip who participated the rally, warned that the current Israeli practices at the mosque in Jerusalem "would blow up the situation and lead to an unexpected tension." "The Palestinians in Gaza gathered to deliver a message that the occupation of Al-Aqsa, Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Palestine in general, would lead to an explosion that no one will be able to control," Rawhi Mushtaha, a member of Hamas political bureau, told the rally.

The rally came less than a week after the Israeli police reportedly broke into the holy site on September 26 in the Old City of Jerusalem to remove Muslim worshippers and provide a safe ground for ultranationalist Jews marking the Jewish New Year (from September 25 to 27).
Gopalganj, Oct 2 : The Goddess at Bhawani temple located at Thawe in Gopalganj district of Bihar is believed to have arrived here from Kamakhya in Assam on the call of a devotee. Thawe Bhawani Temple is considered to be a 'Jagrat Shakti Peeth'.

Devotees visit here to seek blessings of Goddess Singhasini Bhawani and it is said that wishes of the devotees who come here get fulfilled.

This ancient temple is located on Gopalganj-Siwan National Highway, about six kilometers from Gopalganj district headquarters, in Thawe.

Devotees also call Thawewali Maa as Simhasini Bhawani, Thawe Bhawani and Rahshu Bhawani. Although devotees come here throughout the year, during Shardiya Navratri and Chaitra Navaratra huge crowds of devotees gather at the Thawe temple.

It is believed that the Goddess reached here after walking from Kamakhya in Assam on the call of her devotee Rahshu. It is said that the deity walked from Kamakhya via Kolkata (revered as Kali in Dakshineswar Sthan), Patna (Patan Devi), Aami (a famous place of goddess Durga in Saran district) and reached Thawe.

Thawe temple is considered one of the 52 Shakti Peeths of the country and there is an ancient story behind the establishment of this temple.

Manan Singh, the king of Hathua, considered himself the biggest devotee of Goddess Durga. Being proud, he did not consider anyone in front of him as a devotee of the deity.

In this sequence, there was a famine in the state and people started craving for food.

Rahshu, a true devotee of Kamakhya Devi lived in Thawe. It is said he used to cut grass during the day and by the Goddess' grace it transformed into food at night. Due to which the people there started getting food. But the king could not believe this.

The king called Rahshu a hypocrite and asked him to call his mother here. On this, Rahshu told the king that if she would come, she would destroy the kingdom, but the king was not ready to listen to him. On the prayer of Rahshu, the goddess walked from Kamakhya and reached Thawe. All the buildings of the king collapsed and the king died.

According to mythology, as soon as the goddess appeared, the celestial lightning flashed here and the destruction of the king and his entire palace started.

Tearing off Rahshu's head, the Goddess' bracelet and part of the hand came out of it. Rahshu got salvation from this. The same goddess was established in the forest in Thawe. Since then, people started worshipping the goddess here. At a short distance from the Thawe temple, there is also a temple of his devotee Rahshu.

It is believed that those who come to the Goddess' temple, they have to go to the temple of Rahshu, else their prayer or the pilgrimage is considered incomplete. Even today the ruins of Manan Singh's buildings are still present near the temple.

According to the people around the temple, devotees here do not forget to come here before and after any auspicious work is completed.

The sanctum sanctorum of the temple is quite old. Surrounded by forests on three sides, no tampering has been done in this temple till date.

Sanjay Pandey, the chief priest of the temple, says that on the night of Saptami of Navratri, special worship of Maa Durga is performed here. Devotees visit the temple in large numbers on this day. Apart from Bihar, devotees from Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal, and even Nepal also reach here in large numbers. Devotees offer coconut, 'peda' and 'chunri' as 'prasad'.
Lucknow, Oct 2 : The first skin bank in Uttar Pradesh will soon come up at the King George's Medical University and will aid in the speedy recovery of burns' patients.

Prof Vijay Kumar, Head of Department, plastic surgery, King George's Medical University (KGMU) said, "The process is going on to procure a walk-in-fridge, van for transporting skin and other equipment. The skin bank is planned in a 1500-square feet area in the department." He further said construction work of the building as well as and the process of procurement of other equipment, including bio safety cabinet, skin donation vehicle, cold room, sealer, shaking incubator, dermatome, walk-in fridge has started.

The state's first skin bank is likely to start functioning within three to four months and will prove to be a boon for critically injured patients.

The skin bank is being developed using the corporate social responsibility (CSR) fund.

He added that the skin bank is a place where skin from a donor, mostly from those who wish to donate organs after death, is harvested and preserved. Later, it is used in grafting in severe burn patients as they usually have no place on the body from where skin can be extracted to cover deep burn injuries for faster healing.

"We are planning to use cryoprotective glycerol to preserve skin for up to three weeks and then with the help of deep freezers, we will try to preserve it for up to three to six months," he informed.

Another faculty member, Prof Bhavya Naithani said as of now the chances of patients with severe burns (over 55 per cent) catching an infection are much higher due to absence of a skin bank.
Lucknow, Oct 2 : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will lead the 'Invest in Brand UP campaign' aimed at attracting entrepreneurs from across the world to capitalise the business potential in the state which is "scripting and powering New India".

According to the government spokesman, the chief minister is scheduled to travel to at least four countries in November to lead the UP Global Investor Summit 2023 road shows.

As per the tentative programme, Yogi Adityanath will travel to Russia, the US, Mauritius and Thailand.

The road shows will pass through 21 cities across 19 countries via nine routes, ahead of the Global Investors' Summit.

The tentative itinerary indicates that the chief minister may lead the road show in New York on November 10 while his road show in Bangkok is proposed to take place on November 16. The proposed dates for Moscow and Port Louis (Mauritius) are November 22 and 29 respectively.

The chief minister is expected to be accompanied by chief secretary Durga Shankar Mishra besides officials selected by him from his secretariat and Invest UP.

For all international roadshows, the strength of the team is likely to be around 10, but may add or drop one or two depending on the need.

Industries and infrastructure development minister Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi will cover countries of Sweden, Belgium and Germany and hold road shows in Munich (November 23) Brussels (November 25) and Stockholm (November 28).

Both the deputy CMs (the UK, France and Netherlands) and (the US, Canada and Brazil), finance minister (Singapore and Australia), textile minister (Russia), tourism minister (Mauritius and South Africa) and agriculture minister (Israel) are also scheduled to hold road shows.

The focus sectors being targeted include electronics, manufacturing, retail, automobile, EV manufacturing, defence, textile, agro and food processing and transport among others.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Jaipur, Oct 2 : Amid the political crisis in Rajasthan, the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Abu Road on Friday has become a hot topic of discussion in the political circles of the state.

The PM gave many messages despite staying silent. Referring to the rule of not giving a speech using a loudspeaker after 10 p.m. and bowing down in front of the people thrice as an apology for coming late can't be a mere coincidence, said political sources.

Veteran leaders of the Rajasthan Bharatiya Janata Party were seen together on one platform. The attempt was to send a message of solidarity to the people. Political analysts say the PM's visit is connected to the preparations for the upcoming assembly elections in the state.

This meeting held in Sirohi district in the midst of Congress discord with Modi's unusual style in front of the people has become a topic of discussion in political circles.

The Prime Minister reached Manpura airstrip on Abu Road from Ambaji (Gujarat) at around 10 p.m. on Friday night. His address here was fixed, but Modi refused to give a speech using a loudspeaker after 10 p.m. citing rules. After this he apologised to the waiting people and bowed down three times.

Those understanding political strategy believe that the PM has created an atmosphere for election campaigning.

This visit of the PM is being considered as the beginning of election campaigning in Rajasthan. Apart from North Gujarat, this meeting of the PM also caused an electoral upheaval in about 38 seats in eight districts of southern Rajasthan.

Regarding the Prime Minister's visit to Gujarat, it was decided that the PM would return to Delhi from Manpura airstrip in Abu Road. In such a situation, a welcome program for the PM was organised there. Meanwhile, major differences surfaced in the Rajasthan Congress over the post of chief minister.

In such a situation, it was decided that on the pretext of this welcome programme, an atmosphere can be created in favour of the BJP in Rajasthan. Amidst the Congress infighting, the message was given that the BJP is completely united. There is no estrangement between the leaders here.

The three Union Ministers from Rajasthan -- Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Arjunlal Meghwal and Kailash Chaudhary -- were present at the program. Apart from them, the entire core committee of the Rajasthan BJP including state president Satish Poonia, former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Leader of Opposition Gulabchand Kataria, state organisation general secretary Chandrashekhar, Deputy Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathod were also present.

Udaipur MP Arjunlal Meena, Chittorgarh MP CP Joshi, Banswara-Dungarpur MP Kankamal Katara, Pali MP PP Chaudhary, Jalore-Sirohi MP Devji Mansinghram Patel also attended. At the same time, all the MLAs and former MLAs of southern Rajasthan reached here.

Modi's message has reached both Udaipur and Jodhpur divisions from this program. Along with the Gujarat elections to be held in December, the assembly elections in Rajasthan next year are also important for the BJP and hence comes the strong message 'Together we stand and divided they fall' where "they" symbolise the Congress while "we" stands for the BJP.

The Congress' Pilot vs Gehlot fight is an open secret at a time when BJP groupism also remains exposed.

So the PM gave a strong message with his silence stating that the BJP is united at a time when the political crisis in the Congress is in front of the public.
Bhopal, Oct 2 : The Congress' "Bharat Jodo Yatra" led by the party's former president Rahul Gandhi is likely to enter Madhya Pradesh from Burhanpur district, located on the north bank of the Tapti river around 350 km from the state capital Bhopal, tentatively on November 26. As per the route plan, the yatra will be heading towards Agar-Malwa and in the next 16 days, it will cover as many as six districts in the Agar-Malwa region.

When the yatra will enter Madhya Pradesh, 17 yatras which are named the 'Supportive Yatras' from different parts of the state while covering 230 assembly seats, will merge with the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' at Burhanpur. These 17 yatras will commence on October 30 and will proceed on different routes to reach Burhanpur to join Rahul's yatra.

The Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has prepared an elaborate plan for this from the state to the districts and block level. The committee has appointed two senior party leaders and former cabinet ministers, P. C Sharma and Jitu Patwari, as the state in-charges of the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Besides the state level, the party has also appointed convenors of the yatra at the district, block, booth and ward/sector levels.

MPCC general secretary Rajiv Singh told IANS that the "Bharat Jodo Yatra will enter Madhya Pradesh tentatively on November 26. As of now it is a tentative date, because it was fixed as per the earlier schedule, but due to some changes in the yatra, like one day in a week has been fixed for rest and some other purposes and therefore, it is possible that the date may be extended." Singh informed that a team of the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' will conduct a survey of the route in Madhya Pradesh and then possibly an exact date will be finalised. Asked if the MPCC has asked the state government and the police for security during the yatra Singh said, "All mandatory procedures will be followed after the national survey team of the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' will visit and fix a date after conducting a survey of the entire route in Madhya Pradesh." After the yatra passes through Madhya Pradesh in November-December, exactly one year will be left for the assembly elections in the state and therefore, the state leadership has made elaborate plans. As there are 230 assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh, the MP Congress' 17 supportive yatras will be covering all the assembly seats. More importantly, at least one representative will be participating from each village.

These supportive yatras, symbolically named as 'Rivers', will start from October 30 in each block and district. In fact, in some parts of the state, party leaders have already started organising yatras in a bid to mobilise people. These 17 supportive yatras will cover a total 6,440 km in 35 days. Yatras from each district and block will proceed keeping in mind that all 17 yatras reach Burhanpur at the same time to merge with the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'.

The yatras will proceed from one to another district, and the leading yatra will carry the 'Constitution of India', which will be handed over to the person leading the yatra in another district. They will also carry soil from each village on the route and also water from each small and big river on the way.

This process will continue till the end, with slogans being raised like "Jodo Jodo - Bharat Jodo, "Nafrat Chhodo - Bharat Jodo", "Jabse BJP Aayee Hai - Kamartod Mehngayee Hai" and many more. Besides all these, the yatris will also be interacting with people along the route they will be passing through and singing Mahatma Gandhi's favourite Bhajan - "Raghupati Raghav Rajaram".

One such yatra will start from the Vindhya region in Singrauli district, moving through Sidhi followed by Rewa, Satna, Panna and Chhatarpur. This particular yatra will cover 421 km. Kavita Pandey, a senior party leader in the women's wing of the MP Congress, who has been appointed district (Rewa) in-charge for the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', said, "We have already started yatras for the last two weeks. As we have been directed by our leader Kamal Nath to reach out to people and mobilise them for the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', every day we take out yatras on different routes." State Congress spokesperson Anand Jat explained why these supportive yatras are named 'Rivers'. "See, each of these yatras will proceed passing several rivers in different parts of Madhya Pradesh and will merge with the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', like all small and big rivers at one point merge into a sea. That's why, these supportive yatras are symbolically rivers which will merge into the sea, which is the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'." Amid the crisis in the Rajasthan Congress and electoral defeats in state after state in the last few years, the party has high hopes from Madhya Pradesh to come back to power. Under the leadership of former state chief minister Kamal Nath, the MP Congress has managed to revive the party despite losing its government within 15 months in 2020. Its performance in the municipal elections could be an indication of this.

Therefore, the MP Congress will try to utilise this mega 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' to send a message to the people of the state that it is the only party which can take on the BJP.

Veteran Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh, who is the convenor of the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', belongs to Madhya Pradesh. Digvijaya had done a 193-day 'Narmada Yatra' ahead of the assembly elections in 2018, and the party had won a majority of the seats. Now, it would be interesting to see if the leadership of Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh makes it a fruitful yatra for the 2023 assembly elections.
Lucknow, Oct 2 : The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, set up for the construction and management of Ram temple in Ayodhya, has prepared a master plan for the remaining area of Ram Janmabhoomi which will be left after the construction of a grand temple.

According to the master plan, temples of Ramayana-era saints will be built in the space left after the Ram temple construction.

This master plan is in the final phase of approval, said a member of the trust.

As per the proposal, temples dedicated to Rishi Valmiki, Acharya Vashisth, Rishi Vishwamitra, Agastya Rishi, Nishad Raj, Jatayu, and Mata Sabri will be constructed around the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

In the remaining space, pilgrim facilities will come up. The trust has also planned to set up Yagya Mandap, Anusthan Mandap, Sant Niwas, museum, research centre and library, among other attractions.

Champat Rai, general secretary of the trust, said, "Construction work of the pilgrimage facilitation centre, other utilities, and infrastructure services at the Ram Janmabhoomi complex have already started. They will be ready for devotees when the Ram Mandir is scheduled to open in December 2023." The pilgrimage facilitation centre at the Ram Janmabhoomi complex will have the facility of depositing shoes and other belongings, a waiting hall to accommodate 5,000 devotees, drinking water, toilets, and other utilities.

The state government has also approved a road widening project for Ayodhya. The government has approved Rs 797.68 crore for beautification and broadening of roads in the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir area.

This includes the construction of the 12.940-km Sahadatganj-Naya Ghat main road.

The development of the area would pave way for easier access to the temple for pilgrims and prevent overcrowding.

The Yogi Adityanath government has set a deadline for the completion of three pathways leading to the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

The government wants all three stretches of the road of the Ayodhya corridor to be ready by December 2023, when the sanctum sanctorum of the temple is opened for devotees.
Raipur, Oct 2 : After suffering poll defeats in successive elections, the Congress today has been reduced to having its own government in only two states -- Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

Amid a full-blown crisis in Rajasthan between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot over the post of Chief Minister after the former withdrew his candidature for the Congress presidential polls, Chhattisgarh is presently the only state left where the grand old party is not facing an internal rebellion.

But that could change anytime given the open tussle between Chief Minister Bhupesh Bhagel and Health Minister T.S. Singh Deo.

Like in Rajasthan, the power tussle between Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Singh Deo has been raging for some years now.

The Congress returned to power in Chhattisgarh in 2018 after nearly one-and-a-half decades, winning a two-thirds majority in the state.

The political situation in Chhattisgarh could spiral out of control given the tussle between Baghel and Deo centered around an unwritten formula of rotational chief ministership which was agreed upon between the two in December 2018 in the presence of former Congress President Rahul Gandhi when the party came to power.

Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh will be held after nearly a year and it is imperative for the Congress in the state to maintain a united front.

The Congress is in a robust position in Chhattisgarh since it has 71 MLAs in the 90-seat Assembly. The BJP has 14 MLAs, the Bahujan Samaj Party has 2 and the Janata Congress Chhattisgarh has three MLAs.

The Chhattisgarh Chief Minister has reiterated many times of setting a target of winning 71 Assembly seats in the 2023 elections.

On the other hand, in Madhya Pradesh, the internal rift between veteran Congress leader and the then Chief Minister Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia, who later joined the BJP, escalated to an extent that the party lost power in the state.

As far as Chhattisgarh is concerned, there is coordination between the government and party organisation, while state Congress president Mohan Markam is busy working for the party.

Political analyst Rudra Awasthi says that the Bhupesh Baghel-led government in Chhattisgarh has created a pro-Chhattisgarh image and has made the state's identity a part of the common man's life. Baghel also did not face any challenge from within the government and from the party organisation. This is why there is no crisis before the Chhattisgarh government.

There is no open political rift and factionalism within the Congress visible in Chhattisgarh. There have been rumours doing the rounds from time to time about a possible rift within the Congress in the state but no party leader has openly revolted against the government.

Analysts associated with Chhattisgarh politics believe that the environment here is not conducive for confrontational and aggressive politics. This applies to both the BJP as well as the Congress because right from the common man to a politician, there is more emphasis laid on coordination than on aggression.
New Delhi, Oct 2 : Hearing a plea on the alleged encroachment at Lankamalla Reserved Forest and a 'Tiger Corridor', the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the Andhra Pradesh government to take into account the current tiger population and growth trends and also to consider the possibility of man-animal conflicts in the area in YSR district of the state.

The southern bench comprising Justice K. Ramakrishnan, and expert member Dr. Satyagopal Korlapati, in the recent order, also asked the state to take into account the recent orders of Supreme Court that "every National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary in the country shall have a mandatory eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of at least one kilometre starting from its demarcated boundary".

The green tribunal pointed out that the allotment of land by the district administration to some persons in Nandyalampet village of the district, which is shown as 'Forest' in the revenue records, without getting clearance under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 was not legal.

The petitioner argued that the "encroachments were done by the persons, who are having political influence, in the guise of granting land deeds to the landless".

According to the state government and the revenue department, "since it is not a notified forest, it is not necessary to obtain any permission from the authorities, and the revenue department can utilise the land for their purpose".

The possession of the land was given to displaced persons who lost their land when Brahmamsagar Reservoir was constructed and they are staying there for more than 20 years and doing cultivation since long time, the state argued.

Contrary to this, Forest Department and Union Environment Ministry were of the view that though it is not a reserved forest or notified protected forest, since it is shown as forest in the revenue records, it will be a deemed forest for the purpose of attracting the provisions of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 as per the decision of the Supreme Court.

"Without getting clearance under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, the land should not be used for other nonforest purposes," it was argued.

The green court also asked the state to consider the connection of the locality to "Sri Lankamalleswara Wildlife Sanctuary" and also the "Tiger Corridor" which facilitates the movement of Tigers from the tiger corridor connected from Nagarjunasagar Tiger Reserve (NSTR), Srisailam to Sri Venkateswara National Park (SVNP), Tirupati.

"So, conversion of this area for agricultural purposes is likely to enhance the possibility of man-animal conflicts and this aspect must be considered," the order noted.

"The state is directed to take appropriate steps to get clearance from the concerned authorities under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, if permissible under law for this purpose and if such application is made, then the concerned authority is directed to consider the following aspects and only thereafter, they can consider the question as to whether the clearance can be granted or not for this purpose," the order said.

The revenue authorities should also verify whether the lands are in the possession of the original allottees, who were displaced due to the said reservoir project. In case the allottees have sold the said lands or not in possession, which were only allotted temporarily, then take immediate action for restoring the lands to the Government, it said.

(Jaison Wilson can be reached at jaison.w@ians.in)
United Nations, Oct 2 : UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed deep concern over the situation in Burkina Faso following a coup that ousted President Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba.

The Secretary-General "strongly condemns any attempt to seize power by the force of arms and calls on all actors to refrain from violence and seek dialogue," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres, in a statement on Saturday.

Burkina Faso Army Captain Ibrahim Traore announced Friday evening that President Damiba was ousted, Xinhua news agency reported.

Gunshots were heard in the capital city of Ouagadougou on Friday morning. Access to the presidential palace, the public television and certain strategic points in the city were blocked by soldiers.

"The Secretary-General expresses his full support for regional efforts toward a swift return to constitutional order in the country. Burkina Faso needs peace, stability and unity to fight terrorist groups and criminal networks operating in parts of the country," the statement added.

Guterres also reaffirmed the commitment of the UN to accompany the people of Burkina Faso in their efforts toward durable peace and stability.

Friday's coup was the second this year in Burkina Faso. In the one on January 24, President Roch Kabore was overthrown, and Damiba was sworn in on February 16.
New Delhi, Oct 2 : While the controversies surrounding hate speech refuse to end particularly during electoral battles, the Election Commission has time and again said that it takes strong note of the issue and acts as per the rules.

Recently, the Election Commission told the Supreme Court that due to the lack of a specific law against hate speech and rumour mongering during polls, it has to resort to the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Representation of People (RP) Act to ensure that members of political parties do not make statements which can create disharmony among sections of the society.

"In the absence of any specific law governing hate speech and rumour mongering during elections, the Election Commission of India employs various provisions of the IPC and the RP Act, 1951 to ensure that members of political parties or even other persons do not make statements to the effect of creating disharmony between different sections of society," the poll panel said in an affidavit .

On September 14, 2022, the Election Commission told the Supreme Court that it does not have the legal power to withdraw the recognition of a political party or disqualify its members, if a party or its members indulge in hate speech.

The Commission said it had introduced guidelines in the Code asking parties to desist from making communal statements. In case any complaints were made, the poll panel said it took strict note of it and issued show cause notices to the candidates or agents concerned.

"The Election Commission takes various measures against the defaulting candidate/person, based on his or her reply, such as issuing advisories cautioning them or prohibiting them from campaigning for a specified period of time or even initiation of a criminal complaint in the case of repeat offenders," the affidavit said.

Apart from this, the Election Commission in pursuance of a "Voluntary code of ethics", has been directing several social media platforms to take down content (links, videos, posts, tweets) found objectionable as per various provisions of the MCC, RPA, IPC and other electoral laws during elections.

As a result of their vigorous persuasion, all the major social media platforms under the aegis of Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) came together and mutually agreed upon a "Voluntary Code of Ethics" for the General Elections 2019. The code has been in effect since the Lok Sabha election 2019 and for all Legislative Assembly elections held after that. The Code has been developed to ensure free, fair and ethical use of social media platforms and to maintain the integrity of the electoral process. Intermediary platforms have also committed to take their share of responsibility for voter education and awareness.

As per a recent Parliament reply, the total number of "Hate News" cases reported to social media platforms (since Lok Sabha Elections 2019) is 130. The data showed that a maximum 59 complaints regarding hate speech on social media platforms were received during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Thereafter, a total 34 such cases were reported to the Commission during the 2020 Delhi assembly polls. In 2021, a total 29 cases of hate speech on social media platforms were reported to the Commission during the Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry assembly polls. Similarly, during the 2022 assembly polls in Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh a total of eight such cases were recorded.
Panaji, Oct 2 : While Karnanataka has requested the Goa government to provide land to set up a Kannada Bhavan in the coastal state, the social activists from here have reminded the former about alleged diversion of Mhadei river and have asked to stop it.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had recently requested his Goan counterpart Pramod Sawant for a piece of land to construct Kannada Bhavan in Goa, where thousands of people from Karnataka stay and are into the business of vegetable and fruit vending and now into fish and others.

Bommai wrote to Sawant asking for about two acres of land, but those fighting to protect 'Mhadei' and other sections of society have opposed the move of Karnataka government.

However, Bommai has also reminded Pramod Sawant that the Karnataka government had allocated Rs 3 crore for a Konkani Bhavan in Mangaluru. There are many writers in Karnataka who write in Konkani language and promote it.

Bommai had allotted Rs 10 crore to build the structure in Goa in his last budget.

All Goa Kannada Mahasangha President Hanumantha Reddy Shiroor said that Karnataka Chief Minister Bommai has written a letter to Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant seeking land for Karnataka Bhavan. "It is a dream of people from Karnataka that this Bhavan should come into reality. Now it seems that it will come true. Many are trying for it," he said.

According to Shiroor, this Bhavan will be like how Goa government has Goa Sadan in Delhi. "Our people will come and stay in Kannad Bhavan. Hence it should come in reality and we request Goa Chief Minister to help," He said.

Responding to this, social activist Shanker Polji said that Karnataka has diverted water from Mhadei and Goa government is mum over it. "Do our ministers dare to ask about Mhadei to Karnataka government. They are not doing it. In Present situation where there is no land left for Goans , the government should say no to the proposal," Polji said.

"We want our land for the next generation and not for anyone. On this issue there is a real need to ask our Mhadei back, they have diverted our Mhadei. Our next generation will not get water in the state," he said.

He questioned whether any land is left in Goa to give for Kannada Bhavan.

Former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, who recently joined the BJP from the Congress, in the past, supported the construction of a Kannada Bhavan in Goa.

"Karnataka writers have contributed to the Konkani language. Such is the relation... Hence there is a need to strengthen the relation between Karnataka and Goa. Some speak whatever they want, we should not pay heed to them," Kamat had said in July this year.

"We should help them for Kannada Bhavan, in getting land. We have Goa Bhavan in Mumbai, it helps us when we go there," Kamat had said.

Linking the issue to the ongoing dispute between Karnataka and Goa over the waters of the Mhadei river, Progressive Front of Goa (PFG), which agitated in the past for Mhadei water, has opposed having a Kannada Bhavan in the state.

"Before making such a request, Karnataka government should restore Mhadei and stop all diversion. We will strongly oppose the Bhavan until Karnataka withdraws its claim on the waters of the Mhadei river," PFG convenor Hrudaynath Shirodkar said.

He said taht Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant should reject the request.
Washington, Oct 2 : Pakistan Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa arrived in the US for nearly weeklong visit, which included meetings with senior officials of the Biden administration, state media reported.

"Yes, he is here," said PakAisAtan's Ambassador Sardar Masood Khan, when journalists asked him for information about the Army Chief's visit, Dawn reported.

While the envoy refraAined from sharing the Chief's itinerary, other sources said General Bajwa was expected to meet Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, National Intelligence DirecAtor Avril D. Haines and CIA Director William J. Burns, Dawn reported.

Pakistani officials are also trying to secure a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

"It is very likely, but not confirmed yet," a source said.

General Bajwa landed at LaGuardia in New York on Friday, flying from London on his official plane along with his senior aides. He was expected to arrive in Washington over the weekend, and Monday and TuesAday have been set aside for official meetings.

On WednAeAsAday, the Pakistan Army Chief will meet members of various think-tanks and other scholars interested in Pakistan affairs.

While General Bajwa has kept in close contact with US officials over the past few years, his last official visit to the US came in 2019, when he accompanied the then-Prime Minister Imran Khan on a three-day trip to WashAingAton.
Lucknow, Oct 2 : Uttar Pradesh is again moving backwards to surge forward in the next Lok Sabha elections.

All the major four political parties in the state have opted for OBCs/ Dalits as their state heads, giving a clear indication that the focus for the next general elections will be on OBCs and Dalits who form the bigger slice of the voters' pie.

The BJP set the ball rolling by appointing Bhupendra Chaudhary, a Jat, as its state chief and the Samajwadi Party followed suit by re-appointing Naresh Uttar Patel, a Kurmi by caste, as the state president.

While the BJP has an eye on the Jat votes in western UP, the SP is making an effort to add Kurmis to its Yadav vote base.

The Samajwadi Party's effort to bring in Kurmi in the recent Assembly elections have proved futile since the community went largely with the BJP and its ally, the Apna Dal.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), on the other hand, has Bhim Rajbhar as its state president. The BSP, apparently, intends to bring the Rajbhar community into its fold.

However, Bhim Rajbhar lacks the identity and stature needed to influence his own community.

Besides, the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) is actively campaigning for itself with a yatra that is touring all Rajbhar dominated constituencies.

The SBSP may or may not earn seats for itself in the Lok Sabha elections but it can certainly damage other players by disturbing the OBC votes.

The Congress, meanwhile, has appointed Brij Lal Khabri, a Dalit as its state president in Uttar Pradesh. The party, according to sources, hopes that Khabri, who has been a BSP loyalist for years, will bring in Dalit votes that will help in the party's resurrection.

With all parties fixated on OBCs and Dalits, it is now the upper castes -- mainly Brahmins -- who have been left out in the cold.

"All parties talk of pursuing inclusive politics but they are aggressively following the OBC and Dalit line. The upper caste have almost been excluded from the scheme of things and the situation will ultimately work to BJPs advantage which has a powerful upper caste leader in Yogi Adityanath. Brahmins, in particular, will have to go for the BJP -- despite their hostility with Thakurs -- because there is no space for them in the SP, BSP and Congress," said H.M. Siddiqui, a senior political analyst.

It may be recalled that prior to the 2022 Assembly elections, reports of Brahmins being disillusioned with the BJP had been doing the rounds and the BJP leadership had made a conscious effort to assuage the feelings of this community.

"Brahmins continue to remain side-lined in the BJP, but the community has no choice but to go with the BJP because other parties offer no choice for us. Thakurs dominate the upper caste space in the BJP, but other parties do not have even that," said a senior BJP MLA.
New Delhi, Oct 2 : Tulsi R.Tanti, the Founder, the Chairman & Managing Director, and one of the promoters of Suzlon Energy passed away on October 1, 2022.

Tanti suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away the same day. "In this difficult time, the Company continues to be supported by its highly experienced board of directors and senior management who are both able and committed to take Shri Tanti's legacy forward and realise his vision for the Company" Suzlon said in a statement.

Tanti was the driving force behind Suzlon's growth since its establishment in 1995. Tulsi Tanti's vision and strategic acumen has transformed Suzlon and made it a global powerhouse in the energy sector. A world-renowned expert on renewable energy, Tanti believed in creating sustainable businesses and a sustainable world through energy independence and security.

Tulsi was a visionary and a world renowned expert on renewable energy.

He is credited with the establishment of the renewable market in India and has been conferred with numerous awards including 'Champion of the Earth' by the UN and 'Hero of the Environment' by TIME magazine.
Los Angeles, Oct 2 : John Travolta is under attack from a pair of paws! The 'Pulp Fiction' star is having a ruff time trying to get any words out. The actor shared a short and sweet clip on Instagram featuring his son's own dog, as it slobbered all over his face, reports People magazine.

"This is how Ben's dog Peanut wakes me up," Travolta wrote alongside a video of the dog licking his face repeatedly. In the video, Travolta uses a bit of a baby voice with the animal, but his words are essentially undecipherable as he gets slobbered on by the aforementioned Peanut.

According to People, Peanut appears to be a new name for the dog once known to the world as Mac N Cheese.

Travolta adopted her for his son after Jamie Lee Curtis brought her on stage as she honoured Betty White and her dedication to animal welfare during the Oscars In Memoriam segment this year.

The dog, along with a few other pups, was "dumped in a box outside" of an animal shelter, Paw Works co-founder Chad Atkins told People.

Travolta's Instagram isn't just full of puppy love. He also shares quite a few clips of Ben, including one of his children practising his parkour skills at an indoor adventure gym.

In the clip posted in April, Ben uses monkey bars to swing across platforms, and Travolta appropriately added the caption "My Spider-Man Ben!" onto the video.
Chennai, Oct 2 : Actor Karthi, who has played the pivotal character of Vanthiyathevan in director Mani Ratnam's just released magnum opus, 'Ponniyin Selvan 1', has expressed his gratitude to all those responsible for creating such a film and told fans that their love was "overwhelming".

The actor, who put out a statement which he shared on his Twitter timeline, said: "Words cannot express the immense gratitude I feel for this experience and magnificent journey as Vanthiyethevan.

"First and foremost a big salute and all respects to Amarar Kalki for creating this magical epic 'Ponniyin Selvan' for all of us." "A Million thanks to our Mani sir for pursuing it all these years and crafting this unforgettable masterpiece. To Ravivarman sir for being the driving force on sets and giving us never before seen stunning visuals." "To our treasure AR Rahman sir for making us ecstatic with his music. To Thota Tharani sir for recreating the golden age...can't imagine anyone else to justify this responsibility." "To Sreekar Prasad sir for bringing out the spirit of Kalki sir's writing that has been immortalised through the awesome dialogues and one liners penned by Jeyamohan sir." "To Eka and Vikram Gaikwad sir for making the phenomenal characters look so real. To Townley, Anand and team for that exhilarating and rich sounds." "To all the foot soldiers behind the scenes who were working for their passion for cinema. And the fabulous actors, respectable seniors and my dear colleagues who came together with so much love for one another and for the art of cinema to create this magnum opus." "To Siva for making everyday count and to Subashkaran sir for his faith in this entire team." "Finally, dear fans, friends and cinema lovers who have showered us with such love and pride. It's so overwhelming to receive all your love. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" The film has opened to rave reviews and has already created history by grossing a whopping Rs 80 crore worldwide on its very first day, thereby emerging as the film with the biggest ever opening in Tamil cinema.
New Delhi, Oct 2 : The Delhi Police have deployed more police force in north east Delhi's Nand Nagri, where one Manish, was stabbed to death by Alam, Faizan and Bilal, to avoid any untoward incident.

The Delhi Police were also taking the help of drone cameras to keep an eye on the bad elements who can provoke the people.

On Sunday morning, locals gathered in the area and shouted slogans against the law enforcement agency. They demanded the death penalty for the murderers.

The police have assured that no accused will be spared and all the three accused involved in the crime have been arrested.

The police were leaving no stone unturned as there were possibilities that the incident could lead to law and order problems. Police have asked the people to maintain peace in the area.

CCTV footage shows that no one helped Manish when he was being attacked.

The incident happened on Saturday night. Manish was brutally killed by the three accused. The entire incident was captured on CCTV which has been accessed by IANS.

In the CCTV footage it could be seen that Manish was stabbed in full public view but none dared to intervene.

Police said that they have arrested three accused involved in the matter.

"At about 7.40 p.m., we got a PCR call informing us about the incident. After preliminary inquiry, three youths, Aalam, Bilal and Faizan, all residents of Sunder Nagri, were rounded up as the main suspects," a police officer said.

"As of now, the motive behind the murder seems to be an old enmity," the officer said.

Speaking to IANS, Sushil, the brother of the deceased, claimed that Manish was stabbed by three persons, named Alam, Bilal and Faizan.

"The three of them are friends of Mohasin and Kasim, who are presently in jail for attacking my brother. They had threatened to take revenge, and today they stabbed my brother to death," said Sushil.
Chennai, Oct 2 : The makers of director Abhilash Joshiy's 'King of Kotha', featuring Dulquer Salmaan in the lead, have released the first look of the film, much to the delight of the Malayalam superstar's fans.

The poster depicts Dulquer in a blazing hot never-before-seen avatar, promising a visual treat to all his fans.

The much-awaited high-octane action drama will be produced by Wayfarer Films and Zee Studios. The first schedule of the shoot is proceeding at a brisk pace in Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu.

Speaking about the association, Dulquer Salmaan said: "Wayfarer Films is proud to associate with Zee Studios for their maiden venture into the Malayalam film industry with our film 'King Of Kotha'! Zee Studios has been associated with some of the biggest industry hits across languages nationwide and it's a privilege to partner with them to produce some of the best content we wish to bring to all of you.

From pre-production to now begining principal photography, we feel we have found the best team with aligned interests to achieve our vision to the best of our abilities." Speaking about the association, Akshay Kejriwal, Head - South Movies at Zee Studios, noted: "We are extremely delighted and proud to collaborate with Dulquer and Wayfarer Films on this exciting film. KOK also marks our entry into the Malayalam film industry and we couldn't be happier that the journey begins with this association." Talking about the cast and crew, Kejriwal added: "Dulquer has consistently entertained audiences across the globe with his versatile performances and it is our absolute honour and privilege to present this film helmed by the supremely talented, Abhilash Joshiy." The first look promises a visual treat for the audiences as Dulquer is set to repeat his victory after blockbusters across languages like 'Sita Ramam', 'Chupp', 'Kannum Kannum Kollayadithal' and 'Kurup'.
Lahore, Oct 2 : Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz PML-N leaders said that PTI Chairman Imran Khan should be tried under the Official Secrets Act for stealing a cipher from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), local media reported.

In a press conference, they said that Parliament will decide to invoke Article 6 against Imran Khan and his abettors after consultations. They said that audio leaks of the Prime Minister's Office are a serious security breach. They said that Imran Khan had taken away the cipher from the Prime Minister's Office by concealing it in his diary, The News reported.

PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz said in the US, law enforcement agencies raided Trump's house and similarly, it should also be done here, and Banigala should be searched for the recovery of cipher.

Maryam said that she was surprised at the country's system because the person (Imran), who should be in jail, was roaming free. She said that Imran Khan was deliberately making the appointment of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) controversial by talking about this issue in his public meetings.

Declaring Imran Khan as the biggest liar in the history of Pakistan, Maryam said if she starts exposing him, it will take hours.

"Many elected prime ministers and dictators came but the label of treason only suits Imran Khan," said Maryam.

Talking about the audio leaks, Maryam Nawaz said the more people listen to Imran Khan's audios, the more they will understand how big conspiracy he had planned.
Chennai, Oct 2 : The Customs and Central Excise are on a high alert in Chennai, Madurai, Tiruchi, and Coimbatore airports after the cases of smuggling gold showed an increase.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) arrested a part-time worker at Chennai airport on Saturday with 1.9 kg of gold worth 83.86 lakh. The contract worker belonged to a private agency and was in charge of the restroom. CISF found that he was taking out 12 gold bits hidden in the cleaning mop and some inside the sole of his shoes.

A couple of days ago Chennai air customs arrested two passengers with 483 grams of gold and 50 cartons of cigarettes. The men had arrived from Dubai and were apprehended.

Customs officials told IANS that in Tiruchy, Coimbatore, and Madurai airports there were also seizures of gold in the past couple of days with most of the gold coming from the middle eastern countries.

A senior official while speaking to IANS said, "The culture of carriers bringing in gold through international airports in Tamil Nadu seem to have increased and the department has got some inputs on an organised network behind this.

"Customs have taken all the precautions to prevent smuggling of gold. We have directed the companies to be vigilant about the supply contract staff and make sure that none of their staff are indulging and aiding smugglers at the airports."
New Delhi, Oct 2 : M.K. Gandhi was one of the subcontinent's most prominent and beloved public figures of all time. He was the man who united a nation, roused a million hearts, and spearheaded one of the greatest marches to freedom ever witnessed in human history. With six handpicked book titles dedicated to the Mahatma from the Oxford University Press below, let's dive into his ideologies, how he stood for making India an independent nation and his overall journey to guiding the country towards independence. Several authors and researchers have thoroughly dived into his life and published extensive works that are still relevant in today's contemporary world.

Gandhi After 9/11 9/11 marked the beginning of a century that is defined by widespread violence. Every other day seems to be a furthering of the already catastrophic present towards a more disastrous tomorrow. With climate change looming over us, frequent economic instability, religious wars and relentless political mayhem, life for what we have made of it seems more and more unsustainable. Douglas Allen insists that we look to Gandhi, if only selectively and creatively, in order to move towards a non-violent and sustainable future.

Is a Gandhi-informed swaraj technology, valuable but humanly limited, possible? What would a Gandhian world--a more egalitarian, interconnected, decentralized--of globalisation look like? Focusing on key themes in Gandhi's thinking such as violence and non-violence, absolute truth and relative truth, ethical and spiritual living, and his critique of modernity, the book compels us to rethink our positions today.

Buy the copy at Rs 768 only Walking from Dandi

In February 2019, Harmony Siganporia walked from Dandi to Ahmedabad, retracing the route of Gandhi's Salt March in reverse. She walked this route of just under 400 kilometres over 25 days, much as Gandhi and the original band of marchers did in 1930. The 'Dandi Path' is the setting against which she explores the story of modern Gujarat, tracing the contours of the state's seismic shift towards espousing the narrative of vikas, abandoning in the process the possibility of a quest for swaraj.

Gujarat has been described as the laboratory of Hindutva, and this book is an effort to explore this theme, even as it attempts to unearth whether there remain any competing epistemes to it; memories of the region's prior avatar as the setting against which Gandhi put into practice his experiments with truth, non-violent civil disobedience, and satyagraha. This project investigates what --if anything-- remains of the Salt March in Gujarat's cultural memory, while also attempting to fill out the contours of the 'single story' of vikas with which the state has become so closely associated.

Buy at Rs 1317 only Gandhi Against Caste

In 1909, while still in South Africa, Gandhi publicly decried the caste system for its inequalities. Shortly after his return to India though, he spoke of the generally beneficial aspects of caste. Gandhi's writings on caste reflect contradictory views and his critics accuse him of neglecting the unequal socio-economic structure that relegated Dalits to the bottom of the caste hierarchy. So, did Gandhi endorse the fourfold division of the Indian society or was he truly against caste? In this book, Nishikant Kolge investigates the entire range of what Gandhi said or wrote about caste divisions over a period of more than three decades: from his return to India in 1915 to his death in 1948. Interestingly, Kolge also maps Gandhi's own statements that undermined his stance against the caste system. These writings uncover the 'strategist Gandhi' who understood that social transformation had to be a slow process for the conservative but powerful section of Hindus who were not yet ready for radical reforms.

Seven decades after it attained freedom from colonial powers, caste continues to influence the socio-political dynamics of India. And Gandhi against caste--the battle is not over yet.

Buy the book at Rs 555 only Diary of Manu Gandhi

Manu Gandhi, M.K. Gandhi's grand-niece, joined him in 1943 at the age of 15. An aide to Gandhi's ailing wife Kasturba in the Aga Khan Palace prison in Pune, Manu remained with him until his assassination. She was a partner in his final yajna, an experiment in Brahmacharya, and his invocation of Rama at the moment of his death.

Spanning two volumes, The Diary of Manu Gandhi is a record of her life and times with M.K. Gandhi between 1943 and 1948. Authenticated by Gandhi himself, the meticulous and intimate entries in the diary throw light on Gandhi's life as a prisoner and his endeavour to establish the possibility of collective non-violence. They also offer a glimpse into his ideological conflicts, his efforts to find his voice, and his lonely pilgrimage to Noakhali during the riots of 1946.

The first volume (1943-44) chronicles the spiritual and educational pursuits of an adolescent woman who takes up writing as a mode of self-examination. The author shares a moving portrait of Kasturba Gandhi's illness and death and also unravels the deep emotional bond she develops with Gandhi, whom she calls her 'mother'.

Buy copy at Rs 750 only Gandhi in Bombay

When Gandhi landed on the bustling Bombay docks on a cold winter morning in 1915, little did he know that his journey back from South Africa would mark a turning point in history. Bombay, the nerve centre of Gandhi's many political activities, earned an enviable place in India's freedom struggle under his leadership. Gandhi in Bombay is interspersed with the Mahatma's letters, speeches, published writings, and more than 50 rare photographs depicting important events in Bombay. Together they project a scintillating vision of the city in the throes of the independence movement.

Buy the book at Rs 795 only Scorching Love

This book is a compilation of, for the most part, for the first time -- Gandhi's letters to his youngest son, Devadas from 1914, when father and son were both in South Africa to 1948, when they were both in Delhi, the capital of free India where within hours of the last letter Gandhi was assassinated. The letters span three decades during which the writer grew from being a fighter for the rights of Indians in South Africa to being hailed as 'Father of the Nation' by millions in India and -- opposed by many as well, including the man who felled him by three bullets fired at point blank range on January 30, 1948. The letters hold his aspirations for his son and for his nation. They bear great love and they also scorch. The book will be valuable to future biographers of Mohandas and Kasturba Gandhi and their sons.

Edition starts from Rs 1410 only (IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)
Singapore, Oct 2 : Mercedes Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton has avoided a penalty for wearing his nose stud during the Singapore Grand Prix qualifying after he produced a medical exemption letter -- although his team was fined 25,000 euros as they submitted a scrutineering form saying he wasn't wearing any jewellery.

Hamilton, who finished a season's best third in qualifying at Marina Bay on Saturday, had previously removed jewellery when driving after a long-standing rule that it could not be worn during track sessions was clarified in Miami, Florida, according to formula1.com.

However, he was wearing his nose stud in Singapore, which attracted the stewards' attention.

The seven-time world champion told them doctors had advised him not to remove the stud, rather than continue to take it in and out, on medical grounds.

FIA deputy medical delegate Ian Roberts studied the medical report and concurred with the opinion. As a result, the stewards decided to take no further action.

Hamilton qualified third fastest in a dramatic wet-dry session at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

However, it soon emerged that Mercedes had submitted a self-scrutineering form declaring "that the driver complied with the requirement not to wear jewellery in the form of body piercing", according to formula1.com. The stewards noted this was incorrect.

"The Team Manager explained that the team was unaware that Hamilton had a piercing," read the stewards' report. "In recent events Hamilton had removed the piercing prior to the competition. The team assumed, without enquiring of Hamilton, that he had followed or would follow the same procedure for this event.

"The Stewards accept that the error in the declaration in this case was not intentional or deliberate but it would not have occurred had the team made an enquiry of Hamilton before completing and submitting the declaration. Given these circumstances, we fine the team 25,000 euros."
The question -- Is India's grand old party in its last stage? -- has been repeatedly raised in the past few years, and the recent episodes are a confirmation of the deep rot that has set within.

The Congress first family has been struggling to keep the party on course, but its repeated electoral losses are making the detractors claim that the Gandhis are losing their grip.

Prior to 2014, the seat of power was South Block, but the centre of power was 10 Janpath. All decisions and movements within and outside the party or the government had links with the Congress President. The defeat in 2014 Lok Sabha polls started the downward slide.

The party has been on a losing spree and even in places where it could form governments, it failed miserably. It entered into alliances, but again failed. The situation is such that other political parties are now wary of forging electoral alliances with the Congress.

The Gandhi siblings have proved to be ineffective and the poll results have only demonstrated their failure to match up to the BJP's Juggernaut.

The deterioration in the party has reached to such an extent that the high command's orders are being openly challenged. The revolt in the Congress in Rajasthan was a direct challenge to the party high command, which interim president Sonia Gandhi must have never expected.

Gehlot was one of the Gandhi confidants, who had always bowed at 10 Janpath. So, his dramatic 'no' to the party high command's choice for the presidential polls was a severe jolt.

Sonia Gandhi has already lost some of her close loyalists -- Ghulam Nabi Azad, Amarinder Singh, Jyotiraditya Scindia and others. Before leaving, all these three leaders, indirectly or directly, blamed the family for the state the Congress is in. Even as the Rajasthan episode was unravelling, Rahul Gandhi was far away in Kerala on his Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Repeated electoral failures have prompted Rahul Gandhi not to take charge of the party. He was the party president in 2017, but has failed repeatedly to lead the Congress to victory in elections; in fact, the party has never performed as badly as it has done under his leadership.

Rahul is banking on the Bharat Jodo Yatra to reassert himself electorally and politically. The party has repeatedly said that this Yatra will help invigorate party workers and prepare them for the 2024 general elections.

The Yatra has so far not created a buzz nationally, although it has been just got a warm reception in Kanataka. In fact, it has generated more controversies, such as Rahul's meeting with a controversial pastor, or the violation of forest laws in Karnataka.. His beaming pictures with boys, girls or senior citizens are perhaps no guarantee of these translating into votes. This has been his experience in election after election.

Also in question is the fact that it is not a complete Bharat Jodo Yatra and the itinerary has been unequally distributed. In Kerala, which has 20 Lok Sabha seats, the Yatra stretched for 18 days, but in Uttar Pradesh, which has 80 seats, it will be concluded in just two days. What message does this and the selective omission poll-bound states such as Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, which are BJP bastions, send to party workers in these places? Is the party leadership convinced that it cannot take on the BJP individually in these states? Is that the reason why it is focusing on states such as Kerala where the BJP's presence is minimal and the Congress can deliver a good performance electorally.

Rahul's Yatra has so far failed to generate the kind of mass interest that the first family of the Congress or party leaders would have wanted to see. And even as the Yatra is going on, the differences within the party are erupting in places such as Rajasthan.

It seemed that Rahul was far removed from the Rajasthan happenings and the crisis, as always, reached the doors of his mother at 10 Janpath.

The interim president, who's been ailing for some years, had to take the charge yet again, and finally after Gehlot's 'no', she zeroed in upon 80-year-old Mallikarjun Kharge, a tried and tested loyalist and no threat to the family.

When Kharge filed the nomination, all top party leaders trooped in to register their support. The attendance was not only an exhibition of approval for Sonia Gandhi's loyalist, but also an indication of their solidarity with her decision.

Though Shashi Tharoor, who is from the G23 group, is also contesting the presidential polls, the 'whip' clearly is in favour of Kharge. Even the G23 leaders -- Anand Sharma, Bhupinder Singh Hooda and other -- came out vehemently in favour of Kharge and became his proposers.

The show of solidarity by the Congressmen for Sonia Gandhi's decision has come at a time when one of her confidants, Ashok Gehlot, defied her. Gehlot was being asked to become the Congress president and give up the office of Chief Minister.

Gehlot did join Kharge when he filed his nomination, trying to show that all is right. But the episode is going to have repercussions in Rajasthan, which will be another test for Sonia and Rahul, and the first test for the new president.

For the new Congress chief, the challenges are Himalayan. He has to resurrect the party, stand up to the BJP, prove that the party is the fulcrum of the opposition, and, above all, maintain the 'supremacy' of the Gandhi family.

Given the fact that in the present situation the challenges are near impossible, but one thing that the Congress will exhibit now is that a non-Gandhi can head the party. After the election held after 22 years, the country's grand old party needs to move out from its dynasty-centric image to a more pluralistic mechanism. Unfortunately, the party will be depending upon 80-year-old Kharge, who doesn't have a mass following, to do that.

(Deepika Bhan can be contacted at deepika.b@ians.in)
Kanpur : , Oct 2 (IANS) Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday reached the Hallett hospital in Kanpur to meet those injured in the tractor-trolley accident that had claimed 26 lives.

The chief minister was accompanied by Director General of Police D.S. Chauhan and principal secretary home Sanjay Prasad. UP Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana was also present.

The chief minister directed the officials to ensure proper treatment of the injured persons. He said that the elected representatives of the area were arranging for the last rites of the deceased.

Five police personnel, including the station officer, have been suspended for laxity in duty.

The chief minister told reporters that the state government would give a sum Rs two lakh each to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured persons. A similar amount has been announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Yogi Adityanath, meanwhile, said that road safety was of prime importance and he has asked the transport department to create awareness among all stakeholders. He appealed to people not to use tractor trolleys as a mode of transport.

At least 26 people were killed while several injured after a tractor-trolley carrying devotees overturned and fell into a pond near a village in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur district on Saturday evening.

The devotees, all residents of Kortha village under Sadh police circle, had gone to the Chandrika Devi temple in Fatehpur in the tractor-trolley. There were about 40 people in the vehicle. While returning, the trolley overturned into a roadside pond between Sadh and Gambhirpur village.
San Francisco, Oct 2 : Tech giant Microsoft has released new Windows 11 Build to Insiders in the Dev Channel that brings a new settings experience for widgets along with the return of Task Manager shortcut.

The update includes a handful of new features that specific users will welcome. After installing the build, right-clicking the taskbar will now show a link to the Task Manager, reports Windows Central.

The Snipping Tool will automatically save screenshots as well, the report said.

"We are beginning to roll out a new settings experience for Widgets. Windows Insiders who are also Office Insiders can now try the new Outlook for Windows!" the company was quoted as saying.

The widget picker and Widgets settings have been separated in this build of Windows 11. This should make it a bit easier to navigate to the desired destination, the report said.

This build includes preliminary support to rearrange System Tray icons for Insiders with the System Tray updates that began rolling out with Build 25197.
STL unveils new optical solution to help telcos fiberise networks for 5G Image Source: IANS News

Chennai, Oct 2 : Sterlite Technologies Ltd on Sunday unveiled 5G Cosmos - an optical solution for towers and small cells for speedy 5G roll out.

According to Sterlite Technologies, telecom operators need to look at fiberisation with a futuristic lens.

The company said tower fiberisation must increase from about 35 per cent to 80 per cent to provide high quality 5G services.

Additionally, 5G will require upto 4X small cells, backhauled with fibre, Sterlite Technologies said.

The company said India's fibre space is constrained by deployment speed and scale.

5G Cosmos is an Atmanirbhar, patented solution that can solve these challenges and connect every tower, small cell and node, the company claimed.

Launching 5G Cosmos at IMC 2022, Pankaj Miglani, Director Supply Chain Management, Bharti Airtel, said: "We are readying our infrastructure for 5G and fiberisation is a core need. We are happy to see the use cases that 5G Cosmos can solve for telcos and enable us to deliver a great 5G experience to our customers." Ankit Agarwal Manaing Director, Sterlite Technologies said: "Indian telecom operators are ready to install fibre-dense networks for 5G. This will need an integrated and futuristic solution. We have built 5G Cosmos to enable fiberisation of macro and small cells at scale and achieve the full potential of 5G."
Dharamsala, Oct 2 : Extolling the principles and ideologies that guided Mahatma Gandhi into securing India's independence, Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) President Penpa Tsering on Sunday said the Tibetan movement under the guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama was unabatedly based on the same model.

The CTA led by Tsering paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his 153rd birth anniversary.

The official ceremony held in Gangchen Kyishong here was attended by Parliament Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, Deputy Speaker Dolma Tsering Teykhang, acting Chief Justice Commissioner Karma Dadul, heads of CTA's autonomous bodies, and senior officials of various departments of the CTA.

In his interaction with the media, Tsering said, "The world has seen a plethora of extraordinary leaders but Gandhi is the first influential and inspiring leader who set the benchmark of the practice of non-violence and the complete allegiance to resolving conflict through non violent approach.

"His work of opinion in Hind Swaraj written in 1909 epitomising his principles and vision was the fundamental operating manual during the Independence movement of India.

"Not only is our movement inspired and based on Gandhi's principles of non-violence, the unity of all religions we endorse and advocate is in alignment with Gandhi's views on religion." He also pledged on the occasion to follow non-violence as the only means to resolve the Sino-Tibet conflict.

Tibetans, who have been forced to flee their homeland in China more than half a century ago and have settled across India since then, have been following in the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi, the apostle of peace and non-violence.

Every year, the CTA, the democratically elected government in exile, holds functions at its headquarters here to celebrate Gandhi Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, that falls on October 2.

Even the elderly Buddhist monk, the Dalai Lama, ultimate spiritual and political leader for millions of Tibetans, is the admirer of Mahatma Gandhi.

"I never met Mahatma Gandhi in person, although I dreamt of doing so. I admire him because he was a great thinker who put what he thought into practice," a post on the website of the CTA quoting the spiritual guru said.

The Tibetans have lived in India since 1959 when the Dalai Lama fled his homeland after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.
Rajkot : , Oct 2 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has claimed that an Intelligence Bureau ( IB) report has suggested that the Aam Aadmi Party will form the government in Gujarat with a thin margin.

But, he said that he wished to have a thumping majority, and so appealed to the voters to vote for the AAP in large numbers.

Addressing the mediapersons in Rajkot on Sunday, Kejriwal said, "According to sources, IB report says if the elections are held today, AAP will form government in Gujarat with thin margin. We are ahead of the BJP with a very few seats, the people of Gujarat have to give a big push to the AAP so that the AAP has a good majority and a government is formed with a good majority." He also claimed that since the report was made available to the government, "the BJP and the Congress have joined hands, group meetings are going on, the BJP is badly frightened with the report. Both party leaders had secret meetings and later both are making allegations at the AAP in the same language." According to Kejriwal, now the BJP wants Congress to be stronger in the state and for that the party is making maximum efforts to make the Congress stronger. He also claimed a few Congress MLAs were to join the BJP, but now the BJP leaders have asked them not to quit the Congress, because if they leave the Congress, it will weaken the party. BJP wants anti- incumbency votes to be divided and so it wants the Congress to play a strong role in the Assembly elections.
Dehradun, Oct 2 : Various political and social organisations on Sunday observed 'Uttarakhand bandh' to demand death penalty for the accused in connection with the Ankita Bhandari murder case.

Congress, including all opposition parties, have also supported this bandh.

Ankita was allegedly killed by Pulkit Arya, the son of now expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Dehradun, Dilip Singh Kunwar has appealed to the residents of the city to maintain peace in the areas.

Uttarakhand Congress Vice-President, Mathura Dutt Joshi and Uttarakhand Congress General secretary, Vijay Saraswat have issued a joint statement saying that the party is continuously appealing the Central and state governments to hand over the investigation of the Ankita murder case to the Central Bureau of Investigation but the government has not paid any heed to their demand.

The heinous Ankita murder case, which took place in Pauri district of Uttarakhand, drew sharp response from people.

Various organisations have accused the police and the Uttarakhand government of delaying the investigation into the murder case and shielding the accused.

In order to maintain law and order in Dehradun, the district has been divided into nine super zones, 21 zones and 43 sectors by the SSP so that no untoward incident happens during this bandh.

SSP Kunwar said that strict action will be taken against any individual who indulges in violent activities during the bandh.

The Congress has directed the district and metropolitan party committees to ensure their participation while fully supporting the bandh.
Srinagar, Oct 2 : A terrorist killed in an encounter between terrorists and security forces at Baskuchan area in South Kashmir's Shopian district on Sunday has been identified, officials said.

"Killed terrorist identified as Naseer Ahmad Bhat of Nowpora Baskuchan Shopian, linked with LeT terror outfit," Jammu and Kashmir Police tweeted, quoting Additional Director General Police Kashmir zone, Vijay Kumar.

"Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition including AK rifle recovered. He was involved in several terror crimes and recently escaped from an encounter:" Earlier, the gunfight started after a joint team of police and security forces got an input about the presence of terrorists in that area.

After security forces cordoned off the area, terrorists hiding there started firing drawing retaliation by the security forces.

There have been a series of encounters between terrorists and security forces across Kashmir in the recent past in which many terrorists have been eliminated.
New Delhi, Oct 2 : During the pan-India raids against the now banned PFI, around six places were raided in Delhi, but the sensitive riot-hit Jahangirpuri was left out, raising questions. Sources have claimed that an anti-riot mock drill, which was conducted in the area, may have forced the agencies to change their plan at the last minute.

The anti-riot mock drill was conducted on September 22 to show the preparedness of police and agencies during the festive season.

Sources claimed that the drill might have alerted the suspected PFI cadres, who ran away from the area. The sources also said that it was not possible that when the raids were being conducted across the capital, the agencies didn't want to raid this area.

The sources said that the agencies had the Jahangirpuri on their raid list, but as there was a mock drill, which alerted everyone, the agencies decided to leave the area out of their plan.

The source said that the mock drill was conducted at the wrong time which might have alerted the accused, who ran away from the area.

"We believe that a few PFI members were living in Jahangirpuri but the mock drill, which can be termed as blunder, alerted them. They might have assumed that the government is planning a big action and fled from the area. When raids were conducted at the pan-India level, and at many places in Delhi, there was no raid in Jahangirpuri. How was it possible? What made the security agencies change their plan. If Jahangirpuri was on their list earlier, then why was it not there when the actual raid took place, it was only because of that mock drill," the source claimed.

Tabrez, an accused in the Jahangirpuri riot, was a member of the peace committee and he was also a member of Tiranga Yatra, which was organised in the district. This was also another failure of this district as the senior officials were unaware of it.

The SOPs were also allegedly not followed during the mock drill.

The raids by NIA and other central agencies were conducted in South East Delhi's Jamia, Shahin Bagh, Nizamuddin, Rohini's Aman Vihar, North East Delhi's Seelampur.

On September 27, the agencies conducted a second round of raids which led to the banning of the PFI and its affiliates.

There are now possibilities that Delhi's top police official or the Ministry of Home Affairs might seek a report on this.

IANS tried to reach out for an official quote but no one was available from Delhi Police to comment on the matter.
Mumbai, Oct 2 : Telugu star Allu Arjun inaugurated the Allu Studio along with megastar Chiranjeevi to commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of his grandfather, Telugu cinema's celebrated comedian, Allu Ramalingaiah.

The centenary was also marked by the unveiling of a book on Ramalingaiah, who was awarded a Padma Shri and the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award-South.

Taking to his social media, Allu Arjun shared a picture of himself along with close relatives and the country's former Vice President, Venkaiah Naidu. He wrote in the caption, "Book launch of my Grandfather Shri Allu Ramalingaiah garu on his centenary birthday. I would like to thank Shri Venkaiah Naidu garu for gracing the occasion. #AlluARG100." Recently, Arjun visited Amritsar with his family to celebrate his wife Sneha Reddy's birthday. The actor visited the Golden Temple, Attari border and spent time with BSF jawans.

Allu Arjun fans, meanwhile, are eagerly waiting for the sequel to 'Pushpa: The Rise'. The film's makers of 'Pushpa' recently shared the progress of the sequel, marking the start of their work with a puja they organised in the presence of team members.
Agra, Oct 2 : A pale of gloom and despair has descended on the Taj Ganj area in the vicinity of the Taj Mahal. Uncertainty about future and the spectre of thousands losing gainful employment through a myriad set of commercial activities stare at the residents of narrow lanes and mohallas of this densely populated area which many have described as 'living heritage.' Not only small shops but also the tiny clusters of artisans engaged in highly skilled marble inlay work, could suffer if the Supreme Court order announced last week directing the local authorities to stop commercial activities within 500 metres of the periphery of the Taj Mahal, is executed.

After the industries in the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) were shut in 1996, it's now the turn of over 400 shops, hotels, fast food joints, emporiums, within 500 metres of the periphery of the 17th century monument of love, to down the shutters.

A Supreme Court directive to the Agra Development Authority (ADA) to stop all commercial activities in the 500 metre zone has alarmed the owners of shops and other establishments, who now fear devastation and end of a journey.

The ADA has asked all shop keepers to make sure that all commercial activities are halted by October 17. They have been asked not to procure fresh goods or materials for sale. The survey is now over and plans are afoot to restrict movement of vehicles carrying supplies to the shops. The Taj Ganj police station has put up fresh barriers at the entry points.

Meanwhile, an action committee has been formed to represent the affected shop keepers' case. A review petition is likely to be filed. A team is going to meet the UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow.

The consensus at a meeting on Saturday was that due to the fight between two groups of shopkeepers and the ADA, all commercial establishments have had to pay a very heavy price.

Lawyers say that since there was a precedent of 1996, when all industries were told to shut down or shift, the victims of the latest order may find it hard to secure any relief from the apex court now.

But if facts are properly presented, with the historical timeline, the apex court may reconsider the case, hopes Raman, a member of the Supreme Court monitoring committee. The TTZ Authority should take up the case and seek relief for the affected parties, say the activists.

It may be recalled that the high powered Dr S Vardrajan committee constituted by the Supreme Court in 1993 while considering the MC Mehta PIL on Taj pollution, had wanted 'de-congestion' of Taj Ganj area. Later, the Archaeological Survey of India moved amendments to the Ancient Monuments Act to regulate activities in the 100 metre, 200 metre and 500 metre zones.

Hundreds of FIRs against encroachments and illegal constructions are pending disposal. The monuments in Agra are dwarfed by high rise buildings and encroachments as the police have not bothered to take action. As things stand, the stage is all set for a standoff and avoidable confrontation that could seriously affect the tourist season.
Rajkot : , Oct 2 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday said winds of change were being witnessed in Gujarat and people of the state will script acnew success story after the Assembly polls.

Interacting with the media here while presenting guarantee of maintenance of cow, Mann, accompanied by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, said the people of Gujarat were confronting same problems as were witnessed in Punjab prior to 2022 polls.

"Gujarat is facing severe agriculture crisis, schools and hospitals are in shambles, and the situation of roads are in pitiable situation, a situation which was in Punjab before 2022 polls." Mann said the situation "can change only if the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is voted to power".

Slamming the Congress and the BJP, he said that both the parties are two sides of the same coin. He said despite of being worst victim of Operation Lotus, the Congress has supported BJP's anti-democratic stand in the ongoing session of the Assembly.

Mann said once it was Congress-I but now it is Congress-BJP as both the parties have connived with each other to plunder people and wealth of the state.

Listing the several initiatives of the Aam Aadmi government in Punjab, he said from July 1 onwards, the Punjab government has provided 600 units of free power to people in every bill cycle.

He said as a result of this around 50 lakh households out of total 72.66 lakh, which was roughly 68.71 per cent of total, have got zero power bill September.

Likewise, Mann said more than 17,000 government jobs have been given to the youth in last six months.

Similarly, the Chief Minister said his government is against the exploitative contractual system of jobs due to which they had started process of regularising services of more than 30,000 contractual employees in state.

Mann said he has launched anti-corruption helpline after which corrupt elements are being put behind the bars. He said only an honest government can take such path-breaking and pro-people initiatives.

The Chief Minister said in order to tackle the menace of stray cattle, the state government is strengthening the Gau Sewa Commission. The motive is to reduce the fatalities due to accidents caused by stray cattle on one hand and to ensure proper upkeep of cows on the other.
Islamabad, Oct 2 : Fears prompted by the all-out national security incident after Pakistan Prime Minister Office audios were mysteriously leaked into the public domain remained in the air at the federal cabinet's meeting as the government barred members from taking their mobile phones inside the meeting, the media reported.

Sources said that the meeting chaired by Pak Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was not held until it was ensured that the mobile phones of the cabinet members were collected outside the room, the Express Tribune reported.

The move is the latest measure taken by the government to prevent further security breaches after a slew of audio leaks rang alarm bells in the corridors of power, with the opposition -- mainly PTI -- raising questions about flaws in the cyber security of the highest office of the land.

The meeting also discussed the issue of audio leaks in detail and endorsed the decision of the National Security Committee (NSC) to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter. On Wednesday, the NSC okayed the formation of a body to investigate audio leaks.

A day ago, a new standard operating procedure (SOP) was implemented at the PM House whereby staff member and an officer was disallowed from taking their mobile phone inside the building.

PM Sharif had on Tuesday at a press conference called the controversial audio leaks a serious 'security lapse' and said a high-powered inquiry committee would probe into the matter.
Islamabad, Oct 2 : Four terrorists were killed in an exchange of fire with police in Naseerabad district of Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province.

Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) spokesperson said on Sunday, the CTD conducted an intelligence-based operation late Saturday night, Xinhua news agency reported.

"As the CTD personnel cordoned off the area, terrorists started indiscriminate firing upon the raiding party," the spokesperson said, adding that the forces retaliated in self-defence.

The CTD said that firing continued for almost one and a half hours, resulting in the death of four terrorists while another terrorist managed to flee.

One CTD officer was injured during the operation and was shifted to hospital, it said, adding that the CTD seized vehicles, weapons and explosives from the terrorists.
Seoul/Incheon, Oct 2 : South Korea's point man on North Korea said Sunday he believes North Korea's recent series of missile launches are aimed at "taming" the new South Korean government while at the same time grabbing US attention.

Unification Minister Kwon Young-se made the remark to Yonhap News Agency at Incheon International Airport ahead of his departure for Germany for a four-day trip aimed at seeking support for Seoul's peace and denuclearization efforts while joining the celebration for the 32nd anniversary of Germany's unification.

Addressing North Korea's missile launches over the past week, Kwon said, "They may be trying to take charge in the inter-Korean situation and develop their weapons at the same time." "Their main intention seems to be to tame the new government in South Korea," Kwon said. "And since the North Korean issue has taken a backseat in the United States due to domestic political situations, the North may also want to grab attention from Washington.

"Regardless of their intention, provocations are never ideal for the peace on the Korean Peninsula," Kwon continued. "Our government will mount an even stronger response." As for the specific nature of South Korea's response, Kwon said "many options" are on table, including working with the United Nations or imposing sanctions with South Korea's allies.

"I hope North Korea will recognise quickly that for the sake of peace on the Korean Peninsula, they need to resolve the issue of denuclearization through dialogue with us," Yonhap news agency quoted Kwon as saying.

Kwon's trip to Germany coincides with President Yoon Suk-yeol's attempt to rally international support for his "audacious initiative," designed to help Pyongyang improve its economy in return for denuclearization steps. North Korea has rejected that idea in a statement by Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of the country's leader, Kim Jong-un.
Mumbai, Oct 2 : Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's security cover was tightened after specific inputs indicating threats to his life through a mystery phone call on Sunday.

The Home Department, handled by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, has also ordered a probe with efforts on to trace the call and the unknown caller.

Simultaneously, security at Shinde's official residence 'Varsha', at Malabar Hill and his private home in Thane city was beefed up with additional forces deployed.

Officials said that the State Intelligence Department (SID) monitored the inputs about the threats to Shinde, who has a Z-category security cover.

Earlier, Shinde - who leads the rebel Shiv Sena faction which toppled the Maha Vikas Aghadi govt in June - had been the target of similar threats from Maoists and anti-national elements earlier when he was a minister in the previous government.

Though officials are tightlipped, there's speculation that the latest threats may be linked to the Centre's decision to ban the PFI.

Shinde is presently travelling a lot for the Navratri festivities and will address a Dassehra rally at the Bandra Kurla Complex ground on Vijaya Dashami.

BJP leaders like Pravin Darekar and Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar suspect that certain persons may be upset by the CM's tough decisions in recent times and demanded a full investigation into the matter, including political or international threads.
Hyderabad, Oct 2 : The Hyderabad police on Sunday busted a conspiracy to create terror and mayhem in the city through bombing attacks and lone-wolf attacks.

Three persons with links to the Pakistan's ISI and LeT were arrested in this connection from Malakpet in the city, Hyderabad police said on Sunday.

Along with arresting the three persons, identified as Identified as Abdul Zahed, Mohd Sameeuddin, and Maaz Hasan Farooq, the police siezed four hand grenades, a motorbike, and cash.

The police said that the three were planning terror attacks in the city.

Abdul Zahed previously involved in several terror related cases in Hyderabad including suicide attack on the attack on the Hyderabad City Police Commissioner's task force office Begumpet in 2005. He was in regular touch with Pakistani ISI-LeT handlers.

Hyderabad police said that, on receiving credible information the police had conducted raids and arrested the three persons. The arrested had recieved four hand grenades which they planned to use for terror attacks in Hyderabad, he explained.

The arrested were allegedly acting under the guidance of three absconding persons from Hyderabad, who are currently taking shelter in Pakistan and working for the ISI-LeT.

Abdul Zahed in his confession has revealed that Farhatulla Ghori, Abu Hamzala and Majeed revived their contacts with him and they motivated and financed Zahed to recruit and carryout out terror attacks in Hyderabad again.

"At the behest of Pakistan based handlers, Zahed recruited Samiuddin and Maaz Hasan," the police stated.

All the three persons have been sent to judicial remand after they were presented at the court.
New Delhi, Oct 2 : After a Dalit youth was killed by three persons in north-east Delhi's Nand Nagri area, Hindu Sena President Vishnu Gupta has demanded that the incident must be probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The incident took place on Saturday evening. The deceased identified as Manish was killed by the accused trio identified as Faizan, Alam and Bilal.

Gupta has alleged that Popular Front Of India (PFI) members were behind the incident and hence the matter should be handed over to the NIA.

THe Hindu Sena Chief alleged that the incident must have links with the PFI.

The police have arrested the accused trio and have deployed extra police personnel in the area to maintain law and order.

The police are also using drones to keep a close watch on anti-national elements.

Nearly one year back, the deceased Manish was attacked by accused duo Mohasin and Kasim, who had tried to snatch his cell phone. Both were arrested and are currently in judicial custody.

Faizan, Bilal and Alam are the friends of the accused duo. They attacked the deceased to take revenge of Mohasin and Kasim.

The CCTV footage of the incident accessed by IANS shows that Manish was stabbed publicly.

In one of the mobile footage, a Delhi Police Inspector could be seen slapping a local, who had gathered to stage a protest against the police and the accused.
Kohima, Oct 2 : The influential Naga Students' Federation (NSF) on Sunday strongly condemned the extension of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 for another 6 months and has urged the people to continue non-cooperation with the armed forces as long as the law is in force.

The Central government on Friday extended for another six months the enforcement of the "disturbed area" under the AFSPA in 12 districts of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, and certain parts of five other districts of the two northeastern states to facilitate the armed forces' anti-insurgency operations.

The apex Naga student body said it "denounces this continuous attempt of the Central government to paint Nagaland as a land of lawlessness and chaos".

The world is the "witness to the fact that Nagaland is a beautiful state being inhabited by peace-loving citizens which is contrary to what it is made to look like by the impugned order", the NSF said in a statement.

"The history of excesses committed by the Indian armed forces upon the Naga people under the cover of AFSPA calls for condemnation from all right-thinking citizens of the world.

"More so, AFSPA is unconstitutional as it only encourages abuses and serious human rights violations by the armed forces acting on behalf of the state," the student body alleged.

The NSF appealed to the Central government to "objectively" assess the situation and not act upon "biased reports" from their various agencies and the Union Home Ministry in order to ensure that the "controversial law" is repealed once and for all from the entire "Naga homeland".

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on March 31 announced to reduction of the operation of AFSPA from April 1 in Assam, Nagaland and Manipur even as most of the political parties and NGOs in the region have been demanding its repeal.

The demand intensified after the security forces killed 14 people and injured 30 others in Mon district of Nagaland in December last year in a case of "mistaken identity".

The AFSPA, which allows the Army and other central para-military forces to conduct raids, operations, arrest anyone anywhere without prior notice or arrest warrant, was in force in Nagaland, Assam, Manipur barring the Imphal municipal council area and certain districts of Arunachal Pradesh. It was lifted from Tripura in 2015, in Meghalaya in 2018, and in Mizoram in 1980s.
Islamabad, Oct 2 : Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to embark on an official visit to China in the first week of November, media reports said.

"Last minute details are being worked upon, but the visit is very much on," sources told The News.

Meanwhile, in Beijing, the Pakistan Embassy hosted an event on floods in Pakistan.

"Delighted to host representatives of multilateral organisations, Chinese think tanks and academia at the embassy. Briefed them on recent floods in Pakistan and Pakistan's vulnerability to climate change. Touched by their desire to contribute," said Pakistan's Ambassador Moinul Haque.

Interestingly, Haque was also at one time being considered as the future Foreign Secretary but his tenure in office expires next year.

According to a statement, international organisations, Chinese think tanks, NGOs, Global Young Leaders Dialogue (GYLD) members and members of the Pakistani community attended the event in Beijing.

On the occasion, Moin briefed the audience about the extent and nature of the recent unprecedented floods in Pakistan. Expressing gratitude for the support extended by the international community, particularly China and the UN, he reiterated the need for proactive climate action and international solidarity to mitigate the effects of climate change.

He stressed that it was unfortunate that despite being a low carbon emitter, Pakistan was among the countries most vulnerable to climate change. He called on rich countries to help the developing states affected by climate change. He hoped that the international community would remain engaged with Pakistan in the rehabilitation and reconstruction phase.
Guwahati, Oct 2 : Without naming his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said no government should grant any donation to Durga Puja committees as it is a religious function.

Assam is celebrating Durga Puja with huge enthusiasm. Sarma has been visiting Puja pandals in different parts of the state since Saturday.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Durga Puja celebration in Karimganj, Sarma said spending government money on organising Durga Puja will attract religious division in the country.

"If we give any grant in Durga Puja, followers of other communities will demand the same during their religious functions. So, I believe that this practice should not be encouraged," he added.

Asked about the Assam government paying Rs 1.5 lakh to Bihu organising committees during the Rongali Bihu celebration this year, Sarma replied: "Bihu is a cultural function of Assam and it has no religious connection." Notably, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced in August of granting a whopping Rs 258 crore to clubs in the state for the upcoming Durga Puja, which has attracted wide-scale criticism.

For the past four years, Banerjee has given grants to Puja committees which have increased every year starting with a donation of Rs 10,000 to 28,000 committees in 2018.
Khanh Hoa asked to hasten moves to address IUU fishing

A delegation of agriculture, defence, and public security officials visited Khanh Hoa on September 30 - October 1 to inspect the south central provinces efforts against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.



The trip was made ahead of a visit to Vietnam by a European Commission (EC) delegation from October 17 to 28 to examine the countrys moves to carry out recommendations about IUU fishing prevention. This is considered a great opportunity for Vietnam to persuade the EC to remove the yellow-card warning against IUU fishing.



Nguyen Trong Chanh, head of Khanh Hoas fisheries division, said the entire local political system has taken drastic actions to eradicate IUU fishing and obtained encouraging results.





Fishing vessels in Khanh Hoa province (Photo: VNA)





The province has updated information about all the 3,199 fishing vessels on the national fisheries database (Vnfishbase) and granted fishing licenses to 3,184 vessels (equivalent to 99.5%). All vessels are examined before and after each fishing trip, according to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.



In the first nine months of 2022, local authorities examined 2,724 tonnes of seafood and certified 2,082 tonnes. The fisheries division also organised 336 patrols and examinations, fining 54 violating cases nearly 600 million VND (25,100 USD).



Vu Duyen Hai, Deputy Director of the Capture Fisheries Department at the MARDs Directorate of Fisheries, spoke highly of Khanh Hoas efforts in combating IUU fishing but also asked the province to address several shortcomings, including those related to the examination of food safety, monitoring system, fish catch, export, and import.



In particular, it is necessary to increase personnel for fishery ports and ensure control over the number of vessels, he noted.



Deputy General Director of the Directorate of Fisheries Nguyen Quang Hung said removing the yellow-card warning and steering clear of a red card issued by the EC is an urgent task of the entire political system.



He added as Khanh Hoa has a relatively large fishing industry and many businesses exporting fishery products to Europe, its localities should step up communications to encourage fishermen to join hands in fighting IUU fishing while keeping a close watch on the boats that havent installed the vessel monitoring system and asking vehicles to turn on the equipment during their fishing trips.



Khanh Hoa still has much to be done before the EC delegation comes, Hung said, requesting it to devise a detailed plan, complete papers, and review personnel at fishery ports.
By Trend

The Azerbaijani Army launched a counter-offensive operation, later called the "Iron Fist", on September 27, 2020 in response to the large-scale provocation of the Armenian armed forces along the frontline, Trend reports.

The erupted 44-day Second Karabakh War ended with liberation of Azerbaijans territories from nearly 30-year Armenian occupation.

Trend presents the chronicle of the war.

- On October 2, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev gave an interview to Al Jazeera. The president once again defended the rightful position of Azerbaijan in the international media and informed the international community about the reasons of the Second Karabakh War and the latest situation in the region.

- On the night and in the morning of October 2, combat operations continued in different directions of the front. In the direction of Aghdara, Azerbaijani troops liberated the important heights around Madagiz settlement (now renamed into Sugovushan) and took control of it. From 00:00 to 07:00 (GMT +4), five Armenian armored vehicles, three military infrastructure facilities and a large number of personnel were destroyed. Armenian volunteers brought from Armenia to Azerbaijani then-occupied territories refused to fight under various pretexts, fearing the intensity of the fighting and the heavy losses.

- Armenia shelled Azerbaijani settlements. The villages of Khindiristan, Alibayli, Ahmadaghaly and Safarli in the Aghdam district came under heavy artillery fire.

- The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry has released new footages of the battles. The Armenian manpower and equipment were destroyed.

- Armenian servicemen inflicted strikes on a kindergarten in Shikharkh settlement near Tartar city.

- Armenian armed forces fired on journalists who were reporting from the frontline. The journalists who were operating in the residential areas fired by Armenian forces came under sudden shooting. Armenians shelled the area where the journalists were.

- Shootout between Armenian soldiers. A shootout took place between the soldiers of the 6th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the Armenian Armed Forces in Madagiz (now Sugovushan), who withdrew during the night fighting.

- Armenian military supplies and combat means were destroyed

- Armenia launched nearly 10 Tochka-U tactical missiles to the Sabirkand settlement of Shamkir district.

- The Azerbaijani Army seized the battle flag of the Air Discount Command Union of the Armenian Armed Forces 193rd airborne assault battalion, as well as a large number of weapons and ammunition of the Armenian forces who fled the battlefield, helpless in the face of the strength of Azerbaijani Army. The Armenian field control point, as well as several other Armenian manpower and equipment were destroyed.
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 2 : Delegates at the CPI's Kerala state committee meeting here on Sunday mounted a scathing attack on the party's national leadership.

According to information available, delegates from Malappuram district made the hard-hitting attack. A delegate said: "Let the party's national leadership plan some ways to increase the vote percentage to at least half a per cent and then speak about alternative government and all." The CPI state leadership had cold-shouldered its national General Secretary, D. Raja as he was not even invited to speak at the party public meet, held on Friday, as part of the state conference. Media had extensively reported on Raja sitting alone at the government guest house while the public function was inaugurated by state Secretary, Kanam Rajendran.

In the delegates meet, there were scathing attacks against state Agriculture Minister, P. Prasad, and Animal Husbandry Minister, J. Chinchurani, who represent the CPI in the Pinarayi Vijayan cabinet.

Meanwhile, delegates from Thiruvanthapuram and Kozhikode districts came down heavily against Rajendran, and said that the CPI was playing second fiddle to the CPI-M and Vijayan. The delegates cited the late Veliyam Bhargavan and late C.K. Chandrappan, who as state Secretaries had taken tough stands against the CPI-M in the Left Front.

The CPI state conference will conclude on Monday and it has to be seen whether there will be an election for the post of the state Secretary. Generally, the post is filled through a unanimous selection but with stiff opposition coming up from veteran leaders C. Divakaran and K.E. Ismail against Rajendran, there is a possibility of an election.
Srinagar, Oct 2 : During the past three years, the Jammu and Kashmir Government has put in multiple efforts to develop the agriculture and allied sectors in the Himalayan region.

A comprehensive "Agriculture Policy" is being framed to improve the standard of living of the farmers and to allow them to improve their yield, and produce the quality products.

One of the important allied sectors that the government has been focusing on in J&K is sericulture, one of the oldest industries in India and Asia. Sericulture is an agro-cottage, forest-based industry, labour-intensive and commercially-attractive economic activity falling under the cottage and small-scale sector. Silk is the final product of this industry.

The government has embarked on a mission to restore the pristine glory of sericulture in "Naya Jammu and Kashmir". It has roped in scientists, officers, and farmers for the holistic development of the sector in the Union Territory.

Latest technologies and people-friendly government schemes have gone a long way in increasing the productivity of silk in the Union Territory.

The prime objective of the government is to make the lives of farmers associated with sericulture better so that this dream fabric manufactured indigenously in J&K reaches every nook and corner of the world.

Efforts are being put to preserve uniqueness, beauty, and genuineness of the fabric as the quality and craftsmanship are the hallmarks of J&K's crafts.

The Central and UT governments are providing training, technology inputs, IT tools and other infrastructure to support the required transformation of the sericulture sector in the Himalayan region.

The roadmap has been framed with an aim to come up with a product that would be able to compete in the international markets.

The government has identified the veterans in the industry and their skills are being used to train the youngsters, who can carry forward their legacy. The sector which till August 5, 2019 - when the Centre announced its decision to abrogate J&K's special status and divided it into two Union Territories, J&K and Ladakh - was in a moribund condition, has now got a new lease of life and is on the revival path.

The area under Mulberry plantation is being expanded to increase leaf availability for rearers and enrich green wealth. The Forest and Sericulture Departments are working closely to achieve the green mission in J&K. Market infrastructures are being improved to facilitate the cocoon growers to sell their produce easily.

One of the three important centres in the country for Research and Development, Training, Transfer of Technology and IT Intervention has been set up at Pampore in Kashmir.

Silk Samagra Yojana The Silk Samagra Yojana launched in 2017-18 under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proved to be a game-changer in making sericulture sustainable by supporting the country's as well as J&K's silk industry in an integrated manner.

In the first phase of Silk Samagra, about 900 silkworm rearers were directly benefited and about 618 rearing houses were also established in Jammu and Kashmir.

The UT government has increased the revolving fund from Rs 70 lakh to Rs 3.50 crore. The Central Silk Board has allocated Rs 35 crore for J&K under Silk Samagra Phase-II benefitting around 27,000 families involved in sericulture in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Central Silk Board has assured the J&K administration that the funding will be enhanced as per the requirements in Himalayan region so that more and more farmers and entrepreneurs are benefitted in the coming years.

The Sericulture Department in J&K is mulling to include Krishi Vigyan Kendras to enable a strong support system for sharing of information and developing necessary facilities to increase the income of farmers and providing them with linkages to sericulture FPOs.

The Union Ministry of Textiles is supporting all the endeavors of the J&K government to increase silk production in the Union Territory. Private players from across the country are being roped in to invest in the sericulture sector in J&K so that it becomes one of the most vibrant industries.

Low investment, high returns Sericulture suits rural population working with agriculture, entrepreneurs and artisans as it requires low investment with potential for relatively higher returns. It provides income and employment to the rural poor especially, farmers with small land-holdings, marginalised, and weaker sections of the society.

Though there is no exact record as to how and when exactly the silk industry originated in Jammu and Kashmir, there is a mention of silk and mulberry tree in Rajtarangini - the oldest written chronicle of Kashmir. The references in Mahabharata and Ramayana establish that sericulture was being practiced in J&K from times immemorial. There is evidence in ancient Sanskrit literature that the original home of silk is J&K.

Despite silk being one of the traditional industries in the Himalayan region, it didn't get the desired attention and focus from 1947 to 2019. The half hearted efforts that were put in by the former political regimes didn't produce the desired results.

Till 1988 the silk industry was controlled by the government and farmers were getting no benefit out of the sale of cocoons as per floor price fixed by the government. The industry was de-monopolised by the former rulers but it didn't take off on the expected lines till 2019.

Revival of 85-year old silk factory During the past one year, the 85-year-old Rajbagh Silk Factory situated at the banks of River Jhelum in Srinagar has seen eightfold increase in the production of the silk fabric. The production had declined owing to aging workers and old machines.

The September 2014 floods had severely damaged the traditional looms of the factory making it defunct for many months. The production had come down drastically to 1,000-1,500 metres per month and instead of 38 varieties, it was only able to produce eight varieties. After the introduction of new technology and high-tech looms the factory is on its way to regain its pristine glory. Presently the factory is able to weave 10,000-12,000 metres of silk cloth in a month working in a single shift which means the capacity has increased to produce 1.5 lakh metres annually. During the past one year, the factory has been able to produce 23 varieties of silk cloth.

In Jammu, a silk weaving factory was established at Bari Brahmana in 2020. In the year 2020-21, the factory produced 4.50 lakh metre silk fabric and around 2,0000 families associated with the cocoon rearing in the Jammu Division were benefited due to it.

According to the officials, there are about 7 lakh mulberry trees - 53 per cent (370,000) are in Jammu and 47 per cent in Kashmir. There are 2,800 villages and 33,000 households in which sericulture was generating an income of Rs 2,026 lakh annually and 3.5 lakh man days activities are associated with this profession. The Sericulture Department now has 173 nurseries spread over an area of 963 acres, and 374 mulberry blocks over an area of 2,215 acres across J&K. Out of these, 1,500 villages are situated in Kashmir and the remaining 1,300 villages in Jammu.

Not only silk, Govt focusing on all sectors The government has been tapping all the resources and is trying hard to put the silk industry in the Himalayan region back on the track. The helmsmen are not only focusing on the revival of the sericulture they are also putting in relentless efforts to infuse new lives into all the languishing crafts of J&K.

Seven handicrafts, Kani Shawl, Pashmina, Sozni, Paper-Machie, Walnut Wood Carving, Khatamband, and Hand Knotted Carpets crafts made in Kashmir have already been given GI tagging. Besides handicrafts, Kashmir Saffron and Basmati have also been issued GI tags to fight counter branding.

This initiative has led to increase in the demands of these products globally and now the efforts are being put in to provide GI tags to more items produced or manufactured locally in the Himalayan region.

Within 3 years of the abrogation of Article 370, a temporary provision in the Constitution of India, J&K products have flooded the global markets and the common man has been the biggest beneficiary.
New York, Oct 2 : Speculation surrounding the future of the Swiss banking giant, Credit Suisse has been going on for several months in the markets, in business and political circles, as well as on social networks, The Street reported.

The second Swiss bank and one of the largest banks in the world is in deep trouble and is currently fighting for its survival. A negative outcome is likely to cause a shock similar to that caused by the bankruptcy of the US bank Lehman Brothers in September 2008. This event triggered one of the most serious financial and economic crises since the Great Depression.

A year ago, Credit Suisse had a market capitalisation of $22.3 billion. Today, its market value is only $10.4 billion. Credit Suisse shares fell 56.2 per cent in one year to $3.98, The Street reported.

It is a real nightmare for the bank which had succeeded in weathering the financial crisis without losing too many feathers. At the time of this crisis, Credit Suisse shares had certainly fallen but they were down only to the level of $45, which seemed to be a feat for a bank at the time.

In recent days, employee morale has been gloomy. The bank has not yet renewed the contracts of certain contractors. Departures are no longer really replaced, TheStreet has learned.

The talent is leaving. The bank has just lost one of its senior dealmakers, Jens Welter, who left to join Citigroup after 27 years with the establishment. Welter was global co-head of banking when he left. Another departure is head of global credit products Daniel McCarthy.

"I am conscious that there is lots of uncertainty and speculation both outside and within the company," Chief Executive Officer Ulrich Korner told employees in a memo on September 30. "While you will appreciate that I am unable to share details of our transformation plans before October 27, I also want to make sure that you hear from me directly during this challenging period. I will therefore be sending a regular update to you all until then." In this memo seen by TheStreet, the CEO explained that "this is a critical moment" for the bank and warned employees that the rumors and speculations will continue and will become even louder.

He assured them that the stock price does not reflect the financial health of the firm.

"I trust that you are not confusing our day-to-day stock price performance with the strong capital base and liquidity position of the bank," he said.

"We are in the process of reshaping Credit Suisse for a long-term, sustainable future - with significant potential for value creation," Korner added. "I am confident we have what it takes to succeed." The mistakes of the investment bank have plunged Credit Suisse into numerous successive scandals in recent years, reviving speculation about its bankruptcy or its merger with its rival UBS, The Street reported.
Washington, Oct 2 : Former US President Donald Trump has not handed over all the records from the White House and some remain outstanding, the National Archives has told the House Oversight Committee.

"Certain presidential records from the Trump administration remain outstanding, citing information that some White House staff used non-official electronic systems to conduct official business," it said, reported CNN.

In a Friday letter to the panel's chairwoman, New York Democrat Carolyn Maloney, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) said it had been unable to obtain records from a number of former officials and will continue to pursue the return of similar types of Presidential records from former officials.

But, "while there is no easy way to establish absolute accountability, we do know that we do not have custody of everything we should", it said.

Last month, Maloney requested in a letter that NARA seek "personal certification" from former President Trump that he has turned over all presidential records he "illegally removed" from the White House.

The Archives letter is the latest development in the years-long pursuit from NARA to reclaim all records that belong to the federal government that were created during the Trump administration, CNN said.

NARA's back-and-forth with Trump and his liaisons led earlier this year to the return by former administration officials and lawyers of boxes and envelopes full of records. NARA's findings in one of those collections prompted a Justice Department investigation into the mishandling of classified records and a search in August at Mar-a-Lago, Trump's Florida beach club.

In its letter to Maloney, NARA cited a lawsuit filed last summer by the Justice Department asking a judge to order former Trump White House trade adviser Peter Navarro to return federal records the DOJ says he wrongfully kept after leaving the administration.

The DOJ said Navarro used a private mail account for presidential business, "such as the need for ventilators, the creation and deployment of National-Guard based rapid response teams, and the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid", the DOJ filing said.

According to the lawsuit, the National Archives learned of Navarro's private account from the House committee investigating the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

"It is outrageous that these records remain unaccounted for 20 months after former President Trump left office," Maloney said in a statement on Saturday. "Former President Trump and his senior staff have shown an utter disregard for the rule of law and our national security by failing to return presidential records as the law requires," she said.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Milan, Oct 2 : Tibetan communities in Europe have called upon the Chinese government to stop with immediate effect the colonial-style boarding schools, repression through Zero-Covid Policy and the mass DNA collection of Tibetans.

Presidents, Vice-Presidents and representatives of Tibetan communities across Europe assembled in Milan for the third General Meeting of the Tibetan communities.

A resolution passed at the meeting expressed concern about the colonial-style boarding school system being implemented by the Chinese government in Tibet.

Almost a million Tibetan children including some as young as four years old, are forcibly separated from their parents and sent to "boarding schools" where they are taught in Chinese language and are subjected to "patriotic education" aimed at total Sinicization of Tibetan language, culture as well as identity leading to annihilation of the centuries-old Tibetan civilization.

Tibetans based in Europe said they are appalled by the recent videos and reports emerging from Tibet where the Chinese government in the garb of Zero-Covid Policy is forcefully detaining Tibetans in "quarantine centres" irrespective of their testing Covid-positive/negative, are being fed rotten food and are being deprived of basic amenities which have even forced a few Tibetans to suicide, evidencing the total repression of Tibetans in Tibet.

They also raised alarm at the reports of mass DNA collection of over 1 million Tibetans including men, women, children and specially targeting Buddhist monks between June 2016 and July 2022 by the Chinese government as part of high-tech surveillance mechanism to perpetuate suppression of Tibetans in Tibet.

They called upon the international community including the national governments of the European countries, parliamentarians, the European Union as well as the United Nations to press China to stop the acts of crimes against humanity being perpetuated by the Chinese government and to press the government to comply with its international obligations.
New Delhi, Oct 2 : The relationship between the ruling BJP and the principal opposition party Congress has been quite bitter in the last few years, with both parties slamming each other at regular intervals over a number of issues.

The scenario, however, looked a bit different for a change on Sunday when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the interim president of Congress Sonia Gandhi came face-to-face in the Parliament.

Both leaders faced each other at the Central Hall of Parliament House on the occasion of the wreath laying ceremony organised on the birth anniversary of Father of the Nation -- Mahatma Gandhi, and late former Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri.

PM Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh offered garlands on the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri.

After a while, Sonia Gandhi also proceeded to put garland on the portrait of the two departed leaders.

Modi greeted Sonia Gandhi by saying "Namaste", and in her response, the Congress leader also greeted the Prime Minister with folded hands.

Despite the exchange of greetings, a tinge of tension was visible.

Several group photographs were also clicked in which both PM Modi and Sonia Gandhi were also present but none of them neither communicated with anyone not made any eye contacts.

Later, both Rajnath Singh and Sonia Gandhi greeted each other with a "Namaste".
Manchester, Oct 2 : Erling Haaland and Phil Foden both scored hat-tricks as defending champion Manchester City outplayed Manchester United 6-3 in the cross-town derby on Sunday to move up to the one-point behind leaders Arsenal in the Premier League.

City produced a blistering performance to dismantle Manchester United to emerge winners in front of a packed Etihad crowd. Man City now have 20 points from eight matches while Chelsea lead the table with 21.

The champions were 4-0 ahead at half-time after two goals apiece from Foden and Haaland, as United struggled to cope with the pace of their arch-rivals.

Antony got one back for the visitors early in the second half with a fine curling effort.

But Haaland and Foden completed their trebles to put City 6-1 up before Anthony Martial's close-range header and late penalty reduced the deficit.

It was yet another brilliant performance for City at the Etihad and a memorable victory for its fans as United had for years dominated the local derby.

Pep Guardiola's City started on a positive note and were almost ahead inside four minutes with a trio of chances in the space of a few seconds.

Haaland's header towards goal was cleared off the line but only as far as De Bruyne, whose powerful drive was saved by an off-balance David De Gea, before Bernardo's effort on the rebound was blocked when the Portuguese midfielder looked certain to score.

But moments later City were ahead. They moved the ball brilliantly from right to left, Bernardo found some space in a wide area and crossed for Foden, who produced a quite brilliant first-time finish past De Gea.

The pace and precision of City's passing game overwhelmed United, who looked overawed and bereft of any answers.

City continued to attack. Ilkay Gundogan hit the outside of the post with a fine free-kick after the lively Jack Grealish had been fouled by Lisandro Martinez, before Foden flashed one wide of the upright after great work from Bernardo down our left.

Only some backs-to-the-wall defending from United kept City at bay. Grealish got past Diogo Dalot inside the area but his shot was blocked superbly by Martinez, and seconds later De Bruyne's dipping effort from distance was tipped over by De Gea.

From the resulting corner, City's lead was doubled when Haaland scored with a powerful downward header, netting his 15th goal in 11 games for City. The City No. 9 then bagged his second goal three minutes later, stretching out a leg at the back post to turn De Bruyne's excellent delivery into the net.

City got their fourth goal when De Bruyne burst forward from midfield and released Haaland, whose delivery to the back post was hammered home emphatically by Foden.

United got one back early in the second half when Antony produced a fine curling effort that flew past Ederson and into the far corner.

United's reprieve didn't last long, however. Haaland, inevitably, completed his hat-trick, smashing the ball into the roo' of the net from Sergio Gomez's low cross to make it 5-1.

Foden followed suit soon after when he fired home from Haaland's through-ball to make it 6-1 to complete his hat-trick before United substitute Anthony Martial scored a diving header from close range and a late penalty to give United some consolation.
Singapore, Oct 3 : Red Bull driver Sergio Perez held on to his victory in the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday despite a five-second penalty handed to him following a post-race investigation for an alleged Safety Car infringement.

Perez was investigated for two instances of failing to keep within 10 car lengths of the Safety Car during a pair of caution periods. However, the Mexican driver was handed a reprimand for the first one, which occurred on Lap 10 after Zhou Guanyu and Nicholas Latifi made contact. Perez explained his infringement by claiming that his brakes and tyres hadn't been warm enough in the damp conditions to keep pace with the Safety Car.

He was, however, handed a five-second penalty and two penalty points on his licence, for the second violation, with the stewards ruling: "Article 55.10 of the FIA Formula 1 Sporting Regulations requires that the leader must keep within 10 car lengths of the Safety Car once deployed until the lights are extinguished".

"Car 11 [Perez] was the lead car on Lap 36 during the second Safety Car period in the race [brought out when Yuki Tsunoda hit the wall]. It was admitted that while the lights of the Safety Car were still on, PER failed to keep within 10 car lengths of the Safety Car between Turn 13 and Turn 14.

"This occurred notwithstanding the fact that the Race Director had issued a warning to the team that PER was not respecting the less than 10 car lengths regulation between Turns 9 and 10. The team passed that warning on to PER.

"We imposed a reprimand on PER for a breach of the same regulation during the first Safety Car deployment during the race.

"As this was the second breach of Article 55.10 by PER during the race and followed an express warning from the Race Director, we determined to impose a five-second time penalty on PER," the race officials said in a statement.

In the closing stages of the foreshortened Singapore Grand Prix, however, Perez was told by Red Bull that he was under investigation for the infringement and encouraged by his race engineer Hugh Bird to "disappear" down the road from the chasing Charles Leclerc.

And with Leclerc ultimately crossing the line 7.595s adrift of Perez, the Mexican did enough to hold onto his fourth career win, as Leclerc and Carlos Sainz completed the podium, said a report on www.formula1.com website.
STG has helped ABA members significantly over the past three years  through their cloud modernization practice, and their portfolio of services modernizing community and regional banks, commented Jim Edrington, ABA Chief Member Engagement Officer.

Summit Technology Group (STG) today announced a milestone update regarding its relationship with the American Bankers Association (ABA). ABA and STG have extended their partnership with STG becoming an ABA Diamond level Associate Member and sponsor of the 2022 ABA Annual Convention  furthering their mission to serve the banking industry through expanded offerings including innovative cloud technology, commercial loan origination technology, and outsourced services such as credit underwriting and SBA support.

STG has helped ABA members significantly over the past three years  through their cloud modernization practice, and their portfolio of services modernizing community and regional banks, commented Jim Edrington, ABA Chief Member Engagement Officer. We are thrilled to see Summits growth and look forward to this next phase of our partnership and the value they continue to deliver to our member institutions.

Summit Technology Group has grown significantly over the past three years, developing offices in four states, launching a new lending division  including a full-scale loan origination technology called Lenders Cooperative.

The opportunity to work closely with ABA and engage with its members as an Associate Member will help us take our business to the next level. We believe our next phase of growth will include helping banks perform tasks such as credit underwriting and small business loan origination, commented Ben Wallace, CEO of STG. Banks are now asking us to apply the same type of modernization story to their labor forces  as we did to their datacenters. Offerings such as helping supply banking talent and systems that automate back-office processing will be critical to banks looking to stay independent and grow.

Summit Technology Consulting Group (STG) is a privately held Service Provider that helps organizations execute progressive technology strategies and leverage modern public cloud platforms and automation capabilities. Founded in 2007 to bring enterprise class IT services to mid-tier commercial markets with a specific focus on financial services. STG helps companies and government migrate enterprise systems to public cloud having experience within AWS, Azure, GCP, and various private cloud solutions. For more information on Summit Technology Group, visit http://www.bankers.cloud.

The American Bankers Association is the voice of the nations $23.7 trillion banking industry, which is composed of small, regional and large banks that together employ more than 2 million people, safeguard $19.6 trillion in deposits and extend nearly $11.8 trillion in loans. Learn more at aba.com.
"We are excited to unveil our first model in Ingrams Point," said Joshua Hutchinson, Caruso Homes' Delaware Division Manager. "We love what this community has to offer: affordability, amazing lifestyle, and accessibility to so much."

Caruso Homes, a leading community homebuilder, announces the grand opening of their model home in the beautiful community of Ingrams Point in Millsboro, Delaware. The model is now open for visitors Tuesdays - Sundays from 11am - 5pm and on Mondays by appointment only.

The Charleston II model showcases Caruso Homes luxury craftsmanship in one of their most popular ranch plans, and displays the options and features available to those looking to build a new home. Eight other floor plans ranging in size from about 2,000 to over 9,000 square feet are offered to appeal to a variety of buyers.

Ingrams Point offers a relaxing lifestyle with many parks and trails for the nature lover. The community is located in a stunning location surrounded by a protected conservation area that adds to the serenity. Millsboro is an up-and-coming town that offers affordability with an elevated lifestyle. For young families and empty-nesters alike, Millsboro provides wonderful schools, close proximity to larger cities, along with accessibility to beach communities. Bethany Beach is only 20 miles away. The town is located on the Indian River, on Millsboro Pond.

"We are excited to unveil our first model in Ingrams Point," said Joshua Hutchinson, Caruso Homes' Delaware Division Manager. "We love what this community has to offer: affordability, amazing lifestyle, and accessibility to so much."

The single-family home community, features 129 homesites that offer a range of options and personalization for buyers. Many homes offer main floor living and generous-sized private lots.

"We know that discerning homebuyers are looking for quality construction, modern finishes, and lots of personalization," said Hutchinson. "Ingrams Point offers this, along with a superb location.

The 1 and 2-story single family homes with optional basements start at $529,900, making them an affordable choice for homebuyers in the Delaware area. No sales tax and low property taxes in Delaware provides even more of an incentive for those looking to move from other areas.

The community is open for sales, with the first homes expected to be complete in mid 2023. Those interested in learning more about Ingrams Point can visit https://www.carusohomes.com/new-homes/de/millsboro/ingrams-point/8279/ or by contacting a New Home Consultant at (302) 244-5692.

ABOUT CARUSO HOMES | http://www.carusohomes.com

Founded in 1986, Caruso Homes, Inc. is an award-winning luxury home builder based in Crofton, MD offering a variety of new home communities and On Your Lot homes throughout Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and North Carolina. For more information, visit http://www.carusohomes.com.
The 2023 Toyota Sequoia pictured here is one of the vehicles covered in new pieces from Downeast Toyota of Brewer, ME.

Downeast Toyota, a dealership in Brewer, Maine, is consistently seeking to aid customers in their car purchasing process. One way of doing this is by offering accessible, easy-to-read research pages for new Toyota vehicles. The most recent additions are listed below.

2023 Toyota Camry

The 2023 Toyota Camry makes its triumphant return. The best-selling sedan that you can count on for hundreds of thousands of miles returns  stronger, faster, and better than ever. It comes available with a wide array of options including powertrain, colors, packages, performance, technology, and more. For a closer look at this highly anticipated update to the legendary vehicle, please follow the link above.

2023 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid

You need a small SUV thats rugged, reliable, and capable. But gas prices are a consideration too. If moving to an EV (electric vehicle) seems like too much for your needs, then a hybrid is an excellent solution. The 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid checks all of those boxes and more. Please follow the link above to find out all the details about this exceptional small SUV from Toyota.

2023 Toyota Sequoia

The Toyota Sequoia is a family room on wheels  and it has received an instant upgrade with the debut of the 2023 Toyota Sequoia. A brand-new style, luxury amenities, a power-packed i-FORCE MAX Hybrid powertrain, a spacious cabin and more promise to make the 2023 Toyota Sequoia near Bangor, ME a popular family hauler at Downeast Toyota. To get the full story on this excellent full-size SUV, please follow the link above.

For those interested in learning more about how Downeast Toyota in Brewer, Maine supports this important cause and how you can too, please call 207-989-6400. For those interested in buying or leasing a new Toyota car, truck, or SUV, please visit the company website at http://www.downeasttoyota.com.
Thanks to the vaccine, HPV is almost completely preventable. Youth who receive the vaccine before they become sexually active can be spared from the development of some deadly cancers later in life.

A policy brief published by The Fenway Institute at Fenway Health offers recommendations to health professionals and policy makers on how to improve Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates in the U.S. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the world. Approximately 79 million Americans, most in their teens and early 20s, are infected with HPV despite the widespread availability of a safe and effective vaccine since 2006.

Thanks to the vaccine, HPV is almost completely preventable. Youth who receive the vaccine before they become sexually active can be spared from the development of some deadly cancers later in life, said Ellen Harsha, medical student at Loyola University Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine and a former Fenway Institute Research Fellow who authored the policy brief. Its imperative that public health officials, law and policy makers, and health care providers have and use every tool available to boost vaccinations among young people and adults up to age 45.

HPV causes genital warts and has been implicated in high-risk cancers including cervical, anal, and oropharyngeal cancersalso known as head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. The HPV vaccine, which can prevent more than 90 percent of HPV-attributable cancers, has been widely recommended for girls and young women since 2007, and for boys and young men since 2011. But vaccination rates remain far below optimal rates of coverage, especially among male-identifying individuals. Notably, HPV-related anal cancer is 80 times more prevalent among HIV-positive men who have sex with men than among the general U.S. population, and they therefore should be vaccinated, but data indicate that men who have sex with men are also less likely to be vaccinated.

There are other disparities in vaccination rates across populations of varying sexual and gender identities, as well as race and ethnicity. Data indicate that lesbians may be less likely than heterosexual and bisexual women to have been vaccinated. Black and Hispanic people are less likely than White non-Hispanic people to have been vaccinated. There is limited data, though, on gender identity and HPV vaccination. The policy brief summarizes research on HPV vaccination among LGBT people, as well as research indicating high rates of anal cancer related to HPV infection among gay and bisexual men living with HIV.

The US Centers for Disease Controls Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends the routine vaccination of all adolescents age 11 and 12. The ACIP also recommends catch-up vaccinations for all adolescents and adults ages 13 to 26, and for high-risk individuals aged 27-45.

The policy brief, titled Improving Human Papillomavirus vaccination rates in the U.S.: Recommendations for health professionals and policy makers, addresses barriers to HPV vaccination, including the politicization of vaccines, sex and gender-based stigma, medical mistrust, misinformation, and insufficient provider recommendation.

Fortunately, we know from previous examples what steps we can take to successfully promote utilization of the HPV vaccine, said Harsha. Rhode Island, for example, has required the vaccination of all seventh graders since 2015 and now has the nations highest HPV vaccination rate at 83 percent. Other states require or recommend distribution of HPV vaccination information to parents. Still others require their departments of health to collect HPV vaccination data or conduct public awareness activities. Boosting our vaccination rates should not be a heavy lift. What we need is the political will, resources, and prioritization to implement effective awareness and education campaigns and to make the vaccine more easily accessible.

The policy brief offers eight recommendations to increase HPV vaccination:



Public health officials and political leaders should take additional steps to promote broad utilization of the HPV vaccine. Such steps would include educational outreach directed at adolescents and their parentswith a particular focus on male-identified youthto address misinformation about vaccine efficacy and safety.

Reprioritize vaccination promotion efforts that were disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

State health departments should support and endorse HPV vaccination programs and look to Rhode Islands success for ideas.

Provide training and resources to primary care providers so they are well-equipped to provide competent, culturally relevant and comprehensive recommendations, and clearly communicate the risks of HPV to their patients.

Barriers to vaccination should be addressed through context-specific interventions such as making no-cost HPV vaccines available in school-based clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and STI clinics.

Address issues of medical mistrust among racial and ethnic minority populations and LGBTQIA+ people.

Continue research into vaccination benefits for high risk adult populations such as gay and bisexual men and people living with HIV.

Expand research into the therapeutic uses of the HPV vaccine which has been shown in some clinical trials to protect against genital warts and precancerous cervical lesions among HPV-positive women.

Improving Human Papillomavirus vaccination rates in the U.S.: Recommendations for health professionals and policy makers, is available for download as a PDF here.
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By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 10/01/2022



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

and Bachelor in Paradise alum Caila Quinn and husband Nick Burrello have announced they are expecting their first child together.Caila took to Instagram on Friday to reveal that she's pregnant by posting photos from the couple's maternity shoot in which she and Nick posed in an open field and showed off several sonogram images of the baby."It doesn't feel real to type this out, but Nick and I are excited to announce... that we are having a baby!" Caila, 30, captioned the slideshow."Little Baby Burrello is joining our family in March 2023 and we are counting down the days! Thank you for your love and support over the past 5 years of our relationship, we are over the moon excited to start this next chapter. Love and big hugs, Caila + Nick."Caila shared with Us Weekly that she is over three months pregnant."I've always wanted to be a mom and am relishing in the fact that this is actually happening. Feels too good to be true!" the Bachelor in Paradise alum gushed Caila said she's "really excited" to watch her child develop, learn and grow and "to see what kind of little personality" he or she has."And I can't wait to nurture their creativity or interests whatever they may be," Caila said.While Caila is thrilled to become a parent, she hasn't had the easiest pregnancy so far."I've been feeling quite nauseous with morning sickness, but each week we get more and more excited knowing baby is growing," Caila explained, adding with a laugh, "[Our baby] is currently the size of a navel orange."Caila apparently told Nick that he's going to be a father on his 30th birthday."I put a new camel sweater on our dog Ash and tucked the pregnancy test in it," she shared with the magazine."When Nick called Ash to come sit with him on the couch, the pregnancy test fell out and Nick shouted, 'No way!' in pure shock -- and joy, of course!"Caila said she and Nick aren't sure whether they're going to find out the baby's sex ahead of the delivery."We go back and forth on that decision. I heard you push a little harder in the delivery room when you dona't know the gender because you're so eager to find out!" Caila noted."That might be a silly old myth, but as a couple we do love surprises."She continued, "And we are grateful and so happy for a boy or a girl, but many of our friends are having boys so I think it would be fun for our baby to have friends their age they could go to summer camp with."Caila and Nick got married on May 30 in Sarasota, FL, after canceling an overseas wedding in Lake Como, Italy due to the coronavirus pandemic."There are no words to describe how magical this day was. I am overwhelmed by all the love from our guests, hard work from our talented vendors, and special moments with my best friend," Caila captioned a couple of wedding photos on Instagram at the time."Thank you to everyone who made this day possible! We will cherish this day for the rest of our lives!"Caila and Nick initially wanted to tie the knot in Lake Como, Italy in May 2021 and have a second local ceremony in the Midwest to accommodate all of their loved ones, but they felt the need to cancel both weddings due to the coronavirus pandemic.Caila admitted the decision was a heartbreaking one, but Caila and Nick ultimately decided to exchange vows in Sarasota, where Nick actually proposed marriage to alum on January 2, 2020 after two years of dating.Caila and Nick were set up by a mutual friend and went public with their relationship in October 2017 after Nick met her parents, which was well over a year after Caila appeared on Ben Higgins ' season of .On 's 20th season, Ben eliminated Caila right after his round of overnight Fantasy Suite dates in favor of eventual runner-up JoJo Fletcher and winner Lauren Bushnell , from whom he split in May 2017.Caila, who was 24-years-old at the time Ben broke up with her, was blindsided, crushed and sent home before a Rose Ceremony in Jamaica."I thought I'd be getting engaged in a week-and-a-half. I was ready," Caila said in tears following her ouster."I was ready to get married. I was ready to be his wife. I was ready. I was ready for our future. It's all I thought about. My purpose in life is to love other people and I don't know why I haven't found it yet. I thought this was it. I thought this was it. I was ready. I didn't see this coming. I love him, too. Like, I still love him."That same year, Caila appeared on Season 3 of Bachelor in Paradise and left the show still dating Jared Haibon Caila even met Jared's family in Rhode Island, but she revealed during an August 2016 episode of After Paradise that "mystical forces" contributed to their split.Jared's tight friendship with Ashley Iaconetti , who appeared jealous and possessive of her longtime crush, seemed to be the reason behind his split with Caila about six weeks after filming wrapped.Jared and Ashley reconciled in May 2018 after remaining friends for years and tied the knot in August 2019.Although Caila didn't find love on franchise, she told Us last year her experience on reality TV placed her on a path that eventually led to meeting her future husband."I feel really lucky because I feel like I wasn't meant to go on the show to find love there," explained Caila, who moved from Ohio to New York after her stint."I was meant to go on the show to find Nick. If I wasn't on the show, I wouldn't ever have met him because I would never have been a blogger and that's who introduced us and set us up on our first date. So, I think everything happens for a reason and I thank God every day."Interested in more news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group
I am not here to convince you of whats right or wrong. I am not here to comment on the actual substantive issue of abortion but rather to compare Americas constant battle with abortion rights to Europes more stable, universal abortion laws.
Photographer / Multimedia Editor

Has been working as a photojournalist since 2007, before moving into newspapers, he worked with an NGO called Project HOPE. He then went to work for the Press and Sun-Bulletin in New York, and then in New England working for the Brattleboro Reformer.
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Becoming partly cloudy after some morning light rain. High 57F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

A clear sky. Low 32F. Winds light and variable.
Brattleboro Museum & Art Center held its 15th Annual Domino Toppling Extravaganza on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022. Veteran domino toppler and YouTube superstar Lily Hevesh returned with her team to assemble over 25,000 dominos in two and half days that covered the museums Wolf Kahn & Emil
Residents standing behind a cordon line shop at a fruit stall amid a COVID-19 outbreak in the Tianshan district of Urumqi, capital of northwestern China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Sept. 5, 2022.

At least 13 Uyghurs have died as a result of poisoning from disinfectants sprayed in their homes last week used to fight a wave of coronavirus infections in a county in northwestern Chinas Xinjiang region, local residents and officials said.

The Uyghurs who died were all residents of Guma county (in Chinese, Pishan), Hotan (Hetian) prefecture. They are said to be among thousands of people in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) reported to have been poisoned by disinfectants used to fight the COVID-19 virus, according to online comments on social media.

Many videos shared online show authorities spraying inner walls, furniture, bedding as well as inside refrigerators in homes in the region. Residents said planes with sprayers have flown over the area frequently since the lockdown.

Acting on an anonymous tip about the deaths in Guma, RFA confirmed that at least a dozen people from a village in the county have died of COVID disinfectant poisoning.

I am told it is about 12 or 13 [who died], said a local official in charge of overseeing 10 households in a village in Guma county.

It happened on Sept. 20, he said.

The official, who declined to be named in order to discuss the incident, told RFA that a resident named Ibrahim from a family in the village died of the disinfectant poisoning. He said one of his own relatives, the wife of one of his cousins, had also died.

Her name was Atihan. She was a housewife between the ages of 45 and 50, he said.

Five people from another Uyghur family lost their lives after heavy spraying, said the official.

A woman named Atahaji died along with her daughter, two grandchildren and one daughter-in-law  five of them, he said.

The government sprayed disinfectants on the roofs and in the yards of each house to disinfect, and as a result, all of the residents passed out, and there was no one from the government to take them to the hospital, a Uyghur from the affected area in Guma told RFA.

The man, who requested anonymity for safety reasons, said police detained his 24 year-old son because he refused to let authorities inside their house to spray.

This is what the community is going through, the man said. There is nothing to eat, and the whole community has been knocked out by [authorities] spraying the so-called disinfectant. We all don't know what will happen tomorrow when we wake up.

Spraying from the air

An information service hotline operator in Hotan did not deny the deaths from the disinfectant spray, but advised RFA to contact the Epidemic Command Center for details.

A staffer from the center confirmed that there had been incidents of Uyghurs sickened by disinfectant poisoning at a local hospital.

But when asked her about the death toll from the poisonings, she angrily replied, Dont ask such questions.

RFA later spoke with another staffer at the center who said she had to check with a supervisor before giving out any details, but later confirmed that the poisoning incident occurred in Guma county.

When asked about the name of the village where the incident occurred, she said she was from Hotan city and was not too familiar with Guma county.

A third staffer referred RFA to the centers Information Services Office for the number of residents who had died from the spraying.

Another Guma resident blamed the deaths on aerial disinfectant sprays by plane over the previous nine days in Hotan.

A second Hotan resident also said airplanes had been flying over the area since the lockdown began.

Memet Imin, a New York-based Uyghur medical researcher, said there are various types of disinfectants in use right now, though it is unclear what kind of disinfectant authorities used in Guma.

There are studies that excessive and long-term use of disinfectants against COVID-19 can be harmful to health, he said. A lot of scientific research has been done on this.

Therefore, when the concentration of some disinfectants exceeds a certain limit, it may cause some injuries in the skin, eyes, respiratory tract, nerves system and digestive tract, and in some cases, it may cause serious illness, he said.

Parts of Xinjiang have been under a strict lockdown since early August under Chinas zero COVID policy, forcing Uyghurs in affected areas to rely on local official for scarce food handouts. Others have not been able to obtain necessary medications. RFA has previously reported deaths from starvation or lack of access to medicine in Ghulja.

The severe lockdown is making life worse for the predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities in Xinjiang who have been subject to a crackdown by Chinese authorities since 2017 that has included mass detentions in internment camps and prisons and serious human rights violations.

A report issued in late August by the U.N.s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said the repression in the XUAR may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity.

Translated by Mamatjan Juma for RFA Uyghur. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Four people were killed in a blaze at a notorious prison in the Iranian capital that houses political prisoners and anti-government protesters, the Iranian judiciary said on October 16.

Irans President Ebrahim Raisi accused his U.S. counterpart of inciting chaos after President Joe Biden for voicing support for the protests that have rocked Iran since a young woman was killed in police custody.

Flames and smoke rising from Tehran's Evin prison had been widely visible in the evening on October 15, as nationwide anti-government protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini entered a fifth week. In online videos, gunshots and explosions could be heard in the area of the prison.

State media originally reported nine people were injured but the judiciary website Mizan.news on October 16 said four inmates died of smoke inhalation and 61 others were injured. It said all four who died were in prison on robbery convictions.

Mizan added that 10 inmates were hospitalized, with four in serious condition. Some prisoners had tried to escape but failed, the website said.

A reporter from Radio Farda was told a riot began on October 15 in Ward 7 of the prison, which is famous for holding political prisoners and was blacklisted by the U.S. government in 2018 for being a place with "serious rights abuses." The ward is next to another area where those detained during the unrest over the death of Amini are being held.

On October 16, state-run TV aired video of what it said was the fire's aftermath, showing scorched walls and ceilings in a room it said was the upper floor of a sewing workshop at the prison.

Tehran Governor Mohsen Mansouri said the fire was caused by a "fight between some prisoners in a sewing workshop."

But many Iranian social media posts challenged state media claims over the cause of the fire and apparent explosions at the prison.

The European Union's top diplomat Josep Borrell expressed the "most serious concern" and called for "maximum transparency on the situation" following the prison blaze.

Borrell said in a tweet on October 16 that Iranian authorities are responsible for the lives of "all detainees, including human rights defenders and EU nationals.

Some prisoners had called their families on October 16, relatives and lawyers said.

Prominent filmmaker Jafar Panahi on October 16 managed to call his wife from Evin to let her know that he and fellow filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof are fine and that authorities had used tear gas during the unrest, Radio Farda reported.

A lawyer representing Siamak Namazi, an American-Iranian held at Evin said on October 16 that Namazi had contacted his family.

Namazi "is safe and has been moved to a secure area of Evin prison," lawyer Jared Genser said in a tweet.

Namazi has been sentenced for more seven years on espionage-related charges rejected by Washington as baseless.

Several other dual-national Iranians and foreign citizens are held in Evin prison mostly for dubious security-related charges.

Families of inmates gathered on October 16 near the prison hoping for news of their loved ones inside.

Former inmate of Evin and rights activist Atena Daemi said relatives of prisoners in the women's section had gone to Evin for visiting hours, but authorities denied them access, resulting in a standoff.

According to Daemi, the relatives were told that prisoners were "fine, but the phones are broken."

Protests Continue

Speaking in the western U.S. state of Oregon on October 15, Biden said he was surprised by the courage of the people taking to the streets in protest in Iran.

Biden said the Iranian "government is so oppressive" and that he had an "enormous amount of respect for people marching in the streets."

Tehran said the remarks amounted to interference in Irans internal affairs.

Raisi accused Biden of "inciting chaos, terror, and the destruction of another country."

"The enemy's plot must be countered by effective measures to resolve people's problems," Raisi added, according to a presidency statement released on October 16.

Iran has been rocked by nationwide protests -- one of the most serious challenges to the Islamic government since the 1979 revolution -- sparked by Mahsa Amini's death on September 16.

The 22-year-old Amini was detained by morality police for "inappropriate attire" with regard to her headscarf, or hijab. Eyewitnesses say Amini, who comes from the country's Kurdish region, was beaten while in custody, but the authorities gave the official cause of death as "underlying diseases."

On October 16, Iran's parliament published a statement claiming Amini did not die from any physical blow but that she fell and police waited too long to get treatment for her. It urged police to offer an apology and provide more training to its staff. It suggested police wear cameras on their uniforms and install them in cars used to transfer detainees.

Human rights organizations have said at least 201 people have been killed in the crackdown by security forces.

The unrest has continued despite what Amnesty International called an "unrelenting brutal crackdown" that included an "all-out attack on child protesters" -- leading to the deaths of at least 23 minors.

Demonstrations took place at several universities on October 16, including in the cities of Tabriz and Rasht. Riot police were deployed nearby.

Videos posted on social media purportedly showed students at a Tehran university chanting: "Iran has turned into a big prison. Evin prison has become a slaughterhouse."

The authenticity of the footage cannot be independently verified.

The Iranian authorities repressive response to the protesters has drawn international condemnation and sanctions on Iran from Britain, Canada and the United States.

With reporting by IRNA, Reuters, AFP, and AP
At rallies for Bulgaria's Revival party, there is no shortage of Russian flags. The leader of the ultranationalist party, Kostadin Kostadinov, who is in favor of leaving the EU and NATO, calls the other parties contesting Bulgaria's elections "projects of the American embassy" that will "throw us into a war against Russia." Kostadinov doesn't blame Putin for the war in Ukraine, but the West.

According to recent polls, Revival should pass the 4 percent threshold to enter parliament in Bulgaria's October 2 elections. While a relatively small party with little chance of governing, Revival's views -- a toxic mixture of Russophilia and anti-Western conspiracies -- are becoming more and more popular in Bulgaria. Revival is on the fringes of Bulgarian political life, but many of its pro-Russian views are not. And there are many more parties just like Revival: nationalist, anti-liberal, and firmly pro-Russian.

Bulgaria has been in political crisis for many months. In the last elections in November 2021, the pro-European We Continue the Change (PP) party came to power as part of a four-party coalition. In June, however, one of its coalition partners, the populist There Is Such a People party, suddenly quit. Since then, the country has been run by a caretaker government led by the president, Rumen Radev.

According to recent polls, the most popular party ahead of these elections is the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB), the ruling party between 2009 and 2021, and now supported by 22-25 percent of Bulgarians. While GERB is openly pro-EU, pro-NATO, and supportive of Ukraine in its war against Russia, the party kept Bulgaria entirely dependent on Russian gas for all its years in power.

The other parties that are expected to get into parliament are: We Continue the Change; the Bulgarian Socialist Party, the successor of the Bulgarian Communist Party, which ruled alone until 1989; the Revival party; the centrist Movement for Rights and Freedoms, which is supported by many of Bulgaria's ethnic Turks; and the pro-European Democratic Bulgaria alliance.

As many as 28 political parties and coalitions are listed on the ballot for Bulgaria's early elections, the fourth such poll in less than two years. While the leading mainstream parties tend to have more nuanced views on Russia, the smaller Bulgarian parties are more outspoken and enthusiastic in their support for the Kremlin. After reviewing the public statements of representatives of all parties registered in the ballot, RFE/RL's Bulgarian Service estimates that 15 out of the 28 parties appear to be broadly pro-Russian.

Some of these parties propose rapprochement with Russia and call for Bulgaria to leave the European Union and NATO. Others want the lifting of sanctions on Russia, especially pertaining to the supply of gas. Some -- without even mentioning the country ruled by President Vladimir Putin -- regurgitate Kremlin talking points about the threat of "global liberalism" and the moral decline of the West.

Take Russophiles for the Revival of the Fatherland. Nikolay Malinov's party states in its program that "any attempts to involve Bulgaria in any forms of hostility toward Russia are detrimental to our national interests." In a statement to mark a national holiday on March 3, a few days after the invasion of Ukraine, Malinov called for the Bulgarian people to "open [their] hearts wide for our liberating Russia."

In 2019, Malinov, who has been accused of spying for Russia, was personally awarded by Putin the Order of Friendship, and in 2021, he signed a road map for cooperation with the ruling United Russia party.

Likewise, the Just Bulgaria coalition that unites the United Social Democracy party and the Political Movement Social Democrats party insists on an "urgent restoration" of relations between Bulgaria and Russia. One of the candidates running on the party list, General Dimitar Shivikov, defended Moscow's actions at the beginning of the war. "Russia has its reasons. Under the pressure of external forces, a coup d'etat was carried out in Ukraine," he said.

Another familiar face in the Just Bulgaria coalition is Plamen Paskov, a "politician and political scientist" who often appears on state television in Belarus. In his media appearances, he regularly talks about how the coronavirus is a fabrication, elections in the United States are all falsified, and how businessman and philanthropist George Soros organizes similar protests in Bulgaria and Belarus.

There are many more examples. The Movement of Non-Party Candidates wants the restoration and deepening of relations with Russia. The Bulgaria of Labor and Reason party insists on holding referendums on leaving NATO and the EU so that "Bulgaria will conduct an independent economic and foreign policy," a distinct echo of Kremlin propaganda, which claims that former Soviet countries lost their independence when they decided to join the EU and NATO.

Speaking on the private Eurocom channel in July, Maria Koleva, the chairwoman of the right-wing party of lawyers Pravoto, criticized then-Prime Minister Kiril Petkov after the government expelled 70 employees from the Russian Embassy in Sofia on suspicions of espionage.

"Let an investigation begin as to whether this person betrayed Bulgaria and did not bring us into a war under foreign influence. Because this is a crime against Bulgaria," Koleva said, speaking about Petkov. In Bulgarian political discourse, sending aid to Ukraine is often compared to "getting into a war," a view closely aligned with the Kremlin.

'The Ills Of Democracy'

Ivaylo Dichev, a professor of cultural anthropology at Sofia University, says that one of the reasons why Bulgaria has so many pro-Russian parties is that "many of these [politicians] are paid or were traditional clients of the Soviet Union and now of Russia." He says that some of these politicians may have a direct financial interest related to their politicking, while others are just trying to exploit people's discontent.

"The other [reason] is that many people in Bulgaria believe in a firm hand, have lost faith in democracy, if they ever had any, and admire the fact that somewhere, some dictator, some strong man, can say 'come on' and solve all the problems," Dichev told RFE/RL's Bulgarian Service. "Even in Italy and France, Russophilia is a form of resistance against the ills of democracy."

However, the dominance of pro-Russian parties on Bulgaria's political scene might not be all it seems. Rather than being a sign of a resurgent, influential Russia, it could actually be quite the opposite. The proliferation of parties espousing a Kremlin-friendly ideology might actually reflect an increasing distrust of Russia among Bulgarians.

In an interview with RFE/RL, sociologist Genoveva Petrova from the Sofia-based Alpha Research said that the traditional 60-70 percent approval rating for Russia has plummeted since February 24, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to a study by Alpha Research, positive opinions of Putin dropped from up to 58 percent between 2020-22 to just 32 percent in March.

The Kremlin became even more unpopular when Russia's state-controlled Gazprom stopped natural-gas supplies to Bulgaria in April. The massive participation of Russophile parties is an attempt to address that waning popularity, Petrova says, and turn around society's increasingly negative views of Russia.

Even some parties that are in favor of staying in the EU and NATO are supportive of Russia. Stefan Yanev, whose party Bulgarian Rise is polling around the 4 percent mark needed to enter parliament, was forced out of Petkov's government as defense minister after he claimed that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was not a war.

Yanev, like Putin, has declared "global liberalism" to be his main enemy. In an August 31 Facebook post, Yanev said that pro-Western politicians had "their hearts in Washington and are in a state of war with Russia" and then blamed them for the Russian gas shutdown. With so many parties singing from the same songbook, Petrova of Alpha Research said that this "creates the impression and suggestion that such [pro-Russian] theses are widespread."

Rather than just seeking parliamentary seats, Bulgaria's broadly pro-Russian parties appear to be achieving something else: the popularizing of Kremlin-friendly ideas that once were on the fringes and are now firmly in the mainstream.
Swiss police have fired rubber bullets as protesters demonstrated outside Iran's embassy in Bern, and two men climbed over the embassy's fence and pulled the Iranian flag from a flagpole.

No one was injured in the October 1 demonstrations, which were one of dozens held around the world in solidarity with protests being held inside Iran over the death of a 22-year-old woman while in police custody.

The woman, Mahsa Amini, died on September 16 after she was detained by the morality police for allegedly wearing her headscarf too loosely.

Since her death, Iran has seen rare outburst of sustained public anger, driven in large part by Iranian women.

In Bern, police said they used rubber bullets after several other protesters at the unauthorized demonstration also tried to enter the embassy's yard.

The two men who entered the embassy premises were detained, police said.

Rallies were held on October 1 in 159 cities around the world, according to an Iranian human rights organization.

Iran has blamed outside forces for the protests, which are some of the largest and most sustained protests in the country in years.

A Norway-based rights group said at least 92 people have been killed across Iran amid the ongoing police crackdown on the Amini protests.

"The international community has a duty to investigate this crime and prevent further crimes from being committed by the Islamic Republic," Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of Iran Human Rights, said in a statement on October 2.

Activists and relatives say Amini was killed by blows to the head while she was in police custody. They've rejected authorities claim that she had suffered a heart attack.

News of her death struck a nerve in a country already wracked by social unrest over poor living conditions and economic hardship. That hardship has been exacerbated by crippling U.S. economic sanctions imposed in response to Iran's nuclear program.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, AFP, and Swissinfo.ch
Iranian security forces have clashed with students at a university in the capital of Tehran in the latest protests in Iran linked to the death in custody of a young woman.

The woman, Mahsa Amini, died on September 16 after she was detained by the morality police for allegedly wearing her headscarf too loosely.

Since her death, Iran has seen a rare outburst of sustained public anger, driven in large part by Iranian women.

Videos posted on social media on October 2 showed Sharif University, traditionally a hotbed of dissent, surrounded by dozens of riot police.

One of the videos showed security forces firing teargas to drive the students off the campus and the sound of what appeared to be shooting in the distance could be heard.

Another video showed security forces chasing dozens of students trapped in the university's underground parking. The account said dozens of students had been arrested.

Iranian state media described "reports of clashes" at the university and said the country's science minister visited the campus to check on the situation.

Students were protesting at numerous universities on October 2 and demonstrations were held in several cities, such as Tehran, Yazd, Kermanshah, Sanandaj, Shiraz, and Mashhad, with participants chanting "independence, freedom, death to [Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei," earlier social media posts showed.

Iran Human Rights, a Norway-based group, in a statement said that "so far 133 people have been killed across Iran," including more than 40 people it said died in clashes last week in Zahedan, capital of the southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan Province.

With reporting by Reuters
Since Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "partial" mobilization for military service on September 21, tens of thousands of young Russian men and their families have left the country. More than 100,000 crossed into Kazakhstan, and other Central Asian states are also seeing a sharp increase in the numbers of Russians arriving, probably the largest influx of outsiders into the region, in less than one year, ever. Residents of the Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and Uzbek capitals talk about the effect this Russian migration is having on locals.
After Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military mobilization on September 21 to bolster flagging Russian forces invading neighboring Ukraine, protests erupted in towns and cities around the country.

However, the North Caucasus region of Daghestan grabbed the spotlight with some of the fastest, largest, and most insistent protests.

"We will fight until the last breath," said one female protester in the settlement of Babayurt who asked that her name be withheld out of fear for her safety.

On September 22, Babayurt district residents blocked a federal highway, while another group in the same area confronted military personnel at a local draft office. In the following days, the unrest spread to the settlement of Endirei in the nearby Khasayurt district before reaching the Daghestani capital of Makhachkala.

Babayurt and Khasayurt are both predominantly populated by Kumyks (also known as Qumuqlar), a Turkic-speaking, Muslim ethnic group that numbers some 500,000 people, a figure that has been increasing significantly in recent years. Daghestan, a predominantly Muslim region on the Caspian Sea east of Chechnya, is home to dozens of ethnic groups.

"There have been a lot of soldiers from these settlements already," said Denis Sokolov, a specialist in North Caucasus ethnic studies with the Free Russia Foundation.

"Many Kumyks have been to the war. And some have been killed, and there were a lot of men who refused to fight. Some of them only just returned from the war and now they are being mobilized again. They understand it will be very hard for them if they are sent back. Their mothers, wives, and sisters know perfectly well how that could end. So a conflict is inevitable."

The alarm surrounding the mobilization has exacerbated underlying tensions between the Kumyks and the ethnic Avars who also inhabit the area, Sokolov says.

"The Avars and Kumyks in the Babayurt and Khasavyurt districts are almost equal in number, he explained to RFE/RLs Idel.Realities. "But there are many Avars in the administrations and among the law enforcement and security agencies. Everything is superimposed on an old territorial conflict that has already become a political one."

"Mobilization is sending people off to war, everyone understands that," Sokolov added. "If the military commission comprises Avars, and the mobilized soldiers are Kumyks, that just raises the tensions."

The administrations of both districts ignored RFE/RL's requests for comment on the allegations that Kumyks were being disproportionately targeted by the mobilization.

Endirei is a settlement of some 8,000 people, one of the largest in the Khasavyurt district. Videos posted on social media on September 25 showed more than 100 people participating in an angry anti-mobilization demonstration, with police firing weapons into the air. According to local media, some 110 Endirei residents received mobilization orders, including some who had only recently returned from the Ukraine combat zone.

A few days later, Endirei residents reported on social media the authorities had ordered schoolteachers and other public-sector workers to participate in demonstrations in support of the mobilization. Muratbek Aidemirov, director of Endirei School No. 2, spoke to RFE/RL during a demonstration, saying he supported mobilization and planned to go to Ukraine himself "to fight for the motherland."

Aidemirov said without providing evidence that the anti-mobilization demonstration in Endirei had not been organized or attended by locals, but by unspecified people from outside the area.

The Telegram channel Zona Kavkaza commented on September 28 that the pro-mobilization demonstrations had been hastily organized to prove that Daghestan head Sergei Melikov "is in control of the situation in the republic and is carrying out the policies of the [ruling United Russia] party and Putin."

At the same time, local pro-government media resources depicted the anti-mobilization protesters as Islamist extremists and cowards, one Babayurt protester who asked that his name be withheld told RFE/RL.

"But all normal people know why we took to the streets," he added, saying that although he was subject to mobilization, he would not "go to fight and die for Putin."

"Ninety percent of those being called up are Kumyks," he asserted without giving evidence. "And what about the other nationalities? They don't touch them."

The pro-government Eurasia Daily website on September 27 cited a State Duma deputy from Daghestan, Biisultan Khamzayev, as saying the anti-mobilization protesters in Daghestan were directed by "Kyiv and Washington." The protesters, Khamzayev said, were "jihadists" and "anti-Russian Kumyk nationalists," a group he claimed had been waging a Turkish-directed jihad against Russia since the time of Tsar Peter the Great.

He did not elaborate or provide evidence to support the claims.

Robert Coalson contributed to this report
One day after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "partial" mobilization limited to reservists with prior military experience to go fight in the Kremlin's war in Ukraine, Viktor Dyachok, a 59-year-old surgeon, and Artyom Skutin, a 21-year-old university student, each received a draft summons to report for duty.

The notices delivered on September 22 came as a shock to both men.

Skutin should have been exempt from the mobilization order due to his status as a full-time student and he had spent the night following Putin's September 21 announcement reading through the fine print of the order with his girlfriend to reassure himself that he would not be drafted.

Dyachok, meanwhile, had just completed a late shift at the hospital and believed that his advanced age and poor health -- he has Stage 1 skin cancer and is blind in one eye -- would prevent him from being called up.

Yet, the summons still came, and when both men went to the local recruitment office to show their records and report that an error had been made, both were told that they would still be sent to Ukraine and were ordered to report for training the next day or face criminal charges.

"Any adequate medical examiner would not have approved my dad for military service," Polina Dyachok, Viktor's daughter, told Current Time, a Russian-language network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA. "Once he was sent to training, there was only one military commander and [he] did not give any explanations, and there was no [health exam]."

Eventually, both Skutin and Dyachok were returned from training and released from their summonses, but only after full-throated petition campaigns launched by Dyachok's daughter and Skutin's longtime girlfriend that involved writing letters, enlisting the legal aid of local civil society groups, showing up in person to meet with recruitment officers, and speaking to local media.

Fleeing The Call-Up

The two men's experiences are far from isolated cases and have come to represent the chaotic and haphazard mobilization process under way inside Russia, which is fueling speculation that the Kremlin is aiming to activate far more than the 300,000 soldiers initially stated for the call-up drive by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Panic triggered by the broader mobilization effort, coupled with growing reports of men who qualified for exemptions nonetheless receiving summonses, has led to scenes of men being chased down by recruiters and loaded onto buses and planes to be sent to military training and deployment to Ukraine.

Fear of conscription has also led hundreds of thousands of Russians and counting fleeing across the countrys borders by land and air to Central Asian states like Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and to others like Finland, Georgia, Mongolia, Turkey, and Serbia.

"[Until now], many people lived calmly and thought that the [the war in Ukraine] didn't concern us," Polina Artamonova, Skutin's girlfriend, told Current Time. "But now things have become very tense and although Artyom is now at home, there is a fear that he can be pulled at any moment and will go back if they announce a full-scale mobilization."

A Chaotic Mobilization

Not all of those who believed themselves to be exempt from the September 21 mobilization order have been sent back home like Skutin and Dyachok.

Andrei Grishkovits, 37, from Vsevolzhsk, a town outside of St. Petersburg, was sent off to training after trying to resolve what he thought was a clerical error over his status after his sister found out that a summons had been sent for him to an apartment he lived in 10 years ago.

Grishkovits, who was deferred from compulsory military service when he was younger because of chronic health problems, did not expect to be conscripted, but after showing up at a local recruitment office he had his passport and ID confiscated and was then sent to a military facility in Luga, south of St. Petersburg.

Irina, Grishkovits's partner, told North.Realities that despite her attempts to raise his case, she had so far been unsuccessful and that Grishkovits was still at a training camp, where he is grappling with health issues amid what he describes as tough conditions and may be deployed soon to Ukraine.

Cases like Grishkovits's are fueling opposition to the draft across Russia as hundreds of thousands of civilians fear being pressed into military service in the wake of major Russian battlefield losses in Ukraine.

More than 2,000 anti-war protesters have been arrested since the announcement, according to OVD-Info, a rights group that monitors police activity in Russia, and some recruitment centers have been attacked, including one incident where a gunman opened fire on a draft office in Siberia.

Polls also show Russians becoming increasingly anxious of the war effort following the mobilization order.

The Levada Center, long considered Russia's most reliable pollster, said in a September 29 survey that the number of Russians believing that the Kremlin's so-called "special military operation" in Ukraine is going "according to plan" decreased from 73 percent in May to 53 percent in September. Moreover, 47 percent of the respondents said they were anxious, scared, or horrified by the government's decision to decree the partial mobilization, while 23 percent said they were shocked by the move.

The mobilization effort could also be looking to target young men who will be finishing the regular fall conscription process in Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said on October 1 that this years regular conscription will be delayed until November 1 due to enlistment centers being overloaded amid the mobilization.

Rising concerns have also sparked an exodus of Russian males of military age to neighboring countries hoping to avoid conscription. Kazakhstan, which has a 7,644-kilometer border with Russia, says that more than 100,000 Russian citizens have entered the country since the mobilization announcement.

While many of those who fled Russia in the immediate aftermath of the February 24 invasion relied on family connections or work arrangements to help with the relocation process, the current wave of those fleeing Russia have few concrete plans. Some are using Kazakhstan and other neighboring countries as a transit hub to go to other destinations, but others are looking to settle in the region.

Sergei, who asked for his last name to remain anonymous to protect his family still inside Russia, fled to Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, where he told Current Time that the Kremlins mobilization efforts were largely falling on deaf ears at home.

There is no specific aggression towards [Russia] and on the contrary there is aggression from our country towards another, he said. Most people simply do not understand what they are fighting for and what they would be dying for.

Targeting Minorities

Throughout Russia's seven-month war in Ukraine, the Russian military has relied on units of soldiers from ethnic minority regions, including in Siberia and the Muslim-majority provinces of the North Caucasus, with those regions suffering a disproportionate number of casualties from the war.

Those same minority populations have also been disproportionately targeted amid the recent mobilization process, sparking sustained protests, mostly involving women who oppose the drafting of husbands or sons, as they've blocked roads, scuffled with police, and demonstrated against the war.

The Kremlin has not released official data for draft papers broken down by ethnicity and according to analysts, many of Russia's ethnic minority republics may have a disproportionate number of reservists to be called up. Still, the move has helped reinforce a sense that Russia has been relying on ethnic minorities to provide its main fighting force for its invasion.

Russia has also called up Tatars in large numbers, including Crimean Tatars from the Crimean Peninsula, which was occupied and forcibly annexed by Moscow from Ukraine in 2014.

One Crimean Tatar, who asked to remain anonymous to protect his relatives in Crimea from being targeted by the Russian authorities there, told Crimea.Realities that he fled through mainland Russia to Kazakhstan by car after his sister learned through an acqaintance that his name had been added to the draft list and he does not know if he will ever return.

Kyiv has also sought to speak directly to Russias ethnic minority population recently. In a September 29 video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged minority groups across Russia to resist the Kremlin's mobilization drive.

"You don't have to die in Ukraine. Your sons don't have to die in Ukraine," Zelenskiy said, standing next to a monument in Kyiv to an imam from the Caucasus.

Written and reported by Reid Standish in Prague based on reporting by Current Time, North.Realities, and Crimea.Realities
After having cast his vote in a Cajamarca region school , the Head of State reminded Peruvians that elections constitute a democratic event and all citizens are called to go to the polls.
The-city

S.F. to feds: Cruise driverless cars keep blocking our roads

Sean Sinha A number of Cruise vehicles blocked traffic along Gough Street in Hayes Valley for more than two hours on Wednesday, June 29, 2022. San Francisco officials are taking their concerns about operating issues with the autonomous vehicle operator to the federal government. Cruise A rendering of a Cruise Origin driverless shuttle vehicle in the Castro. SFMTA This map shows locations of reported autonomous vehicle failures around S.F. between May and September, many of which occurred along parts of The Citys high-injury network.

After years of lobbying the state to increase regulations on autonomous vehicles, San Francisco officials are taking their case to the feds.

The directors of The Citys two main transportation agencies outlined their concerns about Cruises driverless cars in a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regarding Cruises application to deploy a custom-built autonomous vehicle. In it, San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Authority Director Jeffrey Tumlin and San Francisco County Transportation Authority Director Tilly Chang provide a comprehensive overview of disruptive and unsafe incidents that they say Cruise cars precipitated.

The letter, sent on Sept. 21, comes as Cruises driverless cars continue to stop in the middle of San Franciscos streets for extended periods of time, often in groups, blocking traffic until they can be remotely restarted or manually retrieved by Cruise staff. Over the past week, there were at least four such incidents, including one that delayed a couple of KRON4 reporters.

Can a video game of S.F. help Telsa build safer cars? The automaker is working with the software behind Fortnite

The Citys letter to NHTSA provides specific data on these incidents. Between May 29 and Sept. 5 of this year, 28 incidents of stopped Cruise cars blocking traffic were reported to 911. The City identified an additional 20 such incidents reported on social media over that time period, which does not include the events of the past week. The City estimates that these figures represent a fraction of actual travel lane road failures, since most of these events take place late at night, when Cruise offers its driverless ride-hailing service, and when few other people are on the streets. In light of these concerns, The City requests several new regulations on autonomous vehicles from NHTSA.

Safety is the guiding principle of everything we do, Cruise said in a statement regarding these incidents. That means if our cars encounter a situation where they arent able to safely proceed they turn on their hazard lights and we either get them operating again or pick them up as quickly as possible. This could be because of a mechanical issue like a flat tire, a road condition, or a technical problem. Were working to minimize how often this happens, and apologize to any other impacted drivers.

San Franciscos letter is in response to a petition by General Motors, Cruises parent company, to manufacture and commercially deploy a custom-built autonomous vehicle called the Cruise Origin. It would be roughly the size of an SUV, but with no obvious front and back and no drivers seat or steering wheel.

Valencia bike plan hammered on every side The new design illustrates the conflicting demands on city planners as SFMTA extends its network of protected bike lanes

In their letter on behalf of the entire city government, Tumlin and Chang stress that they neither support nor oppose the petition, but document safety hazards and street capacity issues raised by the operation of the Cruise AV on San Francisco streets. They go on to call for several specific regulations they would like to see imposed on Cruise and Argo AI from Ford, another company seeking to build and deploy a fully autonomous vehicle.

Those recommendations include stringent data reporting requirements and incident reports, limiting the geographic area and the number of vehicles that can be deployed in San Francisco, and enabling first responders to manually turn off the vehicles.

The long-awaited Central Subway now has an opening date The soft opening will begin with a free, truncated service for holiday shoppers

Three-quarters of the comments on Cruises petition were positive, the company notes, including some from local organizations like the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of San Francisco and national disability advocacy organizations. The comments underscore the vehicles sustainability and accessibility benefits and support for American jobs, Cruise wrote in a statement. Well continue working closely with NHTSA through their review process to ensure the safe and responsible deployment of this technology.

Cruises petition calls for the deployment of 5,000 Origin vehicles, a figure that worries San Francisco officials. If just half of those vehicles were deployed in San Francisco for ride-hailing service, it would represent a 25-fold increase in the number of Cruise vehicles on the streets, The City estimates, potentially creating a major new source of traffic.

While Cruise has not specified where its Origin vehicles would be deployed, San Francisco has been the focal point for Cruise operations in recent years, the letter notes. In a blog post announcing the Origin, Cruise provided a rendering of the vehicle picking up passengers in front of the Castro Theater.

What should you do if you get in a collision with a driverless car? Hint: Don't just drive away

The Citys letter also raises concerns about Cruise cars ability to pull over to the curb to pick up passengers. Currently, Cruise vehicles primarily double park in the travel lane when picking up and dropping off passengers, The City claims. That practice could exacerbate the vehicles traffic impacts.

San Francisco officials have repeatedly raised concerns, directing the issues to the California Department of Motor Vehicles and the California Public Utilities Commission, the state agencies that regulate autonomous vehicles.

San Francisco has no authority to regulate the autonomous vehicles on its streets, despite being the global epicenter of autonomous vehicle testing. In its letter, The City provided data to support this claim: Since NHTSA began tracking autonomous vehicle collisions nationwide in June 2021, two-thirds of those collisions took place in San Francisco.

The Citys biggest concern is incidents in which Cruise vehicles idle in the middle of the road for an extended period, or what it describes as travel lane failures. While Cruise has been authorized to test driverless autonomous vehicles since the summer of 2021, San Francisco saw a dramatic increase in reports of travel lane failures starting in the summer of 2022, when Cruise began its late-night driverless ride-hailing service.

Cruise driverless cars blocked traffic for hours Tuesday night As many as 20 vehicles were stuck on Gough St. for around two hours

The City says these incidents can last anywhere from a few minutes to multiple hours and that about a third of them include multiple Cruise vehicles idling at the same location. Sometimes, even a single stopped Cruise vehicle can block traffic in both directions, when it comes to rest at an odd angle in the road, according to the letter. The City worries these events could be even more disruptive with the Origin, which cannot be manually moved out of the way.

In some cases, 911 callers have reported human-driven cars making unsafe maneuvers, like driving on to the sidewalk, to get around a Cruise-induced road blockage. Buses have also been hemmed in by these travel lane failures, videos of recent incidents show. The City says that 68% of Cruises travel lane failures have occurred on streets with a bus or streetcar line, and more than 80% have occurred on streets considered part of the high-injury network, where most traffic accidents take place.

San Francisco believes these incidents reflect the simple reality that the Cruise AV automated driving system is still under development. We do not expect perfection, the letter reads. However, these incidents demonstrate that travel lane failures that block roadways should be considered a key performance indicator for driverless readiness.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam

Some 550 delegates attended the National Youth Entrepreneurship Forum 2022 which was organized by the Central Committees of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU) and the Vietnam Youth Federation (VYF) in Hanoi yesterday.

With the theme Youth start-ups and the country recover and develop after the pandemic, this year's forum aimed to promote entrepreneurship and develop the country, creating an environment for Vietnamese youth to participate in the post-Covid-19 economic recovery and development. In addition to the efforts to create a breakthrough over the past time, the delegates raised many challenges for start-up activities.

Attending the forum, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam expressed his wish that the spirit of entrepreneurship should spread amongst young people. The State and ministries must create more favorable conditions for young people to start up so that Vietnam will have 1.3-1.5 million enterprises by 2025.

According to Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Duy Dong, those wanting to start their own business are facing several difficulties including slowly promulgated legal provisions creating a legal corridor for start-up activities. The Decree 38/2018/ND-CP detailing investment for creative small and medium-sized enterprises (Decree 38) still has problems and has not been updated.

Vietnam currently has about 20 innovative start-up investment funds, but most of them are small in scale, with a total capital of about VND100 billion, so they need to expand and attract more foreign capital flows. Worse, research and development expenditures are still small in comparison to other countries, accounting for only 0.37 percent of the countrys GDP.

From an objective perspective, the World Bank supposed that the Vietnamese government should remove some problems with many problems at the macro level regarding the innovative start-up environment.

According to WB, the first challenge is related to the vision and role of leaders at all levels. Despite the remarkable growth in the number of businesses participating in the startup ecosystem, Vietnam still lacks a consistent approach to creating a common brand for startups. The Government needs to train civil servants so that civil servants can have a better service attitude toward entrepreneurs.

Many startup business representatives recommended that relevant ministries and sectors should have more practical support, from creating an open legal corridor to building an open mechanism to create more favorable conditions for businesses, especially in the first few years of starting a business.

Regarding proposals of facilitation for foreign capital, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Duy Dong said that he would advise the Government to amend Decree 38 in the direction of creating a legal corridor for investment activities. Regarding the attraction of high-quality human resources to work legally in Vietnam, Deputy Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Le Tan Dung said that there are currently nearly 100,000 foreigners working in Vietnam as managers, executives, experts, and high-tech workers.

The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs is reviewing regulations and studying to propose amendments to Decree 152 on the management of foreign workers to facilitate the provision of visas and work permits for high-quality human resources to work in Vietnam. The representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said that it will coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security and ministries to facilitate the procedures for applying for a permit for foreigners to work for more than one month in Vietnam.

By Bich Quyen  Translated by Anh Quan
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Australians are expected to keep reaching for chocolates and biscuits despite cost-of-living pressures and a worsening economic outlook in a trend that is expected to lift sales and attract local manufacturing investment from the maker of Cadbury, Oreo and Toblerone.

Dirk Van de Put, the chief of US confectionery giant Mondelez International, which also makes Philadelphia cream, belVita, Ritz, Sour Patch Kids and The Natural Confectionery Co, said COVIDs lockdowns had triggered a permanent shift in Australians consumption habits that will only accelerate with recession concerns.

Coming out of the pandemic, what we are seeing is that trend of being more indulgent is continuing, said Van de Put.

Mondelez global CEO Dirk Van de Put, at the Cadbury factory in the Hobart. Credit:Peter Mathew

And though cost-of-living pressures and rising interest rates are expected to precipitate a slowdown in retail spending, the Chicago-headquartered company expects sales of its confectionery and sweets to increase in the coming months despite storm clouds hanging over the global economy.
Family of Islamic State fighters to return to Australia

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Catherine Madden walked away for just a moment as her husband was using machinery to move wheat on their property near Moree. When she turned back, she knew something wasnt right.

I thought, Whys he lying on the ground like that? But then I knew.

Matthew Madden on his farm near Moree, with a new and safer auger he bought a year ago. Credit:Grace Quast

Her husband, Matthew, had tried to use his right foot to work an auger, which was pulling grain out of a truck, but he had missed, and his foot had become caught in the machine.

He said youve got to turn the auger off, and get this, I turned the wrong auger off, Catherine recounted of that day 13 years ago. Then I rang our closest neighbour. I was hysterical.
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Armenia will use all available international mechanisms to ensure investigation and accountability into the extrajudicial executions of Armenian prisoners of war by Azerbaijani troops, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a statement after footage of the gruesome killings were posted online.

Yet another horrific video circulated in social media: Azerbaijani soldiers are arbitrarily executing group of Armenian POWs on sovereign Armenian territory. Int'l community should strongly condemn & address this war crime & take appropriate measures to halt Azerbaijans aggression. Armenia will use all available international mechanisms to ensure investigation and accountability. Such acts of violence should be addressed properly, with consequences for the aggressor, PM Pashinyan tweeted.
The National Trust is opposing plans to demolish part of a historic postal building near Sydneys Central Station to erect a 45-storey hotel and office tower, arguing it would make a mockery of the states heritage protections.

The trust has objected in the strongest possible terms to developer TOGA Groups $383 million plan to build above the former Parcels Post building, citing the irreversible detrimental impact on the old brick structure.

The concept for the tower development, prepared by Bates Smart, won a design competition for the prominent site.

In a submission to the Planning Department, the trust said the proposed tower at Railway Square would require extensive demolition of the heritage-listed building, which opened in 1913.

The design merits of the new hotel building cannot justify its placement on top of and completely around two sides of what was and must remain a landmark building at the gateway to Sydney, the trusts conservation director David Burdon said.
Having just read that former attorney-general Christian Porter has set up a legal practice in a building shared with a cafe, beauty salon and massage parlour suggests to me that Mr Porter may be angling to become the third incarnation of the Breaking Bad series: Better Call Christian, thinks Tony Bennett of Broke.

Am I the only person who finds the NRLs $10,000 bling ring more jarring than business class airfares for private school executives? asks Jan Dennis of Port Macquarie.

Anne Baillie of Nowra says, In Melbourne, autumn leaves were raked and burnt (C8) on Saturday afternoons to the accompaniment of the footy on a transistor radio. But Therese Weiss of Maroubra thinks, The days of backyard incinerators and burning leaves are in the past, but smoke lovers can now use fire pits and outdoor pizza ovens to irritate and suffocate the neighbours.

Anne Cook of Ermingtons family had a backyard incinerator in Sydney in the early 50s and I recall no burning on Mondays as that was laundry day.

At the risk of being one myself, artesian bores (C8) do have an artisanal origin, claims Bruce Satchwell of Carrara (Qld), with the first one drilled by Carthusian monks from Artois (Artesien in French) in 1126. Ian Catt of Surry Hills learnt what an artesian bore was when I had dinner with a plumber.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin presented his annexation of Ukrainian territory last week as a victory for his values. In fact, it was a sham based on a lie that demonstrates not his strength but his weakness.

The annexations are a dramatic retreat from the grand plans with which Putin launched his full-scale invasion seven months ago.

In February, Putin said his goal was not to take over Ukrainian territory but rather to overthrow the entire government of President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Since 2014, Putin had gobbled up the Ukrainian region of Crimea and had established puppet states in the regions of Lugansk and Donetsk and if things had gone to plan, he would have turned the whole of Ukraine into a client state.

But thanks to the bravery of the Ukrainian people and timely supplies of weapons by the US and its allies, including Australia, this mad expedition failed. Not only has the democratic regime survived, but Putins army has suffered heavy casualties and, in the past month, it was routed. The front line has been pushed back 100 kilometres east of Kharkiv, Ukraines second city, and on Saturday, the countrys troops recaptured the strategic city of Lyman in the Donetsk region and with it, many Russian prisoners.
After 15 years of political recession, Canberra seems to be experiencing something of a democratic spring. Anthony Albanese looks like he could end the here-today-gone-tomorrow churn of prime ministers. After the post-truthism of his predecessor, Honest Albo is rebuilding trust in government. His ministry is a team of talents, seemingly intent on solving problems rather than exploiting issues and picking cultural fights.

Anthony Albanese and the Labor Partys approach to government is dramatically different from their predecessors. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The 47th parliament, the most racially diverse in the countrys history, finally looks more like the modern, polyglot nation it represents. Maiden speeches have shared stirring backstories of immigrant success. Independent MP Dai Le, who fled Vietnam with her family by boat, even wore a traditional ao dai fashioned on the Australian flag.

The presence of so many crossbenchers has been transformative  a breath of fresh air delivered with gale force. The influx of women, in a chamber so used to macho posturing, has been especially welcome. A parliament known for harsh invective  and better at producing opposition leaders than prime ministers  is less rowdy and more constructive.

Vital repair work is under way to reinforce guardrails of democracy vandalised during Scott Morrisons three years in office. Further buttressing will come from the federal anti-corruption commission, new ethical infrastructure which should raise standards in public life.
That politicians can behave badly is not exactly news and nobody has been more critical of that behaviour than Adam Bandt. Loading After the release of the Jenkins review into the culture at Parliament House in November, which found one-in-three staff had experienced bullying, he described it in an email to his supporters as a toxic nest. The report, he said, had exposed the protection racket for what it was  a dangerous and shameful stain on our nation and not good enough. We know we need to clean up our parliament. And we all want our leaders to do better, and to be better. While people are looking for leadership  now is our moment to offer it.

Readers so moved by his words were then encouraged to press a button marked DONATE NOW. Surely this anti-bullying crusader Bandt cant be the same man who ignored Atkinsons complaint for more than a year? Alas, so. He might have solicited money for the cause of cleaning up politics, but what he does (or fails to do) when he thinks nobody is watching is far more telling. Their leader wasnt the only one reluctant to take Thorpes to task. Greens MPs closed ranks with Senators David Shoebridge and Janet Rice dismissing questions about it during a press conference, with Rice saying Weve got Greens processes. And Thorpe wasnt Bandts only headache last week!

Last Friday it emerged an official complaint has been lodged against WA Green Dorinda Cox by one of her former staffers. One of her many former staffers: it is alleged six employees have left her office in the 13 months shes been a senator, as a result of her disturbing behaviour. Loading Bandts office says it has been working with Cox on her workplace culture. He has been far slower to hold Thorpe to account. Having ignored Atkinsons complaint about Thorpe for more than a year, Bandt only responded after two days of media coverage. What makes this worse is Mejia-Canales had raised concerns about her conduct with party leaders at the time. Maybe Bandts just not great at staying on top of his correspondence. More plausibly, he isnt great at having difficult conversations with Thorpe.

His office says his response to Atkinson confirmed he had taken the two actions she requested: ensuring there was no personal retaliation against her and that it was made clear to Thorpe that abusive behaviour is unacceptable. This is hard to square with the fact that both Bandt and Thorpe maintained last week her meeting with Atkinson simply involved a robust discussion. Greens senator Lidia Thorpe. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Bandt must know he cant keep walking on eggshells with Thorpe forever. The Greens cant afford to be seen as wreckers who in the name of purity end up undermining key elements of the Albanese government agenda such as climate change, integrity and the Voice.

This is particularly so when its moderate supporters now have an alternative in the teals. Loading Having finally secured a decent chunk of lower house real estate, retaining those seats and adding to them will be the priority. Bandt knows that wont happen if he blocks key elements of Albaneses agenda. This was evident when he surrendered his key demand that the government veto all new coal and gas projects and agreed to support Labors emission target legislation.

Alongside climate change, the Voice is central to Albaneses agenda. And the most damaging force shaping up against it on the Left may be Djab Wurrung, Gunnai Gunditjmara woman Lidia Thorpe. Thorpe may end up like Phil Cleary, the advocate for the Republic, who in the 1999 referendum on that issue campaigned against a yes vote because the proposed model didnt include direct election of a president. Thorpes main criticism of the Voice is that she considers a treaty with Indigenous Australians the priority. Shes also called the referendum a waste of money and said its pretty hard to say whether you can support something you know nothing about, criticisms shared no doubt by many members of the Liberal Party.
The middle of the day is just far too hot for us here in Queensland, so that extra hour in the afternoon is exactly what we would need, and it would benefit my business enormously. Steven Bradbury doesnt want Queensland to be the last state standing against daylight saving. Credit:Cameron Atfield Also in support was Winter Olympic gold medallist Steven Bradbury, who did not want Queensland to be the last state standing in standard time over summer. I remember the trial back from when I was a kid, he said. When you got home from school, the first thing you look forward to is when daylight savings kick in and you get the extra time to go out on your bike and play with your mates. It was the second time this year that Schrinner has led the charge for change. In February, he marked the 30th anniversary of the failed daylight saving referendum to argue the case for another trial.

On the day of the 1992 referendum, in which 54.5 per cent of Queenslanders voted against daylight saving, there were 1,835,727 voters on the states electoral role. As of the 2020 state election, that number had increased by 84 per cent, to 3,377,476. Schrinner said a referendum held 30 years ago would hold little weight today. Its not fair that a large percentage of the Queensland population has not had a say on this, he said. Queensland has changed incredibly over the past 30 years. Schrinner said the legislation already existed  the Summer Time Act of 1990, which was repealed at a referendum three years later.

Its five pages, he said. Its a simple document that can be introduced into the parliament. All you have to do is change the dates. But if Schrinner was hoping for some support from his LNP colleagues in George Street, he would have been disappointed. Queensland Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said while he respected Schrinners views, there was no chance of daylight saving being introduced in any government he led. Im sure he understands that I have different views because I have lived and worked in both sides of the state, he said. Im not going to do anything to divide this place.

The geographic divide is widely seen as the biggest stumbling block, with the north-west of the state largely opposed. That has led to calls for the south-east corner of Queensland to go it alone, following the lead of other dual-time states, such as NSW. Loading The western NSW city of Broken Hill is on central time, in line with Adelaide and Darwin, rather than its state capital, Sydney. Ultimately, I think a whole-state trial is the way to go, and then let people have their say, Schrinner said.
Washington: Prominent Republicans are digging in against American support for Ukraine despite Russias threats to use nuclear weapons and evidence of mass graves and war crimes facilitated by Moscow.

The Conservative Political Action Conference on tweeted  and then hours later deleted  a tweet on Friday (US time) that called on Democrats to end the gift-giving to Ukraine while featuring a fluttering Russian flag. The tweet also referred to Ukraine-occupied territories, appearing to legitimise Russian President Vladimir Putins claims to annex provinces based on a referendum that the US and allies view as illegal.

Forrmer president Donald Trump with champion swimmer Riley Gaines during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, on August 6. Credit:AP

CPAC chairman Matt Schlapp on Saturday said the tweet did not clear the normal approval process because he was travelling for a conference in Australia. Due to my travel into a distant time zone it was never approved per usual, he said in a text message.

In a statement, CPAC expressed support for Ukraine but maintained opposition to American aid for the embattled country.
By Trend

On October 2, 2020, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev was interviewed by Al Jazeera TV channel.

Trend presents the interview:

Correspondent: President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, thank you for talking to Al Jazeera.

President Ilham Aliyev: Very glad to see you.

Correspondent: Its been two decades since the present conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has begun and youve been through lots of ups and downs but no peace has been succeeded so far. Why has this conflict been dragging for so long?

President Ilham Aliyev: The main reason is that Armenia doesnt want peace. They want to keep our lands under occupation forever. They dont want to change the status quo and this is a reason why it lasted so long. Because otherwise, if Armenia demonstrated a good will and acted in compliance with the resolutions of main international organizations the conflict would have been resolved many years ago. Because back in 1993, when Armenia occupied part of our territories UN security council adopted four resolutions demanding immediate, full and unconditional withdrawal of their troops from our territories. But these resolutions remain on paper. Minsk group which was created in order to facilitate, to find the solution, already is in activity for 28 years, and also without any results. Therefore, the main reason is they said the position of Armenia, the second reason is that lack of insistence from the side of the mediators and lack of pressure on Armenia to start demanding resolutions of United Nations Security Council. On many occasions, I raised this issue and was saying that international sanctions must be imposed on Armenia to force them to comply with resolutions and to start liberation of our territories but my appeals were not answered properly, and now what is happening is a result of Armenias destructive policy.

Correspondent: So, you say Azerbaijan doesnt have the international support that it deserves based on the international legal concerns?

President Ilham Aliyev: From point of view of international law norms and decisions and resolutions of international organizations, we have very broad support. As I already mentioned UN Security Council resolutions which is resolutions of the highest international body adopted resolutions asking Armenia or demanding Armenia to withdraw their troops. The General Assembly of United Nations did the same, other international organizations, like Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Non-Aligned Movement, European Parliament and others did the same but it is not enough, so we have a legal framework for the resolution. But there is not enough practical pressure on aggressor and here we see the contradiction between international law, and what is happening in reality. So, such an open ignorance of the norms and principles of international law by Armenia, should be a good indicator that international law doesnt work, or it works selectively. In some cases, as you know, Security Council resolutions are being implemented within days, if not hours, but in our case it is on paper for so many years. So, lack of practical pressure on aggressor is also one of the reasons the conflict lasts so long.

Correpondent: You have accused Armenia of starting the war, this conflict actually. Many can argue that Armenia having the territory it has and victory of the velvet revolution in 2018, wouldnt risk starting an armed conflict. What would you say?

President Ilham Aliyev: Well, I dont know, what are the reasons for such kind of analysis but what we see here, we see what is happening on the ground. If we look at what Armenia did after so-called revolution, during the last two years, and what they declare, we will see that they were almost provoking us, and they were aiming at starting new war and the reason is to disrupt negotiations completely. They made several military provocations against Azerbaijan. On 12 July, they attacked our villages and our military positions far away from the region of the conflict, in the area of Tovuz, in the western part of Azerbaijan, on Armenian-Azerbaijani border. And it was absolutely difficult to understand why they did it. They attacked us with the heavy artillery. The first victims among military servicemen were Azerbaijanis, four our military servicemen were killed immediately, and one 76 year old villager. So, we had to respond, and after we responded and they suffered bitter defeat, they withdrew and started to plea for a ceasefire and then I said that we do not have any military objectives on the territory of Armenia. Therefore, as soon as we pushed them back and they already realized that it didnt work, the clashes stopped. It lasted only four days. Then, on August 23, the sabotage group which was sent by Armenian army to penetrate our territory, and to commit acts of terror was dispersed as the head of the sabotage group was detained. And he is now under investigation, he gives evidence that he was sent in order to commit terror acts against our civilians and military servicemen. It was not us who did it, it was them. And then what happened on 27 September is a logical continuation of this policy. Apart from that, if you look at what they have declared, what they have stated, its also absolutely clear that they were provoking us. Armenian prime minister a year ago made a statement that Karabakh is Armenia and this statement makes negotiations absolutely senseless. Because one of the main item on the negotiation table is the return of the occupied territories to Azerbaijan. And if he says Karabakh is Armenia and in his understanding Karabakh is not only former Nagorno-Karabakh autonomous district but also all the occupied territories, that means that they dont want to return these territories back, that means end of negotiations.

Correspondent: So why would Armenia risk a provocation?

President Ilham Aliyev: First, I think they wanted to destroy completely negotiation process. Then they wanted to put a blame on us, as they do it, and say that look, with Azerbaijan it is not possible to have negotiations. And I think one of the reasons could be the internal difficulties. Because we know what is happening now in Armenia, they suffer very serious political crisis. The leader of main opposition party was arrested two days before they launched an attack. Two former presidents are under criminal investigation, and actually dictatorial regime have been established in Armenia. All the promises which their prime minister was giving after revolution just are on paper, nothing was implemented. They have one of the worst in the world per capita situation with pandemic, so to distract attention and he managed to. And now what he is trying to do to consolidate society in front of the so-called Azerbaijani aggression and to strengthen his personal rule. So, everything is very logical from their point of view, but they did a very big mistake, and moreover, before the aggression, several days before, I was speaking at UN General Assembly, saying that they are preparing for war and they must be stopped. And thats what happened.

Correspondent: You said before that the Armenian military must unconditionally withdraw from the territories that they have occupied. What do you aim for in the region as Azerbaijan?

President Ilham Aliyev: We?

Correspondent: Yes.

President Ilham Aliyev: We still keep our position unchanged. What I am demanding is absolutely in line with international law, because the whole world recognizes territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and no country in the world recognizes the so-called "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic". What I am saying is completely almost the wording of the UN Security Council Resolutions. And they need to leave our territory, and then, the war will stop and then the conflict will come to an end. And then, maybe some time later people of Azerbaijan and Armenia can again live together, in piece. So, thats our position, and it is unchanged, and it is based on historical truth, it is based on international law and also it is based on todays political and geo-political realities in our region. I think Armenian government overestimated their so-called importance on global arena, overestimated the possible international support to them and made very serious mistakes provoking us, attacking us and now they are suffering the very serious defeat.

Correspondent: Would you accept going to the negotiation table with Armenias prime minister Nikol Pashinyan?

President Ilham Aliyev: Actually negotiations stopped, because after his statement that Karabakh is Armenia, I said there is no rule for negotiations but our Minsk group co-chairs were making requests to me that Azerbaijan show maybe more how to say understanding, with respect to the fact that Armenian government is new, and maybe they do not completely control their emotions and their words. And I said okay. Lets try. We want to find a peaceful solution therefore, we waited for so many years and probably negotiations would have been continued if not for this distractive approach. And after that statement I had a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister but they were absolutely meaningless. They were formal. He was telling me that they are not going to give territories back. And then, what to talk about? If they dont want to do that, if they go against elaborated principles by the Minsk-Group, which they elaborated for years, and means that he destroys negotiations. Negotiations cannot be held unilaterally. We need to have a partner but, in Armenia so far we dont have a partner for negotiations.

Correspondent: So, can we say that Azerbaijans preconditioning for coming to a negotiating table is that Armenia withdraws from the occupied territories?

President Ilham Aliyev: Actually, it was Armenian Prime Minister who put precondition to us. And that, by the way is another provocation. I think several months ago he put seven preconditions to Azerbaijan. Actually, he wanted to dictate his agenda, to us and to the Minsk-Group. And one of those preconditions was that Azerbaijan should negotiate with the so-called "Nagorno-Karabakh authorities". And not only we but also Minsk-Group rejected it. Because it changes completely the format of negotiations, which was elaborated for more than twenty years. And negotiations are taking place between Armenia and Azerbaijan. So, he puts precondition on us and we rejected it. And the reason why he did it was again, he wanted negotiations to stop and keep the status quo unchanged. As far as we are concerned, we are always ready for negotiations. We never rejected it, we had difficult times in negotiation process in previous years. Not everything was going smoothly. But, with the previous Armenian leaders we had a process. And we were elaborating the so-called step by step approach. Otherwise, we wouldnt have been in this process for so many years. It was not useless time. I think we have made a very big progress. I am in this process since 2003, and I worked with two previous Armenian presidents and we made progress. It was not easy, we had of course big variety of use but we were making step by step progress and we elaborated what we have now. And after Pashinyan came to power, he not only destroys everything before him, and he wants to pretend that Armenia before him did not exist and he is now the creator of new Armenia and he destroyed all the elaborated principles. Therefore, full responsibility is on him and his government. And by the way, reasonable people in Armenia understand it. They were already making statements alarming Armenian population that this person leads their country to catastrophe. It is not a way how to behave on negotiations, it is not a way how to provoke Azerbaijan. Another provocation was the so-called inauguration of the so-called leader of Nagorno-Karabakh in the ancient Azerbaijani city of Shusha. No other so-called "Nagorno-Karabakh leader" did that. Why he did it. In order to insult the feelings of Azerbaijanis. Then, they decided to move the so-called parliament of "Nagorno-Karabakh" from Khankandi to Shusha. Why? Another insult on Azerbaijanis. They openly resettle Armenians from Lebanon to the occupied territories, demonstrate it on TV which is a brutal violation of Geneva Convention, in order to demonstrate their hatred to us. Everything what he did was to destroy negotiation process. Therefore, now when they are pleading for negotiations, when Pashinyan calls world leaders many times and is complaining about Azerbaijan, I think those leaders should tell him it was you who destroyed negotiations. It was you who provoked Azerbaijan. It was you who insulted the feelings of Azerbaijanis. Therefore, you must be responsible for that. And Armenian people and I made an appeal a couple of days ago to Armenian people. They should make him responsible for that. We dont have a problem with Armenian people, they are our citizens, we have thousands Armenians living in Azerbaijan, and those who live in Nagorno-Karabakh area we also consider them our citizens. And we invite them to live together with us as many other nationalities and ethnicities who live in Azerbaijan. Therefore, Armenia should refrain completely from these provocative statements. They should make new statements that Karabakh is not Armenia, and then, we will see.

Correspondent: So, within this deadlock, political deadlock, would a Russian mediation work for Azerbaijan?

President Ilham Aliyev: Russia is one of the countries which is a mediator along with United States and France, and during my involvement in this process for 17 years all 3 countries were equally involved in the process. And there was and there is a quite a high level of coordination in the process. Of course, Russia has a special position, because its a neighbor to Azerbaijan, neighbor to the region. It does not have a state border with Armenia, but nevertheless, Russia is a country which Azerbaijan and Armenia have good relations and historical relations. Therefore, of course, their role, their - I would say capability to mediate are much higher due to objective reasons from those who are situated far away from the region and maybe not completely know what was happening here during the last decades. Therefore, we think that three countries should continue to work together if all of them keep neutrality. This is important. And we are concerned that just recent days we see some statements which are counter-productive and which are demonstrating a kind of a change in the position in neutrality. Every country can have its position, its normal. But if you are mediator in such a sensitive issue, you should act in this capacity. If you want to act in your national capacity, of course, but then you should step down from the Minsk Group co-chairmanship and say whatever you want accuse whomever you want, deliver stories about what happened which has no proof and of course, nobody would object. But if you are a mediator you have to be neutral. You have to be a mediator, otherwise mediation will not be acceptable by us.

Correspondent: So, there are calls from the international community for a ceasefire. But given the latest statements by both Azerbaijan and Armenian side are you choosing to ignore international calls for a ceasefire?

President Ilham Aliyev: No, we are not ignoring. But ceasefire cannot be achieved unilaterally. Im just trying to deliver the message to those leaders who called me during these days saying that it was not Azerbaijan who started it. We had to defend ourselves. If we did not respond this time the way we did, today we would have had hundreds of victims among civilians. We still have a lot. This morning I received information we have 19 victims among civilians, two of them are children. We have 54 wounded people among civilians. And we have more than 300 houses damaged or completely demolished by Armenian artillery. And they attack our villages, they attack our people, they were to kill as many Azerbaijanis as they can. They started yesterday to use long distance missiles from the territory of Armenia. Thus, they make this weapons which they use a legitimate target for Azerbaijan. And we have to destroy those targets and then they will accuse us that we attack Armenian territory. They want it. They want to invite third parties to the conflict that these parties defend themselves and provide for them another 30 years of illegal occupation. Ceasefire okay, but on what conditions? Conditions must be that they withdraw from the territories. I said just two days ago, let them start withdrawal, let us have the timetable for withdrawal, let them undertake serious obligations proved by mediators and the ceasefire and also, obey the ceasefire regime and of course we will also do the same. Why should we need this military clash? We need our territories back by peaceful means and we demonstrated for 28 years our willingness to have peaceful settlement. During this 28 years there have been times of clashes and the biggest is now. There was another one four years ago. So, that is our point and I think it is absolutely reasonable taking into account what I said about political and military provocations from Armenia.

Correspondent: So, when we look at the latest conflict, Azerbaijan military gained some advance and took back some of the villages around the Fuzuli district does it mean that Azerbaijan is not going to withdraw from those areas that they have regained control?

President Ilham Aliyev: No, of course not. Because these areas belong to us. These areas the areas of our ancient land, these areas are where our people lived for centuries and they were occupied and destroyed by Armenians. There are pictures in internet of what happened to Fuzuli what happened to Aghdam, what happened to other cities and villages of Azerbaijan in the southern-eastern part of the occupied territories. There are also destructions in the districts of Lachin and Kalbajar where they had some illegal settlements. But not as heavy as in this area. Therefore, its our land, we regained it. We regained it by force, we regained it giving our victims. we will never step back from them. We will leave there, our people who were forcefully deported from those territories today they live with one dream, with one goal, for almost 30 years to go back. I can tell you there was a very illustrative example when in April 2016 we liberated part of the territories and gained as a result of the Armenian aggressions we launched a counter-attack. And one of the villages which was destroyed by Armenians and Azerbaijanis could not return there because Armenians positions were on the mountains. We built for refugees the new village and even those who never saw that land, those who were born after, all of them returned to Jojug Marjanli. I said Jojug Marjanly is a symbol of our dignity, a symbol of our will, Jojug Marjanly is a symbol of our return, and I said our return starts now. So, I am sure that all those who have been deported from those territories will go back. There is nowhere to go back. Because everything is destroyed. Everything. Not a single building, everything was destroyed and of course, we will help we will rebuild the cities. We will rebuild the villages. We will return their initial names because Armenians committed a cultural genocide against us. They destroyed all the mosques on the occupied territories. They keep pigs and cows in the mosques, thus insulting the feelings of all the Muslims. They changed the names of our cities, changed the names of our villages. All the names will go back. We will go back to our lands. This is our legitimate right, this is a historical task for us and I am sure we will succeed.

Correspondent: The Caucasus region is a very complex one. Not only in terms of geography, but also when it comes to culture, ethnicity and social structures. Do you believe in peoples rights to self-determination?

President Ilham Aliyev: You know, this is the point which Armenian propaganda often uses. Thus trying to mislead the international public opinion, which of course broadly ordinary people, they are not specialists in the international law. But there are very clear identification of the basic principles of international law, which have the reflection in the Helsinki Final Act. Principle of territorial integrity is prevailing, self-determination is one of the important principles of international law. But if we go back to UN Charter, if we go back to Helsinki Final Act, we will see that self-determination should not damage territorial integrity of the countries. And other important point, the territorial integrity of the country cannot be changed by force, and cannot be changed without an agreement of the people of the country. Therefore, in the case of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict of course, self-determination is not working the way how Armenians want to do it. And another argument, Armenian people already self-determined themselves. They have independent Armenian state. Today Armenians live everywhere. They live in France, they live in America, they live in Russia, they live in Middle East, let them ask for self-determination in those countries. What would be reaction of authorities of those countries if Armenians would ask the land which does not belong to them and ask this land only because they now became majority? Their tactics which they use for many-many years to come, to ask for support, to ask for land, and then to start changing the historical identity of the territory, making fake news about their so-called ancient history, and demand those lands for them. Those countries which want to give self-determination to Nagorno-Karabakh, let them give part of their land to Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh, take them and give self-determination there. I would see what will be their reaction.

Correspondent: The way I think we have right now you have the Russians, Iranians, Turks, the French and the Americans signaling concerns over the conflict. Could this conflict ever become a regional one?

President Ilham Aliyev: I dont think so. I think there is no ground for that and we are strongly against this conflict, to transform into a regional. Thats what Armenia wants to do. Therefore, they invent fake news about some external support to Azerbaijan. But at the same time, they are asking for external support for themselves. Thats why I have the feelings that the main target now when they suffer a very serious defeat on the battle field, they want to make this conflict regional but I am sure that the countries which you mentioned will never allow it to happen. Because security in our region is in the interests of all the regional countries and among those countries which you mention - Turkey, Russia, Iran are regional countries. Other countries they have nothing to do here in the region. And they are not regional countries. They have the mandate, to facilitate the negotiations because that happened in 1992. We are not responsible, me personally for this composition of the Minsk-Group. If we decided today about the composition of any Contact Group which could facilitate peace, of course composition would have been completely different. I dont want now to specify, but some countries would not have place in those group because of their biased behavior. So, we need to do everything, especially the regional countries, to stay away from the conflict, not to interfere in any sense to the conflict and give the signal to Armenia: Stop occupation! Stop occupation and then you will see the benefits. Then you will integrate with the regional economic, investments, energy, transportation projects, which Armenian leadership for many years deprived Armenians from because of this aggression. So we need to do everything that this conflict stops as soon as possible, the resolution is found as soon as possible. We are not in the position to listen to statements or stop it and we will work, we will negotiate, we will help. We heard it many times, we dont have time to wait another 30 years. The conflict must be resolved now. Those who want to help Armenia, their so-called close partners, let them help by telling them leave the territories, demonstrate your will, stop firing, tell that today or tomorrow only one week I will leave Aghdam, next time, next week I will leave Fuzuli, next week I will leave Kalbajar etc. and we will stop. So, this is a very fair position, this is a position aimed at peace not at war.

Correspondent: What about Armenias claims that Ankara is militarily involved in this conflict with their planes etc.?

President Ilham Aliyev: This is a false information, it has no proofs, I already made statements about that. Turkey is our brotherly country from the very first day of Armenian attack, from the very 1st hour, Turkey expressed its full support to Azerbaijan. My brother, president Erdogan many times made very important statements. And yesterday speaking at the opening session of the parliament he made another very important statements that Turkey is next to Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijan is not alone. We feel the support we are very grateful to our Turkish brothers and president, and other officials. But Turkey in no other way is involved in the conflict. One of the Armenian fake news which now is not any longer in the media, was that Turkish F-16 shot down Armenias SU-25. This is fake news. Where are the proofs? No proofs. Every plane, which lands and takes off is in the computer. Everybody can see what is happening. And I wonder why? Minsk Group co-chair countries France, United States, Russia they do not comment on that. They do not comment on this fake news, some of them comment on other fake news that Azerbaijan with Turkey invited terrorists here.

Correspondent: This is what I would like to ask Mr. President Armenia also accuses Turkey for transferring Syrian opposition fighters to Azerbaijan.

President Ilham Aliyev: This is fake news. Absolutely. The same fake news as they said that Turkish F-16 shot down the SU-25. The SU-25 had an accident I was informed, it hit the mountain because of unexperienced pilot.

Correspondent: But they say that they have evidence

President Ilham Aliyev: Let them show it. Where is evidence? Not only Armenia, unfortunately President of France I heard yesterday made a statement about that and he called me on the 27th in the evening and I said it is wrong, it is false. And he made the statements without any evidence. Let him give us evidence. Let him give us proofs. Only words? We can also say many words. But we dont. We behave in a responsible way. There is not a single evidence of any foreign presence in Azerbaijan. What we do, we do ourselves. We have capable army. We have enough people in our army, we have enough people in our reserves. I announced a partial mobilization, which will allow us to involve tens of thousands of reservists. If necessary, so we dont need it. Armenia needs it, because Armenian population is declining. And it is only two million people. Therefore, they themselves now recruit people from Middle East and we have evidences and not only of Armenian origin. And by the way, it doesnt make any difference whether it is of Armenian origin coming from Middle East or non-Armenian origin. If anybody comes from outside to fight as a mercenary that should be internationally addressed. So, it is this accusations that absolutely groundless, and we reject them, and we demand the evidences to be put on the table.

Correspondent: Will you also be presenting your evidence on the foreign mercenaries that Armenia brings?

President Ilham Aliyev: We have already some intelligence information and plus, just yesterday I was shown that there are videos in the internet as the people from Middle East are sitting together with Armenian soldiers and they have their uniform, they have Armenian national flag, and they sit together and discuss, you know it is without voice. But it is enough I think. And they must be responsible for that.

Correspondent: So, could diplomacy ever work or is the war only solution for you?

President Ilham Aliyev: I said already. Diplomacy can work if Armenia will comply with the international law, will start immediate withdrawal from part of the territories on time table. And of course we need to restore territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. By the way, when we were discussing the issues on negotiation table before this government in Armenia came to power, one of the first items was that the conflict must be resolved on the basis of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. It must be restored. That is what we demand and I think we have a right to demand it.

Correspondent: President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, thank you very much for talking to Al Jazeera.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.




YEREVAN, OCTOBER 2, ARMENPRESS. The Republic of Armenia demands a clear assessment of the appalling war crimes committed by the Azerbaijani armed forces in this and previous periods, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a statement after footage of extrajudicial executions of Armenian PoWs by Azerbaijani troops were posted online.

Numerous videos regularly publicized by Azerbaijani users on social media demonstrate the war crimes, extrajudicial killings of Armenian prisoners of war, torture of Armenian servicemen, including women, and desecration of corpses committed by the Azerbaijani armed forces.

The Republic of Armenia demands a clear assessment of the appalling war crimes committed by the Azerbaijani armed forces in this and previous periods. We will consistently pursue to voice the issue in relevant international platforms and courts and bring to justice the perpetrators and organizers of the above-mentioned crimes, including by the application of international sanctions. In this context, a due international investigation is imperative.

At the same time, the international community is obliged to increase pressure on Azerbaijan for the immediate repatriation of all Armenian prisoners of war and civilians illegally held in Azerbaijan, clarification of cases of enforced disappearances, and the fates of the missing persons, the foreign ministry said.
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 2, ARMENPRESS. The video of the extrajudicial execution of Armenian prisoners of war by Azeri troops is authentic and was filmed on September 13, during the large-scale Azeri attack on Armenia, Human Rights Defender Kristinne Grigoryan said in a statement.

This morning, a video was disseminated on the Azerbaijani social media platforms depicting the execution of the Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani servicemen.

At the moment, we have identified the authenticity of the video: it is new, the incident occurred during a large-scale attack by the Azerbaijani armed forces on the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia on September 13 of this year.

This fact is confirmed by a combination of examining the terrain, similar video materials in our and other databases, as well as by a complex combination of weather conditions, uniforms of military personnel, the conversation of Azerbaijani servicemen, and other parameters.

This is yet another war crime committed by the Azerbaijani armed forces, the source of which is a consistent policy of Armenophobia by Azerbaijan, manifesting itself starting from the educational content in all spheres of public life and in the statements of the President of this country himself. By the way, this is also recorded in the recent report of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination concerning Azerbaijan.

This video, among others, will be included in the Ad Hoc Report of the Human rights defender and sent to international organizations and actors.

Today, the UN calendar celebrates the International day of Non-Violence, however, the inadequate response of structures with an international human rights mandate to these war crimes, unfortunately, carries the risk of filling such new days in the UN calendar.
Minister of Defense, Vasile Dincu, declared on Saturday, in Chisinau, that NATO is not looking for a confrontation with the Russian Federation and that it unequivocally supports Ukraine's sovereignty, integrity and independence.

"The West, NATO, is not looking for a confrontation with the Russian Federation. What we want to convey is that there are principles and values from which we do not deviate. We unequivocally support the sovereignty, integrity and independence of Ukraine and, under no circumstances, do we recognize the so-called referendums in the occupied regions," said Minister Vasile Dincu, according to a press release sent to AGERPRES by the Ministry of National Defense (MApN).

During his official visit to Chisinau, Minister Vasile Dincu had, on Saturday, a series of meetings with Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita, with the President of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Igor Grosu, and with the Minister of Defense, Anatolie Nosatii.

According to the press release, during the discussions with Prime Minister Gavrilita, the status of bilateral cooperation was analysed, as well as in the regional context and of international institutions.

"We can affirm that the status of cooperation between our countries is at the highest level in the history of bilateral relations, which creates premises among the most favorable, including for the development of collaboration between our armies, in multiple fields - joint training and exercises, military education, assistance in the field of military planning and the development of capabilities," said Minister Dincu, as quoted in the press release.

The discussions also included an exchange of views on the security situation in the area, against the background of the Russian Federation's military aggression against Ukraine, context in which were highlighted the actions taken by both countries to manage the unprecedented number of refugees from Ukraine, as well as the energy crisis generated by Russia.

"The governments of our countries have strongly condemned the barbaric actions of the Russian army and we have been involved with all our powers in supporting the aggressed neighboring country from a humanitarian perspective, by managing an extremely large number of refugees. I want to congratulate the authorities of the Republic of Moldova for the example of solidarity and humanity without precedent demonstrated in this entire period," said Vasile Dincu.

During the meeting with the President of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Igor Grosu, the Romanian Minister of National Defense appreciated, among other things, that the war in Ukraine triggered multiple crises and highlighted the role of the two countries' parliaments in creating the legislative framework for strengthening resilience, especially in the energy field.

"It is no longer news to anyone that the Russian Federation uses energy as an element of blackmail. Therefore, from the point of view of energy security, each of our countries must do more to increase resilience in this vital field for national security. Romania concretely supports the Republic of Moldova in overcoming the difficulties generated by this energy crisis," the Romanian official declared, according to the MApN press release.

During the official meeting between the two defense ministers, Vasile Dincu and Anatolie Nosatii, the status and perspectives of bilateral cooperation in the military field and the regional security situation were discussed. At the same time, the state of implementation of joint projects and cooperation priorities were analysed, especially in the context of the 7th meeting of the Romania - Republic of Moldova Joint Military Commission, which took place in Chisinau between September 14 and 16. The importance of joint training for increasing interoperability between the two armies was also mentioned, with the recent exercises "SHIELD OF FIRE", which took place in the Republic of Moldova, and "CETATEA", held in Romania, being the best examples.

At the same time, according to the cited source, was reiterated our country's full support for the advancement of the European path of the Republic of Moldova, the development of relations with the Euro-Atlantic structures, for participation in the UN missions and in the projects subsumed under the regional initiative South-Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial - Coordination Committee (SEDM) meetings, whose rotating presidency will be taken over by Romania in 2023.

"I am glad that your work and determination, doubled by our support and that of the community of democratic European states, brought the Republic of Moldova the status of candidate for membership of the European Union. A big step towards well-being and prosperity. Today we are together again, in this effort of the Republic Moldova to join the great European family. We are determined and confident to continue together. Our history, so complicated and tragic, has shown us that there is no other way than building a common future in a united Europe," said the minister Dincu.

As a conclusion, the two officials emphasized the importance of maintaining a constant dynamic of the political-military dialogue, for an action as efficient and coordinated as possible, and the continuation of joint efforts dedicated to the consolidation of the Strategic Partnership.

"Romania is an active contributor to the NATO Defence and Related Security Capacity Building (DCB) package for the Republic of Moldova and we will maintain the same constant nature of coordination at the expert level, in the spirit of maintaining the efficiency of the projects. We agreed to streamline the collaboration on several segments in the field of defense and security, such as military education. Recently, we consolidated and ratified a new protocol in this field. We hope to use a trained human capital in Romania to modernize the structure of the National Army of the Republic of Moldova, in line with the objectives that you you proposed," concluded Vasile Dincu.

The agenda of Minister Vasile Dincu's official visit to Chisinau includes for Sunday a visit to the Agency of Sciences and Military Memory of the National Army, and the Military Museum in Chisinau. AGERPRES
As many as 444 new cases of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 were recorded in the last 24 hours in Romania, 492 fewer than the previous day, on 6,272 RT-PCR and rapid antigenic tests performed, the Health Ministry informed on Sunday.

Of the new cases, 83 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 - 117, and in the counties of Cluj - 67, and Brasov - 54.

The highest 14-day notification rate is in Cluj County - 1.55 and, Timis County - 1.52, and Bucharest City - 1.4.

As of Friday, 3,269,942 cases of people infected with the novel coronavirus were confirmed in Romania.

- Hospitalisations -

As many as 1,343 people with COVID-19, down 32 from the previous reporting, including 93 minors, are hospitalised in Romania at specialist care facilities.

Out of the total number of hospitalised patients, 121, are in intensive care, of whom 109 are unvaccinated against COVID-19.

- Deaths -

According to the ministry, four Romanians (three men and one woman), are reported dead in the last 24 hours.

Of the four deaths, two were recorded in the age group 60-69 years, and two in the age group 70-79 years.

All deaths were in patients with comorbidities, and one death was in vaccinated patients.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 67,031 people diagnosed with the SARS-CoV-2 infection have died in Romania. AGERPRES
MEXICO CITY  Farmers in the United States are urging their government to challenge a looming Mexican ban on genetically modified (GM) corn under a regional free trade agreement, warning of billions of dollars of economic damage to both countries.

A late 2020 decree by Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador would phase out GM corn and the herbicide glyphosate by 2024. Supporters of the ban say GM seeds can contaminate Mexicos age-old native varieties, and point to research showing adverse effects of glyphosate.

Mexico prides itself as the birthplace of modern corn but it imports about 17 million tonnes of U.S. corn a year and is on track to import even more this year, experts said.

Some in Mexicos government, including Agriculture Minister Victor Villalobos, have signaled that yellow corn imports for livestock feed will not be disrupted. U.S. farmers remain wary since no official document states that, according to a U.S. agriculture official familiar with recent meetings with Mexican officials.

Also, Lopez Obrador this month said firmly: We do not accept GMO corn.

Corn for human consumption, including white corn used in food products like tortillas, accounts for between 18% and 20% of Mexicos total U.S. corn imports. There are still questions about whether such GM imports will be eliminated by 2024.

Mexicos health regulator COFEPRIS has not authorized new strains of glyphosate-resistant GM corn seeds for import since 2018. The National Corn Growers Association, representing U.S. farmers, wants the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to launch a dispute settlement proceeding under the USMCA trade pact, which includes Canada and Mexico.

Angus R. Kelly, the associations director of public policy, trade and biotechnology, said it objects to the precedent-setting nature of the decrees and to Mexico rejecting biotech crop traits without any scientific basis.

Washington could potentially raise a dispute under the agriculture chapter of the USMCA stipulating cooperation between members on an individual governments regulation of imports, according to Raul Urteaga, a former Mexican government official and founder of consulting group Global Agrotrade Advisors.

A dispute settlement can apply under some USMCA chapters when a country considers one member government has nullified or impaired a benefit that was in place when the pact was signed.

Mexicos agriculture ministry and the U.S. embassy in Mexico declined to comment. The USTR and the USDA did not respond to requests for comment.

Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), representing biotech companies including Bayer, said it supported the (U.S.) administration taking enforcement action on Mexicos treatment of agricultural biotechnology if dialogue fails.

Federico Zerboni, Argentina-based president of agriculture chamber MAIZALL which sent a delegation to Mexico in August, said denial of new GM seeds made it seem like Mexicos regulator favors a very old and unfeasible production system to feed the world.

COFEPRIS, in a statement to Reuters said its decisions were based on scientific evidence and risk assessments.

In 2020, Bayer agreed to pay billions of dollars to settle lawsuits by people who claimed they were harmed by its weedkiller.

A March report by the U.S. consulting firm World Perspectives Inc projected that Mexicos ban could cost the country $4.4 billion over 10 years for corn imports, push the price of tortillas up 42% by the second year and cause major risks to food security.

The United States could see a $16.5 billion drop in economic output over 10 years, the report found. It did not differentiate between white and yellow corn.
As Hurricane Ian barreled toward Florida this week, it did what six other storms did over the past six years as they approached the United States: It intensified, quickly.

A few factors help account for the shift, including the warming waters  fueled by climate change  that give hurricanes more energy to release through crushing winds and pounding waves. Climate scientists suspect the slow movement of storms like Ian also stems from global warming, giving them a greater opportunity to strengthen and destroy as long as day-to-day conditions remain ripe.

Since 2017, an unprecedented number of storms rated Category 4 or stronger have lashed the U.S. shoreline: Harvey, Irma, Maria, Michael, Laura, Ida and now Ian. They all qualify as "rapid intensification events," when a storm's wind speeds increase by at least 35 mph within 24 hours.

These kinds of storms have increased in number in recent decades. Sixteen of the 20 hurricanes over the past two seasons in the Atlantic basin have undergone rapid intensification.

"Especially in the near coastal region where the hurricane is just ahead of landfall, what we are witnessing is that the hurricane intensification rates have been ramping up," said Karthik Balaguru, a climate scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. "And that is a bit disconcerting."

Ian was only the latest case when its winds nearly doubled within a 24-hour period, going from a low-end hurricane with sustained 75 mph winds Monday to a Category 3 storm with 125 mph winds Tuesday. Then, as it approached Florida on Wednesday, its winds surged even faster, going from 120 mph around 2 a.m. to 155 mph winds by 7 a.m.

The series of intense hurricanes striking the United States since 2017 is "one of the busiest times for landfalling powerful hurricanes that we've seen historically," said Phil Klotzbach, a senior research scientist at Colorado State University. One comparable period of hurricane activity came from 1945-1950, when five Category 4 hurricanes hit Florida in six years, making Klotzbach reluctant to call the series of intense storms since 2017 unprecedented.

And, Klotzbach added, a period of rapid strengthening is almost a prerequisite for a storm to become among the most powerful hurricanes. "The stronger the storm, the more likely it is to undergo rapid intensification," he said.

Even so, recent research suggests that the rise in rapidly intensifying storms is having a profound impact.

One study published earlier this year found that since 1990, a steadily growing number of global tropical cyclones have undergone what the study called "extreme rapid intensification," with winds increasing by at least 50 knots, or 57 mph, within a 24-hour period. Another study from 2018 focused on the Atlantic basin found that among cyclones that have strengthened the most rapidly, their rates of intensification have accelerated, growing by 4 mph each decade over the past 30 years.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's most recent assessment came to a similar conclusion, that tropical cyclones are likely becoming more intense and prone to rapid intensification.

"I would say one of the most worrying things about climate change is a change in extremes," said Balaguru. "The rapid intensification is a process that fits that category of extreme."

For instance, Balaguru said, if a storm in the Caribbean Sea four decades ago intensified by 34 mph in a day, the same storm would increase by 48 mph in today's climate.

And a preliminary analysis of Ian's rainfall released Thursday by Stony Brook University professor Kevin Reed and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory senior scientist Michael Wehner, based on previously peer-reviewed research, found that climate change is responsible for increasing Ian's extreme rainfall rates by 10 percent.

A hotter ocean, along with low vertical wind shear, have helped drive the rapid intensification of recent storms.

Generally, ocean waters must be above 79 degrees Fahrenheit for a hurricane develop and persist. In recent decades, the ocean has warming at record rates due to human-emitted greenhouse gases, bringing this threshold closer within reach. As Ian was moving away from Cuba, sea surface temperatures were approaching 86 degrees.

Rising global air temperatures also mean that waters, especially in bodies like the bathub-esque Gulf of Mexico, are warming beyond just their surface. The deeper that warmth goes, the more fuel can flow to a slow-moving storm like Ian. The warm seawater evaporates and pumps moisture into air, which can recondense into storms, clouds and rain.

"A storm can sit over this warm water almost for days and, if it's deep enough, it's not going to kill itself," said James Kossin, a senior scientist at the Climate Service, a risk assessment consultant and former scientist at NOAA who has led studies on hurricane intensification.

Vertical wind shear  changing wind speeds and direction at different altitudes in a storm  is also a key influence on the intensity of hurricanes, although researchers are still parsing out any longterm trends. High wind shear can weaken a hurricane, while weaker shear can help a hurricane to form and strengthen.

Wind shear has been relatively low in the western Atlantic since 2017, a factor that has contributed to the flurry of tropical cyclones since then, according to Klotzbach. It's possible that in the long run, climate change could make this environmental condition more common. Scientists hypothesize that the jet stream, which creates strong wind shear, could be pushed north as global temperatures rise.

Climate change also may be increasing hurricanes' potential for intensification  and destruction  by slowing them down, increasing the duration of damaging winds and flooding rainfall.

For example, while Hurricane Ian took a similar path, and with a similar intensity, as Hurricane Charley in 2004, Charley blew into Florida at 20 mph, while Ian only moved half as fast. That allowed Ian to dump as much as 20 inches of rain along its path, according to early estimates, already more than twice Charley's rainfall.

Scientists hypothesize storms' slow movement may stem from rapid warming at Earth's poles, since this has narrowed the gap in temperature and pressure from the poles to lower latitudes. Those differences drive winds around the globe, pushing around weather systems, including hurricanes, like corks in a stream. So when they are minimized, that may be causing a broader slowdown in global weather systems.

The same phenomenon may be causing abnormal spells of extreme heat and blasts of polar frigidity, because the jet stream winds that normally break up weather patterns and drive storm systems are weaker.

"It just seems like the whole atmosphere is getting more sluggish, and consequently, the storms that are carried in it are moving more slowly," Kossin said.

Slower-moving storms are capable of dropping massive amounts of rain. Hurricane Harvey showered more than 60 inches of rain in some parts of southeastern Texas because it stalled over the region for nearly two days.

Similarly, if a storm bearing hurricaneforce winds remains over one spot for long enough, "it's eventually going to flatten everything," Kossin said.

Authorities have changed the way they issue forecasts and warn the public, meteorologists said, because of the danger posed by a storm's sudden escalation.

The National Hurricane Center signaled fears about rapid intensification with Ian as soon as the storm developed into a tropical storm. On Friday morning, well before Ian approached the Cayman Islands and Cuba, forecasters warned it would likely feed o_ warm Gulf of Mexico waters and become a major hurricane approaching Florida within five days.

"We have a lot better tools to be able to predict this rapid intensification than we used to," Klotzbach said. "The models are just better."
Some U.S. health officials are conceding that monkeypox is probably not going away anytime soon.

The disease's spread is slowing but the virus is so widespread that elimination is unlikely, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. That conclusion was in a recent CDC report, and echoed Friday by Marc Lipsitch, director of science in the agency's disease-forecasting center.

Lipsitch hesitated to say monkeypox is permanently here to stay, but he said it stands to be a continuing threat for the next few years.

The virus has mainly spread among gay and bisexual men, though health officials continue to stress that anyone can be infected. It's important that people at risk take steps to prevent spread and that vaccination efforts continue, Lipsitch said.

The CDC report contained some good news: The U.S. outbreak seems to have peaked in early August. The average number of daily cases being reported  fewer than 150  is about a third what it was reported in the middle of the summer, and officials expect the decline will continue for at least the next several weeks.

Lipsitch attributed the good news to increasing vaccinations, cautious behavior by people at risk and infection-derived immunity in the highest risk populations.

There have been more than 67,000 cases reported in countries that have not historically seen monkeypox. The U.S. has the most infections of any country  more than 25,600. One U.S. death has been attributed to monkeypox.

More than 97% of U.S. cases are men. The vast majority have been men who reported recent sexual contact with other men.

Though cases have been declining, the proportion of new cases that have information about recent sexual contact is also down, officials said. That's causing a growing blind spot about how the virus may be spreading, Lipsitch noted.

___

The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Spanish Member of Parliament Jon Inarritu described the extrajudicial executions of Armenian prisoners of war by Azeri troops as barbarism of the Azerbaijani regime and addressed President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen who called Azerbaijan a "reliable, trustworthy partner" after signing an energy deal in July.

Once again, the barbarism of the Azerbaijani regime. Is this the people with whom you signed agreements and consider reliable partners, Mrs. @vonderleyen? MP Inarritu tweeted.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said Armenia will use all available international mechanisms to ensure investigation and accountability into the extrajudicial executions of Armenian prisoners of war by Azerbaijani troops.

The footage of the gruesome killings was posted online in Azeri social media.

The authenticity of the video has been validated by the Human Rights Defender and the Defense Ministry using video data base material, comparative analyses of terrain, weather conditions, conversations and uniforms of the troops.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY  A pedestrian who was struck and killed in South St. Louis County Friday morning has been identified.

Adam Levi, 24, of Cape Girardeau, Mo., was hit by a vehicle at the intersection of Telegraph Road and Sappington Barracks Road, St. Louis County Police said.

Police said Levi was walking north on Telegraph Road just before 6:30 a.m. Friday. He stepped from behind a pole in front of an oncoming vehicle and was struck, police said.

The driver of the vehicle remained at the scene of the incident.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call St. Louis County Police at 636-529-8210.
ST. LOUIS  As a candidate for mayor, Tishaura O. Jones made one of her campaign platforms a promise to create the transparent, efficient city government that St. Louisans deserve.

Yet city government is earning a reputation for slow-walking Missouri Sunshine Law requests, frustrating the media and lawyers who routinely use the state statute and prompting a lawsuit from one of Missouris most prominent government transparency advocates.

Its become an absurdity, Mark Pedroli, an attorney who advocates for open records and transparency, said of the routine delays and lack of explanation for why it takes weeks  and sometimes months  for the city to produce government records.

Whether its a deluge of requests, a lack of staffing, bureaucratic ineptitude or something else isnt entirely clear. But those who often seek public records from the city say the issues began with the launch in late 2020 of an online records request portal and the departure of the former staffer who oversaw it.

Such online systems to process and track record requests are increasingly common at all levels of government. St. Louis County, for instance, uses a portal. Jones, when she was city treasurer, launched one to make it easier to request records. But St. Louis system stands out as uniquely problematic because of the delays.

To be honest, I havent had as much problem with anybody else as I have St. Louis, said Jean Maneke, the longtime Kansas City-based attorney for the Missouri Press Association.

Gross lawsuit stems from his requests last year for records from the St. Louis Justice Center, the downtown jail. Some of those requests still have not been fulfilled, Gross alleges, and others were delayed for months. He names Jones, Sunshine Law Coordinator Joseph Sims, and Sims boss, City Counselor Sheena Hamilton, as defendants in the lawsuit, alleging a scheme to use taxpayer money to delay the release of records.

In at least one instance, the city claimed in response to a newspaper record request that a document  a salary study  didnt exist as it was beginning negotiations with employee unions. After one of the unions complained to the Missouri attorney generals office, the city released the study.

But more pervasive  in Gross lawsuit and in complaints from other lawyers and reporters seeking records from the city  are exceptionally long delays. Explanations for the delays read like form letters, pushing back by several weeks when the records will be available. When that date arrives, the city says it will take another several weeks for the records to be released.

The Post-Dispatch, for instance, requested two years of meeting minutes from the citys Civil Service Commission, routine documents created during every public meeting that other agencies often just post online. It took nine months before all of the minutes were released to the newspaper. Every month or so, the city would send a note saying it would take another few weeks to locate the records.

In another case, the newspaper in late July asked for emails since June 1 between one building inspector and the operators of a downtown apartment building city officials had slapped with nuisance violations. The newspaper had learned of the existence of emails from building inspectors discussing a non-functioning fire alarm in a building with over 100 units. The city, which was negotiating a settlement with the building operators over other violations, at first said the search terms werent specific enough. Then it took over a month for the city to locate the emails.

After the newspaper dropped off a check to pay the $60 city said it cost to find the emails, they still hadnt been released a week later. When the newspaper asked Sims if he had received payment, the city released the emails within 10 minutes.

Such delays run afoul of the state Supreme Court ruling in Gross case because they dont give an explanation why the records arent available immediately. In that case, the Supreme Court said governments have to provide an exact date records will be available, and if they cant meet it, the statue says they need to explain why.

When they realize that the date they have set, theyre not going to meet it, the law obligates them to give you a detailed explanation why theyve failed to meet their date, Maneke said. When you look at the Gross decision, the court said they didnt provide him any explanation, but they are obligated to provide the explanation to the requestor so there is accountability.

The rote responses from the city pushing back the dates dont provide a detailed explanation of why the records arent available, as required by the Sunshine Law, critics say.

A generic form letter is uncompliant with the Sunshine Law, Pedroli said. An artificial intelligence program cannot respond to a Sunshine request.

The same thing has been happening to Emily Perez, a lawyer who represents the citys firefighters union. In April, she asked for emails covering a three-week period between two specific city officials: John Moten, the citys interim director of personnel, and Director of Public Safety Dan Isom.

She still hasnt received them. The last date the city gave her, Aug. 25, has been pushed back to early October. And shes not holding her breath.

Why an (information technology) person cant quickly run a search for them and get them over  I cant imagine circumstances that would justify this amount of delay, Perez said. It seems pretty clear to me that this degree of delay is not what the statute contemplates.

Perez and the firefighters union are suing the city over Motens appointment. And the media often have an adversarial relationship with those in power.

But those who say they support Jones, such as Pedroli, also say they are stymied in their requests and believe the issue is within the city counselors office. Chelsea Merta, a civil rights attorney and supporter of Jones during her campaign, said she, too, has encountered far more delays with her city record requests than those she makes to other public bodies.

I can tell you exactly when the problems began and with whom, Merta said. It was when Diedra Weaver left.

Weaver, the former Sunshine Law coordinator for St. Louis, left in late 2020, before Jones took office. It was only when Sims took over that the delays began, Merta said.

Since he took that position, Ive had nothing but issues, Merta said.

Sims, who is not an attorney but an administrative assistant in the city counselors office paid $37,500 a year, did not respond to a request for comment.

Jones spokesman Nick Desideri also declined to comment, citing pending litigation. But in August, he told the Riverfront Times that complaints about the citys Sunshine Law delays should be directed to a departments custodian of records, for which the coordinator is just a liaison.

Yet, since Sims took over, he has instructed reporters not to contact custodians of record directly. Custodians in other jurisdictions often speak directly with reporters to understand the records being sought, sometimes suggesting narrower Sunshine requests that make the process more manageable for governments and help the public get records faster.

Attempts to contact custodians in St. Louis have been met with stern reminders from Sims that all communication must be through the portal  even though the Sunshine Law does not spell out such a requirement. It only specifies that a governments custodian of records must act on a records request when they receive it.

Designed to improve, not impede access

Still, the value of a central portal  when it functions efficiently  is obvious, say local government veterans: it allows tracking of Sunshine Law requests, so those in power know whats coming and what reporters, lawyers and political operatives are up to.

In the city, there were discussions in the city counselors office about centralizing records requests as far back as the administration of former Mayor Francis Slay. Winston Calvert, a former city counselor in the city under Slay and former chief of staff for County Executive Sam Page, said he has seen custodians of records for different departments interpret the Sunshine Law differently. Having one person interpret the Sunshine Law consistently can reduce confusion, he said.

It seems we could all agree that public bodies should act consistently, behave coherently and be held accountable for complying with the law, Calvert said. Thats all much more likely if there is one professional records custodian rather than several records custodians scattered throughout a single government.

Julian Bush, former Mayor Lyda Krewsons City Counselor, oversaw the office while the records portal was being set up, leaving shortly before the current portals launch in late 2020. The idea was to make it easier for the public to get records by better coordinating and tracking requests  which can pile up and become overwhelming for governments.

It was done to provide better access, not to impede access, Bush said.

Governments are increasingly faced with a deluge of requests from data-mining companies, attorneys, political operatives and a public more aware of open records laws and able to request documents online.

Public bodies are inundated, Maneke, the press association lawyer said. Theres more recognition that this information is available, and its a challenge for them.

But its not the volume that makes St. Louis an outlier. St. Louis County has received more non-police requests so far this year, 2,430 compared with St. Louis 1,496 as of Thursday. St. Louis County said it had 5,820 requests through its records portal last year. St. Louis reported 1,639 non-police requests in 2021.

And St. Louis County, by all accounts, doesnt have the same issues as the city responding to record requests. Pedroli, who asks for records from St. Louis County frequently, said he sometimes disagrees with the countys interpretation of the Sunshine Law regarding which records should be open. But, in terms of processing time, the countys procedural compliance is better, he said.

Although the county closes more records, at least they do it in a timely manner so you know where they stand, he said.

Pedroli has seen timeliness issues before  hes still litigating a 2019 lawsuit over open records and meetings related to the aborted bid to lease St. Louis Lambert International Airport to a private operator.

The city eventually released meeting minutes to him, which indicate topics such as media strategy were discussed in closed meetings, conversations Pedroli said should have been discussed in the open.

Though the city has released the records now that the effort is dead, thats not the point, Pedroli said. The fact that the minutes were delayed when he asked for them in November 2019, at the height of the privatization effort, stymied public knowledge of the process at precisely when it was needed. If he wins, the city could be on the hook for financial penalties and attorney fees, essentially punishment to deter similar behavior.

The timing of information being disclosed is probably the most important thing, Pedroli said. A lot of people are just going to slow-walk you until the aldermen vote, or the public officials vote. ... The whole point of politics is to respond to issues in real time to get reform.

Perez, the fire union attorney, sees a pattern.

The city is pretty clearly failing to meet some very minimal obligations, whether its responding to information requests as required by law or things like picking up the trash or keeping the streets safe, she said. It seems like the inquiries into the matters are being met with shrugs, or lip service and without any sense of urgency.

Coming Monday: Despite pledges of transparency, Missouri open records often cloaked in secrecy.
Students, parents, alumnae and supporters of Rosati-Kain High School in St. Louis rallied in front of the school Sunday afternoon to ask the St. Louis Archdiocese and the community for support after the archdiocese announced it would close at the end of the school year.

R-K needs to stay! the group chanted and cheered as passers-by honked in support.

Last week, the archdiocese announced the closure of the all-girls Catholic school and the all-boys St. Marys High School, citing declining income and enrollment. Breaking away from the archdiocese and becoming private Catholic schools could keep them open, say supporters.

In no way is this the end, St. Marys President Mike England said in a social media post last week. This is nothing but a new beginning for the future of St. Marys high school.

Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski said Wednesday he is open to any suggestions and willing to work with the schools. The schools are subsidized with grants from the archdiocese but are no longer financially viable, he said.

The St. Louis city schools are the smallest single-sex schools in the archdiocese, with 188 girls enrolled at Rosati-Kain and 222 boys at St. Marys this year.

The rally at Rosati-Kain Sunday was timed to catch Rozanski after he left the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis next door after Mass and before he entered the Rosati-Kain building for a meeting unrelated to the closure. Rozanski stopped briefly to say a prayer with the crowd.

This is my home, and I dont want it to go away, said Vanessa Kleen, 16, a junior at the school. I love Rosati and this is my family and I dont want to lose that. I should be worrying about where Im going to college, not where Im going to high school next.

Alex Bardgett, 15, a sophomore, wondered if race had to do with the decision. Bardgett, who is white, chose the school for the diversity. In 1947, the school became the first in the St. Louis area to integrate.

Hopefully, even if this does little to nothing, everybody knows that we are angry and that this is not right and just, she said.

I dont think there is a school out there that does what Rosati does, said Ana Vendrusculo, 16, a sophomore who came here from Brazil in January.

We really embody diversity in so many different ways, said Kate Rowley, a parent and organizer of the rally, adding that the school supports LGBTQ students. I just dont think it there are too many places like that in St. Louis. I think it will be hard for the girls to find a school that fits them because thats so unique.

Supporters hoped the school could come up with a solution: break away and become private, stay open long enough for current students to end their time there, or join forces with other schools.

Parent Gina Zelenka attended the rally with her daughter, Audrey, 16, a junior. They pointed out that the current junior class had its eighth grade year cut short by the pandemic, and this year has seemed like the only normal year without disruptions.

They got robbed of eighth grade, and here their senior year is going to possibly be at a new school for one year, said Zelenka.

Darren Vehlewald is the father of student Gabby, 17, a senior, and president of the DORKS, the Dads of Rosati Kain Students. He said people had thought the school would merge with other schools, but the announcement of the closure came as a shock.

He wants the school to ask the archdiocese for an extension so it has more time to come up with a plan.

If were doing nothing, theyll do nothing, he said of the archdiocese. Now were kind of at a deadline.
BERLIN (AP)  Swiss police used rubber bullets to disperse protesters in front of the Iranian Embassy in Bern after two men climbed over the embassy's fence and pulled down the Iranian flag from a flagpole in the yard.

Police said late Saturday that nobody was injured and that the large crowd of protesters was dispersed after the use of rubber bullets. The two protesters who entered the embassy's grounds were detained, according to police in the Swiss capital.

Police said they used rubber bullets after several other protesters at the unauthorized demonstration tried following the two men who had first entered the embassy's yard and also attempted to access the premises.

It wasn't immediately clear if more protesters were detained.

Thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets over the last two weeks in protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who had been detained by the morality police in the capital, Tehran, for allegedly wearing her mandatory Islamic headscarf too loosely.

Outside of Iran, thousands of protesters have also staged demonstrations in European countries and elsewhere over the death of Amini. They've also expressed anger over the treatment of women and wider repression in the Islamic Republic.
MONONGAHELA, Pa. (AP)  The Trump-Pence sign still hangs on the older building off Main Street in this historic town, a lasting vestige of the campaign fervor that roused voters, including many who still believe the falsehood that the former president didnt lose in 2020 and hope he'll run in 2024.

The enthusiasm for Donald Trumps unique brand of nationalist populism has cut into traditional Democratic strongholds like Monongahela, about 25 miles south of Pittsburgh, where brick storefronts and a Slovak fellowship hall dot Main Street and church bells mark the hours of the day. Republicans are counting on political nostalgia for the Trump era as they battle Democrats this fall in Pennsylvania in races for governor, the U.S. Senate and control of Congress.

Trump just came along and filled the empty space, said Matti Gruzs, who stitches old blue jeans into tote bags, place mats and other creations she sells at the weekly Farmers Market downtown. Hes still the king, and the kingmaker.

Against the backdrop of this picturesque place, House Republicans recently released their campaign agenda, hoping their Commitment to America can tap into the same political sentiment Trump used to attract not just Republican but independent and former Democratic voters. But its unclear whether the support that propelled Trump to the White House will be there on Election Day, Nov. 8.

Perhaps even more challenging for the GOP is whether Trumps false claims of voter fraud will cost the party if people believe, as the defeated president claims without evidence, the elections are rigged. Some may just decide to sit out the election.

It started out as a low-enthusiasm race, said Dave Ball, the Republican Party chairman in Washington County, which includes much of western Pennsylvania.

Ball said enthusiasm has been building rapidly  his main metric for voter interest in the elections is the demand for lawn signs. We were wondering, at one point, you know, we were going to see any, he said. Right now, I cant get my hands on enough.

But Amy Michalic, who was born and raised in Monongahela and works the polls during elections, said she hears skepticism from some voters, particularly Trump supporters, who think my vote doesnt count.

Trump's claims of fraud have no basis in fact. Dozens of court cases filed by Trump and his supporters have been dismissed or rejected by judges across the nation, but he continues to challenge Joe Bidens victory. In every state, officials have attested to the accuracy of their elections, and Trumps own attorney general at the time, Bill Barr, said in 2020 there was no voter fraud on a scale to change the outcome.

Michaelic reminds skeptical voters in her hometown of the importance of voting and notes that in 2016, no one thought Trump could win. "Look what he did, he took Pennsylvania, she said.

At the Farmers Market on a recent afternoon, voters shared concerns that many people in the United States voice this election year  about the high prices of everything, about finding workers and good-paying jobs, about the culture wars.

Where do you start? said Michelle DeHosse, wearing an American flag shirt as she helped vendors set up stands.

DeHosse, who runs a custom-screen print and embroidery shop on Main Street, said she has had trouble hiring employees since the pandemic. While she said just cannot afford the $20 an hour and health care benefits many applicants demand, she understands that many workers need both. Its the economy thats the biggest concern, she said.

Democrats were sparse among the voters, who didnt seem to have strong feelings for their choices this fall for either of the Senate candidates, Democrat John Fetterman or the Trump-backed Republican Mehmet Oz. Several said they probably would vote party line.

I dont like either one of them, said Carolyn McCuen, 84, a Republican enjoying sunset with friends and McDonalds coffee at a picnic table by the river.

Me either, said another Republican, Sam Reo, 76, a retired mechanical engineer, playing oldies from the portable speaker he sets up for the group.

Both still plan to vote. Support for the GOP candidate for governor, Doug Mastriano, who was outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, can be seen in the giant signs along Lincoln Highway, an east-west route across the state.

Mastriano is a folk hero around here, said Gruzs, who recalled his regular updates broadcast during the pandemic.

A history buff who homes-schooled her children, Gruzs hasnt missed a vote since she cast her first presidential ballot for Ronald Reagan. The same goes for her husband, Sam, a plumber. They moved here two decades ago from Baltimore, for a better life. Now a grandmother, she spends her days working on her crafts and listening to far-right broadcasts  Steve Bannon, Charlie Kirk and others.

She is not a fan of House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. and isn't convinced he has the toughness needed to push the partys ideas forward. But she did attend the event at a nearby manufacturing facility where lawmakers outlined the GOP agenda. She was heartened to see far-right Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene at the event with McCarthy, and made sure to shake Greenes hand.

If shes behind him, she said, trailing off. It looked today he had enough behind him, pushing him.

Trump remains popular, and the sign hanging on the building off Main Street from his 2020 campaign was far from the only one still visible in the state, two years since that election.

Several of the voters dismissed the investigations against Trump as nothing more than a witch hunt designed to keep him from running again office, despite the potentially serious charges being raised in state and federal inquiries. Some voters said they didn't believe the attack on the Capitol was an insurrection, despite the violence waged by pro-Trump supporters trying to overturn Bidens election.

Those views stand in contrast to the hard facts of Jan. 6: More than 850 people have been arrested and charged in the insurrection, some given lengthy sentences by the courts for their involvement. Hours before the siege, Trump told a rally crowd to fight like hell for his presidency. Loyalists soon broke into the Capitol, fighting in hand-to-hand combat with police, interrupting Congress as it was certifying the election results. Five people, including a Trump supporter shot by police, died in the immediate aftermath.

And if Trump runs again?

I wish he would, said McCuen, a retired church secretary. But I dont know if he will.

-

Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter, https://twitter.com/ap_politics
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Russia attacked the Ukrainian presidents hometown and other targets Sunday with suicide drones, and Ukraine took back full control of a strategic eastern city in a counteroffensive that has reshaped the war.

Russias loss of the eastern city of Lyman, which it had been using as a transport and logistics hub, is a new blow to the Kremlin as it seeks to escalate the war by illegally annexing four regions of Ukraine and heightening threats to use nuclear force.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's land grab has threatened to push the conflict to a dangerous new level. It also prompted Ukraine to formally apply for fast-track NATO membership.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Sunday that his forces now control Lyman: As of 12:30 p.m. (0930 GMT) Lyman is cleared fully. Thank you to our militaries, our warriors," he said in a video address.

Russia's military didn't comment Sunday on Lyman, after announcing Saturday that it was withdrawing its forces there to more favorable positions.

The British military described the recapture of Lyman as a significant political setback for Moscow, and Ukraine appeared to swiftly capitalize on its gains.

Hours after Zelenskyy's announcement, Ukrainian media shared an image of Ukrainian troops carrying the country's yellow-and-blue flag in front of a statue marking the village of Torske, 15 kilometers (9 miles) east of Lyman and within sight of the Russian-held Luhansk region.

Shortly later, a video posted online showed one Ukrainian soldier saying that Kyiv's forces had begun to target the city of Kreminna, just across the border in Luhansk. Outgoing artillery could be heard in the background. Russian military correspondents also acknowledged Ukrainian attacks targeting Kreminna.

In another online photo, an Ukrainian soldier stood before giant watermelon landmark just south of the village of Novovorontsovka on the banks of the Dnieper River, along the Russian-controlled province of Kherson's northern edge. A Ukrainian flag flew above the statue as several apparently deactivated landmines lay beside it.

While Ukrainian forces did not immediately acknowledge a breakthrough, writers close to the Russian military have described a new offensive by Kyiv in the Kherson region.

In southern Ukraine, Zelenskyy's hometown of Krivyi Rih came under Russian attack by a suicide drone that destroyed two stories of a school early Sunday, the regional governor said. The Ukrainian air force said Sunday it shot down five Iranian-made drones overnight, while two others made it through air defenses.

A car carrying four men seeking to forage for mushrooms in Ukraines Chernihiv region struck a mine, killing all those inside, authorities said Sunday.

The reports of military activity couldn't be immediately verified.

Ukrainian forces have retaken swaths of territory, notably in the northeast around Kharkiv, in a counteroffensive in recent weeks that has embarrassed the Kremlin and prompted rare domestic criticism of Putin's war.

Lyman, which Ukraine recaptured by encircling Russian troops, is in the Donetsk region near the border with Luhansk, two of the four regions that Russia illegally annexed Friday after forcing what was left of the population to vote in referendums at gunpoint.

In his nightly address, Zelenskyy said: Over the past week, there have been more Ukrainian flags in the Donbas. In a week there will be even more.

In a daily intelligence briefing Sunday, the British Defense Ministry called Lyman crucial because it has a key road crossing over the Siversky Donets River, behind which Russia has been attempting to consolidate its defenses.

The Russian retreat from northeast Ukraine in recent weeks has revealed evidence of widespread, routine torture of both civilians and soldiers, notably in the strategic city of Izium, an Associated Press investigation has found.

AP journalists located 10 torture sites in the town, including a deep pit in a residential compound, a clammy underground jail that reeked of urine, a medical clinic and a kindergarten.

Recent developments have raised fears of all-out conflict between Russia and the West.

Putin frames the recent Ukrainian gains  along with NATO's post-Soviet expansion  as a U.S.-orchestrated effort to destroy Russia, and last week he heightened threats of nuclear force in some of his toughest, most anti-Western rhetoric to date.

Nine central and eastern European NATO members fearful that Russias aggression could eventually target them, too, issued a letter of support Sunday for Ukraine.

The leaders of Czechia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania and Slovakia issued a joint statement Sunday backing a path to NATO membership for Ukraine, and calling on all 30 members of the U.S.-led security bloc to ramp up military aid for Kyiv.

Germany's defense minister on Sunday announced the delivery of 16 wheeled armored howitzers produced in Slovakia to Ukraine next year. The weapons will be financed jointly with Denmark, Norway and Germany,

Russia moved ahead Sunday with steps meant to make its land grab look like a legal process aimed at helping people allegedly persecuted by Kyiv, with rubber-stamp approval by the Constitutional Court and draft laws being pushed through the Kremlin-friendly parliament.

Outside Russia, the Kremlin's actions have been widely denounced as violating international law, with multiple EU countries summoning Russian ambassadors since Putin on Friday signed annexation treaties with Moscow-backed officials in southern and eastern Ukraine.

Meanwhile, international concerns are mounting about the fate of Europe's largest nuclear plant after Russian forces detained its director for alleged questioning.

The International Atomic Energy Agency announced Sunday that its director-general, Rafael Grossi would visit Kyiv and Moscow in the coming days to discuss the situation around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Grossi is continuing to push for a nuclear safety and security zone around the site.

The Zaporizhzhia plant is in one of the four regions that Moscow illegally annexed on Friday, and repeatedly has been caught in the crossfire of the war. Ukrainian technicians have continued running the power station after Russian troops seized it but its last reactor was shut down in September as a precautionary measure.

Pope Francis on Sunday decried Russia's nuclear threats and appealed to Putin to stop this spiral of violence and death.

Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Regarding Tony Messengers column Starbucks workers in Ladue prove a point, and seize control, for one day (Sept. 28): Its worth pointing out that President Joe Biden has supported unions in his appointments, executive actions, and legislation from day one of his presidency.

Biden has replaced Trump holdovers who were hostile to unions with numerous union-friendly executives into leadership positions with the Department of Labor, the National Labor Relations Board and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

He ordered that all federal contractors must pay their employees at least $15 per hour, meaning that hundreds of thousands of workers got raises. Bidens order also eliminated the lower minimum wage for tipped service workers and the disability minimum wage for federal contractors. Biden directed the federal government to strengthen its Buy American rules. This could result in about $120 billion in federal spending staying in this country.

He also passed the American Rescue Plan, shoring up multi-employer pensions, something that many unions have been fighting to get done for years. This money will ensure that retirees continue to get their full benefits from their pensions instead of the cuts they faced.

Republicans in the House like Rep. Ann Wagner who voted against union retirees getting their full pension benefits have been relentlessly hostile to union rights and benefits. These are issues to consider in the Nov. 8 election.

Steven Reed  Crestwood
After finishing up the Latin American portion of their Connect: Don't Give Up tour, OMEGA X is now playing shows in the United States. This segment of their tour includes an Oct. 10 concert at Chicagos Concord Music Hall, as well as dates in Dallas and Los Angeles. Im still in awe of the great passion and amazing support by Latin American fans, said Jehyun, one of the South Korean groups 11 members. Im truly thankful for them enjoying our concerts as passionately as we do! The entire group participated in this interview from Bogota, Colombia. For more information about OMEGA Xs tour, check for their updates on Twitter.
LAS VEGAS, Oct. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Coin Cloud today, in tandem with kick-off of The NACS Show in Las Vegas, announced the launch of its new website, found at: https://www.coin.cloud/.

Designed to extend Coin Clouds commitment to Digital Currency for All by delivering a comprehensive online presence, Coin.Cloud includes individual pages for every single one of the companys Digital Currency Machines (DCMs), a more advanced Bitcoin ATM, spanning more than 5,000 installations across the U.S. and Brazil. Driven by MomentFeed, an Uberall company, the individual pages will enable each Coin Cloud DCM location is visible to online users, including across mapping platforms, including Apple Maps, Waze and Google Maps, among others. The new Coin Cloud website was designed and developed in partnership with Victorious.

We are more than just a Bitcoin ATM and the design and development of our new web presence encapsulates our commitment to customers, while showcasing the strength of our network through our premier retail partnerships, said Chris McAlary, CEO of Coin Cloud. Delivering individual pages for every one of our locations is a tremendous resource for cryptocurrency buyers and sellers across the country, and our new website provides additional value for our customers and clients.

The new Coin Cloud website also includes a revamped blog: https://www.coin.cloud/blog providing the latest news in the business and technology of Bitcoin, crypto, blockchain and digital currency. Among its most recent posts is on The Ethereum Merge: https://www.coin.cloud/blog/the-ethereum-merge.

Coin Cloud DCMs empower people to buy and sell Bitcoin (BTC) and over 40 other digital assets with cash, including Bitcoin Cash (BCH), USD Coin (USDC) Litecoin (LTC), Dogecoin (DOGE), Shiba Inu Coin (SHIB), Ethereum (ETH), and a range of stablecoins and DeFi tokens. New coins added recently include Cardano (ADA), Nano (NANO), SushiSwap (SUSHI), Algorand (ALGO), Polygon (MATIC), OMG Network (OMG), and ApeCoin (APE).

To find a specific Coin Cloud location, visit: www.Coin.Cloud/dcms or engage with us on social media by following Coin Cloud on Twitter at @CoinCloudDCM and Instagram at @CoinCloudDCM.

About Coin CloudCoin Cloud, a Digital Currency Machine (DCM) company committed to Digital Currency for All since 2014, operates more than 5,000 DCMs across the U.S. and Brazil. Coin Cloud provides the fastest and easiest way to buy and sell Bitcoin, Ethereum, and over 40 other digital assets and cryptocurrencies with cash. Coin Cloud serves their customer base in all their digital asset needs via their Coin Cloud Wallet, mobile app, online purchasing of digital currencies and exclusive NFTs, and Private Client Desk. Coin Clouds network of DCMs is 100 percent buy & sell and located at nationally recognized retailers, including ACE Cash Express, H-E-B, Specs Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods, Thorntons, UNFI customer stores, and Yesway. You can find your nearest Coin Cloud DCM / Bitcoin ATM at www.Coin.Cloud/dcms.

Press Contact:Steve StratzFor Coin Cloud206.300.9134[email protected]

Source: Coin Cloud
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 2, ARMENPRESS. On October 2, Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan, who is in Geneva on a working visit, held a meeting with Toivo Klaar, the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, the foreign ministry said in a press release.

Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized the imperative of eliminating the consequences of Azerbaijan's recent aggression against the Republic of Armenia, the withdrawal of the Azerbaijani armed forces from the sovereign territories of the Republic of Armenia, the immediate repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war illegally held in Azerbaijan, and the unconditional preservation of the cease-fire regime.

Minister Mirzoyan strongly condemned the gross violations of international law and the war crimes committed by the armed forces of Azerbaijan, in particular, the deliberate targeting of the peaceful population and civilian infrastructure, the inhumane torture, and the extrajudicial killings of Armenian prisoners of war. He stressed that the perpetrators must be held adequately accountable, including through the application of sanctions.

During the meeting, issues related to the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict were discussed.
NICOSIA, Cyprus  Greece has the right to take "all defensive measures" to protect its easternmost islands amid threats by neighboring Turkey that dispute Greek sovereignty rights and raise the specter of war, the Greek defense minister said Saturday.

Speaking after Cyprus' independence day military parade, Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos said Turkey's "revisionist and destabilizing behavior" also undermines security in the wider eastern Mediterranean region.

Panagiotopoulos dismissed Turkey's demands to demilitarize the islands "as if they're not being threatened and as if we don't have the right to take all defensive measures for them" as "baseless and unacceptable."

Earlier this week, Turkey summoned the Greek ambassador to protest the alleged deployment of dozens of U.S.-made armored vehicles to the Aegean islands of Samos and Lesbos, which Ankara says should remain demilitarized in line with international treaties.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also warned that his country wouldn't hold back on defending its rights and interests against NATO ally Greece, further ratcheting up tensions between the historic rivals.

Prompted by a coup aimed at union with Greece, Turkey's invasion of Cyprus in 1974 split the east Mediterranean island along ethnic lines. Numerous U.N. mediated efforts at reunification failed. Turkey is now calling for the recognition of the island's breakaway Turkish Cypriot northern third that the European Union and others say is contrary to established U.N. parameters for a peace deal.

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said even though the island's National Guard is being bolstered with new equipment, he said the government won't be drawn into actions to furnish Turkey the excuse to further bolster it's 40,000 troops in the north.
KYIV, Ukraine  Medic Maryana Mamonova was taken prisoner in Mariupol this spring as Russian forces laid waste to the city. Late last month, she and several other medical workers were among the 215 Ukrainians swapped for 55 Russians in the largest such exchange of the war. Four days after her release, she gave birth.

Stories like hers only added to the countrys celebrations over the return of so many Ukrainians, men and women who were captured as the invading troops tried to overrun cities and towns across the east. Yet others continue to be held, their location and health uncertain. At least 150 are medics, according to some accounts, and many are from the 555th military hospital in Mariupol.

The Washington Post spoke to relatives of some of these medics, who, as Russian forces were bombing that city, sought refuge with local residents in its sprawling Azovstal and Ilyich steel plants. Their capture violated the Geneva Conventions, which specify that personnel engaged exclusively in the collection, transport and treatment of the wounded and sick should be respected and protected under all circumstances.

If they fall into the hands of the enemy, they shall not be treated as prisoners of war, the conventions read.

The opposite happened, though. And no one knows how Russias illegal annexations Friday of four Ukrainian territories will affect the medics fate.

They have taken our lives

After she heard about the prisoner of war exchange on Sept. 21, Svitlana Harlinskaya was waiting every second for her older sister to call and say, Ive been freed.

But the phone never rang. Olena Biiovska, 49, wasnt among those released.

You understand hopelessness, and you want to shout to the whole world, Harlinskaya said.

Her sister had worked as a military medic for 18 years, serving in Kyiv and on the front in the east. Six months before the fighting broke out, Harlinskaya said, she was transferred to the 555th hospital in Mariupol.

Once Russia invaded, communications with Biiovska were sporadic. When a bomb destroyed the hospital, she and other medics moved to the Ilyich steel plant.

Sometimes she would send text messages or call with seconds-only messages. She said, Im alive, I love you, Im running to operate, Harlinskaya recounted recently. One call finally lasted a few minutes. She said that there were so many wounded, all with serious injuries. She said it was unbearable.

In mid-April, Russian forces broke through Ukrainian defenses at the Ilyich plant and took the troops and medical personnel prisoner. Biiovskas last text message was that day. After that, nothing.

Her family knew through contacts that she was a prisoner. A photo of Biiovska and other medics showed up on a Russian Telegram channel. She was very thin, Harlinskaya said. At the end of August, the Red Cross delivered a letter that Biiovska had written two months earlier.

Biiovskas two sons, ages 19 and 21, now live with their aunt. They ask me every day when their mother will come home, Harlinskaya said.

Her anguish comes through when she talks about the Russians: They have taken our lives and the lives of our loved ones.

A teddy bear demonstrator

Alona Kovals younger sister, Maryna Golinko, is a medic and first lieutenant with the Ukrainian 36th brigade. She was transferred last November from Kyiv to Mariupol, where the start of the war meant a very different mission, evacuating and treating soldiers from the battlefield. It was frightening, Koval said.

The brigade was in the bunkers below the Ilyich steel plant for the final weeks before the citys fall. In one of Golinkos last text messages to her sister before being taking prisoner by Russian soldiers, she described the destruction around her and large numbers of dead and wounded.

I cant describe it all. I sit and cry, wrote Golinko, 28. The last day Ive felt such fear and despair, and desire to live like no time before in my life. In a separate text to her mother, she wrote that it might be her last message and that it made no sense to search for her body.

Then followed what Koval remembers as horrible days when the family didnt know where Golinko was. They finally spotted her in that same photo on the Russian Telegram channel, and they also received a Red Cross-relayed letter in late August. Golinko wrote that she was eating three meals a day and being treated well.

Koval didnt believe a word, though she wanted it to be true. Her fears were confirmed by one of the medics who was freed last month, who said her sister and others were being held in horrible conditions in Russia and regularly beaten.

Just days later, Koval was at Kyivs Independence Square as dozens of relatives of Ukrainian prisoners of war gathered. She held a little teddy bear, a treasured reminder of her sister as she helped demonstrate for the prisoners release.

Maryna wanted to be a medic since she was 5. This was her first patient, Koval explained. We take care of him now because hes so important to us.

Be glad youre alive

At least Yurik Mkrtchians family knows where he was taken after being captured at the Ilyich steel works. And at least they know he survived the explosion that in July killed 53 Ukrainians and wounded 75 at the Olenivka prisoner of war camp in Russian-controlled territory in the east.

Mkrtchian, a 31-year-old anesthesiologist, managed a brief call to his sister Karina the day after the blast.

Im alive, here, and in the same condition, he told her.

About a month later, he sent a letter that he signed a military doctor.

Today is one month in captivity and the words, be glad youre alive, begin to ring tensely in my head, he wrote. I demand only one thing: freedom for me and my work.

His mother longs for her son to be released. Maryna Mkrtchian says she felt joy that so many others were part of the prisoner swap and came up with her own explanation as to why Yurik was not among them.

He must be still needed, she said. There are still prisoners, there are wounded. I cant despair and cry and scream - and not be happy that [another] mother can now hug her son or her daughter.

Months of silence, again

Olha Shapkova and Volodymyr Shapkov met while studying at the Kyiv military academy, and both were stationed in Mariupol before the war. She returned to the capital to give birth to their first child, Yevgeny, in December. Her husband, a surgeon, followed for his sons arrival.

He came to us for a few days and then went back, Shapkova said. I planned to join him, but I didnt make it in time.

They spoke by phone at the beginning of March. Silence followed for months, and as the crisis in Mariupol worsened, she feared he might have been taken prisoner: I monitored the internet, all the Russian Telegram channels, everything I could. But I didnt want to believe it, of course, because its scary.

In early June, Shapkov called from an unknown number and said he was being held in the Olenivka camp. The deadly explosion there was July 29.

I didnt sleep all night, she said. Im a breastfeeding mother. I have to feed the baby. Everything is transferred to the child, all the nerves. He, too, does not sleep, cries, feels everything.

When Russia finally put out a list of the dead, 28-year-old Volodymyr Shapkovs name wasnt on it.

His wife last got a glimpse of him in June when the Russians released two videos of medics they were holding. He was frighteningly thin, she said, but she still was relieved. He had two legs and two arms  thank God.
TRINITY, Ala.  Alex Drueke and Andy Tai Huynh evaded Russian forces for hours, slogging through pine forests and marshes in Ukraine to avoid detection. The U.S. military veterans were left behind  "abandoned," they said  after their Ukrainian task force was attacked, and determined that their best chance of survival was to hike back to their base in Kharkiv.

What followed was an excruciating, often terrifying 104 days in captivity. They were interrogated, subjected to physical and psychological abuse, and given little food or clean water, Drueke and Huynh recalled. Initially, they were taken into Russia, to a detention complex dotted with tents and ringed by barbed wire, they said. Their captors later moved them, first to a "black site" where the beatings worsened, Drueke said, and then to what they called a more traditional prison run by Russian-backed separatists in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.

Drueke, 40, and Huynh, 27, met with The Washington Post for three hours at the home of Huynh's fiancee, Joy Black, in this rural town of about 2,500 outside Huntsville. It was their first extensive media interview since being freed on Sept. 21 as part of a sprawling prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine.

Each man lost nearly 30 pounds during the ordeal, they said, suffering injuries most evident in the red and purple welts still present where their wrists were bound. Their account provides disturbing new insight into how Russia and its proxy forces in Ukraine treat those taken off the battlefield.

The Russian embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.

Drueke and Huynh went to Ukraine despite stern warnings from the U.S. State Department that taking up arms against Russian forces was unsafe and ill-advised. They joined the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine, a force comprising hundreds of Americans, Europeans and other foreign nationals who responded to public entreaties from the country's president, Volodymyr Zelensky.

Drueke and Huynh said they are grateful to be alive and free, and to have had each other's support and friendship through their captivity. They expressed no regret. Their goals now, they said, are to draw attention to Ukraine's military needs, and raise awareness about another American veteran with whom they were imprisoned, Suedi Murekezi, who shared a cell with them for weeks but was not included in the prisoner swap. He's among the handful of U.S. citizens detained by Russia for whom a diplomatic breakthrough has so far proved elusive.

"Alex and I never did this to become famous," Huynh said. "We never wanted to become famous."

One day of combat

Drueke, a U.S. Army veteran, and Huynh, who served in the Marines, said they were compelled to act after seeing images, early in the war, of Ukrainian families fleeing their homes as Russian forces leveled cities in their savage but ultimately failed bid to seize the capital, Kyiv, and topple Zelensky's Western-backed government.

Drueke had been living with family members in Tuscaloosa, Ala., after being diagnosed as a 100-percent combat disabled veteran with post-traumatic stress, he said. He'd grown enthusiastic about long-distance mountain hiking. Huynh, a California native, had moved to northern Alabama to be with his fiancee, taking community college classes and working as a delivery driver for O'Reilly Auto Parts.

Huynh left the United States on April 8 to join a humanitarian group helping in Ukraine, he said. Drueke left four days later, believing that his experience during the Iraq War and familiarity with Western weapons could prove helpful to Ukrainian forces, he said.

Within days, they signed contracts with the foreign legion in Lviv, in western Ukraine near Poland's border, joining the same battalion and receiving AK-74 rifles for training far from the fighting. They had brought their own camouflage uniforms and other equipment.

Both adopted noms de guerre. Drueke was named "Bama," in honor of his home state. Huynh went by "Hate," a shortened version of "Reaper of Hate," a moniker he used in online video games.

"It was kind of a satire name because I'm not really a hateful person," Huynh said. "Quite the opposite."

"We called him Care Bear," Drueke interjected with a laugh.

The men decided that "their skills could be better applied elsewhere" in the war, and requested a release from the contract they had signed with their first unit, Drueke said. For the next few weeks, they traveled the country by bus and train in what they called "vacation mode," meeting with Ukrainian military officials about possible opportunities and marveling as civilians returned to their homes in and around the capital.

With time running out on their 90-day visas, they connected in Kyiv with a representative from Task Force Baguette, a military unit affiliated with the foreign legion that included French soldiers and other Westerners. The unit promised a Ukrainian military contract, allowing them to stay in the country and fight. This time, they were sent east and issued Czech-made CZ 208 rifles, to a base close to Russia's border.

Their first mission, in early June, would be their last.

That morning, the unit left Kharkiv in a pickup truck and two small sport-utility vehicles, heading north. Their assignment was to launch small drones, watch for Russian military forces and report what they saw, Drueke said.

But the unit was ambushed, and in the ensuring firefight everyone scattered, the Americans said. Drueke, Huynh and their team leader began searching for a machine-gunner and sniper who'd gone missing, only to learn that other members of the unit had taken their vehicles - and most of their food and water  and returned to base without them, Drueke said.

A representative for Task Force Baguette denied that Drueke and Huynh were left behind, saying the team scattered in five groups and that each had to make it back to safety on their own "as nobody knew what happened to the others." He declined to elaborate. In a tweet, the unit celebrated their release, thanking them for their service and calling Drueke and Huynh "heroes."

Drueke and Huynh declined to detail the precise location or nature of their capture, but acknowledged opening fire during the ambush. After they were taken into custody, they were stripped of their gear and weapons, and bound. As they crossed the border into Russia, Drueke said, their captors noted their new location, slugged them in the gut, and said "Welcome to Russia."

The beatings

The Americans were blindfolded for most of the next few days, they said. Occasionally, their captors would take them off, allowing them to catch a glimpse of their surroundings. The Russians hid their faces behind tan balaclavas.

The camp, the Americans said, was a "tent city," with six or seven prisoners of war held in each tent, Huynh said. Twin chain-link fences and barbed wire surrounded the compound.

The interrogations there, Drueke said, were "horrible." The Russians appeared to doubt that they were rank-and-file members of a Ukrainian military unit. They asked Drueke and Huynh repeatedly if they were with the CIA, the Americans recalled. They ordered them onto their hands and knees, leaving them like that until their feet grew numb. If they moved, they were beaten, they recalled. At night, Drueke and Huynh were forced to remain on their feet for hours at a time to prevent them from sleeping.

"They really thought that we had been sent by our government, or had a large amount of government support," Drueke said. "They really wanted to make sure we weren't lying about that  and they had their ways of doing that."

Most of the prisoners appeared to be Ukrainian, the Americans said. One who spoke English appeared to possibly be a British national. In the Sept. 21 prisoner swap, five British citizens also were freed, along with individuals from Morocco, Sweden and Croatia, more than 200 Ukrainians, 55 Russian troops and a close acquaintance of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Four days later, the Americans were on the move again, they said, taken to a black site detention center in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, where Russian separatists have power. The prisoners traveled for hours with bags over their heads, the Americans said, and swapped vehicles four times.

Drueke realized Huynh was with him only because he was tossed on top of him in one of the vehicles, prompting Huynh to respond with an "ouch" that Drueke recognized, he said. In such a dire situation, it was a relief.

Inside the black site

Their treatment worsened at the next location, they said.

Most of the detainees were kept in a cold basement divided into tiled cells, each about 5 feet long and 2 feet wide, Huynh recalled. They received a loaf of bread each day, along with water that often appeared to be contaminated. Huynh said he could hear screams  and cries of pain  as interrogations were conducted.

"That was one of the worst parts," Huynh said. "Hearing people being hurt and not being able to do anything about it."

Upstairs, a slightly larger room was used for solitary confinement. Huynh spent the first two days there before Drueke was put there for several weeks. About 80 songs of popular music, including from the rapper Eminem and the German metal band Rammstein, were pumped into the room on rotation for days, they said, shattering the peace but allowing them to mark the passage of time.

"They really, really kept us separate there," Drueke said. "There were times where I would go days without hearing anything about Andy and a lot of times I was like, 'Man, they killed him.' "

Beatings continued, which some of their captors seeming to relish dispensing more than others. A British man, Paul Urey, suffered beatings at the same facility and died there, Drueke and Huynh said. Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba announced Sept. 7 that the Ukrainian government had recovered Urey's body and that it had "signs of possible unspeakable torture."

Many of the questions posed by interrogators seemed nonsensical, asking the Americans to identify photographs of people they did not know and detail events in which they had no involvement. One of the men spoke near-fluent English, while another knew only some, Drueke said. He believes they were Russian intelligence officials.

In the upstairs room, Drueke and Huynh each were ordered to make phone calls to seemingly random organizations in the United States, many not equipped to help them.

At one point, the captors told Drueke to call the Veterans Crisis Line, a service that provides mental health support to American military personnel after they leave the service. Drueke said he tried to dissuade them from doing it because it made no sense, but his captors insisted.

"They look at me and go, 'You are a veteran. This is a crisis!' " Drueke recalled, imitating their accent.

Many of the phone calls went nowhere, getting lost in a maze of telephone switchboards, voice-mail boxes and Americans who appeared to question whether the pleas for help were legitimate. But a representative on the crisis hotline offered Drueke numbers for the State Department and another federal agency, possibly the Federal Protective Service, a law enforcement outfit affiliated with the Department of Homeland Security Someone picked up on the second number, Drueke said, and they took his information and promised to help. It was a glimmer of hope.

A State Department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the agency, said it takes seriously its commitment to assist U.S. citizens overseas, with U.S. diplomatic facilities putting after-hours duty officers on staff to deal with life-or-death emergencies.

"When U.S. citizens are being held in active war zones, it is impossible to provide in-person assistance," the official said. "Regardless of the challenges, we make every effort to provide assistance to U.S. citizens and their families."

The captors, who were armed, ordered Drueke and Huynh to appear in propaganda interviews that appeared on Russian state media, and observed as they were recorded, Drueke said. In one published June 17, they expressed frustration with corruption in the Ukrainian military and warned other Americans to "think twice" about joining the war effort. Drueke said it still bothers him that he had to say such things.

'I actually prayed for death'

The Americans, along with several other prisoners, were moved again about four weeks later, Drueke and Huynh said. Joining them was Murekezi, a U.S. Air Force veteran who was sent to the black site after being detained in the southern city of Kherson in June. He had been living and working in Ukraine when Russia invaded, and declined to leave the country. Russia-backed separatists abducted him and accused him of a hate crime, said Sele Murekezi, Suedi's brother, who lives in Minnesota.

There were no beatings at the next facility, but conditions were still abysmal, the Americans said. Bedbugs gnawed at their skin, leaving the walls of their cell streaked with blood, Huynh said. His arms and back remained heavily scarred by the insects more than a week after he was released.

The Americans had no idea that a prisoner swap was under discussion, and questioned if it was true even after they were removed from their cells and told they were going home. Their hands and eyes were bound excruciatingly tight with packing tape for their flight to a small Russian airstrip, in circumstances that they described as agonizingly painful but declined to detail fully.

"For me personally, it was the absolute worst," Drueke said. "I realized a lot of times throughout that I could die, or that I was close to death, or that I probably was going to die. But that was the only time that I actually prayed for death."

When they landed, they were greeted by Saudi medical personnel. They were whisked from there to Riyadh, where they met with State Department personnel and called loved ones.

The two men are still receiving medical care. Both have numbness in their hands, a possible symptom of nerve damage, they said. Drueke believes he may have cracked four ribs. Huynh is struggling with short-term memory loss and said that his mind "deteriorated" in captivity.

The pair are interested in helping the U.S. government by relating their experiences at the hands of Putin's forces, they said. Other Americans, including WNBA star Brittney Griner and Marine Corps veteran Paul Whelan, are incarcerated inside Russia on what the Biden administration considers bogus criminal convictions unrelated to the war.

"It sounds trite, but we were given a second chance on life," Drueke said. "I feel like our experiences, if we handle them the right way, we potentially have a lot to give the world."

The Washington Post's Alice Crites contributed to this report.
(Lizzie Coombes)

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rices blockbuster musical Evita made Eva Peron, the second wife of Argentinian president Juan Peron, a pop culture icon. Now, can an anarchic UK theatre double act do the same for his third wife Isabel, whose remarkable story is largely unknown?

Isabel Peron, one of the first female republican heads of state in the world, served as president of Argentina between 1974 and 197. Rebecca Biscuit and Louise Mothersole, who make up multi-award-winning duo Sh!t Theatre, are to turn her life into a musical, Evita Too, which opens at Soho Theatre this week.

Evita Too condenses Isabels story into a two-woman disco dictator mega-musical. It had to be a musical, says Mothersole, because its such an unbelievable story and a musical is a format where you suspend your disbelief.

Choosing such a playful way to tell this story is typical of Sh!t Theatre, who for more than 10 years, have been developing a distinctive style of irreverent documentary theatre, which resulted in one reviewer labelling them younger drunker Louis Therouxs.

Louise Mothersole, left, and Rebecca Biscuit in rehearsals for Evita Too (Zbigniew Kotkiewicz)

Past shows have included Guinea Pigs on Trial, in which they explored the pharmaceutical industry and attempted to sign themselves up for medical trials, and Letters to Windsor House, in which they used the mail intended for previous tenants at the flat they used to share to tell a story of Londons precarious rental market.

They first heard of Isabel Peron in Belfast when they were touring an earlier piece, Dollywould!, about their enduring love of Dolly Parton. Dollywould, which sold out its Edinburgh run in 2017, includes a sequence about a Tennessee body farm, a place where scientists can study decaying corpses, which prompted a discussion about the peculiar fate of the body of Eva Peron after she died  also detailed in the recent Disney+ mini-series Santa Evita, based on the book by Tomas Eloy Martinez.

Following the military coup in Argentina in 1955, no one knew what to do with Perons embalmed body, and eventually she was taken out of the country. When Juan Peron discovered the whereabouts of his late wifes corpse, 14 years later, he had it exhumed and brought to Spain, where he was living with Isabel.

Story continues

Rather macabrely, Perons new wife ended up sharing a home with the corpse of her predecessor. There are accounts of diplomats walking into their bedroom after a drunken party and finding the corpse at the end of the bed where they were sleeping, Biscuit says.

Mothersole and Biscuit became increasingly fascinated by the idea of Isabel personally overseeing the repair of the by-now somewhat damaged body, brushing her hair and painting her nails. Who would do that? asks Biscuit.

While they initially envisioned a show in which Perons corpse featured prominently, this idea evolved as they started researching Isabels story, and became more enamoured with the young dancer who first met Peron, who was 35 years her senior, when he was exiled in Panama.

They read every book they could on her  Biscuit speaks Spanish which helped in this respect  and drained the internet dry. Their research took them to Buenos Aires and, when they realised that Isabel was still alive, in her 90s and living in Madrid, they went there too though they didnt get to meet her.

Louise Mothersole and Rebecca Biscuit in Buenos Aires during research for Evita Too

In Argentina, they found that Isabel remains a controversial figure. The duo set out to explore some of the myths that have built up around her and the way her history has been rewritten. Some of the biographies really have it in for her, says Biscuit. In Europe shes associated with fascism and dirty war, though she was a victim of the military junta, says Mothersole, adding that theyve already been called fascist apologists because of this show.

It will, they stress, acknowledge that she was a complex figure. Were playing with the information that people receive in the show, and when they receive it, to colour and control peoples experience of what she is like as a person, Biscuit says.

As theatre-makers theyve never shied away from complexity and mess in their work. A good example of this is their recent show Sh!t Theatre Drink Rum with Expats. That led them to visit Malta with the intention of making a show about Brexit and ex-pat culture, with the research involving drinking pints in the pub where Oliver Reed died. But the show eventually became a far darker and hard-hitting, if still very funny, piece about Maltese corruption, the migrant crisis and the murder of journalist Daphne Carauna Galizia.

Biscuit and Mothersole have performed together for over a decade now. They had hoped to stage a 10-year best-of Sh!t Theatre but the pandemic put a stop to that. The pair started honing their performance style early, influenced by workshops with renowned performance artists Lois Weaver. The white face paint they wear during their shows was inspired by another famous performance artist, Taylor Mac, who at the time wore thick face paint while performing.

When a friend saw some of their cardboard props and casually remarked that, you really do make shit theatre, the phrase chimed with the DIY vibe we were going for, says Biscuit, and so they stuck with it.

Costume plays a big part in their work and, over the years, theyve dressed up as post-boxes, sea captains, and, in the case of the Dolly Parton show, a pair of giant breasts (causing one droll reviewer to say they were literally titting about)

In addition to their documentary pieces, they also make pop culture-driven work like Sh!t Actually, an anarchic love-hate tribute to the Richard Curtis movie Love Actually, which featured Powerpoint porn and loop pedals, and to which at least one audience member has turned up expecting more straight-faced take on their favourite film  he came to their dressing room later to say how much he liked it  and a seasonal Sing-along-a-Muppet Christmas Carol that has become something of a cult fringe hit.

They no longer share a flat  Mothersole has moved to Leeds, while Biscuit lives on a houseboat in London with her dog Nala  but they still continue to make work together.

Evita Too has evolved over the course of making it. They originally planned something larger in scale, but the pandemic forced them to rethink it. As they made the show, theyve grown to love this woman and are keen for people to find out about her.

Theres a burden and a responsibility to telling her story which theyre both aware of  for much of the audience it will be their first introduction to Isabel  but they hope to do justice to her wild narrative as far as possible. Though, as Mothersole points out, if we told her whole story, it would be five shows long.

Evita Too is at Soho Theatre from September 27 to October 15; sohotheatre.com
BOZEMAN, Mont.  Were heading down the runway, gaining speed for takeoff when the pilot says it calmly, matter-of-fact and without warning: afterburner.

I can barely make him out over the roar of the engines, but then the MiG-29 fighter jet were strapped into leaps to what feels like warp speed, points up severely and starts banking right with a force that shifts the horizon and fills me with a flash of panic. It feels like some part of me is left on the tarmac  my stomach most likely, or perhaps a vital organ. Its a hollow, unbalanced sensation that leaves me with an unsettling thought: Im in real trouble.

I knew we would fly fast and forceful. That we would pull serious Gs and go inverted. That, after all, is why were here. The pilot is an experienced aviator and astronaut, who is training to lead his next space mission the same way John Glenn, Alan Shepard and the rest of the Mercury astronauts with the right stuff did at the dawn of the space race.

Only, the pilot sitting in front of me in the cockpit is no NASA astronaut. He never served in the military. Rather, Jared Isaacman is a tech billionaire who dropped out of high school to start his company and is now in the vanguard of the new Space Age.

Last year, Isaacman, who is 39, and three other private citizens completed a historic mission, flying around Earth in a SpaceX capsule for three days in the first all-civilian spaceflight to orbit, known as Inspiration4. Recently, he has commissioned three more flights from SpaceX, the California company founded by Elon Musk, in what amounts to a private spaceflight endeavor that seeks to open a frontier in commercial spaceflight with what he calls the Polaris Program.

Isaacman, who has not said how much he paid for the Inspiration4 flight, or the Polaris Program, has said he intends to break new ground with each of the flights by leveraging SpaceXs growing capabilities.

In the first of those missions  scheduled for March  Isaacman, two SpaceX engineers (Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon) and a former Air Force pilot (Scott Kidd Poteet) are planning to spend up to five days in orbit and fly deeper than any human spaceflight mission since the Apollo era. But perhaps the most daring part of what they call the Polaris Dawn mission is that they intend to attempt a spacewalk and become the first private citizens to do so.

The next of those flights could end up going to NASAs Hubble Space Telescope, docking with it and raising its orbit, which in turn would extend its life. For now, NASA and SpaceX are only studying whether that is possible. But during a news conference Thursday, Isaacman said it would certainly fit within the kind of the parameters we established for the Polaris Program.

The third flight would be the first human flight of SpaceXs next-generation Starship rocket.

To prepare, his crew has already been scuba diving, which simulates weightlessness, and summited the more than 19,000-foot-high Cotopaxi volcano in Ecuador as a team-building exercise. Theyve also experienced a zero-G flight in a 727 airplane that flies in parabolas and gives passengers about 30 seconds of weightlessness at a time, and they spend hours training at SpaceX headquarters in simulators as well as a mock-up of the Dragon spacecraft.

Now Im here with a few other journalists, SpaceX employees and people who have supported Isaacman in his spacefaring endeavors to participate in the fighter jet training portion of the program.

The idea is to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, says Isaacman, who founded Shift4 Payments, which processes more than $200 billion annually. Spaceflight is a difficult, scary endeavor that doesnt come with a game-over button. On the Inspiration4 flight, a couple of crew members got sick on the first day, as often happens in space. The toilet broke, sounding an alarm.

You can easily see any kind of just normal human being like, You know what? Ive had enough. Im ready to come home now. I dont feel good, and Ive got no bathroom and I just want it to end,  Isaacman says. But it doesnt work that way in spaceflight.

So he takes the crew to the mountains, where people are unhappy and cold and wet. And in rollicking fighter jet rides that simulate the gravitational force of a rocket taking off or reentering Earths atmosphere.

The simulators at SpaceX are great for training, but you can walk out of the simulator and go get a cup of coffee, he says. In a jet, there is no escape.

For decades, NASAs astronauts have trained in T-38 jets, breaking the sound barrier, pushing limits, getting used to operating in conditions that strain body and mind. So much of astronaut training is done on the ground, except when they step into those fighters.

Its actually the most important training that we do as astronauts, former NASA astronaut Terry Virts once said. Its the one place where were not in a simulator. Its real flying and if you make a mistake, you can get hurt or break something or run out of gas. There are a lot of things that happen in the real world in a T-38 that dont happen in the simulator.

Isaacman owns a fleet of fighter jets  the MiG he acquired from the estate of the late Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft and a fellow space enthusiast. Isaacman may be a civilian, but hes an elite pilot who turned a lifelong passion into an enterprise. In 2009, he shattered the record for the fastest flight around the world. Hes flown in air shows and founded a company, Draken International, that provided training to U.S. military pilots.

As he performs a series of last-minute safety checks, I strap in. Helmet on, the sweet, rancid scent of jet fuel engulfing a cockpit already made claustrophobic with all sorts of levers and switches I dare not touch. It all feels real to me, and I check my heart rate on my Apple watch. Were close to takeoff but still on terra firma, and yet I can feel the throb of my pulse. Sitting atop the Saturn V rocket that propelled the Apollo 11 crew to the moon, Neil Armstrongs was 110 beats per minute.

Here, sitting on the runway, mine is 117.

Isaacman hits the afterburner, injecting a burst of fuel that ignites the exhaust and gives us additional thrust as we lift off. He banks the jet hard right, bringing the ground into clear focus. I dont look at my watch again. I dont want to see what ugly numbers appear.

The discomfort that accompanies takeoff comes as a shock. Im strapped into the seat, tethered by twin harnesses that come over my shoulders and across my chest as well as another pair across my thighs, so that I can barely move. And yet I feel a deep sense of unbalance, as if in free fall, which makes no sense given that Im strapped in tighter than a baby in a car seat.

Its a wholly unfamiliar sensation that, thankfully, comes with a precedent. Ive never flown in a fighter jet before, but I have flown on a zero-G flight, and the sensation of being well outside my comfort zone  and the fear that accompanies it  is familiar. And so when Isaacman levels the jet and asks me how Im doing, I reply that Im fine. I dont know that thats entirely true, but my stomach  or whatever part of me that had gone missing - has returned. I feel balanced again, comfortable  ready, I think, for what is to come.

The MiG is no comparison to SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket. The top speed is Mach 2, or twice the speed of sound. SpaceXs towering rocket is powered by nine engines that shoot the Dragon spacecraft into orbit at Mach 22. Still, the MiG is an impressive piece of machinery  a Formula One racecar with wings  that leaps when Isaacman wants it to.

Over the next half-hour, we fly in formation, with another pair of fighter jets unsettlingly close. We do a roll, flying upside down for an instant  a topsy-turvy sensation that mimics the disorienting feel of space, where there is no up or down. To keep from getting nauseous, I keep my head still, my gaze on the horizon, and watch the world twirl  the ground where the sky used to be.

Isaacman banks hard to the right and left, increasing the force of gravity, which makes me feel as if there is a crushing weight on my chest. Ultimately, we pull about 6 Gs, or six times the force of gravity. But thankfully, Im wearing a pair of pants that automatically inflates whenever we start pulling Gs. The pressure from the suit keeps the blood in my torso, preventing lightheadedness or, in more serious circumstances, loss of consciousness.

Each pass gives me more confidence. What was once intimidating is now fun. Then, I can tell, the flight is nearly over. Were heading back to the tarmac, and now, comfortable being uncomfortable, I want more. Just one more roll? I ask. But the other jets have joined us in formation, and itd be too dangerous.

Still, Isaacman assures me, the flights not over yet. He points the jet low and roars past the hangar, where people are outside watching and waving. Another blast of the afterburner and he banks high and right again into the deep blue sky, and as I lean into the turn, Im grateful to be aloft just a while longer.
Convicted killer Derek Del Boy Hutch has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving while under the influence of cannabis

Derek Del Boy Hutch has been arrested by gardai on suspicion of dangerous driving while under the influence of cannabis, following a collision with a woman while riding his motorbike.

The convicted killer (37) was recently questioned by officers from Store Street garda station in Dublin after his blood sample was returned to investigating gardai after having tested positive for cannabis.

Investigators have now sent a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) recommending that the nephew of Gerry The Monk Hutch face criminal charges in connection with the crash.

The collision on Amiens Street in the city centre at lunchtime on Friday, May 27, left a Ukrainian woman with serious head injuries. She had only recently fled her native war-torn country.

The cannabis isnt necessarily the main issue, but forms part of the potential dangerous driving charge, a source said.

"The main problem is that he was driving at such high speeds  like a bat out of hell  when he hit the poor unsuspecting woman.

"There is good CCTV of the crash and also specialist scenes of crime evidence that prove he was driving extremely fast and recklessly. The garda case against Del Boy is considered very strong, a source said.

Hutch is accused of doing a U-turn away from gardai just prior to the collision, sparking an investigation by the Garda Ombudsman.

It is understood that Hutch spotted gardai in Fairview, about 2km from the scene, who were searching for a well-known north Dublin crime boss known as Mr Big.

Investigators are unclear whether Hutch was due to meet Mr Big when he spotted gardai and fled, or whether it was just a coincidence.

Officers carrying out the search on Mr Big in Fairview didnt know it was Del Boy on the bike  but they did put out an alert that a man on a motorbike did a very obvious and suspicious turn. But there was no garda chase, added the source.

Hutch passed an alcohol breath test at the scene of the collision. He suffered minor injuries but was taken to hospital, where investigating detectives secured a routine blood sample.

There was no chase  but even so, gardai opted to refer the matter to the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc), as this could be viewed as a potential garda interaction with Hutch ahead of the crash, a senior source explained.

Derek Del Boy Hutch has been heavily involved in organised crime for years.

He was only released from prison last year, after serving lengthy jail terms for manslaughter and armed robbery.
Kerryman O Leidhin (38), who worked as a political reporter, was found guilty in May of the sexual assault of a woman

An RTE journalist who was fired from his job and jailed for 15 months after he was found guilty of sexual assault is to appeal his prison sentence.

Micheal O Leidhin, a 38-year old Kerryman who worked as a political reporter for Raidio na Gaeltachta, was found guilty in May of the sexual assault of a woman.

O Leidhin, of Sunnyside, Malahide Road, Artane, Dublin, is serving an 18-month sentence with three months suspended since August 1.

He lodged appeals against both his conviction and sentence on July 27, but the legal diary only shows an appeal against his sentence scheduled for a Court of Appeal hearing this week.

At a sentencing hearing last July, his barrister said O Leidhin accepted the jurys verdict.

At the Central Criminal Court, Garda Niall Freyne told Michael Delaney SC how the complainant was in a Dublin pub in May 2018 with a female friend when they met O Leidhin, who knew her friend.

The group went to another pub and the woman and O Leidhin kissed. At the end of the night, O Leidhin asked the woman back to his flat in south Dublin.

In the journalists home they engaged in consensual sexual foreplay.

Former RTE journalist Micheal O Leidhin (38)

O Leidhin suggested they have penetrative sex but the woman said no, but left open the possibility that they could do this the next morning, Mr Delaney SC told the court.

The woman gave evidence that she woke up to find O Leidhin lying on top of her groping her breasts.

She told him to get off, the court heard. The woman said she was confused and annoyed and told O Leidhin it was weird he had done this while she slept.

She told the court she absolutely did not consent. They went back to sleep and O Leidhin later gave the woman a lift home.

The court heard they spoke later that day via phone and texts and the woman expressed her unhappiness about what happened.

O Leidhin called over to her house and they spoke for about an hour.

Mr Delaney SC said they agreed to differ and there was no contact between them after that. The woman reported the incident to gardai a year later.

In a statement to gardai, O Leidhin said that when he woke on the night he had wanted to resume the sexual activity they had engaged in earlier. He said he was trying to wake the woman to continue fooling around. He said she asked him to stop and he did.

In her victim impact statement, she said she felt grief and distress and felt totally disconnected from reality.

The woman said relationships with her family had become strained and she had lost her social circle and many friends.

She said she had not been able to progress in her career, but became depressed and suicidal. The woman said she believed if society supported victims better, she would not have had to deal with such devastating losses.

The only person responsible for the relationships and friendships she had lost was O Leidhin, she said, and yet she had been shamed and blamed because of what he did to her.

Judge Karen OConnor said aggravating factors in the case were the effect on the victim, who spoke in a compelling manner about her trauma and her sense of being violated when she slept.

In mitigation, the court heard O Leidhin was of previous good character, a hard-working scholarship student, who was very highly qualified and had an impressive work history.
The mens presence at the Dowdalls home on the Navan Road led to a major Garda response

Gardai at the area where Gately and Hutch were spotted

A convicted killer and a Hutch gang lieutenant who has survived a number of Kinahan cartel attempts on his life were at the centre of a major Garda alert this week after they called to the home of former Sinn Fein councillor Jonathan Dowdall.

The Sunday World understands Derek Del Boy Hutch and James Mago Gately were identified from the propertys CCTV footage  while the identity of a third man who was driving the car is also known to gardai.

The mens presence at the Dowdalls home on the Navan Road led to a major Garda response  as it occurred just 24 hours after Jonathan Dowdall and his father Patrick pleaded guilty to a charge of facilitating the Regency Hotel murder of David Byrne.

Jonathan Dowdall had been due to go on trial tomorrow afternoon for the Byrne murder, alongside Gerry The Monk Hutch who is also charged with the same offence.

However, at a brief hearing in the Special Criminal Court last Wednesday, both son and father entered guilty pleas to the charge of facilitating the murder of David Byrne.

Prosecuting counsel, Sean Gillane said he would be making an application to the court in relation to the murder charge against Jonathan tomorrow.

Thursdays Garda alert at the Dowdall home was initially raised at around 3pm by a relative of the convicted torturer after Gately and Hutch called to the house.

Uniformed officers and members of the Garda Armed Response Unit later converged in the vicinity of a house in Coolock, where the trio had been spotted in a car.

Its understood the men left the car to go inside a house linked to Gately.

James 'Mago' Gately

The officers present were subsequently stood down as there was no evidence to suggest the men had engaged in any criminal wrongdoing.

Derek Del Boy Hutch is a convicted killer and nephew of Gerry Hutch.

He is currently at the centre of an investigation into an incident where he struck and seriously injured an elderly Ukrainian woman with his motorbike.

She was crossing the road at Amiens Street in the city centre on May 27, when she was struck by his motorbike.

The woman, who had only recently fled her native war-torn country, suffered serious head injuries.

Hutch passed an alcohol breath test at the scene of the accident, but the investigation is examining where careless or dangerous driving on his part may have been a factor in the accident.

Derek 'Del Boy' Hutch

The 37-year-old was released from prison in July of last year at the conclusion of a sentence he received for his role in an armed raid in May 2009 in Lucan, west Dublin, during which his pal Gareth Molloy was shot dead by gardai.

He has also served lengthy concurrent sentences for offences including manslaughter, robbery and firearms offences. He received a six-year-sentence in 2011 for the manslaughter of 23-year-old Barry Maguire in 2007 at Milltown Estate in Ashbourne.

James Mago Gately was a top-tier target for the Kinahan cartel during the feud and has survived a number of attempts on his life.

The first plot to kill Gately took place in April 2017 and centred around Estonian hitman Imre Arakas who was brought to Ireland to murder Gately.

The second was in May 2017 when Kinahan-linked gunman Caolan Smyth shot Gately five times at a petrol stationin Dublin but failed to kill him.
Dowdall and his father were due to stand trial with Hutch in connection with the murder

Raiders disguised as Garda armed with AK47 Assault Rifles enter the front door of The Regency Hotel

Gerry The Monk Hutch believes he will face the final betrayal as he stands in the dock of the Special Criminal Court tomorrow.

The veteran criminal, accused of the murder of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel in February 2016, has been placed under observation at Wheatfield Prison as speculation grows that his friend Jonathan Dowdall has turned State witness.

Former Sinn Fein councillor Jonathan Dowdall being released from Wheatfield Prison

Dowdall was due to stand trial with Hutch for murder, but he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge this week under massive security and a veil of secrecy at the Special Criminal Court.

His father Patrick also pleaded guilty to the same charge of facilitating the murder of Byrne at the north Dublin hotel.

Lawyers for the State are expected to address the three judges of the court; Justice Tara Burns, Justice Sarah Berkeley and Justice Grainne Malone tomorrow afternoon and update them on the eleventh hour changes to the trial which could see it adjourned for months.

The Dowdalls were whisked in and out of court this week with no warning and speedily pleaded guilty to facilitating the Regency Hotel attack by renting a room at the hotel which was used by the gunman known as Flat Cap, the late Kevin Murray.

It is expected that the murder charge against Dowdall will be dropped by the State tomorrow.

Raiders disguised as Garda armed with AK47 Assault Rifles enter the front door of The Regency Hotel

It was a far cry from Jonathan Dowdalls days as an up-and-coming Sinn Fein politician when he served as a Dublin City councillor.

After the Dowdalls court appearance, gardai arrested Hutch at Wheatfield Prison and quizzed him about directing a criminal gang in a highly unusual move just days before he stand trial.

Later members of the Emergency Response Unit attended Dowdalls home on the Navan Road where associates of Hutch were reported to have called.

And officers kept a house in Coolock under surveillance for a short period while the Hutch associates were understood to have been inside.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald with former councillor Jonathan Dowdall

Hutch-linked social media platforms have been speculating on Jonathan Dowdalls guilty plea and the possibility he has given a lengthy statement to gardai against his co-accused.

If Dowdall is to give evidence against Hutch it is expected he will be placed in the Witness Protection Programme. The programme managed by the Gardas Crime and Security division is designed to protect witnesses in the run-up to a trial and to help them relocate to a new jurisdiction and with new identities in its aftermath.

While protected witnesses have given evidence in numerous cases since the programme first established for State supergrasses Charlie Bowden and Russell Warren during the trials of those accused of the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin, it has been repeatedly criticised by the judiciary.

It is understood that in Ireland no legislation surrounds the secretive programme. However, evidence given by State witnesses has regularly been accepted and used to convict those charged with serious offences including murder.

Gunmen, including Kevin Murray (right) flee the scene of the attack

Hutch was understood to have been stunned this week when he was told the Dowdalls had pleaded guilty to the lesser offences in relation to the Regency Hotel.

He had no idea that the Director of Public Prosecutions and their lawyers were negotiating behind the scenes about the charges levelled against them and what would be acceptable to the State

The father and son had been granted bail earlier this year in the run-up to the trial but had previously been in custody alongside Hutch, who was extradited from Spain a year ago.

The dramatic developments of the past few days have mirrored the extraordinary events that have led to the much-anticipated Regency trial.

The shooting of David Byrne was a seminal moment in the Irish underworld and resulted in a shocking gangland feud that saw the loss of 18 lives.

It was also the spark that lit an international policing co-operation that has reverberated across Europe and beyond and led to sanctions being levelled against the Kinahan Trans Global Organisation and its leaders Christy Kinahan snr and his sons Daniel and Christopher Jnr.

Patrick Dowdall being released on bail from Wheatfield Prison

This month, their financial control room was targeted when Johnny Morrissey and his wife Nicola were arrested and properties linked to them searched.

Police in Spain are trawling through what they believe to be the accounts of the Kinahan organisation including details of unpaid debts owed to them.

While the Hutch organisation suffered heavy personal losses, with many murder victims linked directly to them, the Kinahan mafia has been systematically dismantled in an unprecedented way with the help of the US Treasury and the powerful DEA.

Gerry Hutch, the man considered the Godfather of the Hutch clan had remained off the Garda radar for at least a decade before a row between his nephew Gary and Daniel Kinahan escalated and resulted in murder.

In the aftermath of the Regency Hotel attack the Kinahan organisation flooded the north inner city with money and bought the loyalties of neighbours and childhood friends of the Hutch group destroying a once close community and pitching pals and family against one another.

The first Regency trial ended when a nolle prosequi was issued in the case of he Monks nephew Patrick Hutch after a senior investigator on the case died.

The same team of officers whose evidence brought Patrick Hutch to trial are involved in the States case against Gerry Hutch and his co-accused Jason Bonney and Paul Murphy, who are both facing gangland charges relating to vehicles used in the murder.

The Special Criminal Court is to be placed under a ring of steel when Hutch, Bonney, Murphy and the Dowdalls appear before the three judges.

It is expected that there will be security outside and inside the courts and that bomb sweeps will be conducted.

If the trial is not disrupted by the recent developments with the Dowdalls it is expected to last around three months. However, if they have given new statements it is likely that Hutchs legal team will apply for an adjournment to consider the new evidence.
Two men were arrested on Saturday morning following a search operation in which a number of residences were raided

Gardai in Limerick have charged a male, aged in his 30s, arrested yesterday in relation to a seizure of cannabis herb valued at approximately 40,000 and a quantity of cocaine.

He is due to appear before a special sitting of Limerick District Court (sitting in Kilmallock) this afternoon, Sunday 2nd October 2022 at 1.30pm.

Two men were arrested on Saturday morning following a search operation in which a number of residences were raided.

During the search of one home, cannabis herb with an estimated street value of 30,000 was seized as well as 1,250 in cash.

During the search of another residence, Gardai also seized cannabis herb valued at approximately 40,000 and cocaine valued at approximately 1,000 during the search of a separate residence.

Investigations are ongoing.
Early reports indicate one man has died in the shooting which eyewitnesses say appeared to be a well planned professional hit.

It is understood two people have been shot in west Belfast.

Police are at the scene of a fatal shooting at the social club in west Belfast.

Early reports indicate one man has died in the shooting which eyewitnesses say appeared to be a well planned professional hit.

The victim is said to be a close friend of Jim JD" Donegan, who was gunned down in December 2018.

He had been drinking with friends in the Suffolk Road social club when he was shot dead in front of horrified onlookers. Part of Suffolk Road is closed and a number of diversions are in place.

Two masked gunmen are believed to have entered the club, at least one opened fire with a handgun.

Unconfirmed reports suggest the victim, who is from west Belfast but had been living in Lisburn, was shot up to nine times and died almost instantly.

The PSNI said: We are currently at the scene of a shooting incident in the Suffolk Road area of West Belfast.

No further details have as yet been released.

There were two emergency crews at the scene shortly after the shooting but no one was brought out of the club into the ambulances.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph an eye witness who was in the premises said police moved them to a different part of the club to preserve the crime scene.

Relatives of the victim gathered in the car park as police cordoned off the scene.

The police helicopter was overhead.

The gunmen walked from the club and left the carpark on foot.

Jim Donegan, 43, was shot dead sitting behind the wheel of an 80,000 Porsche as he waited to pick up his 13-year-old son outside St Mary's Grammar School on the Glen Road in 2018.

Dissident republicans were said to be behind the killing of the west Belfast man who was a major player in the drugs trade.

His murder took place less than a mile from Sundays fatal shooting.
He had been drinking with friends in the Suffolk Road social club when he was shot dead in front of horrified onlookers.

Officers from the PSNI at the scene of a shooting at the clubhouse of Donegal Celtic Football Club, in west Belfast. Liam McBurney/PA Wire   PA

Officers from the PSNI stand beside an ambulance at the scene of a shooting at the clubhouse of Donegal Celtic Football Club, in west Belfast. (Liam McBurney/PA Wire)   PA

A murder investigation has been launched after a man was shot dead at a social club in west Belfast.

Two masked men reportedly entered the premises shortly before 2.30pm on Sunday, police have said in a statement, and shot the man a number of times.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Eyewitnesses have said that it appeared to be a well planned "professional hit.

The victim is said to be a close friend of Jim JD Donegan, who was gunned down in December 2018.

He had been drinking with friends in the Suffolk Road social club when he was shot dead in front of horrified onlookers. Part of Suffolk Road is closed and a number of diversions are in place.

Unconfirmed reports suggest the victim, who is from west Belfast but had been living in Lisburn, was shot up to nine times and died almost instantly.

Officers from the PSNI at the scene of a shooting at the clubhouse of Donegal Celtic Football Club, in west Belfast. Liam McBurney/PA Wire   PA

Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell said: Both gunmen are believed to have made their escape on foot along Suffolk Road.

The investigation is at a very early stage and I would urge to anyone with information or anyone who was in the Suffolk Road area at the time the shooting took place and seen two men running from the club or who may have captured dashcam footage to contact us on 101 quoting reference number 1120 02/10/22.

There were two emergency crews at the scene shortly after the shooting but no one was brought out of the club into the ambulances.

The charity Air Ambulance was also tasked to the incident with HEMS crew on board.

The scene on Suffolk Road in west Belfast where a man has been shot dead in the Donegal Celtic social club. Jonathan Porter/PressEye

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph an eyewitness who was in the premises said police moved them to a different part of the club to preserve the crime scene.

The PSNI helicopter was overhead as relatives of the victim gathered in the car park as police cordoned off the scene.

Sinn Fein MP Paul Maskey has said the community is in shock after the shooting.

I condemn those responsible. There is no place for guns on our streets, he said.

Anyone with information on this shooting should immediately bring it forward to the police.

Police crime tape blocking the scene of a shooting at the clubhouse of Donegal Celtic Football Club, in west Belfast. Liam McBurney/PA Wire   PA

Alliance MLA Nuala McAllister has condemned the sickening attack which has "left the entire city shocked, particularly as it took place in the middle of the afternoon in public.

Ms McAllister, an Alliance Policing Board representative, added that her thoughts are with the loved ones of the victim, who have been left grieving following this brutal act, carried out by those who dont speak for anyone in the community.

"Guns have no place in our society and the culprits need to be taken off our streets immediately.

SDLP councillor Brian Heading added that the incident has cast a dark cloud over the entire area.

"People in this community want to be able to live their lives in peace and this shooting in broad daylight in a busy establishment must be condemned in the strongest possible terms by all, he said.

People are rightly concerned at the presence of gunmen on our streets and I would urge anyone who knows anything about this shooting to come forward to police as soon as possible. We need these people apprehended to protect the community and ensure that nothing like this happens again.

Mr Donegan, 43, was shot dead sitting behind the wheel of an 80,000 Porsche as he waited to pick up his 13-year-old son outside St Mary's Grammar School on the Glen Road.

Dissident republicans were said to be behind the killing of the west Belfast man who was a major player in the drugs trade.

His murder took place less than a mile from Sundays fatal shooting.
The youngster remains too ill to identify her attacker to gardai

Gardai at the scene where a child was found badly injured in Ennis, Co Clare. Photo: Press 22

Gardai at the scene where a child was found badly injured in Ennis, Co Clare. Photo: Press 22

Prayers will be said this morning for recovery of the 8-year-old Ukrainian girl who was discovered stabbed 74-times in her emergency accommodation in Clare earlier this week.

The youngster, who had fled Putins War in her home country with her mum, remains in a critical condition in Crumlin Childrens Hospital where she underwent emergency surgery on Tuesday night.

Its understood it may be several days before she is considered well enough to speak with specialist detectives about the attack.

Despite being the victim of a frenzied knife attack, its understood the childs attacker did not strike any of her vital organs.

Nevertheless, her injuries have been described as life-changing.

Gardai at the scene where a child was found badly injured in Ennis, Co Clare. Photo: Press 22

Sources said gardai are following a definite line of inquiry in connection with the attack on the child and have identified a suspect however no arrests have been made to date

Speaking yesterday, Fr. Pat Malone, parish priest of Clarecastle & Ballyea Parish, confirmed that prayers will be offered this morning for the little girl and her mother, who was also discovered unconscious at the scene.

We will be praying for them at the morning mass, he told the Sunday World.

We will be praying for the recovery of the little girl and her mum.

People in the parish have been very shocked by this and everyone in the area is just wishing the very best for the families involved.

The girls mother also remains in a serious condition at Limerick University Hospital but is expected to survive.

As part of the ongoing garda probe, other residents at the familys accommodation at the Old Sunset Lodge B&B have been spoken to.

A number of the residents spoken with by the Sunday World on Friday either did not speak English or declined to comment about what transpired on Tuesday.

Gardai at the scene where a child was found badly injured in Ennis, Co Clare. Photo: Press 22

Both mum and daughter were discovered unconscious inside their rooms at the emergency accommodation centre at around 8am on Tuesday.

The house, which was recently renovated, is occupied by up to 15 Ukrainians.

It is understood that occupants of the house overheard a commotion and attempted to access a room but were unable to do so.

Growing increasingly concerned, one occupant went outside and looked into the window, where they saw the child grievously injured.

When emergency services arrived minutes later, they were met with a horrific scene, a source close to the investigation said.

Emergency services stabilised the child, and she was transferred to Limerick University Hospital.

Due to weather conditions in the south-west on Tuesday, the girl could not be airlifted to Dublin and gardai provided an escort to Crumlin.

Stunned occupants of the property, including several children, were moved by the Cto alternative accommodation locally overnight on Tuesday.

Investigators have spoken to all residents of the house, and it is understood they have identified a suspect and expect to make an arrest.

As part of their enquiries, gardai have established the movements of the mother and child in the 48 hours leading up to the attack.

Gardai are also trying to trace who they may have communicated with.

It is understood that the girl had started attending a local primary school weeks ago.

Locals said they did not know any of the residents as the house only became occupied in recent weeks after lying derelict for years.

I have seen a couple of children going in and out. If she is the child I am thinking of, she is a lovely little thing, said one local woman.

They are only here for maybe three or four weeks.

But you wouldnt see them playing in the front because its on the main road.

There is a large group living there, but nobody would know them.

I dont know what to say or even think about what I am hearing. I didnt realise anything happened until I saw all the guards outside. There are a lot of elderly people living along this stretch of the road, and this is just the last thing you want to happen. It would make you afraid.

The poor child. I hope we get good news about her."

Local Fianna Fail Councillor Pat Daly described the incident as a tragedy for the girl, her mother, and the local community.

It is a tragedy. Its a very sad situation the mother and daughter are in.

This has been an awful shock for the community here too. We didnt know those involved as they had been here a couple of weeks.

We can only wish everyone the best in this most tragic situation, he said.

ENDS
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Siwar Foods has signed an exclusive partnership with Italian Dessert Manufacturer Dolceria Alba. The agreement will see Siwar introduce a range of desserts under its own brand in the KSA market, covering retail and HORECA.

The range includes several semi frozen ice cream (Semi Freddo) desserts including; Chocolate Lava Cake, Wild Berry Cheesecake, Coffee infused Tiramisu and the exotically indulgent Pistachio Cake. Siwar entered the ready to eat market in May 2020 and in a short space of time has become a leading FMCG player in the frozen convenience category with strong retail presence across KSA. Based in Italy, Dolceria Alba started producing high quality desserts in 2006 and the company operates 1 plant in the north west of Italy.

Commenting on the partnership, CEO Loaye Al-Nahedh said: 'we are delighted to be partnering with one of Europe's finest frozen dessert manufacturers. This will, not only, allow us to bring some of the world's best desserts to Saudi customers, but we will benefit from the leading innovation and R&D that Dolceria Alba are known for, ultimately allowing us to anticipate consumer trends in our market '

Mr Carlo Rolle, Commercial Director, Dolceria Alba further added: 'it's a privilege to be working with such a new dynamic player in the FMCG space, this will allow us to penetrate one of the largest untapped countries in the region and ultimately grow with Siwar in other regional markets'

The full range of Siwar's ready to eat meals and desserts can be found in retailers across KSA or ordered online via the Siwar mobile application.

About Siwar Foods: We are a new Saudi FMCG company, focused on redefining the 'time saving' food sector in KSA and the region. Built on an agile business model, we work with leading suppliers to bring ready to eat products, inspired by flavours from around the world, to our market. Our products help people live a better life, without compromising on what's important to them; variety, taste, quality and affordability. We serve consumer and business sectors, with an omni channel presence in retail, online and 'Chef in a Box' vending machines, a first for the region. With our commitment to sustainability and an environmentally friendly business approach, we are proudly aligned to Vision 2030.

Story continues

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1912504/Siwar_Foods_Dolceria_Alba_Logo.jpg

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View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/siwar-foods-signs-an-exclusive-partnership-with-italian-dessert-manufacturer-dolceria-alba-301638449.html

SOURCE Siwar Foods
A video of the incident at Burnside at Lower Main Street in the town has been circulating widely on social media.

Gardai are examining video footage after a man was filmed being brutally attacked while lying on the ground.

The horrific assault took place in Letterkenny, Co Donegal on Thursday last.

A video of the incident at Burnside at Lower Main Street in the town has been circulating widely on social media.

It shows two men fighting before one of the men is knocked to the ground.

Two men then attack him but while one man stops the second man continues to kick the victim in the head a number of times as he lies on the ground.

Letterkenny Garda station

A number of bystanders plead with him to stop as one woman tries to pull the attacker away.

The man continues to kick the almost unconscious victim at least a dozen times while he is on the ground.

People in a nearby car park can be heard to press their car horns to distract the attacker.

Gardai then arrive on the scene and a number of people are questioned.

The victim can be shown trying to get to his feet with his face covered in blood.

A man in his 20s who was filmed in the video was arrested but later released.

A Garda spokesperson confirmed that they are investigating the incident.

A spokesperson said "Shortly before 4:30pm on Thursday, 29th September, Gardai were alerted to a violent disturbance involving a number of males outside apartments on Lower Main Street, Letterkenny.

"A man in his mid-20s was arrested at the scene under the Public Order Acts. He was later released pending further enquiries. There was no reports of any serious injuries.

"An investigation into all of the circumstances of the incident is underway including a review of potential video footage of the incident currently circulating online.

"Anyone with information is asked to contact Letterkenny Garda Station +353 74 9167100 or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111."
October, the season of mists and wild hedgerow fruits is the ideal time to try this unique Irish gin, but Ive also got a full-bodied red, perfect for you to enjoy on those cool autumn evenings.

ROOT & BRANCH GIN: 19.99

This gin is produced in West Waterford by Blackwater Distillery. In an Irish first, Blackwater has teamed with Green Belt who will plant a native tree for every bottle of Root & Branch sold.

Their latest edition, Root & Branch Fruit of the Forest Gin is a spirit infused with wild berry and rosehips during distillation.

It has hints of red fruit and spicy flavours, so is best served with ice and tonic, garnished with fresh mint and blackberry. Exclusive to Aldi.

2020 Laurent Miquel Kinsale Faugeres

2020 LAURENT MIQUEL KINSALE FAUGERES: 13

Available for 10.40 in the Dunnes French Wine Sale until October 11, this is made by one of the best-known wine makers in the South of France, Laurent Miquel.

It is a blend of 80pc Syrah and 20pc Grenache. This is a spicy, soft, juicy red wine with tons of dark fruit flavours. The Kinsale link is thanks to his Irish wife Neasa  they usually holiday there. This is the perfect wine to serve with slow cooked beef stew.

See jeansmullen.com
For a flavoursome new twist on the burger (and a welcome break from brioche), this central Dublin eaterie is far from pedestrian, writh Grub Spy Alan Kelly

Ive only just discovered that Capel Street has been permanently pedestrianised. It seems lessons were learned from the temporary closure during Covid-19. From a street roiling with hellish traffic to a comfortable thoroughfare filled with funky bars, unusual eateries and lots of down-to-earth businesses, this inimitable Northside street has finally sussed it out.

In fact, after my latest visit, I have to say if you want to experience lashings of Dublin craic with a cool variation, Capel Street is your only man. Brilliant stuff altogether. And hats off to Dublin City Council for helping to make it happen.

DASH BURGER 159 Capel Street, Dublin 1 4.5 Stars Food: 13.95; Drinks: 2.50

No doubt Ill be checking out lots of restaurants and eateries in the near future but I thought Id start with a special new burger joint. Its called Dash.

While I do love burgers, something has been bothering me with quite a few of the newer joints  well, two things really. First, brioche buns have become too sweet and too soft. And second, some burgers are too darn big to get my hands around, never mind my gob. Bigger is not always better. So the question must be, is it possible to make an innovative burger and not just another novelty? The answer is definitely yes  and Dash is doing it.

Instead of simply frying, a pair of 2oz patties are smashed with a heavy-duty spatula onto an oil-free screaming-hot griddle for about 30 seconds. Unlike normal burger-cooking methods, the smashed patties are actually meant to stick to the griddle. Apparently, by intensifying the contact between meat and heat you create a special dark brown crust that makes smash burgers taste so very different. That seared crust is where the flavour magic happens. More crust = more flavour = more satisfaction.

Next, season and flip patties, top one with a slice of cheddar and cook both for another thirty-ish seconds, then place the second patty onto the first, thus melting cheese on both sides which also helps to bind those extra-slim patties together before assembly.

Finally, stack patties onto a bun with pickles, shredded lettuce, tomatoes and a sauce of your choice. In my experience, it is important to keep toppings few and simple. After all, this is a burger where beef is the star performer. And thats it  Bobs your uncle.

As for the taste, wow. Im now a total sucker for smash burgers. Perfectly seasoned yet still surprisingly juicy. Even with a dash of smoky chipotle, the beefiness is enhanced rather than overpowered. While this smashed cooking style is not anything particularly new, it is a fantastic proven way to nail-down flavour and drastically cut waiting time. Also, the contrast in texture you get to regular cooked burgers is close to mind-blowing.

Extra bonus points for manageability and especially for that toasted buttered potato bun. Bye-bye brioche. The only slight downer are the Parmesan-dusted truffle fries. Maybe its the cheese: whatever the reason, the fries are far too dry. I think Ill be sticking with the regular skinnies in future.

So when it comes to innovative burger deliciousness, Bunsen better beware  there is a new kid in town, and the top slot is open once again.
We were travelling across central Switzerland in an ultra-modern GoldenPass panoramic train, which has a partially glassed roof and massive windows to give 180 degree visibility.

It used to be said that every boy dreams of being a train driver. Well, here I was in the front seat of a modern express train, right above the tracks, with a giant window framing the magnificent alpine scenery in front of me.

I might not have actually been in control of this high-tech engine  the driver was behind me in a control booth  but it certainly felt as if I was.

We were travelling across central Switzerland in an ultra-modern GoldenPass panoramic train, which has a partially glassed roof and massive windows to give 180 degree visibility.

Sitting in the very front row just behind the window wipers, we glided through the spectacular landscape while fighting the temptation to lean to the right or left as we approached a bend, as if on a rollercoaster.

The panoramic train

Thankfully, the wipers were not needed as it was a gloriously sunny day with temperatures in the high 20s. Back in Ireland this would have meant a very uncomfortable hot, sweaty journey. But this was Switzerland where the trains not only run on time but have first-rate air conditioning.

We had only been in the country a few hours, so this seemed like the dream start to our late summer break.

After flying with Swiss International Air Lines from Dublin to Zurich, we jumped on a regular double-decker train from the airports train station before changing at Spiez for our panoramic ride.

We were to catch the train again a couple of days later, and it was, without a doubt, one of the highlights of our visit.

But for now, we disembarked at the pretty alpine village of Chateau dOex in the Pays-dEnhaut, which was to be our base for the first couple of days.

Sitting at 1,000m, the town is surrounded by rolling green hills and mountains and is, in fact, the world alpine capital of hot air ballooning, due to its favourable micro-climate.

But our interests were much more down to earth  we were on a tour checking out the gastronomy of the canton of Vaud, one of 26 regions that make up Switzerland.

Cheesemaker Bruno

This was why we found ourselves on the second day at a cheesemaking demonstration at Le Chalet restaurant in Chateau dOex, just a short walk from our Roc et Neige hotel.

As we entered, the first scene to greet us was cheesemaker Bruno stirring a vast 200-litre copper pot of cultured milk and rennet over an open fire, before taking out the resulting curd to start the cheesemaking process.

We then sampled some of the finished product in a lovely lunch with hot cheese in a pastry, over a green salad.

That afternoon found us in another cheesemakers, the cellars of LEtivaz in the village of the same name.

Their hard cheese is known throughout Switzerland and 40pc is exported to France, Germany and Belgium along with the UK, the USA and Canada.

When it was launched in the 1930s there were 20 producers supplying the milk, now there are 70 and the name LEtivaz is brand protected.

The cheese is only made between May and October when the cows feed on the rich grasses of the high alpine pastures, giving its distinctive flavour. In winter, deep snow keeps the animals indoors.

The wheels of cheese, weighing 18 to 35kg, are kept in the cellars for at least a year and sell for about 400. There are 20,000 stored at any one time.

A LEtivaz cheese cellar

Of course, Switzerland is not only known for its cheese but also for its wine and chocolate.

Our group fell in love with the fruity white wines on offer at every restaurant and regretted that few of them were available in Ireland or even the rest of Europe.

The reason is that the Swiss  lucky things  drink nearly all of it themselves.

Maude Vogel, who runs a beautiful vineyard in the village of Grandvaux on the Lavaux hillside above Lake Geneva, told us it was simply not practical to export large quantities.

With a high cost of living in Switzerland, winemakers couldnt compete with countries like Spain or Chile. Once international taxes and Vat were added the cost would be prohibitive for customers, she said.

We spent a wonderful afternoon sampling some of the 26 wines she and her brother Simon produce from 14 different grapes at their Domaine Croix Duplex vineyard, including the Chasselas and their Fleurettes 4 Plants.

Their engineer grandfather Samuel Vogel opened the business in 1929, after falling in love with the stunning location high above the lake. He passed it on to his children, and now it is being run by the third generation of the family.

We sat on a sun-dappled terrace gazing down on vineyards as far as the eye could see on a perfect afternoon.

The beautiful vineyards of Domaine Croix Duplex

Its just a seven-minute journey to Grandvaux on a local train from Lausanne where we were booked into the lovely Best Western Plus Hotel Mirabeau for our last night.

There is much to see and do in Lausanne, famous as the home of the International Olympic Committee, the Olympic Museum and the lakeshore Olympic Park, all very accessible on the citys great Metro system.

There are gorgeous walks along the banks of Lake Geneva, while the hilly old city has medieval quarters including a 12th-century gothic cathedral and a thriving cafe/bar scene.

We had a great night in Le Vestibule pub just opposite the cathedral, where the toilets and a speakeasy bar are all hidden behind bookcases.

Over our few days, we sampled some excellent meals in prestigious restaurants including the chic Le Cafe du Valrose in Rougemont, close to Chateau dOex, and the lively Le Roc in Hotel de Rougemont.

In Lausanne, we lunched in the new Jacques restaurant and had dinner on the terrace of the trendy Sardine in the old section of the city.

Not to be missed was a visit to the famed chocolate workshop, Noz, to sample some of their gorgeous goodies. Founder and chocolatier Nicolas Noz even taught us how to bake carac, a regional speciality, while demonstrating his intricate cake decorating skills.

We flew out of Geneva hours later, still dreaming of the dark stuff.

TRAVEL FACTFILE

SWITZERLAND See myswitzerland.com  Swiss has direct flights from Dublin to Zurich and Geneva. See swiss.com  The Swiss Travel Pass allows free travel on trains, buses and boats in over 90 cities (and entry to 500 museums) from 239 for 3 days to 370 for 6 days. See swisstravelpass.com.  See Hotel Roc et Neige and Hotel Mirabeau Lausanne
The Taoiseach said policy will guide his partys alignments in next election

Taoiseach Micheal Martin has refused to rule out the prospect of going into government with Sinn Fein after the next General Election.

Mr Martin on Sunday said that Fianna Fails door is always open to working with parties whose policies align with their own, but conceded this was not the case with Sinn Fein in recent years.

He refused to rule out the possibility of a Fianna Fail-Sinn Fein coalition, as Tanaiste Leo Varadkar has done with regard to Fine Gael.

Mr Martin hinted the prospect of a SF-FF coalition was unlikely but would not rule it out categorically.

"Its policy first, in relation to Sinn Fein, as far as I can see in the past two and a half years, their policies dont align with ours at all, particularly on the enterprise front. Theyre anti-enterprise, as far as I can see, deep down, Mr Martin said on RTE Radios This Week programme.

He said that while everybody was getting excited about Sinn Fein in the polls, nothing is guaranteed.

Mr Martin said that polls have never been a predictor of elections in the past 25 years, ordinarily, theyve not been a predictor  we found this out to our own cost after the last General Election.

The return of a ban on tenant evictions was also not ruled out by Mr Martin but he said it was easier to do legally during the Covid-19 emergency, and that the government cant knowingly break the law by triggering a ban on tenant evictions without the legal precedent to do so.

Mr Martin disputed the claim that government would miss social housing targets this year, which are 10,000 new social housing units. He said government will build over 8,000 new units and through acquisition will meet the 10,000 figure.

"The State is doing everything it possibly can, Mr Martin claimed.

An Taoiseach said the State does not the luxury for politicians and citizens to be objecting to new housing projects in their constituencies at the rate that it is occurring. He called on all politicians, including within his own party who have recently lodged objections, to count to 10 before objecting to new housing projects.

"The younger generation need housing at a much faster rate than we are delivering. Were not providing fast enough to the younger generation.

"Politicians need to count to 10 before they start objecting, Mr Martin said.
New Zealand Police are warning of increasing incidents of sextortion where local young people are targeted by offshore offenders.

This is a global issue where offshore offenders target young victims by tricking them into sending sexually explicit content before blackmailing them with threats to share the content with friends and family unless they pay, says Detective Senior Sergeant Jodie Lyons.

While we first started to see this in New Zealand in late 2021, instances of local young victims continue to rise.

In one very recent incident, a New Zealand teenager could not pay the money he was being blackmailed into sending and the images were shared publicly by the offender.

The offending generally begins with a direct message sent to the victim on social media.

The victim is then asked to continue chatting on a different app, and the conversation often becomes highly sexualised.

From there the victim is coerced into sharing intimate photos and/or videos of themselves, which are used to blackmail them, with threats to share it on their social media contacts list unless they pay.

In some instances, photos are reportedly doctored by the offender to make the victim appear to be in even more compromising positions.

Offenders can also capture naked or sexual images of the young person while theyre on live stream or video, which is often then part of extortion.

This is called capping.

We are shining a light on this serious issue to ensure New Zealand young people, their parents and care givers are aware of the risks and remain vigilant to ensure it does not happen to them, says Detective Senior Sergeant Lyons.

However, if it does, the best protection a victim has is to come forward and seek specialist support from Police as soon as possible.

We will not criticise or blame you  what has happened is not your fault and we are here to help you.

How to spot this offending:

Meeting on one app, then being encouraged to continue a conversation on a different platform could be an indicator.

Inconsistencies with a profile or language, and there might be signs that English is a second language.

Introduction of sexualised conversations.

The other person may say that their webcam or microphone not working for video calls/chats, so they could be avoiding giving their true identity.

For victims:

Avoid sending any more images or videos - even if they are threatening you.

Remember - once you have complied with their demands there is nothing preventing them targeting you again.

Save all the online chat, immediately take screenshots.

This is important for making a report to the police, we need all the evidence that you can gather.

Block the profile.

Report the content to the platform (e.g.

Facebook, Snapchat, PornHub) it is on and request the content is removed

Make a report to Police (via 105) or Netsafe to find out what other options are available to you

For parents and caregivers:

Supervision is essential.

This means knowing what your children are doing online, who they are interacting with and what platforms, apps or games they are using.

Having open conversations, often. The most important tip we can give any parent or carer is to start talking to your child about their online activities

Check privacy settings. We recommend parents and carers research and understand app settings, including privacy settings.

This could include turning off location settings, setting profiles to private, or turning off chat functions.

Be approachable if your child needs help. Coming forward isnt always easy, and children may feel reluctant to tell you about online issues if they believe they will be punished or have their devices taken away.

They must know that it is ok to speak to you or any other trusted adult if something doesnt feel right.

Long term impact. Offenders will often use tactics such as fear or shame to manipulate young people, and make them feel alienated or trapped, like they cannot escape the situation.These situations can be very distressing and can have long term-impacts, and need to be addressed appropriately.

Your child is a victim of online child sexual exploitation, and they need your support.

Report suspicious behaviour. Seek help and support, and report inappropriate or suspicious behaviour online

Where to report offending:

NEW ZEALAND POLICE

105 (non-Emergency)

111 (Emergency)

NETSAFE

Text Netsafe to 4282

Email: help@netsafe.org.nz

Call Netsafe toll free on 0508 NETSAFE (0508 638 723)

Online report form at netsafe.org.nz/report

The NetSafe helpline is open from 8am  8pm Monday to Friday and 9am  5pm on weekends.
Unconventional gas operations in Queensland's portion of the Lake Eyre basin are likely to be financially and environmentally costly and could quickly become stranded assets, research commissioned by an anti-fracking organisation says.

The state government is considering whether to allow fracking on floodplains in the 120 million hectare basin, which covers vast parts of western Queensland and extends into NSW, the Northern Territory and South Australia.

Lock the Gate Alliance commissioned the report, however, Queensland co-ordinator Ellie Smith said others could have come to similar conclusions.

"It's likely Origin Energy identified many of the same risks outlined in this report by Pegasus Economics, given its recent decision to withdraw from upstream gas exploration in the region," she said.

Lock the Gate is also calling on the government to extinguish Origin's tenements and ban fracking on the floodplains.

Origin offloaded its stake in the Beetaloo basin to focus on "cleaner" projects in September, including a big battery on the site of the closing Eraring coal-fired power station in NSW.

Pegasus Economics director and former microeconomic advisor to Treasurer Peter Costello, Alistair Davey, told AAP fracking is not commercially viable based on what exploration has already occurred in smaller basins within the larger Lake Eyre basin.

"Quite a number of large international, multi-national oil companies have already pulled out of both the Georgina and Cooper basin when they've been exploring and trying to develop unconventional gas resources.

"Those companies have come to the obvious conclusion these resources just didn't stack up," Dr Davey said.

"Santos and Beach Energy - they've also made substantial writedowns in relation to their unconventional gas holdings in the Cooper basin."

Companies exploring the region are looking for shale gas and potentially deep coal seam gas, Dr Davey says.

Story continues

Fracking - the process of cracking rock to allow gas to be captured more easily - is required to extract the resources, meaning it may have already taken place in the basin, Dr Davey told AAP.

"You can't produce shale gas unless you frack," he said.

The Cooper basin's gas also has a high carbon dioxide content, almost 30 per cent in some samples Dr Davey analysed, putting projects there at a competitive disadvantage.

Australia is among 31 countries that are members of the intergovernmental International Energy Agency.

Its roadmap for reaching net zero emissions suggested liquid gas exports will come from the lowest cost, least emitting producers by 2050.
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When Marilyn Post learned suffragist and abolitionist Emily Howland had been accepted into the National Women's Hall of Fame, she wanted to jump up and down.

Post was the first person with the Howland Stone Store Museum to read the hall's confirmation letter in 2020. And at the induction ceremony that finally took place last weekend, the museum board member had the opportunity to accept the honor on Howland's behalf and was the speaker in a video show about her legacy.

Speaking with The Citizen Friday, Post said she was happy to see Howland get into the same hall that already included many of her peers in the fight for women's rights.

"She knew so many people that have been inducted in previous years that it was like she was getting to join her friends, since she had personal relationships with Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton and many other suffrage persons as well as many persons that were involved in education," Post said.

Howland, who was born in Sherwood and died in 1929 at the age of 101, was originally set to be inducted into the hall in 2021, but that event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She and the other 2021 inductees, including former First Lady Michelle Obama, were finally honored at the 2022 ceremony on Sept. 24 in Geneva, where speakers included 2016 presidential candidate and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The hall, located in Seneca Falls, includes over 300 inductees and acknowledges distinguished women and their impact and accomplishments. The Howland Stone Store Museum, located in the hamlet of Sherwood in southern Cayuga County, had applied for Howland's hall induction unsuccessfully in the past, Post said, but hadn't tried in recent years up until their latest, and fruitful, attempt.

In the video shown during the hall of fame ceremony, Post called Howland "the ultimate lifelong learner and educator," mentioning that she taught before the Civil War, supported a number of schools and was a major proponent throughout her life for education, including for Black people.

"Emily very much felt and could see the connection with how the suffrage movement grew out of abolition, but all the time she was working on rights for women, she was also still considering that all those people who had been enslaved were not being educated well and needed support and that's one reason why she supported so many schools in the south," Post said in the video.

Footage in the video was shot at the museum and the neighboring Opendore, the recently restored home where Howland's niece, Isabel Howland, resided for most of the first half of the 20th century. Opendore was the site of a celebration for Howland's 194th birthday in November.

Post, who has been involved with the museum for around six years, said Friday she was so thrilled when she initially learned of Howland's induction she "almost couldn't believe it."

She grew up in the same area where Howland was active, and Post believes her mother, Muriel Bishop Post, may have met Howland when Muriel was young, "so there's always been a connection, I've always had some knowledge of Emily and her important in this area particularly," Post said.

Hillary Clinton praises Women's Hall of Fame inductees in Seneca County GENEVA  People in the Smith Opera House rocketed from their seats and burst into thunderous applause when two people took their seats in the 

When discussing the experience of being at the ceremony, Post said she enjoyed being around the inductees and the representatives of inductees, adding that they were welcoming, humble and "down-to-Earth," without any pretensions.

"Emily was a very quiet person who had a big effect on other people. I think the inductees, their concern is really for making the world a little bit better place in one way or another and opening people's eyes to things, and I think that's the thing that was just kind of a overriding feeling, that individuals can make a real difference," Post said.

Museum leaders and volunteers were excited about Howland getting inducted and the possibility of her inclusion bringing more attention to her story and the museum, Post said.

"(The museum is) not very well known, overall. Sherwood's a little place, and for Emily to be inducted gives it much more recognition, much more recognition in her role in not only abolition but in suffrage and we hope it will help to bring in lots more people into the museum, which I think it already has done that, " she said. "We're pretty excited about it, just in terms of getting people to know a story that, because of the time and somebody that's 200 years old, to keep their accomplishments a little bit to the forefront is a little difficult, so this helped."

Noting that some volunteers have been involved with the museum for decades, Post added that "for Emily to be recognized, in a sense, recognizes the work that all of those people have done."
The big picture: Intel has ambitions to create a foundry business by manufacturing chips for other companies. This is an important strategic initiative that the company will need to recoup the massive investment it is now making in fabs around the world.

Most analysts agree that this proposition is a non-starter until Intel can catch up with its manufacturing process. And rightly so, without that, Intel Foundry Services (IFS) would lack serious competitive differentiation (yes, packaging, but that is not enough). And we have also cautioned that the company lacks customer service muscles after an entire history of the fabs team running the show.

Editor's Note:

Guest author Jonathan Goldberg is the founder of D2D Advisory, a multi-functional consulting firm. Jonathan has developed growth strategies and alliances for companies in the mobile, networking, gaming, and software industries.

But beyond that there are even more concerns.

When we talk about semis fabrication, we tend to treat the different foundries nodes as fungible, as if a customer could easily trade Samsung for Intel for TSMC. This is not accurate. In reality, each fab has a different way of doing manufacturing. Intel's process was designed to make CPUs, and those processes are not the same as what is needed for other types of chips. For instance, mixed signal chips which need to process digital versions of analog signals (like cell phone signals) while also doing pure digital logic, require a very different set of steps for manufacture -- different machines, calibrated differently, in a different order. To put it politely, Intel does not have a great track record for producing their own mixed signal parts.

And then there are the tools. A major part of the foundry customer experience is the software tools used to handle communications between the fabless customer and the foundry. This is not as simple as emailing a couple files over. The big foundries have all invested heavily in integrating the tools they use to handle production with the software tools used by their customers.

This is a big part of the competitive stranglehold that the EDA vendors like Cadence and Synopsys hold over the industry. To be clear, Intel has its own set of tools to handle production of their own chips, but these are to a surprising degree proprietary to Intel. From what we hear, even Intel employees do not love the experience. Will IFS expect customers to learn these tools? More likely, Intel is going to need to invest heavily in software to build a whole new set of tools that customers will be comfortable with.

All of this leads to the question, if Intel can get its manufacturing back on track (a big if), what customer is going to want to switch to Intel? Even if Intel can overtake TSMC's process by 2025 as they claim (or is it 2026?), it is going to take fabless customers a considerable period of time (measured in years) before they are going to feel comfortable sending real production orders to IFS.

The industry is littered with horror stories about companies getting stranded because their foundry's process does not go to plan.

It is important to keep in mind that every time a company sends a chip to the foundry for production that company is taking a risk. There is a reason they call them "Risk Starts." For established foundries, that risk is measured in terms of yield, the percentage of chips produced on each wafer. But for a new process, let alone a new foundry, there is real risk that the process may not work. The industry is littered with horror stories about companies getting stranded because their foundry's process does not go to plan.

Given all this, it seems very unlikely that any of the biggest chip companies are going to be a in a big hurry to sign up for IFS. Would Apple risk an iPhone cycle failing because its foundry was not ready? Just moving from TSMC 5nm to TSMC 3nm is scary enough. If Intel can fix its process (again, a big if), the big customers will absolutely take a serious look at IFS, but that serious look will entail years of meetings and deep diligence.

That being said, there is one group of customers who might be very interested in rolling the dice on IFS -- designers of RISC V chips. Today, these companies don't have a lot of good options. They can get access to TSMC, but they are generally very small and so do not get "A Team" service or pricing.

RISC V chips also have the benefit of being a fairly greenfield opportunity, they are so new that no one has deep experience in fine-tuning foundry processes for their manufacture. Remember back in February when Intel announced they were making big RISC V investments? At the time, we noted that Intel was not going to switch its CPUs from x86 to RISC V, but they were interested in the broader ecosystem.

The investment they talked about was largely around building the tools and processes needed to attract RISC V fabless designers. It is worth pointing out that Intel's RISC V team appears to be largely sitting inside the IFS organization.

This is not a bad strategy. Under normal circumstances we would be complimenting Intel's wisdom. RISC V companies could easily be a stepping stone for IFS, a whole bunch of fairly captive guinea pigs customers upon whom they can experiment hone their customer service capabilities. The trouble is that all of this is still very far away. We recently commented to a friend that we did not expect to see IFS truly operational until 2030, and he responded "Oh, so you are an optimist."

Intel is on the right path, it is just a very long road.

Editor's note: Shortly after this column was written, Intel Foundry Services president Randhir Thakur told EE Times that the U.S. Department of Defense is IFS' "# 1 customer" as part of the DoD's SHIP program. There may be some obvious political implications in choosing Intel, but that still means Intel has yet to execute and proof itself as a foundry taking on client's projects.
Millions of Australians are scrambling to secure their personal data after a huge cyberattack on Optus, compromising important information such as driver's licenses, passports, etc.

As reported first by news.com.au, a submission against stricter privacy laws rekindled a previous issue from the telco.

Optus said less than two years ago that altering how the business maintained consumer data would result in "substantial compliance costs."

Although experts concur that may be the case, state and federal governments are now demanding that the telco pay the cost to reissue licenses and passports that may have been taken in what may be the worst example of data theft the nation has ever experienced.

Read also: Optus to Offer Free 12-Month Subscription For the 'Most Affected' Customers





Tighten Privacy Act

The incident has sparked calls to tighten Australia's Privacy Act, particularly in the area of data retention.

Legal experts are urging Australia to adopt the "gold standard" privacy standards of the European Union, according to news.com.au's report.

Although implementing regulations like the EU's General Data Protection Regulation may incur high costs, according to Tony Song from the University of New South Wales, this will be the best course of action.

Companies could face fines of tens of millions of dollars under the new regulations for failing to protect consumers' privacy, which, in his opinion, is a great incentive to boost compliance and improve controls.

By having these level requirements, the increased penalty would be a tremendous incentive for companies not to be "just plain sloppy", Song said in an interview with NCA NewsWire.

"Ultimately the data breach still could have happened - if a hacker wants to get in, they will get in - but if we had GDPR laws it definitely would have caused Optus to have better systems and better risk management."

Both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Attorney General Mark Dreyfus have pledged to introduce urgent measures as soon as possible.

According to news.com.au, the past administration started the process of revisiting the Privacy Act 1988 years ago and requested submissions from interested and affected parties.

However, Optus stated in their 16-page statement that they saw " justification" for significant changes to the Act.

The government's reforms, which have been under development for some time and are mostly based on the GDPR, would be welcomed, according to Song.

But he said that the government should prioritize enforcement compliance since Optus may already violate the Privacy Act's current rules even in the absence of revisions.

Related Article: VPN Companies Plug Out Servers in India as New Data Rules Are Imposed

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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla

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In NSW and Queensland, a flavor of a well-known brand of chips is being recalled due to concerns that they may contain plastic fragments, as reported first by 9News.

People who have Smiths Crinkle Cut Salt & Vinegar Chips marked with the Best Before date "15 Jan 23" should not consume the food, according to a notification released by Food Standards Australian New Zealand.

The recall said that the 45g, 90g, and 170g bags of chips might contain plastic bits that could harm consumers if they eat them.

Particularly, the recall notice warned that food products containing plastic particles may "cause injury if swallowed."

These chips are strongly advised not to be consumed, and if you own any of these products, Food Standards recommends that you get in touch with The Smith's Snackfood Company to arrange a refund.

Read also: 'Microplastics in Meat': Lab Test Shows Microplastic Contamination in Pork, Beef, Milk, and Feed

Why Is Plastic Contamination in Food Harmful?

The majority of plastic manufactured worldwide is utilized in food and beverage packaging. But as it is used, plastic deteriorates and fractures into tiny pieces known as microplastics.

According to studies reported by Harvard, some chemicals in plastics can leak out and end up in our food and beverages. Some of these substances have been connected to health issues like obesity, metabolic diseases, and decreased fertility.

When plastic is exposed to heat, this leaching can happen more quickly and to a greater extent. This indicates that by merely microwaving your leftovers in a plastic container, you could be ingesting an even larger quantity of potentially dangerous chemicals, as per Harvard's report.

MedicalNewsToday further explains that plastic can shatter into smaller pieces known when exposed to certain environmental factors, like heat, and these particles can enter our food.

Common plastic food packaging that contains microplastics includes containers, food cans, storage wraps, single-use water bottles, and many more.

Several factors, including heating food impact the amount of microplastics and their hazardous compounds that migrate into food while it is in plastic packaging, prolonged storage, and the kind of plastic packaging that is employed.

Here are the three negative health effects of consuming microplastics in food:

1. Disrupts Hormones

MedicalNewsToday reports that such contamination could disrupt hormones, and at least 15 of the chemicals used by manufacturers to create plastic packaging are deemed to be endocrine disruptors by scientists.

Endocrine disruptors mimic and interfere with several hormones in the body, including estrogen, testosterone, and insulin, and have structural similarities to those hormones. This causes negative health effects and raises a person's chance of developing chronic diseases.

2. Boosts the Risk of Chronic Diseases

Research shows that chronic exposure to endocrine-disrupting microplastics raises the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

According to experts, increased blood levels of BPs, phthalates, and dioxins are associated with pre-disease inflammation, impaired fasting glucose, insulin resistance, and obesity, which significantly raises the risk of type 2 diabetes.

3. Compromises Immune System

A 2020 review discovered that poor gut health and, consequently, decreased immunity are caused by the increased inflammation brought on by exposure to microplastics.

Since 70-80% of the body's immune cells reside in the gut, the gut plays a significant role in immunity. This implies that any issue affecting gut health also affects immunological health, according to MedicalNewsToday.

Related Article: Researchers Discover Microplastic Trapped in Human Organs: Liver, Lungs, and Spleen

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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Richard Liu, the founder of the JD.com e-commerce company, arranged a settlement with Liu Jingyao, the Minnesota college student who accused the Chinese billionaire of rape back in 2018. The settlement happened less than 48 hours before the scheduled US trial.

A joint statement from the lawyers of both parties was declared.

"Today, [Oct. 2], the parties agreed to set aside their differences, and settle their legal dispute in order to avoid further pain and suffering caused by the lawsuit," the joint statement said, reported by Bloomberg.

The incident apparently resulted in a "misunderstanding that has consumed substantial public attention and brought profound suffering to the parties and their families."

Ms. Liu initially sought more than $50,000 in damages, plus additional punitive damages in the lawsuit. However, details of the settlement were not disclosed to the public.

The 2018 Rape Case Allegation

Despite sharing the same surname, the two are not related to each other, as Liu is a common Chinese family name.

The incident reportedly happened summer of 2018. Ms. Liu was a college student at the University of Minneapolis, while Mr. Liu was in the city for a weeklong residency in the University's doctor of business administration China program.

Ms. Liu was invited to a networking dinner where she felt coerced to drink alcohol. Later that night, Mr. Liu allegedly forced her into his limousine, drove her home, and raped her inside the apartment.

The Minneapolis police arrested Mr. Liu over the rape allegation on August 31, 2018. He was then released the next day, afternoon.

The business tycoon did not face any travel restrictions and was able to return to China days later.

In April 2019, Ms. Liu filed a civil suit against Mr. Liu after the Minneapolis district attorney declined to charge him and launch criminal proceedings, citing the lack of sufficient evidence.

Leaked surveillance footage related to the incident was uploaded on the Chinese microblogging website Weibo. Video clips showed Mr. Liu and Ms. Liu together on the night of the said attack. However, lawyers of both parties said that the footage supports their version of events.

In response, the CEO denied the claims, insisting that their encounter was consensual.

Based on Business Insider's report, the lawsuit accused the executive of "a combined six counts of false imprisonment, civil assault and battery, and sexual assault or battery."

JD.com After the Incident

Richard Liu, whose Chinese name is Liu Qiangdong, is one of the most powerful and wealthiest businessmen in China. He founded JD.com in 1998, and it has now become one of the country's biggest e-commerce platforms.

The company is also operating in Thailand and Indonesia.

The rape accusation led the company to lose a large market value of $10 billion. At the time, it is almost a third of its capitalization.

Nevertheless, Mr. Liu remains among the 150 richest individuals in the world to date, as per the updated Bloomberg Billionaire Index, with a total net worth of $12 billion.

Related Article: E-Commerce Giant JD Releases 2020 Earnings Report and Richard Liu's Vision for the Company

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Written by Trisha Kae Andrada

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This week in space has been a thrilling ride!

NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) has successfully smashed into an asteroid to test its planetary defense system. NASA's Juno spacecraft has also captured the first images of Jupiter's icy moon Europa. And astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS) kept an eye on the eye of Hurricane Ian as it swirled toward Florida.

Indeed, NASA has been on an exciting ride, and we are delighted with detailed and stunning space photos. Let's take a look at some of the best snapshots that NASA has released this week.

Read also: NASA's Hubble Space Telescope's Best Images for May 2022!

The Before and After of DART's Asteroid Impact

NASA released a video depicting the approaching point of view from DART's Draco camera towards Dimorphos, and the space agency reported that it was an impact success.

As the spacecraft approached Dimorphos, it became clear that it was a direct collision, and the mission's success in its test was already established.

Here are the last images captured before the impact:

Hubble and Webb's Detailed Views of the Asteroid Impact

NASA's iconic and powerful telescopes were eye-witnesses to the epic asteroid impact of the DART mission, proving to be a successful initial planetary defense test for the space agency.

This marks the first time that Hubble and James Webb simultaneously observed the same celestial target.

The Icy Europa

The most recent flyby mission of Juno to Europa, according to NASA, produced several photographs that are now accessible to the general public. It was also the spacecraft's closest approach to the moon.

The ice-covered moon of Jupiter, known as Europa, is unusual because most natural satellites only appear as space rocks orbiting planets.

An Eye for a Hurricane's Eye

The astronauts on the ISS have been keeping an eye on Hurricane Ian. They recently captured breathtaking photographs of the hurricane on Monday, Sept. 26, as it headed south of Cuba into Florida.

NASA released these images on Wednesday, Sept. 28.

Related Article: Best Astronomy Photographs of 2022: Check Out These Otherworldly Snapshots of Space!

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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Over six months has passed and the war in Ukraine still rages on as they fight for their very lives and their freedom with untold loss and heartbreak. The Rev. Vasile Colopelnic of SS. Peter & Paul Ukranian Catholic Church has been such a wonderful leader here in Auburn, advancing the support of Ukraine in every way possible. I thought it might be nice to share with you today just a few of the ways our community has come together to help Father Colopelnic and support this cause. (This is by no means a complete list of all those who have helped, and Im sorry for any not mentioned here.)
T-Mobile reported a data breach in 2021 that affected 47.8 million existing and former customers. Meanwhile, hackers have stolen the personal information of 7.8 million postpaid customers. According to recent reports, the carrier agreed to a settlement to resolve litigation.

According to CNET, current and former T-Mobile customers may be entitled to a portion of a $350 million payout intended to settle litigation related to the 2021 cyberattack that exposed the private data of millions of users. If you are one of the millions of T-Mobile customers whose accounts were compromised, you could be compensated soon if the settlement is approved.

As per reports, the T-Mobile settlement could be the second largest in US history after the Equifax cyberattack in 2017. Equifax, one of the three major consumer credit reporting agencies in the United States, experienced a massive data breach that exposed the personal information of 143 million Americans.

Based on the 2017 data breach, hackers gained access to the names of over 100 million customers, as well as their Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and, in some cases, driver's license numbers.

T-Mobile Takes Full Responsibility

Forbes tells us that T-Mobile currently controls 38% of the US prepaid market. As part of the settlement of the class action lawsuit, T-Mobile agreed to spend an additional $150 million on cybersecurity through the end of 2023.

Read Also: T-Mobile Offers 25 Cents Per Gallon Discount on Gas at Shell as Part of New Program

According to the same report, in order to allocate funds to resolve issues related to this incident, the company must understand how its data breach continues to affect vulnerable communities.

In a proposed settlement statement, the data carrier stated, "Customers come first in everything we do, and protecting their information is a top priority." T-Mobile also stated that, while efforts to defend against attacks are ongoing, the company is not immune to the previously stated attacks.

T-Mobile also listed its course of action to stop further criminal attacks. One of these is setting up a Cybersecurity Transformation Office that answers directly to the CEO and expanding their online security team with more top talent who have decades of leadership and cyber strategy experience.

The carrier also mentioned conducting 900,000 training sessions for staff members and partners throughout the company to better understand their pivotal role in the prevention of data breaches, in addition to working with cybersecurity experts and carrying out plans to transform their cybersecurity program further.

More About the Class Action Lawsuit Settlement

The court still needs to approve the settlement, according to an Engadget report. If that happens, the company will "resolve substantially all of the claims brought by the company's current, former, and prospective customers impacted by the 2021 cyberattack" if that happens.

Settlement class members who submit a valid claim form approved by the settlement administrator within ninety days of the notice date may be eligible for settlement benefits. This is per the preliminary approval order.

Related Article: T-Mobile 5G Home Internet Expansion in More US Cities Now Happening! Here's How To Check Its Availability

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Tesla's EV production is expected to reach (or even overtake) the manufacturing records of BMW.

(Photo : Photo by SAM YEH/AFP via Getty Images)

An aerial view shows imported cars, including Tesla electric vehicles, parked at Taipei Port in New Taipei City on November 11, 2021. (Photo by Sam Yeh / AFP)

If the giant EV maker can exceed the production capacity of BMW, there's a chance that it can become the largest premium automaker.

BMW and Mercedes Benz are the top premium vehicle manufacturers across the globe.

In 2021, these two giant automakers produced 2.1 million (Mercedes Benz) and 2.5 million (BWW) cars.

Now, these are the numbers that Tesla needs to exceed or reach if it wants to become the biggest premium car maker in the world.

Tesla EV Production Might Reach BMW's Capacity Level

According to InsideEVs' latest report, Tesla is actually planning to become the world's number one premium carmaker.

(Photo : Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Newly completed Tesla Model Y electric cars stand at the new Tesla Gigafactory electric car manufacturing plant on March 21, 2022 near Gruenheide, Germany. The new plant, officially called the Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg, will officially open tomorrow with an event with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Also Read: Tesla Giga Texas Expansion: Area Open to Public, Soon a Tourist Spot Says Elon Musk-Electric Boats?

Giga Texas and Giga Berlin may even play a key role in this goal to dethrone BMW and Mercedes Benz.

As of press time, the EV developer was able to manufacture almost 500,000 Model Y and three units in Q4 2022.

On the other hand, Tesla produced around 344,000 of the mentioned models in Q3 2022.

With these trends, many Tesla enthusiasts claim that the company will end 2022 with over 1.4 million EV units.

There's a high chance that this could happen, especially as Tesla ramps up its Gigafactories in Texas and Berlin.

Experts also concluded that Tesla can reach around 2 million units by 2023.

If ever the automaker exceeds this estimation, then it can beat the production records of BMW and Mercedes Benz.

Tesla Finishes Shanghai Plant Expansion

Since Tesla plans to become the largest premium automaker, it is making drastic efforts to expand the production capacities of its manufacturing plants.

Reuters reported that the EV manufacturer completed its production expansion project at its Shanghai plant.

The automaker said that it would test the production lines between Sept. 19 and Nov. 30. You can click here to see further details about this effort.

Previously, the Tesla Giga Texas delivered its 10,000th Model Y.

We also reported that Elon Musk plans to roll out thousands of his Tesla humanoid robots.

For more news updates about Tesla and its business activities, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Tesla EV Deliveries Expected To Be on 'Very High Volume' For the Remainder of Q3 2022

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Written by Griffin Davis

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Microsoft on Tuesday confirmed that it has started rolling out Android app support on Windows 11 in 21 more countries.

All Windows 11 users in these countries can now download and install the updated WSA (Windows Subsystem for Android) through a Windows Update to enable Android app support.

For those unaware, WSA was one of the new features announced in Microsofts Windows 11 last year to bring Android apps to Windows 11 for the first time.

This feature, which was introduced in February 2022, brings Android apps to the Microsoft Store and can be downloaded directly through the Amazon Appstore. Users can also install Android apps through any source using the APK file format.

In order for WSA for Windows 11 to work perfectly on your system, Microsoft recommends that the system must have the following minimum requirements:

8GB of RAM ( although 16GB is recommended)

An SSD (solid-state drive)

AMD Ryzen 3000 (minimum) or above

Intel core i3 8th Gen or above and

The Virtual Machine Platform setting must be enabled

Until now, WSA for Windows 11 was only limited to users from the United States and Japan.

Microsoft has confirmed the list of regions where Windows will now support native Android apps through the Amazon Appstore which are Andorra, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Japan, Jersey, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, San Marino, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Vatican City.

If you reside in one of the above-mentioned regions and wish to try out the WSA feature, heres how you can do it. To get started, ensure that your Windows PC is running the latest version of Windows 11.

Once done, you need to go to Microsoft Store > download Amazon Appstore > and install Windows Subsystem for Android when prompted.

Once installed, go to Amazon Appstore and log in with your Amazon account to browse through all the available Android apps and download them on your Windows 11-supported PC.

Please note that currently, only a limited selection of Android apps are available on the Microsoft Store for download.
A milling and paving project on two main downtown Auburn streets is set to start this summer with a goal to be finished in the fall.
[Focus on the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China] Central Discipline Inspection Commission: Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, more than 761,000 violations of the eight regulations of the central government have been investigated and dealt with - Chinanews.com video
By Trend

The opening ceremony of the Greece-Bulgaria Interconnector (IGB), another route to transport gas to Europe from Azerbaijan, which has proven itself as a reliable energy supplier, was held on October 1.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Bulgarian Prime Minister Galab Donev, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, Serbian President Aleksander Vucic, Northern Macedonian President Stevo Pendarovski, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca participated in the event.

The gas interconnector started commercial operation at 7 a.m. on October 1. The commissioning of the gas pipeline coincided with the first day of the new gas year and the beginning of the heating season. Bulgaria will be able to initially receive contracted 1 billion cubic meters of gas from Azerbaijan through IGB, the throughput capacity of which is 3 billion cubic meters per year, with the possibility of increasing it by another 2 billion cubic meters.

Co-owner of the Dutch consultancy VEROCY and an expert on political risk and energy Cyril Widdershoven told Trend that the launch of IGB is important amid the serious pressure on energy security.

"The importance of establishing new interconnections is now clear, as the security of energy supply is under serious pressure. Expanding energy interconnections in Europe, especially in the Balkans and Southeast Europe, is a necessity. The lack of interconnections is still a serious threat to the uninterrupted supply of oil, gas and even electricity," he said.

Widdershoven noted that the presence of interconnectors allows stronger common ties and provides possible additional routes by which energy resources can reach different markets in the region.

"Unlike Northwest Europe, which has a large number of interconnectors, the region of Southeast Europe is still less developed, so it's currently at high risk. The region's energy map is also changing for the better, as more interconnectors will increase the supply needed in the rest of Europe," he explained.

S&P Global Commodity Insights energy analyst Ornela Figurinaite stressed that the IGB will be able to cover most of Bulgaria's gas demand in the winter season and will allow gas exports to neighboring countries.

She noted that the launch of the interconnector between Greece and Bulgaria will provide much-needed diversification and security of gas supplies to a region that has historically been heavily dependent on Russian gas.

"Since gas supplies from Russia to Bulgaria stopped in May and a new contract has not yet been agreed upon, Bulgaria's gas storage capacity (approximately 0.5 billion cubic meters) is not enough to cover the heating needs of the winter season. Considering that during the heating season Bulgaria's gas consumption increases to 10 million cubic meters per day, 8 million cubic meters per day of additional storage capacity which will be available through IGB will be able to cover most of the demand in winter and ensure sufficient filling of storage in summer months," Figurinaite added

The launch of this project is another example of the fact that Azerbaijan always keeps its word regardless of the circumstances. The contract on gas supply through IGB was signed in 2013, then there was a completely different market configuration. And now, when the energy map of Europe is changing amid the crisis, Azerbaijan ensures uninterrupted supply of energy resources, and in addition, is ready to increase exports even more in a short time. Azerbaijan remains a reliable partner in both good and bad times.
At the end of August, the federal government made an important ruling in the long battle at controlling COVID-19.

New booster shots designed to better respond to the disease's variants, which have emerged as overwhelmingly the dominant strain, were approved for use by the vast majority of the American population. A Pfizer bivalent booster is authorized for everyone 12 and older, while a Moderna version is available for those 18 and older.

And with another fall and winter season looming, the timing of having such boosters available seemed excellent. But there's been a problem.

Far too many people don't know these vaccine boosters exist.

A survey released Friday by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 31% of the population has heard just a little about these more effectively and widely available boosters, and 20% has heard nothing at all."

That's more than half of the population that's not aware of this vital public health information, and of course, if they're not aware, they're not going to take action to protect themselves and their family members.

Government officials at the local, state and federal levels must take this survey seriously, and prioritize efforts to quickly and substantially raise awareness levels.

The expected fall and winter increase in COVID-19 spread is happening. In the past two weeks, in fact, community levels in two of Cayuga County's neighbors, Oswego and Onondaga counties, moved into the "high" category, which means mask-wearing is recommended for all indoors. Cayuga County's daily new case rate has been steadily climbing since early September and is now above 20 for the first time since May.

But these numbers don't have to continue climbing, or at the least, the climb can be drastically moderated from what we've experienced the past two difficult fall/winter periods.

The tools are there to keep things under control. We just have to be aware of them and use them.

The bivalent boosters are available at just about every pharmacy, and Cayuga County has been offering free clinics. The next one is set for Wednesday at the Fingerlakes Mall from 4 to 6 p.m. Visit cayugacounty.us/health to learn more.

The Citizen Editorial board includes president and director of local sales and marketing Michelle Bowers, executive editor Jeremy Boyer and managing editor Mike Dowd.
New hires at Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group, Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, promotion at Southern Ag Center
Faimon Roberts III covers rural communities in Louisiana. His work is supported by a reporting grant from the Microsoft Journalism Initiative and is administered by the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

He can be reached at froberts@theadvocate.com.
Through third grade, children are learning to read; after that, theyre reading to learn. But, if kids dont learn how to read properly, they have trouble acquiring the information they need to progress. One of the main causes of a troubled reader is dyslexia. In Arizona, where 1 in 5 people have dyslexia, that would be about 325,000 students.

The Magical Brain

Dyslexia really affects the way the brain processes written material, explained Maggie Velazquez, Dyslexia and Literacy Intervention Specialist for Arizonas Department of Education, making it much more difficult to recognize, spell and decode words. Dyslexia is a learning disorder. Its neurological in origin and its a result of a deficit in the phonological component of language.

Dyslexia can be unrelated to other cognitive abilities, Velazquez added, so if you have dyslexia, it doesnt mean that youre low cognition, medium cognition or high cognition. You can be gifted and still have dyslexia. It could affect anyone.

Albert Einstein had dyslexia, and so did Alexander Graham Bell, Agatha Christie and Kobe Bryant. Princess Beatrice Elizabeth Mary of York (King Charles IIIs niece), diagnosed with dyslexia at 7, described the dyslexic brain as magical and one that processes things differently.

Working Overtime

Even though the brain has a region considered integral to reading  the visual word form area (VWFA) located in the left inferior occipitotemporal cortex  reading, like talking, does not happen naturally; its learned. A fully formed alphabet didnt come on the scene until the 8th century BCE, and the first printing press wasnt built until the 15th century. So reading is a relatively recent activity.

The VWFA, which acts as a general processing center, seems to link to other brain areas associated with language that, together, bundles the letters of words into visual units so we dont have to scan each letter individually. Science leans toward linking an underactive VWFA with dyslexia.

Dyslexic youngsters might have trouble with simple nursery rhymes or rhyming skills. As they get older, those multisyllable words will trip them up. Theyll have a hard time remembering what they read. Dyslexics have problems decoding words, which means they read less. This, in turn, stifles vocabulary growth and background knowledge.

The University of Washington found that people with dyslexia use almost five times the brain area as nondyslexics, Velazquez said. So, its very hard for them to perform simple literacy tasks. I think thats heartbreaking because a lot of times people with dyslexia, before its realized they have the disorder, are deemed as being lazy or expected to try harder. But theyre already trying harder than their peers.

The bigger travesty with people with dyslexia is because people struggle to read so badly they may not find the love for reading and all the learning that occurs from reading, Velazquez added. Its heartbreaking.

When it comes to dyslexia, the whole family suffers. Not only do parents have to work more with their child to keep them on par, they may have dyslexia as well.

We do know that dyslexia is hereditary, Velazquez said. So families may struggle to help because they have dyslexia as well.

But not everyone sees dyslexia as a disability. Some, like the princess, think it a gift.

Gift or Disability?

Cinda Osterman, M. Ed., Education Consultant/Davis Correction Facilitator and owner of Training Gifted Minds in Flagstaff, began her career working with dyslexics while doing fieldwork for her masters in education through Northern Arizona University.

My undergrad and grad from NAU was in education with an emphasis on reading and math strategies, Osterman said. I was involved in a special program that we worked in the school systems in Flagstaff implementing reading strategies.

Osterman lauded the methods used by her and the program director, Dr. Sandra Stone, but she noticed some children werent gaining ground on their reading and discussed with Stone the possibility of seeking training in the various methods for dyslexia. After looking into the Orton-Gillingham Approach, the Barton System and other methods, Osterman settled with the Davis Dyslexia Correction program.

I chose Davis because he got to the issue with dyslexia  disorientation, Osterman explained. Also, it was treated as a gift, not a learning issue.

The gift, the Davis method explains, comes from thinking in pictures. Left-brain-oriented people think primarily in words, and right-brained-oriented people in pictures. Since the right brain excels in creativity and can view figures in 3-D from different angles, trouble starts when words become 3-D and start to twist and turn. The Davis method teaches kids to control the disorientation.

Early Detection Key

Whatever the underlying brain differences behind dyslexia and the way it is treated, early detection and treatment is always best. Screening can help identify kids as early as pre-kindergarten. Generally, all schools in Arizona are required to assess reading skills three times a year. Starting this year the state of Arizona allocated more than $1.8 million to Arizona schools to add dyslexia screening.

With Arizonas legislation, Velazquez said, all students from kindergarten through first grade will be screened for the characteristics consistent with dyslexia. Its important to know that the screener is not meant to diagnose. The screeners solely for the purpose of trying to catch kids earlier and not waiting until theyre in third or fourth grade.

Osterman and Velazquez have both witnessed the power of successful dyslexic intervention. Osterman, whose oldest client was 81 years old, has watched reading grade levels rise and goals get accomplished.

With the strategies I learned through my education classes, Osterman said, I could get one to four grade increases in reading through the year. However, with Davis, I could get two to nine grade increases in reading at the end of the week.

Velazquez, who taught kindergarten through second grade, has seen the power of early intervention with effective instruction.

I want everyone to know there is hope, Velazquez said. And I hope anyone who is struggling with reading receives the proper intervention to become successful readers.
Im seeing this as the inevitable result of people choosing to get their news online. Cathy Wilcox, cartoonist for this masthead and president of the Australian Cartoonists Association, was made aware of News Corps move to drop all comic strips several weeks before their final run by several cartoonists who were affected. I immediately penned a statement expressing condemnation on behalf of the ACA and posted it on Twitter. I was surprised to see how big, and vehement, the response was, she said. Since the announcement, Wilcox said she had been in contact with several local comic creators who had been affected by the decision, some of whom had also lost the majority of their income. I accept that newspapers, like all media, evolve over time to meet the needs of a changing audience, but many of those still buying and reading print news are of the generation that identifies with comics as part of their daily newspaper habit, said Wilcox.

I think the decision by News Corp seems short-sighted and risks alienating a significant segment of its readership, as well as killing off a little piece of Australian culture. In their explanations for their comics-section changes, Lee papers such as the World Herald, the Waco Tribune and Richmond Times-Dispatch, also cited the industrys larger ongoing move to digital readership - as some outlets offer access to hundreds of strips online. It is both exciting, and somewhat nerve-wracking, to migrate from the traditional print to the somewhat uncharted digital world, the Tribune wrote, but that is exactly what we are doing, one step at a time. (Disclosure: This authors comic strip appears on the online GoComics platform.) The Post-Dispatchs announcement said that the companys goal with these changes is to make sure it can still devote resources to local news coverage and strong journalism. Lee Enterprises did not respond to requests for comment.

The biweekly Franklin News-Post in Virginia wrote that as of September 14, it would cease to publish comics and puzzles. The News-Post noted that streamlining comics in Lees daily newspapers will help reduce costs and enable resources to be maintained for reporting. But it also means that [Lee] newspapers that are published weekly or biweekly will no longer carry comics and puzzles. Cartoonist Scott Adams, creater of Dilbert. The seismic impact of such a change is shocking readers, and cartoonists whose strips are affected. This is sad, tweeted a Post-Dispatch reader, showing how the print paper had cut two pages of comics down to a measly half page and adding: Just kill the section entirely if this is the best you can do.

News Corp declined to comment on any reader reaction to its move, which began on September 11. Our editorial cartoonists remain as loved and valued as ever and continue to play a critical role in both our print editions and increasingly in our digital growth strategy, News Corp said in a statement. The decision to end comic strips reflects the changing readership habits of our audiences and this is why we are increasing our focus as a business on puzzles, games and crosswords. Rick Kirkman, co-creator of the syndicated strip Baby Blues, views such top-down standardisation and streamlining as a loss for creators and readers alike. I long for the days when all editors could make their own decisions about their comics line-ups, Kirkman says. They number fewer and fewer these days.

Moves such as Lees make it harder for new strips to gain footing with new audiences on their merits, which is sad, the cartoonist says. And it robs readers of their ability to have any meaningful participation in what they want to see in their local papers and furthers homogenisation. And Patrick McDonnell, creator of the strip Mutts, underscores why comics are a popular staple of the newspaper, with readers developing long-term relationships with their favourite comics: Over time, the characters are like family. Newspapers should consider this bond before they decide to make drastic changes. Wilcox says she trusts that younger comics creators will forge and cultivate a following elsewhere, as they are already doing, to outlive the dinosaur press, but the days of the well-paid, syndicated comic strip artist seem to be over. This shrinking of US funny pages comes more than a century after the rise of the print comics section. Comic strips were created - by editors and publishers - for a very good business reason: to attract and hold readership in order to beat out the competition, says Wiley Miller, creator of the syndicated strip Non Sequitur. The Google search engine logo with the Dilbert series I cant see Google. Credit:

Diversity of the comic features - and building the best comics for exclusivity by individual newspapers - created a great competitive market that was largely responsible for building the powerful newspaper industry of yore. Sara Duke, curator of popular and applied graphic art at the Library of Congress, highlights how comics became a commercial engine. From the time the first popular sequential feature ran in [Joseph] Pulitzers New York World in 1895, the Yellow Kid, as he became known, was a marketable character: bicycle races, flip books, stage performances and even whiskey. His presence on products ensured that Americans - no matter where they lived - were offered the same features in their newspapers and the same products to consume, Duke says. Such competitive commercialism not only made top cartoonists wealthy; it also put comic strips at the centre of national daily conversation - a cultural perch that peaked by mid-century. Today, though, the era of mass consumerism is fracturing, Duke notes. Where the country might have collectively talked about the death of Farley in Lynn Johnstons For Better or For Worse the day it was featured in the newspaper, now that world is changing as more consumers engage with content digitally.

The World Herald writes of its shift that for our print readers, our digital offerings are the perfect complement. Another Lee paper, the Martinsville Bulletin in Virginia, wrote that comics characters are often on their phones and computers and social media - and now its time their newspapers are catching up to the inevitable direction, too. Some readers, though, are not ready to migrate. The Post-Dispatch has been publishing letters from its readers about the changes. One reader wrote: 90 per cent of the comics I liked are gone. Another wrote that comics are often a childs first introduction to a newspaper. One subplot to the Lee chains changes is the response of Adams, who told Fox News that his loss of Lee clients was part of a larger overhaul, I believe, of comics, but why they decided what was in and what was out, thats not known to anybody except them, I guess. Some outlets characterised the dropping of Dilbert as the strips having become a victim of cancel culture. Adams had recently satirised environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies and workplace diversity efforts, and had introduced a Black character named Dave who identifies as White. I dont know why it happened, Adams tells The Washington Post about the massive loss of Lee clients, but since I predicted cancellation for my ESG and Dave character content, it was a huge coincidence.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size The winds howl almost constantly during the cooler months on Lizard Island, a remote island 270 kilometres north of Cairns. Reprieve can only be found underwater among the colourful fish that dart between the vibrant blue, orange, green and purple coral so quickly its impossible to keep up. The silence under the water might be why the marine biologists working on the island love to sink below it every chance they get. For a generation the islands research station has been central to scientific efforts to study the reef, and more recently the impacts of bleaching caused by climate change. The previous government controversially spent almost $450 million in a single tranche of funding to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. As The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age visited in late winter, the impact of that investment was still being considered by scientists concerned with the reef, while pressure continues to mount on the new government to address a looming catastrophe. A diver works to map the Reef at North Point on Lizard Island. Credit:Brook Mitchell Researchers working on the island say the reef is as good as theyve ever seen it. While this small patch of the reef may be recovering, the outlook for the Great Barrier Reef, an intricate living mesh that runs for 2300 kilometres along the Queensland coast and stretches across 350,000 square kilometres, remains grim. Back on land at the Australian Museums Lizard Island Research Station, the marine biologists study the samples theyve collected. Joint directors Dr Anne Hoggett and husband Dr Lyle Vail say theres no better job in the world. The pair have been managing the station for more than 30 years. Theres hardly such a thing as a typical day because theyre so variable, Hoggett says. Lizard Island research station managers Dr Lyle Vail and Dr Anne Hoggett. Credit:Brook Mitchell

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Over the years, the couple has noticed their environment changing: there are more invasive weed species on the island and the reef has been damaged by bleaching, cyclone and La Nina weather events. Hoggett and Vail are sceptical about the long-term survival of the reef. There is also a lot of hope in the dozens of marine biologists that cycle through their doors every year. People are now increasingly aware of climate change and aware that we need to change our attitudes and the way that we do business. And if we can do things quickly enough, we can save the [reef], she said. If we were to turn off all climate emissions, now, wed still face rising temperatures for decades. Weve got to get over this hump and do our very best to turn them off sooner rather than later. Those 2030 and 2050 goals are too far away. We need to be doing much more, much more quickly. Theres a friendly atmosphere as researchers mingle at the station, often alongside large taps that run salt water into the fish tanks. The marine biologists talk about their research projects and plan when theyre next hitting the ocean. One of the best places to sink below the surface is North Point  about a 20-minute boat ride from the centre in rough wave conditions  where PhD candidate Matt Nicholson and Durham University Assistant Professor Dr Will Feeney are filming fish behaviour. Dr Will Feeney carries out his research at North Point Reef off Lizard Island. Credit:Brook Mitchell Between dives, the pair say the reef is as good as they have ever seen it. Five years ago, this area was severely impacted by mass coral bleaching and cyclone events. Now, it teems with wildlife: parrot fish with their distinct beak-like mouths nibble at bits of coral, schools of blue-green and yellow damsel fish dart around, while Feeney spots a group of six harlequin filefish fighting. They stand out among the other fish because of their aqua and orange spot colouring and long, snout-like faces. Not long ago, it would be rare for Feeney to have spotted any. Another sign that the reef is recovering is the branching coral that appears every few metres or so. Its budding branches give scientists hope this patch of the reef is slowly recovering from the past six years which have been filled with four mass coral bleaching events since 2016 and tropical cyclones. The 2021 and 2022 summer was the first time the reef had bleached during a La Nina year. Bleaching is now happening so frequently that scientists say the billions of dollars spent on conservation measures have failed to halt the growing damage caused by climate change. Divers work to map the Reef at North Point on Lizard Island. Thousands of photographs will be put together to form a 3D render of the area. Credit:Brook Mtichell

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Bleaching is forecast to reduce global coral cover by 95 per cent under 2 degrees of warming, and 70 per cent under 1.5 degrees. If all countries deliver on their climate commitments, the world would still be on track for 2 degrees or more of warming. If the rest of the world followed Australias current commitments and policies, global warming would exceed 3 degrees, according to Climate Action Tracker. The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) listed the outlook for the reefs health as very poor in this years annual report, with the agencys chief executive, Paul Hardisty, saying the increased frequency of mass coral bleaching events was uncharted territory for the reef following the fourth mass bleaching in seven years. WWF Australia head of oceans Richard Leck said the recovery of the reef was patchy. In areas that had bounced back, including Lizard Island and the northern parts of the reef, recovery had predominately been of fast-growing coral which limits biodiversity. Some corals can take up to 100 years to grow and so as climate-induced events become more frequent, the diversity of the reef diminishes. Loading It has been likened to what you get in some ecosystems after a bushfire has come through  recovery can be really swift, but it can also create a monoculture, he says. This type of coral-dominated recovery is one that is highly susceptible to climate-induced threats like coral bleaching and storm damage from cyclones. It is susceptible to Crown of Thorn starfish too.

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But all climate science indicates that this is a scenario we cannot count on going in the future. It is inevitable that we will have more coral bleaching and more severe cyclones. However, he says the recovery in some parts of the reef should give people hope that the reef is resilient and that efforts to protect it are working. He adds that the government should also consider investing its next round of funding into limiting the environmental damage from pollution and sediment run-off from agriculture. We shouldnt give up, Leck says. One of the most controversial initiatives to boost the restore the reef is a $443.3 million grant provided by the former Coalition government to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation in 2018. The Australian National Audit Office found in 2019 that the government ignored the foundations past fundraising performance when its grant was made, neglecting its capacity to scale-up the organisation and administer the massive cash injection. At the time, the government did not run a tender process or give other organisations, including its own marine science or reef agencies, opportunity to apply for the funding. The funds were set to be delivered over six years, with investment in water quality improvement, crown-of-thorns starfish outbreak control, reef restoration and adaptation and Traditional Owner reef protection projects. Crown-of-thorns starfish are kept in a tank for research by Sven Uthicke, research scientist with the Australian Institute of Marine Science. Credit:Brook Mitchell

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Australias Auditor-General found in May the organisation had raised just $54 million  99 per cent of which was for in-kind services, with just $684,000 in cash donations. As of September last year, the foundation had secured pledges valued up to $157 million  falling short of its initial $400 million target. For its part, the foundation says that in the past four years it has committed the majority of funding to reef protection and restoration. It adds that it is on track to deliver against its objectives with more than 300 projects under way with 400 partners, including the Australian Institute of Marine Science, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, James Cook University and the CSIRO. Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek says the GBRF received the entire $443.3 million grant in 2018. There is only a small amount left - around $5 million  which will be disbursed back to projects that care for the reef, she says. She adds the reef is one of the most beautiful places on earth that must be protected for future generations. The federal government has committed to spending $1.2 billion on the reef by the end of the decade, targeting water quality and supporting indigenous reef protection. Loading For the marine biologists on Lizard Island, the future of the reef is vital to their work and ensuring the survival of the marine ecosystem. Fenney says while it is hopeful to see this patch of the reef looking healthy, more drastic climate action is needed to reverse the years of political inaction. Hoggett says the reefs recovery around the island shows it is resilient, but it cannot keep bouncing back time and time again as the effects of climate change worsen.

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Toilet paper, television, magazines, supermarket delivery, and even undies. There are few everyday essentials that havent been touched by the subscription wand in the past few years.

When it comes to fashion, membership-based services are also increasing. Subscriptions to underwear (Peggy and Finn, Hello Peachie, Knobby) and clothing (Threadicated, Stitch Fix) have been around for while, but a new class of membership sells access  to curated secondhand wardrobes, or big discounts on new gear. Other examples, such as My Virtual Stylist, offer a subscription-based personal shopping service. Brands have also been getting in on the act, with On Running offering a model for sustainable shopping where subscribers pay $30 a month to return their worn-out shoes for a new pair.

Fans of Rozalia Russian (left) and Georgia Fowler can pay for early access to their wardrobes via Pre-Loved Closet.

One emerging player is The Pre-Loved Closet, which sells the wardrobes of influencers such as Rozalia Russian and model Georgia Fowler. Founder Lisa Anderson, 30, says competition is fierce for the one-off garments, in particular from labels such as Zimmermann, so giving shoppers early access was a key driver for her decision to introduce memberships.

When Anderson was calculating how much to charge members, she studied the Netflix model and consulted e-commerce experts before settling on $7 a month  less than two cups of coffee, she says. Members also get discounts on shipping and dont pay a 5 per cent buyers premium, which can often be more than the discounted $70 annual membership.
Golshevsky said babies born close together often occur in couples who have experienced infertility and assume theyll struggle to fall pregnant again, or rely on breastfeeding as a contraceptive, not realising its ineffective once you stop feeding through the night. Jerome Luai introducing his new baby Halo Luai to family. Beauty therapist and nursing student Jessica Baguley, 35, had her second son Charlie two days before her eldest Henrys first birthday, and will never forget seeing the two lines on a pregnancy test when Henry was only three months old. I didnt know whether to laugh or cry, she said. I was in complete shock and felt a bit guilty to Henry  I was only just getting to know him and I wondered how I was going to divide my time between my first baby and a newborn. When [my husband] Mark got home and I showed him the test he was like, Its awesome!

Henry got to meet his two-day-old brother in hospital on his first birthday. It was so beautiful, he was looking up at me and smiling then looking down at the baby, she said. Jessica Baguley and her family Mark (husband) with sons Henry and Charlie. I knew Charlie was meant to be here and having them so close together, in the long run, would be amazing. The first weeks home from hospital were intense, with each baby setting the other off and sleeping at different times.

Both wanted to be on me and I didnt have enough hands  when Mark was at work, Id almost want to go and get a neighbour, she said. When I was really struggling [on maternity leave], I thought to myself, Jess, this is your full-time job at the moment. It changed my mindset so I could accept [the challenges]. Thankfully my parents and Marks were super helpful too, dropping off meals and looking after one of the babies to give me a break. Now 18 months in, Baguley said memories are a little hazy of the early days but the hard work was starting to pay off. I loved the night feeds with Charlie because it was our time together, she recalls. Now theyre starting to play and laugh together and it brings me so much joy.

UK mum Lynette Pickard said the first few months of having her children Eliza and Holden, who are 11 months apart, were a blur of night feeds and nappies. I remember sitting in the playroom and they were both screaming their heads off and taking a minute, saying [to myself], Just take two minutes to sit there and go Its not going to be like this forever, she said. Henry and Charlie are siblings less than a year apart. The bit when they were both teething was awful. Pickard credits her double pram as a lifesaver, enabling her to get out of the house each day to catch up with friends, and allowing each baby to nap when needed.

Routine was key, and while one slept, Id get time with the other, she recalls. The dynamics change, theyre now six and five and the fact they have similar interests and do everything together, makes it a little bit easier. Its rewarding in the long term. Falling pregnant before your body has recovered from a previous pregnancy is incredibly taxing, and Golshevsky said loved ones should help the mum get rest. The physiological challenge on a womans body to not have time to rest and recover before going again, and to also go through the newborn period while pregnant is unbelievable, he said. There is nothing more important than sleep for the mother to help her body recover, and the more rested and present parents can feel, the better  and more confidently  theyll be able to parent.

As for parents themselves, Golshevsky suggested always accepting help when its offered. As a society, were not very good at accepting help, but you need to put pride aside and just say, What were doing is really incredible and magical but unbelievably hard, he says. If someone asks Can I do anything for you? Say, Yes! Bake meals and help with the washing! And on the tough days, Golshevsky said you can take heart that the future is bright for both parents and siblings. Theyve got an instant friend whos very similarly matched physically and emotionally  its wonderful for kids to be able to live with a friend, he says.
FITZY FANS OUT IN FULL When the nominations for the new chair of the Australian Republic Movement closed at 4pm last Friday, former WA premier Geoff Gallop was the first person outgoing chair Peter FitzSimons called. I said thank you for asking me, its been the honour and privilege of my life, he told CBD on Sunday. It was Gallop who asked Fitzy to take on the gig more than seven years ago, over lunch with Paul Keatings son Patrick Keating in a cafe at the bottom of Sydneys MLC Centre. The soft and fuzzy conversations would continue over the weekend, with messages of support and thanks coming from donors who gave big chunks of cash, members and two former (unnamed) premiers. Malcolm Turnbull was among the list of fans, sending a text message of congratulations on the job.

Fitzy says if Twitters anything to go by, 85 per cent said well done and the remainder said drop dead you bastard. Pretty good odds in the cesspit of social media. Hes tight-lipped about who the frontrunners are for the movements next head. But, after a pointed column from our culture editor Osman Faruqi calling for more diverse voices in the campaign, Fitzy says his replacement will certainly be fresh  Whatever that means. Weve heard both former Walkleys chair Marina Go and Faruqi himself (after penning the viral op-ed) have been tapped. DADDYS BOY In other Turnbull news, it appears Alex Turnbull has inherited a thing or two from his father. And most recently, thats a fighting spirit (or inability to know when to give up). Turnbull junior brought a lawsuit last year against his fathers old friend and business partner, Pengana chief executive Russel Pillemer, over allegedly misleading and deceptive conduct.

Justice Kate Williams threw out the case last month and has been scathing in her assessment of Alex Turnbull, accusing him of having a willingness to lie and giving false and self-serving evidence before ordering that he cover Pillemers legal bill, which is rumoured to be north of $1 million. Loading But the fight aint over. On Friday evening, Turnbull filed a notice of intention to appeal which gives him three months to decide what his next move is. He changed lawyers to Atanaskovic Hartnell, a boutique firm with a reputation for being among the most aggressive in Sydney. Those familiar with Turnbulls thinking, believe the media bashing has played an unhelpful role in his quest for justice. The next phase of the case is about principle, not money.

But for now, the time is ticking on whether the lively case will continue. Get the popcorn! WESTERN AUSTRALIA OPEN FOR BIZ Western Australias mining minister Bill Johnston was the keynote speaker at a gigafactories conference in Perth last week, putting heads together to grow Australias battery and metals industries for the electric vehicle revolution. But for a Labor minister, his message was somewhat surprising. Rather than promoting Australian-owned companies and jobs, Johnston made the pitch to the Korean and Japanese delegates in the room  WA is open for business.

Eyebrows were raised when Johnston said foreign companies can own 100 per cent of new projects and take all their profits home. Loading Has he forgotten the Foreign Investment Review Board might have something to say about this? Not to mention federal Labors Australia-first ethos and vow to clamp down on multinational taxes. Perhaps it was a bid to lure the Asian dollar to WA, after QLD premier Annastacia Palaszczuk slapped higher taxes on coal exports, infuriating our Japanese neighbours. Later, Johnston was seen hobnobbing with the great and the good of Perths mining scene. Cocktails, wines and canapes were served on the fifth floor of the Ritz-Carltons terrace, overlooking the Swan River, patting themselves on the back for saving the planet.
In January, the five members of Arizonas Independent Redistricting Commission submitted a report to the secretary of state, effectively redrawing the states legislative districts.

If it seems confusing that Wendy Rogers (R), the incumbent in District 6, is now running in District 7, its a result of the new boundaries.

Flagstaff is basically bisected.

District 7 used to essentially run north and east through the City of Flagstaff, encompassing Winona and Winslow, and stretching up to Chinle and Ganado. Now, it sweeps through the southern portion of the city along I-40, bringing neighborhoods such as Kachina Village and towns like Williams, Snowflake and Payson into it.

In the newly redrawn district, voters can elect two representatives in the Arizona House, but there are only two names on the ticket: David Cook (R) and David Marshall (R). Just this week, in protest of what he considers a dearth of options for voters, Flagstaff local Chris Verrill (I) launched a protest write-in campaign. Marshalls campaign website is under construction, with a homepage all but declaring victory  a sentiment echoed in part by Verrill, the executive director of Theatrikos who said he is not running because he believes he can win.

Hes running to give voters an option that doesnt fall into the conservative political camp.

In the race for Arizona Senate, voters can only fill in one bubble on the ballot. Theres Kyle Nitschke (D), who ran unopposed in the August primary, or Wendy Rogers (R), who beat out Kelly Townsend with 59% of her partys votes.

In addition to being an incumbent, Rogers is a fifth-generation military officer -- a retired Lt. Colonel in the Air Force. She earned her wings in the 1980s, becoming one of the first 100 female pilots in the military branchs recent history. Today, shes a staunch MAGA Republican, with Truth Social listed first in the line of social media platforms on the bottom bar of her campaign website.

By contrast, Nitschke is the son of a public school teacher and is a self-described product of the public school system in Arizona. Hes a graduate of Northern Arizona University and was the organizing director for the Arizona Students Association. His involvement in the Arizona legislature so far comes in the form of an internship he manages that has college students track policies as they move through the state government.

Perhaps its no surprise that when asked what about the regions most pressing problems, Nitschke leans into issues in education.

We need to fully fund not just K-12 education, but pre-K through higher education. The stat that I love to share is that we actually fund, through the state Legislature, the Department of Corrections more than every single university and community college in the state," he said. "Why are we sending our high school graduates to jail instead of to a gateway community college, or to one of our wonderful statewide universities?

"We need to make sure that every single high school graduate has the option to do whatever they want after they graduate and that the state supports them in that."

By contrast, but equally in line with her background and values, Rogers believes the biggest problem the state faces is dwindling support for law enforcement officers.

Our constituents say that support for law enforcement is top of mind, Rogers said. It is imperative we support our sheriffs and police to enforce the rule of law, so that we have civility in our society.

In response to the outcry to defund the police, Rogers stressed that she believed agencies needed more officers, more funding and more equipment to further public safety in the state.

In terms of education, Rogers believes Arizona is taking steps in the right direction.

Public education is a bedrock in Arizona. Now in addition to public education, parents can choose to send their child to the right-fit type of public or home school or private education as necessary for their particular child. Arizona can be very proud, as it is a league leader in the United States for families to find the right choice for their child through publicly funded education.

Nitschke takes issue with some of the policies associated with school choice.

You could be a home-school parent, you have six kids now -- that is $42,000 a year of our tax dollars going directly to you to do whatever you want with. Thats ludicrous. We need public schools well funded because they have oversight. We can actually get in there and see what is going on in our public schools, making sure theyre teaching American values and all this good jazz," he said. "Thats another thing with these Republicans and school choice and anti-CRT; they want to send our tax dollars to private schools where we have no accountability."

Housing

Rogers translates that concept of accountability to individuals in need of housing when asked about her plans for addressing the regions housing crisis.

Not only affordable housing should be built, but cultivation of responsibility-taking for low-income families should be engendered in order for families to realize the ultimate dream of homeownership. I particularly like the FlagstaffHabitat.org model where self-reliance in families in starter homes is being developed. Flagstaff is an incubator for this model for Habitat for Humanity, she said.

Asked the same question about the steps Arizona need to take to ensure access to housing in the region, Nitschke said he wants the Arizona Legislature to offer more control to cities and towns.

Essentially our Flagstaff leaders in town arent able to make restrictions on Airbnbs in the way that we need to, Nitschke said. Weve seen a unique approach from what theyre doing down in Sedona, but I dont think giving homeowners who already have a ton of money more money just because theyre renting and not doing Airbnbs is the proper solution. To be addressing specifically the folks who need the housing  thats where the money and investment needs to be going.

"The easiest thing we can do at the state Legislature level is let cities and towns make restrictions around Airbnbs. We also need to fund folks who are looking for housing -- renters and first-time homebuyers.

Fires and floods

When asked about investment in fire and flood mitigation, Nitschkes focus was on prevention and forest maintenance.

[We need to be] doing long-term work to thin the forest here around northern Arizona to help prevent the start of forest fires, he said. I think we need to address this problem at its core. Weve had almost 100 years of forest mismanagement. Its only been the last couple decades that weve been trying to restore the forests to their natural old growth. We know our forests are much more overcrowded than they should be.

Rogers spoke to the damage shes seen in northern Arizona, and policies shes supported in past sessions.

The State of Arizona always stands in support of cities and towns, along with the federal government when it comes in to help. I toured the flooded areas with Mayor (Paul) Deasy and was kept informed by the Incident Command Center on the latest fires, Rogers said. I am always available. The first year of my two-year session, I voted for the $700 million appropriation we passed in special session for Arizona fire mitigation. I am on the Senate Natural Resources Committee and continue to support my district in this way.

Water resources

Zooming out to talk about statewide resource management, Rogers said Arizona is taking steps in the right direction.

I voted for a huge water legislative bill the last night we were in session, she said, referring to SB 1740, which gave the Water Infrastructure and Finance Authority (WIFA) $1 billion to invest in water conservation, efficiency and repurposing. I am proud to have been a part of this landmark legislation, which will ensure we have water into the future and have it be managed by skilled bipartisan commissioners.

Nitschke said he doesnt believe demand for water in the state is rising, but water tables arent either, so he hopes to "lean heavily into the organizations that have been doing this work, the Sierra Club, the Morrison Institute out of ASU."

"I know water conservation is huge here in Arizona," he said. "Over the last 30 or 40 years, weve actually not seen an increase in the demand for water even though our population has increased a ton. Thats for a couple of reasons. One, the incredible efforts that we have done around that. Two, weve seen a drawback from farming and more residential moving, which results in less water use. So I think we also need to continue to be smart about the farming that we are doing in Arizona, and the crops that were growing, and how water-intensive they are.

Carbon neutrality

Rogers brings up energy resources when asked what the states goals should be in achieving carbon neutrality.

Our country has the capability to be self-reliant when it comes to energy. First and foremost, we must get away from relying on other countries for our energy. Furthermore, I believe in an all-of-the-above array of energy sources. Let the market decide what predominates, she said.

Nitschke said he believes climate change is an issue, but didnt go into much detail.

The corporation commission is where we can make the most progress on this, because theyre utilizing our commissions around the state Legislature. Theres so much we need to be doing. I dont want to jump into the specifics, he said.

Abortion

Rogers said little more than that she is pro-life when asked about her position on abortion access in the state, an issue present for many voters following the Dobbs v. Jackson decision  which handed individual states the power to grant or revoke access to procedures formerly protected by the Supreme Court following Roe v. Wade.

On her website, she elaborated on her position: I support all laws that protect life in the womb. I believe in life at conception and I believe our laws should protect all living souls, including those who are the most vulnerable in the womb.

Her opponent is pro-choice.

Abortion should be safe, legal and free," Nitschke said. "Abortion is healthcare. Abortion is a human right. Even before the decision, we did not have appropriate access to abortion here in northern Arizona. I know currently were in legal limbo as far as are we going to be enforcing this ridiculous territorial ban or do we enforce this bad 15-week abortion ban. Either way were putting lives at risk and were restricting peoples access to healthcare and bodily autonomy. Its ridiculous."

Election security

The other thing Nitschke is quick to ridicule are the accusations of his opponent surrounding election fraud.

Our county recorders are wonderful. They do so much incredible work every election cycle. The poll training that they do, the poll workers that we have and then theres other nonpartisan organizations that come out to do protection work as well," Nitschke said. "I think some of your readers may be concerned about integrity and the truth of the election and about them being valid, but thats just because weve let this lie run for years. Quite frankly, the fact that we keep talking about the 2020 election, I think were not being super responsible. Were sowing seeds of doubt into our upcoming election as well. Our elections are safe and free."

Despite being elected in 2020, Rogers has a history of claiming there was widespread fraud that election year. She states on her website that she wants to ban ballot drop boxes, return to paper ballots and clean the voter rolls.

Arizona county officials should follow the law. As possible future chair of the Senate Government Committee, we will review legislation to restore voter confidence in the system, Rogers said.

Final message

Nietschke said he believes Rogers was able to raise campaign funds by holding fast to the narrative of a "stolen election." His main message to voters? Hes the opposite of his opponent.

The state Legislature is extremely, extremely corrupt and we need candidates that are held accountable to the people and not to big money, and that is what makes me different as a candidate, he said. I really ran this race to give voters an option this year. As a clean elections candidate, that makes me vastly different than Wendy Rogers. Im actually held accountable to my voters. I had to go door to door, collecting 200 $5 contributions in order to get $50,000 from the state to run my campaign. Wendy Rogers has spent the last year and a half jet setting all over the country. Shes raised $3 million on the lie that the 2020 election was a lie and it was a fraud.

Rogers' final message to voters was a brief link to her background.

I am called to serve my country and my state. I served active duty military for 20 years as one of the Air Forces first women pilots. My husband and I have been married 44 years. We have two children and six grandchildren. I serve to keep our nation as democratic as it has been for us.
How do you turn a failing school facing closure into one of the top 10 state schools in Victoria?

Ashwood High School principal Brett Moore would know. He was placed as an executive principal in 2015. The school had 22 students in year 7. Now it has 220.

I saw so much potential in the place, he said.

Ashwood High School principal Brett Moore.

Moore developed a path forward, changed the name of the school, introduced an accelerated academic program, and met everyone in the school community, from the canteen workers to the cleaners, and people from the feeder primary schools.
What is the point of having women in positions of leadership? Do we want them there simply as a measure of equality, or do we expect more of them? Do we want them to use their power to improve conditions for other women, or are we content to just let them take their rightful place at the apex?

The arrival of two very different female leaders this week tested these questions in interesting ways.

Giorgia Meloni, leader of the right-wing Brothers of Italy, holds a sign saying Thanks Italy as her party emerged victorious in Sundays election. Credit:AP

The first was Italys first female prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, a far-right politician who makes much of her identity as a woman and a mother.

Melonis party won about 26 per cent of the vote. She is expected to lead a coalition government made up of other right-wing populists, together with former premier Silvio Berlusconi (he of the bunga bunga parties) and Matteo Salvini, who leads a far-right party called League (in 2018 he called for a mass cleansing of immigrants).
The governments national anti-corruption commission will be able to intercept messages sent on encrypted apps like WhatsApp and Signal, the attorney-general has confirmed, while clarifying union officials will not be immune and political donors will not be targeted.

Interception is available and the commission will have the same powers available to it, subject to warrant, that the police and our intelligence agency have, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus told the ABCs Insiders on Sunday morning.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus says the government has got the balance right with its national anti-corruption commission. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

He refused to say whether the governments move to restrict public hearings in its national anti-corruption commission was Opposition Leader Peter Duttons idea, saying only that some legal experts think this is exactly right. Others expressed the contrary view.

Asked if politicians sending WhatsApp or Signal messages should watch out, Dreyfus said: Everyone needs to watch out. We dont want corrupt activity infecting our system of government.
The Queensland government has hit back at claims its fleet of aircraft is being replaced to benefit politicians, saying they serve an important public safety purpose.

The seven new fixed-wing aircraft will replace the ageing Queensland Police Service Aviation Capability Group fleet at a cost to taxpayers of $137 million.

Two Gulfstream G280 jets similar to that pictured will replace the governments existing Citation and Hawker jets. Credit:SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg

Among them will be two Gulfstream G280 jets, with a range of 6000 kilometres, which will replace the governments Citation and Hawker jets.

Those two jets were recently sold after reaching the end of their economic and operational life.
A deal to send Giants midfielder Tim Taranto to Richmond has been agreed in principle and is poised to be one of the first trades done when the trade period opens on Monday.

A source with knowledge of the discussions said the Giants and Richmond met in Sydney on Friday and agreed a deal after the out-of-contract Taranto had requested a trade to the Tigers.

Tim Taranto. Credit:Phil Hillyard.

Central to the deal will be Richmond parting with picks 12 and 19 in the exchange, which could include the movement of other later picks.

Richmond and the Giants agreed to separate the two deals for Taranto and Jacob Hopper, who has also requested a trade to Richmond. As Taranto is out of contract and Hopper contracted, it was considered easier and cleaner to separate the deals.
Outgoing Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett has doubled down on his claim that Indigenous former players acted unfairly in speaking to the media about allegations that senior club officials had mistreated them.

The comments came as the federal attorney-general answered questions about Hawthorn by referring to a new sporting integrity body focused on racial and cultural issues in sport. WorkSafe Victoria has also opened an investigation into the Hawthorn allegations.

Outgoing Hawks president Jeff Kennett Credit:AFL Photos / Getty Images

Kennett said on Friday that the decision of the former players to tell their story through the ABC was unfair to those they had accused. And on Sunday he told radio station 3AW that the AFL has a process in place that could have resolved this confidentially and in the interests of all parties.

But the families, who have been involved themselves in a confidential process, went and spoke to the ABC and sadly, having asked for  and we respected the confidentiality of them and their names  they then went and named those they had grievances with. And that took the process to a different level.
Our Forefathers created a government where equality and justice for all should prevail. To achieve this standard requires that individuals and communities recognize and respect the personhood of each American citizen. However, when power is at stake, this vision fades and white supremacists claim their righteous authority by depersonalizing social and ethnic groups.

The Republican leadership claims to support the Constitution; however, the U.S. House January 6th insurrection committee has documented planned intent to overthrow not only the 2020 election but also the principles our country was founded upon.

The Declaration of Independence outlines a citizens inalienable rights; however, our rights are in jeopardy because the right wing has chosen to self-ordain its vision of dominion. The Republican leaders claim to support the Constitution, and thereby the right of all citizens to vote; but, hypocritically, are making voting by different ethnic and life-style groups more difficult. They justify such Jim Crow actions by depersonalizing such populations.

Depersonalizing happens when one group refuses to recognize or value another group by disregarding their dignity. Hitler did this to Jews, Putin has depersonalized Ukrainians, and the Republican right wing is depersonalizing American citizens who choose to endorse the values of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all citizens.

In the immediate future, you can protect our collective rights and dignity by a) carefully researching and voting for those candidates who are dedicated to preserving democracy with equality and justice for ALL; and, b) encouraging voters to only support those who value the truth, such as Liz Cheney has.

BRYAN BATES

Doney Park
Batavia, NY (14020)

Today

Cloudy with occasional rain showers. High around 45F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. A shower of rain or wet snow possible. Low around 35F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.
Batavia, NY (14020)

Today

Partly cloudy skies early then becoming cloudy with periods of rain late. Low 36F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early then becoming cloudy with periods of rain late. Low 36F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Doctor known for spreading Covid misinformation is sentenced to prison for role in US Capitol attack

============================

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN

Dr. Simone Gold, a Beverly Hills woman known for spreading debunked claims about Covid-19 was sentenced on Thursday to 60 days in prison for illegally entering and remaining in the US Capitol during the January 6 insurrection.

Gold, founder of the group Americas Frontline Doctors, was also ordered to pay a $9,500 fine  the largest fine imposed to date among the almost 200 rioters who have been sentenced.

Your organization is leaving people with the misimpression that this is a political prosecution or that its about free speech, district Judge Christopher Cooper said as he imposed the sentence, slamming Americas Frontline Doctors fundraising efforts that call January 6 political persecution.

Cooper called the fundraising efforts, which have raised more than $400,000, unseemly and a disservice to the true victims that day.

It aint about free speech, Cooper added. January 6 was about a lot of things, but it wasnt about free speech or Covid vaccinations the only reason you are here is where and when and how you chose to express your views.

Gold spoke at the January 5 Stop the Steal rally the day before the riot, telling the crowd that if you dont want to take an experimental biological agent deceptively named a vaccine, you must not allow yourself to be coerced!

The next day, according to prosecutors, she and her co-defendant John Strand joined a group of rioters who pushed past a group of officers attempting to stop the mob from breaching the Capitol. Once inside, Gold spoke through a megaphone to a crowd gathered in Statuary Hall.

Strand has pleaded not guilty.

In 2020, Gold made headlines after appearing in a viral video  which then-President Donald Trump retweeted  that was later removed from numerous social media sites for Covid misinformation.

The video showed Gold and other members of Americas Frontline Doctors, which is known for pushing lies about coronavirus vaccines, standing on the steps of the Supreme Court, claiming that masks arent necessary to prevent the spread of coronavirus, and promoting hydroxychloroquine as a cure.

Gold has since been blocked by social media platforms like Facebook.

Americas Frontline Doctors told CNN last year that Gold did not participate in any incident that involved violence or vandalism and has categorically rebuked any such activity by others and claimed the organization has recommended other vaccines to patients but that more study and greater transparency are needed with respect to COVID-19 vaccines.

A number of alleged rioters have pushed anti-Covid vaccine theories or have refused to be vaccinated. A husband and wife who carried anti-vaccine protest signs into the Capitol were sentenced last August to two years of probation.

Many of the defendants held in the DC jail while they await trial have complained about lack of access to jail facilities because they refuse to be vaccinated, and some judges have hesitated to have defendants who arent vaccinated in their courtrooms.


A group of illegal immigrants who were found shoulder to shoulder in an enclosed horse trailer by U.S. Tucson sector border agents on Sept. 25, 2022. (Courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

2 Americans Arrested for Allegedly Smuggling 33 Illegal Immigrants in Horse Trailer

Authorities arrested two armed U.S. citizens and dozens of illegal immigrants during a traffic stop on Sept. 25 in what is suspected to be a human smuggling case, according to officials.

In a Sept. 29 press release, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said agents in the Tucson sector, assisted by the Santa Cruz County Sheriffs Office, rescued 33 migrants, seized thousands in cash, and arrested two smugglers in possession of firearms.

A regular traffic stop helped border agents in the sector to recover $16,000 in cash, a group of illegal aliens, and two loaded handgunsone from each stopped vehicle, a Ford and Dodge pickup, authorities said.

One of the loaded handguns that were recovered from the scene. (Courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

One of the loaded handguns that were recovered from the scene. (Courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

Officials said the two vehicles appeared to be traveling together and the Ford was pulling a horse trailer. Upon further investigating, agents discovered 33 migrants enclosed shoulder to shoulder inside the trailer.

Agents arrested the driver of the Ford as well as the driver of a Dodge pickup encountered at the scene, the release stated, noting that investigators believe the vehicles were traveling in tandem.

The drivers, each of the two local U.S. citizens, are facing smuggling charges. They have not been identified by police.

The group of illegal aliens were also arrested at the stop and will be processed for immigration violations, authorities said.

Two armed U.S. citizens smuggling 33 migrants in a #HorseTrailer were arrested by Tucson Sector agents Sunday. @SCCSheriff assisted agents with the stop on SR-82. In addition to the weapons, $16k in cash was seized. #BorderSecurity Full details here: https://t.co/MBK1SpHm2S pic.twitter.com/cBQhQMMjLT  John R. Modlin (@USBPChiefTCA) September 29, 2022

Crisis at the Border

Since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, when he loosened and reversed several crucial Trump-era policies designed to stem illegal immigration, there has been a massive influx of illegal immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

More than 186,000 illegal immigrant arrests were made at the southern border in August, up from less than 48,000 in August 2020 and 50,684 arrests made in August 2019, according to CBP data.

According to provisional numbers obtained by The Epoch Times in early September, agents recorded 42,199 illegal immigrants who entered the United States and evaded apprehension, known inside the government as gotaways.

Most of the evasions took place in the Tucson, Del Rio, and El Paso sectors. The El Paso sector sits in Texas; the Tucson sector is in Arizona.

Including approximately 900,000 gotaways, a total of 4.9 million illegal aliens crossed the U.S.Mexico border in the first 18 months of Bidens presidency, the Federation for American Immigration Reform said in a recent report. Its impossible to estimate how many illegal aliens entered and werent detected.

Epoch Times reporter Charlotte Cuthbertson contributed to this report.

From NTD News
Biden Praises Heroic Work of Coast Guard Swimmer Facing Discharge Over Vaccine Mandate

President Joe Biden on Friday publicly hailed the heroic work of a U.S. Coast Guard member who saved lives through Hurricane Ian, though the service member isnt satisfied with the congratulations because hes facing discharge over Bidens COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

The White House issued the call in a press release on Sept. 30, when the president personally thanked Zach Loescha Coast Guard Aviation Survival Technician (AST) Second Classfor saving Floridians impacted by the major storm system.

I told him how proud of him I was and thanked him for all the work he and his Coasties are doing to save lives, Biden said of the call with Loesch.

Im grateful for the brave women and menfederal, state, and local folks working so hard. Theyre all working as one team, the president added. I hear that from the governor as well as from the federal folks.

Unfortunately, the experienced Coast Guard member who risked his own life to save Floridians is facing discharge from the maritime search and rescue agency because he wont comply with Bidens COVID-19 vaccine mandate, Loesch told Breitbart News on Oct. 1 after his conversation with the president.

Loesch told the publication that he had filed a religious accommodation request to the vaccine mandate, as well as an appeal, but both were denied. Religious exceptions are typically made regarding the use of fetal tissue in the vaccine.

If I had asked any of the people I saved yesterday if they wanted to come with me even though I am unvaccinated, every single one of them would have said yes,' Loesch said.

It just sucks that he thanked me yet the vaccine mandate is whats kicking me out, he added. I just love my job and Im really good at it. It sucks. I feel like this is the job that I was born to do.

Loesch personally retrieved a disabled woman and her husband who were trapped in their back bedroom with a couch jammed in the doorway. He kicked through a wall to free them.

Im just trying to smile and be happy and show up to them as a light at the end of their dark day, Loesch told local agency WFLA. A lot of them are desperate and need help and in despair. Everything they know is gone, and when theyre leaving with us it may be the last time they see their house.

NTD News, The Epoch Times sister media, contacted the White House for comment.

During Fridays call, Biden also spoke to Lt. Commander Christopher Hooper, who is leading the search and rescue operation in Florida.

Biden said he wished to express his gratitude to everyone at the Coast Guard for the work theyve done during operations in response to Ianthe powerful Category 4 system that made landfall on Floridas west coast on Sept. 28 with winds in excess of 150 mph. The major storm has left at least 47 people dead in the state.

The president thanked them for saving lives and asked for a report on the work that continues to save Floridians, according to a readout of the call. He also asked if they needed additional support to accelerate successful saves; they indicated that they have been given what they need to carry out their vital mission.

U.S. Coast Guard personnel evacuate a man and his dog in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Matlacha, Fla., on Oct. 1, 2022. (Ricardo Arduengo/AFP via Getty Images)

A U.S. Coast Guard hoovering Hurricane Bay in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., on Sept. 30, 2022. (Ricardo Arduengo/AFP via Getty Images)

Facing Recruiting Challenges

Like other branches of the nations military, the Coast Guard is facing recruiting challenges. In spite of this, the branch is letting go of experienced service members without due process over the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, holding little regard for sincerely held religious beliefs, Lt. Col. R. Davis Younts, civilian attorney and Air Force Reserve Judge Advocate General, told The Epoch Times.

The attorney explained that service members of other branches [of the military] are granted an administrative separation board, if they have six years of service. Cases are presented to three senior officers with an attorney present, he said.

However, the Coast Guard is using the provision of the Coast Guard instructions that allows them to circumvent that process and kick people out without a board even if they have 18 or 19 years in, Younts said.

Despite a workforce shortage, the Coast Guard is continuing to process members for discharge for refusing to take the vaccine, said former Aviation Survival Technician Chief Petty Officer David Kroll, who decided to retire in April 2021 after more than 20 years as a helicopter rescue swimmer over his religious objection to the vaccine.

These are highly qualified, trained personnel, including pilots, flight mechanics, rescue swimmers, surf men, cutter men, and vital support personnel, Kroll said.

A Coast Guard media relations official told The Epoch Times that as of Sept. 21, the Coast Guard has approved 12 religious accommodations, and denied 1,231 requests.

Epoch Times reporter J.M. Phelps contributed to this report.

From NTD News
Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) talks with reporters as he walks through the Senate subway on his way to a vote at the Capitol on June 21, 2021 in Washington. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

US Senators Seek to Establish China Grand Strategy Commission to Confront Threats From CCP

Sens. Angus King (I-Maine), John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) have introduced legislation that would establish a commission tasked with developing a comprehensive whole-of-government approach to the threat the communist regime in Beijing poses to the U.S. economy, security, and foreign relations.

A bipartisan group of 15 senators is co-sponsoring the effort to establish a China Grand Strategy Commission; they intend to add the measure as an amendment to the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act.

We simply cannot afford an ad hoc China policy that lacks a long-term strategy, King said in a statement. The world is undergoing a period of significant change: economies are shifting, alliances are changing, and national security threats are rapidly evolving.

At almost every turn, the United States is facing new challenges from an increasingly aggressive China.

The proposed commission would include 18 members from the executive and legislative branches as well as business representatives.

The mission is to make actionable recommendations to develop a grand strategy across the entire government that protects and strengthens U.S. national security interests, King said.

The recommendations by the panel would be for the purposes of ensuring a holistic approach toward the Peoples Republic of China across all federal departments and agencies; defining specific steps necessary to build a stable international order that accounts for the Peoples Republic of China participation in that order; and providing actionable recommendations with respect to the United States relationship with the Peoples Republic of China.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Chinas Non-Traditional Espionage Against the United States: The Threat and Potential Policy Responses in Washington on Dec. 12, 2018. (Jennifer Zeng/The Epoch Times)

Liberalism or Socialism

Cornyn said that the Chinese Communist Partys ambitions paint an alarming picture for U.S. economic and national security.

Confronting threats from China is the greatest security imperative of our generation and a strategic, whole-of-government approach is the only way forward, he said.

Over the years, the U.SChina relationship has evolved in ways few could have predicted, Kaine said.

A China Grand Strategy Commission would help accomplish [preserving the status of the United States as the worlds preeminent power] by creating a long-term, comprehensive strategy to manage this consequential relationship, he added.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) speaks at the Senate subcommittee hearing on The China Challenge, Part 3: Democracy, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law, on Dec. 4, 2018. (Jennifer Zeng/The Epoch Times)

The proposed commission would have a structure closely modeling that of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, which King co-chairs.

According to the statement, the Cyberspace Solarium Commission made more than 80 concrete recommendations for how to improve U.S. national security in cyberspace, more than 85 percent of which are fully or partially implemented or on track for implementation.

The China Commission legislation has already been praised by top military leaders, including U.S. Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) commander; Gen. Glen VanHerck, NORTHCOM/NORAD commander; Gen. David Berger, commandant of the Marine Corps; Lt. Gen. Michael Langley, AFRICOM commander nominee; and Army Lt. Gen. Bryan Fenton, U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) commander nominee.

Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Jackie Rosen (D-Nev.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Tom Young (R-Ind,), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) are co-sponsors of the proposal, according to the statement.

Chen Ting contributed to this report.
Attorney-turned-author Kathleen Harward builds a defense for todays youth

For Kathleen Harward, the heroes and themes in her books are her medicine for todays social ills. She sees them as antidotes for a generation of youth that would rather blame and destroy instead of solve and create.

Her path as an independent publisher of childrens books is one inspired by experience and heart. In 2021, she founded Brandy Pie Book Co. This move came after serving for almost 15 years as a campus lawyer, serving as director of student legal services at Colorado State University. In that capacity, she helped college students overcome mistakes, learn resilience, think entrepreneurially, and develop abilities to make their own and other peoples lives better.

But her time in a university setting often put her at odds with her colleagues.

I was sometimes the only voice speaking out in meetings against policies that I didnt like, Harward said. She felt the students were being indoctrinated with ideologies that were mislabeled and pushed forward as social justice.

I think what I experienced is unfortunately pervasive today. Its a tear-down message rather than a build-up one.

Harward decided to do some investigations of her own into the childrens section at her local libraries. What she found disturbed her.

In earlier years, I believed the destructive trend was limited to the higher education bubble, but its apparent now that children in many elementary schools are already being primed for this way of thinking, she said.

I was shocked when I saw what was new and being added to the shelves, all these brand-new picture books and early books for childrenand identity politics in them.

I grew up surrounded by everyday heroes, such as dogs, kids, grandmas, nurses, teachers, and parents. Instead of blaming others, you overcome obstacles, learn to do the hard things, and make lives better.

Author Kathleen Harward, the founder of Brandy Pie Book Co. (Courtesy of Todd Newcomer/Brandy Pie Book Company)

The thought of staying silent was concerning to Harward.

This stuff [such as identity politics] is so damaging. We need to find a better way, she said. We need to help our childrenand family and good books are a good place to start.

Harward took a leap of faith. At the end of 2020, she decided to leave the university and get to work creating childrens books about characters who are makers and not breakers.

I felt I had to do something in my own simple way to help our children, Harward said. One way to do that was to give them a coat of armor, show them they are surrounded by everyday heroes, and perhaps to help them grow into heroes themselves.

Collaborative Creativity

Her first book, The Shared Dog, is about a mother and father who guide their children through the life of a family dog. They, their three daughters, and a chocolate Labrador named Brandy Wilbur Pie share a life of nurturing care. Brandy turned out to be the perfect caregiver for them all, even extending vigilance to the grandparents living next door. From their wonderful family dog, the girls learn valuable lessons throughout their childhoods about unconditional love.

Brandy Wilbur Pie was a beloved family dog and the inspiration for Kathleen Harwards series of childrens books. (Courtesy of Brandy Pie Book Company)

The inspiration for this book came from a real-life chocolate Labrador named Brandy Wilbur Piewho also serves as the namesake for Harwards new publishing company.

This young girl pictured with Brandy Wilbur Pie is the inspiration for Alba in The Shared Dog. (Courtesy of Brandy Pie Book Company)

As she navigated the new territory of publishing childrens books, Harward looked to CJ Designs in Colorado to help with branding, book layout design, and establishing an e-commerce-based childrens book company.

Brandy Pie Book Co.s branding and logo design are intentionally warm, friendly, and serenely soothing. The illustrations are easy on the eye: soft, inviting, and created with a style that is graceful and gentle. Harward intends to keep the memory of this faithful, spirited, and beautiful dog alive as the company moves forward.

To execute these visuals, Harward discovers young artists in different countries for the task of illustrating her stories, artists such as Gabriella Sulbaran from small-town Merida, Venezuela, or Sergey Avdeev, an artist and art teacher from Siberia. Harward is keen on helping young entrepreneurs succeed.

Incorporating young artists not only showcases their talents, but also helps with Harwards hopeful messaging: encouraging confidence, curiosity, and collaboration. For Harward, children start out this way, and she wants her books to encourage these natural impulses.

Harwards good friend Rebecca Hill, a teacher and writer, assists with book editing.

Value-Driven

One of the guiding perspectives for Harwards company is that its stories have something to share for the head and heart of any age. She calls them the pots and pans stories of living. Harward knows that children would rather play with the pots and pans they can find in a cupboard rather than a toy out of a box.

Children lean toward what is authentic! she said.

Author Kathleen Harward, the founder of Brandy Pie Book Co., thinks of her books as the pots and pans stories of life. (Courtesy of Todd Newcomer/Brandy Pie Book Company)

After The Shared Dog, Harward published three more childrens books.

The Lost Recipe is about a search for Grandmas lost recipe, which illustrates that remembering and savoring favorite recipes from those we love is a way of honoring their memories. In The Paddleboard Dog, a science teacher and her Border Collie-mix offers her students daily lessons on living a full life in the great outdoors. And finally, Who Likes Green Pancakes? follows a creative nurse who juggles the precious care of sick children with her own daughters dreams for the holiday season.

Our stories are set in creeks, canyons, mountains, backyards, and kitchens and are meant for everyone, Harward said. We create for ages 3 to 100. We start early and never stop trying to figure things out.

As for Brandy Pie Book Co., our stories are about a way of living.

Homegrown Stories

Harwards decision to start her own company took courage.

I come from a family of courageous people, she said with a laugh.

Her father was a small-town Nebraska lawyer. The county he worked in as a prosecutor was a safe haven for homeschoolers.

At that time, it was illegal to homeschool  parents could be put in jail, said Harward, fondly remembering her fathers respect for the power of parents and offering them sanctuary in the county he served.

After she left home, those lessons stuck with her.

When I was an undergrad at Rutgers, we had great teachers but there was a push to socialism, Harward said. You had to resist to point out the flaws.

Harward now has three grown daughters. Two are nurses and the other is a science teacher. They are stellar young women in her eyes, and poignant stories from their lives were incorporated into several of her books. There is much authenticity, and as a result, her stories resonate with strength and sensitivity.

Some of Brandy Pie Book Companys books. (Anita Sherman)

Looking Forward

Harward is working on her fifth book, which focuses on adults who lead. While having her books do well commercially, she is keen on having them available on library shelves and classrooms throughout the country.

Thanks to a recent generous donor, Brandy Pie books are now available for donations to libraries and classrooms. Shes on her way.

After a visit to Montana to visit her youngest daughter, Harward shared that her books are now available in downtown Billings at This House of Books.

It is a co-op model where anyone can buy a share of ownership in the co-op and get discounts and the like, and author-owners get shelf space at the front of the store, presence on its website, and promotional events, said an enthusiastic Harward. There are some very well-known author-owners, too!

While Harwards company is small, her vision is large. With the holidays approaching, shes optimistic that families craving fresh stories with timeless values will look to her Brandy Pie series.

Theres a special role for each one of us.  We have an obligation to make the world a little better, she said. Hopefully, these stories will show children how.

To order books or connect with Kathleen Harward, visit BrandyPieBooks.com

Chocolate Labrador Brandy Wilbur Pie, the inspiration for The Shared Dog. (Courtesy of Brandy Pie Book Co.)
The Bay Street financial district is shown in Toronto on Aug. 5, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Nathan Denette)

Canada Behind the Ball With Weak Merger Laws, Says Author of Biting Report

Lax merger laws in Canada underestimate the harm to competition caused by mergers and overestimate their benefits, a new report says.

Gaps in Canadas merger laws have failed to prevent the kind of acquisitions that allow big firms to extinguish competitive threats and entrench their dominance, according to the Centre for International Governance Innovation.

Canada has fallen way behind other jurisdictions such as the United States, said Keldon Bester, a fellow with the centre and the author of the report.

He compared Canadas existing regime to a set of faulty brakes. Our laws today are like brakes on a car going downhill. We know were going downhill, but wed like to go there a little bit slower, he said in an interview.

The permissiveness of merger laws is especially concerning in the context of a growing digital economy, which is fraught with unique challenges, his report adds.

Mergers, which are transactions that see two companies combined into one, can be subject to review by Canadas competition watchdog to determine whether they would be harmful to competition.

However, since the introduction of the Competition Act in 1986, the Competition Bureau has only ever challenged 18 mergers. And whats especially alarming, the report says, is that the bureau has never won a challenge on final judgement.

A recent poll suggests Canadians are concerned about the state of affairs.

According to an Ipsos survey conducted in January, 88 percent of respondents agreed that more business competition is needed because its too easy for big businesses to take advantage of Canadians.

The same proportion agreed that more competition between businesses could lead to more choice and lower prices for consumers.

The survey of 1,001 Canadians aged 18 and older was conducted between Jan. 14 and 17. Ipsos says its online results are weighted and are comparable to a traditional poll with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

One of the issues with the Competition Bureau is the threshold at which it must be notified of a transaction, the CIGI report says.

Under the Competition Act, parties to a proposed merger must notify the Competition Bureau if a transaction meets certain financial thresholds. But those thresholds do not include the value of the transaction itself, the report says.

Thats in contrast to the U.S., where the Federal Trade Commission is already notified of mergers that exceed a certain transaction value.

Early this year, the commission and the U.S. Justice Department announced a joint public inquiry to modernize merger guidelines so as to better detect and prevent anti-competitive deals.

By comparison, Canada is way behind, Bester said.

Another problem with the Competition Bureau is that the bar to intervene in a merger is quite high, added Bester, a researcher who studies competition and monopoly powers in Canada.

Thats because current laws take into consideration the increased efficiency that may come from a merger, he said. Harms from reduced competition are permitted if the proposed merger will lead to cost savings that are deemed to be greater.

Theres also a bias against blocking mergers outright, he said.

Instead, the laws favour negotiated agreements that include concessions or remedies that would address some of the competition concerns. These remedies dont have to fully address the reduction in competition that would be caused by the merger, the report says.

The report suggests several changes to Canadas merger laws.

The recommendations include expanding the range of transactions the Competition Bureau is notified of, extending the time window it has to block a harmful merger and changing the criteria used for assessing whether a transaction should be blocked.

The most high-profile proposed merger in Canada right now is arguably Rogerss proposed takeover of Shaw, a prospective transaction valued at $26 billion.

Bester said that if Canada had stronger merger laws, the Rogers-Shaw deal would have automatically been dead in the water given the lack of competition in the telecommunications industry.

If we had stronger merger laws, this merger wouldnt be proposed in the first place.

Nonetheless, Canadas competition watchdog has been trying to block the deal, arguing that it will substantially lessen competition and lead to higher phone bills.

Rogers and Shaw are expected to appear before the Competition Tribunal in November, where they will argue in favour of the transaction.

Although the federal Liberals have made recent amendments to other parts of the Competition Act, Canada hasnt touched merger lawsa problem that Bester blames on a legal and financial apparatus that benefits from their permissiveness.

Banks, law firms and private equity groups are interested in very loose merger laws because that increases their bottom line, said Bester.

We really havent done anything today on the merger side, so Canada really is behind the ball.

By Nojoud Al Mallees
Liu Qiangdong, also known as Richard Liu, CEO of JD.com, raises his arms to celebrate the IPO for his company at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York on May 22, 2014. (Mark Lennihan/AP Photo)

Chinese Billionaire Richard Liu Settles US Rape Allegation

MINNEAPOLISChinese billionaire and JD.com founder Richard Liu agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by a former University of Minnesota student who alleged he raped her in her Minneapolis apartment after a night of dinner and drinks with wealthy Chinese executives in 2018, attorneys for both sides announced late Saturday.

A settlement amount was not disclosed.

Richard Liu, who stepped down as the CEO of Beijing-based e-commerce company JD.com this year amid increased scrutiny of Chinas technology industry by the Chinese communist regime, has denied raping the woman, Jingyao Liu, and prosecutors never filed criminal charges. A joint statement from attorneys for both sides called the encounter a misunderstanding.

The incident between Ms. Jingyao Liu and Mr. Richard Liu in Minnesota in 2018 resulted in a misunderstanding that has consumed substantial public attention and brought profound suffering to the parties and their families, the joint statement said. Today, the parties agreed to set aside their differences, and settle their legal dispute in order to avoid further pain and suffering caused by the lawsuit.

The settlement was announced just two days before the civil trial was set to begin Monday in a Minneapolis courtroom. On Friday, a jury of seven men and five women were picked to hear the case.

Richard Liu is a celebrity in China, part of a generation of entrepreneurs who created the countrys internet, e-commerce, mobile phone, and other technology industries since the late 1990s. Forbes estimated his wealth at $10.9 billion on Saturday.

Jingyao Liu alleges the attack happened in 2018 while Richard Liu was in Minneapolis for a weeklong residency in the University of Minnesotas doctor of business administration China program, geared toward high-level executives in China.

Jingyao Liu, a Chinese citizen, was at the university on a student visa and was a volunteer in the program at the time. The Associated Press does not generally name people alleging sexual assault, but Jingyao Liu has agreed to be identified publicly.

Jingyao Liu was 21 and Richard Liu was in his mid-40s at the time, the lawsuit said. They are not related.

Richard Liu, also known as Liu Qiangdong, was arrested on suspicion of felony rape in August 2018, but prosecutors said the case had profound evidentiary problems and declined to file criminal charges.

Jingyao Liu sued Richard Liu and JD.com in 2019, alleging sexual assault and battery, along with false imprisonment.

The case drew widespread attention in China. Richard Lius supporters and opponents waged aggressive public relations campaigns on Chinese social media; censors shut down some accounts that supported Jingyao Liu for violating regulations.

Jingyao Liu said in her lawsuit that she had to withdraw from classes in fall 2018 and seek counseling and treatment. Her attorney said she has since graduated but has post-traumatic stress disorder. She sought compensatory as well as punitive damages from Richard Liu.

Her lawsuit said she was seeking more than $50,000, a standard figure that must be listed in Minnesota if a plaintiff intends to seek any larger amount. She was expected to ask a jury to award much more.

On the night of the alleged attack, according to the lawsuit, Richard Liu and other executives went to a Japanese restaurant in Minneapolis and one of the men invited Jingyao Liu at Richard Lius request.

She felt coerced to drink as the powerful men toasted her, and Richard Liu said she would dishonor him if she did not join in, her lawsuit claimed.

According to text messages reviewed by The Associated Press and Jingyao Lius interviews with police, she said that after the dinner Richard Liu pulled her into a limousine and groped her despite her protests. She said he raped her at her apartment. At one point, she texted a friend: I begged him dont. But he didnt listen.

Her friend notified police, who went to her apartment. Jingyao Liu told one officer, I was raped but not that kind of rape, according to police. When asked to explain, she changed the subject and said Richard Liu was famous and she was afraid. She told the officer that she did not want police to get involved.

Police said they released Richard Liu because it was unclear if a crime had actually taken place. In a later interview with an investigator, Richard Liu said the sex was consensual.

Jingyao Liu told a police sergeant that she wanted to talk with Richard Lius attorney and threatened to go to the media if she did not, according to police. Richard Lius former attorney recorded the phone call, in which Jingyao Liu said she didnt want the case to be in the newspaper and I just need payment money and apologize and thats all.

A recording of the phone call was expected to be played as evidence at trial. Surveillance videos from the restaurant, the restaurants exterior and the halls of the womans apartment complex were also expected to be played for jurors.
Reaching Within: What traditional art offers the heart

Have you ever wanted something so bad you could taste it? Im sure many of us have experienced an intense desire for something: more wealth, more love, more fame, and so on. Quite often, however, the things we desire arent what they seem, and they can leave a bad taste in our mouths.

In the cautionary tale of King Midas, his desires left him with no taste at allliterally. Despite his suffering, however, he eventually recovered.

How might we recover from the bad consequences of our extreme desires?

The Midas Touch

King Midas was a character in Greco-Roman mythology who was filled with greed. As the story goes, Midas showed great hospitality to the wise satyr Silenus, mentor to the god Dionysus. When Dionysus discovered that Midas was kind, he granted him a wish. Midas, without thinking clearly or rationally, let his desire for massive wealth take him over, and he wished that everything he touched would turn to gold.

Dionysus granted Midass wish, and Midas couldnt wait to try it out. He walked through the palace grounds touching objects to test his new skill. He touched apples, ears of corn, twigs, foliage, even dirt, and turned them all to gold. He was wonderfully satisfied with his new gift.

He quickly discovered a problem, however. As he tried to put food in his mouth, it too turned to gold. He discovered that having such powers prevented him from eating or drinking.

Overwhelmed by the destructive consequences of his new wish, Midas begged Dionysus to free him from his curse and return everything to order. Dionysus agreed and instructed Midas to wash at the source of the Pactolus River.

Midas hurried to the river, washed, and was freed from his desire for wealth and the curse that his desire brought on him.

Midas Washing at the Source of the Pactolus

Midas Washing at the Source of the Pactolus, circa 1627, by Nicolas Poussin. Oil on canvas; 38 3/8 inches by 28 5/8 inches. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. (Public Domain)

In the painting Midas Washing at the Source of the Pactolus, the French Baroque painter Nicolas Poussin depicted the moment that Midas washes away his sin.

The main figures are diagonally arranged from lower left to upper right, and these diagonals increase the sense of movement. The river godthe largest figure in the center of the compositionrepresents the Pactolus River. He reclines with his back turned to us. In front of him, barely visible to us, he holds a pitcher from which he pours water to cleanse the remorseful Midas.

Midas is disrobed and entering the river. We can see his red robe hanging from the tree in the background. He bows his head toward the god in a mixture of gratitude and reverence, and he uses one of his hands to catch the pouring water.

Two cherubs are at the bottom right of the composition. Their vine-like headdresses, similar to the one worn by the river god, let us know that they accompany and assist him as he fulfills Dionysuss command.

Cleansing Ourselves of Improper Desires

Midass story immediately implies that we should be careful what we wish for; a satisfied desire does not necessarily translate into satisfaction. Midass desire for excessive wealth only caused him pain and suffering.

In a way, his wish was irrational. He was already a king, the richest in his land, yet he still wished for more. Midas didnt take the time to reflect on his wish thoughtfully and consider its consequences. Without the rational reflection necessary to temper his irrational desires, he hurt himself. At the extreme limit of his irrational desire to have it all, he was left with nothing.

Dionysus told Midas to wash at the source of the Pactolus River to alleviate the spell that afflicted him. Midas and the river god are the main points of interest in Poussins painting, and we can consider the river god a representative of Dionysus.

Poussin painted Midas disrobed, which, to me, spawns several questions. Is the act of disrobing representative of his setting aside his desire for material wealth? Must he put aside his possessions when he approaches the god? Is this the prerequisite for purifying himself of his sins?

Maybe disrobing symbolizes something even deeper. Must Midas come to the god in his naked truth, hiding nothing, for the god to accept him and wash away his sins?

Midas bows his head in gratitude and reverence. His mind is no longer concerned with gaining more material wealth. Instead, he appears to show the god the proper respect. Is it the case that Midas must approach the god with the proper state of minda state of mind that bares its truth and approaches with respect and gratitudeif he is to be absolved of his destructive wish?

Interestingly, the god turns away from us to turn toward Midas. Poussin couldve painted them both facing us, yet he chose to compose the painting with the gods back toward us. Why would he do this?

We are left asking, Why cant I see the god? Is this Poussins way of making us look within to check our own state of mind for the gratitude and reverence appropriate for divine things? Is this the state of mind we must have if we want the divine to turn toward us and reveal itself again in the world? And is this state of mind the path to recovering from the bad consequences of our harmful desires?

Have you ever seen a work of art that you thought was beautiful but had no idea what it meant? In our series Reaching Within: What Traditional Art Offers the Heart, we interpret the classical visual arts in ways that may be morally insightful for us today. We try to approach each work of art to see how our historical creations might inspire within us our own innate goodness.
Conservatives Targets of Political Violence Since Bidens MAGA Republicans Speech

There have been reports of high-profile acts of political violence against Republicans and conservatives since President Joe Bidens controversial MAGA Republicans speech last month.

Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic, Biden said during a politically charged speech on Sept. 1 in Philadelphia.

While speaking in front of a dimly lit red backdrop and flanked by two U.S. Marines, Biden alleged that MAGA Republicans also promote authoritarian leaders and fan the flames of political violence to target rights and the very soul of this country.

While it isnt clear if Bidens speech motivated acts of vandalism or politically motivated attacks, several Republican offices across the country have been vandalized since then, including the Larimer County Republican Party in Fort Collins, Colorado; the Ottawa County Republican Party in Hudsonville, Michigan; and the Nebraska Republican Party headquarters in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The Republican Party office in Seminole County, Florida, was vandalized after Biden claimed days before his Philadelphia speech that Republicans engaged in semi-fascism.

[Officials] came out and found that all of the signs had been hacked to pieces, our building had been vandalized, our permanent sign on the outside of the building had been torn up, Keith den Hollander, chairman and vice chairman for Ottawa County Republican Party, told local media outlets last week. Really disappointed to see this.

A pregnancy center in Oakland County, Michigan, also was targeted by vandals, who scrawled pro-abortion threats on its front door. Its the second time that the facility was targeted in the past year, according to local media outlets.

Other Incidents

Also in Michigan, a pro-life canvasser was shot in Odessa Township, officials said. A 74-year-old man, Richard Harvey, was charged with felony assault and reckless discharge of a firearm, the Michigan State Police announced this past weekend.

Joan Jacobson, 84, told MLive that she was canvassing with Right to Life, going door-to-door to ask residents to vote no next month on Proposal 3, a pro-abortion measure, when she was shot in the shoulder.

Harvey came forward last week, telling WOOD-TV that he shot Jacobson accidentally as she was arguing with his wife, who he said supports abortion. Harvey said he told Jacobson to leave their property on multiple occasions.

Also last month, 18-year-old Cayler Ellingson was killed when a 41-year-old man allegedly hit him with his vehicle and later told a 911 dispatcher that he thought Ellingson was part of an extremist Republican group, according to reports. The suspect, Shannon Brandt, was charged with murder in the teens death.

Cayler Ellingson in a file image. (Cayler Ellingson/GoFundMe)

An affidavit states that Brandt told the state first responders radio that he struck the pedestrian with his vehicle because the pedestrian was threatening him, referring to Ellingson, claiming that he was part of a Republican extremist group.

However, from the moment he called 911 after allegedly hitting Ellingson, Brandt made comments regarding the incident being intentional and not an accident, according to the affidavit.

An autopsy of Ellingsons injuries indicated that he was already on the ground when he received them, and that his injuries didnt come from being struck by Brandts car but from being run over. Corroborating the autopsy results, there was also little to no damage to the front of Brandts car, according to North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation Special Agent Jeramie Quam.

Witnesses at the scene told investigators that there was no evidence that suggested Ellingson had extremist viewpoints or that a political argument had even taken place, North Dakota Highway Patrol Capt. Bryan Niewind said.

Words can have violent consequences, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who was physically attacked by his neighbor in 2017 and attacked by rioters after the 2020 Republican National Convention, said in a statement.

President Biden needs to realize that his vilification of his opponents is inflaming some of his supporters to violence. As a victim of political violence, both sides need to recognize the consequences of heated rhetoric.

In a recent comment about political violence, White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates told Fox News that Biden condemns these attacks and has been clear that violence, threats of violence, and vandalism are absolutely unacceptableregardless of who is committing such acts or why.

Like he said in Philadelphia, There is no place for political violence in America. Period. None. Ever, Bates said. The President believes that leaders in both parties should uphold that same principle, including when violence and threats are targeted against women seeking health care, members of law enforcement like the Capitol Police and the FBI, or the previous vice president.

White House officials didnt respond by press time to a request for comment.
Cars driving during a rainstorm on the the 405 Freeway in Irvine, Calif., on Dec. 12, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Driver, Passenger Killed When Vehicle Crashes Into Wall in San Diego

CHULA VISTA, Calif.The male driver and female passenger of a Nissan Rogue were killed Oct. 1 when their vehicle crashed into a wall while exiting the Interstate 805 off-ramp on East Palomar Street, police said.

At approximately 9:53 a.m., the Chula Vista Police Department received several calls regarding a single-vehicle crash into a wall near the intersection of East Palomar Street and the I-805 freeway off-ramp, Officer Ryan Culver said.

Police and fire personnel arrived on the scene and discovered that a Nissan Rogue had exited the southbound freeway.

Several witnesses indicated the vehicle proceeded straight through the intersection before colliding with a concrete and steel wall for unknown reasons, the officer said. Multiple witnesses attempted to provide medical aid to the driver until officers and paramedics arrived.

First responders took over and attempted to provide life-saving measures to the occupants of the vehicle, Culver said. The driver and the female passenger both succumbed to their injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene.

The names of the two victims were being withheld pending notification of family members.

The cause of the crash was not immediately determined. The police departments Traffic Bureau was investigating the accident.

Anyone who witnessed the crash or has additional information was asked to contact the traffic bureau at 619-417-9436.
Kampgrounds of America, Inc. has hired Brian Elsmore to serve as the companys new director of information technology operations. In his new role, Elsmore will set the vision for the network administration team and the systems that support KOAs corporate operations and properties.

Among his many duties, Elsmore will be responsible for the architecture, design and implementation of KOAs corporate networks and servers. This role also includes security and maintenance, enterprise security and risk management.

Brians work will be critical to KOAs daily operations, said Andy Metroka, chief information officer for Kampgrounds of America, Inc. Hell not only oversee the day-to-day work of our network operations team but will be tasked with championing the networks and systems that enhance mission-critical operations of our business.

Prior to joining KOA, Elsmore most recently held a system engineering role that took him around the world. Across his career, he has amassed experience in most aspects of IT, including hardware, networking, programming and project management. Elsmore has worked in many industries such as software engineering, manufacturing, banking and insurance.

Born in the United Kingdom, Elsmore attended the University of Leeds and has called the United States home for 25 years.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) researchers are preparing to publish a study on a set of data that identified four potential issues in elderly persons after COVID-19 vaccination.

The FDA announced in July 2021 that near real-time surveillance detected four potential adverse events of interest (AEI) following receipt of Pfizers vaccine.

The agency has given zero updates on the matter since then, until Sept. 30, when a spokesperson said that a study on the surveillance is expected to be published soon.

The medical record review and statistical analyses have recently been completed, and the overall study results are currently under internal review at FDA, the spokesperson told The Epoch Times via email. Release of the study findings is expected later this fall.

The spokesperson did not respond to a request for more details.

Pfizer did not respond to a request for comment.

In 2021, the FDA said the four potential adverse events of interest were detected by analyzing the health care claims database for Medicare, the government insurance plan that covers people aged 65 and older.

The events were blood clotting in the lungs, insufficient oxygen to the heart, low blood platelet levels, and disseminated intravascular coagulation.

These four events may not be true safety concerns, and the screening method cannot establish that the vaccine caused these AEI. FDA is sharing the initial findings of this safety study in the spirit of transparency but does not believe there is a cause for concern. There are alternative explanations for the findings, including the fact that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was given to many high-risk individuals who were older and had significant co-morbidities, the FDA said at the time.

FDA continues to closely monitor the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines and will further investigate these findings by conducting more rigorous epidemiological studies. FDA will share further updates and information with the public as they become available, it also said.

The adverse events were not identified for recipients of the other two vaccines available at the time, nor were they identified in two other surveillance systems.

FDA Has Warned of Adverse Events

Adverse events are negative health issues that arent necessarily linked to a vaccine. The vaccinated groups in the clinical trials for the vaccines had higher numbers of certain adverse events, including Bells palsy in Pfizers trial, but the FDA said the trials did not reveal safety concerns, citing the background rate of Bells palsy in the general population and other factors. Researchers have since identified a higher rate of serious adverse events in the vaccinated arms than the unvaccinated arms.

The FDA did say that post-trial administration of the vaccines in large numbers of people may reveal additional, potentially less frequent and/or more serious adverse events not detected in the trials, and in the months following authorization, the FDA added warnings for adverse events to all of the available vaccines.

People set to receive the Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and Novavax vaccines are told in FDA fact sheets that they could experience a severe allergic reaction. Myocarditis and pericarditis, two forms of heart inflammation, are possible after receipt of the Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax. Evidence accumulated after the trials shows a causal link between heart inflammation and the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, U.S. health officials have said.

Other side effects that have been reported after receipt of one or more of the vaccines include swollen lymph nodes, skin tingling, blood clots, and diarrhea.

The FDA and other health agencies maintain that the benefits of the vaccines outweigh the risks, a position challenged by some health experts.
A damaged trailer park after Hurricane Ian passed by the area, in Fort Myers, Fla., on Oct. 1, 2022. (Steve Helber/AP Photo)

FBI Warns Florida Residents of Fraud Schemes as Death Toll Rises From Hurricane Ian

The FBI issued a warning to Florida residents, and people seeking to make donations to support Hurricane Ian victims, about potential fraud schemes that frequently follow hurricanes and other natural disasters.

Watch out for scammers trying to use a natural disaster like Hurricane Ian to steal your money, your personal information, or both, the FBIs Tampa office wrote in a recent warning.

The bureau said it is recommending that would-be donors use established charities or trusted groups, be aware of groups with copycat names, be wary of new organizations soliciting donations, and be cautious when a charity or group asks for cash only.

Donating via check or credit card is preferable, the FBI said while adding that groups that are asking for donations via cash, gift card, virtual currency, or wire transfer, are probably a scam.

The FBIs Miami office also advised potential donors to do your homework before providing donations, adding that people can look into reviews of certain charities, state regulators for charities, and reports of charities at the Better Business Bureau.

Death Toll Increases

The death toll from Hurricane Ian has increased to 54 people, including at least 47 in Florida, officials told The Associated Press. The toll includes four from North Carolina and three from Cuba.

Its really, really incredible the amount of flood that were seeing, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a news conference on Saturday.

In this aerial photo made in a flight provided by mediccorps.org, damage from Hurricane Ian is seen on Estero Island in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., on Sept. 30, 2022. (Gerald Herbert/AP Photo)

Florida was hit hardest by the Category 4 hurricane, one of the strongest to make landfall in the United States. Flooded roadways and washed-out bridges to barrier islands left many people isolated, amid limited cellphone service and a lack of basic amenities such as water, electricity, and the internet.

Florida utilities were working to restore power. As of Saturday night, nearly 1 million homes and businesses were still without electricity, down from a peak of 2.67 million.

The National Hurricane Center said in an advisory on Saturday that the stormdowngraded to a post-tropical depressiondissipated across southern Virginia. There were reports of power outages and flooding across North and South Carolina as North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced Saturday that at least four people died in his state.

President Joe Biden would visit Puerto Rico and Florida in the next week, according to a White House statement.

Its not just a crisis for Florida. This is an American crisis. Were all in this together, Biden said during remarks on Saturday. I just want the people of Florida to know: We see what youre going through and were with you.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A health worker wearing a personal protection suit stands next to buses at a cordoned-off section at the international arrivals area, where arriving travelers are to be taken into quarantine, at the international airport in Wuhan, China, on Jan. 14, 2021. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images)

US Gives New Coronavirus Grant to Company at Center of COVID-19 Lab-Leak Allegations

The same firm that was alleged to have conducted controversial research at a laboratory in Wuhan, Chinathe city where COVID-19 emerged in 2019has received a new grant to study bat viruses.

EcoHealth Alliance, which was involved in researching bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, started a multiyear study of viral sequences and isolates for use in vaccine development, according to a grant published online by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the agency headed by Dr. Anthony Fauci.

The study will involve bats and coronaviruses and is set to run until Aug. 31, 2027. However, its research wont take place in China but instead will focus on Laos, Vietnam, and Burma (also known as Myanmar).

Our hotspots risk mapping suggests countries directly to the south of China; Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam in particular; contain regions with human-wildlife interfaces 8 and likely regular spillover of novel [coronaviruses] from bats and other wildlife, it said.

The grant was awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Sept. 21, with the total project funding for the year 2022 being $653,392.

EcoHealth added that its preliminary field studies have identified novel viruses related to known zoonoses in bats and other wildlife from each of these countries with an overall goal to analyze the behavioral and environmental risk factors for spillover of new coronavirus strains and identify any wildlife-to-human spillover events.

EcoHealth provided some $600,000 in the form of NIH sub-grants to the Wuhan virology laboratory between 2014 and 2019 for research on bat coronaviruses. Last year, some members of the 17-agency U.S. Intelligence Community said that the virus may have originated near the Wuhan lab, according to a report released on behalf of President Joe Biden.

Fauci last year insisted that no gain-of-function research was taking place at the Wuhan lab using taxpayer funds. But a top NIH official said in a letter (pdf) last year that EcoHealth admitted that the grant to EcoHealth was used to infect mice with modified bat coronaviruses.

Criticism

It should be noted that EcoHealth Alliance was awarded a new NIH grant ten days ago, providing an additional $3.3 M over five years for a project including high-risk virus discovery research in bats in Southeast Asia, Rutgers University professor of chemical biology Richard Ebright wrote on Twitter about the latest NIAID grant on Sept. 30.

An aerial view shows the P4 laboratory at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan in Chinas central Hubei Province on April 17, 2020. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

Days after the grant was handed out, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) introduced legislation that would ban providing federal funds to EcoHealth Alliance, specifically over its research at the Wuhan lab.

Giving taxpayer money to EcoHealth to study pandemic prevention is like paying a suspected arsonist to conduct fire safety inspections, she said. NIH got it right when it canceled the funding for the experiments EcoHealth Alliance was conducting with Chinas state-run Wuhan Institute. In addition to violating multiple federal laws, EcoHealth has still not turned over documents about these dangerous studies that NIH has requested on multiple occasions that could offer vital clues to the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an interview with Science.org last year, EcoHealth chief Peter Daszak said that he is the victim of an antiscience attack and claimed that he was warning about a coronavirus pandemic for 15 years before COVID-19 spread across the world.

If a small group of scientists were absolutely correct in their predictions, why are we now putting them on the pyre in the middle of the village, dancing around, and burning them alive? Daszak asked in the interview. Thats what really sickens me to my stomach.

The NIH and EcoHealth Alliance didnt respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.
Vice President Kamala Harris gives remarks on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington, on Sept. 13, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

FEMA Chief Responds to Kamala Harris Claim About Prioritizing Communities of Color

The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said that the administration will support all communities following a remark by Vice President Kamala Harris that communities of color  are most impacted by hurricanes.

About a day after Hurricane Ian ravaged Florida, Harris made the remarks and said that those communities are most impacted by these extreme conditions and that we are all thinking about the families in Florida and Puerto Rico with [Hurricane] Fiona and what we need to do to help them in terms of an immediate response and aid.

We have to address this in a way that is about giving resources based on equity, understanding that we fight for equality, but we also need to fight for equity  sometimes we have to take into account those disparities, she said.

FEMA Director Deanne Criswell was asked about the vice presidents comments during a CBS News interview on Sunday.

Were going to support all communities, Criswell said in response. I committed that to the governor, I commit to you right here that all Floridians are going to be able to get the help that is available to them through our programs.

She added: One of the things that I have known and I have experienced responding to other disasters is that there are people that often have a hard time accessing our programs, theres barriers to our program.

A spokesperson for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Christina Pushaw, asserted that Harriss comment was unhelpful and is causing panic among victims of Ian.

Harriss remark is false, Pushaw wrote on Twitter, adding that it is causing undue panic and must be clarified. FEMA Individual Assistance is already available to all Floridians impacted by Hurricane Ian, regardless of race or background. If you need assistance visit disasterassistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362.

In a separate Twitter post, Pushaw called on Harris to correct what she said.

Other than Pushaw, others provided Harris with negative feedback over the remark. Should be according to greatest need, not race or anything else, wrote Tesla CEO Elon Musk in response.

Nearly 850,000 homes and businesses were still without electricity Sunday, down from a peak of 2.67 million, after Ian struck.

Criswell told Fox News Sunday that the federal government began to arrange the largest amount of search and rescue assets that I think weve ever put in place before to supplement Floridas resources.

At least 54 people have been confirmed dead: 47 in Florida, four in North Carolina, and three in Cuba. The weakened storm drifted north on Sunday and was expected to dump rain on parts of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and southern Pennsylvania, according to the National Hurricane Center, which warned of the potential for flash-flooding.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Its true. According to a recent risk-benefit analysis it will cause 18-98 serious adverse events for each hospitalization it prevents, yet Biden just ordered 171M doses based on a study of 8 mice 

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

The emergency authorizations of Pfizers and Modernas bivalent COVID boosters are based on preliminary test results from a grand total of eight mice, and that data hasnt even been made public

Based on the antibody response in eight mice, the Biden administration has ordered 171 million doses of the two boosters

A reanalysis of data from the Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccine trials found that, combined, the jabs were associated with a risk increase of serious adverse events of special interest at a rate of 12.5 per 10,000 vaccinated. Meanwhile, the risk reduction for COVID-19 hospitalization was only 2.3 per 10,000 participants for Pfizer and 6.4 per 10,000 for Moderna

According to a recent risk-benefit analysis of a third booster for university students, for each COVID hospitalization prevented, the booster will cause 18 to 98 serious adverse events

A number of top officials with the FDA, CDC and the NIH reportedly have serious concerns about the direction were going in, yet are too afraid to speak out or push back

August 31, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the reformulated COVID bivalent booster shots by Moderna and Pfizer1  all without the required convening of its Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC), which would typically discuss or vote on the authorization or approval of a new vaccine.

Instead, the FDA pushed the matter before the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). ACIP met for eight hours September 1, 2022, and authorized the untested boosters 13-to-1.2 3 CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky endorsed the recommendation later that evening.

Pfizers new booster, authorized for people age 12 and older, is a bivalent injection targeting Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, which are the two currently in circulation.

Modernas shot, authorized for adults only, aged 18 and older, targets the already extinct Wuhan strain and Omicron subvariant BA.1.4 The two bivalent boosters is only be available to those who have already received the primary two-dose series and/or a monovalent booster at least two months ago.5

Safety and Efficacy Assumed Based on Mouse Data

As explained in What Theyre Not Telling You About the New mRNA Boosters, the emergency authorization of these reformulated boosters is based on nothing more than preliminary test results from a grand total of eight mice,6 and that data hasnt even been released to the public.

In an August 30, 2022, article, Science explained the makeup of the reformulated boosters:7

Both the Pfizer-BioNTech collaboration and Moderna make their vaccines from messenger RNA (mRNA) coding for the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. The new vaccines are bivalent. Half of the mRNA codes for the spike protein of the ancestral virus strain that emerged in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, which is also in the original shots; the other half codes for the spike protein in BA.1 or the one in BA.4 and BA.5, which have identical spikes  For the BA.4/BA.5 boosters, the companies have submitted animal data. They have not released those data publicly, although at the June FDA meeting, Pfizer presented preliminary findings in eight mice given BA.4/BA.5 vaccines as their third dose. Compared with the mice that received the original vaccine as a booster, the animals showed an increased response to all Omicron variants tested: BA.1, BA.2, BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and BA.5. The companies say clinical trials for the BA.4/BA.5 vaccines will begin next month [i.e. September 2022]; they need clinical data both for full approval of the vaccines  their recent submissions are only for emergency use authorization  and to help develop future updates. Presumably they will measure recipients antibody levels, but not the vaccines efficacy against infection or severe disease. Such trials are very expensive and were not done for the BA.1 shot either.

FDA and CDC Rely on Assumptions, Not Actual Data

A key take-home here is that efficacy against infection and severe disease has NEVER been ascertained. Those trials were not done for the original shot, and wont be done for the reformulated boosters. Yet the efficacy of these boosters is assumed and declared as having been proven based on the original trials.

Talk about a circular argument! Its just assumptions piled upon assumptions. Yet, based on the antibody response in eight mice alone, the Biden administration has now ordered 171 million doses of the two boosters.

Lets not forget that the mice actually did get infected with Omicron,8 although we dont know to what degree, since they havent released the data. For all we know, the mice may have had a good antibody response, got sick and then dropped dead.

Whats more, the monovalent Pfizer booster authorized for children aged 5 to 11, back in May 2022, was based on the antibody levels of just 67 children.9 So, when the FDA claims the original human trials were exhaustive and have conclusively proven the shots are both safe and effective, theyre flat out lying.

In addition to apparent fraud being committed, and the fact that they eliminated the placebo groups midway, those human trials wont even be finalized for another two years or so, as all clinical trials require follow-up.

All we have are preliminary analyses, and FOIA released documents clearly show Pfizer has been less than transparent about adverse effects, as they mislabeled and dismissed almost all of them.

A reanalysis10 of data from the Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccine trials found that, combined, Pfizer and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 jabs were actually associated with a risk increase of serious adverse events of special interest of 12.5 per 10,000 vaccinated. Meanwhile, the risk reduction for COVID-19 hospitalization was only 2.3 per 10,000 participants for Pfizer and 6.4 per 10,000 for Moderna. So, again, the risk-benefit is crazy lopsided AGAINST the shots.

Repeat Boosting Can Destroy Your Immune Function

Aside from the risk of immediate adverse effects of these experimental gene transfer injections, theres also the issue of immune destruction through repeat exposure. A number of scientists have warned that repeated injections appear to be breaking down peoples immune systems. As noted by independent journalist Rav Avora:11

The European Medicines Agency has warned12 against the potential adverse immunological effects of repeated boosting every four months. As Dr. Marty Makary from Johns Hopkins has noted,13 recent research shows a reduced immune response against the Omicron strain among people previously infected who then received three COVID vaccine doses compared to a control group that previously had COVID and did not have multiple shots. It is just impossible to overstate the unconditional absurdity of the FDA and CDC decision. Not only is the booster merely available to the public  but it is recommended by the state for everyone, including children and teenagers  those with least to gain and most to lose.

Indeed, the population most likely to be mandated to take a bivalent booster are students, and according to a recent risk-benefit analysis,14 which assessed the impact of booster mandates for university students, between 22,000 and 30,000 previously uninfected students (aged 18 to 29) must be boosted to prevent a single COVID-19 hospitalization.

For each COVID-related hospitalization prevented, a third booster will cause 18 to 98 serious adverse events.

And, for each COVID-related hospitalization prevented, the booster will cause 18 to 98 serious adverse events, including 1.7 to 3 booster-associated myocarditis cases in males, plus another 1,373 to 3,234 cases of grade 3 reactogenicity which interferes with daily activities.

In short, mandating a third COVID shot for university students will result in a net expected harm of massive proportions, which is completely unethical. Anyone who cannot compute that 18 to 98 serious injuries plus another 3,000+ injuries that are bad enough to interfere with daily living is WORSE than one COVID hospitalization really should not be in a public health position. They belong in a remedial first-grade math class.

Public Health Officials Go Along to Get Along

Sadly, a number of top officials within the FDA, CDC and the National Institutes of Health reportedly have serious concerns about the direction were going in, yet are too afraid to speak out or push back, so the death toll keeps mounting. In a July 15, 2022, Substack article, Makary and Dr. Tracy Beth Hoeg shared the following:15

The calls and text messages are relentless. On the other end are doctors and scientists at the top levels of the NIH, FDA and CDC. They are variously frustrated, exasperated and alarmed about the direction of the agencies to which they have devoted their careers. Its like a horror movie Im being forced to watch and I cant close my eyes, one senior FDA official lamented. People are getting bad advice and we cant say anything. That particular FDA doctor was referring to two recent developments inside the agency. First, how, with no solid clinical data, the agency authorized COVID vaccines for infants and toddlers, including those who already had COVID. And second, the fact that just months before, the FDA bypassed their external experts to authorize booster shots for young children  At the NIH, doctors and scientists complain to us about low morale and lower staffing: The NIHs Vaccine Research Center has had many of its senior scientists leave over the last year, including the director, deputy director and chief medical officer. They have no leadership right now  one NIH scientist told us  Another CDC scientist told us: I used to be proud to tell people I work at the CDC. Now Im embarrassed. Why are they embarrassed? In short, bad science. The longer answer: that the heads of their agencies are using weak or flawed data to make critically important public health decisions  And that they have a myopic focus on one virus instead of overall health  An official at the FDA put it this way: I cant tell you how many people at the FDA have told me, I dont like any of this, but I just need to make it to my retirement.

Even Dr. Paul Offit, one of the most prominent pro-vaccine propagandists in U.S. history and a member of the FDAs VRBPAC, has the common sense to question the sanity of rolling out untested shots to millions of people. In late August 2022, just two days before the FDA authorized the two bivalent boosters, he told the Wall Street Journal:16

Im uncomfortable that we would move forward  that we would give millions or tens of millions of doses to people  based on mouse data.

Why Is FDA Making Unsubstantiated Claims in Ads?

The FDA is also advertising the COVID shots  and making bizarre unscientific claims in those ads. Here are two recent COVID booster campaign messages tweeted out by the FDA:

Its time to install that update! #UpdateYourAntibodies with a new #COVID19 booster.17 Dont be shocked! You can now #RechargeYourImmunity with an updated #COVID19 booster.18

By law, the FDA should not engage in the advertising of drugs  historically, theyve never even worked with drug companies to create ads19  and the agency certainly should not put out false and misleading claims about drugs, as this is illegal. So, why are they doing both? As reported by Tablet magazine:20

The continuation of unchecked conflicts of interest, and several recent authorizations for uses of new medical products that are in many ways unproven, demonstrate that the FDA is essentially unresponsive to public outrage, culminating in the bizarre spectacle of  promoting bivalent boosters on social media through unsubstantiated claims  [A]cting not as a neutral regulator but actively advertising on behalf of pharmaceutical companies with government purchase contracts. The FDAs disregard for its congressional mandate is not unique to this moment  it is a symptom of its decadeslong transformation into an agency captured by the corporations it is tasked with regulating.

Why Is FDA Ignoring Red Flags?

Tablet magazine also highlights the FDAs now-consistent disregard for safety issues, even when data clearly point to problems. This includes data showing frequent boosters can weaken immune function, and the fact that Pfizer, in its pediatric trial, actually observed a higher rate of severe COVID in the vaccine group than the placebo group.

The FDA also allowed Pfizer to discount 365 symptomatic cases in the pediatric trial and only count 10 cases that occurred after the third dose. This is how they got to 80% efficacy. In reality, however, the efficacy was negative after doses 1 and 2. As noted by Tablet magazine:21

In a vaccine meant to prevent illness for an age group that is already at extremely low risk, this data should have been a red flag for the FDA. Why, then, has the body charged with protecting Americans from inadequately tested products been so eager not just to authorize these products for emergency use, but to enthusiastically recommend them?

Clearly, the fact that 75% of the FDAs funding comes from the drug industry is one factor that contributes to this corruption. Another is the revolving door between the agency and industry, with officials passing back and forth between the two.

A third factor is the financial conflicts of interest of individual officials. Tablet magazine reviews several examples of VRBPAC members receiving hundreds of thousands and even millions of dollars from drug companies, be it in the form of research grants, speakers fees or consulting fees.

Recent Studies Demonstrate Insanity of Continuing Boosters

In closing, at least three new studies demonstrate the insanity of continuing down the path of boosters:

Japanese researchers have found in vitro evidence of antibody dependent enhancement (ADE) following Modernas mRNA injection.22 23 A preprint study24 posted on bioRxiv in mid-September 2022 found Omicron sublineage BA.2.75.2 is exceptionally good at escaping neutralizing antibodies.On average, this sublineage was neutralized fivefold less potently than BA.5, making it the most resistant variant to date. According to the authors, These data raise concerns that BA.2.75.2 may effectively evade humoral immunity in the population. Another September preprint25 26 27 by Chinese researchers detail how and why SARS-CoV-2 variants are outracing vaccination efforts, and the role played by original antigenic sin.In addition to BA.2.75.2, other variants with impressive immune evading capabilities include BR.1, BJ.1, and BQ.1.1. According to the authors,28 many of the variants now emerging have mutations converging in particular hotspots on the receptor binding domain (RBD).They suspect this convergent evolution is linked to humoral immune imprinting, in other words, the phenomenon of original antigenic sin,29 the end result of which is reduced immunity and an increased risk of symptomatic infection.If youre up for some, at times, complex scientific jargon, check out coauthor Yunlong Richard Caos Twitter thread in which he does his best to lay out the findings. Cao explains the convergent RBD evolution as follows:

Due to immune imprinting, BA.5 breakthrough infection caused significant reductions of nAb [neutralizing antibody] epitope diversity and increased proportion of non-neutralizing mAbs [monoclonal antibodies], which in turn concentrated immune pressure and promoted the convergent RBD evolution. The take-home message here is that this convergent RBD evolution  which is making new variants increasingly capable of evading neutralizing antibodies  is the result of a narrow antibody response. Its a byproduct of vaccinating the world during an active outbreak. The end result is that both natural immunity and the COVID jabs are rendered more or less null and void. If thats not reason enough to quit this booster madness, I dont know what is.
BERLINA cow herd in Germany has gained an unlikely following, after adopting a lone wild boar piglet.

Farmer Friedrich Stapel told the dpa news agency that he spotted the piglet among the herd in the central German community of Brevoerde about three weeks ago. It had likely lost its group when they crossed a nearby river.

Stapel said while he knows what extensive damage wild boars can cause, he cant bring himself to chase the animal away, dpa reported Thursday.

The local hunter has been told not to shoot the pigletnicknamed Friedaand in winter Stapel plans to put it in the shed with the mother cows.

To leave it alone now would be unfair, he told dpa.

Wild boar Frida eats next to a cow on a pasture near the river Weser in the district of Holzminden, Germany, on Sept. 29, 2022. (Julian Stratenschulte/dpa via AP)
HK Pro-Democracy Politician in Exile Ted Hui: Tyranny is Guilty

Charged with four criminal cases and contempt of court, sentenced to 3.5 years in prison

Ted Hui Chi-fung, former Hong Kong Legislative Councillor, who announced his self-exile after he went to Denmark in 2020, was charged with four counts of criminal contempt of court. Judge Andrew Chan Hing-wai sentenced Hui in absentia on Sept. 29, to 3.5 years in prison and he must pay the punitive damages. Hui, who currently lives outside Hong Kong, responded on social media by saying I despised it.

Hui said in his Facebook post that after the Hong Kong National Security Law became effective, the courts in Hong Kong have become that of the Communist Party, and political trials and sentences against dissidents have become the norm in Hong Kong.

In response to Judge Chans statement that Huis failure to return to Hong Kong to respond to the trial undermined the publics confidence in judicial justice, Hui said, In fact, it is bigwigs like Mr. Chan who gladly accept to become a national security judge and endorse tyranny that has completely destroyed judicial justice in Hong Kong.

He added, Based on universal values and throughout history, it is the tyranny that is guilty, not the protesters.

At the end of the post, Ted Hui emphasized that he would continue to fight for the freedom of Hongkongers to the end, and stated that he will continue to publicly hold in contempt the unjust court of the Hong Kong Communist Party. Let the court sentence against the air, so that the world can see their insanity and incompetence.

Hui had been charged with four criminal cases in 2020. He was able to have his travel restrictions lifted for a business trip to Denmark. He announced self-exile after he arrived in Denmark.

As he did not return to Hong Kong to appear in court as scheduled, he had been charged with contempt of court.
Hunter Biden Probe to Look Into What Happened in 2020: Jim Jordan

If the GOP takes a majority in the House, one of the key elements of its investigatory plans into Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, next year will involve looking into what happened in 2020, said Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).

Just weeks before the 2020 presidential election, the New York Post ran a story about Hunter Bidens overseas business dealings in Ukraine and China, which was promptly dismissed as dubious by mainstream media outlets and suppressed on social media platforms.

At the time, 51 former intelligence officials signed a letter claiming that the New York Posts story had all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation. In an interview with Breitbart, Jordan said that he wants to know on what intelligence the 51 former officials based their letter.

We had 51 former intelligence officials tell us that this was Russian disinformation. We had the FBI sit down with Facebook and say, Hey, be careful, wink wink. We think theres Russian disinformation.  All that was done to suppress that story, which had an impact on how people voted in the most important election we have, the election for president of the United States, Jordan told Breitbart.

Did someone from The New York Times tell them something? Did someone from the FBI leak some falsewas it this Timothy Thibault, who [has] since left the FBI, who suppressed that information at the FBI? I want to know. Thats pretty important stuff, so I really want to look into that angle.

Most of the investigative activities related to Hunter Biden would be headquartered at the Oversight Committee, with Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) expected to lead it. Jordan will continue to remain a member and chair of the Judiciary. Comer plans to look into Hunter Bidens suspicious banking and business transactions, he added.

Protecting Documents

Jordan had recently signed a letter together with other Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee asking former FBI official Timothy Thibault not to destroy or alter documents related to the Hunter Biden investigation that are in his possession.

Whistleblowers have come to Congress alleging that you were part of a scheme to undermine and discredit allegations of criminal wrongdoing by members of the Biden family. Accordingly, we believe that you possess information relating to our investigation and we request your assistance with our inquiry, the letter said.

Prior to leaving the FBI last month, Thibault worked at the agencys Washington Field Office. In July, he came under scrutiny after a whistleblower revealed that the former FBI agent had suppressed information the agency had about Hunter Bidens financial activities.

In July, whistleblowers revealed to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) that FBI bureau officials labeled evidence against Hunter Biden as disinformation and that there are systemic and existential problems within the agency as well as the Justice Department.
A UK mother recently gave birth to a baby girl, and her adorable pet dog couldnt be happier welcoming the little human owner into the world.

Kristina Craig, 32, from Edinburgh, Scotland, says everyone adores the special bond between her 1-year-old baby, Myla, and 3-year-old husky, named Kaya. Their beautiful friendship started when Craig found out she was pregnant in 2020, and her loyal pup became infatuated with the bump; Kaya protected it by licking and sleeping on it.

After Myla was born, Kaya made sure to be utterly gentle around her, and now they are completely inseparable.

(Courtesy of Caters News)

(Courtesy of Caters News)

Craig, who works as a pathologist, said: When I became pregnant with Myla, Kaya made it her job to protect me and the bump, she was instantly infatuated with it.

Kaya loved to lie with her head on the bump, and sometimes she used to lick it, too, which was her way of showing affection and how much she loved Myla already. She used to be obsessed with me and where I was goingso much that I couldnt get around the house without her following me.

Her first interaction with Myla was absolutely amazing, I couldnt ask for a better reaction! Kaya was so gentle, had a bit of a sniff and then lay down next to hershe hasnt left her side since then.

(Courtesy of Caters News)

(Courtesy of Caters News)

Myla and Kaya love spending pretty much every day cuddling up together. The little Myla is confident around Kaya, said the mom, and never wary; she always kisses her furry mate and definitely always gets plenty of licks back.

Kaya is always doing something silly that makes Myla laugh her head off till she needs another sleep, and then Kaya is back lying by her side, Craig said.

It makes me laugh when I take them out, because Kaya always stands up with her feet on the pram like its her pram and her baby. She does this especially around other dogs.

They love going out together. Obviously, Myla is very young, but they have a favorite walk around Water of Leith (a river in Edinburgh). I cant wait for when Myla is older, so they can go out on walks together!

(Courtesy of Caters News)

(Courtesy of Caters News)

After Craig posted videos of her baby and huskys relationship on social media, her friends, family, and followers just loved them.

All my friends and family think its amazing, and they cant believe how gentle Kaya is with Mylait really shocks everyone. Everyone finds their relationship so cute, she said.

I never expected a reaction like this. All the comments on the video are so nice  I havent had any bad comments whatsoever.

The proud mom has a few words of wisdom for others who have a small child and are looking to bring a dog into their home.

Every dog is different, but most people know their dogs well and understand their nature. I have complete trust in Kaya; she has never done anything aggressive or destructive  but that being said, I have never left them alone, she said.

Epoch Times staff contributed to this report.

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
Inside a San Francisco Drug Den

Commentary

To anyone vaguely familiar with the colorful history of San Francisco in Victorian times, the mere mention of an opium den conjures up visions of dimly lit enclaves deep in the catacombs of Chinatown where hundreds of people languished about in self-induced euphoric stupors.

Well, guess what, folksthe concept of the clandestine drug den operation is back, only this time it is being sponsored by the city and promoted by those particularly ambitious politicians seeking fame and fortune, and it is providing a menu that is far more reaching than just opium.

Several weeks ago, I was able to sneak into the Tenderloin Center located right in the middle of San Francisco at 1172 Market and Leavenworth, at UN Plaza. Not everyone is allowed in. This is the same Tenderloin Linkage Center that was the centerpiece of San Francisco Mayor London Breeds much-touted plan to eradicate drug use, reduce overdose deaths, and link addicts to rehabilitation services.

With the exception of the common areas for showering and outdoor meals, this facility is specifically designed for the consumption of illegal drugs purchased by addicts in the black market. It is a drug den where anybody and everybody can come in to ingest, inject, smoke, or inhale any type of illegal drug that they themselves have acquired off the street from the black market.

You might be asking how this bait and switch plan became a reality in San Francisco.

When Mayor Breed announced the opening of the Tenderloin Linkage Center in January, she touted it as a safe, welcoming space for those ready to access San Franciscos health and human service resources easily and quickly.

The idea, according to Breed and other city officials, was to create an easy path for those suffering from drug addiction or mental illness to be linked to services. The mayors wildly publicized plan included an Overdose Prevention Facility where showers and a hot meal could be had along with the ability to engage in any type of drug use in a supervised and safe environment with clean needles and sterilized drug paraphernalia supplied by the city.

The mere fact that this new Center promised to provide linkage to additional services such as drug treatment, counseling, and rehabilitation was enough to prevent it from being classified as a safe injection site, as such sites are currently illegal by both federal and state laws.

According to city records, the facility catered to some 49,000 users in the first five months of this year but only made 53 referrals to substance abuse treatment. How is that for delivering on promises?

No wonder the mayor is embarrassed. The most important aspect of the whole program, the referral process for drug treatment, was totally ignored in favor of providing a space to get loaded!

The Center has dropped the word Linkage from its name and become the Tenderloin Center because it was not even marginally successful at linking many addicts to real treatment.

During the course of my visit to the Center, I was able to personally witness what was going on in the facility and its nearby surroundings. Make no doubt about itit is still operating as a full-on illegal drug consumption site. Within several hundred yards of the facility, open-air drug transactions are taking place between black market dealers and addicts.

It soon became obvious to some of the guards lurking about the place that I was not a user or a client, so I was asked to leave. Outsiders, including journalists and reporters, are not allowed in.

Before leaving, I witnessed a scene that one could only imagine in a third-world environment. Dozens of drug-addled human beings were wandering and strewn about the premises, both inside the building and immediately outside on the public sidewalk, in varied states of nervousness, anticipation, agitation, coma, and euphoria.

Upon exiting the facility, I noted that no one was in the booth that was supposed to be making referrals for drug addiction and treatment.

Compared to the streets, this is a relatively safe environment for the addicts, with different types of security loitering about to help if any situation gets out of hand. There is also a medical doctor available and several certified medical technicians (CMTs) whose job it is to monitor the drug consumption to prevent overdose.

Outside the Center, I was approached by one of the CMTs, who was on her lunch break, and we engaged in conversation about the facility. Being a homeless advocate, she was quick to opine that since the majority of people visiting the Center were homeless, a facility like the consumption site would not need to exist if society would just provide them all with a place to live and a roof over their heads.

I couldnt understand her correlation between a roof over someones head versus where they are shooting up, so I diverted the conversation to more pertinent facts, since she had been employed there since January.

She told me that in January the drug facility was seeing about 50 people per day and the occasional overdose. Now, in August and September, the number of users who visit the site is about 200 per day with one or two daily overdoses requiring ambulance service to hospitals for outside treatment, she said.

A scene from an old-time Chinatown opium den. (All Things Interesting)

I asked her why there was a big increase in the number of users.

She wasnt sure but speculated that the use of fentanyl, a cheaply produced synthetic opioid from China and trafficked through Mexico, was to blame. A fix of fentanyl is extremely cheap on the black market, and it can be ingested in any form or as an additive to other drugs. Depending upon dilution, it can be 80 times more deadly than heroin and can sell for as little as $15 to $30 per hit. Opium or heroin can be 10 times more expensive.

At this point, we were joined by a person who identified himself as one of the doctors. After his rant about the scourge of homelessness, he informed me that the Center does not have the ability to test as to the type of drug or what mixture of drugs is being consumed.

He said the doctors and CMTs can only rely on what the addicts tell them they have purchased on the street from dealers, so their reaction to any overdose can only be passive. In many overdose cases, the doctors and the addicts are shooting in the dark, so to speak, when it comes to identifying the substance used in the overdose.

That is why the advent of fentanyl is so dangerousit is cheap to produce, is readily available, can be mixed with anything as an additive, and requires specific chemicals to counteract an overdose.

There is no doubt in my mind that all we are accomplishing by allowing such a facility to exist is to further encourage and accommodate illegal drug use, as evidenced by todays numbers of users and their ages.

Granted, they have saved some of the lives of those who overdosed, and that is commendable because you cant put a price on a life. However, dealing with overdoses can be accomplished in a much different environment rather than setting the stage for hundreds of people to use illegal drugs daily in the first place.

As has been too often the case with this administration, the Tenderloin (Linkage) Center is just another shallow attempt to make the public think that the mayor is actually doing something about drug use in San Francisco. It has turned out to be nothing more than another failed program, long on publicity but short on substance.

The bottom line is that you, the taxpayers, are paying undisclosed millions of dollars for the operation of a facility that allows consumption of illegal drugs and usually does not even offer a hope of treatment for the rehabilitation of addicts.

In my article A Solution to Americas Drug Crisis, which first appeared in The Epoch Times on May 2, 2022, I outlined a program to effectively combat this disease that is killing well over 750,000 people every year and growing at a rate of over 30 percent per year. It is a crisis that is increasingly killing our youth and rapidly destroying our standard of living due to the crime that it involves. Please look the article up, as it is too long to reprint here.

In short, we will never conquer our drug crisis unless we first eradicate the profit in the black market that feeds it and enslaves our youth.

Studies indicate that most addicts, when given the choice, would prefer to kick their habits but dont know how or where to turn to satisfy their addictions. So they turn to crime to raise money for drugs, because that is the only alternative they have, and so the vicious cycle continues.

We already have many synthetic alternatives that doctors use to wean a person off an addictive illegal drug and to counteract overdosing, such as Methadone, Narcan, and other prescriptions. These alternative substances and prescriptions are only available under the strictest of circumstances and regulations, as they should be. The problem is that they are not available to the average addict unless he or she is under a doctors care in a controlled environment.

If we were to administer these alternative prescriptions under strict regulation and supervision in existing public health centers or in one of the many drug referral centers throughout the country, we would be providing those addicts who volunteer for the treatment a chance to wean themselves off their habit. This would greatly eliminate their need to engage in crime to satisfy their habit, as the service would be free, and it would begin to collapse the profit that is feeding the black market.

For those addicts who lack the will or refuse to undergo such treatment, as a last resort we can give them what they need to satisfy their craving, again under strict supervision and regulation, be the product legal or illegal in nature, as it costs us very little to produce. At least this keeps them from committing crime to get the drugs from the black market and keeps them from dying on the street. Is this not a more humanitarian approach than what we are currently doing?

Bear in mind that this would not be a program to legalize drugs!

On the contrary, it would be a program designed to reduce dependency on illegal drugs, reduce overdoses, eliminate the crime associated with the purchase of illegal drugs on the black market, and give the addicts a way to wean themselves off this terrible scourge.

For this program to work, we must embark on an extensive educational approach that schools our youngsters on the pitfalls and horrors of drug addiction.

Lastly, we must vigorously enforce all drug laws by seriously penalizing anyone caught dealing or possessing what is now an illegal substance.

I know this approach may frighten some while being over-simplistic to others, but think it through. We simply cannot afford to go on avoiding a bold approach to a problem of this magnitude that is only getting worse. This approach, with updated modifications, may be our best effort, as what we are allowing to happen now is not working.

A final thought: Do not listen to the politicians who are so out of touch with the realities of life that they themselves dont know or care how their legislative proposals can hurt society.

Thankfully, and oddly enough, State Senator Scott Wieners recent legislative bill SB 57 calling for the legalization of safe injection sites in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Oakland was vetoed by another great supporter of safe injection sites, our governor. That was only because he was worried that it might affect his image nationwide should he run for president.

There is no other way to describe what is happening in our city and state except to recognize it for what it really is: bad public policy that is based on stupidity or ignorance, callousness or insensitivity, or possibly a desire to capitalize on other peoples misery for political purposes.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Three of Montanas Eastern U.S. House District candidates debated in Great Falls on Saturday in a televised forum.

Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale joined Democrat Penny Ronning and Independent Gary Buchanan in what might be the incumbents only debate appearance of the election cycle. The three fielded questions ranging from abortion and election integrity, to the federal response to missing and murdered indigenous persons.

MTN hosted the debate. Libertarian Sam Rankin didn't meet the organizer's participation requirements.

Rosendale indicated that legislating abortion should be done by states, a position counter to several Republican members of Congress, including Montana U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, who supports a proposal by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, federalizing abortion law.

This is something that has been turned over to the states. I'm glad. I think rightfully so was turned over to the States. I do believe, to reiterate, that there are two victims in this situation. We have a mother and we have a child, Rosendale said. I support the pregnancy crisis centers all across the state to make sure that we can continue to nurture both of them as they move forward.

Buchanan picked up the difference between Rosendales position and the movement among congressional Republicans for a national abortion law, which Buchanan said he would oppose.

I find it ironic that Lindsey Graham, now  Matt, you're talking about states rights?  Lindsey Graham wants to now make it a federal issue? I think there are state's rights factors, but if Lindsey Graham is going to vote and codify anti-abortion laws at the state level, I would if I was in Congress, vote to codify Roe v. Wade, Buchanan said. He identified himself a long-time supporter of Planned Parenthood. He said that abortion is a womans right and that human rights have been under attack at the state and national levels.

The government should stay out of women's lives and people's lives in general, Buchanan said.

Ronning framed the abortion issue as an assault on womens rights.

In the history of our country, men have never been held legally responsible for the pregnancy that a woman has. A woman has been completely responsible for that pregnancy, financially, all the way around. And it's just, there's just no equality there. And it's time that we start talking about reproductive equality in a serious nature in a serious conversation, she said.

Next, the candidates took up restoring faith in the election process. Neither Ronning nor Buchanan brought up Rosendales votes against certifying election results from several states on Jan. 6, 2021 because he believed the voting fraud narrative. Ronning said it was time to restore faith in the election process.

We need to start believing in one another again. And I realized that we're at a news station here, and we're being interviewed by media, but I also think that we need to reexamine the Fairness Act, and that we need to understand that what we watch on TV has changed since the Fairness Act, again under the Reagan years, was eliminated," Ronning said. "And that our election, our election workers are our neighbors. Those are the folks that we live with in our own community, and it's time we start trusting our community again.

On rebuttal, Ronning said, I was raised to believe in government and to respect government. That includes our election workers, and I do believe that they do their job and they do their job very well. It's a hard job, but they do their job well. And I think that our elections have proven that we have the best country in the world when it comes to democracy and how we vote.

Buchanan was more pointed about election fraud claims being bogus.

Fraud is a false issue. I mean, Joe Biden won fair and square, and Republicans in Montana won fair and square. I've never seen such winners whine about winning so much, Buchanan said. To qualify Buchanan for the ballot, volunteers submitted 15,000 signatures to the election officials in eastern district counties for verification. He said he trusted the signatures were verified honestly, but noted that the election fraud narrative had put election officials in Montana under attack.

Rosendale said it should be up to states to secure their elections. Although he didnt mention it, Rosendale did vote against a Democratic bill to control voting rights nationally in August 2021.

We need to make sure that we maintain control of our elections at the state level, it is critically important. We have seen after the last election cycle that no less than six states have proposed new election laws to make sure that they can assure election integrity right here in Montana," he said. "We passed four more election laws supported by the Secretary of State Christie Jacobson. They were challenged in courts, they've been verified reasserted by the courts, and that's the way we're going to assure that.

Legal battles persist over new election laws passed by the Montanas Republican majority in 2021. As recently as Sept. 30, Yellowstone County District Court Judge Michael G. Moses struck down laws ending Election Day voter registration, creating tighter voter identification requirements, and dramatically restricting third-party ballot collection. The three laws were among four originally challenged more than a year ago by nearly a dozen plaintiffs in three separate lawsuits. The three cases were eventually consolidated, and the groups challenging the laws faced off against the sole defendant, Republican Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen, in a nine-day trial in August.

Moses had also previously struck down the fourth election law, which would have barred anyone who turns 18 before Election Day from getting a ballot before their birthday.

It remains to be seen whether Jacobsen will appeal the courts' rejection of the new laws to the Montana Supreme Court.

The states Eastern U.S. House district contains all but two of Montanas Indian reservations. The candidates were asked about the federal response the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous persons. Rosendale said the federal response hasnt been effective, saying that he spoke with Interior Secretary Debra Haaland, and wasnt assured anything was being done.

I had Secretary Haaland in front of me in Natural Resources Committee hearing and I specifically asked about this and asked her what can we do about missing and murdered Indigenous women across this nation on different reservation and tribes' and she really hasnt given me a lot. Ive traveling around to our different reservations and to different states and a big thing, most of the focus, is to have better collaboration between federal law enforcement agencies and the tribal law enforcement agencies so we can build on these issues.

Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe, established a missing and murdered investigative unit within the Bureau of Indian Affairs a few months after her confirmation in 2021. The point of the new unit was to coordinated law enforcement efforts among tribal, state and federal law enforcement. The Guardian newspaper reported in April that families with missing loved ones were growing frustrated with the unit. The article featured the family of Braven Glenn, a missing Crow tribal member whose family had received no meaningful help from Haalands new unit.

Ronning has been a leader in efforts to end human trafficking. She said was currently working with members of Congress on a bill addressing the issue, the Earn It Act, deals with the dangers online dating websites present to children.

One of the most dangerous places for children to be in now is on the internet when they're unsupervised. Attacking the ways that predators or reach out to children needs to be a priority in our government right now, Ronning said. On rebuttal, she called Rosendale out for voting against human trafficking legislation.

Buchanan said he had met with tribal representatives on the subject and that a lot needed to be done.

Ronnings remarks about the Rosendale voting repeatedly against human trafficking bills, was just a sample of the criticisms about the representatives voting record. Asked whether there was merit to the criticisms that he hadnt done anything positive for Montana, Rosendale issued a lengthy defense.

I would say that they haven't looked at my record, Rosendale said, which youll see is on the Veterans Affairs Committee. I work to bring in reforms on the IT system that they have, which is spending billions and billions of dollars, so that we can redirect that back to benefits for our veterans. I supported the PACT Act, although I know that Miss Ronning would like to talk about the first versions that came through. Actually, that's how the legislative body works, there are several versions that go back and forth and once we were finally able to refine it to the point that it was not only going to provide those benefits to the veterans, but also identify different diseases as they went forward to make sure that they didn't have to come back Congress, again, had to make sure that they had the resources necessary to handle this additional workload that was coming through, we were actually able to bring everyone together and get that signed into law. We've done a lot of work on the on again, mental health supported many pieces of mental health investments as well.

The information technology issue to which Rosendale refers involves a $16 billion medical records software system by Cerner Corp., which failed on rollout at a veterans hospital in Spokane, Washington and endangered the lives of veterans needing care. The PACT Act is the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022, which provided veterans coverage to exposure to toxic sources, like burn pits, this was primarily a bill two years in the making by Montanas Democratic U.S. Sen Jon Tester, which Republicans in the House and Senate didnt support, but came around as veterans protested. The House version of the bill, which Rosendale opposed, never would have secured enough support in the Senate to pass. It was the Senate version that eventually became law and which Rosendale supported.

The representatives challengers werent buying it.

I think it's clear, Matt, that you haven't really passed anything of substance, Buchanan said. I was just in Havre two weeks ago, and you're voting against $100 million for the Milk River Irrigation Project. And I didn't even know about it. But I was told that by dozens of have a residence. So, you got to put your money where your mouth is, and you got to help Montanans.

The Milk River Irrigation Project is a lifeblood irrigation system that delivers water to Hi-Line communities for 335 miles. The project failed two years ago, leaving irrigators and communities with repairs totaling more than $100 million. The project was included in the bipartisan Infrastructure Bill of 2021, a generational $1 trillion bill which Rosendale and U.S. Sen Steve Daines opposed. The bill also included a substantial investment in Montana broadband, bridges and highways and community clean water projects, plus carbon capture developments at coal-fired power plants.

You just voted yesterday against the help for veterans who are in need of food security, Ronning said. You voted against almost every single thing that comes to do with veterans, but you take credit for the legislation that gets passed by Senator Tester and the Democrats. But you have voted against everything. And I would agree with Gary in regard to the Milk River, you did vote against that. And that is the water resource for everyone along that high line from Havre to Chinook.

Rosendale defended his voting decisions.

I do put my money where my mouth is, but I'm a very good steward of the taxpayers dollars. And when we start looking at legislation that has the green New Deal involved in it, it has the gender sensitivity training in it, when we see that it provides for additional expansions of government, we had $5 trillion worth of new spending that was piled up on the back of taxpayers across this nation last year. And that is not why I was sent to Washington, DC. I think that the people across the state of Montana have asked me to stand up and be their voice and not to just sign off on a piece of legislation so that they can get a crumb off of the table.

The debate ended with the candidates identifying which issues they considered the most important facing the United States. Rosendale said the U.S. border with Mexico was the most important issue. The border was a point of contention earlier in the evening when Ronning stated that Montanas big killer was suicide and mental health, a homespun crisis, not fentanyl a rising drug problem Rosendale often connects directly to border security.

I think the biggest threat facing America right now is the invasion that's taking place on our southern border, because we're not talking about just the 250,000 to 300,000 people a month that we know of that are coming into our country. But I've been down there three times. And it is an absolute humanitarian crisis, Rosendale said. We also have 40,000, approximately, illegals coming in a month that are unidentified they're coming in wearing ghillie suits. They're wearing carpet shoes. And if it is so easy to come into our country and be welcomed in and released into the country, waiting for your asylum hearing for up to eight years. Why in the world would you sneak in? And then we had the fentanyl and human trafficking? That becomes a major, major problem.

Buchanan said the biggest threat to the nation is Russia, but he said there needed to be more guards at the border in party because the wall constructed during the Trump years was a sieve. In rebuttal, he elaborated, saying that it was Rosendales vote against supporting Ukraine against the Russian invasion that compelled Buchanan to run for office. He said was already embarrassed by Rosendale prior to the vote, but ashamed to have Rosendale's as Montana's representative afterward.

When embarrassment was replaced by shame was when Matt voted against commending the police force, which saved the Capitol, and likely his colleagues from an insurrection, Buchanan said. When he was one of three in the entire House to vote against supporting Ukraine. Since then, Matt has voted against supporting NATO. He's voted against supporting Sweden and Finland joining NATO. And the embarrassment continues. Yesterday, he voted against providing military assistance once again, to Ukraine.

Ronning said the biggest threat to the United States was the threat to democracy, something Buchanan also touched on.

I think the biggest threat to our country right now is the threat on our democracy, what we've seen internally with the insurrection what we see with the divide amongst Americans, Ronning said. I think the biggest threat we're seeing globally is the fight on democracy and how we as Americans are supporting one another in that fight against democracy.

The next debate will take place in Billings on Oct. 5 before a live audience at Petro Hall on the Montana State University Billings Campus. Buchanan, Ronning and Libertarian Sam Rankin will be attending. Rosendale declined the invitation, saying he will be at different event. The debate is organized by Lee Montana and Yellowstone Public Radio.
John Durham speaks to reporters on the steps of U.S. District Court in New Haven, Conn., on April 25, 2006. (Bob Child/AP Photo)

Investigation Into FBI Corruption Impeded by John Durham Investigation: Senator

Special counsel John Durhams investigation into the origins of the TrumpRussia collusion claims has prevented lawmakers from obtaining more information about possible misconduct at the FBI and the Department of Justice (DOJ), according to Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.).

Our efforts in terms of investigating Hunter Biden and corruption within the FBI was certainly hampered because we had an active criminal investigation under John Durham, he told Newsmax on Sept. 30, noting that Durham so far has successfully prosecuted few individuals in connection to his investigation.

Overall, Johnson said hes not particularly satisfied with Durhams probe and the lack of convictions, including what he described as a failure to secure a conviction for lawyer Michael Sussmann. Sussmann was accused by Durham of lying to the FBI while he was working for a law firm representing the Hillary Clinton campaign in 2016 but was acquitted in May.

Durham was appointed in 2019 by then-Attorney General William Barr to investigate government misconduct in the FBI Crossfire Hurricane investigation. So far, the investigation has netted the conviction and sentencing of former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith, who received probation last year.

And at a minimum, I certainly hope that whatever report [Durham] turns in to Attorney General Merrick Garland that that report be made public, Johnson said. The American public deserves to know the truth of the corruption that was occurring within the Department of Justice in the FBI.

Igor Danchenko, a Russian-born national who was the alleged primary source for the controversial dossier concocted by former UK spy Christopher Steele, is slated to go to trial later this month. Danchenko, who has pleaded not guilty, could face up to 25 years in prison if hes convicted.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga declined to throw out any of the five charges filed against Danchenko after hearing arguments from Durhams team and lawyers representing Danchenko.

Danchenkos lawyers argued on Sept. 29 that all the charges should be dismissed because Danchenkos answers to the FBI were technically true, if not necessarily illuminating. But Durham said Danchenkos statements, if examined in context rather than in isolation, will show that he knowingly lied.

He knows exactly what the FBI is looking for, the context of those questions, Durham said in a hearing last week.

Trenga acknowledged that the defenses theory can be a very persuasive, strong argument to a jury but said that ultimately, the government met its burden to overcome a motion to dismiss. It will be up to a jury to determine whether the government can meet its burden of proving a crime beyond a reasonable doubt, a much higher standard. Trenga said hell revisit the issue during trial after the government presents its case.

A spokesperson for Durhams team didnt respond to The Epoch Timess request for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
CLC President Hassan Yussuff (right) looks on as PSAC President Chris Aylward speaks duding a news conference about pay equity in Ottawa, Oct. 31, 2018. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

Jaded, Cynical, Disillusioned: Report Says Federal Whistleblowers Fear Reprisal

Federal workers are increasingly cynical, skeptical and disillusioned about the idea of reporting wrongdoing in the public service, says a recent survey.

That pessimism is more palpable and widespread now than it was before the pandemic, and bureaucrats have become more likely to fear reprisals for whistleblowing.

Research firm Phoenix Strategic Perspectives Inc. delivered the report in March to the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner, which investigates serious abuses within the federal government.

Commissioner Joe Friday says there is a maze of oversight mechanisms available to public servants and it can be discouraging or exhausting to figure out where to lodge a complaint.

He says he thinks public servants are feeling more isolated and disconnected during the pandemic, making it more difficult to feel confident in coming forwardlet alone to gather the sort of documentation that whistleblowers require.

Chris Aylward, the president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, says the protections in place for whistleblowers are inadequate and the regime must be strengthened.

Its discouraging to see that federal workers have grown more cynical about whistleblowing and reporting wrongdoing in the public service, but it is not surprising, Aylward said in a statement.

It can be intimidating to come forward as a whistleblower, and our members are right to fear retaliation. Strong measures are needed to protect workers that speak out. Instead, there are too many conditions on whistleblowers that unnecessarily restrict disclosure.

The report, based on nine focus group sessions held in March, found that workers feared a wide variety of hypothetical repercussions, many of which are premised on the fear that confidentiality could be compromised.

These included a negative impact on the physical or psychological well-being of the whistleblower, a lack of support, the idea that they would acquire a reputation as a troublemaker, diminished trust and division among co-workers and damage to the image or reputation of the public service.

Some said they feared their careers would be derailedthat theyd be given poor evaluations, be taken off projects, be assigned less challenging work or have their workloads increased.

Compared to a similar report undertaken in 2015, public servants were more likely to say that their attitudes toward whistleblowing had changed over time. This time around, they described themselves as having become less naive, more pessimistic, more cynical, more jaded, less bright-eyed and more disillusioned.

Workers tended to see whistleblowing as a good thing and described whistleblowers as brave people who should be encouraged and supported. But they emphasized that prospective whistleblowers need to understand what they are facing: a process that is long, arduous, stressful and uncertain as to the outcome.

And while participants reported an increase in awareness and education about the process of reporting wrongdoing, they didnt trust it.

Many held the view that such changes amount to virtue signalling or window dressing as opposed to constituting real cultural change, the report says.

A little over half of the focus group attendees were unaware of the existence of the office that commissioned the research in the first place.

Thats not necessarily such a bad thing, Friday says.

I think if every public servant woke up every morning and first thing on their mind was, How do I bring wrongdoing to light, that might suggest that theres more wrongdoing than anybody thinks there is, he says.

Still, its apparent that many dont know how the whistleblowing process works, or dont have trust in it if they do. Clearly, theres more to do, he says.

It can be frustrating to push for cultural change on the margins of a 300,000-person organization, Friday saysand with no influence or authority over the internal, department-specific procedures that govern most of the whistleblowing system.

Still, his office of 35 people has reached thousands of public servants with events and presentations over the course of the pandemic, he says, in an attempt to demystify the process.

In the seven years hes been commissionerand during his time as deputy commissioner and legal counsel before thatFriday says hes never given a presentation that didnt result in a follow up with someone in the audience who was considering reporting wrongdoing.

Were talking about something very personal, very often something that someone has not yet spoken to anybody about, he says, lamenting that the pandemic has resulted in fewer opportunities to have face-to-face conversations.

Were trying our damnedest to continue with our outreach efforts.

By Marie-Danielle Smith
Judge Dismisses Mexican Governments Lawsuit Seeking Damages From US Gun Companies for Mexican Crime

Manufacturers and wholesalers of firearms in the United States cant be held liable for criminal gun trafficking into Mexico, a federal judge in Massachusetts ruled in a major blow against U.S.-based gun control efforts.

Mexico sued Smith & Wesson, Sturm Ruger & Co., Glock, Barrett Firearms, Beretta, Colt, Century Arms, and Interstate Arms a year ago, claiming that the U.S. companies undermined that countrys tough gun laws by making, promoting, and selling military-style assault weapons in such a way that the guns would be appealing to drug cartels and criminals.

U.S. gun control groups sided with Mexico, urging the court to ignore U.S. federal law and allow the Mexican lawsuit against U.S. companies to proceed.

Jonathan Lowy, vice president of the litigation branch of the Brady Campaign, joined as co-counsel on Mexicos legal team. Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun control group funded by left-wing billionaire Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York, filed a friend-of-the-court brief in favor of Mexico.

The states of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, as well as the District of Columbia, filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting Mexicos position.

Mexico claimed up to 90 percent of guns found at crime scenes there originated in the United States and that the defendant companies supplied more than 68 percent of the guns. Mexico alleged the companies failed to prevent unlawful gun trafficking and demanded $10 billion in damages, according to The Reload, a publication focusing on the policies and politics surrounding firearms.

But Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV of the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts ruled (pdf) late on Sept. 30 in Mexico v. Smith & Wesson Brands Inc., court file 21-11269, that the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) of 2005 shielded the companies from liability for the harms alleged by Mexico. Saylor was appointed by former President George W. Bush.

The PLCAA was enacted to prevent anti-Second Amendment activists and jurisdictions from engaging in backdoor gun control by bankrupting gun companies for engaging in lawful commerce. Manufacturers and dealers may still be sued for defective products, breach of contract, criminal misconduct, and other actions for which they are directly responsible, but not for the mere unlawful use of their products by criminals.

Unfortunately for the government of Mexico, all of its claims are either barred by federal law or fail for other reasons, Saylor wrote. The PLCAA unequivocally bars lawsuits seeking to hold gun manufacturers responsible for the acts of individuals using guns for their intended purpose. And while the statute contains several narrow exceptions, none are applicable here.

This Court does not have the authority to ignore an act of Congress. Nor is its proper role to devise stratagems to avoid statutory commands, even where the allegations of the complaint may evoke a sympathetic response, the judge wrote. And while the Court has considerable sympathy for the people of Mexico, and none whatsoever for those who traffic guns to Mexican criminal organizations, it is duty-bound to follow the law.

According to The Reload, Saylors ruling deals a major blow to the ongoing efforts by gun-control advocates to undermine the PLCAA. The statute has long been a target for the groups  [that] claim it unfairly shields U.S. gun makers from liability for the harm caused by gun violence. Gun-control activists in the U.S. hoped the Mexico suit would serve as a potent vehicle for piercing the statutes protections.

The Embassy of Mexico in the United States and the Brady Campaign didnt respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.
Prince Charles speaks during an Action on Forests and Land Use event on day three of COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, on Nov. 2, 2021. (Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

King Charles Will Not Attend Climate Summit on UK Government Advice

King Charles III will not be attending next months Cop27 climate change summit in Egypt, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.

Charles has a longstanding and passionate commitment to environmental issues. As Prince of Wales, he addressed the Cop26 summit in Glasgow last year. His elder son, William, the then-Duke of Cambridge, also spoke at the event, while Queen Elizabeth recorded an opening address urging world leaders to take action on climate change.

After Charles became king following the death of Queen Elizabeth last month, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry told the BBC that he very much hopes Charles would continue to talk about climate change as king.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a Labor politician, also said he would be very comfortable with the king expressing views on the importance of climate change.

British Prime Minister Liz Truss ahead of a meeting with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Downing Street, London, on Oct. 1, 2022. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

But according to a Sunday Times report, King Charles will not attend this years summit, to be held in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, after Prime Minister Liz Truss raised objections during an audience with the monarch at the Palace last month.

In response to media inquiries, the Palace confirmed that advice had been sought by the king and given by Truss.

With mutual friendship and respect there was agreement that the king would not attend, the Palace said in a statement.

By convention, all overseas official visits by members of the royal family are undertaken in accordance with advice from the UK government.

Decision Made Amicably

Downing Street has declined to comment on the matter. A spokeswoman said, We do not comment on meetings between the prime minister and the king.

But a Cabinet minister denied claims that Truss ordered the king to stay away from the climate summit.

Simon Clarke, the secretary of state for levelling up, housing, and communities, said, this is a decision that has been made consensually between the king and the government.

That is a decision that has been made amicably, as far as I am aware, between the Palace and the government. The suggestions this morning that he was ordered to stay away are simply not true, he told Times Radio on Sunday.

Explaining why the royals featured prominently at Cop26 in Glasgow but are not allowed to attend Cop27 in Egypt, Clarke said: I think it is very different when you are the host country for a major event like Cop to have the head of state involved as opposed to the head of state going to what is an event being hosted in Egypt. It is the normal course of matters that this would be handled by the government rather than by the monarchy.

But the government has insisted the UK remains committed to its net-zero emission targets.

Conservative Party chairman Jake Berry told Sky News on Sunday: The government remains committed to the net-zero target by 2050.

PA Media contributed to this report.
Mexican Navy Helicopter Crashes, Killing 3 Marines

MEXICO CITYThe Mexican Navy said Saturday that three marines were killed and two others were injured after a reconnaissance helicopter crashed in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco.

The Navy said in a statement that the Eurocopter craft went down during an aerial surveillance patrol. Video posted on social media showed what appeared to be a small, non-armored chopper spinning and then crashing near the town of Frontera, Tabasco.

The Navy said the cause of the crash was under investigation.

The accident came two days after authorities acknowledged that the crash of another navy helicopter in July that killed 14 marines was caused by a lack of fuel.

Soldiers of the Mexican Army work at the site of a Navy helicopter crash near the airport of Los Mochis, Sinaloa State, Mexico, on July 15, 2022. (Jose Mendoza/AFP via Getty Images)

On Thursday, the Attorney Generals Office reported that the chopper ran out of fuel following an operation to capture drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero.

The Black Hawk crashed July 15 in Los Mochis, a city in Sinaloa state near Mexicos Pacific coast, hours after marines captured Caro Quintero in the mountains.

Caro Quintero was wanted for extradition to the United States for the 1985 killing of Drug Enforcement Administration agent Kiki Camarena. That extradition process continues.

The Attorney Generals Office said in a statement that the investigation had ruled out the possibility the helicopter was downed in an attack and that the manufacturers analysis of the aircrafts flight recorder concluded it ran out of fuel.
National Archives Alleges Trump Administration Records Are Partly Missing

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has alleged that some records from the White House when former President Donald Trump was in office are still missing.

In a letter to Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), the chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, Acting Archivist Debra Steidel Wall wrote: While there is no easy way to establish absolute accountability, we do know that we do not have custody of everything we should.

NARA doesnt have records of official business conducted by some White House staff members who were using non-official electronic messaging accounts, Wall wrote in the Sept. 30 letter (pdf).

While the records were not copied or forwarded into their official electronic messaging accounts, as required by section 2209 of the [Presidential Records Act], NARA has been able to obtain the records from a number of former officials, and will continue to pursue the return of similar types of Presidential records from former officials, she added.

The Presidential Records Act stipulates that each administration must properly preserve all presidential records and transfer a complete set of records to NARA when the administration ends.

Wall told Maloney in the letter that if needed, NARA would consult with the Department of Justice on whether to initiate an action for the recovery of records unlawfully removed. She noted that in August 2022, the DOJ filed a lawsuit against former Trump adviser Peter Navarro to recover official email records from Navarros personal email account.

The letter from Wall is a response to a request from Maloney on Sept. 13 asking for an urgent review of whether presidential records remain unaccounted for and potentially in the possession of the former president.

In a statement to multiple media outlets, Maloney said she will continue her efforts to ensure that all presidential records from the Trump White House are returned to the custody of the government.

Maloney at the time also asked NARA to ask Trump for a written certification that he has surrendered all presidential records or classified materials, has not made any copies or reproductions of such materials, and has not transferred any records or government documents to any party other than NARA or DOJ since his term ended. In response to that request, NARA referred Maloney to the DOJ in light of its ongoing investigation.

Trump and the DOJ are currently engaged in litigation after the FBI raided Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, in early August and seized over 11,000 documents, of which around 100 documents bore classified markings. The DOJ is investigating allegations that Trump illegally mishandled presidential records, and is trying to obstruct the DOJ investigation.

Trump subsequently requested for an independent arbiter to review the seized documents and was successful in the effort. A special master, U.S. District Judge Raymond Dearie, was appointed to see whether any of the seized FBI materials should not be reviewed by the DOJ due to claims of attorney-client or executive privilege. The review is currently set to end on Dec. 16.

The DOJ is seeking to halt the special master review and recently sought to expedite its appeal in the ongoing legal battle. At the same time, it has repeatedly sought to delay turning over the documents the FBI seized to Trumps lawyers.
A drone secures an order before flying from Wing facility during a demonstration in Frisco, Texas, on Aug. 31, 2022. (Andy Jacobsohn/AFP via Getty Images)

One Customers Drone-Delivered Food Order Crashes, Causing Mass Blackout

A drone, while in the midst of delivering food to a customer, attempted a precautionary controlled landing in Brisbane, Australia, only to crash into overhead powerlines and erupt in flames. The incident left thousands of homes in the neighborhood without electricity.

What Happened

A drone from Wing, a subsidiary of Googles parent company Alphabet Inc., landed on top of 11,000 volts.

The crash caused a 45-minute power outage to some 2,000 individuals.

Were sorry for any inconvenience caused. Were currently conducting a review of yesterdays event, a Wing spokesperson said.

Energy company Energex reacted to the event and shut down the network in order to bring it back online.

Why It Matters

Wings drones can fly autonomously to carry food and beverages over short distances, usually taking less than 10 minutes, as both fixed-wing aircraft and hovering copters.

In Brisbane, where the accident occurred, Wing offers delivery to over 100,000 customers. As of this March, it had completed almost 200,000 such deliveries.

Wing also rolled out its commercial drone delivery program in Finland, as well as the DallasFort Worth metro area of Texas, servicing tens of thousands of homes in Frisco and Little Elm.

According to the company, drone deliveries work best in suburban areas since they have a large number of consumers, good flying conditions, and are less well-served by delivery services than in urban areas.

The company beat competitors like Amazon.com Inc., Walmart Inc., and even Dominos Pizza Inc. to market, as these companies also have plans to launch commercial drone delivery services.

By AJ Fabino

 2022 The Epoch Times. The Epoch Times does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
People Locked Down in Xinjiang Unable to Visit Hometowns for Chinas National Day Holiday

Many people in Chinas Xinjiang region cant leave to visit their hometowns during the week-long October First holidayofficially National Dayunder the regimes restrictive zero-COVID-19 control measures. Protests broke out against the indefinite lockdowns.

Most of Xinjiang, which is home to an ethnic Uyghur majority, has been under COVID-19 lockdown for more than 50 days.

Mr. Guo, who is from Sichuan Province but working in Urumqi, Xinjiang, told The Epoch Times on Sept. 29 that because his local area is still under lockdown, he isnt allowed to return home to visit his family during the October First holiday.

Nobody knows when the lockdown will be lifted. We have to do PCR tests every day, are locked up at home, and are not allowed to leave the community. Everyone is going crazy. Its miserable.

Guo, who provided only his surname to The Epoch Times for fear of reprisal, noted that some communities have been shut again after their lockdowns were temporarily lifted.

Stuck Without Food

Guo said that because of the strict restrictions on movement, its very difficult to return home from Xinjiang.

Going back to my hometown (Sichuan) is also troublesome, he said. Its not just because I have to pay for the quarantine; the key is that people there are afraid of those who return from Xinjiang [where there are reported COVID-19 cases]. It is also difficult to leave Xinjiang now. There are checkpoints in many places.

Guo told The Epoch Times that he finally decided not to return to his hometown to visit his family this year, amid the prospect of not having food in Xinjiang.

The Xinjiang government is very corrupt, and there are a lot of staff in the community offices selling rationed vegetable packs for 30 yuan a pack and take the money themselves. The price of everything goes up. Sometimes, you cant find food to buy even if you have money, and sometimes the supermarkets and shops are not allowed to open. In short, its horrible, he said.

Protests Against Indefinite Lockdown

Mr. Li, another Urumqi resident who provided only his surname for fear of reprisal, told The Epoch Times on Sept. 29 that the local areas have been under lockdown for more than two months. Recently, people in many places took to the streets to protest and were suppressed.

Because many people do not have food and sources of income, they protested in both district and residential communities to demand the lifting of the lockdown, Li said. During the protest, pandemic control staff and residents clashed, and they took the residents away, dragging them by their necks!

Screenshot of a video of the protest against COVID-19 lockdown in Wangjialiang, Xinjiang, on Sept. 25, 2022. (Screenshot from Weibo via The Epoch Times)

On Sept. 25, a large number of people rushed to the streets of Wangjialiang in Urumqi, to protest against the nearly two-month lockdown. Someone knelt in front of government epidemic control staff and cried that the whole family cant live anymore. The video quickly went viral. Under the pressure of public opinion, local authorities lifted the lockdown in that area.

Although lockdowns have been lifted in a few communities, it continues in many other neighborhoods, Li said. We have been quarantined at home for more than two months, and strangely, some residents in lockdown still tested positive. Many people just have a cold but test positive for COVID. It caused others living in the same neighborhood to be locked in at home as well.

The community office staff even told us that they did not understand why some residents still test positive even when all the residents have been quarantined at home for two months.

He also said that the lockdown seems indefinite.

The government office simply ignores our phone calls, Li said. You ask them when the lockdown will be lifted, and they just say wait. Now, only [government appointed] volunteers are allowed to go out, and everyone else has to stay in at home.

Zhao Fenghua and Hong Ning contributed to this report.
Student backpacks hang on the backs of classroom chairs at a New York City school on June 24, 2022. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

Proposed Law Would Leave New York Parents in the Dark About Childrens Health Decisions

Legislation that would limit a parents rights when it comes to their childs immunizations and sexual reproductive health is under consideration by the New York state Assembly.

Assembly Bill 9963 would authorize treatment without parental knowledge or consent if a medical provider believes the child understands the repercussions.

However, the proposal isnt specific in defining a childs ability to comprehend.

Specifically, the bill would permit minors alone to consent to medical, dental, health, mental health, and hospital services.

From a practical perspective, these changes would largely only come into play if and when a minor patient disagrees with their parents about a medical procedure or treatment plan, or in cases where the minor patient is a runaway or a homeless youth, said Orion Karagiannis, an associate with the Pardalis & Nohavicka law firm in New York.

The legislation would also give minors the upper hand in parentchild relationships by requiring parents to request disclosure about their childs health care through the medical provider or insurer, to which the child may object.

In light of the growing anti-vaccine movement and recent legal challenges surrounding reproductive health care, many peoplecitizens and in governmentthink its beneficial to enhance patient protections, Karagiannis told The Epoch Times.

A cadre of Democratic state Assembly members introduced the proposed legislation amid an ongoing national controversy over the legalities of transitioning gender-dysphoric youths from male to female and female to male.

Although the bill doesnt single out gender-reassignment procedures, it does generally discuss three types of procedures, including addiction or mental health treatment, reproductive health care, and immunization.

Homeless and runaway youths are given special consideration in the legislation because they have actively taken themselves out of parental custody due to unique circumstances that other children who are still in their parents custody dont face.

If approved, the New York bill could spur other states to eventually enact similar laws. But the changes to patient protections could face a constitutional challenge in a court of law.

The U.S. Supreme Court has historically deferred to parental authority over minors, but theres also been what appears to be a green light from the Supreme Court that the states can make their own state-by-state determinations of where parental rights begin and end, Karagiannis said.

AB 9963 is currently pending in the state Assemblys health committee.
People enter a polling station in L'Assomption, Que., on Sept. 25, 2022, as advanced polling begins ahead of the provincial election on Oct. 3. (The Canadian Press/Graham Hughes)

Quebec Party Leaders Work to Get the Vote out on Final Campaign Day

MONTREALQuebecs major party leaders are making one final appeal to voters ahead of tomorrows provincial election.

Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade began her day defending the decision to spend her final weekend campaigning in remote regions of the province where her party is polling in third.

After spending time in Gaspe and IlesdelaMadeleine on Saturday, Anglade is heading today to the northern Quebec village of Kuujjuaq, where shell campaign alongside her candidate in the Ungava riding.

She told reporters this morning that she wants to show her party is a presence all across Quebec.

Quebec solidaires Gabriel NadeauDubois will spend his day shoring up support in the Montreal area, while Coalition Avenir Quebec Leader Francois Legault is visiting ridings in Montreal and Estrie.

Parti Quebecois leader Paul StPierre Plamondon will make his way from Gaspe to the SaguenayLacStJean region, while Conservative Leader Eric Duhaime will begin in Laval before heading to the Quebec Cityarea riding where hes hoping to win a seat.
A Billings man has been sentenced to several years in custody for striking a woman and holding her against her will, with the violence ending after a standoff with police.

Kellan James Sims, 34, was sentenced in Yellowstone County District Court to 10 years in the Montana Department of Corrections, with five of those years suspended. He was sentenced Sept. 26 for the crimes of assault with a weapon, partner or family member assault, and unlawful restraint.

Billings police arrested Sims in April, responding to an assault at a West End home. Sims had struck a woman and refused to let her leave the house. When she did leave, police at the scene could see she had clear signs of trauma, the Gazette previously reported.

Sims would not come out of the house, and a standoff ensued. Before surrendering to officers, he told police it would be a blood bath if they came into the house.

He reached a plea agreement with county prosecutors in late August, admitting to beating a woman to keep her from leaving. Along with the 10-year commitment to the DOC, Yellowstone County District Judge Mary Jane Knisely ordered Sims to pay a $5,000 fine and just over $2,400 in restitution. He will also be required to complete a mental health evaluation and 40 hours of anger management.

Sims was previously sentenced in Richland County to three years within the DOC, according to the department's website, with all three years suspended. As of Saturday, Sims was in custody at Yellowstone County Detention Center.
A school administrator confirms student health check data on a laptop computer as students and parents wait in line to enter school at Grant Elementary School in Los Angeles on Aug. 16, 2021. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)

Report: Hackers Release LA Unified School District Data After Ransom Demand Denied

LOS ANGELESHackers have released some data stolen in a cyberattack against the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), according to a newspaper report Oct. 2.

The data were released Oct. 1two days before a deadline previously given by the hackersin an apparent response to LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalhos stated refusal to pay money to an international hacking syndicate, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The newspaper said it reviewed screenshots from the hack that appeared to show some Social Security numbers, but the full extent of the release was not clear.

District spokeswoman Shannon Haber would not confirm the release when reached by City News Service on Oct. 2.

The group claiming responsibility for the cyberattack had set an Oct. 3 deadline for the district to pay a ransom to the organization.

In a dark web post detected and reprinted by Brett Callow of the cybersecurity firm Emsisoft, the hacking syndicate Vice Society listed the LAUSD as one of our partners, and stated, The papers will be published by London time on October 4, 2022 at 12:00 a.m.

The post did not give any indication about what information had been obtained or what would be published.

Carvalho previously acknowledged that the district received a ransom demand from the group responsible for the Labor Day weekend hackwhich he declined to name.

We can acknowledge  that there has been communication from this actor [hacker] and we have been responsive without engaging in any type of negotiations, he told reporters. With that said, we can acknowledge at this point  that a financial demand has been made by this entity. We have not responded to that demand.

He did not provide specifics about the demand.

Carvalho told the L.A. Times on Sept. 30 the district will not pay the ransom demand or negotiate with the hackers.

What I can tell you is that the demandany demandwould be absurd, he told the newspaper. But this level of demand was, quite frankly, insulting. And were not about to enter into negotiations with that type of entity.

The district issued a statement on the afternoon of Sept. 30 acknowledging the threatened information dump, and indicated it is diligently working with investigators and law enforcement to determine what information was impacted and to whom it belongs.

Carvalho re-tweeted the statement Oct. 2, adding the following brief message: Thank you to our students, families and employees for doing their part in the ongoing recovery from this cyberattack.

After discovering the hack, LAUSD officials took the extraordinary step of shutting down most of its computer systems while they worked to assess the full extent of the cyber intrusion. Systems were then slowly brought back online.

Carvalho said earlier the hackers appeared to have planted a series of digital tripwires that could have disabled more systems, so the district was being cautious about bringing computers back online.

No classes or other district operations have been impacted by the cyberattack, officials said. Students and staff, however, have been forced to reset their district passwordsa monumental task for the nations second-largest school district.

District officials said earlier that the attack temporarily interfered with the LAUSD website and email system. But officials said employee health care and payroll were not affected, nor did the hack impact safety and emergency mechanisms in place at schools.

It was unclear whether the receipt of a ransom demand weeks after the initial attack was an indication the hackers obtained or could potentially obtain more sensitive information. Carvalho said officials do not believe any highly sensitive information was accessed.

This entity did touch our MiSiS [My Integrated Student Information] System, which contains student information, Carvalho said. To the best of our knowledge at this point  we believe that some of the data that was accessed may have some students names, may have some degree of attendance data, but more than likely lacks personally identifiable information or very sensitive health information or Social Security number information.

He said there is no sign that any sensitive employee information was accessed.

This is the sad but new reality we are facing, Carvalho told reporters. We are on one hand attempting to understand how the breach took placewas it human error, meaning someone unknowingly responded to a phishing email that allowed unauthorized access, or was it a systemic failure on the part of a third-party entity that is connected to our system that opened the door?

In its Sept. 30 statement, district officials said, To our school community and partners, we will update you when we have relevant information and notify you if your personal information is impacted, as appropriate. We also expect to provide credit monitoring services, as appropriate, to impacted individuals.

 Los Angeles Unified remains firm that dollars must be used to fund students and education. Paying ransom never guarantees the full recovery of data, and Los Angeles Unified believes public dollars are better spent on our students rather than capitulating to a nefarious and illicit crime syndicate. We continue to make progress toward full operational stability for several core information technology services.

Following the hack, the district contacted federal officials, prompting the White House to mobilize a response from the U.S. Department of Education, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Securitys Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, according to the LAUSD.
The Amazon logo on the opening day of a new distribution center in Augny, near Metz, eastern France, on Sept. 23, 2021. (Sebastien Bozon/AFP via Getty Images)

Several Members of Congress Want to Block Amazons Acquisition of iRobot

Several members of the U.S. Congress issued a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over the announced acquisition of iRobot Corporation by Amazon.com Inc.

Heres why the lawmakers have concerns over the purchase.

What Happened

A letter recommending the FTC reject the planned acquisition of iRobot by Amazon.com was signed by some members of Congress.

I have serious concerns about the Amazon-iRobot dealdominant companies like Amazon shouldnt be allowed to just buy their way out of competing, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) told Axios. The FTC should oppose this proposed merger to protect competition, lower consumer prices, and rein in Amazons well-documented anticompetitive activities.

The letter argued the acquisition could harm consumers and reduce competition in the home robotics segment.

Given Amazons record of infringing on consumers privacy, and their ongoing history of anticompetitive mergers to increase their monopoly power, the FTC should use its authority to oppose the AmazoniRobot transaction, the letter read.

iRobot has a dominant market share in the smart vacuum market of around 75 percent, which could greatly impact competitors, according to the letter.

The iRobot acquisition came after Amazon made several acquisitions in the home appliances space, as pointed out by the letter. This included Blink and Ring.

The letter stated Amazon had a history of using a strategy of acquiring companies with strong market share and crushing its rivals by offering discounts and utilizing its huge customer base. The letter called this copy-acquire-kill.

Data privacy concerns were also mentioned in the letter with iRobot giving Amazon access to mapping technology inside consumers homes. The letter said the acquisition of iRobot combined with ownership of Ring and Blink would give Amazon eyes and ears inside the homes.

The letter was signed by Warren along with the following members of Congress:

Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.)

Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.)

Rep. Jesus Chuy Garcia (D-Ill.)

Rep. Pamila Jayapal (D-Wash.)

Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.)

Why Its Important

Amazons acquisition was already under an extensive review by the FTC and could face several challenges before approval.

Lina Khan, who chairs the FTC, has previously written antitrust concerns about Amazon, according to Axios. Amazon previously asked for immunity in rulings from Khan, given her past history of criticizing the company.

Amazons $1.7 billion acquisition would pay shareholders of iRobot $61 per share.

One big question about the acquisition would be if Amazon would be forced to continue selling iRobot devices through competitors platforms instead of making the devices exclusive to Amazons e-commerce platform. This is one concern raised by the letter with the past acquisition of Kiva robotic technology becoming exclusive to Amazons warehouses after the deal closed. Kiva previously sold robots for warehouses to other companies.

The inclusion of Khan in the case by the FTC could lead to appeals and complaints from Amazon if the deal doesnt go through as the company can make a case that she has a biased opinion of the company.

The acquisition is likely to see several antitrust complaints and could take a long time to get approval. The deal might also be rejected, which could send shares of iRobot down.

iRobot shares are down 0.71 percent to $57.05. Shares of iRobot were down 16 percent year-to-date and trade at a 7 percent discount to the acquisition price.

By Chris Katje

 2022 The Epoch Times. The Epoch Times does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Sweden Stops Recommending COVID-19 Vaccines for Children

The Swedish Public Health Authority will stop recommending that healthy children between the ages of 12 and 17 receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

The general recommendation that healthy children aged 12 to 17 receive the COVID-19 vaccine will end after Oct. 31, according to the agency in a revision posted this weekend.

It cited the very low risk of serious illness and death from COVID-19 in children and teens for the change. After Oct. 31, vaccination will be recommended for only certain children in vulnerable groups.

Soren Andersson, an official in the Swedish health agency, elaborated on the rule change to broadcaster SVT and said that we see that the need for care as a result of COVID-19 has been low among children and young people during the pandemic. He also noted that the need for vaccines has decreased since the virus variant omicron began to spread.

In this phase of the pandemic, we do not see that there is a continued need for vaccination in this group, Andersson said.

For people older than age 18, the Swedish health authority is still recommending three vaccine doses. Four doses are recommended for people older than age 65.

Unlike most other countries, Sweden refused to implement draconian COVID-19 lockdowns. Data and studies have shown that the highly developed Scandinavian nation may have experienced less harm from the virus and lockdowns as compared with nations that did implement those measures.

After seeing a relatively high death toll at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sweden is now seeing fewer deaths per capita than the European average, according to the AFP news agency.

Denmark Makes Vaccine Change

In nearby Denmark, authorities issued a similar rule change and wont offer people younger age 50 more COVID-19 vaccine boosters.

The purpose of vaccination is not to prevent infection with COVID-19, and people aged under 50 are therefore currently not being offered booster vaccination, the countrys health agency wrote in a Sept. 13 statement.

Denmark also explicitly dropped any pretense of stopping the spread of COVID-19 and said it will focus on protecting vulnerable individuals from developing severe symptoms.

Individuals younger than age 50, it said, are generally not at particularly higher risk of becoming severely ill from the virus. At the same time, younger people are also well protected against becoming severely ill and a very large number of them have already been vaccinated and have previously been infected, according to the authority.

The UK Health Security Agency stated around the same time that children who hadnt turned 5 by the end of August wouldnt be offered vaccines.
Families of victims of the Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 lead a parade of protesters against Iran's government in Richmond Hill, Ont., on Oct. 1, 2022. (The Epoch Times)

Tens of Thousands in Toronto, Other Cities Protest Irans Government

Tens of thousands of members of the Iranian community in the Greater Toronto Area held a protest in Richmond Hill on Oct. 1 against Irans government. Similar events were held in other cities in Canada and around the world, including New York, London, Rome, and many others.

The demonstrations were held amid ongoing protests in Iran, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after being arrested for wearing unsuitable attire in Iran.

In Richmond Hill, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman joined the protest, as did Ontario PC MPP Michael Parsa, who is of Iranian origin.

Spoke to thousands in Richmond Hill fighting for a free Iran. #MahsaAmini Enough talk, Liberals must act now. Sign our petition to list the IRGC as a terrorist group & support Iranian people in their fight for freedom against this murderous dictatorship: https://t.co/8YlNmGgTKP pic.twitter.com/cANV13fzAf  Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) October 1, 2022

Large crowds of people have been holding demonstrations in various Iranian cities since the death of Amini on Sept. 16. She died after falling into a coma following her detention in Tehran by morality police enforcing hijab rules on womens dress.

Security forces have cracked down on protesters, and many have been killed during the demonstrations. According to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights organization, at least 83 protesters have been killed by security forces as of Sept. 29.

On the other hand, thousands of protesters and civil activists have been arrested so far, and the arrest process continues, the organization said. Internet access has also either been severely disrupted or completely cut over the last seven days.

Irans state media say members of the security forces have also been killed during the protests.

Iranian demonstrators take to the streets of the capital Tehran during a protest for Mahsa Amini on Sept. 21, 2022, days after she died in police custody. (AFP via Getty Images)

On Oct. 1, protests were held throughout Irans Kurdish region, where Amini was from, and rallies were held in the countrys largest cities, including Tehran, Isfahan, Rasht, and Shiraz.

Protests were also held at universities, including Tehran University.

The event in the Toronto area was one of the largest showing of the Iranian community in the area, with demonstrators shouting Mahsa Aminis name and demanding a free Iran. The event included a rally in Richmond Hill and a march led by families of the victims of the Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 which was shot down by Iran, killing 176 people, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Back when the vaccines were being rolled out, the eminent UK cardiologist, Dr. Aseem Malhotra encouraged people to accept them. He was trying to overcome vaccine hesitancysee for example here in November 2020 and here in February 2021.

Personal loss led to a change. Sadly, his father suffered cardiac arrest and died in July 2021. As told here, here, and here, though a cardiologist with an enormous Twitter following, Dr. Malhorta could not explain the post-mortem findings and started down medical-research rabbit holes hed not gone down before.

Now, Malhotra says the Covid vaxes (or, at least, the mRNA vaxes) are not known to be safe and calls vax mandates and passports unethical, coercive, and misinformedsee the video here and here. Vax rollouts, he says, must stop immediately.

In Part 1 of his recent series in Journal of Insulin Resistance (Part 2 is here), Dr. Malhotra writes:

But a very unexpected and extremely harrowing personal tragedy was to happen a few months later that would be the start of my own journey into what would ultimately prove to be a revelatory and eye-opening experience so profound that after six months of critically appraising the data myself, speaking to eminent scientists involved in COVID-19 research, vaccine safety and development, and two investigative medical journalists, I have slowly and reluctantly concluded that contrary to my own initial dogmatic beliefs, Pfizers mRNA vaccine is far from being as safe and effective as we first thought.

Dr. Malhotras change of mind is inspiring. An honest change of mind is naturally inspiring. In such a change, a spirit continues and grows while certain beliefs die and their embracer recedes.

Danish authorities, for example, no longer support vaxes for people under 50. Suppose unsafe evidence about the mRNA vaxes keeps piling up, as well as the mounting evidence of vax ineffectiveness and the folly of vaxxing in a pandemic. You would think that someone who had promoted them in public discourse would want to issue some sort of retraction or emendation, just to be on the record about it; just to acknowledge that, at a minimum, he justifiably mistook the knowledge available to him at the time. Beyond the minimum, he might feel a more serious regret, of having erred in his judgmentof having been foolish.

Will people who promoted vaxes emulate Dr. Malhotra? Will they feel regret?

Such questions are important for all of us, and Dr. Malhotra is merely a touchstone here. I have not found material in which he expresses his feelings about his change of thinking. But at a minimum he has held himself accountable for a mistake.

Allow me to delve deeper, because I think the rubric is worth exploration.

There are sentiments that go beyond regret: Will people who speak wrongly in some sense repent? Will they express some kind of contrition?

Can they hope to be redeemed?

Humans have spiritual needs. Those needs are problematic especially for non-theists. They want to feel redeemed, but from whom is redemption sought? To whom is contrition expressed? An inner judge?

The problems are beyond remorse, apology, and forgiveness. When I do less than justice to my neighbor, I feel regret or remorse, and I apologize to her and seek her forgiveness. If she forgives me and I try to make it up to her and she accepts my restitution, I may feel atonement (at-one-ment).

But suppose I too had an enormous Twitter following and a daily social media presence, like Dr. Malhotra. If I promoted vaxes, which, let us suppose turn out to have been undeniably bad for the vast majority of people they were pushed upon, to whom do I apologize? Of whom do I ask forgiveness?

There is no single human beingthe personto apologize to. The consequent evils are too diffuse and impersonal. And my friends and associates who know and understand my wrongdoing are in no position to forgive me for it. I can express my shame but I cannot offer them an apology, because they are in no position to accept such an apology.

Benevolent monotheism provides the pattern for spiritual health. Apology, it seems to me, is an affair between equals, human to human. Theists ask God for forgiveness, but they do not apologize to God.

Something like God, maybe a larger, more sublime allegorical animism, is needed, even if only tacit. And a vocabulary to go with it. It begins with regret, but it rises, by knowing ones smallness, to repentance, contrition, penance, penitence, and redemption. Heres my stab at such concepts:

Repentance is knowing that the regret is not merely a matter of bad luck, but a failing on your part, a failure to see and act upon a superior interpretation of the situation. Repentance is an effort to correct the source of that sort of erringperhaps a willful devianceby reforming part of your being.

Contrition is the repenters humiliation about the wrongdoing, a nakedness, apparent to fellow creatures.

Penance is to penitence as a prison sentence is to the serving of that sentence. A penitent is a man in penitence, as a prisoner is a man in prison.

Redemption is what you receive when the redeemer communicates to you his judgment that you have succeeded in repenting, that you have rectified error and improved your being.

In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote:

Now repentance is no fun at all. It is something much harder than merely eating humble pie It means killing part of yourself, undergoing a kind of death. In fact, it needs a good man to repent. And here comes the catch. Only a bad person needs to repent: only a good person can repent perfectly. The worse you are the more you need it and the less you can do it.

Often, non-theists, alas, have thrown the baby out with the bathwater. Not all non-theists, but some. I mean those who, throwing out any notion of a God-like authority who can make one shudder, have left themselves with thin resources for doing larger renovations or even maintenance. Failing to move upward, they come to systematizing their world in a way that denies the failing and slights true upwardness; they grow stale and bored, and seek diversion after diversion.

It is a sticky syndrome, but moral resources remain. One may find that something inside of him, or outside, calls to him and prompts a real regret, a humiliation, and a desire to repent and to become something better.

Without that, however, he is prone to moving downward. Regardless of his accomplishments, man can fall into a downward dynamic.

As editor of Econ Journal Watch, I conducted a symposium on My Most Regretted Statements. What prompted the idea was my own feelings of regret over things I had written. But I did not contribute a confession to the symposium. Cass Sunstein confessed, and made the valuable point that if one is active in public discourse and has no regretted statements, he is doing something wrong.

After all, there is a trade-off between saying statements that one will later wish he hadnt said and leaving unsaid statements that one will later wish he had said, since there is always uncertainty in your future estimation of statements (or would-have-been statements). An analogy is the person who travels a lot by air: If she never misses an airplane, she is spending too much time at airports.

I agree with Sunstein on the point, and would extend it to the full slate of the penitents sentiments. My conscience has gnawed for as long as I can remember. I wont enlarge here on my own regrets except to say that one is represented by statements on page 26 here and that around the time of symposium I produced this, and that another regret is told of here. As for hunches about the future that turned out wrong, I can think of three, here, here (really dont know why it stopped working!), and pages 3233 here. Compared to Bryan Caplans track record, my public prognostications have stunk.

Sunstein puts his point this way:

If an academic has said little or nothing that he regrets, theres a real problem. A main job of academics is to float ideas and take risks, and if they do not make mistakes, or learn enough to change their minds, well, thats really something to regret.

It is also a main job of academics to make themselves accountable for what theyve said. If Adam Smith taught us anything, it is that each of us is the redeemers vicegerent upon earth, to superintend the behaviour of his brethren and, above all, of himself. Those vicegerents of God within us never fail to punish the violation of [the general rules of morality] by the torments of inward shame and self-condemnation.

Such vicegerency is a job that Dr. Malhotra has fulfilled admirably, by candidly reviewing his own past conduct. May his example be an inspiration.

From The Brownstone Institute
The Canadian flag flies near the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on June 17, 2020. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

Top Government Execs, Management Received $190 Million in Bonuses During Pandemic

Executives and upper management positions in the federal government were paid over $190 million in bonuses during the pandemic year of 2021, an Inquiry of Ministry tabled in the House of Commons shows.

According to Blacklocks Reporter, the largest payout went to 295 executives who made up 96 percent of upper management at the Department of Justice; $17.9 million was allocated among them.

A total of $5.5 million went to managers at the Office of the Governor Generals Secretary, the Communications Security Establishment, Economic Development for Quebec, Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, and Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre.

At 23 other federal departments, 95 percent of the top staff, executives, or those with qualifications above executive received bonuses. This included the departments of heritage, finance, fisheries, foreign affairs, indigenous services, infrastructure, justice, public safety, public works, and transport.

Canada has a world class public service with employees committed to providing the highest level of service to Canadians, Treasury Board President Mona Fortier wrote in the inquiry. In fact, Canadas public service is regularly recognized globally for its quality and effectiveness.

The bonuses were referred to as performance pay. Fortier said such incentive plans are common among Canadian private and public sector company executives. The inquiry did not provide details about which individuals received payments.

Call for Greater Transparency

According to Blacklocks, Access to Information records from Crown agencies have identified bonus payments as routine regardless of results.

In 2020, the Canadian Tourism Commission paid its executives bonuses equal to $32,652 eacheven though tourism was highly restricted at the height of the pandemicwhile laying off 9 percent of its staff.

The CBC paid out $30.4 million in bonuses during the first two years of the pandemic while seeking more subsidies. Blacklocks reported that the public broadcaster paid out $15 million in bonuses in 2020 and $15.4 million the following year, but still complained of being under immense pressure and requested $21 million to supplement the annual $1.3 billion government grant it receives.

Last month, Sen. Percy Downe proposed an amendment to the Broadcasting Act that would force CBC to disclose the top salaries of announcers and executives. He said anyone who received a salary higher than a senator, who makes $164,500 a year, should have his or her salary disclosed, and that such transparency would benefit all Canadians.

We only know that five CBC staff earn between $250,000 and $300,000 with an average salary of $342,000, Downe said, according to Blacklocks. No names, no programs.

Downe said top earners at the British Broadcasting Corporation have a wage disclosure mandate.

As a public broadcaster largely funded by taxpayers, the CBC has a greater obligation than private broadcasters to be open about how it spends that money, Downe said in the Senate.
Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov addresses service members while making a statement, dedicated to a military conflict in Ukraine, in Grozny, Russia, on Feb. 25, 2022. (Chingis Kondarov/Reuters)

Top Russian Official Makes Call for Low-Yield Nukes After Moscows Loss of Key Area

A top Russian leader on Oct. 1 urged the Kremlin to consider deploying low-yield nuclear weapons in Ukraine after Russian troops retreated from Lyman, Ukraine.

Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of Chechnya, wrote on Telegram that he believes more drastic measures should be taken, right up to the declaration of martial law in the border areas and the use of low-yield nuclear weapons.

It is not necessary to make every decision with an eye on the Western American community.  It has already said so and done a lot against us, he said.

Russian officials confirmed the loss of Lyman just hours before Kadyrovs statement. The loss came after days of fighting over the area, considered a logistics hub.

In connection with the creation of a threat of encirclement, allied troops were withdrawn from the settlement of Krasny Liman to more advantageous lines, the Russian Ministry of Defense said via Telegram.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said in a Telegram video on Oct. 1 that Lyman is fully cleared, adding: Thank you to our troops.  Glory to Ukraine!

Britains Ministry of Defense described Lyman as operationally important, as it commanded a key road crossing over the Siverskyi Donets River, behind which Russia has been attempting to consolidate its defenses.

Kadyrov, the influential ruler of the Caucasus republic of Chechnya, has been a vocal champion of the war in Ukraine, with Chechen forces forming part of the vanguard of the Russian army there. Kadyrov is widely believed to be personally close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who appointed him to govern restive Chechnya in 2007.

Following the start of the RussiaUkraine conflict on Feb. 24, Chechen forces were seen being sent to Ukraine to fight.

Other Details

In his post, Kadyrov described Col. Gen. Alexander Lapin, commander of the Russian forces fighting at Lyman, as a mediocrity and suggested that Lapin be demoted to private and stripped of his medals.

Due to a lack of elementary military logistics, today we have abandoned several settlements and a large piece of territory, Kadyrov said.

A satellite image shows damaged buildings and a tank on a road, in Lyman, Ukraine, on May 25, 2022. (Maxar Technologies/Handout via Reuters)

About a week ago, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev also suggested that nuclear weapons could be used to defend Russian territory days after Putin said last month that he would partially mobilize Russias reserve forces. In that speech, Putin also suggested Moscow would use all weapons in its arsenal.

This is not a bluff, Putin said during his speech. And those who try to blackmail us with nuclear weapons should know that the weathervane can turn and point toward them.

Last weekend, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told NBC News that the United States would respond if nukes were deployed in the conflict. He didnt elaborate on how.

The United States will respond decisively, Sullivan said in late September. Now, in private channels, we have spelled out in greater detail exactly what that would mean, but we want to be able to have the credibility of speaking directly to senior leadership in Russia and laying out for them what the consequences would be without getting into a rhetorical tit for tat publicly.
UK Groups Jointly Urge Liz Truss to Hark Human Rights Concerns, Sanction CCP Officials and Publicly Stand Against CCP

On the eve of the 73rd anniversary National Day in Communist China, a total of nine British human rights organizations, including Hongkongers in Britain, Global Alliance for Tibet and Persecuted Minorities, and Stop Uyghur Genocide, wrote to the new British Prime Minister Liz Truss. The organizations urged the British government to pay heed to the threats targeted at Hongkongers, Tibetans, and Uyghurs. They also demanded the new prime minister respond to their five demands with actions, including sanctioning the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials.

Former Assistant Professor of Politics and International Relations at Hong Kong Baptist University, Wong Wai-kwok, asserted that the joint letter is an essential step to test whether the British government could shake off its past practice of unoffending the CCP.

The letter was a joint gesture from nine organizations, including Hongkongers in Britain, Hong Kong Aid, Power to Hongkongers, Free Tibet, Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted Minorities, Stop Uyghur Genocide, Tibetan Community in Britain, and World Uyghur Congress.

In the open letter, the organizations first mentioned that no Hongkongers, Tibetans, or Uighurs in the UK would celebrate the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the National Day of Communist China on Oct. 1.

Over the past 73 years, the CCP authoritarianism has evolved, strengthened, and adapted. The letter highlighted the new prime minister had previously criticized the CCPs serious threats, against the rights of the British people under their sovereignty, in one of her early conservative party campaigns.

CCP Persecutes Hongkongers, Tibetans, and Uighurs

Tibetans

The organizations described how the CCP persecuted Hongkongers, Tibetans, and Uyghurs. Meanwhile, the CCP forces Tibetans to live under intensive surveillance. The people of Tibet would get arrested, detained, and tortured whenever citizens criticized the regime or expressed their Tibetan identity.

Uyghurs

Similarly to Tibetans, the organizations addressed the confining situation of the locals living in Uyghur and people living in totalitarian open-air prisons with advanced technology. The CCP has repressed Uyghurs for decades. Since 2017, the Beijing government has been committing genocide against Uyghurs with forced sterilization, involuntary abortion, online and offline surveillance, and forced labor.

Millions of Uyghurs are held inside CCPs concentration camps, where torture, sexual assault and violence, and organ harvest occur.

Hong Kong

As for Hong Kong, the groups illustrated how the rights and freedom of Hongkongers have eroded in the last few decades. Since 2014, the regime has been more flagrant in showing its suppression to silence Hongkongers.

In 2019, millions of Hongkongers took to the streets to protest peacefully. Still, the CCP named the peaceful protesters rioters and attacked them with weapons and police brutality.

However, the group reflected a sad reality that International communities couldnt take proactive actions to protect the democracy of Hong Kong or against the implementation of the draconian National Security Law.

Since its implementation, the Hong Kong and Beijing governments have been using the National Security Law to suppress opposition, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, judicial independence, and political rivals in Hong Kong in any way they can.

Multi-groups joint parade rally to Resist the CCP Day in central London. Oct. 1, 2021. (Wen Qing/The Epoch Times)

The Five Demands

The UKs nine human rights groups drafted five demands in the letter to the new UK government.

The groups pressed the British government to sanction any CCP officials who had oppressed Hong Kong, Tibetans, and Uighurs, including Chen Quanguo, former secretary of the Tibet and Xinjiang District Party Committees.

Secondly, they demanded prohibiting all companies that are operating in the UK, that assist the CCP in human rights abuse and surveillance in Tibet, Xinjiang, and Hong Kong, including Hikvision and Dahua.

The letter stated that the English legislation should establish UK legislation to resolve forced labor in Tibet and Xinjiang by the UK supply chains. It also wrote that the British government should urge the CCP to cease its policies that threaten religion, language, culture, and lifestyle in the country, which includes closing all mandatory boarding schools in Tibet.

The groups also demand the UK formally acknowledge that the Beijing government is committing genocide against Uighurs.

UKs View on the CCP

Professor Wong stated in an interview that the UK government is only paying lip service to the condemnation of the CCPs actions. Still, there have not been any tangible measures or policies from the British against the CCP.

Wong believed, therefore, the nine organizations demands were a test of whether the British government would step up against China and waive the principle of unoffending the CCP in the past.

Wong also mentioned, Frankly, I have reservations about whether the British government would respond to the five demands. There are still UK government officials such as the former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, who was interested in keeping the trade expansion with China.

Wong added that Sunak wanted to find ways to attract mainland Chinese investors to develop in the UK, such as nuclear power plants. So the scholar questioned, Does the UK government have a set of policies which would decouple from the CCP? Or will they carry on with the ambiguous response?

Wong suspected the expansion of the BNO visa lifeboat scheme to Hongkongers might be the UKs response to the CCP violating and destroying one country, two systems, and autonomy in Hong Kong; Nonetheless, no matter which party, conservative, labor, or democratic, Wong asserted the UK Parliament lacks politicians with a clear paradigm on anti-CCP strategies.
US President Joe Biden (L) and Israel's Prime Minister Yair Lapid, take part in a virtual meeting with leaders of the I2U2 group, which includes, US, Israel, India, and the United Arab Emirates, at a hotel in Jerusalem, on July 14, 2022. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

US and Israel Launch High-Level Tech Talks, Washington Concerned About Chinese Influence

The United States and Israel engaged in their first meeting of U.S.-Israel Strategic High-Level Dialogue on Technology initiative on Sept. 28 aimed at establishing a partnership on emerging and critical technologies between the nations.

The countries agreed to support research and implementation of a trustworthy AI in healthcare, including fair AI-driven health systems as well as boosting the ability of health researchers to test the impacts of medicines and treatments, according to a Sept. 30 White House Fact Sheet. They will also explore ways to use AI to develop new crop varieties, including seeds that have a stronger tolerance to climate change.

Next month, Israel and the United States plan on signing a Memorandum of Understanding seeking to strengthen cooperation in biomedical research like molecular and genomic medicine. They will work together on global health security and pandemic preparedness.

Climate change technology initiatives will include support for renewable hydrogen and solar energy, extreme weather prediction and disaster risk reduction initiatives, and cooperation on battery supply chains.

The joint research with the US has been only 19 percent of Israels research with other countries, as opposed to 56 percent for Europe, said Farkash-Hakohen, Israels minister for Innovation, Science and Technology, according to a Sept. 29 press release by Israels foreign ministry.

Good partners and allies, like Israel and the US, need and can take significant steps to increase the scope of the joint research that constitutes the basis for high-tech and that is what we are currently doing.

The Dialogue was agreed upon by President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid in July. The Sept. 28 meeting was held in Washington between U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Israeli national security advisor Dr. Eyal Hulata. The next meeting will be held in Israel in 2023.

Countering Chinese Influence

The push to deepen tech cooperation between Israel and the United States comes amid concerns about rising Chinese influence in the Middle Eastern nations technologies.

During the Trump administration, Washington pressured Israel to set up a review process aimed at allowing government officials to block deals in the case of national security concerns. While Israel did set up the review process in 2019, the tech industry was left out of it.

During the Sept. 28 meeting, the United States and Israel agreed on a plan to manage risks to their technology ecosystems, including investment screening.

A 2020 study by global policy think tank RAND Corporation found that the security risks of Chinese investments and construction could affect the relationship between the United States and Israel.

It pointed out that the interests of China and Israel in the Middle East are incompatible and warned that Chinese Communist Party investments and construction projects in Israel could result in cyber espionage as well as the leaking of sensitive technology.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Ehud Levy, a general partner at Canaan Partners Israel and also a partner at Chinas Lenovo Capital, said that even though Washington has not succeeded in getting Israeli startups to fully adopt its policy agenda, the United States has succeeded in convincing several entrepreneurs to pick sides.

If you have a term sheet from a Chinese investor and you have a term sheet from a US investor, the CEO is going for the safe option, Levy said. Its not like a governmental guidance or anything like that. Its purely a commercial decision.
Two Billings men previously accused of trying to rape a child in Yellowstone County District Court are now facing federal charges.

Kyle Ray Schwindt, 21, and Jeffrey Mayes Wilkerson, 39, were indicted in U.S. District Court with counts of attempted coercion and enticement and possession of child pornography. The two pleaded not guilty to the charges during the initial appearance in federal court Sept. 27.

Both men were arrested earlier this year and charged by county prosecutors with child sex abuse. The county felony charges were dismissed following the indictment. Federal prosecutors allege Schwindt and Wilkerson tried to arrange to rape a child in Billings, according to charging documents. The two are also accused of possessing child sex abuse material involving a minor under the age of 12.

If convicted, Schwindt and Wilkerson could face a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life in prison, a $250,000 fine and five years to life of supervised release. The FBI and Yellowstone County Sheriffs Office collaborated in the investigation that led to their arrest.

Earlier this week, two men were sentenced to prison time for trying to arrange to rape children. Jason Robert Kroepelin was sentenced in federal court to eight years in prison, plus a lifetime of supervised release, for the attempted coercion of a minor into sex. Garrett Alan Lee will spend at least the next 25 years in prison after he admitted to trying to arrange for sex with a child through the internet. Lee was sentenced in Yellowstone County District Court.

Both men were investigated and prosecuted by a multi-agency task force focused on online sexual predators in the Billings area, the efforts of which have led to the arrest of well over a dozen people in the past year.
Japanese tourist drowns in Phang Nga

PHANG NGA: A Japanese tourist drowned after going swimming in the sea in front of a hotel in Takua Pa district of this southern coastal province on Saturday (Oct 1), the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre (THAI-MECC) Region 3 reported.

tourismSafetyaccidentsdeathweather

By Bangkok Post

Sunday 2 October 2022, 09:40AM

At about 12.20pm, Sirithorn Buakaew, deputy mayor of Tambon Khukkak Municipality, reported to the THAI-MECC office in Phang Nga that the tourist went missing while swimming in the sea in front of the Moracea by Khao Lak Resort in tambon Khukkhak and called for help, said the Bangkok Post.

At 12.30pm, the 3rd Naval Area dispatched a special operations team from the Phang-nga Naval Base for a search.

The body of the Japanese tourist, who was identified as Satoshi Sato, 46, was found in the sea by the search team at about 2:30pm and sent to a hospital for an autopsy, pending legal procedures.

The Japanese embassy had been informed of the incident.
Phuket Opinion: Protecting a vested interest

PHUKET: Just as the country reopens to tourism with tourists no longer needing to provide proof of COVID tests or vaccination, amid hopes of finally a true restart to tourism, Airports of Thailand (AoT) has shown the world exactly what tourists can expect on landing in Phuket: a government-enforced policy whereby tourists arriving cannot choose their own taxi from the airport  they must take a taxi charging overpriced fares thanks to an exclusive money-making deal.

opiniontourismtransport

By The Phuket News

Sunday 2 October 2022, 09:00AM

People wait outside the main terminal at Phuket airport as an approved taxi pulls up. Photo: PR Phuket

The statement issued this week by AoT Phuket claiming security reasons as the need for approved drivers only to serve passengers at the airport was as embarrassing as it could get. No one believes that.

Worse, the fact that the statement did not even mention the multi-million-baht concessions AoT has provided to selected taxi co-operatives for exclusive rights to serve passengers at the airport screams loudly as to what AoT does not even want mentioned in public.

On the security angle, for some reason AoT believes it needs to enforce greater security measures than major international airports such as London Heathrow, where all drivers are allowed to enter airport grounds.

The AoT security-reasons claim also plainly contradicted the fact the general members of the public can drive their vehicles onto Phuket airport grounds.

AoT just cant seem to make their mind up, except for the fact they want to maintain their stranglehold on the money to be made on taxi services provided to tourists arriving in the country via Phuket airport.

The statement was issued in response to the challenge laid down by Bolt taxi driver Suriya Thongsamak, who simply asked for officials to explain exactly which taxis may pick up tourists at the airport.

So strong is the influence of the relationship between AoT and the airport taxi groups that officials would not even do that. They left it to AoT to respond to, and AoT wouldnt even answer the question without some fancy dancing sidestepping.

The response by AoT was so inadequate, it wasnt even pathetic: it was outright shameful. If anyone hadnt noticed, the statement by its very nature dismissed entirely the need for taxi drivers to register with Department of Land Transport if they want to serve tourists at the airport. Apparently the enforced registration of taxi drivers throughout the country which has so many times proved instrumental for police in tracking down suspects for rape, assault and other crimes, is just not good enough for AoT. They will maintain their own list of approved drivers , thank you very much.

Yet probably the most embarrassing aspect of the statement by AoT was how much it insulted the very tourists Thailand is hoping to attract to spend money in the country to help support the economy.

The tourists involved in the incident that sparked Mr Suriyas challenge had already made their choice. They had ordered their taxi through an app in order to avoid the taxi drivers at the airport. Being stopped and, albeit politely, ordered to exit the van by a man in a military-looking uniform was their first experience in Thailand after leaving the airport.

The incident left a clear impression on the two young tourists. They chose to drag their luggage to the main road in front of the airport to order another taxi from there instead of using the mandated taxi drivers.

But it is not just these tourists AoT is insulting. It is all the other potential tourists who, just like the two Mr Suriya was stopped from transporting, use the internet and already know about the taxi situation at Phuket airport.

And this comes just weeks after four young Israeli women proved exactly the same thing after their experience at Ratsada Pier.

It also comes after the very tourists Thailand is trying to lure spent the past two years being forced to live most of their lives online. If Thailand tourism figures were concerned about a poor image being presented to the world through social media before 2020, today in a post-COVID world the potential impact for bad news to spread online has increased exponentially.

AoT and those working to support the exclusive taxi rights at Phuket airport just do not want to learn. We all know why. Yet, the ongoing concession agreement in the end may end up costing Phuket, and the country, a whole lot more than a handful of individuals will make.

Maybe officials higher up, and not benefiting from the AoT money-making taxi scheme, might want to consider that.
Tempers flare over illegal taxi app driver in Kamala

PHUKET: The behaviour of Phuket taxi drivers is making waves again after a driver at a taxi queue in front of a popular pub in Kamala filed a complaint against a taxi-service app driver who had arrived to pick up passengers.

tourismtransport

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Sunday 2 October 2022, 04:50PM

PLTO officers investigating the incident stand in front of the taxi queue in front of the popular pub earlier today (Oct 2). Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Drivers from the taxi queue gather in front of the pub this afternoon. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Kornphithak Asanasuwan from the Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) at the scene this afternoon. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

PLTO officers investigating the incident stand in front of the taxi queue in front of the popular pub earlier today (Oct 2). Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

The car in question was registered to provide taxi services through an app, but the car and the driver have yet to be fully registered with the Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) to legally provide taxi services.

The driver has applied and the car has been submitted for approval, but the application currently remains in process.

The news became public after a video was posted on a popular local social media channel showing two police officers responding to a late night call in front of the pub, Cafe del Mar.

The taxi queue in question is the same group of drivers who made headlines in February after a taxi driver there angrily berated a Thai tourist couple for calling him a cheat. The incident was recorded, posted online and started to go viral on TikTok.

According to the latest post, a group of three to four men approached the car, which was being driven by a woman.

One of the men in the group then struck the car, damaging the app drivers car. A legal complaint had been filed against the taxi-app driver, the post said.

I WAS DEFENDING MYSELF

Wilas Soison, 41, the taxi queue driver questioned by police in the video posted online for damaging the app drivers car, today defended his actions, saying, I was only defending myself.

At the same time he told reporters that he did not hit the car.

Mr Wilas this afternoon returned to the taxi queue where the incident happened in order to speak to reporters. Joining him was Kornphithak Asanasuwan from the PLTO.

According to Mr Wilas, a potential customer asked him how much the fare would be to go to Patong.

I said B400. He said that he had called a taxi through an app for B200 I wasnt interested, Mr Wilas said.

Mr Wilas did not clarify whether the customer was Thai or foreign.

Then a red car arrived to pick up the customer, Mr Wilas said, adding that he could not remember the make or model of the car.

The car made a U-turn to pick up the passengers, and Mr Wilas said he ran up to it to ask the driver whether the car was ordered through a taxi services app.

Mr Wilas said he stood in front of the car to prevent it from leaving. He also alleged that the car had moved forward and hit him.

I defended myself and an argument started. I didnt hit the car, he said.

Mr Wilas said the damage to the car was from when the car hit him.

Mr Wilas went to Kamala Police Station and filed a complaint against the taxi app driver.

I accepted and paid damages at the police station, the matter is over, he said.

However, police have yet to confirm how much Mr Wilas paid for damage to the car, or even exactly what damage was done to the car.

BLACK TAXIS

Mr Wilas called on the PLTO to take action against the driver for illegally operating a vehicle as a taxi, a practice made famous in Phukets tourism industry over the past two decades as operating a black taxi.

Mr Kornphithak said the PLTO was investigating the incident and was prepared to take legal action against the taxi-app driver.

Private vehicles by law are not allowed to be used to provide taxi services, he said.

Following another incident regarding taxi group drivers interfering with a legitimate, fully registered taxi picking up tourists at Ratsada Pier early last month after the tourists had ordered the taxi through an app, PLTO Chief Adcha Buachan threatened full effect of the law against independent taxi drivers who use vehicles that are not registered as commercial passenger vehicles.

The warning came two days before Phuket Vice Governor Anupap Rodkwan Yodrabham told a meeting of Phuket taxi operators that taxi drivers in Phuket must improve their behaviour to help protect Phukets image as a tourist destination.

According to the local police in Kamala, their involvement in the matter has concluded.
The fire-damaged back of a triple decker at 25 Peverell Street, in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood, appears darkened by flames, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022. The blaze began around 10 a.m., Sunday, and spread to three buildings because of strong winds, Fire Commissioner Paul Burke said. One of the buildings involved was 25 Peverell Street, where entertainers Mark and Donnie Wahlberg's family once lived. Two firefighters suffered injuries and one resident was taken to the hospital.


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KATIE PIERCE, Wheeler, Girls Soccer, Junior; Pierce scored four goals in a victory over New London. Pierce has a team-leading seven goals for the Lions this season.

FINN O'KEEFE, Stonington, Girls Soccer, Freshman; OKeefe scored the winning goal in the final two minutes in a victory against East Lyme. OKeefe has seven goals for the Bears this season.

SAMANTHA SACCO, Westerly, Girls Soccer, Senior; Sacco scored six goals in three Westerly wins. Two of the goals came in a win over Toll Gate, which was the first Division III loss of the season for the Titans. Sacco has 14 goals this season.

ERIN VONHOUSEN, Chariho, Girls Cross Country, Junior; VonHousen finished first in her race at the Manhattan College Invitational. She turned in a time of 15:21 in the 2.4-mile race to become the first Chariho girl to win a varsity race at the event.

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I met Gary Buchanan almost 25 years ago when he worked at DA Davidson. In the years since, he became a trusted friend and advisor. Gary always tells you what he truly believes, listens and takes into consideration what others have to say, takes the time to educate himself, and can admit when he is wrong. For these reasons and more, Im honored to endorse my friend, Gary Buchanan, as our next Congress person in the Eastern district.

As a former Democrat lawmaker and statewide elected official, some have asked why I would support an Independent instead of the Democratic party nominee. Please know my choice has nothing to do with the Democratic candidate. My choice has to do with Gary Buchanans strong character, values, and history in Montana.

Garys has worked with governors from both sides of the aisle, has worked to protect our public lands and clean water, believes in fiscal responsibility, and understands Montanas history and common-sense values. I know he will listen and do what is best for Montana. I know Gary, his family, and his heart. There is no doubt he would make the best Congress person for Montana. Please join me in supporting and voting for the Independent candidate for Congress, Gary Buchanan.

Monica J. Lindeen, former Montana State Auditor, Commissioner of Securities & Insurance
By Trend

The statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia dated October 2, 2022, alleging that war crimes were allegedly committed by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, is an example of the hypocrisy of a country that has pursued an aggressive policy for decades, violated the fundamental rights of almost a million people and committed numerous war crimes against military and civilian persons, said the press service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry in connection with the statement of the Armenian Foreign Ministry on war crimes, Trend reports.

"We emphasize that, unlike Armenia, Azerbaijan takes its international obligations seriously, and allegations related to crimes committed during military operations are investigated by the relevant state institutions.

Thus, on September 17, 2022, the Military Prosecutors Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan announced that comprehensive investigations had been launched to establish the authenticity of the videos distributed on social networks, as well as the time and place where the video was shot, the identity of the servicemen shown on them, as well as the objective truth.

Recall that since the time of the first Karabakh war, the Armenian armed forces committed an unprecedented massacre not only over Azerbaijani soldiers, but also over civilians. On February 26, 1992, in the city of Khojaly, 613 civilians were brutally killed in just one night, until today no information has been provided about the fate of about 4,000 Azerbaijanis.

In October 2020, by subjecting the civilian population of the cities of Ganja, Barda and Mingachevir of Azerbaijan to rocket fire, crimes against humanity were committed.

The mines laid by Armenia today pose a serious threat to the lives of people in the region. From November 2020 to the present, up to 250 people have become victims of mines, mostly civilians. The fact that the mines found on the territory of Azerbaijan were produced in Armenia in 2021 is proof that Armenia continues its war crimes against Azerbaijanis, still not handing over maps of mines to Azerbaijan, but on the other hand, burying new ones.

The Government of Armenia has not yet taken any practical measures to prevent the war crimes committed or to hold the relevant persons accountable for the crimes committed.

We strongly condemn Armenia's attempts to mislead the international community and hide its responsibility by spreading unfounded allegations.

We demand that Armenia fulfill its international obligations and bring to justice those responsible for numerous war crimes," the press service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said.
Todays business owners and operators know that hiring and retaining a great workforce is as challenging as it has ever been. Recruiting and keeping talent is at the heart of the Montana Top Workplaces program, which is underway for the third year.

Any organization with 35 or more employees in Montana is eligible to compete for 2023 Top Workplaces recognition. The program identifies the best employers in the state as determined by the people who know best: the employees. Its an ideal way for employers to stand out in the job market, and its a way to make sure employers and employees are on the same page.

Nomination deadline is Oct. 28. Anyone can nominate any organization, whether it is public, private, nonprofit, a school, or even a government agency. To nominate an employer, just go to https://topworkplaces.com/nominate/montana or call 406-206-9789.

Workplaces are evaluated by employees using a short 24-question survey that takes about five minutes to complete. Before surveying employees, Energage contacts employers to verify they choose to participate. Montana companies will be surveyed from October to February. Energage, the Pennsylvania-based survey partner for the project, conducts Top Workplaces surveys for media in 59 markets nationwide and surveyed more than 2 million employees at more than 8,000 organizations in the past year.

After gathering data from employee questionnaires, Energage crunches all the numbers from across the state and informs those employers who have earned the distinction of being named a Montana Top workplace.

Through the Top Workplaces survey process, organizations get the data they need to recruit the right talent and the insights they need to retain that talent, said Eric Rubino, Energage CEO. If COVID taught us anything, its that asking questions and listening to employees is critical to navigating this new world of work. More than ever, you need to be more intentional about your culture.

In 2022, we spotlighted 11 companies as Top Workplaces in Montana. In 2023, the top companies will again be honored in a virtual event broadcast statewide and featured in a special print section that will be inserted into the Billings Gazette, the Helena Independent Record, the Montana Standard in Butte, the Missoulian, and the Ravalli Republic in Hamilton.

More than 2,700 employees were invited to take the survey last year, and 1,846 responded. For the 2023 campaign, the results will be published mid-year.

Why participate? Its more than just the well-deserved bragging rights that come with the honor, though impressing your clients  and competitors  is a great benefit. Being selected a Montana Top Workplace also will raise an employers profile and serve as a strong recruiting tool.

The survey reveals the passion of employees for their jobs and gratitude for their employers. Here are some examples:

I am appreciated for the work that I do and the effort that I put in to help the company succeed. I work with good people who care about doing their job well. My manager works hard and truly cares about me personally and professionally. -- An employee from Computers Unlimited.

I have the freedom to share my thoughts and feel heard and appreciated. I feel like an important and valued part of the team.  An employee from Frontier Psychiatry.

I feel respected, valued, and empowered to reach my fullest potential. My supervisor is supportive and motivating. The company culture encourages me to be my true self and doesn't make me feel like just another employee.  An employee from Water & Environmental Technologies, Inc.

The honor allows winners to celebrate that recognition with its employees, building their pride in their workplace.

Love where you work? We welcome your entry. Its time for Montana to spotlight its best.
Aine Fitzgerald has been appointed the first female Managing Editor of the Limerick Leader.

A talented journalist with almost 20 years experience in the media, she will take up her position immediately.

A native of Kilmallock in county Limerick, Aine has worked at the Leader since 2006, joining as a reporter and progressing to news editor of the newspaper and website, a position that she has held since 2016.

Aine is the daughter of Michael and the late Margaret Fitzgerald nee Lonergan of Galbertstown, Holycross.

Aine has worked at the Leader since 2006, joining as a reporter and progressing to news editor of the newspaper and website, a position that she has held since 2016.

She is the recipient of numerous awards including, most recently, the Local Ireland Best News Story of the Year in 2018 for her sensitive coverage breaking the news of the death of Dolores ORiordan and in 2020 Best Designed Front Page for the Limerick Leader's poignant coverage of the death of boxer Kevin Sheehy.

Aine completed a Masters in NUI Galway where she obtained a first-class honours degree in journalism. Prior to that she completed an undergraduate BA degree in Media and Irish in Mary Immaculate College, Limerick.

She has a keen interest in current affairs and sport - she trains the local U6 and U8 camogie team in her hometown of Kilmallock.

Commenting on her appointment Aine said: It is a great honour to have been given this opportunity to lead one of the best newspapers in the country and our award-winning website LimerickLive.ie. Im looking forward to working with our team of talented reporters to keep providing the peerless local news coverage that is so valued by our readers and advertisers.
A sculpture of a mother breastfeeding her baby will be the first Irish contemporary work acquired by one of the great museums in Florence, Italy.

It represents a remarkable achievement for its sculptor Paddy Campbell, who is a former owner of Dublins famous Bewleys Cafe.

The sculpture Mother and Child depicts Mr Campbells family friend Emily Dawson nursing her newborn daughter Coco 17 years ago.

The work will be inaugurated at Italys historic Museo degli Innocenti.

Mr Campbell, who began work on the sculpture in Dublin in 2005, said he was honoured.

This is a tremendous honour and so fitting for the beautiful story of Emily and Coco as the Innocenti museum is unique in exhibiting works of art relating to children, said Mr Campbell said.

It is part of the oldest public institution in Italy, originally a convento, which had been devoted to the hospitality and protection of children and their rights for six centuries.

Emily and 17-year-old Coco travelled to Florence to see the sculpture.

Emily said: Coco and I are immensely proud of this collaboration. Paddy captured our love and eternal bond that words cannot convey.

A dear family friend, Paddy had asked me while I was pregnant if I would be willing to sit for the sculpture once Coco was born.

Coco was just five weeks old when we sat on a makeshift wooden revolving stand as Paddy moulded us over the course of six weeks into a life-size wax model.

My newborn and I sat bare, she didnt know any different, kept comforted by the warm milk from my breast and skin-to-skin contact.

We were warmed by a small gas fire, hot tea and conversations on life, love and loss in a small studio above a garage in Fairview.

Mr Campbell cast his Mother and Child sculpture in various materials, which culminated in the Carrara marble version carved by Dario Tazzioli.

This is now installed on permanent display at the Museo degli Innocenti alongside works by artists such as della Robbia, Botticelli and Ghirlandaio.

The former orphanage turned museum also houses Unicefs research centre for child wellbeing, which carries out work into the importance of breastfeeding, among other issues.

Mr Campbells book about the sculpture, Mother and Child  A Secret Hidden In Stone, will be launched in Bewleys Cafe on Grafton Street on Thursday October 6.

The book is available for a recommended donation of 20 euro, with the proceeds going to Unicef to help children at risk of famine.

Unicef Ireland executive director Peter Power said the charity was grateful for Mr Campbells support.

It is fitting that Paddys touching depiction of Mother and Child will find its home in the same institution in Florence as Unicefs global research teams, he said.

For more than six centuries, this historic building has been devoted to the protection of vulnerable children. And now, the support generated by Paddys work will help to further Unicefs mission to safeguard the rights of every child.
The Government will not allow people on pay-as-you-go energy meters to be disconnected over the winter, the Taoiseach has said.

Micheal Martin also said he did not believe Ireland would experience power blackouts this winter, although he could not guarantee it.

Mr Martin said the Government was working to procure more energy as he warned that next winter could be more challenging when it came to maintaining supply.

The Government has introduced a series of measures to mitigate the impact of soaring costs, including a 600 euro electricity credit for households.

On Sunday, the Taoiseach was asked about the prospect of those customers who pre-pay for electric being cut off if they cannot afford to buy more credit.

Mr Martin said the Government was engaging with suppliers on the issue. He insisted people who found themselves in such situations would be helped by the social welfare system.

We dont want people disconnected, particularly vulnerable people and people who will find difficulty in terms of raising their bills, he told RTE.

He added: Through our social welfare system, we will underpin and help people in terms of meeting their bills.

In the middle of an energy crisis of this kind, we cannot have disconnections.

On the possibility of blackouts this winter, Mr Martin said: I would hope not, but we can never be certain in relation to that.

And we are taking measures in terms of energy procurement and in terms of extending the timelines for various plants in the country.

We should be OK this winter but then one can never guarantee.

Next winter will be challenging, and thats why were doing everything we can to procure additional gas generation and the following year.

Thats why we have to accelerate the planning and permitting system around wind energy. We simply have to do that, get more wind energy online.
A man who lost his father and was left with life-long injuries following the 1974 Dublin bombings has said a service of remembrance in Co Monaghan is a chance to remember forgotten victims of terrorism in Ireland.

Victims organisation South East Fermanagh Foundation (SEFF) will host its 10th annual Service of Remembrance and Thanksgiving later on Sunday at St Tighernachs Church in Clones.

Organisers said the theme of the event this year is acknowledging hidden victims of the Troubles in the Republic of Ireland.

Among those in attendance will be Edward ONeill, who was just four years old when he was caught up in the blast on Parnell Street, part of the Dublin/Monaghan series of bombs.

No one has ever been convicted over the four no-warning bombs on May 17 1974 which claimed 35 lives, including two unborn babies.

The attacks have been blamed on loyalist paramilitaries.

Mr ONeill was in the city centre with his brother and his father, also called Edward.

He said: I was four years old, walking out of the barber shop.

My dad had me by his left hand and my brother by his right hand and he was swinging my brother.

My brother pulled a button off his coat.

He bent down to pick up the button and the bomb exploded.

Mr ONeill is still receiving treatment for the injuries he received that day, including skull fractures, a broken jaw, fractured cheekbone, collapsed lung, first and second-degree burns and severe lacerations to both legs.

He has undergone more than 60 surgeries.

His mother Martha was heavily pregnant at the time and went on to lose her baby.

Martha juniors name was added to a memorial for victims on Talbot Street earlier this year.

Mr ONeill said: It is like groundhog day with me every single day because of the injuries.

It just devastated everybody, my whole family.

Victims of the Troubles in Ireland have been forgotten.

This is why the service of remembrance is incredibly important, because we have been overlooked by successive governments.

It has always been a case of hoping we will be quiet and go away.

The Dublin and Monaghan bombings were the single biggest case of mass murder in the history of the Troubles and nobody has ever been charged or convicted for anything to do with it.

All of us that are left are getting older.

We are left to try and fight on for justice.

SEFF director of services Kenny Donaldson said: For several years SEFF has provided support to innocents impacted across that jurisdiction; whether police, army, prison service or civilians and also reaching those impacted by both republican and loyalist terrorism.

The service will offer acknowledgement and recognition to individuals who have been all but forgotten by officialdom, who are denied services and access to supports which are available to their northern counterparts.

On legacy both the UK and Irish states need to step up their responses; they need to cease burying their heads in the sand and instead respond to the legitimate needs of victims and survivors around justice and accountability.
Monster Energy Co wins $293 million lawsuit against rival Bang Energy for false advertising regarding it's "Super Creatine" content. Monster Energy wins $293 mln false-advertising verdict against rival Bang, writes Reuters:

Kaba said that the jury awarded Monster nearly $272 million for false advertising, $18 million on claims that Bang interfered with its contracts with retailers for prominent shelf spaces, and $3 million on claims that Bang stole trade secrets from former Monster employees it recruited. The text of verdict was not immediately available from the court. Monster previously won a $175 million award from an arbitrator in a related trademark case, which a California judge affirmed in June. That and the Thursday verdict were two of the biggest awards in the history of the federal Lanham Act, which governs both false-advertising and trademark law, with potentially more to come in punitive damages.

That $175 million award was part of an agreement that forced Bang Energy to sell its US products exclusively through gyms and vitamin shops:
As always, this blog is dedicated to offering an alternative perspective and so right now we want to take a glimpse at local rail worker conversation in the context of continued union negotiations.



The big picture . . .



"The unions have been fighting rumors on social media that they would impose the deals on workers if they vote to reject them. The rumors were sparked by a railroad trade publication suggesting that was possible in an article earlier this month.



"And some newly formed worker groups that helped organize protests at railyards across the country last week have been urging workers, some harboring deep resentment over how they've been treated by the railroads in recent years, to reject the proposed contracts."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Rail unions emphasize positives of their tentative deals The two biggest U.S. railroad unions were working Wednesday ahead of key ratification votes to dispel rumors about the contract deals that averted a potentially devastating nationwide strike . "The challenge is to first get past how angry they are," said Dennis Pierce, president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.

After rail strike averted, chance for 'freight recession' should still spook investors, analysts say Railroad operators CSX Corp. and Norfolk Southern Corp. were hit with a downgrade from Susquehanna on Wednesday, with analysts citing bigger profit risk to rails operating in the eastern U.S., lingering potential for a work stoppage and a broader weakening of the economy.

As promised . . . Here's the ALTERNATIVE local angle that socialist news outlets are sharing as this U.S. supply chain crisis hasn't yet been completely averted . . .

Developing . . .
Hi, my name is Scott C. Waring and I wrote a few books and am currently a ESL School Owner in Taiwan. I have had my own UFO sighting up close and personal, but that's how it works right? A non believer becomes a believer when they experience their first sighting. You witnessed it, your perceptual field changes, so now you need to share it.





I created this site to help the UFO community get a little bit organized. I noticed that there was a lot of chaos when searching for UFO sighting reports, so I hope this site helps. I wanted to support those eyewitnesses who have tried to tell others about what they have seen, yet were laughed at by even closest of friends.





More and more each day the governments of the world leak bits and pieces of UFO information to the public. They have a trickle down theory in hopes of slowly getting citizens use to the idea that we are not alone in universe and never have been. The truth is being leaked drop by drop until one day we look around and find ourselves neck high in it.





The discovery of alien species in existence is the most monumental scientific event in human history, suppression of that information is a crime against humanity.





About me:

I live in Taiwan. I OWN MY OWN ENGLISH SCHOOL, AND ONCE HAD 5 SCHOOLS.

Am Former USAF at SAC base (flight line).

Age: 42

Educ: BA in Elem ed. Masters in Counseling ed.





I had two UFO sightings, (30+bus size orbs) in military and in 2012 personally saw the UFO over Taipei 101 building on New Years Day (and recored it).
France is preparing to deliver a new batch of Caesar self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine.

Thats according to Le Monde, Ukrinform reports.

"According to our information, France is preparing to deliver to Ukraine a new series of Caesar guns, forwarded from the order originally intended for Denmark. This delivery may refer to six to 12 howitzers out of the 15 requested by Kyiv," the newspaper wrote, noting that the delivery will be the subject of lengthy negotiations.

Although technical discussions are being finalized, the maneuver is subject to a political agreement in principle between the three governments. This became known during the talks over the recent weeks between President Emmanuel Macron of France, his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, and Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen, the report reads.

The publication notes that the operation is unprecedented and complicated for the French authorities. The equipment that Paris is committed to delivering to Kyiv was originally intended for Denmark as part of an order for 15 units placed in 2017, supplemented by four more guns in 2019, supplied by their manufacturer Nexter. Copenhagen would all the more agree to give up some of the equipment at this stage, as it is still in the process of technical inspection, or even not all of it meets the specifications set by the Danes. After some hesitation, Ukraine, whose leadership is satisfied with the effectiveness of the Caesars, is ready to take the equipment and employ it as it is. Neither the Elysee Palace nor the Ministry of the Armed Forces wished to comment on the operation," the publication notes.

It adds that, having been warned by his staff, Macron would in any case refuse to take the new Caesars from the French army stock, which has already been reduced after 18 guns were supplied in the spring and early summer: the contingent sent to Ukraine is almost a quarter of the total available to the regular army, which is 76 units.

At the same time, the article notes, Kyiv will not lose out on the replacement: "While Danish Caesars are a heavier model than that of the French army (32 tonnes versus 18 tonnes), they are also more powerful: installed on an eight-wheeler instead of a six-wheel base, they are able to carry up to 36 shells instead of 18, while the cabin has more protective armor."

The Caesar is a perfect tool for counter-battery warfare, as well as for detecting and destroying enemy artillery before it detects you," a military source emphasizes.

The publication notes that in the best case, President Macron could outline the main aspects of the operation on Monday, October 3, during a meeting in Berlin with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, at least if the latter by that time recovers from the Covid-19 infection that forced him to self-isolate in recent days.

Photo: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine shot down five out of seven Shahed-136 kamikaze drones used by the Russian troops to attack Mykolaiv region last night.

"On the night of October 2, the Russian-occupation forces attacked Mykolaiv region with seven Shahed-136 kamikaze drones. Five out of seven Shahed-136 drones were destroyed by the members of the Odesa anti-aircraft missile brigade and the Kherson anti-aircraft missile brigade as part of the Air Command South v of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," the Air Force command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine posted on Telegram.

As reported, on the night of October 1, the Russians struck Mykolaiv city with kamikaze drones and S-300 missiles, injuring five people, including a three-month-old baby. The body of a young woman was found under the rubble after the night attack.

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Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the head of the Ukrainian President's Office, thanked the leaders of NATO member states that support Ukraine's future membership in the Alliance.

Within 48 hours of signing application to join NATO, 10 bloc countries supported Ukraine's membership in the Alliance  mostly countries that remember poisonous claws of ru-empire. We are grateful for the leadership and responsibility. History is being made today, he wrote on Twitter.

As reported, on September 30, President Volodymyr Zelensky, Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal signed Ukraines application for accelerated accession to NATO.

Presidents of Central and Eastern European NATO Member States strongly condemned the Russian military aggression against Ukraine and supported Ukraines aspirations to join NATO.

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Germany, Denmark and Norway will purchase 16 Slovak-made Zuzana 2 howitzers for Ukraine, valued at EUR 92 million.

That's according to Deutsche Welle, which refers to Germany's Ministry of Defense, Ukrinform reports.

"This demonstrates how important it is to work through and subsequently implement such opportunities together with partners," German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said.

She clarified that the systems would be delivered to Kyiv next year.

Zuzana 2 howitzers are capable of firing six shells per minute and have a range of up to 40 kilometers.

Read also: Slovakia to send 30 IFVs to Ukraine

Lambrecht also considers Ukraine's recapture of the city of Lyman in the Donetsk region a "huge success," which, she believes, "significantly weakened" the Russian army.

"It's a great success, but it's not a turning point," she said in an interview with German broadcaster ARD.

Lambrecht called for continued support for Ukraine, as it is necessary to expect that the war, she said, will continue "for weeks and months to come."
A tanker truck filled with liquid manure rolled over several times Thursday afternoon, closing the eastbound Thruway between the Depew and Pembroke exits for two hours and slowing traffic well into the evening, State Police reported.

The driver, Laura M. Winspear, 25, of Oakfield, was extricated from the truck and airlifted to Erie County Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, troopers said.

Environmental Conservation Police were called to assist with cleaning up the spill, which was considered non-hazardous. Traffic delays, which at one point extended back to Walden Avenue, were cleared by about 9 p.m.

According to the report, the crash occurred about 2:30 p.m. at mile marker 411, about six miles east of Depew.

Troopers said Winspear lost control of the tanker for reasons that are still under investigation. No tickets were issued.
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny discussed the needs of the Defense Forces of Ukraine to repel Russian armed aggression in a telephone conversation with General Mark Milley, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.

I have had a telephone conversation with General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, this evening. We have discussed the provision issues of the needs of the Defense Forces of Ukraine in repelling Russian armed aggression. I am sincerely grateful to the entire American people and its leaders for the consistent and unwavering support of Ukraine in this hard time, Zaluzhny posted on Telegram.

As reported, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the return of the town of Lyman in Donetsk region to Ukraine's control showed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine were able to push back Russian forces from the temporarily occupied territories.

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In Istanbul, a solemn ceremony of launching the Ada-class corvette built in Turkey for Ukraines Navy took place with the participation of First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska and Commander of the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksiy Neyizhpapa.

"I brought you greetings from Ukraine. The country where every adult and every child knows the Turkish word Bayraktar and has been pronouncing it with gratitude during the months of Russian aggression. This is not an exaggeration. We feel you next to us, we feel your help. We know that we have common values  we are now defending from the invader what is most important for every person  our home, family, right to language and country. We value friendship. Your friendship," Olena Zelenska said, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

It is believed that ships should be addressed like people  with respect and honor, the First Lady of Ukraine noted

"Hetman Ivan Mazepa corvette, today I am launching you. I wish you luck and success for my country and my people. Fly the Ukrainian flag with honor. Fair winds, calm seas and only victories! Always remember your Turkish homeland and bring glory to Ukraine!" Olena Zelenska said.

The Commander of the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine expressed confidence that both the Ukrainian Navy and Turkish shipbuilders would be proud of the new corvette.

"Today's extremely important event for Ukraine and its Naval Forces proves once again that we have a wonderful friend  the Republic of Turkey  in the conditions of a decisive war for our independence and territorial integrity, for the will of the multinational Ukrainian people, for freedom and dignity.... I am proud of the high motivation of the Ukrainian officers and sailors who will serve on this ship. You will receive a modern and powerful corvette," said Commander of the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksiy Neyizhpapa.

The ceremony was attended by the Commander of the Navy of the Armed Forces of Turkey, as well as the corvette team led by the captain.

Neyizhpapa thanked the President of Ukraine, the Parliament, the Government, the Ministry of Defense, and the Turkish Navy for their help in building up the combat capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

As reported, the construction of the Ada-class corvette for the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine began in April 2021.

The corvette was built in accordance with the Strategy for the Development of the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine until 2036.

Photo credit: Presidents Office

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The United Kingdom will never recognize the annexation of Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions.

That's according to British Prime Minister Liz Truss, Ukrinform reports, citing Euronews.

"Putin cannot be allowed to alter international borders using brute force. We will ensure he loses this illegal war," Truss said in a statement.

She also noted that "Putin has, once again, acted in violation of international law with clear disregard for the lives of the Ukrainian people he claims to represent."

"The UK will never ignore the sovereign will of those people and we will never accept the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia as anything other than Ukrainian territory," Truss added.

British Minister of Defense Ben Wallace this week paid a secret visit to Kyiv to discuss increasing military aid to Ukraine.

Photo: Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street
The annexation attempt targeting Ukrainian lands is legally void under international law.

Thats according to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on Russias latest attempts at the annexation of Ukraines sovereign territories.

The spectacle arranged by the Russian leadership with the signing of dubious papers with the self-proclaimed leaders of the occupation administrations in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson regions of Ukraine on their alleged accession to the Russian Federation in no way changes the legal status of the temporarily occupied areas as sovereign territories of Ukraine and will have no legal consequences for administrative-territorial system or internationally recognized borders of our state, the statement reads.

These actions are legally void under international law and not even worth the paper they are penned on, MFA Ukraine says.

The illegal attempt to annex Ukrainian territories is part of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and the deliberate destruction of the UN Charter. Russia is deliberately escalating the situation and showing complete contempt for all countries and international organizations that called on it for negotiations and peace. The Kremlin attempted to annex Ukrainian territories despite warnings from the Ukrainian side that this move would put an end to any diplomatic efforts. Russia deliberately chose war, not peace, according to the Ukrainian diplomats.

In response to Russia's actions, Ukraine adopted a number of decisions to strengthen its security and that of the Euro-Atlantic space in general. Among them is an official request to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization under an expedited procedure, intensifying efforts to increase military, financial, and humanitarian assistance by partners, as well as speeding up the implementation of security guarantees for Ukraine and Europe in accordance with the Kyiv Security Compact.

Ukraine and the rest of the world will never recognize Russian attempts to establish control over Ukrainian land and will not agree to illegal Russian ultimatums. Realizing its legitimate right to self-defense, Ukraine will continue to liberate the territories temporarily occupied by Russia, restoring its territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders, freeing its people from occupation, defending its right to exist as a state and a nation, MFA Ukraine wrote.

Ukraine will ensure that the Kremlin is held accountable for all crimes committed, the statement reads.

Ukraine calls on partners to take decisive and urgent action to protect the international legal order, in particular, to pace up the provision of all necessary military, economic, and financial assistance to our country, as well as to introduce additional tough sanctions against Russia.

Russia and its leadership should be isolated from the civilized world, they have no place in international organizations and on international platforms. Ukraine insists on the need to legally and politically recognize Russia for what it is: a terrorist state, the diplomats stress.

We call on every state to support the initiative to create a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, initiated by the Ukrainian side, in order to hold Russia's top military and political leadership accountable for waging a criminal war against Ukraine, the statement concludes.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Edgars Rinkevics, believes that the use of tactical nuclear weapons by Russia cannot be ruled out, however, the Kremlin realizes that this will become a "point of no return" for them, so this is primarily blackmail, not a "base option" for further Russian operations.

Rinkevics stated this in an interview with Ukrinform.

"We do not rule out the possibility of Russia using tactical nuclear weapons. (There is also another option: the use of chemical weapons). However, people in the Kremlin understand that such a precedent would mark a point of no return for them. Therefore, I dont think that the Kremlin is currently looking into this as a base option for their further operations," Rinkevics said.

At the same time, such blackmail is dangerous anyway because the Russian army will keep suffering defeats, losing face, "in front of both the international community and its own population." Another negative indicator is that this topic is regularly brought up on Russian television, so there are fears that this way Moscow can psychologically prepare their population for such developments.

In the end, Rinkevics noted that the world must be prepared for various turns of events. In the West, the issue of response to Russia's nuclear threats is now being discussed. "But at this stage, I cant dwell into any details because this issue is still being discussed at a level thats not yet public," the head of the Latvian MFA emphasized.

As reported earlier, on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin, signed the "agreements on accession to Russia" of the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia regions, and also declared that from now on their residents are citizens of the Russian Federation.

The Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it would not recognize the annexation attempt and condemned Putin's move, emphasizing a clear violation of the UN Charter and other norms of international law. MFA Latvia reiterated firm support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.
As military escalation on the part of Moscow is intensifying amid a whirl of top stories regarding political and front-line developments, time runs astonishingly fast. The picture of the world as we know it keeps changing every day and sometimes, every hour. But even in such a situation, it is important to sit down for a long, unrushed conversation, which would allow to see more than an ever-changing "instant picture" of the events, but also to consider the developments in a longer-range perspective. Today, Ukrinform's interlocutor is Edgars Rinkevics, who has been the head of the Latvian Foreign Ministry for about 11 years now.

DEMOCRACIES ARE MORE STABLE THAN AUTHORITARIAN COUNTRIES

- Recently, you made a statement on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in which you called on Latvians not to travel to Russia, also urging those who are already there to return immediately. What was the main reason behind this call: is it about the risk of staying in Russia due to threats of repression; risk of being recruited by security agencies, or an increased threat of military escalation?

- Youve just answered your own question.

- That is, all three factors are in play approximately in equal proportion, right?

- We gave our first such warning back in February-March, after Russia invaded Ukraine. After some time, we repeated it. And then came the third warning  from September 28. Its inevitable because were seeing escalation. Theres also the decision of the Russian authorities on mobilization. There are the so-called referenda, as well as the next steps to the annexation of several regions of Ukraine. Also, were seeing the propaganda uproar that is being spun in Russia on this occasion. It is also necessary to pay attention to the explosions on the Nord Stream 1, and Nord Stream 2 pipes. And as a result indeed, now there is an increased risk of recruitment, some provocations, arrests "for espionage", "for drugs", or under other articles, which could lead to fabricated criminal cases, which would be absolutely politically motivated. So here we are again  for the third time (!) we remind our citizens that the situation is getting complicated, especially sharply, since September 21 (Putin's declaration of partial mobilization in Russia, - ed.). Now is the worst time to travel to Russia. Thats except for extraordinary cases  illness or family funeral.

- On Wednesday, the second major pro-Russian rally took place in Prague. How stable do you think the democracies are in Europe with the leaders that are going through election campaigns against the backdrop of Moscow's energy blackmail?

- Well see... Let's talk about it late April or May.

But if we dwell on this topic, I think there is an understanding that Russia is currently facing a range of problems, including around the supply of gas and oil  and not only to Europe. At the same time, Moscow is escalating, including by attempting to annex the territories of another state... I think that all European leaders understand the risks under these conditions. Well, they also understood this before as many countries had already been seriously preparing for the coming winter since late March or early April ... An interesting detail: we recall rather fierce discussions regarding Russia sanctions  the suspension of gas, oil, and coal purchases. After all, then they didnt dare introduce full-scale sanctions on gas and oil. But now Moscow is helping them do this by its own actions. Accordingly, structural changes are taking place in Europe's energy systems. Indeed, it will not be easy, but, in my opinion, the stability of democracies is in principle greater than that of authoritarian states. This, by the way, is evidenced by the experience of two world wars. Yes, difficult situations are being observed today, and more will come... People are justifiably concerned about their heating and power bills, as well as rising prices in stores. Here in Latvia, we are introducing compensation mechanisms. Of course, they cannot cover everything. But still, people can make sure that states, governments, in principle, are working to address the existing problems, to solve them. At the same time, people understand that the situation arose as a result of Russia's military aggression toward Ukraine, and also, in fact, as a result of Russia's hybrid aggression toward the West.

WHY IS RECOGNIZING RUSSIA AS A SPONSOR OF TERRORISM IMPORTANT

- As far as I remember, as early as in the aftermath of the killing of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Olenivka, you said that the EU should consider recognizing Russia as a sponsor of terrorism. Recently, we learned about the response of the U.S. administration that such a decision in their case would complicate their current policies. What is the current situation in this regard in the European Union, especially after the explosions at the Nord Stream pipes?

- The issue has just been discussed by NATO Allies at the North Atlantic Council (a weekly meeting in the format of ambassadors). A corresponding statement was adopted (it referred to the gas leak on the Nord Stream as a deliberate act of sabotage, while emphasizing that any deliberate attack against the critical infrastructure of the Allies will receive a collective response, - ed.). But this issue is still being discussed. An investigation into the blasts is underway in Denmark and Sweden, and there are no final results just yet.

By the way, our parliament has already recognized Russia as a "sponsor of terrorism," and so has the Lithuanian Seimas. The Parliament of Estonia intends to do so, too. But all this is mainly a political assessment. However, it already provides grounds for working with our partners in the European Union in several directions. The first one is the seizure of the Russian Central Banks assets, frozen due to sanctions, and their use to support and restore Ukraine. The second is that it helps us work on the development of a unified policy regarding European visas for Russian citizens. There are different opinions here, so I think the discussion will continue (which is normal for the EU). And thirdly, we agreed that we will introduce the eighth package of sanctions.

At the same time, I would like to remind you that in the USA, the wording "state sponsor of terrorism" has legal and financial implications. In the European Union, it doesnt have such a rank as no similar frameworks have been worked out. But the political declaration in this case would also be important. Well, and as it happens on various other issues, the Baltic states find themselves in the avant-garde, offering their proposals. At first, they don't support us, they hold long discussions. But in the end, in many cases, we gain certain success. So we will continue our work to this end.

NOW THEY DONT ARGUE WITH US, THEY HEED TO US

- Until 2014, until February 24, in response to their statements about Russias aggressive nature, politicians from the Baltic countries were often told that it was just their post-imperial psychological complexes. Now, with each subsequent stage of escalation on the part of Moscow, to what extent does your expert, diplomatic status change? After all, what you say comes true.

- Thats a good one. I think that the voices of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia are listened to more than ever. And even if they don't agree with us, they don't criticize us. They try to understand why we think this way, say this way, why we put forward this or that proposal. By the way, there were two good examples over the recent months.

First, the "visa ban" for Russian tourists. At first, we heard the argument: No, it's impossible. There is no need to do this because Russians will come to us on tourist visas. They will see how beautiful democracy is, how well we all live here. They will go back and change their country." We then recalled that this argument is already 30 years old. And nothing has changed in Russia. More precisely, it has, but only for the worse. In addition, we have legitimate security concerns. And, of course, there are strong moral and political arguments. Since it is impossible to fathom that Russians will be able just like that to travel to Spain or Latvia to drink coffee there, while their fellow citizens will at the same time be killing Ukrainians in the east and south of your country, launch rockets at other regions. And so, in the end, we came to some sort of compromise. That is, we dont let them in, while other countries are reducing the number of visas they issue. And we will continue to work on this.

Secondly, the situation with refugees from Russia in connection with mobilization... In the democratic world, there are politicians and states that say: "Political asylum should be provided. They are running away from the war." We think somewhat different. These people spent six months at home, on their couch. And some would also post abominations about Ukraine on VKontakte, supporting their army and their president. But now these people have realized that such patriotism should be shown not only on social networks, but also at the front, that they are supposed to be deployed to Ukraine, where they could be killed... We dont think that such people should be welcome and given political asylum. I think we should welcome only those who had been persecuted even before mobilization  for political reasons. That is, those who were against the war, against Putin, and who can prove it. And this can be grounds for receiving the right to asylum... By the way, I would like to note that Finland is also now making a decision to limit the flow from Russia.

If we sum this up... You know, 10 years ago, for similar discussions, we would have been, as you rightly noted, sent to a shrink, a psychiatrist. Today, we ourselves are considered the main psychiatrists in Europe.

RESPONSE TO THE USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS IS BEING DISCUSSED

- This is a good metaphor. And now to the most painful question, the case where a good psychiatrist is especially needed. This is the Kremlin's nuclear blackmail. The issue is often discussed on Russian "talk shows", where a number of experts already warn that it is better not to resort to this. How is it being discussed at your level? How cam Moscow be warned against this and what might NATO's response be?

- We do not rule out the possibility of Russia using tactical nuclear weapons. (There is also another option: the use of chemical weapons). However, people in the Kremlin understand that such a precedent would mark a point of no return for them. Therefore, I dont think that the Kremlin is currently looking into this as a base option for their further operations.

But what is the current situation? As you can see, the Ukrainian Armed Forces sometimes simply work miracles, advancing and liberating the territory of their country. And what about the Russian side? A large army that invaded Ukraine cannot defeat a state that is smaller, but with more professional armed forces. Russia is losing trained people, soldiers, and at the same time it is losing face  both in front of the international community and its own population. Under such conditions, there is a temptation to resort to nuclear blackmail. Especially after the formal decision to annex new territories with the argument: "This is now Russian land, and we have the right to defend it by all means." Thats what Putin has already said. Rattling chemical or nuclear sabers is a very real scenario, and here's why. Thats because of the propaganda that pours through all Russian channels, because this topic is being seriously discussed there. There is a fear that they are preparing their population for something. Well, the fact that their experts and speakers talk about the danger of such use during the discussion is not an indicator. We remember that when the Kremlin denies something, it happens.

They denied the possibility of mobilization  they started it; denied the possibility of starting a war against Ukraine  they launched aggression...

So what it all boils down to is that for now, we believe that this is all just blackmail, relatively speaking, just brandishing a knife. But at the same time, we should all be ready for various turns of events. And so the issue of a possible response to the realized threat is being discussed. But at this stage, I cannot dwell into any details because this issue is still being discussed at a level thats not yet public.

WHAT UKRAINE NEEDED IS ALREADY INVOLVED IN COMBAT

- Foreign Policy wrote that Russia had deployed in the Ukrainian fronts about 80% of its northwestern flank group, including the S-300s. At the same time, experts believe that Russia still has opportunities to replenish reserves. Under these conditions, what is the security situation in the Baltic region at the moment?

- It is true that Russia threw all its war-capable parts and systems in the direction of Ukraine. There are, of course, those who flee, surrender to Ukraine as prisoners. But there are those who will try to resist. And so, in general, taking into account the size, it is also true that Russias mobilization potential is quite high. Therefore, we welcome the decisions taken by the NATO heads of state and government at the summit in Madrid. We now have a little more than a battalion of allies. Plus our armed forces. However, the number of our allies will increase to the level of a brigade (in each of the Baltic countries - ed.). We are creating a new training ground, new foundations. This is massive work so it takes some time. We are also working on improving our air and coastal defense systems.

And most importantly, we learn a lot from you, from Ukraine. Of course, I would very much wish that none of this happened, that there was no war. But its ongoing. And our military takes over the experience of their Ukrainian colleagues. Not only the military sphere is considered, but also civil defense, and various elements of life support, which are currently being created and developed in Ukraine. As a result, not only do we see Russia's weaknesses, we also understand what needs to be corrected, improved, and done differently. I repeat, the absolute priority now is air and coastal defense. It is also important that our colleagues understand us. Therefore, the number of allied forces will increase here.

In general, we can say that the security of the Baltic region is ensured  we are, after all, a member of NATO and the EU. But at the same time, we understand that, by and large, a lot is currently being resolved in Ukraine. I don't want to make loud statements like "Baltic countries and Poland will be next". But I would say this: we understand that our line of defense is now in Ukraine. And we help it with everything we can. In recent months, at the end of July and most recently, in September, I spoke twice over the phone with my counterpart, Mr. Kuleba. He had specific requests. And I am very glad that our Ministry of Defense was able to quickly satisfy these requests  what Ukraine needed is already involved in combat.

THE SHUTDOWN OF RUSSIAN PROPAGANDA CHANNELS HAS ALREADY YIELDED RESULTS

- In continuation of the topic that Ukraine now protects everyone Thanks to the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people, we see great changes in the media space in Latvia, the EU, and the rest of the world. Only a year ago, it was discussed how good it would be to shut down Russian propaganda channels, but now the information agenda is fundamentally different  whether the Dozhd TV channel is good or not. In your opinion, what is the current situation with information security?

- It's easy to be speaking with you. (Laughs) You asked a question and answered it yourself. In principle, I agree with this, so what more can be said?

- That is, part of my question can be reworked into an answer?

- In all seriousness... The topic you raised is another good example of how views evolve in the European Union, both here in Latvia and in other countries... Changes happened, one might say, with cosmic speed  by many light years. Back in 2014, when Russia occupied Crimea, we already said a lot that it is necessary not only to be tougher on sanctions, but at the same time it is necessary to stop broadcasting Russian propaganda channels. Then they told us: "Whats wrong with you?! This is freedom of speech, freedom of the press. We will never limit another opinion." Then we began to show that this "another opinion" borders on the propaganda of war, racism, that is, directly conflicts with the articles of the criminal law of a normal democratic European state. Even then, in some segments, albeit very slowly, the realization that it was necessary to change began to come. But the real turning point came only now  when, after the direct invasion of Ukraine, Russian propagandists en masse said that Ukraine must be destroyed, that Ukrainians are not a nation, etc.

When the (full-scale - ed.) war started, we shut down all Russian propaganda channels. And we see that the attitude towards the situation of our Russian-speaking population is gradually changing. But there is an understanding that it is necessary to create some alternative  both for the Russian audience and for the Russians living not only in Latvia, but also in Europe. Now we have the Dozhd TV channel. It sets its own, as you said, information agenda. Here, in Latvia, there are different opinions about this: some say its necessary and some believe it isnt. But the main thing is that it is not propaganda. This does not go into any comparison with the Russian channels we shut down. These are truly independent Russian journalists, even if our opinion differs from theirs on some issues  both regarding visas and those fleeing from mobilization. But this is an outlet that tries to give a multifaceted opinion for the Russian population  both in Russia and Europe, including Latvia. At the same time, we dont plan to create any state TV channels for Russian speakers. This has been debated for a long time in Latvia at the level of parliament and government. But I think that a fairly wide spectrum of opinions is offered by such outlets working here as "Current Time," "Dozhd," as well as the Russian services of Deutsche Welle and BBC.

There are different groups of consumers in our media space. Many still fail to believe in what was once considered unfathomable: a war between Russia and Ukraine. Accordingly, they dwell in their own space, trying not to think about these questions. We have a lot of people in Latvia who support Ukraine, in particular among Russians, Russian speakers. These are not just words, this is also evidenced by public opinion polls. But there is, of course, a fairly large group of those who support Putin. We understand that we will not be able to fix this in a week or in a month. This is a major and long process. But, I repeat, the positive effect of us shutting down all these propaganda channels is already visible. Although surely someone uses satellite dishes, VPN, etc. But there is already a strong alternative in the Russian-language information field. It is still too early to draw more specific conclusions though, since many outlets started operating in June and July. So only two to three months have passed. This year we will be able to look at the results and discuss them.

- Thank you, minister! Seems we already have several other topics for our next conversation.

Oleg Kudrin, Riga
Australia imposed sanctions on Russia in response to sham referenda in the temporarily captured territories of Ukraine and the attempt to annex them.

Additional targeted financial sanctions and travel bans will be imposed on 28 Russian-appointed separatists, ministers and senior officials. Among them are individuals who are flouting international law to legitimise Russia's illegal actions in Ukraine through sham referenda, disinformation and intimidation, reads the statement by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Australia Penny Wong released today.

It is underscored that Russia's sham referenda in occupied areas of Ukraine are illegitimate and have no legal effect.

The regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia are sovereign Ukrainian territory. President Putin's annexation is illegal and any claims that these territories are now part of Russia are baseless and false, reads the statement.

As noted, Australia filed an intervention in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) case brought by Ukraine against Russia, supporting Ukraine's claims Russia has violated the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Genocide Convention).

Australia continues to call on Russia to immediately comply with the ICJ's legally binding order of 16 March 2022 to immediately withdraw its military forces from Ukraine. We remind Russia that as a member of the United Nations, Russia is legally obliged to comply with decisions of the ICJ in any case to which it is a party, the document reads.

As the minister noted, Australia will continue to coordinate closely with our partners to impose high costs on those responsible for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

These additional sanctions reinforce Australia's strong objection to the actions of President Putin and those carrying out his orders. The areas of Ukraine currently occupied by Russian forces are the sovereign territory of Ukraine. No sham referendum will change this, Minister Wong said.

As reported, the Russian invaders held sham referenda in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine on September 23-27. On Friday, September 30, the Kremlin held a ceremony of "admission" of the puppet entities "DPR" and "LPR", as well as the territories of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine captured by the Russian army.

The international community did not recognize the legitimacy of the staged "expression of will".

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French President Emmanuel Macron has said that France will help Ukraine restore its territorial integrity and work with partners on new sanctions against the aggressor.

According to the Elysee Palace, Macron said this in a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrinform reports.

"The President of the Republic reiterated his firm condemnation of the illegal annexation by Russia of four Ukrainian regions. He reaffirmed France's determination to help Ukraine regain its full sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to work with its European partners on new sanctions," the statement read.

Both presidents also discussed the situation in Zaporizhzhia, which remains very worrying. Macron condemned the arrest of the plant's director by Russian troops.

"The two Presidents underlined the very short-term urgency of allowing the rotation of Ukrainian personnel who ensure the operation and safety of the facilities," the report said.

Macron also recalled his position on supporting Ukrainian sovereignty over the station and the demand to withdraw Russian troops from its territory.

On September 30, the Kremlin hosted a ceremony of the so-called "incorporation" into Russia of the puppet entities "DNR" and "LNR", as well as the territories of the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions of Ukraine seized by the Russian army, which caused widespread international outrage.

On Friday, September 30, the Russians detained the general director of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Ihor Murashov, and took him away.
Even before joining NATO, Ukraine needs security guarantees to quickly cope with Russian aggression and prevent its recurrence in the future.

"Even before Ukraine joins NATO, we need guarantees of our state's security to quickly cope with Russian aggression and to make it impossible for Russian aggression to recur after our victory in the future," Ihor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said during the nationwide telethon, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

When asked whether Ukraine can do without the MAP stage to get membership in the Alliance, the Deputy Head of the President's Office said that it was certainly possible.

"Currently, we see that Sweden and Finland are moving towards NATO without the MAP instrument. Ukraine is closely following this process and has seen that although it was said that it was impossible [to join NATO] without the MAP, it turned out that it is possible. Ukraine takes these realities into account and noted when submitting the application on Friday that two countries were moving without MAP," Zhovkva said.

He noted that Ukraine could follow the same path towards NATO as Sweden and Finland.

The Deputy Head of the President's Office added that Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly reacted positively to Ukraine's application to join NATO and called it an "absolutely normal step" that Canada was ready to support.

"We also saw the statement of the three foreign ministers of the Baltic States who also supported the fast-track procedure. We saw statements from other partners as well. After the application was submitted, the President of Ukraine spoke, for example, with the Prime Minister of Denmark, and this issue was also discussed. Today there was a conversation with the President of France. Therefore, the process will continue," the official clarified.

As reported, on September 30, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk, and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal signed an application requesting an accelerated accession to join NATO.

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The package of new EU sanctions against Russia, currently being prepared, should be much stronger than it is now.

Ihor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said this during the nationwide telethon, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

He agreed with the assessment of the new package by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba who stated that the sanctions did not correspond to the level of the threat currently posed by new Russian attempts to annex Ukrainian territories and the ongoing aggression to the EU.

"The President also discusses this with the leaders. As of this moment, after what happened on Friday in the Russian Federation and what may happen next week  recognition [of the annexation of Ukrainian territories] in the [Russian] parliament and ultimatums which may follow  certainly, such a package, or rather, the proposals for this package look weak," Zhovkva believes.

According to him, the Ukrainian authorities will do everything possible to make the new package of EU sanctions against the Russian Federation stronger.

"It should be much stronger than it is now. And again, if it is necessary to discuss it at the level of EU leaders, the President of Ukraine will be ready to join the discussion of this package at the level of EU leaders. So that it [package of sanctions] is not so formal, not weak, but really the one that will help restrain this escalation and defeat the aggressor," the Deputy Head of the President's Office noted.

As reported, on September 30, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba stated that the level of EU sanctions against Russia should correspond to the level of threat posed by Moscow.

According to him, for the first time since February 24, he is criticizing the proposed EU sanctions package against the Russian Federation for one simple reason: because it does not correspond to the level of threat that the Russian attempted annexation and ongoing aggression currently pose to the EU.

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A South Buffalo bookstore will offer free after-school youth programming starting this month.

All sessions at Dog Ears Bookstore for first- through eighth-graders will be held from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. and are limited to 20 students per day. The programming is funded by the Erie County Youth Bureau.

Tuesdays will feature programming for youth in first and second grades, Wednesdays will be for third- through fifth-graders, and Thursdays will be for sixth- through eighth-graders. Programming will start the week of Oct. 10 and conclude Dec. 15.

All sessions will be taught by literacy specialists and New York State-certified English language arts teachers and held at the 688 Abbott Road bookstore.

Tuesday sessions will focus on introducing youth to reading. On Wednesdays, there will be a guided book club where youth will learn tips on how to become better readers. On Thursdays, participants will take part in reading and writing workshops and learn how to become a short story author. All class materials will be provided along with a small snack.

Pre-registration is required by calling the bookstore at 716-823-2665.
As part of his visit to Turkey, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak held a meeting with chief adviser to the President of the Republic of Turkey Ibrahim Kaln, during which the situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP was discussed.

The parties discussed the situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP. The Turkish side expressed its readiness to contribute to international efforts to prevent a nuclear threat, the press service of the Presidents Office informs.

Yermak thanked the Turkish side for their active participation in the recent release of 215 Ukrainian servicemen from Russian captivity and expressed hope for Ankara's further assistance in this matter.

During the meeting, Turkey's key role in organizing the operation of the grain initiative and establishing the export of Ukrainian foodstuffs through the Black Sea was pointed out.

It was noted that since its start, more than 250 ships with over 5.7 million tonnes of foodstuffs sailing to the countries of Asia, Europe and Africa have left Ukrainian ports. Hope for the further smooth functioning of the grain initiative to prevent a global food crisis was expressed.

The Head of the Presidents Office emphasized the importance of a tough reaction to Russia's holding of so-called referendums on the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories and the adoption of an illegal decision on their annexation, as well as the importance of Ukraine receiving reliable international security guarantees, in particular, even before joining NATO.

Yermak thanked the Turkish side for its principled position in supporting the territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty of Ukraine and for its consistent position on non-recognition of illegal referendums.

The parties also discussed the situation at the front, specific issues of Ukrainian-Turkish defense cooperation and support of national initiatives within international organizations.

Photo credit: president.gov.ua

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Nine NATO Member States supported Ukraine's aspirations to become a full-fledged member of the Alliance. We are moving in this direction. I am sure that we will implement this project.

President Volodymyr Zelensky made a corresponding statement in his evening address.

Dear Ukrainians! I wish you health!

Important events took place today in Turkey during a visit of the First Lady of Ukraine, the head of the President's Office and other our representatives.

In the presence of Olena, the first corvette for our country from those, which will be built by the Turkish side, was launched. It is corvette Hetman Ivan Mazepa.

Its building began in 2021 and will be completed in due time. I consider it very symbolic that it got this name. Despite a century of Russian false propaganda, historical truth and justice still prevail.

And there is no reason for our project to build a new fleet for Ukraine to fail. We will implement all the shaped plans. Our goal is to create a full-fledged base for ship maintenance and building in Ukraine.

Today, Andriy Yermak together with the Ukrainian delegation visited the facilities of the Baykar company, which produces, in particular, well-known Bayraktar UCAVs for us. On behalf of all Ukrainians, Andriy thanked the company's managers and presented Selcuk Bayraktar, the chairman of the Baykar's Board, with the Order of Merit, which was awarded to him on the anniversary of Ukraine's Independence.

However, this meeting is not symbolic, it is quite practical. We are preparing to create a training center and a plant of the Baykar company in Ukraine, as well as joint manufacturing of aircraft engines. We will definitely implement these projects.

Ukraine has always been and will be one of the European centers of the military and aviation industry. And I am proud that I can say these words with absolute confidence and justification based on the results of the 221st day of Russia's full-scale war against our state.

Something went wrong with someone...

And these meetings are not the end of our diplomatic activity today.

There was also a meeting of the first ladies of Ukraine and Turkey  and I thank President Erdogan and his wife Emine for their continued support of our efforts to restore peace.

The First Lady of Ukraine and our delegation met with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Patriarch Bartholomew's view on the war unleashed by Russia and his position on supporting our state are well known. And today they sounded again  very powerfully. I thank you for this, thank you for understanding the needs of our people.

The head of the Office held talks with the advisors to the President of the United States and the President of Turkey  Jake Sullivan and Ibrahim Kaln. Very substantive negotiations. Absolutely in the interests of Ukraine. To strengthen our security.

Today, I held talks with President of France Emmanuel Macron. We discussed in detail the situation on the front line, our successes at the front. President Macron clearly supported our state and condemned the Russian pseudo-referendums and the attempt to annex our territory. The strengthening of sanctions against Russia was discussed.

We also discussed the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the abduction of Director General of the ZNPP Ihor Murashov by the Russian occupiers. This is another manifestation of completely frank Russian terror, for which the terrorist state must bear an ever-increasing punishment.

Today, we have a powerful joint statement from the leaders of nine NATO states: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. They condemned Russia's escalating moves and, most importantly, supported our aspiration to become a full member of NATO. We are moving in this direction. I am sure that we will implement this project.

At least twice a day  in the morning and in the evening  I receive reports from our military. This week, the largest part of the reports is the list of settlements liberated from the enemy as part of our defense operation. The story of the liberation of Lyman in Donetsk region has now become the most popular in the media. But the successes of our soldiers are not limited to Lyman.

This, you know, is the trend... Recently, someone somewhere held pseudo-referendums, and when the Ukrainian flag is returned, no one remembers the Russian farce with some pieces of paper and some annexations. Except, of course, law enforcement agencies of Ukraine. Because everyone who is involved in any elements of aggression against our state will be accountable for it.

And I thank everyone who brings these moments of victory closer, who returns the Ukrainian flag to its rightful place on Ukrainian land. I thank everyone: from generals to ordinary soldiers, from professional soldiers, intelligence and special forces to volunteers and everyone who helps defend our state.

And I would especially like to mention the 25th, 80th, 81st, and 95th brigades of amphibious assault troops for their successes in the east of our country; 14th and 92nd separate mechanized brigades; 1st, 4th and 17th tank brigades; Special Operations Forces; units of the National Guard and the National Police; SBU employees; and our intelligence  Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense. Thank you, warriors!

And one more thing.

Today, two professional holidays are celebrated in Ukraine  Teacher's Day (Educator's Day) and Territorial Defense Forces Day. Of course, a lot of kind and warm words have already been said to both educators and our Territorial Defense Forces men. But I want to add something.

Effective defense is impossible without good national education. And there will be no good national education without effective defense. Fortunately, we have both of these elements. Thanks to the professionalism and conscientiousness of Ukrainian educators, teachers, and professors, we have soldiers who know what humanity is and appreciate everything that Ukraine represents. And thanks to our brave soldiers, Ukrainian education on Ukrainian land will transmit our values to all generations of our people.

I thank every Ukrainian educator, teacher and lecturer! I thank each of our defenders!

I'm thankful to the soldiers of the 127th Territorial Defense Brigade for defending the city of Kharkiv and liberating the territory of Kharkiv region. To the soldiers of the 110th brigade, who bravely repulsed the invaders in the Zaporizhzhia direction. To the soldiers of the 129th brigade of my native Kryvy Rih, who distinguished themselves with good results and liberated, in particular, Arkhanhelske and Myroliubivka. To the soldiers of the 115th Territorial Defense Brigade, who made a significant contribution to the defense of Zhytomyr region. And also to the soldiers of the 117th brigade, who defend the north-eastern direction in Sumy region.

Ukraine will win!

Glory to Ukraine!
In Paris, Ukrainians held on Saturday a large rally in support of Ukraine and against Russian aggression.

Volodymyr Kohutiak, vice-president of the Association of Ukrainians in France, posted the report on Facebook, along with other participants in the march, who uploaded photos and videos of the event, according to Ukrinform.

Demonstrators marched through the streets of the French capital under slogans "Glory to the Armed Forces!", "Arms to Ukraine!", and "No to annexation!"

"March for Ukraine, March of Ukrainian Resistance, March of Freedom" gathered numerous participants and became another action that has been held in Paris in recent months on the initiative of Ukrainians.

Also on Twitter, the StandWithUkraine initiative, posting a photo of the event, notes: "It's an incredible joy to know that Lyman has been liberated!"

As reported earlier, Ukrainian troops in Donetsk region, are conducting an operation to besiege the town of Lyman, which was captured by Russia in May. The settlement is located east of the Siverskyi Donets river.

Photo: StandWithUkraine, Twitter
President Volodymyr Zelensky has congratulated soldiers of the Ukrainian territorial defense on the Day of Territorial Defense.

The greeting address was published on the presidents website.

Zelensky emphasized that since the beginning of the insidious and full-scale armed aggression by the Russian Federation, thousands of Ukrainian citizens of various professions and with different levels of military training have joined the ranks of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"Aware of the full responsibility to your country and your families, you have united, and without any hesitation or doubt stood in the way of the enemy and repelled the Russian invaders. You took part in the defense of Kyiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Kharkiv and our other heroic cities and villages and defended them in difficult battles," the president said.

He noted that today, on the day of their professional holiday, Ukrainian territorial defense soldiers together with other subdivisions and branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are liberating the Ukrainian land from the Russian invaders, showing heroism, courage and the will to victory every day.

On behalf of the Ukrainian people, Zelensky thanked the personnel of the Territorial Defense Forces for the conscientious performance of military duty, the resilience and courage they demonstrate while defending their native land.

As reported, the Day of Ukraines Territorial Defense Forces s marked annually on the first Sunday of October. The holiday was established by the presidential decree "On the Day of Territorial Defense Forces of Ukraine" signed on September 30, 2020.

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A Buffalo man who pleaded guilty to attacking an elderly person faces a maximum of seven years in prison when he is scheduled to return for sentencing Dec. 20, Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announced.

Damone A. Hennings, 30, entered the plea last week before County Court Judge Suzanne Maxwell Barnes on the day before jury selection was supposed to begin for a trial. He remains free on bail.

Prosecutors said Hennings knocked on the front door of a home on Box Avenue in Buffalo shortly after noon March 14, 2020, and when an elderly man opened it, Hennings struck him in the face, knocking him to the floor.

Prosecutors said Hennings then struck the man several more times in the face before leaving. The victim was treated for a cut above his left eye, bruising and swelling. Authorities said the attack apparently was connected to a domestic dispute between Hennings and someone in the victim's family.
Charles L. Jones wants to withdraw his guilty pleas to murdering his girlfriend and his mother in Buffalo in the summer of 2019.

And one of his former defense attorneys said in court last week he believes Jones has new legal grounds for pulling back his admissions.

Buffalo police got Jones to voluntarily provide a DNA sample under false pretenses, attorney Robert Cutting testified in Erie County Court.

County prosecutors say there was no problem with what police did. But they also said the case would have proceeded the same way because investigators would have had other means to acquire a DNA sample from Jones.

Jones, 27, pleaded guilty in June 2021 to two counts of second-degree murder in the slayings of Jacquetta L. Lee, 25, and Alethia Atwood Williams, 52. Lee was found dead July 18, 2019, in her Main Street apartment. Police found Williams' body in her Jefferson Avenue apartment on Aug. 16, 2019. She hadn't been seen in weeks and police believe she had been dead more than three weeks.

Both victims were stabbed to death.

Cutting said he sent a letter to prosecutors and the court in September 2021 informing them that Jones wanted to withdraw his pleas.

In February of this year, Jones' attorneys told Erie County Judge Sheila DiTullio their client had since had a "change of heart." In August, DiTullio granted a request by the District Attorney's Office for a hearing on Jones' request to withdraw his pleas.

At that hearing on Tuesday, Cutting said he didn't realize what the police had done until he was reviewing transcripts of the hearings in the summer of 2020.

He also told the judge he never discussed the issue with his client because they could not talk privately due to changes to jail operations due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

As an example of the difficulties in jailhouse communication, Cutting said prosecutors called a jail deputy to testify at evidence suppression hearings about something overheard during a meeting between Jones and a visitor.

In evidence suppression hearings prior to the pandemic, a Buffalo police detective testified she asked Jones if he would be willing to have his hands and arms swabbed for gunshot residue, Cutting said.

Police instead used the opportunity to collect Jones' DNA, which eventually linked Jones to his girlfriend's home and then to his mother's apartment, he said.

Cutting told the judge the first time he raised the issue in court was during Tuesday's testimony.

In a written statement, District Attorney John J. Flynn defended the actions of the Buffalo police detective and said even if there was a problem, it would not have ultimately made a difference in the case.

"It is our position that the detective did nothing wrong under the law and this issue would not have been successful if raised," Flynn said. "Even if the evidence was theoretically suppressed, we would have been able to get the DNA anyways and it wouldn't have changed anything. Either way, it is not an appropriate ground for the defendant to withdraw his plea."

The judge assigned Jones a new attorney, Parker R. MacKay, in August when she granted the hearing. Cutting and defense attorney Emily Trott, who had represented Jones, both testified at Tuesday's hearing.

In January or February 2021, Jones indicated he would be interested in pleading guilty, Cutting said.

On June 30, 2021, the day Jones entered the guilty pleas, Cutting and Trott met with him in a holding cell adjacent to the courtroom for about 45 minutes and tried to convince him it wasn't in his best interest to take the plea, they said.

DiTullio never issued a ruling on the issues raised at the suppression hearings.

When asked Tuesday why Jones pleaded guilty, Cutting said Jones indicated to him that "in some sort of moral sense" and an "almost karmic sense" he felt responsible for Lee's death, even though he maintained he was not present.

Jones indicated he felt he wasn't there "to protect her" and he "wanted to assume responsibility," Cutting said.

The decision about pleading guilty is ultimately up to the person charged, and a person does not have to follow their attorney's advice.

The maximum sentence for a second-degree murder conviction in New York State is 25 years to life in prison, meaning Jones could have faced up to 50 years to life in prison.

As part of the pleas, DiTullio indicated she would sentence Jones to 40 years to life in prison, as long as he didn't file a motion for a reduced sentence under the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act, which Jones had indicated he wanted to do.

Cutting also said visitation restrictions caused by the pandemic limited the amount of overall interaction he had with Jones. He told the judge Jones seemed to understand his case, including the evidence at the prosecution's disposal, and he was engaged and an active participant in his defense.

His mother and girlfriend are the only two deaths Jones has been tied to.

Police and prosecutors have also kept open an investigation into the February 2018 death of Jones and Lee's 10-month-old daughter, Royalty Ava Lee-Jones. Police have said they believe Jones was alone with the then-1-month-old before she was rushed to the hospital in May 2017. Doctors found she had suffered brain damage and she spent most of the rest of her life in the hospital.

DiTullio is expected to issue a decision Nov. 17 about whether Jones can withdraw his pleas.
Latesha Evans son had a tough time in sixth grade last year, missing about 80 days of school because of suspensions. After she decided not to send him back to Buffalo Public Schools in June because she felt he was being targeted, he got suspended again.

One Buffalo father said his 6-year-old autistic son was suspended for 45 days twice last year, for hitting and kicking two teachers. He broke one teachers nose, and she charged him with assault, he said. Then father and son attended a virtual disciplinary hearing.

In stabbing aftermath, administration and parents push for changes to ensure safety at Buffalo schools Buffalo Public Schools Superintendent Tonja Williams wants walk-through metal detectors installed in every district high school by the end of the school year.

I think the only thing he understood was he got arrested by the police and he had to get a lawyer, the father said.

Suspensions have been a problem for decades in Buffalo Public Schools because of the high rate and the disparity among demographic groups. The district is under investigation by the State Attorney Generals Office, which is looking into whether students are being disciplined differently because of race and ethnicity.

Data shows that African American and Hispanic students are subject to more frequent and severe disciplinary actions as compared to similarly situated white students, the attorney generals Civil Rights Bureau said in a letter to then-Superintendent Kriner Cash in January 2020.

16-year-old suspect faces assault, weapons charges in stabbing at Buffalo culinary school A 16-year-old girl arrested Tuesday inside Buffalo School of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management was involved in a fight involving a group of girls before stabbing someone she knew three times, authorities said Wednesday.

Buffalo Public Schools said the number of suspensions is down this year, and the district "anticipates the decreases will continue throughout the year as we broaden our reach by expanding partnerships and working with parents and caregivers."

School leaders are working to improve school climates through social and emotional learning, restorative practices, increasing support staff, providing interventions and training for security officers, according to the district. But many parents think more needs to be done.

And some say the district doesnt always follow time requirements on holding disciplinary hearings, resulting in children being out of school longer than necessary.

"By the time you get the (suspension notice) letter, they've already been suspended for a week," said one parent who spoke on the condition that his and his son's names not be used. "Then, if they overturn it, you don't get that week back."

That is particularly frustrating to families after two years of virtual and disrupted learning because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Back to school is back to 2019, just with fewer buses and more security Another thing students and staff will notice is an intentional focus on the mental and emotional wellness of students.

While suspensions have gone down slightly since 2015, according to district data, there still are a disproportionate number of Black, multiracial and Native American students suspended, compared to white students.

The percentage of Black students suspended is more than twice their white classmates, and nearly two times as many multiracial and Native American students as white students were suspended last year. Poor children, and those in special education, also are suspended more than their classmates.

The practice also has drawn the attention of the New York Civil Liberties Union.

Buffalo Public Schools has a pattern of disproportionately suspending students from historically-marginalized communities  including students with disabilities, students of color, and students from economically disadvantaged families, the NYCLU said in a statement.

The NYCLU and Community Action Organization of Western New York conducted a town hall meeting Thursday to address their concerns.

Tonja Williams vows to make Buffalo Public Schools a model district as she's named superintendent Tonja Williams received something akin to a heros welcome Thursday evening as the Buffalo School Board voted unanimously to make her the districts permanent superintendent.

"Suspensions are counterproductive to student learning and send a message to excluded students that they dont belong in public schools, said Rae Shih, education counsel at the NYCLU.

Buffalo Public Schools said there were 10 fewer short-term suspensions this year, compared to the same time period last year. There have been 81 long-term suspensions  longer than five days  in the first four weeks of school, compared to 58 last year, according to the district's website.

Our children have faced unprecedented life experiences after a two-year pandemic that brought about extreme loss, grief, and isolation," Superintendent Tonja M. Williams said in a statement addressing the suspensions. She noted that 99% of students have not had an out-of-school suspension this year.

"That narrative of positivity must be uplifted," she said.

At-Large Board Member Larry Scott said the district has made significant investment in practices designed to help children and their behavior, including trauma-informed care, restorative practices, culturally and linguistically responsive initiatives and social-emotional learning. The district also has a new student code of conduct focusing on social and emotional support.

Buffalo Public Schools failed to document violent incidents at McKinley High despite state rules Such omissions are not merely paperwork glitches. The state uses those incident reports to determine which schools are persistently dangerous. Students at those schools are supposed to be given the option to transfer to a safer school. But that rarely happens.

"We need to find a balance between providing preventative and supportive practices and clear and consistent expectations and consequences for problem-behavior," Scott said in a statement.

Scott said the district hired additional mental health staff and many community-based organizations are working in schools and with students and families.

One of those is the Erie County Restorative Justice Coalition. Executive Director Dina Thompson said the coalition has been working and offering training to Buffalo Public Schools for about 10 years, and last year started partnering with five schools.

"We need to acknowledge that what we're doing in suspension isn't working," she said. "We need to look at other interventions to address challenging behavior."

There's a difference between consequence and punishment, said Jessica Bauer-Walker, executive director of Community Health Worker Network of Buffalo. We need to examine how we use this as a tool for how we correct behavior and solve problems.

Carolyn Hite was a staff attorney for Legal Aid of Buffalo, serving a two-year Skadden Foundation fellowship that ended Friday. The New York City based foundation offers two-year fellowships to lawyers to pursue public interest law. She found her clients faced a number of problems with the process, including notices of suspensions not given to them in writing or delayed.

Superintendent's hearings were not always scheduled in a timely manner, leaving children out of school, waiting for a hearing, and notices also were not always given in the family's language, according to Hite. She said at one hearing, a student was interpreting for his mother.

Hite said she filed seven appeals to the School Board in March over procedural violations. The remedy, she said, is clear: the suspension gets expunged from the record. But she did not get a response from the board. She filed two appeals to the state education commissioner.

"I had at least three clients in the spring who were sent home without actually being suspended. So the principal would call and say your child is not welcome back for the next week," Hite said.

But then the principal told parents it would not count as a suspension.

"For any kid, it's problematic. Youre just sending them home without any follow up," she said.

Students on a short-term suspension, which is five days or less, are to get tutoring for one or two hours a day starting on the fourth day, she said. In many cases, children are told to go online to get assignments.

"It's our position that does not comply with the law," Hite said.

Evans' son was suspended May 16, two weeks after his father died. The superintendents hearing did not occur until June 9, the 18th day he was out of school. A second hearing required for special education students was held the same day, and it was determined that his behavior was related to his disability, so he was allowed to go back the next day.

"I didn't feel like it was going to improve. I didn't send him back," Evans said.

He got another suspension notice June 14, and the hearing was not scheduled until Sept. 8, the second day of school this year. After the hearing, he was allowed back in school.

The Attorney General's Office started an investigation of Syracuse City Schools in 2013 over issues similar to those in Buffalo, to see if the district adhered to state and federal civil rights laws. In an agreement signed the following year, the district had to hire an independent monitor for at least four years, and appoint an ombudsman and a coordinator at each school. In the 2019-20 school year, the suspension rate in Syracuse dropped to 5%.

"Usually, it's cheaper to keep a child in school than it is to suspend," Thompson said. "As a society, the long term benefits of keeping your child in school and educating them is it's cheaper than suspending them and having them out in the street."
Madrid, Oct 2 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Oct, 2022 ) :Rescuers said they found four bodies on a migrant boat off the Canary Islands Sunday, just hours after a lone survivor had been pulled to safety, with an NGO saying it had set sail with 34 people aboard.

Spain's Salvamento Maritimo coastguard said on Twitter that it had "recovered the bodies of four people" from a boat some 150 nautical miles southwest of Gran Canaria island, with the lone survivor rescued on Saturday night by a passing merchant ship and then evacuated by helicopter.

Helena Maleno, head of Caminando Fronteras, a Spanish NGO that helps migrant boats in trouble at sea and families searching for loved ones, said on Twitter they had received a distress call from the same vessel a week earlier after it set sail from Western Sahara.

At the time there were 34 people on board.

"On Saturday 24 September we received an alert about a boat which had left the coast just south of Laayoun at dawn that morning," she tweeted, saying they had alerted rescuers.

After a week with no news, a boat was spotted south of the Canary Islands carrying "an exhausted 26-year-old man and four bodies.. By the end of the night, we knew it was the same boat that had gone missing with 34 people on board," she said.

"A new tragedy on one of the most deadly migrant routes -- the Canaries route," Maleno said, counting "33 more victims".

"Only four bodies have been found.. the rest of the victims, a total of 29, have been swallowed up by the ocean. Their families will suffer grief terribly with no bodies to be able to say goodbye to." Since the start of the year, a total of 11,522 migrants have managed to cross the notoriously dangerous Atlantic route to Spain's Canary Islands, a figure slightly higher than the same period last year, interior ministry figures to September 15 show.

There are no official figures for those who have died en route but figures from Caminando Fronteras show that in the first six months of the year, 978 people died while trying to reach Spain, of which 938 drowned or went missing at sea.

At its shortest, the route from the Moroccan coast is around 100 kilometres (60 miles), but migrants often come from much further afield, with the distance from Mauritania more than 1,000 kilometres as the crow flies.

The Atlantic route is extremely perilous because of its strong currents, with migrants often setting sail in overcrowded ramshackle boats which are far from seaworthy.

Migrant crossings to the Atlantic archipelago began surging in late 2019 after increased patrols along Europe's southern coast dramatically reduced Mediterranean crossings.
Ouagadougou, Oct 2 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Oct, 2022 ) :Burkina junta leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, whom army officers claimed to have ousted, urged the coup plotters on Saturday to "come to their senses".

In a statement published on the official Facebook page of the presidency, Damiba urged his rivals "to come to their senses to avoid a fratricidal war that Burkina Faso doesn't need".

The army officers who claimed to have seized power in Burkina Faso on Friday said in televised comments on Saturday that Damiba was planning a counteroffensive from a "French base".

In his statement, Damiba denied taking refuge in the French base in Kamboinsin, calling the claim an attempt "to manipulate opinion".

Damiba himself came to power in a coup in January.

He had installed himself as leader of the country of 16 million after accusing elected president Roch Marc Christian Kabore of failing to beat back militant fighters.

Saturday's statement on Facebook was the first by Damiba since the claims that he had been ousted.

Just before 8:00 pm (2000 GMT) on Friday, more than a dozen soldiers in fatigues appeared on the state television to announce his removal from power.

They proclaimed that 34-year-old Captain Ibrahim Traore had been placed in charge.

But after a quiet night and morning, the situation had become tense again in the Burkinabe capital by midday Saturday.

The Burkinabe army then dismissed an announcement of a fresh coup, speaking instead of an "internal crisis" within the military.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Montreal, Oct 2 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Oct, 2022 ) :Does immigration threaten the unique culture of French-speaking Quebec? However controversial, the claim is being pushed hard by the Canadian province's ruling party, whose brand of identity politics looks set to deliver them a win at the ballot box next week.

A French-speaking bastion in mostly English-speaking North America, Quebec has long defended tooth and nail the language of Moliere. It's a fight taken up by the governing party since coming to power four years ago, the conservative Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) -- but with an added focus on immigration.

Incumbent Quebec Premier Francois Legault made his views clear at the outset of the campaign: unchecked immigration by non-French speakers risks undermining social cohesion in the province.

It would be "a bit suicidal" to take in more newcomers given the decline of French, Legault -- whose party is leading in the polls ahead of Monday's provincial election -- argued again this week.

During a debate, his immigration minister, Jean Boulet, went further -- and provoked an uproar -- with the baseless claim that "80 percent of immigrants do not work, do not speak French or do not adhere to the values of Quebec society." His comments are also glaringly at odds with the economic reality in the province of nearly 8.5 million inhabitants facing a severe labor shortage -- one that could be remedied through increased immigration.

With an ageing population retiring en masse and an unemployment rate at a historic low, Quebec is looking to fill more than 250,000 jobs. And the government anticipates that number will keep rising -- reaching some 1.4 million by 2030.

If reelected, Legault, a 65-year-old multi-millionaire businessman, plans to keep annual immigration capped at 50,000 people.

But some observers, like the sociologist Jean-Pierre Corbeil, are ringing alarm bells over the growing political conversation in Quebec linking language and immigration.

"We tend to put all the responsibility (for the decline of French) on the backs of immigrants," he told AFP.

"And that's where it's dangerous, there is a discourse of exclusion that is taking shape." "I find that it is extremely, I would almost say, unhealthy," echoed linguistics expert Richard Marcoux. "We will really have to resume the discussion after the elections to be able to address immigration issues in a different way." - Is Quebec French in decline? - Although views diverge on the question of immigration, all major parties vying for seats in Quebec's national assembly agree on the need to preserve the French language.

"We are in a critical situation. There is a real linguistic emergency in Quebec," said Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, leader of the separatist Parti Quebecois.

Such fears are based on the latest census data which found that the proportion of the population that speaks French most often at home has been on the decline in Quebec since 2001, falling from 81.1 percent to 77.5 percent last year.

But the sociologist Corbeil, who is also the former head of the government's data collection on linguistic trends, disputes the suggestion the situation is "catastrophic." He says institutions are relying on an overly "simplistic" definition of a French-speaker -- including only those who use it as their main language at home.

"Shouldn't the objective be to discuss the state of French?" he asks, pointing to the many citizens with diverse backgrounds who are fluent in French -- although it may not be their mother tongue.

Marcoux agrees that such "multilingualism" is not being sufficiently taken into consideration in Quebec.

"When we speak about indicators based on the mother tongue, for me, that does not take into account the vitality and use of French by the population," explains Marcoux, who heads the Francophone Demographic and Statistical Observatory (ODSEF).

"English is progressing here as everywhere else on the planet, whether in Italy, Poland, Romania or France," he noted.

"But at the same time, native languages are not disappearing."
The Buffalo Public Schools prevailed in lawsuits filed by two former administrators who were fired for not having proper credentials.

Yamilette Williams and Faith Morrison alleged in lawsuits in 2015 that they were terminated in 2014 by the district on the erroneous ground they did not maintain the proper certification for high-level positions in the school system.

The women sued the Buffalo Board of Education, the Buffalo Public Schools, then-Superintendent Pamela Brown and Darren Brown, the district's top human resources administrator at the time.

Williams and Morrison, who were hired by Brown from out of state, accused the district of fraudulent hiring, breach of contract, defamation of character, libel and slander.

They sought more than $3 million each for loss of future income and for moving costs and emotional costs. They also wanted the courts to grant punitive damages against the district and the Board of Education.

In September 2017, a U.S. District Court dismissed their complaints. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the dismissal of their breach of contract claims while affirming the dismissal of their other claims.

On Thursday, the District Court dismissed the breach of contract claims.

According to court documents, prior to the start of the 2013-14 school year, Morrison  also known as Faith Morrison Alexander  applied to be deputy superintendent but was offered the position of chief of school leadership. Williams applied for, and was offered, the position of chief of curriculum, assessment and instruction.

All the parties involved in the hiring and contracting process were aware that Morrison and Williams did not, at the time of hiring, hold the requisite New York State certifications to serve in their positions. Under the employment agreements for Morrison and Williams, their contracts would immediately become null and void if they failed to maintain any certifications or qualifications required for the positions, court documents said.

However, Morrison and Williams began their jobs at the start of the 2013-14 school year without the certifications, though all parties agreed that their continued employment was contingent upon their obtaining the certifications.

Initially, the women applied for the wrong certificate, and in December 2013, the district was notified that Morrison and Williams had received School Building Leader certificates instead of School District Leader certificates. But the district did not take any corrective action at that time.

Then in March 2014, district officials realized the women had not obtained the correct certificates, and the district and the women sought to correct the oversight. But the State Education Department was unwilling to issue them professional SDL certificates, so the parties looked into alternative means of certification. Internship SDL certificates appeared to be a viable option since, at the time, Morrison and Williams were both enrolled in an educational program at SUNY Oswego.

After discussions between Darren Brown, SUNY Oswego representative, and the State Education Department, Darren Brown directed the women to apply for the internship certificate, though he cautioned that the district had pending questions with the State regarding this certificate, court papers said.

In March 2014, the women received internship SDL certificates, but district leaders learned individuals who hold an Internship certificate ... have to be supervised in an internship manner by someone higher up, court papers said.

As a result, they believed that the internship certificate would not be sufficient to allow the women to perform the duties associated with their positions.

The Superintendent oversees approximately 18 cabinet members and cannot review the day-to-day operations of each of those cabinet members. The cabinet members themselves must be able to do that. ... Plaintiff[s] would have had to make decisions at the executive level and would be given a lot of leeway on making decisions on (their) own, but with an internship certificate, (they) would not have been able to do that, Darren Brown wrote.

Because the district viewed the internship certificate as insufficient and because no other certification option appeared to be available, the district took the position that Morrison and Williams had failed to obtain the necessary certification, as required by their employment agreements.

In early April 2014, the School Board voted to terminate Morrisons and Williams employment.

U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci Jr. ruled Thursday that the additional supervisory responsibilities associated with an internship certificate are inconsistent with the division of responsibilities to which the parties agreed under Morrisons and Williams employment agreements.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Oct, 2022 ) :Saudi Arabia's King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) is continuing its efforts to provide humanitarian aid to flood-hit Pakistan.

The team distributed 2,095 food baskets, 40 tents, and 400 mosquito nets in various provinces to 14,665 people.

The aid comes within the Saudi Relief Land Bridge, directed by King Salman, to support Pakistan and its people following the disastrous floods that struck the country, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Sunday.

The torrential rains and flooding, which began in mid-June and lasted for weeks, has killed over 1,600 people and affected nearly 33 million people Pakistan.
TOKYO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd October, 2022) The defense ministers of the United States, Australia and Japan have held a trilateral meeting discussing regional security, the Japanese Ministry of Defense informs.

Japanese Minister of Defense Hamada Yasukazu, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles met in Hawaii on Saturday.

"The Ministers have affirmed that the three countries would align the strategies of the three countries to continue to closely work together and remain committed to the region in order to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific and maintain and strengthen the rule-based international order," Japan's defense ministry said after the talks.

The ministers agreed to expand and boost trilateral training and activities and promote defense technology cooperation.

"The Ministers reiterated the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and concurred to encourage the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues," the Japanese defense ministry said, adding that the ministers also discussed Ukraine and the situation in the East and South China Seas.

In mid-September, the defense ministers of Japan and the US agreed to expand cooperation in developing equipment and technologies to counter hypersonic weapons and to begin joint research in this area, and to cooperate on the development of drones and on cybersecurity.
Uzbekistan and the United States have intensified strategic partnership in recent years in all areas of the bilateral and regional agenda, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said on Thursday

TASHKENT (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd September, 2022) Uzbekistan and the United States have intensified strategic partnership in recent years in all areas of the bilateral and regional agenda, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

Uzbekistan's acting Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov and US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland discussed issues of bilateral cooperation on the sidelines of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

"As it was noted during the meeting, over recent years, due to the joint efforts, the Uzbek-American strategic partnership has significantly intensified in all areas of the bilateral and regional agenda," the ministry said, adding that both sides actively cooperate on political issues on the principles of mutual trust and respect.

Nuland noted the US support for Uzbekistan's course of reforms and openness, as well as Washington's commitment to enhancing ties at the bilateral level and in the C5+1 format, which consists of five Central Asian nations and the United States.

"The efforts of our country to achieve sustainable peace and stability in Afghanistan, provide feasible humanitarian aid to the neighboring state, implement infrastructure and energy projects were highly appreciated," the ministry added.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on the schedule of upcoming events at various levels.
MEXICO CITY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd October, 2022) The western Cuban province of Pinar del Rio is still without power as a result of Hurricane Ian, while in the province of Artemis, more than 60% percent of customers remain without electricity, the Union Electrica company reports.

The power utility company said on Saturday that 94% of power has been restored in Havana, while in Mayabeque Province the situation is fully back to normal.

On Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Cuba had sent an unusual request for emergency assistance to the United States to help it deal with the consequences of Hurricane Ian.

Hurricane Ian has claimed the lives of at least two people in the western Cuban province of Pinar del Rio, and forced over 50,000 people in western and central Cuba to leave their homes.

Hurricane Ian made landfall in the US state of South Carolina on Friday, after causing major destruction in Florida on Wednesday and Thursday. It was then downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone and moved into south-central Virginia on Saturday. Over 70 deaths related to Hurricane Ian have been recorded in Florida and North Carolina, according to US media reports.

Massive power outages have occurred both in Cuba and in the United States as a result of Ian's impact.
Nigerian Bishop Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo of the Diocese of Oyo says Nigeria deserves a new burst of hope as the country celebrates the sixty-second anniversary of its independence on 1 October 2022.

Paul Samasumo  Vatican City.

"Happy birthday, Nigeria! The numerous challenges we face need no re-enumeration. I call on all Nigerians, let us re-focus our energies on charting the new dawn ahead of us," said Bishop Badejo in his independence message.

On the day Nigeria turns 62, Bishop Badejo also urged the Nigerian government to find ways of solving the country's myriad of challenges. Among the many pressing challenges in Nigeria, security and the ongoing Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike are touchy issues in Africa's most populous country.

The ASUU strike

Staff in federal government-owned universities of Nigeria have been on a protracted seven-month strike that has paralysed academic life across the country. The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has vowed not to return to classrooms until the Federal Government addresses their concerns over pay, welfare and dilapidated infrastructure.

In a nationwide broadcast on Independence Day, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari called on the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to return to the classroom. He said he was pained by the recurring disruption to the nation's tertiary education system.

Save Nigeria

In his independence message, Bishop Badejo observed that the campaign period had opened towards national elections due in February 2023. The Bishop is worried that the attention of Nigerian politicians is now on electioneering.

"Most Nigerians today are angry and frustrated by one thing or the other: The insecurity, crippling economy, bad roads, poor governance etc  Solving the ASUU strike is a priority. ASUU and government must shift grounds and avoid any arm-twisting techniques that only worsen the situation. The government must find a way to solve this because it is already tragic that the universities have stayed shut for so long. To allow this to continue in this campaign era is to invite trouble from restive and angry youths. I also urge our leaders, the executive, legislature and also INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) to get on the side of equity, truth and justice and rehabilitate this crumbling country," appealed the Nigerian prelate.

Some challenges cannot wait

Bishop Badejo wants the focus to stay on governance and not only on election campaigns.

The Bishop of Oyo continued, "Our leaders must not suspend governance because of the campaign season. Some challenges simply cannot wait for the next regime. Government must be multitasking and proffer solutions even as campaigns are ongoing. Politicians must commit to non-violence and learn to disagree without being disagreeable so as not to set fire to the tinder of public disaffection all around. They must sincerely embrace the rule of law and avoid doublespeak. Politicking must be mutually respectful and shun false and hate rhetoric which heats up the polity."

Insist on issue-based campaigns

Bishop Badejo further challenged the electorate to play their part by demanding issue-based campaigns and voting credible candidates into office.

"I exhort the electorate: This is your time, seize it and demand integrity, accountability, and commitment to fair, good governance from all contestants. Let all civil society organisations support the new energy for positive change enveloping our country, especially our youths. Our citizens must demand an issue-based campaign from aspiring leaders and exercise their civic rights. This includes voting at the elections and holding elected leaders accountable after elections. We must never stop believing in a better Nigeria! "said Bishop Badejo.
Seven Americans jailed in Venezuela, have been swopped for two nephews of Venezuela`s First Lady. James Blears reports about a thaw in frosty relations, which has its source in fossil fuels.

By James Blears

Five of the Americans released were executives of Houston-based Citgo, which is the US branch of Venezuela`s national petroleum company. They were summoned to a meeting at HQ in Caracas in 2017, arrested by armed agents and jailed on embezzlement charges, which they denied.

Two years earlier, two nephews of Venezuela`s first lady Cilia Flores, namely Franqui Flores and Efrain Campo Flores were arrested in Haiti, flown to New York, and convicted on drugs smuggling charges, which they denied. Both Governments said those imprisoned were innocent.

Each described the swap on the Island of St Vincent and Grenadines as goodwill and humanitarian gesture. But it also signifies something else which is significant. For years both have engaged in edgy political sabre rattling, with the United States imposing increasingly severe economic sanctions on Venezuela, which has caused great hardship coupled with US support of the coalition which opposes President Nicolas Maduro. But the Government of Maduro hasn`t crumbled or fallen.

Impact of Ukraine war

Now on another Continent half a world away, with the war in Ukraine in full flow, oil and gas from Russia is decreasing to a trickle and a whiff. Venezuela in spite of its infrastructure problems is still a substantial producer and major player in the Global petroleum markets, and as such, an alternative source, which has largely been untapped for some time by the United States.

More back-channel negotiations possibly leading to an easing of sanctions, following on from this successful solution, could produce a closer working relationship if not an ideological reproachment.
In a few weeks, the state will begin distributing the first round of payments under New Yorks health care worker bonus program. It is estimated that 500,000 essential workers will ultimately be the beneficiaries, and they are well deserved.

However, at this time there is another significant group  who served in similar congregate care environments and played vital roles  and are unfairly cut out of the process. Many assisted living workers do not currently qualify for benefits under the program  and this includes members of the workforce at the Weinberg Campus in Amherst.

The complex eligibility criteria released in August was limited to Medicaid-funded assisted living programs and its impact was statewide  the majority of New Yorks 552 assisted living providers and its workers were excluded. Its also confusing and frustrating to our more than 400 employees that serve on our continuum care campus.

The response to the pandemic and navigating its most trying period required an all-hands-on-deck approach to maintaining and sustaining the highest possible levels of care. These workers were critical to keeping the lights on, linens clean, meals prepared, PPE supplies available and activities planned during months of prolonged isolation and uncertainty. Many also undoubtedly brought the virus home to their families stemming from occupational exposures.

Throughout the pandemic, assisted living providers were treated the same as nursing homes when it came to Covid-related requirements and restrictions, but now they are set apart. It is especially frustrating when our workers were supporting the common care mission for our entire community. Their service supported residents living independently in senior apartments; those requiring assisted living services; and our most intense level of care at our skilled nursing facility.

This approach is inconsistent and unfair to our outstanding employees who worked so hard, had to undergo weekly Covid testing, and still must wear masks to work every day and undergo screening and symptom checks. While Covid infection rates are dropping, the physical and emotional toll continues to grow.

They were, and remain, heroes, too  irrespective of the size or location of the residence. How can we not support those who stayed? Was their service and commitment any less essential?

Many today are frustrated and disappointed. Some additionally feel unappreciated, and I fear these exemplary employees are considering alternative opportunities that will provide them with more tangible recognition for their vital contribution and service.

Not-for-profit assisted living providers such as ours that originated as the Daughters of Israel Jewish Old Folks Home and its founding in 1915 have been central to maintaining a localized care in our community.

Today we are continuing to combat staff turnover rates of approximately 30%.

On behalf of the families we support and our employees, we urge the state to reconsider the eligibility requirements for the health care worker bonus program before the October application period begins.

When those requiring assisted livings support needed them the most, our workers said, What can we do to help? Now is our opportunity, without exception, to offer a sincere and meaningful thank you.

Robert Mayer is president and CEO of Weinberg Campus, which offers residents a continuum of care options ranging from independent living to skilled nursing care.
The nearly 400-year-old-year Passion play performed by the people of the German alpine village of Oberammergau comes to a close after a nearly five-month run, with viewers saying this year was especially meaningful as the play was delayed by two years by the COVID-19 pandemic. Villagers kept their vow to perform the play every 10 years, made in 1633 to avert the ravages of the plague.

Oberammergau native Christian Stuckl has directed the Passion Play for more than 30 years, several times reworking the 100-year-old script, modernizing it, and removing antisemitic references.

As a spectator you dont really have to bring anything [in terms of religious understanding], you can just turn up, Stuckl said of the audience that comes from around the world to see the famous production.

But as a director, if I didnt have the belief and conviction that there is a certain power behind this story, behind this Jesus, I wouldnt be able to tell this story, Stuckl said.

Ruth Aspinall traveled from Britain to see the Passion play and said she really liked this years production, finding it meaningful in several ways.

Well, its my fifth time of coming and I dont mean fifth in one year. So, that it explains it all, I would think. Very much so, its much simpler. I loved the Resurrection. Its never been used before. It was just sort of hinted at before. But this time, all the disciples come on and lit candles. Mary was happy. Then everybody sang hallelujah. It ended much more joyful, said Aspinall.

The plays deputy director, Abdullah Kenan Karaca, also plays the priest, Nicodemas. Karaca is the son of Turkish immigrants and grew up in Oberammergau, a predominately Catholic village. But the village, too, is becoming reflective of Germanys increased diversity, taking in refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, Nigeria and Ukraine. This is the first time the play has included a leading Muslim actor, Cengiz Gorur. Karaca, a professional theater director, says his first theater experience was performing in the Passion play as a child.

The motivation why people are in the play is totally different. Some people, because of their faith, they want to fulfill the vow, other ones they just fascinated by the big production we have. Everyone is trying their best and do it really with their heart. This is really beautiful that the Passion play, the story of Jesus, can bring a lot of people together, he said.

For Oberammergau native Frederik Mayet, one of two actors who plays Jesus, conveying Jesus message of love and hope to the audience is important.

You always have to find the words that reach the people of today. We notice now in this Passion play year, the people are really touched. The power, joy, and enthusiasm we have on stage reaches the people in the auditorium automatically and thats something special. When the choir is singing, when there are hundreds of persons on stage, sometimes its a magical moment, he said.

Mayet portrayed Jesus for a second time and comes from a family with a long history of participating in the Passion play, starting in 1890. His children, 3 and 8, have also been on stage this year.
Bosnians headed to the polls Sunday to vote in general elections following a campaign season marked by threats of secession, political infighting, and fears of future turmoil as ethnic tensions in the country grow.

Voters are casting ballots in a dizzying number of contests, including for the three members of Bosnia's tripartite presidency, the deputies of the central parliament and a string of local races.

Polls opened at 7 a.m. local time (5:00 GMT).

Nearly three decades after war ravaged the Balkan country, Bosnia continues to be burdened by its ethnic divisions.

The Balkan state has been governed by a dysfunctional administrative system created by the 1995 Dayton Agreement that succeeded in ending the conflict in the 1990s, but largely failed in providing a framework for the country's political development.

Bosnia remains partitioned between a Serb entity -- the Republika Srpska (RS) -- and a Muslim-Croat federation connected by a weak central government.

In the war's wake, ethnic political parties have long exploited the country's divisions in a bid to maintain power.

"I hope for nothing. I vote because that is the only thing I can do as an individual," said Amra Besic, a 57-year-old economist, as she cast her ballot in Sarajevo.

Coalition clash

In the run-up to Sunday's vote, the country has been torn between secessionist Orthodox Serbs and Catholic Croats demanding greater autonomy and electoral reforms.

The country's Muslim Bosniaks will also face a choice of voting for a disparate, 11-party coalition that is trying to unseat the rule of the mainstream SDA.

The SDA is led by Bakir Izetbegovic -- the son of the first president of independent Bosnia -- and has largely dominated the political scene in the country for decades.

Many voters say that the lack of young candidates offering fresh ideas has left them largely uninspired on the eve of the elections.

"Most of the candidates that are running are the ones we have been watching for the last twenty years," said Sara Djogic, a 21-year-old philosophy student in the capital, Sarajevo.

"There are not many who offer something new," she added.

With little to no polling data available, analysts say incumbents and nationalist parties that have dominated the post-war political scene are likely to win many of the races.

The leader of Bosnia's Serbs, Milorad Dodik, is seeking his third term as the president of the RS, after completing a stint in the tripartite presidency.

For the past year, Dodik has been stoking tensions with his frequent calls for Bosnia's Serbs to separate even further from the country's central institutions, earning him fresh sanctions from the U.S. in January.

Dodik's primary challenger Jelena Trivic has vowed to crack down on corruption in the RS if elected.

"Our revenge will be the law," Trivic said ahead of the polls.

Fears of turmoil

For the country's Catholic Croats, political turmoil has also been brewing.

Ahead of the election, many Croats have been demanding electoral reforms with the leading nationalist party HDZ threatening to boycott the contest.

Their grievances are steeped in the vast numerical advantage held by Bosniaks in the Muslim-Croat federation, which has allowed Muslim voters to hold de-facto control over who can be elected to lead the Croats at the presidential level.

HDZ and other Croat parties have been calling for the creation of a new mechanism to allow the community to choose their own representatives to the presidency and upper house.

The move, however, has been fiercely opposed by the federation's ruling Bosniak party.

With threats of fresh boycotts, fears are growing of potential turmoil after the polls if the incumbent Croat co-president Zeljko Komsic -- who is widely reviled by all Croat parties that view him as a Bosniak proxy -- is reelected.

The ever-present threats and vitriol have led some to skip the polling booth Sunday.

"I do not expect anything new after these elections. Everything will be the same," said Mira Sladojevic, a pensioner in her 70s in Sarajevo.

"I haven't voted for a long time," she added.

The first wave of preliminary results is expected several hours after the polls close at 7 p.m. (19:00 GMT).
Burkina Fasos new military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore told VOA in an interview Saturday he is not looking for a confrontation with Burkinabe forces that might be supporting the ousted junta.

The fight we are engaged in is not about power, he said.

Military officers Friday claimed to have ousted junta leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, saying he had failed to quash a growing Islamist insurgency.

The fight we are leading is for Burkina Faso, Traore said.

You have to go deep into the bush to understand certain things. ... Can you imagine that we go into villages and see all the leaves on the trees have disappeared because people are eating those leaves. People even eat grass. We are proposing solutions that could allow us to produce and protect these people, we are not being heard. We proposed so many solutions and I understood that in the end, we are playing politics, he said.

We want to protect our people. We want to get our people out of this misery, this underdevelopment, this insecurity. That's the fight.

Damiba took power in January, after a coup, replacing President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, whom Damiba had accused of failing to deal with the Islamist insurgency.

Agence France-Presse reports that the general staff of Burkina Fasos army has dismissed the coup as an internal crisis within the military.

Damiba wrote on the presidencys Facebook page that his rivals should come to their senses to avoid a fratricidal war that Burkina Faso doesnt need.

Traore told VOA, We are waiting for a national forum that will choose a president. We are not here for power.
Burkina Faso's junta leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba on Saturday urged junior officers to "come to their senses" after they said they ousted him in a reported coup that sparked deep concern among foreign leaders.

The officers on Friday said they had toppled Damiba, accusing him of failure to quell jihadist attacks. It is the second coup this year in the West African country, and the latest in the Sahel region, much of which is battling a growing Islamist insurgency.

Making his first comments since the putsch, Damiba in a written statement urged his rivals "to come to their senses to avoid a fratricidal war that Burkina Faso doesn't need.

He rejected allegations by the army officers who seized power that he was hiding in a French base but provided no further details about his location.

Damiba himself came to power in a coup in January. He installed himself as leader of the country's 16 million people after accusing elected president Roch Marc Christian Kabore of failing to beat back jihadist fighters. But the insurgency has raged on.

Damiba "is believed to have taken refuge in the French base at Kamboinsin in order to plan a counter-offensive to stir up trouble in our defense and security forces," the junior officers said Saturday in a statement read out on national television and signed by Captain Ibrahim Traore, the country's new leader.

In his comments on the presidency's official Facebook page, Damiba called that claim an attempt "to manipulate opinion.

France, the former colonial power in Burkina Faso, via its embassy earlier Saturday also denied "any involvement of the French army in the events of the last few hours.

It denied "rumors that Burkinabe authorities have been hosted or are under the protection of the French military.

The general staff of Burkina Faso's army dismissed the coup as an "internal crisis" within the military, and said dialogue was "ongoing" to remedy the situation.

'Burkina Faso needs peace'

Among a wave of international criticism, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "strongly condemns any attempt to seize power by the force of arms and calls on all actors to refrain from violence and seek dialogue," his spokesperson said.

"Burkina Faso needs peace, stability and unity to fight terrorist groups and criminal networks operating in parts of the country," the U.N. statement added.

Jihadist violence has also prompted a series of coups in Mali, Guinea and Chad since 2020.

The new Burkina Faso putschists said they were willing "to go to other partners ready to help in the fight against terrorism."

No country was explicitly mentioned but Russia, whose influence is growing in French-speaking Africa, is among the possible partners in question.

France has a contingent of military special forces based in Kamboinsin which is about 30 kilometers from the capital, Ouagadougou.

A few hours before the coup Friday, hundreds of people had rallied in the capital seeking the departure of Damiba, the end of France's military presence in the Sahel and military cooperation with Russia.

Gunfire, helicopters

The situation in the capital was tense on Saturday, with gunfire and soldiers deployed in the streets.

Helicopters hovered above the city and shops shut their doors.

Late Saturday, a French government spokesperson strongly condemned "violence" against its embassy after an AFP reporter said he saw a fire outside the building in Ouagadougou.

Witnesses said there was also a fire in front of the French Institute in the western city of Bobo-Dioulasso.

African Union chief Moussa Faki Mahamat condemned the "unconstitutional change of government" in Burkina Faso.

The European Union warned the latest coup put in danger efforts towards restoring constitutional order by July 2024, while the U.S. government said it was "deeply concerned.

Damiba accused of failure

Just before 8 p.m. (2000 GMT) on Friday, more than a dozen soldiers in fatigues appeared on the state television and radio broadcaster to announce Damiba's removal.

They proclaimed 34-year-old Captain Traore in charge. He was previously head of the anti-jihadist special forces unit "Cobra" in the northern region of Kaya.

"Damiba failed," said Habibata Rouamba, a trader and activist.

"Since he came to power, the zones that were peaceful were attacked. He took power but then he betrayed us."

The new leaders suspended the constitution, sealed the borders, dissolved the transitional government and legislative assembly, and instituted a 9 p.m.-5 a.m. curfew.

More than 40% of Burkina Faso remains outside government control.

In the north and east, towns have been blockaded by insurgents who have blown up bridges and attacked supply convoys.

Thousands have died and about 2 million have been displaced by the fighting since 2015, when the insurgency spread to Burkina Faso from Mali.
Soldiers took over Burkina Faso's state broadcaster Friday night to announce they had deposed President Paul Henri Damiba, after just eight months in power.

In downtown Ouagadougou on Saturday afternoon, soldiers that helped bring about a military coup the night before lay prone behind cover at a strategic junction in the city. The day before, they had seemed at ease.Businesses were closing, as many feared retaliation against the putschists by a faction of the army that still supports the now-ousted president, Paul Henri Damiba.

VOA was able to speak to local people about the apparent change in leadership, as Army Captain Ibrahim Traore, becomes the new head of the countrys junta.

One trader, who declined to give his name, near where the soldiers had cordoned off the center of the city, told VOA he supported the coup.

What we want is peace, he said. It is not about politics; we just want someone who will give us a better result [in terms of security]. When you look at the number of victims, it exceeds even that during the former [democratic] presidents time... Its no use, [Damiba] hasnt changed anything.

The former junta, run by Damiba, justified the coup it instigated in January on the promise it would resolve the countrys security problem within two years, according to analysts. Data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project shows security has not improved in the last eight months.

Asked if he thought the new junta could improve the situation, another trader, who also said he supported the coup, told VOA, I think we should always try; I think we shouldnt say we cant, because where there is a will, there is a way. So, I think that those who made the coup know that things are not going well within the army and that they will be able to bring peace.

But many are not celebrating the arrival of the new junta. On Friday, Mathias Ouedraogo, leader of the civil society organization Generation de Veille Citoyenne, took to the street with other protesters in support of Damiba.

He said change at the top has never been a solution. The changes in leadership since 2015 have not benefited us. So we remind our brothers in arms, our elder brothers, our younger brothers, and all Burkinabes. Let us not divide the army any further. With an army that is divided, the enemy will get the better of us."

Michael Shurkin, an analyst with 14 North Strategies, a Washington-based consultancy, said the new junta is unlikely to do much to improve security.

The chances that this captain, who is replacing him, has better ideas and will make better decisions is really very doubtful, he said. I think hes kidding himself and theres a failure to recognize the enormity of the challenges in front of them and how hard it is to accomplish all the things theyre going to have to accomplish in order to save their country.

Saturday afternoon, members of the new junta appeared on TV again to claim that France is sheltering Damiba at a French special forces base on the outskirts of Ouagadougou and is looking to reinstate him as president. The French embassy had already released a statement officially denying the rumors earlier in the day.
European Union leaders will discuss the security of crucial infrastructure when they meet in Prague next week following damage to the Nord Stream pipelines that many in the West have said was caused by sabotage.

"Sabotage of Nord Stream pipelines is a threat to the EU," Charles Michel, who chairs meetings of EU leaders, said in a tweet Saturday after talks with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Brussels.

We are determined to secure our critical infrastructure. Leaders will address this at the upcoming summit in Prague," he wrote.

The leaders of EU member states leaders are scheduled to meet in the Czech capital on Friday.

Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also met with Frederiksen in Brussels "to address the sabotage on the pipelines, he said on Twitter.

"NATO allies will continue our close cooperation on resilience [and the] protection of critical infrastructure," Stoltenberg wrote.

NATO earlier voiced "deep concern" over the damage sustained by the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea, calling the incidents "deliberate, reckless, and irresponsible acts of sabotage."

Three leaks  two in the Danish zone and one in the Swedish zone  were discovered last week in the two major Russian underwater pipelines designed to ship natural gas to Germany, while Sweden on Thursday said its coast guard had found a fourth leak.

On Saturday, a Nord Stream 2 pipeline spokesperson told Agence France-Presse the pipeline is no longer leaking under the Baltic Sea because an equilibrium has been reached between the gas and water pressure. Information on the status of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline leak, which was significantly larger, was not immediately available, AFP reported.

The incidents come amid rising tensions between Europe and Russia over the war in Ukraine.

While both NATO and the European Union say the leaks were caused by sabotage, they have so far refrained from directly pinning the blame on Russia.

Some material for this article came from Reuters, Agence France-Presse and dpa.
Greece wants to have a constructive dialogue with Turkey based on international law but its Aegean neighbor must halt its unprecedented escalation of provocations, the Greek foreign minister said Sunday.

The two countries  North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies but historic foes  have been at odds for decades over a range of issues, including where their continental shelves start and end, overflights in the Aegean Sea and a divided Cyprus.

"It is up to Turkey to choose if it will come to such a dialogue or not, but the basic ingredient must be a de-escalation," Nikos Dendias told the Proto Thema newspaper in an interview.

Last month, the European Union voiced concern over statements by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accusing Greece, an EU member, of occupying demilitarized islands in the Aegean and saying Turkey was ready to "do what is necessary" when the time came.

"The one responsible for a de-escalation is the one causing the escalation, which is Turkey," Dendias said.

He blamed Ankara for increased provocations with a rhetoric of false and legally baseless claims, "even personal insults."

Turkey has sharply increased its overflights and violations of Greek airspace, Dendias told the paper, adding that its behavior seems to be serving a "revisionist narrative" that it promotes consistently.

He said Turkish claims that Greece cannot be an equal interlocutor diplomatically, politically and militarily violates the basic rule of foreign relations - the principle of equality among nations.

"It is an insulting approach that ranks various countries as more or less equal," Dendias said.
Indonesian security forces Saturday recovered the bodies of four construction workers who were killed in a separatist attack in the restive province of West Papua, police said.

The four men were killed late Thursday when gunmen stormed a government road construction project in remote Meyarga village in Bintuni Bay district, said West Papua Police spokesperson Adam Erwindi.

Five other workers fled to a nearby military post, including one who was injured in the attack, while three others hid in the jungle. The only female worker managed to escape and remains missing, Erwindi said.

He said that the bodies had been guarded by the gunmen until security forces found them on Saturday. Two of the remains were charred near two heavy equipment and three trucks that were set on fire by the attackers, and the two others had gunshot and stab wounds, Erwindi said.

"We believe this attack was launched by the armed separatist criminal group amid intensified efforts by the government," Erwindi said. He said police and the military were searching for the attackers, who authorities believe belonged to the West Papua Liberation Army, the military wing of the Free Papua Organization.

The victims were among dozens of construction workers employed by a local construction company to build roads connecting the districts of Bintuni Bay and Maybrat.

Rebel spokesperson Sebby Sambon confirmed the group's fighters carried out Thursday's attack. He said the group had warned all workers to leave Indonesian government projects, or they would be considered part of security forces.

"We don't want the construction by the colonizers, we can do it ourselves if we are given independence," Sambom said in a statement sent to The Associated Press on Saturday. "The West Papua Liberation Army is responsible for this attack."

He said the workers are considered outsiders by the separatists and were part of Indonesian intelligence.

Indonesia's government, which for decades has had a policy of sending Javanese and other Indonesians to settle in Papua, is trying to spur economic development to dampen the separatist movement.

Papua is a former Dutch colony in the western part of New Guinea that is ethnically and culturally distinct from much of Indonesia. Conflicts between indigenous Papuans and Indonesian security forces are common.

Papua was incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 after a U.N.-sponsored ballot that was widely seen as a sham. Since then, a low-level insurgency has simmered in the region, which is divided into two provinces, Papua and West Papua.

In March, rebel gunmen killed eight technicians repairing a remote telecommunications tower. In December 2018, at least 31 construction workers and a soldier were killed in one of the worst attacks in the province.

Attacks have spiked in the past year, with dozens of rebels, security forces and civilians killed.
Siamak Namazi, an Iranian American imprisoned in Iran for nearly seven years on espionage-related charges rejected by Washington as baseless, has been allowed out of Tehran's Evin prison on a one-week furlough, officials said Saturday.

Separately, his father and former United Nations official Baquer Namazi, who was also convicted on charges of "collaboration with a hostile government," has been allowed to leave Iran for medical treatment, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

Dujarric said U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres is grateful that, following his appeals to the President of the Islamic Republic or Iran . . . Baquer Namaze has been permitted to leave.

It was unclear if the moves might be a step toward Siamak's full release, nor whether it signals the possible furlough or release of other U.S. citizens detained in Iran.

Soon after news of Siamak's furlough broke, Iran's Nournews said an unnamed regional nation had mediated between Tehran and Washington for the "simultaneous release of prisoners."

The semi-official news agency also reported that "billions of dollars of Iran's frozen assets because of the U.S. sanctions will be released soon."

U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said: "We were deeply gratified to learn from the U.N. Secretary-General today that Iran has lifted the travel ban imposed on Baquer Namazi."

The department was grateful that Siamak Namazi, "has been granted a humanitarian furlough in order to be with his father," Price said in a release.

It was unclear what motivated Tehran's decisions on both men. Neither the Iranian foreign ministry in Tehran nor the Iranian mission to the U.N. immediately responded to requests for comment.

Iran is grappling with the biggest show of opposition to its clerical authorities since 2019 with dozens of people killed in unrest across the country ignited by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman from Iranian Kurdistan, in police custody.

Baquer Namazi, 85, was convicted in Iran of "collaboration with a hostile government" in 2016 and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Iranian authorities released him on medical grounds in 2018 and closed his case in 2020, commuting his sentence to time served but effectively barring him from leaving the country.

His son Siamak, 51, has been held in Evin prison since 2015 and was convicted of the same charge as his father in 2016. The U.S. government has described the charges against both as baseless.

"I am thrilled for the Namazi family that for the first time in seven years Siamak Namazi is sleeping at home with his family," lawyer Jared Genser, who represents the family, told Reuters, saying Siamak was staying with his parents at their Tehran apartment and was on a one-week renewable furlough.

"This is a critical first step but of course we will not rest until the entire family is able to return to the United States and their long nightmare is finally over," Genser added.

Iranian Americans, whose U.S. citizenship is not recognized by Tehran, are often pawns between the two nations, now at odds over whether to revive a fraying 2015 pact under which Iran limited its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.

In addition to the Namazis, other U.S. citizens detained in Iran include environmentalist Morad Tahbaz, 67, who also has British nationality, and businessman Emad Shargi, 58. A separate State Department spokesperson said the United States is working to bring those two home as well as Siamak Namazi.

Karim Sadjadpour, an analyst with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank in Washington, said the Namazis should never have been imprisoned.

"The Islamic Republic deserves no credit for temporarily releasing hostages that never deserved to spend a single day in prison," Sadjadpour said.

Price thanked U.S. allies and partners who worked to help the Namazis, including the U.N. Secretary-General, Switzerland, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and the United Kingdom.
The center-right New Unity party of Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins won Saturday's election, according to provisional results, with its 19% of the vote putting him in a position to head another coalition government.

The results -- with 91% of districts counted -- mean Latvia should remain a leading voice alongside its Baltic neighbors Lithuania and Estonia in pushing the European Union for a decisive stance against Russia.

Karins' party was again the party with the most support following the election. Members of the current coalition were on track to receive 42 seats in the 100-seat parliament, so Karins needs to draft additional allies to stay as a prime minister.

As many as nine parties won sufficient votes to gain seats in parliament.

After a campaign dominated by security concerns following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Karins told Reuters he will be working to craft a coalition of like-minded parties.

"I am convinced that we will be able find such a solution," he said early Sunday.

"First and foremost on everyone's minds is how we all get through the winter, not only in Latvia but throughout the EU, and that we all remain united behind Ukraine, and do not waiver in the face of difficulties for us," said Karins.

The first Latvian head of government to serve through a full four-year term, Karins, a 57-year-old dual U.S. and Latvian citizen, has benefited from his Moscow policy, which included restricting the entry of Russian citizens traveling from Russia and Belarus.

"I see no chance that any government in Latvia will stop supporting Ukraine -- this is not a view of a small group of politicians, this is the view of our society," said Karins.

But his victory could widen a rift between the country's Latvian majority and its Russian-speaking minority over their place in society, amid widespread national anger over Moscow's actions in Ukraine.
A recent report confirms what many already knew, but with startling additions. This data needs to be taken in by Buffalo government, local planners, developers, academia, community groups and anyone else who cares about addressing the citys problems and building on its strengths.

Washington, D.C.-based firm PlaceEconomics was commissioned by Preservation Buffalo Niagara and the Lipsey Architecture Center to study the economic impact of historic preservation on the city of Buffalo.

The impact is considerable.

As detailed in the report, "Everyones Heritage: The Impacts of Historic Preservation in Buffalo," the economic benefits of maintaining a historic built environment go well beyond heritage tourism and tax credits.

But lets start there. More than $658 million in local spending is generated by heritage tourists annually and visiting historic sites and museums is the third most popular activity of leisure visitors to Buffalo, superceded only by shopping and visiting family/friends.

As for the tax credits, they have generated more than $1 billion in direct investment since 2007. Annual investment by property owners in historic districts  without or without credits  has averaged $54 million per year over the past decade.

More jobs are part of the picture, with 500 direct and indirect property-related jobs per year and more than 8,000 (6,000 direct) local jobs from tourism. Nearly half of the job growth in Buffalo over the past decade took place in commercial historic districts.

But there are also key sociological impacts that few have considered. Neighborhoods in local historic districts, which only constitute 3% of Buffalos land area, are more fully integrated than neighborhoods in the rest of the city.

Population growth is far more robust in historic districts, and Buffalos local historic districts more closely mirror the racial diversity of the city as a whole, with 40% white residents and 45% Black residents (Asian and other making up the remainder).

Buffalo is known as an urban area that, while exceedingly diverse on the city level, is much less so at the neighborhood level, but local historic district populations seem to defy the citys overall segregation.

If the PlaceEconomic report could be summed up in a sentence, it would be simple: Preservation is good for cities.

If we accept that, then its time for everybody to work together to help take full advantage of these benefits. Judging from recent and not-so-recent history, that would be a heavy lift. Preservation battles are still with us and, worse, many stretch on for years, as buildings deteriorate and time, money and energy are expended, often with little result. Many preservation saves are made only when structures are almost too far gone to salvage.

Yet, Buffalo has a strong preservation community, led by such groups as Preservation Buffalo Niagara, which brings us this report, and Campaign for Greater Buffalo, History and Architecture, which has been on the front lines of successful efforts  like keeping the historic elements of Canalside  and (so far) unsuccessful ones, like saving Great Northern.

These groups have architectural experts, engineers, historians and others on their side. Attorneys are willing to offer their services pro bono in the interests of preservation. Volunteers have compiled a list of at-risk structures thats easily accessed at preservationready.org.

A city-run Preservation Board exists, well-stocked with knowledge and experience.

All these entities need to work with city government and commissioners to convince those who would demolish properties that saving them might be the wiser choice.

All the built environment players  preservationists, inspectors, planners, developers, contractors and others  should collaborate on a plan in which at-risk properties are identified, prioritized and  if appropriate  marketed with uses in mind.

And there should be a fund set up for mothballing buildings for future restoration.

Thanks to the PlaceEconomics report, there are now even more compelling reasons why positive activity around preservation should be the norm, not the exception.

  

Whats your opinion? Send it to us at lettertoeditor@buffnews.com. Letters should be a maximum of 300 words and must convey an opinion. The column does not print poetry, announcements of community events or thank you letters. A writer or household may appear only once every 30 days. All letters are subject to fact-checking and editing.
This year's Nobel Prize season approaches as Russia's invasion of Ukraine has shattered decades of almost uninterrupted peace in Europe and raised the risks of a nuclear disaster.

The secretive Nobel committees never hint who will win the prizes in medicine, physics, chemistry, literature, economics or peace. It's anyone's guess who might win the awards being announced starting Monday.

Yet there's no lack of urgent causes deserving the attention that comes with winning the world's most prestigious prize: Wars in Ukraine and Ethiopia, disruptions to supplies of energy and food, rising inequality, the climate crisis, the ongoing fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The science prizes reward complex achievements beyond the understanding of most. But the recipients of the prizes in peace and literature are often known by a global audience and the choices  or perceived omissions  have sometimes stirred emotional reactions.

Members of the European Parliament have called for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine to be recognized this year by the Nobel Peace Prize committee for their resistance to the Russian invasion.

While that desire is understandable, that choice is unlikely because the Nobel committee has a history of honoring figures who end conflicts, not wartime leaders, said Dan Smith, director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Smith believes more likely peace prize candidates would be groups or individuals fighting climate change or the International Atomic Energy Agency, a past recipient.

Honoring the IAEA again would recognize its efforts to prevent a radioactive catastrophe at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia atomic power plant at the heart of fighting in Ukraine, and its work in fighting nuclear proliferation, Smith said.

"This is really difficult period in world history and there is not a lot of peace being made," he said.

Promoting peace isn't always rewarded with a Nobel. India's Mohandas Gandhi, a prominent symbol of non-violence in the 20th century, was never so honored.

But former President Barack Obama was in 2009, sparking criticism from those who said he had not been president long enough to have an impact worthy of the Nobel.

In some cases, the winners have not lived out the values enshrined in the peace prize.

Just this week the Vatican acknowledged imposing disciplinary sanctions on Nobel Peace Prize-winning Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo following allegations he sexually abused boys in East Timor in the 1990s.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed won in 2019 for making peace with neighboring Eritrea. A year later a largely ethnic conflict erupted in the country's Tigray region. Some accuse Abiy of stoking the tensions, which have resulted in widespread atrocities. Critics have called for his Nobel to be revoked and the Nobel committee has issued a rare admonition to him.

The Myanmar activist Aung San Suu Kyi won the peace prize in 1991 while being under house arrest for her opposition to military rule. Decades later, she was seen as failing in a leadership role to stop atrocities committed by the military against the country's mostly Muslim Rohingya minority.

The Nobel committee has sometimes not awarded a peace prize at all. It paused them during World War I, except to honor the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1917. It didn't hand out any from 1939 to 1943 due to World War II. In 1948, the year Gandhi died, the Norwegian Nobel Committee made no award, citing a lack of a suitable living candidate.

The peace prize also does not always confer protection.

Last year journalists Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia were awarded "for their courageous fight for freedom of expression" in the face of authoritarian governments.

Following the invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin has cracked down even harder on independent media, including Muratov's Novaya Gazeta, Russia's most renowned independent newspaper. Muratov himself was attacked on a Russian train by an assailant who poured red paint over him, injuring his eyes.

The Philippines government this year ordered the shutdown of Ressa's news organization, Rappler.

The literature prize, meanwhile, has been notoriously unpredictable.

Few had bet on last year's winner, Zanzibar-born, U.K.-based writer Abdulrazak Gurnah, whose books explore the personal and societal impacts of colonialism and migration.

Gurnah was only the sixth Nobel literature laureate born in Africa, and the prize has long faced criticism that it is too focused on European and North American writers. It is also male-dominated, with just 16 women among its 118 laureates.

The list of possible winners includes literary giants from around the world: Kenyan writer Ngugi Wa Thiong'o, Japan's Haruki Murakami, Norway's Jon Fosse, Antigua-born Jamaica Kincaid and France's Annie Ernaux.

A clear contender is Salman Rushdie, the India-born writer and free-speech advocate who spent years in hiding after Iran's clerical rulers called for his death over his 1988 novel "The Satanic Verses." Rushdie, 75, was stabbed and seriously injured at a festival in New York state on Aug. 12.

The prizes to Gurnah in 2021 and U.S. poet Louise Gluck in 2020 have helped the literature prize move on from years of controversy and scandal.

In 2018, the award was postponed after sex abuse allegations rocked the Swedish Academy, which names the Nobel literature committee, and sparked an exodus of members. The academy revamped itself but faced more criticism for giving the 2019 literature award to Austria's Peter Handke, who has been called an apologist for Serbian war crimes.

Some scientists hope the award for physiology or medicine honors colleagues instrumental in the development of the mRNA technology that went into COVID-19 vaccines, which saved millions of lives across the world.

"When we think of Nobel prizes, we think of things that are paradigm shifting, and in a way I see mRNA vaccines and their success with COVID-19 as a turning point for us," said Deborah Fuller, a microbiology professor at the University of Washington.

The Nobel Prize announcements this year kick off Monday with the prize in physiology or medicine, followed by physics on Tuesday, chemistry on Wednesday and literature Thursday. The 2022 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Oct. 7 and the economics award on Oct. 10.

The prizes carry a cash award of 10 million Swedish kronor ($880,000) and will be handed out on Dec. 10.
Pope Francis has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop "this spiral of violence and death" over the war in Ukraine.

Francis's remarks, made on Sunday in his weekly public prayer on St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, were some of the strongest he has made since the February 24 invasion.

"My appeal is addressed first of all to the president of the Russian Federation, begging him to stop, also for the love of his people, this spiral of violence and death," Francis said.

"On the other hand, saddened by the immense suffering of the Ukrainian population following the aggression suffered, I direct an equally confident appeal to the president of Ukraine to be open to serious peace proposals," he said.

The Roman Catholic leader also decried the growing risk of nuclear war, calling it "absurd."

"I deeply regret the serious situation that has arisen in recent days, with further actions contrary to the principles of international law," he said. "In fact, it increases the risk of a nuclear escalation, to the point of fearing uncontrollable and catastrophic consequences worldwide."

The pope's comments came two days after Putin gave a fiery Kremlin speech in which he announced Russia was annexing four regions of Ukraine that are partially occupied by Russian forces.

In the September 30 speech, Putin also made veiled threats about using nuclear weapons in the conflict, echoing earlier remarks in which he warned the West "this is not a bluff."

The Kremlin had no immediate reaction to the pope's comments.
Turkish warplanes neutralized 23 Kurdish militants in a raid 140 kilometers (90 miles) inside Iraq, the Turkish Defense Ministry said Sunday.

The ministry usually refers to killed militants as neutralized. It said the number of casualties in the mission in the Asos region of northern Iraq, which is controlled by the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government, was expected to rise.

A video accompanying the ministrys tweet showed F-16 fighters taking off and several explosions in a mountainous area. The ministry referred to a statement from Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on Thursday in which he said airstrikes had hit 16 targets in the Asos region.

Turkey has been conducting a series of operations in northern Iraq since 2019, saying the military is targeting the Kurdistan Workers Party or PKK, to prevent it from launching cross-border attacks on Turkey. In April, Operation Claw-Lock was launched, which involves ground and air forces.

The PKK has waged an on-again, off-again insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people. The group is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

The Defense Ministry later said seven terrorists had been neutralized in north Syria in response to the killing of a Turkish police officer in a missile attack Sunday. The attack on a Turkish base near Al Bab was carried out by Kurdish militants from the Peoples Protection Units or YPG, according to official statements.

The YPG, which helped in the U.S.-led campaign against the Islamic State group, is linked to the PKK but isn't considered a terrorist group by the U.S. or the EU.
The death toll from Hurricane Ian, one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the United States, reached at least 85 Sunday as rescue workers continued to search for people wanting to leave their devastated communities, particularly in the hardest-hit waterfront communities in southwestern Florida.

The rescuers are going house to houseto make sure everyone is accounted for, Deanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told CNNs State of the Union show.

More than 800,000 customers are still without power in Florida, which took the worst of the devastation. Ian made landfall Wednesday on the states southwestern coast along the shore of the Gulf of Mexico.

Most of the deaths have been recorded in Lee County, which was not in the storms path in the first forecasts for the storms trajectory. Eventually, Ian blew northeastward across Florida to the Atlantic Ocean side of the state and then veered northward, gathered new strength over the warm ocean water and made U.S. landfall a second time in South Carolina.

This storm was really dangerous, Criswell told Fox News Sunday in a separate interview. She said one lesson from the storm is that Americans need to understand what their risk is where they choose to live, and that flood insurance is your best bet in protecting a familys assets.

U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will visit the island territory of Puerto Rico on Monday to assess damage there from Septembers Hurricane Fiona and then visit Florida on Wednesday.

In the coastal state of North Carolina, the governor's office confirmed four deaths related to Ian there.

In Florida's Lee County Saturday, rescuers and citizens in boats were still saving the last trapped inhabitants of the small island of Matlacha. Debris, abandoned vehicles and downed trees littered the pummeled hamlet's main street and surroundings that are dotted by colorful wooden houses with corrugated metal roofs.

The community, home to about 800 people, was cut off from the mainland following damage to two bridges, and those who fled early were only just beginning to return home to survey the destruction.

Sitting in the shadow of a deserted Matlacha house, Chip Farrar told AFP that "nobody's telling us what to do, nobody's telling us where to go."

"The evacuation orders came in very late," the 43-year-old said. "But most people that are still here wouldn't have left anyway. It's a very blue-collar place. And most people don't have anywhere to go, which is the biggest issue."

CoreLogic, a firm that specializes in property analysis, said wind-related losses for residential and commercial properties in Florida could cost insurers up to $32 billion, while flooding losses could reach $15 billion.

"This is the costliest Florida storm since Hurricane Andrew made landfall in 1992," CoreLogic's Tom Larsen said.

Sixteen migrants were missing from a boat that sank during the hurricane, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Two people were found dead and nine others rescued, including four Cubans who swam to shore in the Florida Keys.

Some material in this report came from Agence France-Presse.
Fresh off an unusually rocky term in which it ended the constitutional right to abortion, the U.S. Supreme Court is embarking on another potentially tumultuous calendar of consequential cases.

The new term opens Monday, with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson joining her eight colleagues as the first Black woman to sit on the bench.

But the period will likely be remembered for more than Jackson's historic debut. Tackling issues such as voting rights and affirmative action, the new term features some high-profile cases that will likely be decided along ideological lines.

"On things that matter most, get ready for a lot of 6-3s," Irving Gornstein, executive director of the Supreme Court Institute and a professor at Georgetown Law Center, said at a recent press event.

The high court's decision to overturn its 1973 abortion ruling known as Roe v. Wade followed an unprecedented leak of the draft majority opinion that sparked weeks of protests.

Last term featured several other 6-3 rulings, including one that held that Americans have a right to carry firearms outside the home for self-defense.

But not every case will likely result in a conservative-majority opinion this term, Gornstein said.

He noted that Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined the court's three liberals last term to produce at least five 5-4 cases.

Kavanaugh, one of former President Donald Trump's three nominees on the court, has developed a penchant for writing concurring opinions that "declare the limits of right-side majority decisions," Gornstein said.

"This is Justice Kavanaugh's court," Gornstein said.

The Supreme Court hears 60-70 cases a year out of the more than 7,000 petitions it receives. To date, it has agreed to review 27 cases during the upcoming term.

Here is a look at five major cases.

Two voting rights cases

The two voting rights cases, Merrill v. Milligan and Moore v. Harper, involve controversial plans by state legislatures to redraw their congressional maps and may have wide-reaching implications for how elections are conducted.

Merrill v. Milligan

Merrill v. Milligan is about the Southern state of Alabama's congressional redistricting plan created after the 2020 census.

For decades, Alabama's seven-member congressional delegation has included only one African American. But with the state's growing Black population, civil rights advocates say Alabama should have at least two.

Arguing that the redistricting map packs Alabama's Black residents largely into a single congressional district, a group of voters and rights advocates challenged the plan in federal court.

A three-judge panel agreed that the plan violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits voting practices that discriminate on the basis of race or color.

The judicial panel ordered a new map. But the U.S. Supreme Court overrode the ruling, agreeing to review the case during its 2022-23 term while keeping the contested congressional map in place.

Alabama says it seeks a race-neutral redistricting process. But voting rights advocates say that keeping the state's redistricting plan in place will undermine minority voters' ability to elect candidates of their choice.

Moore v. Harper

The second case, Moore v. Harper, involves North Carolina's new congressional map and carries potentially even greater consequences for how federal elections are run.

It centers on a controversial legal doctrine known as the "independent state legislature theory," which holds that the U.S. Constitution gives state legislatures near total authority to regulate federal elections.

Enter the North Carolina Legislature.

After the state gained an extra congressional seat because of the 2020 census, the GOP-controlled Legislature drew a map that would give Republican candidates a 10-4 advantage, even though the state's voters are evenly split between Democrats, Republicans, and independents.

Voting rights advocates, suspecting illegal partisan gerrymandering, went to state court.

The state Supreme Court, with four Democrats and three Republicans, voted along party lines to declare the map in violation of the state constitution and ordered a new draft.

The U.S. Supreme Court denied the state Legislature's motion to stay the state court ruling but agreed to hear the case. As a result, the court-drawn map will remain in effect during the midterm elections.

The case will be among the most closely watched of the upcoming term, and not only because of its long-term implications.

Voting rights advocates say a broad ruling in the case would give state legislatures near total authority to enact voter suppression laws and otherwise affect the outcome of elections.

Hashim Mooppan, a former counselor to the solicitor general during the Trump administration, said the fear that the case could spell "the end of democracy" is overblown.

Both sides in the case have presented the Supreme Court with "a menu of options," and it's far from clear whether the justices will adopt the most extreme version, Mooppan said at the Georgetown court preview.

But even if the justices adopt the "broadest possible theory," state legislatures would not be able to "override the result of the election after they happen," he said.

Legal challenges to affirmative action

Two cases  Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, and Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. University of North Carolina  present legal challenges to affirmative action.

A ruling against Harvard and UNC, some legal experts warn, could spell the end of affirmative action, a policy that American colleges and universities have followed for more than half a century to boost admissions of minority students.

Americans are divided over affirmative action. Proponents say the policy has promoted campus diversity by providing opportunities for disadvantaged students. Opponents say it gives preferential treatment to Black, Hispanic and other minorities at the expense of white and Asian applicants, undermining the goal of a "color blind" society.

In 2014, Students for Fair Admissions, a group headed by conservative legal activist and affirmative action opponent Edward Jay Blum, sued Harvard and UNC, accusing the former of discriminating against Asian applicants and the latter of disfavoring white students.

In their defense, Harvard and UNC said race is one of many factors they consider in student admissions, citing previous Supreme Court decisions over the past two decades reaffirming the practice.

Lower courts sided with the two universities. But Students for Fair Admissions appealed to the Supreme Court, asking it to overturn a 2003 ruling that upheld the use of race in college admissions for the benefit of diversity.

The court could choose to uphold or restrict affirmative action rather than outlaw it. But with a conservative supermajority of six justices in control, the judicial tides appear to have turned against the policy, experts say.

"If you were just trying to count noses, I think you would think that there are more votes to be skeptical of these programs now than ever before," said Roman Martinez, a Supreme Court litigator at Latham & Watkins said at Georgetown.

Speaking at a virtual event hosted by the American Constitution Society earlier this month, Deborah Archer, president of the American Civil Liberties Union, said that Black and Hispanic students remain underrepresented at America's top colleges, and that ending affirming action would make "the system less equitable."

Right to refuse service

The question of whether a business owner can refuse service to a customer based on the vendor's religious beliefs returns to the high court with a new case out of Colorado.

In 2018, the court considered the case of a Colorado baker who refused to make a cake for a same-sex couple in violation of the state's anti-discrimination laws.

Siding with the baker, the court found that the so-called public accommodations law itself violated his right to freedom of religion, but it shied away from ruling on the larger question of whether forcing the baker to design a cake would violate his free speech rights.

With the new case, the justices will weigh in on that issue.

The case was brought by Lorie Smith, the owner of a Colorado graphic design company called 303 Creative LLC, who says she wants to build wedding websites for couples of the opposite sex but not for same-sex couples because she's opposed to gay marriage for religious reasons.

She wants to post a message on her website explaining her opposition to designing wedding sites for same-sex couples. But because of Colorado law, she has been unable to do so.

Smith sought an exemption from the law in federal court on the grounds that it would force her to "speak messages" that violated her deeply held beliefs.

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court agreed to hear her case during the new term but limited the review to her free-speech claim.

Colorado says the case is not about free speech but rather about whether a business can refuse service based on a customer's race or other protected characteristics.

But with the conservative Supreme Court increasingly siding with religious groups in recent years, the state is unlikely to encounter a sympathetic court, experts say.

"The court is expanding both its understanding of what speech is and its protection of it," Kent Greenfield, a Boston College law professor, said during the American Constitution Society event.
Yemen's warring sides have failed to reach an agreement to extend a nationwide cease-fire, the U.N. said Sunday, endangering the longest lull in fighting since the country's bloody civil war began.

In a statement, the U.N.s envoy to Yemen called on all sides to refrain from acts of provocation as the talks continue, after the deadline of Oct. 2 for extending the agreement was missed.

The U.N.-backed truce initially took effect in April and raised hopes for a longer pause in fighting as Yemens civil war entered in its eighth year. The devastating conflict began in 2014, when the Iranian-backed Houthis seized the capital of Sanaa and much of northern Yemen and forced the government into exile.

In a statement, U.N. envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said he regrets that an agreement has not been reached today." He did not call out the Houthis by name for failing to agree to his proposal but thanked the internationally recognized government for engaging positively in talks to extend the cease-fire. He called on leaders to continue to endeavor to reach an agreement.

I urge them to fulfill their obligation to the Yemeni people to pursue every avenue for peace," he said.

On Saturday, the Houthis said that discussions around the truce had reached a dead-end," and said that they were continuing to advocate for a full opening of the Sanaa airport, and lifting of the blockade on the key port city of Hodeida.

The Houthis hosted a large military parade last month, showcasing rockets and large weaponry, drawing condemnation from observers.

In the hours leading up to the deadline, a Houthi military spokesperson threatened international oil companies still working in the country to leave or their facilities would be seized, saying that the fossil fuels belong to the people of Yemen and could be used to pay public servants' salaries.

Our armed forces are able, with Gods help, to deprive the Saudis and Emiratis of their resources if they insist on depriving our Yemeni people, Yahia Sarea wrote on Twitter.

Aprils truce had originally established a partial opening of the Sanaa airport and the Red Sea port of Hodeida. The ensuing months have seen flights start again from the capitals airport to Jordan and Egypt. It also called for lifting a Houthi blockade on Taiz, the countrys third largest city. But little progress has been made there, after talks aimed at reopening local roads stalled. Another sticking point is how salaries of public employees will be funded, many of whom have not been compensated for years.

Sundays statement came a few days after Grundberg met in Sanaa with the top leader of the Houthis, Abdel-Malek al-Houthi, and other senior officials, who have been pushing for a full opening of the airport. The envoy warned last week that the risk of returning to war was a real possibility.

Millions will now be at risk if airstrikes, ground shelling and missile attacks resume, said Ferran Puig, country director in Yemen for the international charity Oxfam.

Analysts say it remains unclear if further talks could make progress, with Houthis feeling empowered and the coalition fighting them splintered by inter-alliance trouble.

Peter Salisbury, an expert on Yemen with Crisis Group, an international think-thank, said the Houthis have been behaving as if they had more leverage throughout the negotiations, because they were more willing than the other side to return to war.

Compared with the forces fighting with the Saudi coalition, they run an effective police state and operate a pretty functional and motivated fighting force, he said.

In recent years, the Houthi forces have deployed increasingly effective weaponry against Saudi Arabia and their rivals including cruise missiles and drones, drawing accusations that their main backer, Iran, is helping the group obtain them.

Since the cease-fire first took effect, cracks within the anti-Houthi coalition have resurfaced in the southern provinces. In August, United Arab Emirates-supported militia groups seized vital southern oil and gas fields controlled by other forces fighting with the Saudi-led coalition. Clashes between them and other forces from within the alliance have killed dozens.

The truce has led to a significant lull of direct warfare despite claims of violations by both sides. Over the past six months, since the cease-fire took effect, the government and the Houthis have consolidated their positions in the central province of Marib which has seen the latest round of fighting.

International charity Save The Children said that the truce had led to a 60% decrease in displacement and a 34% drop in child casualties in Yemen.
Ukraine said Sunday it has taken full control of Lyman, the eastern logistics hub that was part of the territory Russian President Vladimir Putin had illegally claimed last week was now part of Russia.

Lyman is fully cleared, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared in a short video clip on his Telegram channel.

Russia did not comment Sunday on the fate of Lyman but said Saturday that its troops were retreating from the area because it feared Ukrainian forces were about to encircle them. Russia had captured Lyman in May and had used it as a logistics and transportation hub for its operations in the north of the Donetsk region.

Russias loss of Lyman was its biggest battlefield defeat since Ukrainian forces last month swept through the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine, pushing Russian forces back toward their border.

David Petraeus, a former U.S. Central Intelligence Agency director, told ABCs This Week show, that Putin is going to continue to lose on the battlefield. The only question, he said, is when larger Russian units start to surrender.



Petraeus said that even Putins threatened use of tactical nuclear weapons against Ukraine wont change this.

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio told CNNs State of the Union show, There really is no way for Russia to win this war. But Rubio said he worries that Putin could attack Western supply depots helping Ukraine in such NATO countries as Poland that could lead to a wider conflict, assuming Western allies respond to any attack on a fellow NATO member.

Serhiy Haidai, governor of the Luhansk region that neighbors Donetsk, said control over Lyman could give Ukraine help in reclaiming lost territory in his region, which Moscow announced in early July that it had captured.

The Lyman takeover by Ukraine came swiftly despite Putins declaration, in an elaborate ceremony at the Kremlin Friday, that his government was proclaiming to annex four regions of Ukraine, about a fifth of the land territory of its neighbor, an independent country since 1991 that was once part of the Soviet Union.

Putins action was illegal under international law and widely condemned by Ukraine, along with the U.S. and its Western allies that have been supplying armaments to the Kyiv government in its seven-month fight against Moscows invasion.

Britains Defense Ministry said in an intelligence update posted on Twitter Sunday that the Russian force that retreated from Lyman "probably experienced heavy casualties as it withdrew along the only road out of the town still in Russian hands.

The update also said: The withdrawal has led to a further wave of public criticism of Russias military leadership by senior officials. . . Further losses of territory in illegally occupied territories will almost certainly lead to an intensification of this public criticism and increase the pressure on senior commanders.

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Video posted on social media Saturday showed Ukrainian soldiers on the outskirts of the city waving a flag, with one solider saying, Lyman will be Ukraine. Since May, its railroad hub has been used by Russia as a key logistical area to support thousands of its soldiers fighting in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials said Russian forces killed at least 20 people, including 10 children, in an attack on a convoy carrying people fleeing northeastern Ukraine. The report could not be independently verified.

The reported attack follows a missile strike on another civilian convoy in the Zaporizhzhia province Friday in which 30 people were killed and scores were wounded.

Britains Defense Ministry said Saturday the missile used in Fridays attack was likely a Russian long-range air defense missile being used in a ground attack role.

The ministry said in an intelligence report posted on Twitter the use of the high-value resource in the ground attack near Zaporizhzhia has almost certainly been driven by overall munitions shortages, particularly longer-range precision missiles.

Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
By Trend

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov held a meeting with the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to Turkmenistan Konstantin Sabiashvili, Trend reports citing the Turkmen Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During the meeting, the sides discussed issues of strengthening relations between the two countries, including the expansion of bilateral political, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation.

The diplomats noted the great importance of the recent visit of Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili to the Turkmen capital of Ashgabat and the meetings held on July 20, 2022 with President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov.

Ambassador Konstantin Sabiashvili presented copies of his credentials to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and stressed that during his diplomatic mission in Turkmenistan he would make every effort to further expand and strengthen ties between the two countries.
FILE PHOTO: A woman uses her mobile phone as she walks past in front of an Optus shop in Sydney

By Sonali Paul

MELBOURNE (Reuters) -The Australian government on Sunday levelled its harshest criticism yet against Optus, the second-biggest telecoms company, for a cybersecurity breach that affected the equivalent of 40% of the country's population.

The government blamed Optus, owned by Singapore Telecommunications, for the breach, which affected 10 million accounts, urging the company to speed up its notification to 10,200 customers whose personal information was released in one of the country's biggest cybersecurity breaches.

"We should not be in the position that we're in, but Optus has put us here," Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil told a televised news conference from Melbourne. "It's really important now that Australians take as many precautions as they can to protect themselves against financial crime."

Optus said on Sunday it was working closely with federal and state government agencies to determine which customers need to take any action but was still seeking further advice on the status of customers whose details had expired.

"We continue to work constructively with governments and their various authorities to reduce the impact on our customers," an Optus spokesperson said in emailed comments.

The spokesperson did not respond to a question on whether Optus had identified how the breach occurred.

The company ran a full-page apology in major Australian newspapers on Saturday for the "devastating" breach that it first reported on Sept. 22. An unidentified person later posted online that they had released personal details of 10,000 Optus customers and would keep doing so daily until they received $1 million.

Australian police's operation to find the person or people behind the breach at Optus is "progressing well", O'Neil said, adding that police would provide an update this week.

However she said Optus needed to step up its efforts to call, not just email, people whose identification data was released online to let them know they are at risk.

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Saying now was "a time for real vigilance for Australians", O'Neil urged those who had been notified to cancel their passports or other identification cards and get fresh identification documents as soon as possible.

Five days after being requested, Optus had not handed over information to the government about customers who had provided their Medicare health care cards or other social services information for identification purposes for Optus accounts, said Government Services Minister Bill Shorten.

"We call upon Optus to understand that this breach has introduced systemic problems for 10 million Australians in terms of their personal identification," he told reporters at the joint media conference.

"We know that Optus is trying to do what it can, but having said that, it's not enough," Shorten said. "It's now a matter of protecting Australians' privacy from criminals."

O'Neil said Australia needs to reform its cybersecurity laws to give the government stronger powers to respond to cyber security emergency incidents.

(Reporting by Sonali Paul; Editing by William Mallard)
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The oil producers of the OPEC+ convene on Wednesday to set output targets for November. With Brent crude trading at $85 a barrel, the group is expected to agree to a second straight production cut. But even a big reduction to targets may have little impact on actual supplies, unless they can agree to redistribute production targets, or the Saudis step in to act alone.

Meeting virtually in early September, members agreed to a token cut of 100,000 barrels a day to output targets for October. This time around the curtailment is likely to be much larger, with some analysts estimating that it could be as much as 1 million barrels a day, although a figure of half that size is the most widely forecast number. The group has also taken a last-minute decision to meet face to face for the first time since March 2020. That may indicate that it will try to do something more significant than apply a pro-rata cut to existing targets. It certainly needs to.

OPEC+ cant keep things as they are and retain credibility. The amount the group pumps and its theoretical target have become increasingly estranged from each other over the course of the year, with output lagging behind the planned volume by more than 3.5 million barrels a day in August, according to figures compiled by Bloomberg.

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That big gap is going to dilute the effects of any cut decided on Wednesday, unless they can agree to redistribute targets among themselves to reflect the inability of most members to pump as much as theyre allowed.

Even a reduction of 1 million barrels a day, shared pro rata among the members, would require just six countries to make actual cuts. All the rest are pumping so far below their individual targets that a step-down would have no impact. The resulting reduction would be just 337,000 barrels a day  and thats assuming, perhaps optimistically, that all six stick to the plan.

A contraction of 500,000 barrels a day would see just five countries needing to pump less and would deliver shrinkage in actual supply of just 126,000 barrels a day.

Any reduction will come a month before European Union sanctions on Russian crude exports come into effect on Dec. 5, complicating the outlook. Russia is a powerful and valued member of OPEC+, so despite the groups self-declared role of balancing oil supply and demand, dont expect other members to rally round and make up for any shortfall in global availability resulting from the EU embargo.

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Seaborne crude shipments to Europe from Russia are currently running at about 820,000 barrels a day, but the sanctions could hit wider flows, with the EU also set to ban the provision of insurance and other services to tankers carrying Russian crude, no matter where theyre headed.

Defining acceptable baselines for output cuts back in April 2020, when the current arrangement was agreed, was difficult enough. And at that time crude was trading below $35 a barrel and still heading south, a guarantee of focused minds. With Brent at $85, many producers wont feel the same existential threat that they did when the Covid pandemic struck. And giving up market share, even if its only theoretical market share, is never popular.

But its not impossible. The OPEC+ group has shown remarkable cohesion over the past two and a half years. And I wouldnt underestimate the ability of Saudi Arabia to cajole, or bully, the rest of the group to see things as it does.

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And if it fails, the kingdom can always make another of its voluntary additional cutbacks. With production now running at about 11 million barrels a day, the kingdom could certainly afford to trim output, and some of its oil infrastructure might benefit from a rest.

Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman clearly enjoys springing surprises, especially when theyre designed to discomfit traders shorting oil. The fact that ministers have agreed to meet face to face suggests something more meaningful than a pro-rata cut in output targets is on the table.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Julian Lee is an oil strategist for Bloomberg First Word. Previously, he was a senior analyst at the Centre for Global Energy Studies.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

2022 Bloomberg L.P.

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When I recently took an Iranian, an Iraqi and an Emirati to lunch on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, a breakthrough ensued. Not diplomatic, mind you, but gastronomic. After feasting on a Jordanian delicacy in a Palestinian restaurant, we arrived at a consensus that it was one of the best meals wed ever had.

This was a turnabout, and no mistake. For years, Middle Eastern friends  politicians, diplomats, journalists and business executives  visiting New York for UNGA have complained that their cuisines are poorly represented in the citys restaurant scene. My standard response, that my home city offers the best from everywhere else in the world, has been met at best with grumbling acknowledgment.

And, having endured diplomatic jamborees in faraway places, I can understand their frustration: After a few too many rubber-chicken meals, courtesy of this embassy or that think tank, any palate would hanker for the tastes of home.

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Thats why I was delighted to inform my friends, and demonstrate to their satisfaction, that my city now has them covered. In the three years that I was away in London  where I was spoiled for Middle Eastern choices  New York has experienced an efflorescence of restaurants serving the regions major cuisines: Arab, Persian and Israeli.

A quick caveat: New York has always had good hole-in-the-wall eateries that cater to Middle Eastern tastes, but few places where a visiting diplomat or business exec would feel comfortable entertaining their peers. One notable exception is Tanoreen, in Bay Ridge, where Rawia and Jumana Bishara have served up superb fare for over two decades, earning citations from the James Beard Foundation.

The new wave of Middle Eastern restaurants ranges from Ayat, a 10-minute walk from Tanoreen, which serves giant plates of Palestinian lamb dishes in a down-home setting, to the hot new Israeli eatery Laser Wolf, where the vibe is distinctly Williamsburg trendy and the Marabu-charcoal grilled brisket kebabs much pricier.

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Somewhere in between those extremes are Qanoon, a mid-priced Palestinian spot in tony Chelsea and a pair of Persian fine-dining places, Sofreh and Eyval, in Prospect Heights and Bushwick, respectively.

I took my friends to Al Badawi, in Brooklyn Heights, which is a slightly upscale sibling of Ayat, and where Id previously eaten, on separate occasions, with two fellow aficionados: Restaurant critic Robert Sietsema of eater.com and MSNBC host Ayman Mohyeldin. You can read Roberts review here; he is especially fond of the flatbreads, which come in toppings ranging from ground pistachios on melted cheese to chicken marinated in zaatar.

Ayman ordered the fattat jaj, a layered dish of roast chicken, rice, chickpeas, mint yogurt, pita chips, garlic sauce and almond slivers. He lives within a stones throw of Al Badawi and has the opportunity to work his way through the menu. His verdict: Its as authentic as you can expect to get from the West Bank or Gaza, places where he has spent much more time reporting (and eating) than I have.

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Why has it taken so long for Middle Eastern cuisine to find its place under the New York sun? After all, the Big Apple has had sizeable Jewish and Arab populations for decades; Iranians have tended to go to the other coast.

Aymans best guess is that in recent years theres been a generational shift. My parents didnt often go to Middle Eastern restaurants, he tells me. Maybe they felt they needed to conform to American tastes, or maybe it was just that they cooked this stuff at home. Ayman himself is a terrific cook, but thats rare for a second-generation Arab-American. When we go out to eat, we are looking for connections to our ancestry, were looking for the authentic tastes, he says.

Not that any of this mattered to my Middle Eastern visitors: Whatever the reason for the proliferation, they were happy to be the beneficiaries. We ordered the mansaf, a lamb stew that is practically Jordans national dish and long my personal favorite. The meat is slow-cooked in a fermented ewes milk yogurt known as jemeed, and served on a bed of rice, which in turns sits on an oval of saj bread. Sprinkled over the top are slivered almonds, which add a crunchy texture to the umami flavor.

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On my many visits to Amman, I have always set aside at least one meal at Ajyad, where the mansaf is popular with the working-class clientele. Each of my fellow-diners had a recommendation for where to try the dish  interestingly, all in Dubai. My tablemates and I agreed that the version at Al Badawi was at least comparable, if not superior to our favorites.

As a New Yorker, this would have made me swell up with pride  that is, if all the lamb and rice had left me any room.

More from Bloomberg Opinions 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.

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Physicist Jess Wade has made it her mission to correct gender and racial biases in the science community, and advocate for women in STEM, who make up only 28 percent of the workforce.
SeenThis

SeenThis Australia

Steve Alpe, Laura Horsley, Frankie Tsoi, Jordan Scott and Adam Roberts.

SYDNEY, Australia, Oct. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Adaptive streaming company SeenThis announces the hiring of Steve Alpe, Laura Horsley, Jordan Scott and Frankie Tsoi to boost presence in the Australian market.



Steve Alpe, Laura Horsley, Frankie Tsoi, Jordan Scott and Adam Roberts_B&W





SeenThis technology allows high quality video and image ads to be streamed to display inventory, improving performance with instant loading speeds at reduced costs compared to running traditional video campaigns. The technology effectively removes unnecessary data transfer, leading to a more sustainable advertising solution.

Steve Alpe joined SeenThis earlier this year as Partnerships Director, leading the companys relationships with publishers, ad networks and other media vendors. Laura Horsley and Jordan Scott have joined as Commercial Directors to oversee relationships with Australian agencies, while Frankie Tsoi has stepped in as the markets first Technical Creative Producer.

Tom Jones-Barlow, SeenThis General Manager APAC, says, Weve already seen quick growth in the Australian market, delivering for all major agencies. These new hires will allow us to capitalise on this success and reflect that we view Australia as an essential growth market. The SeenThis solution is particularly effective in combatting variable connectivity in Australia, while meeting growing demand for more sustainable ways to run our campaigns, and driving bottom line results.

Adam Roberts, SeenThis Sales Director ANZ, adds, Establishing a diverse and hugely experienced local team will ensure we continue the rapid growth and adoption of adaptive ad streaming as an attention driven, high quality video performance solution that we have seen with our partners in ANZ over the last 12 months.

For more information, please contact:

Adam Roberts, SeenThis Sales Director ANZ at adam@seenthis.co .

About SeenThis

Since 2017, Swedish tech company SeenThis has been evolving screen experiences for everyone, everywhere. With its groundbreaking adaptive streaming technology, SeenThis is transforming the distribution and climate impact of digital content. With billions of streams served for 1000+ brands in 40+ countries, the company is on a journey to reshape the internet  for good. Working across eight offices globally, SeenThis employees are obsessed with creating a truly high-speed and energy efficient Internet. For more information, visit seenthis.co.

Story continues

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/463499c8-b31e-4917-bdb8-0ead2846d40f




Image of the first British atom bomb tests, at Monte Bello islands off Western Australia, October 1952.

ONSLOW, Friday  Most residents of the town were at breakfast this morning when the atomic explosion at the Monte Bello Islands set cups and saucers rattling on the tables. Buildings shook slightly.

First published in The Age on October 4, 1952

Townspeople then rushed to the beach, where the top of a round white smoke-cloud had appeared above the horizon.

A slight earth shock occurred about six minutes after the smoke was first seen and was followed a minute later by a distant rumble, which lasted for a few seconds.

Forty-five minutes after the explosion the atom-bomb cloud had been thinned out by high westerlies into two long, cigar-shaped streaks, but it was still distinct.

Only a small flash was observable by watchers at Onslow when the explosion occurred.

During the morning school children and adults talked excitedly in the main dusty street and on the beachfront overlooking Beadon Bay.
Cyber Security Minister Clare ONeil has opened the door to compelling companies to report data breaches and reconnect services after a hack, declaring the current laws were bloody useless in dealing with the Optus attack.

The Albanese government is frustrated at the previous governments much-hyped critical infrastructure laws in responding to the Optus breach of 9.8 million Australians by an anonymous hacker.

Cyber security Minister Clare ONeil says the current laws were not useful in dealing with an emergency like the Optus hack. Credit:James Brickwood

ONeil, who is also Home Affairs Minister, said the laws  which were passed in 2018 but were significantly overhauled earlier this year were important and would over time do a lot to help Australia prevent successful cyberattacks in critical sectors.

But in trying to use this law to help us manage an emergency cyber incident - which it is absolutely meant to do - it was completely bloody useless, she said.
The federal government says Optus still has not provided government agencies with full details of customers who had Medicare or Centrelink details exposed by the data breach and has accused the telco of a lack and transparency and accountability.

Cybersecurity Minister Clare ONeil and Government Services Minister Bill Shorten on Sunday said Services Australia, which is responsible for the delivery of government payments and services, had written to Optus on September 27 asking for the details of customers whose Medicare or Centrelink details were exposed.

The Minister for Government Services, Bill Shorten, and the Minister for Home Affairs, Clare ONeil, during their press conference at Treasury Place in Melbourne about the Optus data breach. Credit:Paul Jeffers

To date, there have been no impacted customer details provided by Optus in relation to this request, the government said in a statement.

In the face of a breach on an unprecedented scale in Australia, Optus needs to come together with the Australian government to be part of the solution.
NORTH YORK, ON / ACCESSWIRE / September 30, 2022 / ZTEST Electronics Inc. ("ZTEST" or the "Company") (CSE:ZTE) is pleased to announce that the existing Board of Directors was re-elected and the existing auditors were re-appointed at the annual meeting of shareholders held on Friday, September 30, 2022. The Company also wishes to announce that it has granted 1,275,000 stock options to directors and officers of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Permatech Electronics Corp., exercisable at $0.10 per share for 5 years.

About ZTEST Electronics Inc.

ZTEST Electronics Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary Permatech Electronics Corp. ("Permatech"), offers Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS) to a wide range of customers. Permatech's offering includes Materials Management, Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Assembly, Testing and Design services. Permatech operates from a 20,000 square foot, ISO 9001:2015 certified facility in North York, Ontario, Canada. The company serves customers in the Medical, Power, Computer, Telecommunications, Wireless, Industrial and Consumer Electronics markets requiring high quality, quick-turnaround, small and medium size production runs.

About Conversance Inc.

Conversance, a private company based in Waterloo, Ont., founded by Mr. Chen, is focused on developing and marketing proprietary artificial-intelligence supported distributed ledger technologies. Mr. Chen is an electrical engineer with a strong background in radio frequency, digital signal processing, VLSI (very-large-scale integration), complex systems, chemistry and physics. Mr. Chen joined Research in Motion (now BlackBerry) in 1999, becoming a senior member of the office of the chief technology officer, where he was instrumental in many of Blackberry's key telephony innovations and patents. Mr. Chen's interest in blockchains began in 2009.

For more information contact:

Steve Smith, CEO

(604) 837-3751

email: stevesmith15@shaw.ca

Story continues

The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This press release contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Investors are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and by those made in our filings with SEDAR in Canada (available at www.sedar.com).

SOURCE: ZTEST Electronics Inc.





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/718401/ZTEST-Announces-Results-of-Annual-Meeting-and-Grant-of-Stock-Options




The Health Services Union is calling on the Albanese government to ensure that aged care residents social and emotional needs are met as a new funding model kicks off with dollars tied to time spent on clinical care.

Union NSW secretary Gerard Hayes said aged care workers must be funded to provide holistic care that addressed emotional as well as clinical needs.

Medical care is one thing, but mental health is not just about giving people pills, he said.

Aged care providers say there is no specific funding for activities like bingo under funding reforms. Credit:Louise Kennerley

An aged care facility isnt a clinical area like a hospital, its a persons home. Its important in our view that the care minutes should include allied health, psychological and social care.
Buyers agent Simon Cohen has had plenty of memorable and high-profile clients but the only one hell discuss was a well-dressed woman with mousy blonde hair in her 40s who came highly recommended from a banker to buy a home worthy of her $30 million budget.

She fully signed up, signed our agreement, rocked up in an Audi and promptly name-dropped the dealership from where she had just bought matching black and white Porsches, said Cohen.

I didnt know it then, but I later found out the dealer had never heard of her and shed already conned the banker who referred her.

Conman Hamish McLaren (inset), jailed in 2019, posed as a buyer of James Packers Bondi Beach bachelor pad before his fake investment scheme was uncovered. Credit:

Before her ruse was exposed, Cohen presented her with five potential houses, and she fell in love with one of them, a waterfront house in Mosman.
Low-income households face the prospect of rising rents without an increase in rent assistance, as the government rebuffed calls to boost the payments on offer.

An emphatic Productivity Commission report on Friday called for an overhaul of taxpayer spending on housing help, saying the government should prioritise a review of rent assistance given the strong case to improve its adequacy and targeting.

Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said reforming Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA) was not on the agenda in the coming budget, blaming this on the $1 trillion debt left behind by the former Morrison government.

We would love to fund every good idea that has merit, but we need a way to pay for it, Rishworth said in a statement to The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. Treasury estimated in 2020 that a 40 per cent increase to CRA would cost $1.7 billion extra each year in 2019-20 dollars.
London: The King has abandoned plans to attend next months major United Nations climate change summit after new British Prime Minister Liz Truss reportedly told him to stay away.

Charles III, a long-time advocate for action on climate change, had intended to deliver a speech at the meeting of world leaders in Egypt in November.

King Charles III during his first audience with Prime Minister Liz Truss at Buckingham Palace. Credit:AP

Truss, according to The Sunday Times, is also unlikely to attend the Sharm el-Sheikh gathering and had objected to the Kings plans during a personal audience at Buckingham Palace last month.

Britain and Europe are facing diabolical energy forecasts this winter, with growing speculation the Conservative government may roll back some commitments to its bold climate pledges, including its whole-of-economy net-zero target by 2050.
ACAP Saint John workers Shauna Sands, left, Khoa Ngo, centre, and Shayelin Braydon search for small fish and shrimp in a beach seine net (Steven Webb/CBC - image credit)

When ACAP Saint John set out on a four-year study of fish life and water quality in the Saint John Harbour, the environmental group wasn't setting out to answer any big questions.

The study, which began in 2018, was designed to set a baseline for the general health of fish populations in the harbour.

No one had made an effort to see how many species of aquatic life were in the tidal waters of the harbour, and in what numbers.

Roxanne MacKinnon, the executive director of ACAP, said they were surprised by what they found.

Submitted by Roxanne MacKinnon

"I think that we were mostly surprised at the abundance of fish we've been able to catch," MacKinnon said.

"We've caught, in our four years of sampling, we've caught a little over 35,000 fish, which, for the small amount of effort we put in, that's a lot of fish."

ACAP researchers visited eight sites once each month, from May until October.

While at each site at low tide, they haul a seine net along the sea bottom for three minutes, and set up a larger net, called a fyke net, that would be left for 24 hours to catch bigger species.

Steven Webb/CBC

They found 34 species, but the vast majority were either Atlantic silverside, a tiny bright silver fish, and sand shrimp, small invertebrates that live in the harbour mud.

On this day at the mouth of Hazen Creek, MacKinnon and her team find lots of both, but there are also juvenile Atlantic tomcod, a few young winter flounder and two green crabs.

The crabs have to be killed, because they can't be returned to the water.

"We catch a lot of green crabs in our fishing. Unfortunately, they are an invasive species, so they're pretty good at competing with our native crab population, so they're doing quite well."

Steven Webb/CBC

Not far from this site, the team does a similar seining at the mouth of Little River.

Practically situated in the shadow of the Irving Oil refinery and the Courtenay Bay power plant, the estuary doesn't appear healthy at first glance, despite the flock of Canada geese swimming upstream.

Story continues

"It has these mats of algae growth, [the water's] kind of like a Mountain Dew colour and you frequently, when you step in it, you kind of kick up black oily substance," MacKinnon said.

That black substance also can be seen along the shore.

Steven Webb/CBC

It is the site that produced the fewest fish over the first three years of the study  just 328. Most of them were reported as appearing "unhealthy or injured."

"The first time we fished in Little River and actually caught fish, we were quite surprised that we were able to actually catch things in the section of Little River that we fish in." she said.

The report of findings published on ACAP Saint John's website said "it appears that Little River is inhospitable to organism health to some extent."

It said both Little River and Marsh Creek showed poor water quality and "these locations should be targeted for not only continued monitoring but also more active management and restoration."

Steven Webb/CBC

MacKinnon hopes this kind of study of fish populations can continue in the future, so the general health of Saint John Harbour can be measured over time.

But that will depend on whether Fisheries and Oceans Canada will decide to fund future efforts.

In the meantime, her teams will continue to gather data until October of this year.

The study is available on ACAP Saint John's website at acapsj.org, or on the St. Lawrence Global Observatory website, at ogsl.ca.
If you know of local business openings or closings, please notify us here.

PREVIOUS OPENINGS AND CLOSINGS

- The Palmer Township Board of Supervisors denied a conditional use for two warehouses proposed by developer Abe Atiyeh.

- B. Braun bought Starboard Medical's Clif-FIX line of devices that secure catheters for an undisclosed price.

- The Lowhill Township Planning Commission denied a plan for a warehouse at 7503 Kernsville Road, saying it would change the character of the rural township.

- Just A Dream Frozen Yogurt in Forks Township closed its doors after 10 years.

- Khanisa's Pudding Bar held a grand opening at its new Downtown Allentown Market location after having moved from Easton.

- Mussel Polymers Inc. says its glue for bonding carbon and synthetic fibers is a big step toward creating lighter and stronger fiber-reinforced materials.

- Poke Bar 25 & Bubble Tea in the Shops at Bethlehem (the Giant shopping center on Easton Avenue in Bethlehem Township, on the border with the City of Bethlehem) will open in late November or early December.

- The former Rosanna's Restaurant in Bethlehem, which closed in February, will reopen as a deli and bar called Rosa's Corner.

- Victaulic has expanded in Tennessee with the acquisition of Tennessee Metal Fabricating, price not disclosed.

- The old Forks Diner will be serving auto-repair customers by early spring of 2023 with a six-bay garage known as Wrenchtec.

- Lehigh County-based Shift4 Payments stepped in to help the owners of Better on the Bone Butcher and Deli in Pottstown finally open their doors.

- Mid Penn Bank opened a new, bigger location in Blue Bell.

- Balloon Junction held a grand opening in Pottsville for its store offering custom balloon creations.

- Rentschler's Ice Cream has reopened just a few doors down from its former location in Ringtown after it was destroyed by a fire in February.

- Mill Street Aesthetics, a day spa and skincare boutique, held a grand opening in Belvidere, New Jersey.

- Provident Financial Services agreed to acquire Lakeland Bancorp in a stock deal valued at $1.3 billion, creating a bank that will hold 4% of the deposits in New Jersey.
'Only so far I can take them': Why teachers give up on struggling students who don't do homework
JD.com founder Richard Liu has agreed to settle a lawsuit from a former University of Minnesota student who alleges he raped her after a night of dinner and drinks in 2018. Attorneys for Richard Liu and the woman, Jingyao Liu, released a joint statement Saturday night saying the case was settled. They did not disclose a settlement amount, but said the incident resulted from a misunderstanding and they agreed to settle their differences. Richard Liu was arrested on suspicion of felony rape in August 2018. Prosecutors never filed charges, saying the case had profound evidentiary problems. He stepped down as JD.coms CEO this year amid increased government scrutiny of Chinas technology industry.
Frontline Ltd.

Frontline Ltd. (the Company) advises that the 2022 Annual General Meeting of the Shareholders of the Company was held on September 30, 2022 at 08:00 a.m. at Par-la-Ville Place, 4th Floor, 14 Par-la-Ville Road, Hamilton Bermuda. The audited consolidated financial statements for the Company for the year ended December 31, 2021 were presented to the Meeting.



In addition, the following resolutions were passed:

To set the maximum number of Directors to be not more than eight.



To resolve that vacancies in the number of Directors be designated as casual vacancies and that the Board of Directors be authorised to fill such vacancies as and when it deems fit.



To re-elect John Fredriksen as a Director of the Company.



To re-elect James OShaughnessy as a Director of the Company.



To re-elect Ola Lorentzon as a Director of the Company.



To re-elect Ole B. Hjertaker as a Director of the Company.



To re-elect Steen Jakobsen as a Director of the Company.



To re-appoint PricewaterhouseCoopers AS of Oslo, Norway as auditors and to authorise the Directors to determine their remuneration.



To approve the remuneration of the Companys Board of Directors of a total amount of fees not to exceed US$600,000 for the year ended December 31, 2022.





September 30, 2022

The Board of Directors

Frontline Ltd.

Hamilton, Bermuda

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.




BARKHAMSTED, Conn. (AP)  A moose is back on the loose in Connecticut after some quick-acting rescuers helped to free it from a fence.

The Connecticut State Environmental Police received a call at around midnight about a moose stuck in Barkhamsted, northwest of Hartford. Local fire department personnel and state police responded early Saturday to find the animal not impaled on the structure but unable to get its belly and rear legs over the top.

They cut off and removed one end of a panel of the fence and that allowed the moose to push the remaining part to the ground and walk through.

The rescue came on the heels of several recent sightings in the state that prompted the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection issued an advisory to motorists last week to be on the lookout for moose.

There are only about 100 moose in Connecticut, according to DEEP, but they become more active during their breeding season in September and October.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  An 85-year-old Iranian-American who formerly worked for the U.N. childrens agency and was detained in Iran in 2016 has been permitted to leave the country for medical treatment abroad, the United Nations said Saturday.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric announced the departure of Baquer Namazi and said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was grateful he could leave following the U.N. chiefs appeals to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

Dujarric said the secretary-general was also pleased that Namazis son, Siamak Namazi, had been released from detention.

An international human rights lawyer handling their case, Jared Genser, tweeted Saturday: "I am delighted to confirm for the first time in seven years that Siamak #Namazi is spending a night at home with his parents in Tehran. Baquer Namazis travel ban has been lifted. We wont rest until they return to the U.S. & their long nightmare has ended."

Namazi, a former UNICEF representative, was detained in 2016 when he traveled to Tehran to see his son, a businessman arrested in Iran months earlier. Both Namazis were sentenced to 10 years in prison in Iran on what the United States and United Nations say were trumped-up spying charges.

Baquer Namazi was granted medical furlough in 2018 and his sentence was subsequently commuted to time served, but Iranian authorities had not permitted him to leave the country. Last October, he underwent surgery in Iran to clear a blockage in an artery to the brain that his family and supporters described as life-threatening.

Siamak Namazi had remained jailed in Irans notorious Evin prison.

Dujarric said the U.N. will continue to engage with the Iranian authorities on a range of important issues, including the regional situation, sustainable development and the promotion and protection of human rights.
Effects of pilot shortage are far reaching and changing the way we travel
Columbus Area Historical Society

1972

An overflow crowd of more than 200 attended the 125th anniversary of Bonnet Prairie Lutheran Church near Rio. The country church was founded by Norwegian settlers in March 1847.

The new St. Jeromes Catholic Church was dedicated on Sept. 24, 1972, with a dedication service and mass.

1982

Four bids totaling $5,569,650 were accepted for the construction of the Columbus wastewater treatment plant making it possible for construction to begin within 60 days with 58% of the cost of the plant covered by a Wisconsin Fund Step 3 Grant Award.

Carl C. Fredrick of Fall River resigned from the Columbia Board after 34 years of service. A recent illness caused Fredrick to leave the board. In his honor, the Columbia County Administration Building was renamed the Carl C. Fredrick Administration Building.

1992

Dr. Bruce Kraus was the 1992 recipient of the Wisconsin Society of Internal Medicines Addis Costello Internist of the Year Award. Kraus has been in medicine for 14 years and is president of Cornucopian Health Concepts, a worksite wellness company in Columbus.

Tom, Cindy, and Ashley Schultz were honored at the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce Agri-Business dinner for outstanding milk production at their dairy farm. Their herd has also been in the top three herds in Columbia County for the last ten years.

2002

Columbus Fire Chief Butch Dykstra presented a commemorative plate to Mayor Michael Eisenga in honor of the 125th anniversary of the fire department.

The Columbus City Council approved an agreement with the Wisconsin Department of Transpiration to reconstruct the Crawfish River Bridge on E. James Street. The city cost would be $96,000 of the $620,000 total cost. The project was scheduled for 2005.

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.
Curios.ty 14 (#Wits100): A century of doing good

Wits' research magazine celebrates 100 years of changing the world for good.

The 14th issue of Wits Universitys research magazine, Curios.ty, themed: #Wits100, is available online now: http://www.wits.ac.za/curiosity/. (To republish articles, see guidelines below).

In this special issue to mark Wits Universitys centenary year, we look back over a 100 years during which Wits University, and Witsies, have undoubtedly changed the world for good, be it through research and innovation, teaching and learning, or civic action.

In a series of firsts, Wits developed and tested the first radar signals in South Africa in 1939 and was the first South African university to transmit data securely through light. Wits was also the first university to own a nuclear accelerator and a computer in South Africa, to confer the first PhD in isiZulu, and to successfully execute a living donor liver transplant from an HIV+ mother to her HIV- child.

In this issue we also look to the next 100 years, showcase Wits world-class scientists and, importantly, a new generation of early career researchers actively advancing society for good.

Today, we are confronted with a myriad of complex planetary problems including global change and inequality, erratic energy supply, crime, the lack of governance and ethics, and the threat of a number of communicable and non-communicable diseases and pandemics. It is at Wits where we can bring the best intellectual talent and resources to bear, across disciplines, institutions, sectors and geographic boundaries, to find solutions to these challenges, some of which are still unknown, writes Professor Zeblon Vilakazi, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Wits University.

Highlights:

Meet the science superheroes whose research has saved countless lives (page 10): Five Wits scientists weigh in on the Universitys proud legacy of public health activism and why standing up for social justice in an unequal world remains their fight. Mapping African genetic diversity for better health (page 14): The contribution of the Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience to the field of human genomics is rewriting history on the African continent. Thirty years of the lab in the bush (page 18): Agincourt in Mpumalanga is one of the longest-running research centres of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa with sophisticated infrastructure to track and understand health and wellbeing over the life course. Wits Digital Dome to light up the sky (page 32): It is the end of an era for the Wits Planetarium, although reimagining it as a Digital Dome promises to be literally out of this world. Facing climate change head-on (page 34): Climate change took nearly a century to become mainstream science. Wits is taking the lead in facing up to the challenge.

About Curios.ty

Curios.ty is a print and digital magazine that aims to make the research at Wits University accessible to multiple publics. Curios.ty is available on the Wits website here: http://www.wits.ac.za/curiosity/

Copyright and republication

 All material in this publication is copyright and all rights are reserved. Reproduction of any part of the publication is permitted only with the express written permission of the Head of Communications at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. For permissions, send an email to curiosity@wits.ac.za.

Follow us on:

Twitter: @Wits_News | #Curiosity | #Wits100

Facebook: @WitsUniversity

LinkedIn: University of the Witwatersrand

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For the latest Wits research news, visit: http://www.wits.ac.za/news/latest-news/research-news/

Contact Wits Communications should you require more information or visit our media section for more on our experts and latest media releases.
Navigating life through the eyes of a gogga

Curiosity about dung beetles could lead us into our future.

One day, 30 years ago, Wits entomologist Professor Marcus Byrne was standing in the African bushveld, curiously observing a dung beetle doing a little dance on a ball of dung. Then it set off, rolling the ball in a perfectly straight line into the distance.

The insects dance fascinated Byrne, who immediately started asking questions: What is the purpose of the dung beetles dance? How do dung beetles orientate themselves? How do they navigate and roll their ball in a perfectly straight line?

Byrnes curiosity led to a 30-year study of this insect and changed not only what we know about these insects and how they navigate their world, but also led to new insights on how we can teach robots to navigate. It has attracted the attention of the US military, and led to a book, written by Byrne and Helen Lunn about humans fascination with these insects over thousands of years, and their role in our changing lives.

It turns out that the dung beetles dance  standing on top of the ball of dung and spinning  is an orientation and navigation behaviour to determine the fastest and most efficient way to leave the dung pile to avoid a competitors hijacking of the ball of dung, says Byrne.

Dung beetles have almost no memory. Because elephant droppings are never at the same place, dung beetles dont need to remember how to travel to and from a specific spot. However, they do need to know how to navigate to find their way around the bush.

The beetles, it was found, use celestial cues  among others  for orientation. In other words, they scan the sky for orientation cues. The dung beetles built-in navigation system is the key to its ability to roll balls of dung with precision during the day and night, even under the gruelling African sun.

Further experiments conducted inside the Wits Planetarium reveal that they can navigate using the Milky Way  making them the first species known to do so.

We were able to prove that some species of dung beetles dont just orientate, they do truly navigate. Orientation just means you're able to move in a straight line or move with intent. Whereas navigation means you're able to move between two known places on the surface of the planet, Byrne explains.

Using an insects brain to develop robotics

Byrne and a team of scientists from Sweden, Germany, Australia and South Africa have since 2013 meticulously observed and run experiments on certain species of dung beetles with the hopes of using their discoveries about the beetles brains  which are smaller than a grain of rice  in real-life applications in robotics and Artificial Intelligence.

A large part of the teams research has looked at what they've called a dung beetle compass. They started off with experiments that looked at how dung beetles use the sun to navigate. They then went on to understand how the insects used polarised light as a navigational aid, then the moon and even the wind.

The dung beetles ability to use directional sensors to achieve navigational precision opens possibilities for us to understand how their minuscule brains are able to handle large amounts of information, which allow them to go in a certain direction, says Byrne.

In theory, the discoveries and understanding of dung beetles brains could help scientists build robots that are autonomous and dont need a pilot or map to drive them through unknown terrain.

Roboticists are interested in understanding dung beetles simple directional cues and their ability to use the sun, moon, stars, wind, and polarised lights to feed the same algorithm into robots to increase their efficiency, Byrne says.

Thousands of years of fascination

Globally, there are around 6 000 species of dung beetles and Africa is home to about 2 000 of them, with more than 800 of those species in SA. But only 10% of these animals roll the dung into a ball  often across the hot African continent.

Dung beetles have fascinated humans for thousands of years. As described in Byrnes book, Dance of the Dung Beetles: Their role in our changing world, these night-soil collectors of the planet have been worshipped as gods, worn as jewellery and painted by artists.

More practically, they saved Hawaii from ecological blight and rescued Australia from plagues of flies. They fertilise soil, cleanse pastures, steer by the stars, and have a unique relationship with the African elephant. Now, they will also influence the way we train robots.

While humans may admire dung beetles, our own advancements and actions threaten their existence. Last year, Byrne and his team found that light pollution - from the myriad manmade light sources - makes it difficult for dung beetles to find their way. Large amounts of unnatural light cause the night sky to glow unnaturally bright, leaving only the brightest stars visible.

Given the level of light pollution in the modern world, we wondered how sky glow in the night skies of our cities would affect the ability of dung beetles to orientate themselves.

The experiments showed the presence of unnatural light makes it impossible for the dung beetles to use the stars for orientation and navigation like they typically would.

Beyond the discoveries and exciting future possibilities, Byrne says that this body of work is curiosity at its highest form.

The core of being human is to ask questions and to be curious about the world around us. Curiosity is part of what we are as humans. Curiosity allows us to question the world around us, without having to justify it in any other way other than to satisfy our curiosity, he says.
Russia Supplying Kazakhstan with Electricity for Cryptocurrency Miners

Russia Supplying Kazakhstan with Electricity for Cryptocurrency Miners

Russia is looking to bolster Kazakhstan's energy demands in an amendment of the partnership between the two nations, as a means to provide electricity to miners within the former Soviet republic member state. The move comes amidst growing demand for electricity by crypto miners in Kazakhstan, as mining activities see an uptick.

The development was uncovered by Russian media platform RBC in a recent report. Per the report, the Russian government has demanded a modification of the binational energy agreements between the two bordered countries. This development follows the Russian government's order on the matter.

The amendment seeks to ensure the parallel operations of both countries' energy systems. As a product of the recently-engineered modification, Russia will be supplying sufficient energy to Kazakhstan especially for its cryptocurrency mining operations.

Russia seeks to facilitate this move through one of its largest energy-holding companies, Inter RAO. Inter RAO's relevance in this move is due to the fact that it serves as Russia's sole energy import-export contractor.

Russia's Inter RAO has entered into a commercial contract agreement with the Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company (KEGOC). The contract will ensure the supply of energy to Kazakhstan through on a purchase-and-sale basis between both companies and beyond.

Following China's crackdown on cryptocurrency mining operations within its territory, the East Asian country has seen an exodus of mining entities. In an effort to find a more conducive atmosphere, several mining entities trooped to Kazakhstan.

Notwithstanding, Kazakhstan is not without its issues. The Central Asian country has had its fair share of energy deterioration issues. Kazakhstan's growing energy predicament is indicative of the significance of the Russian partnership.

Following an energy crisis in Kazakhstan in January, the state energy company cut off several cryptocurrency mining companies  about 200  from the country's power supply. Although this disconnection was temporary, it highlighted the delicate situation with the country's energy sector.

The Crypto Mining Industry in Kazakhstan

Despite this inauspicious indication, most crypto mining firms have remained in Kazakhstan, partly due to the country's recent lax attitude towards these entities. As Kazakhstan looks to address its energy situation, the country might, however, adjust its approach at regulating mining firms.

Last week, Kazakhstan presented its first draft law on cryptocurrency mining to check the industry within the country. The deputies of the lower house of Kazakhstan's parliament, the Majilis, presented a bill in this regard.

Within the bill, the house acknowledged the significance of crypto mining to the broader economy of Kazakhstan. Nonetheless, there was a consensus that despite its importance, the industry is largely unregulated in Kazakhstan.

While the country has a legislation that requests the registration of crypto mining firms, this registration exercise is voluntary. As a result, several firms have taken to bypassing the exercise.

This lack of proper oversight has led to an indiscriminate use of Kazakhstan's energy for crypto mining, contributing to the country's energy situation. Consequently, the house seeks to propose stricter measures and a proper surveillance of the industry.
Nestled deep in the "Bluegrass State" are some of the most beautiful and picturesque cities found in the United States.Teeming with thick forests and mountains, landmarks displaying Greek revival architecture, and old neighborhoods that transport you back in time, you do not want to miss out on these scenic little towns. But the beauty of these places does not just stop at their rich heritage, but also the little shops and friendly citizens that make these towns a standout. So grab yourself a glass of bourbon; from Harrodsburg to Maysville, here are the seven most beautiful towns in Kentucky!

Berea

An aerial view of the countryside around Berea.

One could say that Berea is a crafty little town. Situated in Madison County on the edge of the bluegrass region, Berea is best known as a mixing pot of arts, crafts, and festivals. In fact, the town is known as the "folk art and crafts capital of Kentucky." With centuries-old Berea College known for its liberal arts program, it is no wonder why there is a demand for crafts goods. However, this pretty little town is full of historical sights, including the Boone Tavern, a hotel that began operations in 1909, and a National Registers of Historic Places. Alas, there is plenty to do all year, with many craft festivals throughout. But, Berea also boasts the Spoonbread Festival each September. Just imagine cornbread served by a wooden spoon, a true staple of the south!

Harrodsburg

Downtown Harrodsburg, Kentucky.

Here's one for all the history buffs out there! Harrodsburg is the oldest American settlement west of the Appalachians. So, it's bursting at the seams with heritage with a historical tie to Daniel Boone's Boonesborough. Found in Mercer County, this community of 9,000 flaunts a photo-worthy and walkable downtown full of locally owned old shops and eateries. While here, take up some of the sights, including Dedman's Drugstore, which contains a working soda fountain, or the Shakers Village of Pleasant Hill, the largest restored shaker village in America. Have a sweet tooth? Do not pass up a trip to the Kentucky Fudge Company. But, aside from the stunning architecture and historical business that is an icon of Harrodsburg, one simply cannot pass up a trip on a Dixie Bell, a paddler steamer that showcases the awe-worthy Kentucky River Palisades.

Paducah

Paducah, Kentucky.

Found at the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers are about 20 blocks filled with historic neighborhoods and buildings in a small town called Paducah. Come and explore this community of 27,000 in McCracken County and feel like you've been cast back in time to another era. Yet, there is one secret that many do not know about Paducah and its intriguing UNESCO designation. Home to the National Quilt Museum, many visit it from all over to gawk at the quilting artistry. Hence, the UNESCO Creative Cities honor. Quilting is so big, in fact, that the Quiltweek Festival celebrates the very pride of this artsy town.

Glasgow

A street in Glasgow, Kentucky. Image credit: Ichabod, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Seeking a Scottish adventure close to home? Then look no further than Glasgow, Kentucky. Founded in 1799, Glasgow was indeed named after the Scottish city of the same name. This town even has its version of the Highlands Games. It is a spectacle that magnetizes many to this small community of 14,000. But that's not all this town in Barron County has to show. Come and cruise along neighborhoods brimming with homes from the 1800s, or walk down Main Street. Feeling like a bit of adventure? Glasgow is a leaping-off point to the jewel of Kentucky, Mammoth Cave National Park. A designated green space of endless nature but best known for having the world's longest cave system. Do not pass up an opportunity to visit this town, and you, too, can find "a little bit of Scotland in Kentucky!"

Morehead

The Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky.

For those who love to be outdoors, take a look at Morehead, Kentucky. Found along the Historic Midland Trail in Rowan County, this town is perched in the foothills of the photo-worthy Appalachian Mountains. Thus, Morehead does not just offer a glimpse of these gentle highlands, but it also contains the Daniel Boone National Forest and the Cave Run Lakes. So, any nature lover or avid photographer is sure to jump at joy at the expansive forests, sweeping vistas of the Appalachians while perched above, or the vibrant sunsets over the lakes. With a population of just 6,800, finding a peaceful spot to unwind is not a problem. Although, it should be noted that tranquil Morehead is not dull. With everything from antique stores to wineries, all the feels of home can be discovered in this pretty little town.

La Grange

Welcome to La Grange, a small town of just over 8,000 that prides itself on having more farm animals than people. While that might sound sheepish, it's true! Located in Oldham County, this is an excellent destination for families, with many attractions geared toward all ages. Gain farming knowledge through one of the many available farm tours, ride horses, and make a homey meal; La Grange is proud of its farming roots. But La Grange is best known for its unique urban configuration, in which CSX Transportation trains run along vehicles and pedestrians on the streets as if it were no big thing. It is referred to as street running, where locomotives casually pass all the quaint little cafes and bistros of downtown. It's an attraction in itself that will have you turning heads but cannot be missed.

Maysville

A view of Maysville, Kentucky. Image credit: Nealparr via Wikimedia Commons

Situated on the banks of the Ohio River, Maysville is the best in Kentucky, where natural beauty meets a bustling town. The locals of Maysville are proud of their label of being "fun." And it shows throughout the town. From the foodie to the history buff and even the theater lover, there is a little bit of everything to cater to all preferences here. Start the day with a warm beverage and walk along the banks of the exquisite Ohio River and ogle at the old buildings downtown. Learn about Maysville's importance as a stop on the Underground Railroad at the National Underground Museum. Finish the day with a live performance at the restored 1899 Washington Opera House. Maysville is a quaint yet, gorgeous town found on the border of Kentucky and Ohio, which makes for an excellent day stop full of fun, food, and a hint of excitement.

Read More10 Largest Cities In Kentucky

Kentucky contains some of the most beautiful little towns found in the states. With dense forest or mountainous backdrops and sparkling rivers and lakes, it truly is a jewel in the crown of the south. Come and learn about local history intertwined with events that formed the nation. Connect with locals whose friendliness will leave you with a lasting impression. These are the most beautiful towns found in Kentucky from a natural, creative, and urban standpoint. Consider exploring one of these destinations; you wont be disappointed!
Nestled in Central Kentucky's Bluegrass region is Frankfort, the capital city of the US State of Commonwealth of Kentucky. Being the halfway point between Louisville and Lexington, Frankfort is a popular destination for a stopover. One must come and see the historic buildings that makeup Frankfort from the Kentucky State Capitol, Governor's Mansion, and even Daniel Boons Grave. Walk along the Kentucky River at Kentucky View Park or snap some photos of the jaw-dropping Cove Spring Park. With three distilleries in town, be sure to sample some of that fine Kentucky Bourbon. Frankfort has a lot to offer for everyone!

Geography And Climate Of Frankfort

Frankfort, Kentucky, town skyline on the Kentucky River at dusk.

Frankfort rests in Franklin County and is divided east and west by the 263-mile-long Kentucky River. Other nearby cities include Lexington, about 25 miles southeast; Lawrenceburg, about 15 miles south; Shelbyville, about 20 miles west and Williamstown, about 50 miles north. As for day trips, the Kentucky Horse Park is about 20 miles east, Mammoth Cave National Park is about 130 miles southwest, Bowling Green is about 150 miles southwest, Daniel Boone National Forest is about 120 miles south, and Indianapolis is 165 miles northwest.

According to the Koppen Climate Classification, Frankfort has a humid continental climate. It experiences summers that are warm and humid and winters that are freezing and wet. July is the warmest month that sees a high of 86.6 F and January is the coldest month that sees a low of 23.1 F. Of the 110.3 days that produce precipitation, there is an annual rainfall of 46.4 inches and snowfall of 8.2 inches. On average, 188 days comprise a UV index of 4.3.

History Of Frankfort

Old State Capitol, Frankfort, Kentucky. Image Credit: Daderot, via Wikimedia Commons

It is speculated that the name Frankfort came when Native Americans attacked European settlers. One of the colonists, Stephen Frank, was killed at the Kentucky River, and hereafter the area was referred to as "Frank's Ford" but, over time, suppressed to Frankfort. Jame Wilkinson purchased a large plot of land along the Kentucky River in 1786 and was an early contender for a state capital. Frankfort was one of many communities that competed for the designation of capital, and in 1792 five commissioners approved Frankfort for the honor. John Brown, an influential figure of Frankfort and Kentucky statehood, built Liberty Hall in 1796. After he became a US Senator, funds were given to make the Old Governor's Mansion, which is still in use today.

During the American Civil War, Fort Sill was constructed by the Union Army. The Confederate Army very briefly took it over, but it was short-lived as the Union reclaimed it. However, Frankfort is no stranger to political misfortunes. In 1900, William Goebel was assassinated when he tried to detest the results after losing as governor. Jumping forward to the 1960s, the economy and population boomed, which remained relatively consistent as of the present day.

The Population And Economy Of Frankfort

The latest US Census reported that Frankfort had a population of 28,602 residents. Expanding over 39.03 sq. km, the city has a population density of 747.67 people per sq. km. Frankfort has a median household income of $63117, while 17.93%of the population lives below the poverty line. As for the cultural or racial background: 74.11% were identified as white, 14.88% were African American, 4.70% were two or more races, 3.73% were of another race, 2.44% were Asian, and 0.13% were Native American.

Of the 13,300 employed in Frankfort, 2,518 worked in Public Administration, 1,379 worked in healthcare and social assistance, and 1,304 worked in manufacturing. The top-earning jobs include professional, scientific, and technical services, which made $56,607; utilities which made $54,118; and public administration, which made $43,409.

Attractions In And Around Frankfort

Kentucky State Capitol

Capitol Building in Frankfort, Kentucky.

The Kentucky State Capitol will leave the photographers and history buffs grinning ear to ear. One must explore the dome, rotunda, and picturesque main corridor and grounds. The guided tours will help one to learn about the significance of this building to all three branches of government.

Kentucky Bourbon Trail

Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. Editorial credit: Irina Mos / Shutterstock.com

Really, no trip to the Bluegrass State would be complete without the mention of bourbon in some capacity. Queue in one of Frankforts finest offerings, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Partake in a historic walking tour and see the old neighborhoods. Or hop on board the Bourbon Boat and see the influence of the Kentucky River and its significance in the development of Frankfort. But above all, sample bourbon from Buffalo Trace Distillery, Castle and Key Distillery, Glenns Creek Distilling, and Three Boys Farm Distilling. Do not forget to check out the Rebecca Ruth Candy Tours and Museum.

Daniel Boone's Grave

Grave site of pioneer Daniel Boone and his wife at Frankfort Cemetery. Image Credit: Kaplansa, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Daniel Boone was an important influence in the earlier days of Kentucky. He was an early explorer and frontiersman who pushed passed the 13 colonies into the Native American hunting grounds of Kentucky today. Furthermore, he marked the Wilderness Road passed the Cumberland Gap and into Kentucky, where he founded Boonesborough. As a result, 200,000 had made the trek to Kentucky to settle by the 18th century.Take a tour and see the final resting place of Daniel Boone, a pride of Frankfort. The site is stunning, with a hillside that overlooks Frankfort below, and it is a very underrated attraction in Frankfort.

Frankfort is a moderate-sized city chock-full of history, from significant figures to walkable neighborhoods full of 18th and 19th-century architecture. This city is the image of what many imagine Kentucky to be, from the domed capitol building to the Kentucky bluegrass and, yes, even the bourbon. Everyone should come and see this magnificent city and capital of Kentucky at least once in a lifetime!
Weather Alert

...FREEZE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CDT THIS MORNING... * WHAT...Widespread sub-freezing temperatures in the mid and upper 20s expected. * WHERE...Portions of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, western Kentucky, and southeast Missouri. * WHEN...Until 9 AM CDT this morning. * IMPACTS...Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops, other sensitive vegetation, and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing. This will effectively end the growing season. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold. A Freeze Warning means sub-freezing temperatures are imminent or highly likely. These conditions will kill crops and other sensitive vegetation. &&
In the early 2000s, when I was a student at Ridge View High School, in Columbia, South Carolina, I loved to parse the legacies of certain historical figures: W.E.B. Du Bois, in AP US History; Malcolm X, in AP English Language and Composition.

At the same time, I wanted more. Too often, Advanced Placement curricula seemed to give attention to just a handful of Black heavyweights and, as a result, neglect the countless ways Black Americans have shaped US society. Only rarely were Black students like me reflected in lessons. (I remember learning about A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberrys jewel of a play about a Black family in south Chicago, from my mom and wondering, Why arent we studying this in school?)

But things are beginning to change. Ridge View is one of about 60 high schools across the country piloting AP African American Studies in 2022. The interdisciplinary course will be the newest addition to the College Boards panoply of AP offerings and delve into the history of the African continent and Black contributions to music, literature, science, politics and mathematics, among other fields. Mere weeks into the pilot course, students and faculty at Ridge View already see AP African American Studies as something of a salve. The course arrives at a moment when instruction about race is under siege: Educational gag orders abound, and critical race theory has become a lightning rod for the right.

Given the meager representation I observed as a high school student, I was stunned  and thrilled  to learn that Ridge View, which is majority Black, is piloting AP African American Studies. It wouldve been so welcome, I thought, to see myself in this context, to probe questions of identity and inheritance.

Plus, its no small thing to test out the course in South Carolina, which didnt banish the Confederate battle flag from statehouse grounds until 2015, in the heartrending aftermath of a White supremacist massacre.

Story continues

The significance of the moment isnt lost on Ridge View students.

It really makes me happy to be in this class  to know that Im a part of history, Nacala McDaniels, a senior, told CNN.

In August, the Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., one of the architects of the AP African American Studies curriculum, stressed the courses educational value.

Nothing is more dramatic than having the College Board launch an AP course in a field  that signifies ultimate acceptance and ultimate academic legitimacy, he told Time magazine. It is a mainstream, rigorously vetted, academic approach to a vibrant field of study, one-half a century old in the American academy, and much older, of course, in historically Black colleges and universities.

Like so many in the Ridge View community, McDaniels wants AP African American Studies to help not only other Black students but all students become well-versed in under-told histories and cultures and incubate meaningful discussions about race.

I hope that the course will be offered to other people who look like me and to other people who just want to learn about history thats been covered up and history thats been ignored, she said. And I hope that the course makes room for more conversation. Lots of people are scared to talk about race, but with more conversation comes better understanding.

Our kids hear the same stories every year

High schools had been hungry for an AP African American Studies course for years. However, when the College Board asked universities about a decade ago if theyd give credit for a corresponding exam, they said no.

But the uprisings of 2020 caused a long-overdue shift.

The events surrounding George Floyd and the increased awareness and attention paid toward issues of inequity and unfairness and brutality directed toward African Americans caused me to wonder, Would colleges be more receptive to an AP course in this discipline than they were 10 years ago? Trevor Packer, who heads the College Boards AP program, told Time.

Yes, was the answer.

Maybe the most exciting thing about teaching AP African American Studies is the fact that educators get to talk about people, subjects and slices of history students dont know much about, according to Daniel Soderstrom, who leads the course at Ridge View.

Over the past few decades, we, as a society, have done a better job of teaching Black history and African American Studies. But Id argue that many teachers still fall short, he told CNN. What I mean is that our kids hear the same stories every year. And thats not to diminish the contributions of Rosa Parks or Martin Luther King Jr. But if those are the only people our students are learning about in school, theyre missing a lot of whats really there.

The first part of the course examines early African kingdoms and some of their foundational figures, including Queen Nzinga of Ndongo, located in present-day Angola.

Queen Nzinga of Ndongo - Science Source/Photo Researchers History/Getty Images

She was a very strong woman  a heroine  and fought on the front lines with her soldiers, Soderstrom said of Nzinga, celebrated for pushing back against Portuguese colonization and the trade of enslaved people in Central Africa in the 16th and 17th centuries. But we tend to skip the stories of people from Africa.

So far, the lessons appear to be resonating with the kids.

I didnt even know that there were any queens in Africa in any time period. Like, at all, Ashton Walker, a junior, told CNN. We got to learn about Queen Nzinga and Idia. Theyre both very interesting because they were powerful women leaders who did amazing things for their kingdoms.

Walker, whos White, sees AP African American Studies as a means toward visibility for her Black peers, who get to be participants in their history.

It matters that we get to learn all these things as a society. We dont ever really get to hear about any of these figures or what they went through, she said. And my (Black) classmates deserve to hear this history. Its awesome that Ridge View is a majority-Black school and gets to help create this course.

Her mother, Nicole Walker, who was involved in bringing the pilot course to Ridge View and is the director of the schools Scholars Academy Magnet for Business and Law (she also was my 9th grade English teacher), echoed some of these sentiments.

We know that whats best for kids is for them to see themselves reflected in the curriculum, for them to celebrate their cultures, for them to feel valued, she told CNN. We know that a kid who feels safe and valued is going to do better in school.

Martin Luther King Jr. addresses crowds during the March On Washington, August 28, 1963. - Central Press/AFP/Getty Images

Jacynth Tucker, a senior, is intimately familiar with the power of inclusivity. She said that at a previous school, she and other Black students felt invisible.

I cant even remember a time when we really explored Africa  talked about the history and the culture, she told CNN. Being in a class where thats more of a focus is very special to me.

Further, the course gives Black Americans more dimension, per Clementine Jordan, a senior.

One activity I really liked was when our teacher showed us a collage and asked, What do all these people have in common? she told CNN. Their commonality was that theyre all Black. But the point of that discussion was that, yes, theyre all Black, but theres so much diversity within the Black community, within my community: diverse religions, gender expressions, sexualities, things like that.

Crucially, Soderstrom noted that AP African American Studies isnt a standard-issue history course, though it proceeds in a relatively chronological fashion and will eventually make its way to the US.

Were studying Black excellence and African American success through art, through literature, through culture, through dance, through mathematics, through science, through lawyering, he said. Its interesting that one day were looking at an art piece, the next day were listening to music, the next day were reading a poem and then the day after that were listening to a mathematician speak.

In other words, while the course charts struggles  including the mid-century civil rights movement  it also underscores Black excellence in a variety of disciplines.

Heightened classroom scrutiny

Its pretty much impossible to separate the debut of the AP African American Studies pilot course from the Republican-led racial panic looming over many schools.

According to an August analysis by PEN America, a literary and free expression organization, legislators in 36 states have introduced 137 laws this year restricting discussions about race, US history and gender in K-12 schools and higher education. This figure is a 250% increase over 2021.

And last month, the American Library Association predicted that the number of attempts this year to censor books in K-12 schools, universities and public libraries grappling with race, gender and sexuality will exceed 2021s record count. The ALA tallied 681 attempts between January 1 and August 31; the 2021 total was 729.

These attacks seek to determine what content is and isnt legitimate in an academic context; theyre part of a much broader counter-mobilization against efforts to topple racial and social hierarchies.

Were not seeing different political conflicts. Were seeing one big political conflict  one big reactionary political project, as Thomas Zimmer, a visiting professor at Georgetown University, where his research focuses on the history of democracy and its discontents, told CNN in July.

Yet Soderstrom minced no words: AP African American Studies is a vital course, regardless of anyones political affiliation.

Henry Louis Gates Jr. is one of the senior minds when were talking about American studies and African American history. He was quoted recently explaining that the course isnt political, Soderstrom said. Were teaching factual information, and everything is verifiable.

Lylou, a sophomore, shared this conviction.

Im a White person, and I wanted to take this class because I dont know that much about Black history, she told CNN. The course should be in the curriculum. Because why would we want to ignore this history?

(Lylous mother asked that her daughters last name not be included, given the intense political climate hovering over lessons about race in the US.)

The pilot course is expected to expand to include additional high schools next year and then be available to all interested schools the following year, per the College Board.

Ridge View kids, for their part, seem eager to see how the rest of the year unfolds.

The class is a learning opportunity for everybody. I take every interaction I have with anybody as a learning experience, McDaniels said.

Then, mirroring the same fundamental curiosity I had as a high school student nearly two decades ago, she added, Im just excited to see whats next.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Coleg Cambria signs up to a national scheme supporting employment in hospitality

Coleg Cambria has signed up to a national scheme designed to support employment and skills in the food and drink industry.

The college, which has sites in Wrexham, Deeside, Llysfasi and Northop, has backed the Food and Drink Careers Passport initiative. This will provide training and qualifications in areas including food handling, health and safety and allergens awareness.

Work-based Learning Manager Kate Muddiman attended the launch, held at the House of Commons in London, and said: Given the demand for new recruits in this sector the scheme will hopefully go some way to helping bridge the gap while supporting candidates through experience and education.

Many of the UKs biggest companies have pledged their support and there will be a focus on online learning so it will be an accessible and flexible way to explore opportunities in the industry and further afield.

She added: At Cambria we are well connected to the sector, in our region and nationally, so we are proud to support this and play our part in helping to shine a light on the amazing careers to be had in the food and drink arena.

Launched by the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink (NSAFD) and the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), the Careers Passport will speed up interview short-listing and job onboarding, saving time and money for manufacturers, and fast-tracking eager and committed new talent.

There are currently 6.3 vacancies per 100 employers in food and drink manufacturing  50% more than the national average. This initiative is an important step in helping industry tackle that issue.

Louise Cairns, Chief Executive of the NSAFD, said: The Careers Passport represents a step change in how the industry is opening its doors to eager new talent. Its positive proof that Passport holders have made a choice to seek a career in food and drink and put the work in to prove it.

More and more companies are recognising the value the Passport offers  both to their business and to jobseekers.

Alongside the FDF, weve been delighted by the weight of industry interest and involvement to date and were certain the official launch will make the Passport a familiar part of future recruitment strategies.

Among the businesses supporting the scheme are Mars, Coca-Cola, Britvic, Pukka and Premier Foods.
Released: September 20, 2022

Delaware County recognizes National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 to October 15. Each year, Americans observe the month by celebrating the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting each year on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, with the approval of Public Law 100-402.

The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively. Also, Columbus Day or Dia de la Raza, which is October 12, falls within this 30-day period.

As the diversity in Delaware County continues to grow, we recognize our responsibility as an employer and service provider to ensure that the Hispanic community feels reflected, respected, and intentionally engaged, said Lauren Footman, Delaware Countys Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer.

Delaware County affirms a commitment to continue educating the community about the rich heritage of the Countys employees, partners, and residents.

The County hired its first Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer in April 2022. The newly created position has a broad mandate to review current government operations, including, but not limited to operations of the Countys new health department, guidance to the Countys Human Resources Department and the Purchasing Office, support for Parks and Recreation, and support to criminal justice.

More information on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer can be found here: https://www.delcopa.gov/inclusion/
By Trend

The World Bank has said it will provide an additional $530 million in support to Ukraine, bringing the total aid by the bank to $13 billion, Trend reports citing Reuters.

The aid is supported by the United Kingdom ($500 million) and the Kingdom of Denmark ($30 million), the World Bank said in a statement.

Of the total aid of $13 billion to Ukraine to date, $11 billion has been fully disbursed, the bank added.

The World Bank's most recent analysis puts the total long-term cost of reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine over the next three years at well over $100 billion, said Arup Banerji, World Bank Regional Country Director for Eastern Europe.
Dozens gathered Wednesday afternoon for Habitat for Humanity of Bay County's 100th home dedication.

PANAMA CITY  Wednesday marked a milestone for Habitat for Humanity of Bay County as the local nonprofit celebrated its 100th home.

Members from Bay's Habitat for Humanity, Bay County Chamber and the community gathered for the home dedication for habitat's 100th home in Bay County. The home was built in honor of the late John Robbins, former president of Bay's Habitat, who passed away in 2021.

According to his family and friends, Robbins had a huge heart for the work of habitat and was committed to building habitat's 100th home. This home dedication took place on Robbin's birthday making it even more special to the organization.

New arts center: New arts center aims to transform Panama City. But where is funding coming from?

"When John became president of the organization, he put forth the goal of building the 100th habitat home in Bay County," said Shay Catrett, his former colleague. "And it's a bittersweet day for us because he's put a lot of hard work into this project for so many years."

Surrounded by family and friends, the Cole family was given a key to the new home along with a gift basket, Bible and toolbox. The mother, who asked not to be identified, put in more than 500 "sweat equity hours" working alongside many community volunteers. She said she is excited and grateful to be moving into her new home with her 14-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter.

Aaron Rich, vice president Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity of Bay County, said it's always a special moment to provide families a foundation for success and a better future.

"When you think about 100 homes in the community, so many lives are being changed," Rich said. "One by one, we can change lives through Habitat for Humanity, and that's what makes it so special. It's truly a team effort to make something like this happen."

Donation: CPAR donates $118K to Habitat for Humanity of Bay County for Panama City mom's new home

Rich explained that any family receiving a new habitat home must complete at least 500 sweat equity hours of volunteer work. Through that process, individuals learn the skills of construction and the investments it takes to build a new home. He added that four additional homes are currently being built in the same subdivision.

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"When we build homes, we will acquire parcels of land to where we can build multiple homes in areas of the city," Rich said. "And our volunteers are the ones that contribute to the physical construction of the homebuilding to help make this effort possible."

Habitat for Humanity of Bay County aims to stay committed to its mission of eliminating poverty housing within the community. Thanks to the dedication of pending homeowners and many local volunteers, along with donations of money and materials, the organization can build affordable homes. Once built, the homes are sold to the homeowners at a very affordable cost with a 0% interest loan.

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Bay County's Habitat for Humanity dedicates 100th home
Bill Nye the Science Guy has three little words for Republicans on a certain conservative network and an infamous, notorious host, who have been picking and choosing which climate change and hurricane data to share with their audience: Cut it out!

On Saturdays CNN Newsroom With Jim Acosta, Nye wagged an angry finger at Republicans who, he said, feed misleading science information to the denialist faction of their base.

When people ask me, what can we do about climate change, theres all sorts of things we can do, Nye told Acosta. We can address this. We can have better building codes. We can bury our power lines. We can have better infrastructure, more resilient escape routes. We can have trains in place, but we can have these things ready. But if we dont acknowledge theres a problem, were not going to get it done.

Also Read:

Hurricane Ian Hits Florida, Newscasters Brave Extreme Elements From the Frontline (Video Roundup)

The End Is Nye host then cut right to the chase. I just want to ask conservative lawmakers to cut it out! I understand that you want to get re-elected. I understand that you have this primary system which motivates you to get these hardcore conservative voters engaged. But, look, youve just just cut it out!

He went on to direct his ire at Fox News and Tucker Carlson, though not by name. He said a competitive network, conservative network and an infamous, notorious host showed a graph the night before that was cherry-picking the hurricane data, saying it had to make landfall in the Atlantic seaboard. It had to have, it had to come ashore, and it had to have a certain strength, Nye said. This data, its not an out-and-out lie, but it is absolutely misleading.

Nye, again, went all-in. I just ask everybody on the other side to cut it out! he shouted. Weve got hundreds of thousands of people suffering tremendously. Now, come on, lets get to work. This is the United States! Come on. Lets be world leaders, for crying out loud!

As of Saturday evening, at least 32 people are confirmed dead from Hurricane Ian, including 28 from Florida and four from North Carolina, and more than 1,000 having been rescued along Floridas southwestern coast. It is now a post-tropical cyclone heading northward, through South Carolina and across central North Carolina heading toward Virginia. Over 1 million Floridians remain without power.

Also Read:

Trevor Noah Suggests Ron DeSantis Might Fly Himself to Marthas Vineyard After Hurricane Ian Destruction (Video)
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday marked four years since the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Jamal Khashoggis murder 4 years ago was also an attack on freedom of expression everywhere, Blinken said on Twitter Sunday.

As we mourn Jamal, well continue to stand with and support human rights defenders, journalists, and others to protect fundamental freedoms worldwide, the secretary added.

US intelligence agencies have found that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved Khashoggis murder at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

Khashoggi was a U.S.-based journalist and Washington Post columnist critical of the crown prince.

President Biden during his 2020 campaign promised to make Saudi Arabia a pariah over the incident, but he traveled to Riyadh in July and met with bin Salman, drawing criticism for fist-bumping the crown prince in greeting.

Biden said after the visit that he had told bin Salman that he thought he was responsible for Khashoggis death, but reported that the Saudi leader denied personal responsibility. Saudi officials said Biden didnt mention Khashoggi.

A recent Wall Street Journal report released last week found a government panel recommended that Biden declassify the full report on the 2018 murder a few weeks before Bidens Saudi Arabia trip.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Rejoice, BooksLovers. Its fall.

Yup, each fall, publishers release big buzzy hits  the ones they hope might land on holiday shopping lists. Therefore, fall is basically BookLovers Season. The 22 crop is packed with gems. So many, that one Fall Release column would take up three newspaper pages.

So, as we did for Summer, each week Ill curate 5 New Fall Recommendations  that are available for you to read immediately. (I hate when I read about an awesome new book, and then see it won't release for three months.)

So you make the hot apple cider. Ill provide the reading list. Lets go.

Fen, Bog, & Swamp, by Annie Proulx

Fen, Bog, & Swamp, by Annie Proulx (Sept. 27.) Ive been a die-hard Proulx fan since The Shipping News. (And if youve never read that, do yourself a favor and add that to your fall list.) Here, the environmentalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Brokeback Mountain and Barkskins delivers a nonfiction elegy, showing concern for  and highlighting the importance of  the planets wetlands. Youll never look at a swamp the same way.

Maggie OFarrells latest, The Marriage Portrait.

As we learned from our Century Club lists, SouthCoast loved Maggie OFarrells Hamnet, about Shakespeares family. Dont miss Farrells latest, The Marriage Portrait, already a New York Times bestseller. According to the publishers synopsis:

Florence,1550s. Lucrezia, third daughter of the grand duke, is free to do as she pleases in the palazzo. But when her older sister dies on the eve of her wedding, Lucrezia is thrust into a marriage with the mystifying Alfonso. Is he the playful sophisticate he appeared to be? Or a ruthless politician? As Lucrezia sits for a marriage portrait, one thing becomes worryingly clear. She has one duty: to provide the heir. Until then, her future hangs in the balance

Lucy By the Sea, by Elizabeth Strout

Lucy By the Sea, by Elizabeth Strout (Sept. 20) Attention Strout fans: We have a new Lucy Barton book.

From the Pulitzer Prize winning bestselling author comes the next installment of Lucys life, set in pandemic lockdown. According to the publishers synopsis:

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As the world goes into lockdown, Lucy leaves life in Manhattan and flees to small-town Maine with her ex-husband and longtime friend, William. For the next several months, its just Lucy, William, and their complex past together in a little house nestled against the moody, swirling sea. They will not emerge unscathed

Less Is Lost, by Andrew Sean Greer

Less Is Lost, by Andrew Sean Greer (Sept. 20.) Less fans, rejoice. We have another Less installment. Greers hilarious 2017 novel Less, about failed novelist Artur Less, won the Pulitzer Prize and made many a notable list. Finally we have book two. According to the publishers synopsis:

Arthur Lesss life is going surprisingly well: hes now a moderately accomplished novelist in a steady relationship with Freddy. But nothing lasts: the death of an old lover and a sudden financial crisis has Less running away from his problems yet again as he embarks on a zigzagging adventure across the US with his pug Dolly and camper van, dubbed Rosina Of course, you cant outrun yourself.

Bliss Montage, by Ling Ma

Bliss Montage, by Ling Ma (Sept. 13). Short story fans, beeline to this National Indie bestselling collection. The author of the much-praised novel Severance, Ma delivers eight stories that pack a punch. In each, as the synopsis tells us, people are making their way through the madness and reality of our collective delusions: love and loneliness, connection and possession, friendship, motherhood, the idea of home. A woman lives in a house with all her ex-boyfriends. A toxic friendship grows up around a drug that makes you invisible. An ancient ritual might heal you of anythingif you bury yourself alive. Each tale is a wonder.

Until next week, BookLovers: Keep on readin on.

Lauren Daley is a book columnist and freelance writer. Contact her at ldaley33@gmail.com. She tweets @laurendaley1. Read more at https://www.facebook.com/daley.writer

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: BookLovers: 5 new fall releases to read
A police-involved shooting near Denver International Airport (DIA) left one person dead and an officer injured this morning, police said.

The shooting followed a police pursuit that ended in a crash near East 75th Avenue and Gun Club Road.

At 5:30 a.m. Saturday, the Aurora Police Department located a car involved in a robbery that occurred at 2 a.m. Officers attempted to contact the individuals in the vehicle, but the vehicle fled, according to a statement by Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas.

Aurora police followed the vehicle several miles and the chase ended in a crash. The driver exited the vehicle and threatened police with a long gun, police said, causing three officers to fire weapons. The suspect was declared dead at the scene. An Aurora officer was injured, but is in good condition, according to Thomas.

The passenger fled by foot and was captured nearby.

The Denver Police Department, Colorado State Patrol and Community Violence Intervention (CVI) will investigate the shooting and present the results to the Denver District Attorney for review, Thomas said.

Updates will come as more information is made known.
A still photo pulled from camera footage of a person of interest police are investigating in connection with five recent, similar homicides in Stockton.

STOCKTON, Calif.  Police in Northern California said they are investigating a person of interest in connection with five similar fatal shootings that have occurred across the city of Stockton over the past two months.

Police shared a blurry image of the person of interest pulled from security camera video: it showed a thin person dressed in dark clothing and photographed from behind while walking.

There are currently no other suspects, Police Chief Stanley McFadden said Friday. Police cannot rule out the possibility that more than one person could be involved, according to McFadden.

The five shootings police are investigating as part of the pattern of homicides took place in the northern part of the city between July 8 and Sept. 27, according to a police department statement. The victims were men with ages ranging from 21-to-54. All the shootings took place in the morning.

The location of five homicides police are investigating as part of a similar pattern of fatal shootings.

Although four of the five victims were Hispanic, there is "no indication that these are hate crimes," McFadden said. Some of the victims were homeless, he added.

More: At least 125 people killed during riot at an Indonesia soccer match

Dahmer: Jeffrey Dahmer killed 17 people. These are the victims and what we knew about them

The motive behind the homicides is "not at all" clear to investigators yet, McFadden said, but police do not believe the killings are gang-related.

The five fatal shootings occurred in dimly-lit areas overshadowed by trees, some close to apartment buildings, with no cameras, the police chief said. Investigators do not have video footage of any of the homicides in progress, or of a person of interest holding a gun, he said.

"Either this person or persons are very lucky with choosing where they're going, or they're doing their homework to go to locations where they feel there's no cameras," McFadden said.

(9/28/22)Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden holds a press conference at his office in downtown Stockton Wednesday Sept. 28, 2022 to address the recent number of homicides in the city. CLIFFORD OTO/THE STOCKTON RECORD

While referring to the killings as a "series of homicides," McFadden stopped short of calling the perpetrator or perpetrators a serial killer.

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"I don't know what this person is," he said of the person of interest whose photo was shared.

"We have a series of homicides (where) we have no evidence to tell if there are two or three" perpetrators, he said.

"By definition, you probably could very well call this a serial killing." Later he referred to them as "a series of killings."

At a press conference Wednesday, McFadden stated emphatically that police "have been provided absolutely zero evidence that leads us to believe that one individual is running rampant in the city of Stockton killing people." He said on Friday that he stood by his statement.

"At that time we had assumptions, but not facts. Now we know we have certain facts." McFadden said he was briefed on the person of interest Friday morning.

Police have gone door to door in the neighborhoods where the homicides occurred to inform people about how to keep themselves safe.

On Friday McFadden reiterated earlier warnings to travel with a companion if you must go out at night but to stay indoors if possible.

"Factual information will be brought on a regular basis as the investigation permits," he said. "We need to respect the survivors that have lost people to gun violence."

"There are grieving families that are deeply touched by these homicides, and I want to bring closure to them."

Follow Aaron Leathley on Twitter: @LeathleyAaron.

This article originally appeared on The Record: CA police search for person responsible for 'a series of killings'
In recent years, Delaware has begun to understand and embrace the scientific link between quality early learning experiences and our successful development as humans. As a leader behind one of the states oldest, most respected and busiest organizations serving the needs of children and their families, I say its time we push ourselves even further.

Families and providers have described a childcare crisis in Delaware for the last several years, prompting state leaders to invest historic amounts in child care subsidies earlier this year. The local business and nonprofit communities have rallied around childcare as a lever for economic growth. Weve also seen passage of local legislation that supports child and family wellbeing, like increased minimum wage and Paid Family Medical Leave. At the federal level, the 2021 child tax credit cut child poverty in half. The impact of investments like these on our society is significant.

Children & Families First reaches more than 20,000 Delaware children and families every year through our programming. Using brain science as the foundation of our work, we understand the deep well of research that undeniably proves trauma and adversity negatively impact health, safety and well-being. Its why we offer multi-generational, trauma-informed programs, services for childcare providers, evidence-based home visiting and no cost Head Start early childhood centers  and it is only the beginning of the positive change we can create in our communities when we are guided by evidence in the field that continues to push our thinking on why early childhood development is so critically important.

Classroom teacher Nicole Cardinale helps a student build a jungle at Appoquinimink Preschool Center in Middletown. Rep. Kim Williams says beefing up pre-K programs like this one have contributed to a gap in special education funding in later grades.

Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D., a giant in the field of early childhood and Director of the Harvard Center on the Developing Child, confirms that positive early childhood experiences not only impact brain growth, school readiness and later success  but also a childs immune system and lifelong health. In his piece, "Re-Envisioning Early Childhood Policy and Practice in a World of Striking Inequality and Uncertainty," Shonkoff calls upon us to leverage scientific advances in the field of adversity and resilience to address particularly pressing needs, including expanding the focus of the early childhood ecosystem beyond poverty and educational achievement to address the critical issue of systemic racism and its impacts.

From lack of access in underserved communities to an underpaid workforce thats supported overwhelmingly by women of color  childcare is an equity issue all the way around. Healthy, holistic services are often harder to access in low-income neighborhoods for a whole host of reasons, including systemic underinvestment in communities of color, leading to a cycle of poverty that can be difficult to untangle.

As advocates for a healthier early learning ecosystem, we were glad to see Gov. John Carney and legislators make historic investments in childcare and state-sponsored pre-K this year. It was a strong step forward  and with that momentum, it is imperative that we keep going.

The undeniable links between early brain growth and quality of life should be a headline in every budget meeting and committee hearing. As Shonkoff powerfully highlights:

All policies and programs that affect wellbeing during pregnancy and infancy present opportunities to promote lifelong health. Prenatal care and home visiting are important places to start, but persistent racial disparities in maternal health, preterm birth, low birth weight, and infant mortality underscore the need to confront the upstream effects of racism and poverty as early as possible.

We can all agree on the value of building thriving communities that support safe, healthy, nurtured children, resilient individuals and strong families. Quality, accessible, equitable supports for young children and families are proven investments with the power to reap those benefits for all of us.

To learn more about childcare advocacy in Delaware and how you can get involved, visit: www.firststateprek.com

Kirsten Olson is the chief executive officer at Children & Families First in Wilmington.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware is expanding supports for families. Let's keep going
KITTERY, Maine  Its not technically accurate to call Fridays relaunching of the Mervin F Roberts rescue boat a homecoming, but its safe to say the fully restored 1930s vessel is right where it belongs.

In a grand maritime ceremony two years in the making, the Roberts returned to the sea at the town dock at Kittery Point and was rowed by oar out to the former U.S. Life Saving Service station at nearby Wood Island. There, the boat was placed in a custom-made steel cradle and then hauled up a one-of-its-kind marine railway into the building, which is currently undergoing a $5.8 million renovation.

Among those manning the oars was the rear admiral in charge of the Coast Guards First District, and wooden boatbuilder Nate Greeley of York, Maine, the craftsman who restored the Roberts to its former glory. They led a parade of more than 35 watercraft of varying size and types from Pepperrell Cove to Wood Island, including kayaks, paddleboats, sailboats, motorboats, and a wooden rowboat built and manned by Traip Academy students.

It was very emotional, a lot of people got choked up, said Sam Reid, president of the Wood Island Life Saving Service Association. This was really a high-water mark, for Wood Island and the Coast Guard.

The old station, literally falling apart just a few years ago, eventually will be the site of a maritime museum, and the Roberts will be a featured attraction. As is the case for many stories in the 21st century, the path that brought the surfboat to its new home started on Facebook.

The backstory: The Wood Island miracle in Kittery

Back in 2020, WILSSA board member Laurence Bussey happened to notice a Facebook ad for an old surfboat. The craft turned out to be a rare Type SR Pulling Surfboat, meaning it was a revised version of an earlier model and powered by oar.

Whats more, experts say, this very same boat was previously berthed at the former Isles of Shoals station just outside Portsmouth Harbor, neighboring Kittery. Tim Dring, a maritime historian and former president of the U.S. Life Saving Service Heritage Association, said it is one of just a half-dozen of its type still in existence, and the only one that has returned to sea.

Story continues

Coast Guard Rear Adm. John Mauger gives a thumbs up after he and others row the Mervin F Roberts fully restored 1930s rescue boat successfully to the Wood Island Life Saving Station in Kittery, Maine, Friday, Sept. 30, 2022.

The Coast Guard had a little more than 100 of these vessels built in the 1930s and 40s at its shipyard in Curtis Bay, Maryland, according to Dring. The surfboats featured a watertight deck and self-bailing ports on each side, as well as air casings below-deck for added buoyancy.

Dring said the use of these boats was more a matter of tradition than necessity once motorized boats were brought into use, but for stations with beachfront, these lighter vessels were easier to handle through surf than a motor surfboat.

Up to eight crewmen would man the oars, while a coxswain took the stern with the steering or sweep oar. They could also carry up to 14 rescued passengers, in addition to the crew.

Among those manning the oars of the Roberts on Friday were Coast Guard Rear Adm. John Mauger and WILSSA board member/retired Coast Guard Capt. Jim McPhearson  sort of a living reflection of this unique branchs past and present.

Rowers gather to get their gear and new oars at Sam Reid's home in Kittery Point, Maine, before they rowed to Wood Island Lifesaving Station in the Mervin F Roberts, the fully restored 1930s rescue boat, Friday, Sept. 30, 2022.

More: A boatbuilding class links Traip students to Wood Island Life Saving Station

Roughly 125 people crowded onto the tiny island Friday for the event. A bagpiper performed at both the pier and the island, and the ceremony included a cannon salute as well. Coast Guard chaplain Floyd Grace gave a benediction. When it was all said and done, the Mervin F Roberts was home.

We werent really christening it, we were rededicating it, Reid said.

Who is Mervin F. Roberts?

This particular SR Pulling Surfboat was named for Mervin F. Roberts, a World War II Navy veteran and beloved longtime resident of Old Lyme, Connecticut.

Roberts once served as a board member and advocate for a boating school in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. In honor of his advocacy, the school named one of their boats after Roberts. In the late 1990s, when the institution was unable to repay Roberts for a loan, administrators signed over to him ownership of the boat bearing his name.

Roberts later had to sell the boat. But when the community of Old Lyme learned of Wood Islands interest in bringing it to a planned New England maritime museum, family and friends of the nonagenarian decided to raise funds to purchase the Roberts and donate it to WILSSA. Roberts, who was 98 years old at the time, had served the town for decades as a selectman, fire department chaplain, Boy Scout leader and member of various boards and commissions.

But most importantly for this particular story, Mervin Roberts was also a man of the sea. He served as a young Navy officer during World War II, earning four campaign medals, including two with combat stars. He remained in the Naval Reserve after the war, and later served Old Lyme as shellfish commissioner along with his other offices.

Unfortunately, Roberts passed away in December 2020, just a month after fundraising efforts kicked off to purchase his old boat. His obituary listed waterman among his several other accolades. And in honor of his 50 years as fire chaplain, his coffin was transported in a procession of Old Lyme fire engines to his burial site less than a week later.

Crew members on the Mervin F Roberts fully restored 1930s rescue boat successfully rowed to the Wood Island Life Saving Station in Kittery, Maine, Friday, Sept. 30, 2022.

Before he died, Roberts also gifted the Wood Island organization with a framed picture of a surfboat crew in action, which will someday hang in the museum.

On Friday, his daughter Edith Main brought a gallon of water from the Connecticut River to the Kittery Point ceremony to rededicate her dads old boat. Some was poured into the Piscataqua River, some was poured into the boat and some was consumed by participants. A contingent of about 25 folks from Connecticut made the trip to honor Roberts.

Although the surfboat's actual hull number has not yet been confirmed, Dring said this week we are reasonably confident that this particular boat did indeed serve at both Burnt Island and Isle of Shoals. Wood Island also had a similar boat when it was still active.

The Burnt Island station near Port Clyde in Maine, and the local station on Appledore Island were, like Wood Island, manned by surfmen of both the old Life Saving Service and the early US Coast Guard. Formally established in 1878, the Life Saving Service was made up of hardy men who would row out in wooden boats even during the stormiest of seas to aid mariners in distress. In 1915 under President Woodrow Wilson, the Life Saving Service was merged with the Marine Revenue Service to form the Coast Guard.

The boat which was to become the Mervin F Roberts was sold off as Coast Guard surplus in the 1960s before eventually making it to the River School in Connecticut.

The fully restored 1930s rescue boat Mervin F Roberts was relaunched Sept. 30, 2022 as an 8 person crew plus a coxswain rowed her to Wood Island U.S. Life Saving Station.

Once WILSSA obtained the Roberts, Greeley was brought in to work his magic. As recently as this week, he was still putting on the finishing touches in his shop at the Button Factory in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and, truth be told, the restored surfboat looked almost too beautiful to be returned to the sea. Its truly a work of art.

Everybody we talked to said, Youve gotta call Nate, Reid said recently of Greeleys 30-year reputation building wooden boats.

The restoration required all new wood, clinker-built, meaning it was put together by planks overlapping each other, according to Greeley. The project also included 4,000 copper rivets installed by hand, by Greeley alone.

The Roberts is 26 feet long and seven-and-a-half feet at its widest. An electrical battery system is tucked hidden out of sight beneath one of the boats benches, but its built for eight oarsmen, two to a bench, along with the steering oar.

The fully restored 1930s rescue boat Mervin F Roberts was relaunched Sept. 30, 2022 as an 8 person crew plus a coxswain rowed her to Wood Island U.S. Life Saving Station.

The keel is made from wood of the former New Castle home of famous American Impressionist painter Edmund Tarbell, which was destroyed by fire in 2016. Tarbell purchased the Greek Revival-style home in 1905 as his summer residence and built a studio in the back of the house, overlooking the Piscataqua River. The loss of this historic house shook the small town at the time, but now, in a small way, a piece of it is making history again.

From something terrible has come something wonderful, Reid likes to say.

The history of marine railway at Wood Island

Pan Am Railways  now known as CSX Transportation after a recent acquisition  provided the former train rails used to create Wood Islands unique marine railway and also built the boat cradle with galvanized steel, based on historic plans from 1922. In yet another Seacoast connection, the rails, originally constructed in the 1890s, were formerly used by Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

They were dismantled after World War II and then stored near Route 1 in Kittery for about 75 years, according to Reid.

The railway now in place at the former Wood Island station is believed to be the only such structure remaining in the entire country.

The station was deactivated in the 1940s after World War II, when the Coast Guard decided to relocate its Portsmouth Harbor station back to New Castle. The building is owned by the town of Kittery, but was headed for demolition after falling into disrepair from decades of sitting empty.

Since its creation in 2011, WILLSA has raised funds to restore the broken-down old structure back to its crimson-and-pearl prime. The museum planned for the site will celebrate the hardy souls  referred to as storm warriors by journalists of the day -- who manned the island and other Seacoast stations for more than a century.

Two wooden rowboats built by students at Traip Academy through a partnership program with WILSSA will also be kept at the island, located just off Kitterys Fort Foster.

The Portsmouth Harbor station was relocated to Wood Island in 1908, after the station at Jeffreys Point in New Castle was shut down. It was manned by the Life Saving Service until 1915, and then continued to operate as part of the US Coast Guard until 1948.

About $5.3 million has been raised for this project so far. Donations to complete the renovation efforts may be made at woodislandlifesaving.org.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Wood Island Life Saving Station in Kittery ME greets Mervin F Roberts
HOLLAND  With electric vehicles sharing our roads in ever-growing numbers, Ottawa County and Hope College have announced a partnership on a first-of-its-kind countywide electric vehicle charging assessment.

More:Locals discuss drive, barriers to going electric along the lakeshore

More:Gov. Whitmer unveils charging stations at Holland State Park

The study will help prepare Michigan's fastest-growing county for the era of the electric vehicle.

"The manner by which we'll travel by vehicle is changing," said Paul Sachs, director of Ottawa County's Department of Strategic Impact. "To prepare for an all-electric vehicle future, we need to understand our current infrastructure landscape and the anticipated needs of residents."

The county, already in the midst of conducting EV charger research, recognized an opportunity to collaborate with Hope College's Center for Leadership Consulting Program  which offers college students real-world experience in conducting research and solving problems for businesses, nonprofits and government organizations.

CFL was backed for the collaborative opportunity through Consumers Energy, the state's largest energy provider.

With guidance from the Department of Strategic Impact, four CFL students will conduct the assessment with mentor Bob Bieri, senior vice president and general manager for Lacks Enterprises, a Grand Rapids-based automobile parts manufacturer.

In Michigan, EV registrations climbed nearly 60 percent in the past year, according to Secretary of State data, and they've tripled in communities that Consumers Energy serves in less than three years.

"Ottawa County and Consumers Energy have given (students) an amazing opportunity to wrestle with how fast the EV automotive market will change in Ottawa County," Bieri said. "Envisioning and preparing for the needs and desires of consumers who have yet to participate in the EV market is an awesome challenge and it will require unique collaboration. We are truly grateful for this partnership."

Subscribe:Learn more about our latest subscription offers!

In Michigan, EV registrations climbed nearly 60 percent in the past year, according to Secretary of State data, and they've tripled in communities that Consumers Energy serves in less than three years. Consumers plans to power one million electric vehicles by 2030, and state leaders expect two million in total, as the auto industry, energy providers and policymakers make EV adoption more convenient and affordable.

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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer unveils new electric charging stations at Holland State Park.

"This is the time for Michigan to lay the groundwork for our state's transformation," said Lauren Snyder, vice president of customer experience at Consumers Energy. "Consumers Energy already has powered nearly 2,500 EV chargers for homes, businesses and the public, and we applaud Hope College and Ottawa County taking a strategic look at the community's needs."

Split into a fall and spring session, the project will include spatial and technical analyses of suitable charger locations  along with, but not limited to, equipment and maintenance options, ownership structures, best practices and a thorough cost-model of anticipated multi-year expenses and revenues, infrastructure needs, and limitations.

The study also aims to determine whether infrastructure is best supported by public tax dollars or privatization, or even a combination thereof.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Hope College partners with Ottawa County to conduct EV deep-dive
Photo credit: Hyundai

Hundreds of Hyundai and Kia vehicles have been stolen this year due to popular social media videos showing how easy it is to commandeer certain models that use a traditional key and do not have an engine immobilizer.

The new security kit will be available starting today for $170. It's expected Hyundai owners will be expected to pay for installation too, which could cost up to $500. Kia is not offering a similar security kit but is offering free steering wheel locks.

Multiple class action lawsuits have been filed about the issue, which started gaining popularity in Milwaukee late last year.

Hyundai has developed a $170 solution for anyone who hasnt had their vehicle stolen. Hyundai and Kia vehicles have been targets of car thieves in recent months because its incredibly easy to do so, and thieves are sharing how-to videos on social media. The raft of thefts is so bad that an average of six Hyundai vehicles are stolen each day just in Milwaukee, according to local news station WTMJ.

The nationwide rash of thefts has gotten so bad that Hyundai has finally come up with a solution. A new anti-theft security kit Hyundai developed in partnership with Compustar is now available. The kit includes both a kill switch and an alarm. Hyundai told Automotive News that the kit will be available at all of its 820 dealers in the U.S. and will take around two and a half hours to install. Hyundai is also working on a software fix for this issue.

Software Update Is in the Works Too

Hyundai spokesperson Ira Gabriel described the system as a "glass break sensor security kit that targets the method of entry used by thieves to break into these vehicles." He said customers can get them at Hyundai dealerships or at Compustar's authorized installers in the U.S. He also said Hyundai's update to software "to further secure these targeted vehicles" should be available for some Hyundai vehicles in the first half of 2023 with others to follow later.

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Vehicle owners will be expected to pay for the installation of the kit, which could cost up to $500, according to a lawyer working on one of many class action lawsuits against Hyundai over the issue. Automotive News said 15 different suits have been filed in 14 states. The lawsuits ask for monetary damages and for Hyundai to recall the affected models because the automaker did not install engine immobilizers as standard equipment until November 2021. For the past decade, Hyundai has offered stolen vehicle services for cars equipped with Bluelink. The connected technology can locate, slow down, or immobilize a stolen vehicle, but it does not make the vehicle less easy to steal in the first place.

Huge Spikes in Car Thefts

The trend of stealing Kias and Hyundais started in Milwaukee in December 2021 but has spread across the country. One law firm working on one of the class action suits is MLG, which said that there has been a 346 percent increase in thefts of both brands in Charlotte, North Carolina, and that, according to the police in Saint Petersburg, Florida,more than 40 percent of all car thefts there have been Kia and Hyundai models. All 2011 to 2021 Kia vehicles and 2015 to 2021 Hyundai vehicles (like the 2016 Accent pictured at top) equipped with standard key ignitions that lack an engine immobilizer are vulnerable to theft. Vehicles with a push-button start are not affected.

Kia is not yet offering an anti-theft kit but is giving out free steering wheel locks to owners. Hyundai is also handing out some free locks. Owners who want to buy the new system should be able to get it via dealerships after today (October 1) or, Hyundai says, they can contact Hyundai's Consumer Assistance line at 8006335151.



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Irish dance duo Belters Only have returned with another massive new single in the form of their new track Call Me.

The pair  comprised of DJs and producers Bissett and RobbieG  have already been taking over TikTok with the song ahead of its official release, capturing the imaginations of users on the app with its combination of soaring vocals, euphoric piano chords, and infectious melodies.

Call Me also comes with a music video that takes viewers into the atmosphere of Belters Onlys live shows. The visual is packed with clips of huge crowds united in joy during the acts sets at festivals and in clubs.

The new single follows previous acclaimed releases I Will Survive and Dont Stop Just Yet featuring Jazzy, the latter of which topped the Irish Soundcloud charts. Before that, the pairs debut single, Make Me Feel Good, released in summer of 2021, went viral after gaining popularity on Soundcloud.

The track went on to peak at No.4 on the Official UK Singles Chart and at No.1 on the Irish charts for two consecutive weeks while also racking up 61 million Spotify streams. It was also named as one of the Top 10 selling records in the UK so this year by the Official Charts Company.

Its success was propelled by TikTok, with the top five videos using Make Me Feel Good as their soundtrack accumulating over 2.5 million views, while more than 13,000 videos have been created using the song, garnering more than 13 million global views.

Next, Belters Only will head out on their debut UK and Ireland tour, calling at Manchester on October 14 and wrapping up the dates in Liverpool in November. Their headline show at Dublins The Academy sold out in under 60 seconds, with the duo shifting all their tickets faster than Harry Styles.

Buy or stream Call Me. View Belters Onlys live itinerary below.

Oct 14  Manchester, UK  Joshua Brooks

Oct 15  Cardiff, UK  Ten Mill Lane

Oct 22  Newcastle, UK  NX

Oct 29  Brighton, UK  The Arches

Oct 30  Dublin, IE  The Academy

Oct 31  Glasgow, UK  SWG3

Nov 11  London, UK  Egg

Nov 12  Bristol, UK  SWX

Nov 19  Liverpool, UK  Camp & Furnace

For the latest music news and exclusive features, check out uDiscover Music.

uDiscover Music is operated by Universal Music Group (UMG). Some recording artists included in uDiscover Music articles are affiliated with UMG.
A masked man Thornton, Colorado police believe to be Diego James Gettler, 28, during an alleged attempted kidnapping incident (Thornton Police Department)

A man in Colorado has been charged with second-degree kidnapping after his parents turned him in to a local police department.

Diego James Gettler, 28, allegedly grabbed a girl outside of a STEM Launch K-8 school in Thornton, Colorado on 23 September, police said.

According to police, the girl said she had just been dropped off at school and was waiting on the front steps when Mr Gettler approached and asked if she went to the school.

Mr Gettler then walked away before turning around, at which point the girl stood up and he allegedly gabbed her.

The male made her feel uncomfortable, so she stood up as he was walking back down the stairs, an affidavit obtained by People says. The male grabbed [her] at this point, in a manner she described as him wrapping his hands and arms around her waist from behind.

Diego James Gettler, 28 (Adams County Jail)

The arresting documents claimed that the girl screamed and Mr Gettler tried to cover her mouth with his hand.

She fought and managed to pull down a facemask he was wearing, which reportedly "spooked" him, and caused him to flee.

A figure police say is Mr Gettler was caught on camera running back to his car after the incident, entering from the passenger side door, and driving away.

Later the same day, police released photos from the surveillance camera showing Mr Gettler returning to his car after the alleged attempted abduction.

The images made it to his parents, who recognised the car and their son and tipped Thornton police off to his identity.

[His parents] stated Diego owns and operates a gray Saturn Aura which has damage on the driver side caused by an earlier car accident, the affidavit says. [His parents] further confirmed Diego has to enter the vehicle from the passenger side.

Mr Gettler was then arrested on 26 September at a Home Depot and was later booked into the Adams County Jail. His first court appearance is scheduled for 5 October.
Update, Oct. 13: Philip Gonshak withdrew from consideration, Loveland City Manager Steve Adams said during a forum for the finalists.

Original: Loveland city officials have named four finalists in their search to name the city's next police chief.

Chief Bob Ticer left the position this spring after he was chosen to lead the Prescott Valley Police Department in Arizona. Deputy Chief Eric Stewart has been serving as interim chief while city officials searched for Ticer's permanent replacement.

The names of four finalists were shared in a news release Thursday. Here are the finalists being considered to lead the department:

Timothy Doran

Doran has been the assistant police chief at Fort Collins Police Services since 2019. His prior law enforcement experience includes working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 1995 to 2016, when he retired from the agency. From 2016-2019, Doran was the director of service operations for Advanced Energy Industries, a manufacturing company based in Denver.

During his time with the FBI, Doran worked in several roles, including as a senior director on the president's National Security Council and as an assistant special agent in charge.

Doran has a master's degree in national security and resource strategy from the National Defense University and a bachelor's degree in general engineering from the U.S. Military Academy.

David Farrow

Farrow has been the deputy chief of the field operations bureau for the Goodyear Police Department in Arizona since 2020. He worked at the Peoria Police Department in Arizona from 2017-2020, where he was a lieutenant for the special enforcement section and patrol operations.

Prior to that, he spent 20 years with the Gurnee Police Department in Illinois from 1997-2017, starting as a police officer and rising through the ranks to sergeant and then commander.

Farrow has a masters degree in organizational leadership from Northern Arizona University and a bachelor's degree in administration of justice from Southern Illinois University.

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Philip Gonshak

Gonshak has worked at the Seal Beach Police Department in California since 2007, rising through the ranks from police officer to sergeant, lieutenant and then operations bureau commander before becoming chief in 2019.

Previously, Gonshak worked for the Tempe Police Department in Arizona from 2000-2006, working as a patrol officer and narcotics detective.

Gonshak has a masters degree in public administration and a bachelors degree in business administration from California State University, Long Beach. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy.

Anita Koester

Koester has been with the Lakewood Police Department west of Denver for 25 years. She has been division chief since 2016, first overseeing the investigations division and then overseeing the patrol division since 2020.

Koester began her career with the department in 1997 as a patrol agent and has held the ranks of detective, sergeant and commander prior to becoming a division chief.

She has a master's degree in organizational leadership from the American Military University and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Regis University. She is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy.

Loveland police chief finalists meet and greet

When: 5:30-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13

Where: Embassy Suites Hotel, 4705 Clydesdale Parkway, Loveland

What to expect: The meet-and-greet will open at 5:30 p.m., with an hour of presentations from the finalists beginning at 6 p.m. During the presentations, candidates will introduce themselves and answer questions from the city. Attendees will not be able to ask questions during the presentation, but they can speak to candidates before and after the presentation.

Attendees will have an opportunity to provide feedback on comment cards at the event that will be reviewed as part of the selection process.

Registration is not required. Light snacks will be provided.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Meet the finalists hoping to become Loveland's next police chief
A police badge for detectives. Douglas Sacha/Getty Images

A recording depicts a North Carolina sheriff, Jody Greene, threatening to fire Black officers.

The audio was said to be recorded in 2019 by a sheriff's captain who's now running against Greene.

In a statement, Greene denied "any racial intent or actions on my part."

A sheriff in North Carolina is said to have resigned from a state sheriffs organization after he was caught on tape threatening to fire Black officers in his department.

"I'm sick of it. I'm sick of these Black bastards," Jody Greene said in the recording, obtained by the local NBC affiliate WECT. "I'm going to clean house and be done with it. And we'll start from there."

A different local outlet, WITN, reported that Greene, the sheriff of Columbus County in the southeastern part of the state, had resigned from the sheriffs group, the North Carolina Sheriffs' Association.

The audio obtained by WECT depicted a conversation said to have taken place in February 2019 between Greene and Jason Soles, a captain in the sheriff's department at the time who is now running against Greene in this year's Columbus County sheriff's election. Both Soles and Greene are white.

Greene won a close race for sheriff in 2018 against the incumbent Lewis Hatcher, but Greene faced public challenges over his eligibility, and Hatcher sued to remain sheriff while Greene's eligibility was investigated.

The compromise was for Soles to become acting sheriff during the investigation, and Soles told WECT that he began receiving late-night phone calls from Greene soon after that happened.

In Soles' telling, Greene thought someone in the sheriff's department was leaking information to Hatcher or a recently fired sergeant named Melvin Campbell. Both Hatcher and Campbell are Black.

Soles told WECT that he started recording one of the conversations between him and Greene after Greene made a comment saying he hated Black Democrats.

"Tomorrow's going to be a new fucking day. I'm still the motherfucking sheriff, and I'll go up and fire every goddamn [inaudible]. Fuck them Black bastards. They think I'm scared? They're stupid," Greene said in the audio obtained by WECT. "I don't know what else to do it. So it's just time to clean them out. There's a snitch in there somewhere telling what we are doing. And I'm not going to have it. I'm not going to have it."

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In the recording, Greene appeared to threaten to fire anyone associated with his political opponents.

"We'll cut the snake's head fucking off," Greene said. "Period. And Melvin Campbell is as big a snake as Lewis Hatcher ever dared to be. Every Black that I know, you need to fire him to start with, he's a snake."

WECT said that it had contacted Soles after a reporter got a tip about the recording's existence and that Soles only reluctantly agreed to an interview. It cited him as saying he and his supporters had first sought to bring the recording to the attention of various state and local officials.

Columbus County Attorney Jon David told WECT that he learned about the recording for the first time on September 26 and that Greene's comments were not a criminal violation but did raise concerns over the prospect of biased policing.

Greene argued in a statement that Soles altered the phone recording to further his campaign.

"The video has been altered to give Jason Soles' audience a distorted and misleading view Solely intended to further his campaign," Greene said in the statement. "As shown on the screen, the phone conversation lasted over 8 minutes. Jason only submitted 6 minutes of video to WECT for viewing, indicating the video has been altered."

"In my opinion, Jason's intent with the recording was to further incite racial division and to use the racial division to pursue his personal agenda of a political run for office," Greene said in the statement.

Greene also denied "any racial intent or actions on my part."

"I acknowledge there were racial tensions during the 2018 certification of the election and that the media and some members in the community were referring to the two political sides as black and white," Greene said.

Correction: October 3, 2022  An earlier version of this story misstated the position from which Jody Greene resigned. Greene resigned from a state-level sheriffs organization, not as sheriff.

Read the original article on Insider
Joseph was the favored son in a family of 12 sons. He was on the path to power, influence and prominence in his family. Then, in a moment of time, everything was gone. Joseph was betrayed by his own brothers and sold as a slave.

But what no one could see in all this trouble surrounding Josephs life is stated clearly in Genesis 39:2: And the Lord was with Joseph. Let me share with you the ways God blessed this young man and how He wants to bless you and me.

It seemed that everything was falling apart for Joseph  the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaohs officials, the captain of the guard (Genesis 37:36). God set everything up like it needed to be so that Joseph arrived exactly where he needed to be at the exact moment he needed to be there. While the events of Josephs life appeared to be out of control, they were actually being controlled by God. You see, Joseph was being protected by the Lord.

We have Gods promise that all things work together for our good (Romans 8:28). Things happen in life that do not make sense, but it doesnt change the fact that Gods in control of everything. Gods purpose in our trials is not to hurt us but to develop us. We can trust Him to protect us and grow us. God is in control!

When Joseph arrived in Egypt he had nothing but his character. It was still intact! Genesis 39:2-4 says, The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered  when his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes   Joseph prospered because his character caused him to be faithful to God and to Potiphar. As a result, God blessed his life.

God protected, prospered and promoted Joseph. Potiphar put him in charge of  everything he owned. From the time  all that he owned, the Lord blessed  because of Joseph (Genesis 39:4-5).

Joseph lived a godly life. He glorified God and God promoted him and used him in a powerful way. The Lord will do the same in your life and mine. If He can trust us with the tasks He assigns to us, He will entrust us with greater things down the road. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much (Luke 16:10). God will use us when we get in a place of usability!

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God used the trials in Josephs life to shape him into the man He desired him to become. No matter how hard life becomes, if you are saved, the same thing that was said about Joseph is true about you: And the Lord was with him  you do not face your trials alone.

Rev. J. Patrick Street is the lead pastor of Redeemer Church in Marion. He can be reached at coachpatstreet@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: God controlled and protected Joseph
18th Judicial District Attorney John Kellner at a news conference last June announcing a major drug bust by his office and other law enforcement agencies. Kellner is running for Colorado attorney general. (Associated Press)
Having witnessed numerous funerals, I think its safe to say that the recent funeral of Queen Elizabeth was unlike any seen in living memory. I watched the edited BBC version rather in awe and not only because of the impressive pageantry and solemnity. As a writer, Im a sucker for liturgy, and it is hard to beat the Anglican Book of Common Prayer for its beautiful liturgical language.

It was only later that I realized I should have exercised some critical judgment. I imagine that a good many Americans watched the pomp of the queens state funeral with some envy that we dont have anything like it. But as Americans we shouldnt be envious for constitutional reasons, and I can hear one of my former teachers whispering in my ear that Christians definitely shouldnt be, because it is a shorter step than we realize from the magnificent funeral we just witnessed to the near-fascist Christian nationalism of people like U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.).

Cary McMullen

The queens funeral was conducted by the Church of England, which is established by law and tradition as the official religion of the United Kingdom. It is essentially the religious arm of the British state. Its clergy are paid out of the royal treasurys tax revenue, and its bishops are nominally the equivalent of aristocracy. The instruments of state, the crown, orb and scepter, were taken from the queens coffin and placed on the churchs altar. Thats the way it has worked in many Christian-majority countries ever since Constantine made Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire in the fourth century.

The result often is a fusion of religious and national identity. To be British is to be Anglican. To be French, Catholic, etc. If youre not part of the established religion, youre viewed as an outsider.

The writers of the Constitution, appalled at the wars of previous centuries that were driven by religious fervor, rejected that arrangement. In America, religion is disestablished. There is no state religion, no official coercion to join a particular sect, and support for all religious groups  financial or otherwise  is strictly voluntary.

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It's a system that has worked for us, with occasional glitches, and American Protestants especially over the years have been among its biggest fans. Why? Because it means that religions are not beholden to the government for their existence. They are free to worship as they please, criticize the government if they wish and not worry about biting the hand that feeds them. They remain independent of the halls of power, uncompromised.

Thats the theory. In practice, its awfully hard to resist the siren call of power and influence. Until the 1960s, Protestants were comfortably cozy with the leaders of government, and they were used to basking in the glow of power. When that began to change and they found they were just one more voice demanding their point of view be heard, alongside Catholics, Jews, Muslims, atheists, pagans, you name it, there was a lot of angst.

And pushback. What was the Moral Majority of the 1980s and 1990s if not an attempt by conservative Protestants to muscle their way into positions of power and take back the influence they believed they had lost?

Now we are seeing the logical endpoint of that trajectory in the so-called Christian nationalism that claims America always has been and should be a Christian nation. It was most painfully evident at the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, where God, fanatic nationalism and violence were stirred together in a toxic brew. Even after the riot was quelled and condemned, its participants arrested and convicted, we still have public figures like Lauren Boebert openly rejecting the disestablishment of religion and implying that Christianity (the conservative Protestant variety, presumably) should be the official religion of America. All other beliefs, eh, to hell with them.

Admiring the grandmotherly figure of Queen Elizabeth, it's easy to forget that a more genteel version of Boeberts philosophy was precisely that of Elizabeths recent ancestors. The establishment of a state religion isnt just a bad political idea. Its a very bad idea for that religions followers as well, because as was said of the medieval popes, power corrupts.

Cary McMullen is a retired journalist and the former religion editor of The Ledger.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: A short step from queens funeral to Boebert
A mahout with his face covered rides on an elephant while training for tourist shows at Ban Ta Klang elephant village in Surin, Thailand (Reuters)

In the northeastern village of Ban Ta Klang in Thailand, Siriporn Sapmak starts her day by doing a livestream of her two elephants on social media to raise money to survive.

The 23-year old, who has been taking care of elephants since she was in school, points her phone at the animals as she feeds them bananas and they walk around the back of her family home.

Siriporn says she can raise about 1,000 baht (23.73) of donations from several hours of livestreaming on TikTok and YouTube, but that is only enough to feed her two elephants for one day.

Pensri Sapmak sits inside her house as one of her elephants rests out back in Ban Ta Klang elephant village (Reuters)

An elephant, a baby and a man in Ban Ta Klang (Reuters)

It is a new  and insecure  source of income for the family, which earned money before the pandemic by doing elephant shows in the Thai city of Pattaya. They top up their earnings by selling fruit.

Like thousands of other elephant owners around the country, the Sapmak family had to return to their home village because the pandemic decimated elephant camps and foreign tourism ground to a virtual halt.

We are hoping for tourists to [return]. If they come back, we might not be doing these livestreams any more, Siriporn says.

Mahouts with 53-year-old male elephant Thong Bai (Reuters)

Chained elephants reach to touch trunks (Reuters)

If we get to go back to work, we get a [stable] income to buy grass for elephants to eat.

Edwin Wiek, founder of Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, estimates that at least 1,000 elephants in Thailand would have no proper income until more tourists return.

Thailand has between 3,200 and 4,000 captive elephants, according to official agencies, and about 3,500 in the wild.

Baby elephant Pangmaemae Plainamo takes a bath (Reuters)

An elephant is forced to play basketball during a show for local tourists (Reuters)

Wiek says the livestock development department needs to find some kind of budget to support these elephants.

Otherwise, I think its going to be difficult for most families to keep them alive, he says.

The families in Ban Ta Klang, the epicentre of Thailands elephant business, located in Surin province, have cared for elephants for generations and have a close connection with them.

A mahout named Sak, 55, poses with his elephant (Reuters)

Two elephants touch each other after performing in a painting show for local tourists (Reuters)

Elephant shows and rides have long been popular with tourists, especially the Chinese, while animal rights groups criticism of how elephants are handled there has given rise to tourism in sanctuaries.

Story continues

We are bound together, like family members, Siriporns mother Pensri Sapmak, 60, says.

Without the elephants, we dont know what our future will look like. We have today thanks to them.

An elephant is chained by a tree while being tamed in Ban Ta Klang (Reuters)

A chained elephant in the rain (Reuters)

The government has sent 500,000kg of grass across multiple provinces since 2020 to help feed the elephants, according to the livestock development department, which oversees captive elephants.

Elephants, Thailands national animal, eat 150kg to 200kg each day, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society.

However, Siriporn and her mother say they have not yet received any government support.

An elephant with bones showing through its skin is chained outside a mahouts house in Ban Ta Klang (Reuters)

An elephant rides in a truck in Ban Ta Klang (Reuters)

This is a big national issue, says livestock development department director-general Sorawit Thanito.

He says the government plans to help elephants and their caretakers and that measures along with a budget will be proposed to cabinet, without giving a time frame.

While the government is expecting 10 million foreign tourists this year, some say this might not be enough to lure elephant owners back to top tourist destinations.

Who has the money right now to arrange a truck? And how much security [do] they have that they are really going to have business again when they go back? says Wiek.
The ruptures on the Nord Stream pipelines in recent days have produced likely the largest single release of methane into the atmosphere ever recorded, according to the United Nations Environment Program.

Manfredi Caltagirone, the leader of the programs International Methane Emissions Observatory, told Reuters on Friday that an analysis of satellite imagery detected a large amount of highly concentrated methane coming from the pipelines.

This is really bad, most likely the largest emission event ever detected, Caltagirone said. This is not helpful in a moment when we absolutely need to reduce emissions.

Multiple leaks have occurred in the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, which carry natural gas from Russia to Germany to supply Europe.

Some European leaders have said they believe the leaks resulted from intentional sabotage by Russia, who is trying to increase economic pressure on Europe as it continues to support Ukraine against the full-scale Russian invasion.

President Biden reportedly called the leaks a deliberate act of sabotage, and Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) said they were likely an act by Russia.

Reuters reported that researchers estimated the leak rate from one of the four breaches was 22,920 kilograms per hour, about equal to burning 630,000 pounds of coal every hour.

Methane has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over the first 20 years in the atmosphere, although carbon dioxide has a longer lasting effect, according to the Environmental Defense Fund.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Western countries of sabotaging the pipelines that run under the Baltic Sea, claims the West has rejected.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Ohio State continued its impressive play by taking care of Rutgers on Saturday thanks to a punishing running game that controlled the clock and the momentum. It was a little different than what we normally see with quarterback C.J. Stroud taking to the air to put up gobs of yards and touchdowns.

Ryan Day was happy with the result and met with the media afterward to discuss the game and what he saw from his team. If you didnt catch any of his comments, we have them here thanks to the Ohio State Buckeyes Facebook page.

You can listen to Day discuss the mild dust-up of words between him and Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano, some injury concerns, Miyan Williams big day and more.

Ohio State now turns the page quickly to prepare for its first road trip, to East Lansing, to take on Michigan State on Saturday.

List

Five things we think we learned from Ohio State football's win over Rutgers

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on Twitter.

Let us know your thoughts, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Story originally appeared on Buckeye Wire
While not a collaboration, theres no denying that Frank Zappa helped bring Captain Beefhearts game-changing Trout Mask Replica to fruition. Yet while both were demanding bandleaders busy tearing up the rulebook and redefining the lexicon of rock  Zappa with his satirical deconstructions of rocknroll, Beefheart with his primal, blues-indebted exhortations  they were also headed down divergent paths. Zappa left nothing to chance, planning everything to the final detail. Beefheart, meanwhile, worked in a creative hurricane that sometimes seemed as chaotic as his stream-of-consciousness lyrics. An acrimonious split between the two personalities would take several years to mend.

In the mid-70s, however, both were at a crossroads. Zappa was about to say goodbye to his long-time band The Mothers Of Invention, while Beefheart, following his divisive foray into more overtly commercial territory, found himself casting around for a new Magic Band. Burying the hatchet, the two hit the road for a brief spring US jaunt in 1975, portions of which were captured on tape for Zappas 1975 album Bongo Fury, part recorded in the studio, part recorded at the World Armadillo Headquarters in Austin, Texas.

Speaking to Rolling Stone magazine early in the tour, Zappa revealed that Beefheart had made the initial contact, calling up to praise his 1974 album Apostrophe () and also to make amends for things once said. He apologized for all the garbagio and asked for a job, Zappa said, adding, The Captain repented. He had been real confused.

Not that Beefhearts job was a given: he initially failed auditions, thanks to what Zappa termed a problem with rhythm; finally, he squeaked by just before the tour kicked off. By the time they recorded Bongo Fury, however, the opposing forces had found a happy union. Beefheart emerged as an electric preacher man poised somewhere between haranguing the people and producing visionary incantations. Meanwhile, Zappa and the Mothers flexed their reliably assured musicianship, driven by newcomer Terry Bozzio on drums.

Released on October 2, 1975, the album took three months to get notice in Rolling Stone, who panned it in a dismissive January 1, 1976 review. But Bongo Fury has since risen in stature and continues to give fans much to chew over: Zappa acolytes can argue for the supremacy of their hero on an album that catches the last gasp of one of his most celebrated line-ups; Beefheart fans can assert the artistic relevance of the Captain following the safe-playing outings Unconditionally Guaranteed and Bluejeans & Moonbeams.

Indeed, its on one of two Beefheart showcases that both sides arguably rise to their finest moments on the record. I usually played such things as roughneck and thug, he says on Sam With The Showing Scalp Flat Top. With the Mothers punctuating his phrasing, Beefheart continues: Opaque melodies that would bug most people. Music from the other side of the fence. A black swan figurine lay on all color lily pads. On a little conglomeration table of pressed black felt. By the time he starts bellowing the two words that gave the album its title, the Mothers slide in line, seemingly out of nowhere settling into Louie, Louie  one of Zappas many reworks of the song.

A clutch of studio recordings also appeared on the album: 200 Years Old, Cucamonga and the intro to Muffin Man dating back to the January 1975 sessions for One Size Fits All. Though while these catch the Mothers in fine form, its the live tracks that most fans return to.

Coming off the road, Beefheart returned to the studio with a new band, recording the ill-fated Bat Chain Puller for Zappas DiscReet imprint. Those tapes would remain in legal limbo until 2012, causing yet another rift between the two school friends. Despite never quite patching things up again, the Captain nevertheless understood Zappas art. Frank is probably the most creative person on this planet, he declared during the 1975 tour. He writes things for instruments that havent even been invented Hes another Harry Partch.

Words which Beefheart fans might well deem suitable for their own hero.

Bongo Fury can be bought here.

For the latest music news and exclusive features, check out uDiscover Music.

uDiscover Music is operated by Universal Music Group (UMG). Some recording artists included in uDiscover Music articles are affiliated with UMG.
Aurora, Colorado police fatally shot a male robbery suspect they said threatened them with a gun following a vehicle chase that ended by Denver International Airport on Saturday, authorities said at a news conference.

Denver's chief of police, Ron Thomas, said two male suspects robbed a 7-Eleven store in Aurora around 2 a.m. Saturday morning before fleeing the scene in a small black SUV.

Around 5:00 a.m. Aurora police saw and began to pursue the vehicle toward Denver's airport, executing an immobilization technique that caused the SUV to crash, Thomas said.

1 teen dead, 1 critically injured in high school homecoming game shooting

"We understand that a police pursuit, high-speed pursuits are inherently dangerous," Thomas told reporters on Saturday. "And so, we want to end those as quickly as we possibly can when it's safe to do so. I think those officers believed that this remote location was a safe location in order to perform that maneuver."

Thomas said the suspect driving the car took out a long gun and threatened officers, prompting three Aurora cops to shoot the suspect.

Denver paramedics arrived and began to administer aid, but the suspect was pronounced dead on the scene. The second suspect was arrested.

5-year-old boy, 17-year-old boy gunned down in drive-by shooting; toddler injured

An Aurora police officer did suffer injuries during the crash, a police official told ABC News. Although, no other officers were injured in the shooting.

Aurora and Denver's police are conducting a joint investigation into the incident.

Colorado police shoot and kill robbery suspect near Denver airport originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Six unprovoked murders of men ages 21 to 54 over the last few months appear to be the work of one person, according to police in Stockton, California.

Authorities are searching for a person of interest tied to the six slayings. All of the victims were men and all were alone at the time they were fatally shot, police said. The killings all happened at night or in the early morning hours.

MORE: 1 teen dead, 1 critically injured in high school homecoming game shooting

Police released only a few details about the string of murders and when they happened: a 35-year-old man fatally shot at 12:31 a.m. on July 8; a 43-year-old man fatally shot at 9:49 p.m. on Aug. 11; a 21-year-old man fatally shot at 6:41 a.m. on Aug. 30; a 52-year-old man fatally shot at 4:27 a.m. on Sept. 21; and a 54-year-old man fatally shot at 1:53 a.m. on Sept. 27.

Police said late Monday that another homicide investigation had been linked to the case: The shooting death of a 40-year-old Hispanic man in Oakland, Calif., at 4:18 a.m. on April 10, 2021.

Another shooting, of a 46-year-old Black woman at Park Street and Union Street in Stockton at 3:20 a.m. on April 16, 2021, was also linked to the investigation, police said. The woman survived her injuries in that shooting, they said.

Stockton police told ABC News that all of the victims were ambushed, none were robbed and none of the incidents were drug- or gang-related. Police also told ABC News they have physical evidence linking the five crime scenes together.

PHOTO: Stockton, Calif., police released a photo of a person of interest in the murders of five men in the city since July. (Stockton Police Department)

On Monday, San Joaquin County's Office of the Medical Examiner identified the victims. Paul Yaw, 35, was killed on July 8; Salvador Debudey Jr., 43, died on Aug. 11; Jonathan Hernandez Rodriguez, 21, was killed on Aug. 30; Juan Cruz, 52, was the Sept. 21 victim; and Lawrence Lopez Sr., 54, was slain on Sept. 27.

Lorenzo Lopez "was just a person who was out here at the wrong place at the wrong time at the wrong circumstance," his brother Jerry Lopez told ABC Sacramento affiliate KXTV. "It's hard to process that this has happened. I mean, me and my brother have been like twins. We were a year a part so we were pretty close."

Story continues

PHOTO: In this undated photo released by the Lopez family, Lorenzo Lopez is shown. (Jerry Lopez Family)

Paul Yaw "was a good boy who grew into a good man with a big heart. He will always live on in our hearts. He was always there for you if you needed him," the family said in a statement to ABC News. "He was a son, brother, father, grandson, nephew and cousin. I still can't believe he's not coming back."

PHOTO: Paul Alexander Yaw, 35, was one of the victims of a serial killer in Stockton, Calif. (Greta Bogrow)

MORE: America's gun violence problem by the numbers

The city of Stockton said it was putting forward a $75,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the investigation. Stockton Crime Stoppers is posting an additional $10,000 reward.

PHOTO: Stockton, Calif., police released the locations of five murders believed to be committed by the same person since July 8. (Stockton Police Department)

The day after Lopez's killing, Stockton police said they were not sure if the killings were related.

MORE: America's gun violence problem by the numbers

"[We're] still looking at it from a random point of view, but we do see some similarities," Police Chief Stanley McFadden said Wednesday. "We have been provided absolutely zero evidence that leads us to believe that one individual is running rampant in the city of Stockton killing people."

But that changed two days later when the department tied the five killings together and released an image of a person of interest.

ABC News' Caroline Guthrie, Alyssa Pone and Lisa Sivertsen contributed to this report.

Stockton police search for apparent serial killer tied to 6 murders, victims' IDs released originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
LOUISVILLE, Ky.  Former President Donald Trump intensified his attacks on U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell with a Friday evening social media post tying the Kentucky Republican to measures backed by Democrats and saying the senator has a "death wish."

Trump's comments, posted on his Truth Social platform, also mocked McConnell's wife, Elaine Chao, calling her "his China loving wife, Coco Chow."

Chao, who served as Trump's secretary of transportation during his time in the White House, was born in Taiwan. Chao resigned after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

The Courier Journal reached out to McConnell's office but did not receive a response.

More: Who is Elaine Chao? Here's what to know about the former Transportation secretary

Sen. Mitch McConnell, with wife Elaine Chao beside him, gave his acceptance speech from the Omni Hotel in Louisville after defeating Democrat Amy McGrath in the 2020 election. McConnell is the longest-serving U.S. senator for Kentucky in its history -- since 1985. Nov. 3, 2020

McConnell and Trump worked in tandem during Trump's presidency  most notably to load the federal judiciary with conservative judges and appoint three like-minded justices to the U.S. Supreme Court.

But after the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, their relationship soured when McConnell said Trump was practically and morally responsible for provoking the events at the Capitol. Later, though, McConnell voted to acquit Trump of inciting the insurrection during Trump's second impeachment trial later in 2021.

Trump comments draw criticism

A swath of political observers denounced Trumps use of a racial slur against Chao and said his statement about a McConnell death wish could be interpreted as a threat against the top Senate Republican.

Trump is not even trying to hide the racism at this point. Just despicable, tweeted Alyssa Farah Griffin, a White House communications director during the Trump presidency.

In another tweet, she said: This isnt some crazy person on the internet, this is the GOP front-runner for President if the Party doesnt wake up & demand better.

Laurence Tribe, a Harvard law professor emeritus and prominent critic of Trump, tweeted that the death wish comment could easily be read by Trumps combustible supporters as inviting assassination.

Story continues

McConnell backed government funding bill

Trump's Friday night post came shortly after President Joe Biden signed a funding bill that would keep the government operating until Dec. 16 and provide more funding for Ukraine and more assistance for communities battered by natural disasters.

McConnell supported the measure, which passed the Senate 72-25.

Is McConnell approving all of these Trillions of Dollars worth of Democrat sponsored Bills, without even the slightest bit of negotiation, because he hates Donald J. Trump, and he knows I am strongly opposed to them, or is he doing it because he believes in the Fake and Highly Destructive Green New Deal, and is willing to take the Country down with him? Trump wrote. In any event, either reason is unacceptable. He has a DEATH WISH. Must immediately seek help and advise from his China loving wife, Coco Chow!

McConnell has been critical of the Green New Deal since it was unveiled. The Democratic proposal focuses on fighting climate change and creating jobs. McConnell called it "a socialist fantasy to wreck our economy" in 2019.

Throughout Trump's regular and pointed criticism of McConnell and Chao, the senator has stayed mum. In August, Trump referred to McConnell as a "broken down hack" and said he was busy helping his wife "get rich on China."

Asked at the time by a Courier Journal reporter if he wanted to respond to those comments, McConnell gave a one-word answer: "No."

Reach Rob Byers at rbyers@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @RobertJByers.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Trump intensifies criticism of Kentucky senator, alleges Biden help
QUINCY  The smells, sounds and tastes of Albania will be on display in Quincy's Kilroy Square on Sunday, Oct. 2, for the first Greater Boston Albanian Festival hosted by restaurateur Leo Keka.

Keka, an Albanian immigrant who owns the Alba restaurants in Quincy and Hanover, said he was inspired by a feast that used to be held by three Albanian churches in South Boston. The gathering, full of food and music, turned into a quasi-family reunion and a chance for members of the community to connect, he said.

Restaurateur Leo Keka, owner of Alba in Quincy Center, on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019.

"Everybody would get together and it was nice," he said. "There are still two Albanian churches in South Boston, but as the generations grew, some people started to forget their roots. We decided we needed to get that back, needed to get together all of the Albanians in Massachusetts."

The festival will take place from noon to 5 p.m., admission is $10 per person and is free for children. All food will be provided by Alba and is included in the price of the ticket.

Newsmaker: Leo Keka went from Albanian immigrant to Quincy restaurateur

There will be traditional Albanian cuisine  which Keka describes as a mashup of Italian, Greek and Mediterranean food  including spinach pies, cheese pies, bean soup and roasted lamb, as well as music and a costume contest for kids who dress in their best traditional Albanian outfits. Keka said he expects about 1,000 people to stop by throughout the day.

"There will be a lot of Albanian pride," he said. "Everybody is welcome. ... I'm going all in with this. I'm enjoying the idea of getting us all together and enjoying our culture and celebrating where we came from."

A look back: 10 modern-day Quincy buildings that used to be something else

Blueberry season ends: How the summer drought affected New England growers

The festival will honor the Rev. Arthur Liolin, a former longtime priest at the St. George Albanian Orthodox Cathedral in South Boston.

Story continues

"He's been instrumental in keeping the traditions alive in the Albanian community," said retired Judge Bob Tochka, who is helping to organize the event. "He is very well respected. There probably isn't a photo of an Albanian wedding or baptism (at the church) that he's not in. He's been very influential in a lot of people's lives."

If the festival goes well, Keka said he hopes to make it a regular event.

The Greater Boston Albanian Festival hosted by restaurateur Leo Keka will take place in Quincy's Kilroy Square on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022.

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Patriot Ledger subscription. Here is our latest offer.

Reach Mary Whitfill at mwhitfill@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Festival to celebrate Albanian culture, togetherness in Quincy
Dan Wieden attends the Ghetto Film School Annual Benefit Gala Celebrating Cinematic Education at The Standard Hotel on June 13, 2012 in New York City. Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

Dan Wieden, cofounder of the ad agency Wieden and Kennedy, died on Friday at age 77.

Wieden was best known for dreaming up Nike's iconic "Just Do It" tagline.

Wieden and Kennedy is known for its offbeat culture and award-winning work for famous brands.

Dan Wieden, the advertising legend behind award-winning ads for many iconic brands, died on Friday at age 77, his company announced on Saturday.

Wieden cofounded ad agency Wieden and Kennedy, based in Portland, Oregon, with late partner David Kennedy in 1982. The agency went on to famous advertising campaigns for companies like McDonalds, Bud Light, and Old Spice.

But the agency is best known for helping a certain sneaker company become one of the most recognizable brands on earth. Nike's "Just Do It" was famously dreamed up by Wieden and first appeared in a TV commercial for the brand in 1988.

"Thank you Dan, for throwing the doors wide open for people to live up to their full potential," the Wieden and Kennedy Twitter account said in a post announcing his death. "We will miss you so much."

The cause of death was not immediately clear. In an obituary provided to Insider, the company said Wieden died "peacefully with his wife by his side" at his home in Portland.

Wieden and Kennedy was known for its offbeat work culture and for being one of the most prestigious companies in the advertising industry. The firm is also known for seeking out unique perspectives by hiring people without traditional advertising backgrounds. Matt O'Rourke, a former creative director at the agency, said Wieden once explained that approach by asking, "Why would I hire ad people?"

"A writer at heart, Wieden's intention was never to create a huge advertising agency but rather to provide a place where people could do the best work of their lives," the obituary said.

Wieden, who famously said he would never sell the agency, transferred ownership into a trust before he died in an effort to ensure Wieden and Kennedy would remain independent indefinitely.

This story is breaking. Check back for updates.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Denver Enterprise Reporter

A 40-year Colorado news veteran, Carol McKinley started in radio, and traveled the world as a network TV correspondent/producer. In 2021, she decided to return to local news. A Baghdad alum, she has 4 grown children and lives with her husband and her mom.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantiss (R) policy of shipping migrants from the border to left-leaning jurisdictions has been a winner in the GOP  but it could cost him at home with key Latino constituencies.

The push by GOP governors to transport migrants from border states comes amid a surge in migration from Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua, a trio of Latin American countries with left-leaning authoritarian leaders.

The three countries also have significant populations in Florida, where, along with other Latino voters, lawmakers and experts say DeSantis risks alienating a significant voting bloc.

These folks primarily coming from Venezuela are fleeing the Maduro regime. Theres a significant number of Venezuelans as well as the Cubans in Florida that fled similar dictatorships. And yet hes turning his back on the victims of that regime. I think that will bite him, Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), who immigrated from the Dominican Republic as a boy, told The Hill.

I believe that the Latino community there will recognize that hes turning his back on people that are refugees or seeking political asylum, and they will not be happy about that.

DeSantis is facing a tougher-than-expected challenge from Democrat Charlie Crist, who was himself a former Republican Florida governor, in November.

While DeSantis is a heavy favorite in that race, even a close election could hurt his image as a potential GOP 2024 frontrunner.

Much of the criticism against DeSantis has focused on his political aspirations, particularly as hes inserted his state into an issue originating on the U.S.-Mexico border, nearly 700 miles away from the Florida panhandle.

These are human beings. And you really dont do that just to gain political clout. Its really bad and he should suffer from what he has done. Hes just showing how insensitive that he is towards people who are in desperate need, those people are leaving a dictatorship looking for freedom, said Rep. Al Lawson (D-Fla.).

Story continues

Hes under fire, you know, and he brought it on himself, scheming because he wants to be president of the United States.

DeSantiss critics are also peeved that Florida is not only distant from the Mexico-U.S. border, but has historically benefited from Latin American immigration, especially from countries with authoritarian regimes, like Venezuela and Cuba.

Thats what makes it even worse, I think, is that the people of Florida and the Venezuelans and the Nicaraguans and the Cubans down there should know that hes doing this basically to their communities, said Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragan (D-Calif.).

The Hill has reached out to DeSantis for comment.

Still, experts say Latino voters are unlikely to collectively turn their backs on DeSantis over a single issue.

I think that some Latinos in other parts of Florida are very concerned about the treatment of Latinos for either because theyve been discriminated against or they feel certain sensitivities and a certain sense of commonality with other immigrants. That will hurt [the GOP]. But the Latino vote in Florida is being driven by economics, foreign policy, and crime. I dont see this incident changing this, said Dario Moreno, a professor and Cuban politics expert at Florida International University.

But Moreno added that mistreatment of Venezuelan migrants  people fleeing a regime thats been a political punching bag for the GOP  risks blunting the partys credibility on taking a tough stance against left-wing authoritarianism in Latin America.

Moreno cited a long-term risk for Republicans in how they talk about the home countries if they dont live up to foreign policy promises on places like Venezuela and Cuba.

It lays out a possible vulnerability, especially if all this foreign policy rhetoric is just empty promises, he said.

And immigrant Venezuelans are split in their reaction to Floridas involvement in shipping migrants north. That split is in part based on politics, and in part based on a perception that DeSantiss policy ultimately provides a free ride north, regardless of its political intent.

Most of them dont know anyone [in the United States], and when theyre offered a free ticket, they accept it. Most [migrants] have told me, If Id been offered the same, Id accept. But the question is whether they were deceived in that proposal, said Liliana Rodriguez, a Venezuelan lawyer and asylee in the United States who works with the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Dominic and Fe En Venezuela, both Catholic charities.

Rodriguez said that for Venezuelans in the United States, political alignments often dictate their view of DeSantiss relocation policy.

Ive heard the community is divided depending on what party each Venezuelan belongs to, said Rodriguez. I hear a lot from those who are on the Republican side, if I were offered something for free, Id take it.'

Democrats warn the short-term win could be a long-term loss for Republicans.

Mr. DeSantis will probably ride this  his anti-immigrant thing, his border thing  to victory as governor. But what are the implications short and long term for the Republican Party in Florida? Thats what you got to ask yourself, Rep. Lou Correa (D-Calif.) said.

Correa pointed to Proposition 187, which was on the California ballot in 1994, with people in the state voting to back a prohibition on undocumented immigrants from using many state services, kicking off a state-run citizenship screening process.

The proposition passed with an overwhelming margin and was backed by then-Gov. Pete Wilson, a Republican seeking reelection. The policy was blocked by courts before it ever went into effect, but some now blame it for pushing California Latinos away from the GOP.

The reaction to that was brutal. California  solidly Democrat. The Latinos, which about 40 percent of the population, became heavily Democratic. So what youve got to be careful with, what youve got to calculate is your short-term victory in that battle to become governor versus the long-term trend pattern of becoming the majority party with support from the Hispanic, Latino, Chicano, Latinx community, Correa said.

Democrats have a playbook to portray immigration hard-line Republicans as anti-immigrant  a playbook thats turned California into the political crown jewel for the party, made Arizona competitive, but has yet to work in Texas.

Florida Republicans say that playbook will fail against their border security and law and order arguments.

Floridians want individuals to follow our immigration laws and thats why they support our Governors decision to shed light on the glaring hypocrisy of Democrat-run sanctuary cities, Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) said in a statement to The Hill.

Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.), whose family immigrated to the U.S. from Cuba and whose South Florida district is nearly 70 percent Latino, agreed.

I think that the blame is going to be laid squarely on the shoulders of President Biden for his failed policies at the border, he said.

Pressed on whether the migrant dumps could alienate Cuban and Venezuelan American voters in Florida, Gimenez replied, I just answered your question and were done.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
It's their first joint portrait as the new Prince and Princess of Wales.

Say hello to the new Fab Four. Buckingham Palace just released a new royal portrait of King Charles and Camilla, The Queen of Consort, as well as Prince William and Kate Middleton, who are now the Prince and Princess of Wales.



In the photo shared to the royal family's Instagram account, Kate, Will, Camilla, and Charles are pictured posing at Buckingham Palace together in their mourning attire the night before Queen Elizabeth's funeral. Despite the somber occasion, the foursome was all smiles, and each couple even shared a subtle, but sweet PDA moment.

Getty

Well, PDA by royal standards.



Upon first glance, you probably missed it, but both Kate and Camilla had their arms wrapped behind their husbands's lower backs  Charles also has his arm positioned behind Camilla, but William's body language was more formal and he clasped both hands together in his lap.



"Their Majesties The King and The Queen Consort with Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Wales," the photo was captioned on Instagram.

:

Charles was made the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom two days following his mother's death, while William and Kate were both declared the Prince and Princess of Wales shortly thereafter. With their new titles officially in place, the couple traveled to their namesake country one day after the royal mourning period ended.

Wales, specifically the northwestern island of Anglesey, is particularly special to Will and Kate  it's where they lived as newlyweds and first brought home Prince George as baby while William worked as a search and rescue helicopter pilot with the Royal Air Force.


Ohio Governor Republican candidate Gov. Mike DeWine (left) and Democratic candidate Nan Whaley (right).

Its no wonder Gov. Mike DeWine has refused to debate his opponent, Mayor Nan Whaley ("Vance, DeWine to skip commissions debates," Sept. 22). He hopes the public wont be reminded of the redistricting fiasco he oversaw while on the Ohio Redistricting Commission. Over 70% of Ohioans voted for fair, competitive districts that allow communities to elect legislators that represent them, instead of letting elected officials handpick their constituents. Yet the commissions Republican majority used every trick in the book to thwart the redistricting process (slow walking, intentional delays and missed deadlines, ignoring and dismissing input from both citizens and professional mapmakers) so they could retain their gerrymandered maps.

Our view: Mike DeWine shirking duty by cheating Ohio voters out of debate with Nan Whaley

The constitutionally compliant maps submitted by 30 citizens outperformed the one adopted by the ORC, yet they were rejected in favor of a rigged map that doesnt put voters first. DeWine, a former prosecutor, should know better than to sign off on a plan that was ruled unconstitutional by the Ohio Supreme Court, thus egregiously flouting the rule of law underpinning our democracy.

Ruth Hardy, Anderson Twp.

Biden administration tries to fix mental health crisis it helped cause

The Enquirer ran a piece by the U.S. Surgeon General explaining how the pandemic created mental health problems for our children. He called it an urgent crisis.

This is typical of the Biden administration. Pushed really hard to close the schools against the advice of many. After negative effects from those actions are apparent, then falsely explain that they have pushed hard to reopen the schools.

Now that extensive damage has been done by their actions, they tell us how they can fix the problems. These are the same people who assure us that the border is secure.

Maurice Whigham, Florence

Not everyone saddened by end of Island Queen

The article "A stunning, ear-splitting explosion: How the burning of the Island Queen ended an era," (Sept. 18), missed an important perspective.

Story continues

Before she became director of the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission, Virginia Coffey founded the first Black Girl Scout troop in the city. A big event in the scouting year was the annual summer outing at Coney Island involving travel from downtown to the park on the Island Queen, both of which barred Blacks. Scouting officials came to Coffey and asked her to take her 100 or so Black Girl Scouts to a city park while some 1,000 white scouts went to Coney Island aboard the Island Queen. Coffey responded: "I have nothing to do with the numbers. You make a decision about what your program is. If your program is for all girls in Cincinnati, then you decide which programs you want to continue and which ones you need to change." The trip to Coney Island was permanently cancelled, and Cincinnatis Girl Scouts began holding a single outing for girls of both races in an integrated public park.

In 1987, Coffey reflected on this incident in a presentation to the Cincinnati Historical Society: "Admittance of Blacks to public places of amusement, like skating rinks or Coney Island (the citys pride and joy) were closed to us. Nor could we ride on the 'Island Queen,' the big excursion boat that took you up to Coney, thus enabling you to spend a glorious day getting to and from the park. But, before we could change that policy, the boat burned down. The city was covered with sadness at the death of their dear 'Island Queen,' but we Blacks laughed; we didnt miss it."

For many Cincinnatian's, its just as well the Island Queen era ended.

Phillip Obermiller, Mt. Washington

Some Cincinnati roundabouts are an accident waiting to happen

Regarding, "Tips on navigating city's new roundabouts," (Sept. 25): The roundabout at Hunt and Plainfield is an accident waiting to happen. Some drivers don't follow the rules and want to jump ahead when they are not yet in the roundabout circle. Posted signs clearly state: yield to cars and trucks already in the roundabout. Some construction company is making millions? Please do an article on what company built what roundabout: five in Blue Ash and one in Madeira.

At minimum, Hamilton County needs to give voters the opportunity to vote yes or no before these roundabouts are planned and in place.

Cheryl D. Spencer, Sycamore Twp.

Charter schools don't face the same requirements as public schools

Regarding, "CPS underperformance shows need for voucher program," (Sept. 25): To those who think vouchers for private or charter schools are better, when the state mandates the same requirements for private and charter schools, then well talk turkey.

Vouchers dont begin to cover the cost of tuition for schools like Seven Hills or Cincinnati Country Day. Charter schools take tax dollars and make a profit while they dont usually have any better results, sometimes worse results, than public schools. Does the letter writer really understand how the school report cards are decided? I barely do, and as a public educator, Ive been educated on them but couldnt begin to explain all the different categories used.

Theresa Howard, College Hill

Cincinnati fortunate to have an outstanding orchestra

Saturday night (Sept. 24), a packed house at Cincinnati Music Hall was treated to a once-in-a-lifetime musical experience. The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra season inaugural concert performed the rarely performed Mahler masterpiece "The Resurrection." The symphony requires an extremely large orchestra, a large chorus and two solo sopranos. While the concert is well worth streaming, only Music Hall could provide the incredible aural experience.

Cincinnati is fortunate to have such an outstanding symphony orchestra, the May Festival Chorus (augmented), and Maestro Louis Langree's outstanding musical leadership.

Walter Frank, Montgomery

Bite the bullet and create more train travel options

I was recently planning some travel in Europe. I wanted to fly into Zurich and then take the train to Geneva, which is about 276 miles. I found out in a few minutes that there were at least 15 trains a day, making the trip in a little over three hours.

I recently tried to plan trips from St. Louis to Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Nashville and from Cincinnati to Nashville. There are no non-stop flights on any of those routes and no train service at all (except for Amtrak routes that are mostly by bus).

What is our problem? We are the only industrialized country in the world that has no train travel except on the east and west coast, and now since COVID very limited options by air.

Why can't we bite the bullet and begin to plan in earnest for more sustainable and comfortable rail travel? Why can't we stop the endless expansion of airports and highways? We did it in the early 20th century, so we can certainly do it in the 21st.

Charles Bouchard, St. Louis, Missouri

Vote no on Northwest Local Schools levy

Another levy for Northwest Local School District? You've got to be kidding. Property taxes are already high and NWLSD takes advantage of putting a levy on the ballot at every opportunity. Remember, it hasn't been that long since a massive school levy passed in NWLSD, and now they are doing it again.

Perhaps school administration needs to do a better job of managing the money they have been given. There needs to be some limit on the amount of property taxes we pay. If you feel that strongly about supporting a particular cause, start a campaign to raise money to support your cause or write a check yourself. Property taxes cannot always the answer. Vote the levy down.

Mark Zoller, White Oak

Examine behavior of Ohio Supreme Court candidates before voting

When I read the "Ohio Supreme Court Justices Side Step 2020 Election" article, my blood ran cold. Justices Sharon Kennedy, Patrick Fisher and Pat DeWine attended the Trump rally in Youngstown to receive a shout out from Donald J. Trump.

This was the same rally where Trump denounced the 2020 election results that were certified under the watchful eyes of his own vice president. This was the same rally where Trump schmoozed with QAnon with song, hand gestures, and lapel pins.

My state may now be shaded red, but it is still a state that operates under of the rule of law. I implore all voters to examine the behavior of these candidates  all are seeking reelection. Yikes.

Linda Ford, Clifton

Pork spending one reason Congress has low approval rating

The approval ratings for members of Congress have never been particularly high, and one of the reasons is resurfacing. Instead of a straight-up vote on legislation to continue to fund the government, several senators are adding "pork-type" amendments and demanding that they be included in the final bill if leadership wants their vote. Unfortunately, in this time of apathy in our country, voters don't seem to care about this type of chicanery, treating it simply as "business as usual." Until we hold our elected leaders more accountable, we'll continue to get this type of representation, and we'll deserve it.

Robert Deluskey, Liberty Twp.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Letters: Why Gov. Mike DeWine is skipping a Nan Whaley debate
Coffee Creek Correctional Institution in Wilsonville is Oregon's only women's prison.

After near unanimous support in the Legislature sent Senate Joint Resolution 10 to the ballot, Oregon will join at least four other states in voting this November on state constitutional amendments prohibiting slavery and involuntary servitude.

If voters pass Measure 112, Section 34 of the Oregon Bill of Rights would be amended to prohibit slavery or involuntary servitude without exception.

The constitution currently reads: "There shall be neither slavery, nor involuntary servitude in the State, otherwise than as a punishment for crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted."

It is one of the most significant and least understood civil rights issues in Oregon and the United States, Craig Berkman told Oregon lawmakers during public hearings about the measure. Berkman is a former federal inmate and CEO of the Free at Last Coalition.

The basic governing documents of the U.S. in 21 states continue to provide the legal justification for slavery, Berkman said during testimony. The time has come to bring an end to Americas original sin. It is time for our generation to help bring healing and reconciliation to Oregon and our nation.

Dehumanizing legacy

The 13th Amendment outlawed slavery in the United States more than 150 years ago. But embedded in the text is an exception that allows people convicted of crimes to be subjected to involuntary servitude.

Similar language remains in state documents.

Colorado ended its own exception to slavery in 2018. Utah and Nebraska removed the language in 2020. On Juneteenth, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Rep. Nikema Williams (D-GA) introduced a proposal to revise the 13th Amendment and remove the punishment exception at a federal level.

Tacuma Jackson was sentenced to 34 years in prison by a non-unanimous jury at the age of 26. He was granted clemency by Gov. Kate Brown after 21 years.

Prison literacy: Many Oregon prisoners aren't being taught to read

While incarcerated, he was an executive member of the Uhuru Sasa Culture Club, a Black cultural club, in the Oregon State Penitentiary. He spoke to legislators during public hearings about the importance of changing the state constitution language.

Story continues

Jackson said he haswatched "important men and women in positions of power and prominence" advocate for "and sometime pass legislation meant to help people of color" while the word slavery remained present in the constitution.

"A person can't claim to be an advocate of equal rights, equal justice, no matter the party line, while this language is ever-present in our constitution," Jackson said. "My grandmother, my mother, my daughter can still see and feel the shackles. And even though I know we have a long journey ahead of us in rebuilding our trust and hope in a country we have come to love, removing this language begins a healing process that is long overdue.

Anthony Pickens, president of the Uhuru SaSa Cultural Club, also submitted testimony. Now 38, Pickens has been incarcerated since he was 15.

"I spent more time in prison than I have a free person in society; so, my perspective is first-hand while speaking on this issue," Pickens wrote.

The country has made a lot of progress on many levels but holds on to a language in its Constitution "that is out of date and downright degrading," he added. He wrote of his stepdaughter joining the effort to pass Measure 112.

"What was gut-wrenching to me is when I had to explain this outdated language to my 11-year-old daughter, Jordynn Conner. In the America she is growing up in and knows, she could not bear hearing that the 13th Amendment and the Oregon constitution consider her stepfather a slave. Her words to me were, 'Daddy, youre a human being, not a slave.' It was then that she was determined to fight for the language to be removed from Oregons constitution because she knew that no human should ever be considered a slave," Pickens wrote.

Educating Oregonians

Work to pass Measure 112 was spearheaded by Oregonians Against Slavery and Involuntary Servitude, which is made up ofWillamette University alumni and incarcerated people. It has since ballooned to include the support of more than 100 different nonprofits and businesses.

Troy Ramsey joined the campaign to pass Measure 112 after the question was sent to voters during the legislative session. Ramsey was incarcerated for several years.

"I had known for a long time that it was still in the constitution, but a lot of people do not know," Ramsey said during an interview with the Statesman Journal.

He said he spends most of his day talking to everyone he meets about the measure, asking them if they are aware slavery and servitude are still in the state constitution.

The answer is overwhelmingly "No," he said.

"That's the sad part about this," Ramsey said. "They know it's in the United States Constitution, but they couldn't believe it's in the Oregon constitution."

Ramsey is optimistic Oregon voters will overwhelmingly support the amendment if they learn about the measure.

Campaign director for Measure 112 Angela Martin echoed Ramsey.

"This is something most folks weren't paying attention to but the moment that they're made aware they come around and say wholeheartedly, 'Yes, it's time that we update this document,'" Martin said.

No direct opposition to Measure 112 has emerged, although the Oregon Department of Corrections did submit written testimony to the Oregon Legislature expressing concerns about legal uncertainty that could be caused by the measure.

Specifically, they were concerned about conflict with removing the prison labor exception while keeping language in the constitution that requires work and training for inmates.

Section 1, Article 41 of the Oregon constitution requires the Department of Corrections to engage all inmates in work or on-the-job training programs.

State law does currently authorize compensation for inmates who work, although they are not typically paid anywhere close to the required minimum wage for someone who isn't incarcerated. According to a 2022 report from the American Civil Liberties Union, Oregon inmates are often compensated not with wages but with points they can then convert into a monthly monetary reward.

"The courts through litigation could determine that (adults in custody) must be treated similarly to state employees with respect to minimum wage and hour laws, and other benefits," wrote Rob Persson, assistant director for operations.

2022 Oregon November general election: What's on your ballot

Courts in Colorado are currently navigating that same question. At least two lawsuits have been filed alleging that forced labor in the state violates the 2018 anti-slavery law. One lawsuit was dismissed in August while a class action lawsuit was filed in February.

A resolution introduced during the 2022 legislative session to let Oregon voters also decide on repealing the provision requiring inmates in corrections institutions to engage in full-time work or on-the-job training failed to pass the Legislature.

Measure 112 would add a line to the state constitution clarifying that courts, probation and parole agencies may continue to require convicted individuals to engage in alternatives to incarceration such as community service, education, counseling and treatment programs.

Ramsey said Measure 112 is only about changing the language, not about affecting the Oregon Department of Corrections.

"The only thing that it does is take the language out of the constitution. And it makes us stand with Colorado, Utah, Nebraska and hopefully Alabama, Tennessee and Vermont along the way," Ramsey said.

Dianne Lugo covers equity and social justice issues for the Statesman Journal. Reach her at dlugo@gannett.com or on Twitter @DianneLugo

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon voters to decide on removing slavery from constitution
LSUs game against Auburn on Saturday night began on a somber (and scary) note.

On the opening kickoff, cornerback Sevyn Banks helmet collided with the returner while attempting to make a tackle (which ultimately resulted in a targeting penalty). Banks stayed down on the field after the hit and didnt appear to be moving. LSUs trainers quickly signaled for the cart, and Banks was carried off on a stretcher.

He was taken to a local hospital, where  per the ESPN broadcast  he was conscious with movement in his extremities.

Its a devastating setback for Banks, a transfer from Ohio State who battled injury all offseason and made his debut in the purple and gold in last weeks contest against New Mexico.

Hes an important piece of LSUs depth in the secondary, which is already missing starting safety Major Burns. But right now, our thoughts are with Banks and his family during this scary situation.

Well keep you posted on any news regarding Banks status here at LSU Wire.

List

Ranking LSU's five most valuable players

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

Story originally appeared on LSU Tigers Wire
Kanye West opened the Balenciaga show on a muddy runway on October 2, 2022. Balenciaga/YouTube

Balenciaga's spring/summer 2023 show took place during Paris Fashion Week on Sunday.

Kanye West opened the show, which took place on a mud-caked runway.

Stars like Kylie Jenner, Naomi Campbell, and Alexa Demie were also in attendance.

Models at the Balenciaga spring/summer 2023 show were met with a challenge when they walked a mud-caked runway for the brand's Paris Fashion Week event.

According to Vogue France, the show took place in Villepinte, a commune in the suburbs of Paris. Big names like Kanye, West, Kylie Jenner, Naomi Campbell, and Alexa Demie traveled to the French town for a unique presentation from the fashion house.

The label's creative director shared a message to accompany the show

An Instagram account described as a "supporter" of creative director Demna Gvasalis, shared a note from the designer on Instagram Sunday. In the note, Gvasalis wrote that he hates being labeled  despite the fact that the fashion world and society "loves doing that."

"The set of this show is a metaphor for digging for truth and being down to earth," Gvasalis wrote. "Let us let everyone be anyone and make love not war."

Representatives for Kering, Balenciaga's parent group, did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Balenciaga sent attendees wallets instead of a paper invitation

Invitees to the runway show not only received wallets, but they quickly discovered that they were filled with someone else's belongings. High Snobiety reports that the wallets contained things like coins, a gym membership, credit cards, receipts, and an ID with a photo of a woman and the name "Natalia Antunes."

Story continues

According to the Guardian, the woman is a longtime employee of Balenciaga. On Friday, the label put out a call on for the wallet to be returned, posting a photo on Twitter of a "missing" poster with the date and time of the presentation.

"Lost wallet. If found, please return it at 11:30 a.m. CET on October 2nd. THANK YOU," the sign read.

Demna Gvasalia, the creative director of Balenciaga known simply as Demna, is known for his collectible invites. HighSnobiety notes that the designer previously sent out stacks of fake money and laser-engraved iPhones for his shows.

Kanye West walked the muddy runway as the show's opener

The Guardian reports that the musician's catwalk marked his first appearance as a runway model. West, known now as Ye, walked through the mud in an oversized, utility-style jacket, leather-like pants, sneakers, and gloves.

The event was also a family affair for West. The "Donda" rapper was photographed arriving at the show with his children, North, 9; Saint, 6; and Chicago, 4; who also wore Balenciaga.

Kanye West and his children arrive at the Balenciaga show in Paris, France, on October 2, 2022. Jacopo M. Raule/Getty Images For Balenciaga

Read the original article on Insider
I am a disability rights leader in Indiana, and I am extremely concerned about the future of critical social services in our state and country.

On Nov. 8, Health and Hospital Corporation (HHC) v. Talevski will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. A ruling in this case is likely to strip away the legal rights and protections of vulnerable citizens, including people with disabilities who rely on these programs to live full and active lives. These are your neighbors, your coworkers and the loved ones of people you cross paths with in all aspects of life.

The case is rooted right here in Indiana. Health and Hospital Corp. of Marion County (HHC), which operates 78 nursing homes throughout the state, is appealing a lawsuit about alleged mistreatment and abuse of a former resident, Gorgi Talevski. But HHC isnt just asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider whether Talevskis family can bring a lawsuit; theyre arguing that no one should be able to challenge civil rights violations from providers of safety net programs.

More:U.S. Supreme Court takes up case over care in nursing home owned by Health & Hospital Corp.

Why does this matter?

The implications of this case reach far beyond Talevski and nursing home standards of care. Safety net programs  such as Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)  have been a lifeline for millions of people, especially people with disabilities. One in 4 adults in Indiana has a disability, and these numbers are increasing rapidly due to growing populations of older adults and people with disabilities. A negative ruling will leave them without any legal recourse if they face mistreatment or abuse or their benefits are taken away or denied. This happens more often than you may think.

More:A disabled woman secured rental assistance. They changed their mind  and she was evicted

Story continues

Ive spent nearly 25 years advocating for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), and I know that the fallout from this case will impose a heavy human toll on Hoosiers and across the country. The history of discriminatory treatment toward people with disabilities has deep roots in American society. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 was one of the most significant advancements in civil rights  yet discrimination persists.

The Arc constantly helps people with IDD navigate these complex government systems, which are rife with flaws, restrictions, oversights and errors. They frequently fail to help the vulnerable citizens they were established for. Private lawsuits have been one of the only ways people get the services and support they need.

Take Lois Curtis and Elaine Wilson, who are at the heart of a historic U.S. Supreme Court case, Olmstead v. L.C.These people with IDD were confined in an institution for several years after professionals recommended them for community-based programs. Their only avenue for release and access to these programs was through a lawsuit filed under the ADA, which they won in 1999.

Allisonville Meadows Assisted Living off of Allisonville Road on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in Fishers, Ind.

Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed and won under the Olmstead precedent, enabling people with disabilities to receive the support and care they need in the community rather than in institutions. If the Supreme Court rules in favor of HHC, which legal experts are predicting is the likely outcome, these lawsuits will no longer be possible to protect and uphold basic health and human rights. This includes the 3,000-plus people with IDD who reside in nursing homes in Indiana  many of whom do not need a high level of care but have gotten lost in the system of government care.

More:Behind the camera, Scott Long is sharing his daughter Maddie and her view of the world

Health and Hospital Corp. has the power to stop all of this from happening.

To their board and staff, I ask: Do you really want to dismantle the rights and critical services of the very people you have committed to helping? Do you want to send the message to current and future patients and families that you would rather skirt accountability than live up to your mission of promoting and protecting the health of everyone?

'He just brings joy everywhere': Damar Village's unofficial mayor takes pride in his home

To members of the community: Would you trust HHC to give your loved ones the care that they need and deserve given their stance in this case?

This case does not reflect the values I know and love about Indiana, a state that was the first to rid itself of state institutions for people with IDD. I implore HHC to withdraw their case for the sake of the millions of people whose lives depend on safety net programs.

Kim Dodson is the chief executive officer of The Arc of Indiana and has served in a myriad of leadership roles since she joined the organization in 1998 as director of government relations. Dodson also has over 25 years of experience in public policy and government affairs.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Supreme Court will hear case about Indiana nursing home in November
Rayna Rokicki takes a selfie while working.

SHEBOYGAN - When Rayna Rokicki returned to Sheboygan after teaching for six years in Lagos, Nigeria, she noticed more women-owned businesses downtown.

She said shes always been pro-women. But becoming the owner of her own business, Ladies First Digital Media Company, where she helps produce podcasts and YouTube channels for women entrepreneurs, gave her another perspective.

Even though we've come pretty far and it's 2022, there's still a lot more challenges and responsibility that I feel that women face and mothers face, Rokicki told the Sheboygan Press.

Wanting to merge her passions for podcasting and supporting women, in April, she launched You Betcha She Did!, a podcast focused on women entrepreneurs and women paving their own paths.

Season two launches Sept. 20 and features a different woman leader each week.

This season, Rokicki will chat with several local women business owners, like Kelly D. Holstine, WordHaven BookHouse owner; Jordan Gottsacker, Honey and Ace owner; and Baley Mikita, part of women-owned Optimal Health Chiropractic & Rehabilitation.

More: Sheboygans WordHaven to host former Maxine Hallmark card writer for humor-writing workshop

Other women across the country and world  like a brain scientist from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a bakery owner from Nigeria  will also be featured in season two.

Identifying more as an introvert than an extrovert, Rokicki said deciding to host a podcast was initially a challenge.

It's one aspect to be behind the scenes working on podcasts, and then it's another one to put yourself in front of the microphone and kind of promote yourself, and I was a little nervous about that, she said. At first, I was like, I don't really like to be in the spotlight so much. But once I got going, it has been a really good experience.

"And I also just remind myself ... it's not really about me, it's about the really fantastic women that I'm promoting," she said.

Story continues

Before starting You Betcha She Did!, Rokicki worked on podcasts for about a year after teaching audio and video editing as a language arts teacher.

Through First Ladies Digital Media Company, Rokicki works with Novice Studios, a women-owned podcast production company in North Carolina, and YouTube channel The Master Playbook, where financial coach Holly Reid Toodle gives advice on raising money-smart kids.

On the producing side for clients, she works on audio editing, writing show notes, publishing and promotion. On You Betcha She Did!, that work is added on top of creating the ideas, being the host and communicating with guests.

Rayna Rokicki takes a selfie while doing editing work.

I think between YouTube and the podcast producing  those are two spheres that keep growing in popularity, and I can't imagine they're going to slow down at any point, Rokicki said.

Rokicki said she thinks podcasts are a great medium because they can be listened to while doing anything, dont necessarily require a huge following and can be a way to amplify different messages.

I really am interested in amplifying women's voices and women's stories and celebrating all the great stuff that's happening, Rokicki said. ... From the work I've done as a podcast producer, it really is a great way to promote your message, whether you're a woman business owner, entrepreneur, your brand. More and more, it seems like the demand for especially independent producers is going up because more and more people want to share their stories or build their audience or share wisdom in the way that they can.

The first season of You Betcha She Did! had 1,500 downloads and was ranked No. 163 among podcasts in Sweden.

I don't know how or why, she said about her podcast ranking in Sweden. "My assumption is that one of the guests I had, or maybe one or two of them, they must have a fan base in Sweden. And maybe enough of those people tuned in at a certain point that I ranked there because I don't know anyone in Sweden. That's really weird. So that was just kind of a fun surprise.

She said she hopes to get up to 3,000 downloads and eventually rank among the top podcasts in the United States.

More: Meet three Sheboygan women who are standouts in their fields. One is the countys only practicing female surgeon.

You Betcha She Did! can be listened to on streaming services like Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Those interested in being interviewed can email Rokicki at youbetchashedid@gmail.com.

Contact Alex Garner at 224-374-2332 or agarner@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @alexx_garner.

This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Sheboygan podcast You Betcha She Did!: Rayna Rokicki starts season two
ALBUQUERQUE  New Mexico is poised to have its first unionized Starbucks store, organizers say.

A majority of rank-and-file workers at an Albuquerque location of the Seattle coffee giant voted in favor of unionizing Thursday, said Starbucks Workers United, the group seeking to organize U.S. Starbucks stores. The vote was 10-7 for a union.

The National Labor Relations Board conducted the election at the store on I-40 and Rio Grande Boulevard.

This makes New Mexico the 34th state to have a unionized Starbucks, according to organizers. Starbucks opposes the unionization effort.

Workers at the Albuquerque location formally filed a petition to hold a union vote in July. A second store in Santa Fe is also looking to unionize.

A representative for Starbucks did not immediately respond to a request Thursday seeking comment.

In a news release, the union called it a victory for better wages and working conditions. They also accuse Starbucks management of interfering with workers right to organize, using union-busting tactics like firing staff and closing stores. The union claims Starbucks has fired more than 100 union leaders from its stores this year.

More than 230 Starbucks branches nationwide have elected to unionize since late last year. Unionization efforts are also gaining steam at Amazon, Trader Joes and elsewhere.

The Starbucks unionization effort began late last year at a Starbucks store in Buffalo, New York. As of this week, that store and two others  one in New York and one in Arizona  are the only ones currently negotiating contracts.

Starbucks reported record demand in the April-June period as strong U.S. sales made up for continuing closures in China, the companys second-largest market.

Others are reading:

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Albuquerque Starbucks becomes first in the state to unionize
Researchers at New Mexicos two national Laboratories are working to identify and study abandoned oil and gas wells throughout the state, aiming to devise the full environmental impact of the wells and the cost of cleanup.

Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories were part of a consortium of federal agencies and national laboratories funded by about $30 million included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed by Congress last year and signed into law by President Joe Biden.

The group also included the U.S. Department of Energy, Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, Department of Interior and Lawrence Livermore, Lawrence Berkley national laboratories.

More:Oil and gas investments continue in Permian Basin, despite prices sliding to year-low

The study will endeavor to find undocumented wells in New Mexico and other oil-producing states, and study the extent of their impacts, focusing on methane emissions.

Scientists will use drones carrying sensors to fly over abandoned wells, known as orphaned in industry terms when a company deems them financially unviable.

When a well is orphaned, it becomes unmonitored and research shows it can leak air and groundwater pollutants into the environment.

More:New Mexico seeks contracts for abandoned oil well plugging using millions in federal funds

In New Mexico companies typically take out bonds when a well is drilled to pay for such work should it be abandoned, but that funding is often inadequate to pay for plugging the well and restoring the landscape.

The federal funds will be used to develop new technologies to locate the wells, study the rate of methane emissions and other impacts.

Data developed will be used to prioritize wells for remediation.

More:Global market tensions put New Mexico oil and gas revenue in flux, economist says

Its part of the Biden administrations goal of reducing methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030, compared with 2020 levels, read an announcement from Los Alamos, and will be conducted over the next five years.

Story continues

Hari Viswanathan, a scientist at Los Alamos leading the project said it could overcome challenges of finding and fixing the abandoned wells as they were often drilled and orphaned before regulations that require documentation were put in place.

These long-abandoned, orphaned oil and natural gas wells are scattered across the United States, and it can be very hard to determine their locations, because they were drilled before regulatory laws were enacted, he said.

More:Oil and gas revenue at an all-time high in New Mexico. Industry touts growth

Undocumented, abandoned wells frequently have no owner on record, he said, and the researchers will focus on remediation to cease any ongoing environmental impacts.

An undocumented orphaned well is one that was never documented on public maps and records and has been abandoned by its legal owners, who no longer claim responsibility for it, he said.

Information about its ownership and construction have been lost. The goal is to document them so they can be remediated and plugged.

More:$60 million in Permian Basin oil and gas assets bought up by Texas company

Recent research from the Environmental Defense Fund found abandoned wells spread out in New Mexicos southeast Permian Basin and northwest San Juan Basin regions.

The study located 622 documented wells, although the New Mexico Oil Conservation Division (OCD), the states main oil and gas regulatory agency, estimated there could be as many as 1,700 orphaned wells in New Mexico.

They can cost up to $70,000 to plug and remediate, costs that can climb into millions of dollars based on the specific conditions of the job sites.

More:Carlsbad's annual Energy Summit to tout Permian Basin oil production

If left abandoned, the wells can pose risks to local communities  often rural, remote areas heavily populated by people of color and low-income families, per the report.

Southeast New Mexico counties had the most orphaned wells of any region in the state, the report read, lead by Chaves County at 347 abandoned wells, followed by 102 in Lea County and 57 in Eddy County.

Rio Arriba and San Juan counties to the northwest had 41 and 40 abandoned wells, respectively, research showed.

More:New Mexico raking in millions in oil and gas leases despite push to diversify land use

When a well is left unplugged, it can leak oil and other toxic chemicals, endanger water wells and other sources, contribute to air pollution and emit methane - a powerful greenhouse gas, the report read.

Orphan wells also dramatically impact local communities and economies by threatening the health and well-being of residents and decreasing property values - which lowers funding for local schools, police departments, and other public services.

The State of New Mexico expected to receive about $25 million for the work itself in an initial round of federal funds from the infrastructure bill, and OCD Director Adrienne Sandoval said another $74 million in grants could be available.

She said more funding could continue to be needed in the coming years as more wells could become abandoned amid the up and down swings that characterize the fossil fuel market and subsequent production.

There is the potential that more wells will be orphaned, Sandoval said. We do try to take proactive measures to prevent that, but unfortunately, operators become insolvent and leave their assets for the state to manage.

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: New Mexico labs leading research on abandoned oil and gas wells
A nurse takes care of a patient at a hospital in HCMC. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran

A shortage of nurses looms at HCMC's public hospitals as fewer students are joining nursing courses at universities, health officials have warned.

This year Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine for instance only saw 781 students join the nursing course, a 66% decline from last year.

Tang Chi Thuong, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, said Thursday the shortage of nurses is worrisome, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Vietnam's ratio of nurses to population is low at 11.4/10,000, according to the Ministry of Health.

The nurse to doctor ratio is also low, at only one to two or half the global average, the ministry added.

The shortage is increasing the workload for existing nurses especially with more and more of them quitting after the Covid-19 pandemic, threatening to affect the quality of care patients receive.

The heavy workload, high pressure at work and low pay are blamed for nurses quitting. Statistics show that 70% of the work in a hospital is done by nurses but they only earn VND7-8 million ($293.32-335.22) a month.

Nurses with only vocational training background, who are required to attain a college degree by 2025, are finding it difficult to go to college to improve their skills since the annual tuition costs VND35-40 million.

Medical authorities have urged the city government to introduce policies and mechanisms to improve nurses salaries and the health ministry to give current nurses until 2030 to gain college degrees.

They also asked that the ministry allows the city to recruit nurses with only vocation training background until 2026. A ministry regulation require health departments to recruit nurses with at least a college degree by 2021.

Tran Thi Chau, deputy head of the Vietnam Nurses Association, said there needs to be tuition support for students studying to become nurses.

HCMC has introduced certain measures to combat the shortage of nurses like raising salaries for medical workers and increasing the number of nurses at medical stations.

In the first half of this year 874 medical workers have quit in HCMC, including 200 doctors and 400 nurses. Last year the number was 1,154.
Several hundred activists gathered at Arizona State University's Tempe campus on Saturday to protest the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died in Iranian police custody under mysterious circumstances.

Amini, 22, died three days after she was arrested by Iran's morality police on Sept. 13 for not wearing a hijab following government standards. Iranian authorities claim that Amini died from a heart attack and coma. However, the Associated Press reports that her family has questioned that account, saying they were told by other detainees that she was severely beaten and were not allowed to see her body. Amini's death has triggered protests and outcries against Iranian leadership.

A demonstrator holds a photo of Mahsa Amini at ASU's Tempe campus on Oct. 1, 2022. Amini was a woman who died under mysterious circumstances three days after the Iranian morality police arrested her for not covering all of her hair with a hijab.

"This is something that (the Iranian government) has done for more than 30 years, and we cannot tolerate it anymore," Narges Kiyani, one of the event organizers, said. "They kill our youngest daughters in the streets. They kill all of the people (and then) say they didn't kill her."

The Tempe protests are among many that are taking place across the United States and the world. The Iranian government has imposed internet restrictions and has been accused of attacking activists in an attempt to prevent demonstrations within the country.

"(Protesters in Iran) are putting their lives in their hands on the streets and they're getting shot. They're literally getting assaulted in the streets," rally organizer Hassam Rahimian said. "But we do have that freedom. We have the right to come here and raise our voices. And we do hope that influencers take that responsibility and spark a huge interest."

At least a hundred people arrived for a solidarity rally and march at the Arizona State University Bridge around 5:30 p.m. The crowd grew to several hundred protesters by the time a memorial vigil began at 7 p.m.

Demonstrators protest the Iranian government on ASU's bridge on the Tempe campus on Oct. 1, 2022.

The event included many ASU students among activists, including 26-year-old Samah Saifullah, a graduate student studying urban and environmental planning.

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"I'm Muslim . . I grew up in a Muslim community," Saifullah said. "Somebody died for an unjust reason. And I feel that women all around the world right now are using their rights. So I wanted to just show up."

"As a woman, I feel like I'm (also) losing my rights in the United States," Saifullah said. "Specifically thinking about Roe v. Wade and how a lot of our democratic rights are being lost."

A sign is held by a protester as speakers talk to the crowd near the ASU bridge on the Tempe campus on Oct. 1, 2022.

Hoda, a Ph.D. student at ASU who is from Iran, declined to give her first name while being interviewed out of fear of repercussions from the Iranian government for being at the protest.

"A lot of the students that have spoken up about what's happening in Iran... they're receiving threats from the government," Hoda said. "If we go back to Iran, they're gonna like, arrest us. Ask us questions. Detain us. That's the regime.  They're dictators. That's what they do."

"We are begging for the media to pick up on this. It's unbelievable how little this is getting noticed out there," Rahimian said.

Shadi Sarraf, an Iranian woman and activist, said people who support the regime in Iran are in the minority.

"... But they're the ones with the guns. They have all the power," Sarraf said. "And we're hoping that the West will pressure Iran."

Reach the reporter Jeremy Yurow at Jyurow@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Activists push for women's rights in Iran at ASU Tempe campus rally
Convicted bomber Porfirio Duarte-Herrera was discovered missing from Southern Desert Correctional Center outside Las Vegas days after he had escaped. (Photo: via Associated Press)

Convicted bomber Porfirio Duarte-Herrera was discovered missing from Southern Desert Correctional Center outside Las Vegas days after he had escaped. (Photo: via Associated Press)

LAS VEGAS (AP)  Authorities say they are investigating how a convicted bombmaker was able to easily escape from a Nevada prison without anyone noticing for four days, before a tip led to his capture at a transit center in Las Vegas Wednesday night as he prepared to board a bus out of town.

State corrections officials didnt realize until Tuesday that Porfirio Duarte-Herrera had escaped Sept. 23 from the medium-security prison where he was serving a life sentence for a deadly 2007 explosion outside a Las Vegas Strip resort.

Las Vegas police said they were informed Wednesday night that a person matching the description of Duarte-Herrera was in the area. Officers took the man into custody, confirmed he was Duarte-Herrera, 42, and arrested him, the department said.

The policies and procedure and all the failures that occurred on Friday and up to Tuesday need to be addressed, said Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo at a press conference Thursday.

Lombardo, a Republican who is trying to unseat Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak in Novembers election, said he was imploring Sisolak to make good on his pledge to conduct a thorough investigation to make sure it doesnt happen again.

Infrastructure issues and prison system staffing issues, the ability for this individual to do it  from what Ive been told  as simply as he did it is a grave concern to me and the entire law enforcement community and the community as a whole, he said.

Lombardo, the U.S. Marshall for Nevada and an FBI special agent, said it was the cooperation of numerous law enforcement agencies, extensive media coverage and ultimately a tip from the public that led to his capture.

In this case, the individual had a four-day head start, Lombardo said. Fortunately, and unfortunately, he remained in the area and we were able to apprehend him with the assistance of the public.

Story continues

Lombardo told reporters Thursday any information about the escape itself will have to come from the Department of Corrections, and hopefully they will provide you information shortly with the circumstances of the escape. When asked by a reporter whether DOC was invited to participate in the joint law enforcement news conference, Lombardo said yes.

Department officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday.

Sisolak ordered an investigation into the escape after he said late Tuesday his office learned Duarte-Herrera had been missing since early in the weekend.

The governors office said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press Thursday he is working directly with Department of Corrections Director Charles Daniels to ensure swift action is taken to address the conduct which led to the escape.

Failure to follow protocol or procedures cannot be tolerated where public safety is at stake. Beyond this incident, addressing larger scale deficiencies in staffing remains a priority to the governor, said Meghin Delaney, his communications director.

Correctional institutions across the country are facing staffing shortages and NDOC is looking at innovative ways to increase recruitment at all facilities within this state, she wrote.

Officials didnt realize until Tuesday morning that he was missing during a head count at Southern Desert Correctional Center near Las Vegas.

Neither Lombardo nor Sisolak would comment on a KLAS-TV report citing unnamed sources that Duarte-Herrera used acid to help erode the area securing his cell window so he could climb out. That report also said he had created a cardboard dummy to leave in his cell, and sewed a coat in a prison class, which he took with him after his escape. Officials were investigating whether he had an accomplice.

Lombardo said he spoke with the inspector generals office at the Department of Corrections, and I have confidence they are going to get to the bottom of this and employ resources to prevent it from happening in the future.

Duarte-Herrera, from Nicaragua, was convicted in 2010 of killing a hot dog stand vendor using a motion-activated bomb in a coffee cup atop a car parked at the Luxor hotel-casino.

Records show his co-defendant, Omar Rueda-Denvers, remains in custody. The 47-year-old from Guatemala is serving a life sentence at a different Nevada prison for murder, attempted murder, explosives and other charges.

A Clark County District Court jury spared both men from the death penalty in the slaying of Willebaldo Dorantes Antonio, whom prosecutors identified as the boyfriend of Rueda-Denvers ex-girlfriend.

Prosecutors said jealousy was the motive for the attack on the top deck of a two-story parking structure. The blast initially raised fears of a terrorist attack on the Strip.

Gary Schofield, U.S. Marshal for Nevada, said authorities were continuing to investigate where Duarte-Herrera was and what he did between the escape and when someone dropped him off near the transit center.

He was able to get a little bit of money and a little bit of transportation just from specifically that area. ... Mainly he just kind of laid low and tried to avoid the public, and tried to avoid law enforcement, he said.

Schofield said state corrections officials initially notified the U.S. Marshal Service regional task force based in Los Angeles, which notified his office of the escape Tuesday afternoon.

That was the first time any authorities within Nevada were aware of what was occurring out at the prison, he said.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...
FARMINGTON  Four defendants that are being sued by the City of Farmington in a state court are moving to make the lawsuit over the future of the now-closed San Juan Generating Station a federal case.

A lawsuit filed by the city on Sept. 21 against PNM and other plant owners seeks judicial aid in effecting transfer negotiations  and a tidy shutdown that does not damage the plant or end its air permit. The suit remained in a state court as late as Sept. 29 with no presiding judge assigned and a string of recusals filed by several judges.

On Friday the defendants filed to move the matter to the federal courts, and the city vowed to oppose the change and argue that the case should instead be taken up in the state court.

A filing on Sept. 30 by the law firm Hinkle Shannon LLP of Santa Fe that appeared on the state court website stated the four entities named in the suit want to move the action to the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico, away from the states 11th Judicial District Court in San Juan County.

Power struggle: Farmington vows to get ownership of San Juan Generating Station

The defendants argue that since the lawsuit involves an agreement filed with a federal agency, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and because the utilities are federally regulated, a federal district court is the proper venue.

This case involves a dispute arising from a FERC-jurisdictional contract, over which this Court has exclusive jurisdiction under the Federal Power Act and original jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C.  1331, given that the dispute arises under the FPA, the federal court filing states in part.

The filing also states that the FPA gives federal district courts "exclusive jurisdiction of violations of [the FPA] or the rules, regulations, and orders thereunder," as well as "all suits in equity and actions at law brought to enforce any liability or duty created by, or to enjoin any violation of, [the FPA] or any rule, regulation, or order thereunder." 16 U.S.C.  825p.

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The City of Farmington plans to fight that move.

The City will be responding to the motion and strongly assert the matter is within the jurisdiction of the state court, City of Farmington spokesperson Georgette Allen said on Sept. 30.

Defendants in the lawsuit are SJGS co-owners Public Service Company of New Mexico ("PNM"), Tucson Electric Power Company, Incorporated County of Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems. The City of Farmington, the plaintiff, also owns part of the power station.

Filing questions whether SJGS air permit can be kept after shutdown

In the court filing, attorneys for the defense argue that the city is asking the court to stand in for federal regulators and change the terms of an exit agreement known as NEDA governing the San Juan Generating Station that was reached among its owners in 2017.

City of Farmington goes to court seeking to enforce SJGS facility takeover rights

The City of Farmington seeks a declaration that, pursuant to the NEDA, Defendants are obligated "to convey to Farmington their rights, titles and interest in the San Juan Project" and "engage in good faith negotiations to agree on non-essential terms for conveying the San Juan Project to Farmington, the filing states.

Both requests would require the court to not only interpret the provisions of a FERC-jurisdictional contract, but actually modify the contract's terms, the filing states

The attorneys argued that if Farmington gets the injunctive relief it seeks, the defendants would be required to extend the contract beyond its September 30, 2022 expiration date and cease decommissioning the SJGS, despite the existence of a FERC-approved contract requiring Defendants to take that very action.

They also question the citys request that an air permit that is not being used anymore by the operator be maintained for the citys future use.

Finally, the City of Farmington's Complaint demands that Defendants maintain a federally enforceable air permit, issued pursuant to subchapter V of the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S. Code  7661, et seq., which Defendants cannot legally maintain without intending to actually operate the permitted emission units, the filing stated. Thus, a critical component of the requested relief also involves the substantial federal question of whether a permittee may maintain a permit beyond the time it intends to operate the permitted unit under a landmark piece of federal environmental legislation.

As the last coal burned, SJGS employees expressed a mixture of emotions

Several state judges recused themselves

The move to change courts followed a string of judicial recusals reflected in state court filings online and the citys move to bar one judge from hearing the case.

The first judge, the Hon. Bradford Dalley, recused himself on Sept. 27. The case was reassigned to the Hon. Sarah V. Weaver, who promptly recused herself and the case was then assigned to the Hon. Curtis R. Gurley.

Farmington City Attorney Jennifer Breakell exercised a peremptory challenge allowable under state law excusing the Hon. Curtis R. Gurley from presiding over the above-captioned case and matter, her filing read.

The case was then reassigned to the Hon. R. David Pederson, a McKinley-County-based 11th District judge who on Sept. 28 promptly recused himself from the case. As of the morning of Sept. 30 it had been assigned to the Hon. Karen L. Townsend.

Federal court will consider the request

Notifying all opposing parties and the state court was part of the legal process. Once a notice is filed, the federal court must decide whether it can hear the case or whether it must remand all or part of it back to the state court.

"PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that, on September 30, 2022, Defendants in the above-captioned matter removed this action to the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico, by filing a Notice of Removal in that Court," the Sept. 30 filing stated. "A copy of the Notice of Removal is attached hereto as Exhibit A, omitting attachments. Accordingly, and pursuant to 16 U.S.C.  1446(d), this Court may proceed no further unless and until the case is remanded."

This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: Utilities want San Juan Generating Station suit in federal court
European Union officials pledged a robust and united response to any deliberate disruption of the blocs energy infrastructure, a day after two Russian gas pipelines ruptured in the Baltic Sea.

All available information indicates leaks are the result of a deliberate act, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement Wednesday, stressing that such damages are not a coincidence and affects us all.

Deliberate disruption of European energy infrastructure is utterly unacceptable and will be met with a robust and united response, Borrell added.

Borrell was referring to a series of unexplained leaks in Russias shuttered Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which served to convey natural gas to Europe via Germany.

The ruptures had no immediate effect on European energy supplies, as Germany froze Nord Stream 2 operations in February due to Russias invasion of Ukraine and Moscow halted flows via Nord Stream 1 several weeks ago.

But experts expressed concern on Tuesday about the resulting environmental pollution from the leaks, which occurred following multiple blasts recorded by Swedish and Norwegian seismologists.

The Danish military likewise confirmed the disturbance with images of bubbles in the same section of the Baltic Sea.

While multiple countries situated near the pipelines pointed to suspected sabotage early on Tuesday, the Biden administration initially declined to speculate on the cause of the leaks.

But by Tuesday evening, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with their counterparts in Denmark about the pipeline leaks, which they described as apparent sabotage.

I spoke to my counterpart Jean-Charles Ellermann-Kingombe of Denmark about the apparent sabotage of Nord Stream pipelines, Sullivan wrote on Twitter. The U.S. is supporting efforts to investigate and we will continue our work to safeguard Europes energy security.

Story continues

Minutes later, State Department spokesperson Ned Price released a statement using a similar description, adding that the U.S. is united with its allies in its commitment to promoting European energy security.

On Wednesday morning, the European Union followed up with a statement stressing that it is deeply concerned about damage to the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines that has resulted in leaks in the international waters of the Baltic Sea.

We will support any investigation aimed at getting full clarity on what happened and why, and will take further steps to increase our resilience in energy security, the statement said.

In Germany, meanwhile, security agencies expressed fears that the Nord Stream pipelines could be destroyed forever, according to German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel.

If the infrastructure is not repaired quickly, salt water could rush in and corrode the pipelines, government officials told Tagesspiegel.

In response to claims that Russia might be behind the pipeline ruptures, the Kremlin on Wednesday dismissed any such possibility.

Thats quite predictable and also predictably stupid, Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said on a daily conference call reported by Reuters.

Peskov said that both pipelines are filled with expensive gas and that Russia is not interested in losing a route for gas supplies to Europe, according to Reuters.

If, however, Moscow was found responsible for the alleged sabotage, climate economist Gernot Wagner said that a robust and united response is precisely what is necessary in light of this apparent attack on EU energy security.

Putin is testing European resolve in lots of ways here, Wagner, a senior lecturer at the Columbia Business School, told The Hill in an email. A united EU response, that puts this leak in the context of Putins war of choice and the broader EU security questions is absolutely key here.

What exactly that response might entail is unclear.

If it is found to be Russian underwater drones or divers that made the attack, I am not clear on what, if any, military action might look like, said Morgan Bazilian, a public policy professor at the Colorado School of Mines and former energy specialist at the World Bank.

Nonetheless, Bazilian stressed that in almost any scenario, the Nord Stream leaks appear to be the final straw and the end to Russian and European energy trade.

Russia would pivot to Asian buyers, and Europe will ramp up even further their efficiency efforts, diversity of gas supply, and moves to renewable fuels, Bazilian added.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Sep. 29An information technology professional in Honolulu pled guilty Wednesday to sabotaging his former employer's computer network as part of a scheme for a higher salary.

An information technology professional in Honolulu pled guilty Wednesday to sabotaging his former employer's computer network as part of a scheme for a higher salary.

Casey Umetsu, 40, as part of his guilty plea in U.S. District Court, admitted to changing the online traffic of a Hawaii-based financial company that he had worked at shortly after he cut ties with the company, where he had worked from 2017-2019.

He admitted to using the company's credentials to access a website it used to manage its internet domain. Umetsu changed the company's configuration settings and made multiple changes, including misdirecting web and email traffic to computers that were not affiliated with the company.

Umetsu prolonged the outage by keeping the company locked out of the website.

He admitted that he made the changes to convince the company to hire him back for higher pay.

"Umetsu criminally abused the special access privileges given to him by his employer to disrupt its network operations for personal gain, " said U.S. Attorney Clare Connors in a statement. "Those who compromise the security of a computer network  whether government, business, or personal  will be investigated and prosecuted, including technology personnel whose access was granted by the victim."

Umetsu can face up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250, 000 and up to three years of supervised release.
By Thiam Ndiaga and Anne Mimault

OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) -Gunfire rang out across Burkina Faso's capital on Saturday and fire broke out at the French embassy as self-declared leader Ibrahim Traore accused President Paul-Henri Damiba of staging a counter-offensive after his apparent ouster a day earlier.

The standoff signals deep division within the army and a worrying new chapter for Burkina Faso, where a rampant Islamist insurgency has undermined faith in the authorities and displaced almost 2 million people.

"I call on Captain Traore and company to come to their senses to avoid a fratricidal war which Burkina Faso does not need," Damiba said on Saturday in his first statement on the crisis, posted on the official Facebook page of the presidency.

The West African country and former French protectorate has become the epicentre of violence carried out by groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State that began in neighbouring Mali in 2012 and has spread to other countries south of the Sahara Desert.

The Burkinabe army chief of staff called on opposing factions to cease hostilities and continue talks, adding that the situation was "an internal crisis within the National Armed Forces".

The U.S. State Department and the U.N. secretary-general denounced the upheaval.

"He strongly condemns any attempt to seize power by the force of arms and calls on all actors to refrain from violence and seek dialogue," a spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement.

Forces loyal to Traore appeared on state television and said Damiba had taken refuge at a French army base from where he was organising the counter-strike.

The French foreign ministry issued a statement saying the base had never hosted Damiba, who seized power in a Jan. 24 coup. Damiba also denied he was at the base, saying the reports were a deliberate manipulation of public opinion.

But hundreds of people who support Traore's takeover gathered in front of the French embassy in protest on Saturday. Anti-French demonstrators also gathered and stoned the French Cultural Centre in the Southern town of Bobo-Dioulasso.

Story continues

In the early evening, a fire broke out at the embassy and several shots were heard. The French foreign ministry said it condemned violence against its embassy.

Earlier in the day, scattered shots had rung out, armed helicopters circled the presidential palace and a convoy of special forces swept through central Ouagadougou after Traore announced on state television the previous evening that he had seized control in what would be the second coup this year.

"They led a counter-offensive this morning. Some of the special forces were sent ... and also the air base has been manipulated," Traore told radio station Omega on Saturday.

Damiba's whereabouts remain unknown.

Mali, Chad, and Guinea have all seen coups since 2020, raising fears of a backslide towards military rule in a region that had made democratic progress over the past decade.

(Additional reporting by David Lewis, Juliette Jabkhiro and Kanishka Singh; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Gareth Jones, Nick Macfie, Bate Felix and Jonathan Oatis)
UPDATE: Saturday late afternoon

A loader was rescue from the surf using other equipment in Ocean City, video posted to social media showed Saturday. Mats used for moving vehicles over the sand for Oceans Calling were washed into the sea.

UPDATE Saturday afternoon:

About 2 inches of rain had fallen by Saturday morning as Hurricane Ian bands moved through the area. On the Delmarva Peninsula, rain had lightened Saturday but was expected to return Sunday.

Coastal Flood Warnings issued by the National Weather Service continued throughout Saturday. A Beach Hazard Advisory continues through Sunday, with high risk of rip currents.

Ocean City bars and restaurants announced specials all weekend in an attempt to attract those who had originally planned to attend the inaugural three-day Oceans Calling festival. The event was cancelled due to threat of weather but many still had hotel reservations and came anyway. Making the best of it, visitors packed the bars and at least one of the acts, G Love, booked a last-minute gig at the Purple Moose. At least part of the festival grounds was covered in water Saturday. The boardwalk was also busy Saturday.

SUNDAY UPDATE: Remnants of Ian: Voluntary evacuation for parts of Chincoteague; major flooding Monday

Original story:

Hurricane Ian pummeled South Carolina, yet further north, the Delmarva Peninsula was prepared for rain, flooding and wind.

This was the third landfall for the hurricane, which had sustained winds of 85 mph Friday evening. Ian left flooding and an estimated 181,000 without power immediately after landfall in South Carolina. It had been downgraded since it made initial U.S. landfall as a Category 4 in Florida a day earlier. Virginia had been placed under a state of emergency.

By Saturday morning, Ian had been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone.

What are the warnings and watches?

On Saturday, light rain will taper off as the day goes on, but coastal flooding remains a concern. Rain will, however, return on Sunday.

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A High Surf Advisory was expected expire as 10 a.m. Saturday for coastal Worcester County, including Ocean City. Large breaking waves of 7-10 feet in the surf zone could cause dangerous swimming and surfing conditions and localized beach erosion.

An overnight wind advisory was set to expire at 4 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 1 for Maryland beaches and Virginia counties including Northumberland, Lancaster, Gloucester, Middlesex, Mathews, Accomack and Northampton. Northeast winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph were expected.

Overnight Friday, brought rain and wind, heavy at times, the Delmarva.

Peak winds by 4 p.m. Friday were at 69 mph at Cape Henry and 68 mph on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, according to the National Weather Service. Due to high wind concerns, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel was under wind restrictions by mid-day Friday. Around midnight, those restrictions were lifted and the bridge-tunnel was reopened.

Wind gusts by 12:30 a.m. Saturday were measured at 43 mph in Rehoboth Beach, and 48 mph in Dewey Beach, according to the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, N.J.

STORMS: Why don't hurricanes make landfall in Maryland, Delaware?

[Article continues below. Keep scrolling]

If you can't see any local weather warnings here, you'll need to open this story in a web browser.

Hurricane Ian damage in Maryland

In preparation for high winds and tides and storm surge from Hurricane Ian, Assateague Island National Seashore's Maryland Oversand Vehicle Area closed at 1 p.m. Friday. That was two hours ahead of an announced closing due to due to "unsafe and worsening conditions." Reopening time is contingent on the progress of the storm and any resultant beach damage, the park posted to its Facebook page.

Assateague State Park on Friday experienced strong gusty winds and heavy surf conditions, according to a Maryland State Parks Facebook post. No swimming is permitted. The post urged caution if visiting the beach through Monday.

WILD HORSES: Hurricane: What Chincoteague, Assateague do to keep ponies safe

"Beach erosion is expected which may include steep drop-offs. Sand has filled in many crossovers and will continue until winds subside; some crossovers will be closed. Please use caution," the post reads.

In preparation for the storm, Gov. Larry Hogan announced Friday of statewide preparedness efforts as the remnants of Hurricane Ian move up the mid-Atlantic, leading to coastal flood and gale warnings in the region. Earlier this week, the governor announced the deployment of an Incident Management Team to Florida to assist with the response.

HISTORIC STORMS: Which hurricanes damaged Ocean City the most?

The death toll thus far in Florida was confirmed at 14, but could be higher.

A number of state agencies and law enforcement will be on high alert to make sure residents stay safe during the severe weather, especially in areas of heavy flooding.

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Hurricane Ian brings rain, surf to Ocean City, Md., Maryland, Virginia
HAVANA  Hurricane Ian knocked out power across all of Cuba and devastated some of the countrys most important tobacco farms when it slammed into the islands western tip as a major hurricane Tuesday.

Cubas Electric Union said in a statement that work was underway to gradually restore service to the countrys 11 million people during the night. Power was initially knocked out to about 1 million people in Cubas western provinces, but later the entire grid collapsed.

Ian hit a Cuba that has been struggling with an economic crisis and has faced frequent power outages in recent months. It made landfall as a Category 3 storm on the islands western end, devastating Pinar del Rio province, where much of the tobacco used for Cubas iconic cigars is grown.





Tens of thousands of people were evacuated and others fled the area ahead of the arrival of Ian, which caused flooding, damaged houses and toppled trees. Authorities were still assessing the damage, although no fatalities had been reported by Tuesday night.

Ians winds damaged one of Cubas most important tobacco farms in La Robaina.

It was apocalyptic, a real disaster, said Hirochi Robaina, owner of the farm that bears his name and that his grandfather made known internationally.

Robaina, also the owner of the Finca Robaina cigar producer, posted photos on social media of wood-and-thatch roofs smashed to the ground, greenhouses in rubble and wagons overturned.

State media said Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel visited the affected region.

Cubas Meteorology Institute said the city of Pinar del Rio was in the heart of the hurricane for an hour and a half.

Being in the hurricane was terrible for me, but we are here alive, said Pinar del Rio resident Yusimi Palacios, who asked authorities for a roof and a mattress.

Officials had set up 55 shelters and took steps to protect crops, especially tobacco.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Cuba suffered significant wind and storm surge impacts when the hurricane struck with top sustained winds of 125 mph (205 kph).

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Ian was expected to get even stronger over the warm Gulf of Mexico, reaching top winds of 130 mph (209 kph) approaching the southwestern coast of Florida, where 2.5 million people were ordered to evacuate.

As the storms center moved into the Gulf, scenes of destruction emerged in Cuba. Authorities were still assessing the damage in its world-famous tobacco belt.

Local government station TelePinar reported heavy damage at the main hospital in Pinar del Rio city, tweeting photos of collapsed ceilings and downed trees. No deaths were reported.

Videos on social media showed downed power lines and cut off roads in the provinces of Pinar del Rio, Artemisa and Mayabeque. A hospital in Pinar del Rio was damaged.

The town is flooded, said farmer Andy Munoz, 37, who lives in Playa Cajio in Artemisa.

He said many people lost their belongings due to the storm surge.

I spent the hurricane at home with my husband and the dog. The masonry and zinc roof of the house had just been installed. But the storm tore it down, said Mercedes Valdes, who lives along the highway connecting Pinar del Rio to San Juan y Martinez. We couldnt rescue our things ... we just ran out.
The images of Hurricane Ians aftermath show evidence of Floridas increasingly dense development  flattened beach communities, boats heaved into piles, mobile homes scattered like toys.

But one of the most riveting early signs of the devastation came from a place with deep connections to a movement that has worked to keep bulldozers away from the states natural treasures.

Before dawn on Thursday, the Tampa Bay Times reported that Ian had wiped away parts of Sanibel Causeway, the only link between the mainland and Sanibel Island. Later, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that the island itself had suffered biblical destruction.

The causeway leads to a place of charming isolation, where people go for shelling and city officials work to keep away retail franchises, save for a Dairy Queen and a 7-Eleven that were grandfathered in. Sanibel is and shall remain a barrier island sanctuary, the citys website proclaims.

Historians say Sanibel and neighboring Captiva Island have long worked to protect their pristine environment, while sharing a past that has largely been shaped by weather.

The history of Southwest Florida remains tightly intertwined with hurricanes, historian Gary Mormino wrote in his recent book, Dreams in the New Century: Instant Cities, Shattered Hopes and Floridas Turning Point.

Sanibel and Captiva were home to a fierce debate over the future and past.

Originally inhabited by Calusa Indians, Sanibel was named Santa Isabel by Juan Ponce de Leon, after the queen of Spain, when he found the island in 1513 while searching for the Fountain of Youth. On his second trip there, Ponce De Leon was shot with an arrow soaked in poison and later died in Cuba, Mormino said in an interview.

The Spanish never successfully settled there, and in the 1800s a group of settlers were sent from New York to farm but were driven away by the Seminole Wars. Fishers and farmers found luck on the island, and in 1870 the U.S. government designated the Island as a lighthouse reservation.

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Three years later, Sanibel was devastated by a hurricane.

In 1884, the lighthouse that became a Sanibel landmark was constructed to help cattlemen from the mainland more easily find the island.

A hurricane in 1921 split the island in two, and another in 1926 decimated its agriculture industry with a 14-foot storm surge. In the years after that, a ferry from the mainland allowed hospitality to emerge as an industry, prompting visits from guests like President Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Ford and Charles and Anne Lindbergh.

But the decades following World War II saw a booming Florida that raised alarms.

In the 1950s, writers like John D. MacDonald warned against dredge and fill projects and building along the coastline, said Jack Davis, a University of Florida professor of environmental history and a Pulitzer Prize-winning author.

The Sanibel of today really came to be because of the foresight of people in the 1970s who were alarmed by the rapid development in construction in Florida and barrier islands in the post-World War II period, the 50s, 60s and into the 1970s, Davis said.

In the 1960s, he said, developers lobbied for the causeway.

There was quite a bit of opposition to it from people living on the island, he said. They liked their seclusion. They were opposed to the idea of being connected to the mainland and many of them were worried about it turning into what Treasure Island has in Pinellas County, this condo canyon.

Though the causeway was completed in 1963, Davis said Sanibels residents ultimately won.

Arriving on scene at the perfect time, Mormino said, was Porter Goss, founder of the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation. He later became mayor of Sanibel, a Republican congressman and head of the CIA under President George W. Bush.

He moves to Sanibel precisely at the moment Sanibel is about to be overdeveloped and rallied Sanbellians from the grassroots level, Mormino said of Goss. From an environmental point of view, Sanibel is considered one of the models out there.

By 1974, Sanibel formed its own city government and created land-use restrictions. A large percentage of the island remained conservation land through the JD Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge.

This was bipartisan, Davis said. Republicans and Democrats alike were coming together, and thats the way it still is today in Sanibel. They are very protective of the natural environment and maintaining low density.

The low level of development and mangroves encircling the island kept a slice of Florida intact as condos and artificially fortified beach towns popped up elsewhere. Sanibel became fabulously desirable in the 1970s and 80s, Mormino said.

Hurricane Charley in 2004 left the islands without a working sewage system, electricity or water, Mormino wrote in his book.

In Hurricane Ians wake, images shared on social media showed the Sanibel lighthouse intact but the keepers homes nearby had been destroyed. At a news conference, DeSantis said the causeway will be rebuilt.

As more reports of the damage come in, Davis said he hopes the natural barriers and conservation land may have protected Sanibel from even worse.

But he believes the calls of people earlier in history should be heeded.

Weve been building in harms way, he said. We refuse to hear the caution of hurricanes. We refer to them as natural disasters, which is offensive to me because then we blame nature, not ourselves and let ourselves off the hook. As much as I think people there have practiced smart development, we really shouldnt be on that barrier Island.... We shouldnt be on any of these barrier islands.

Federal assistance, he said, often lessens the mental risk of living in harms way. In the wake of hurricanes, he said, developers often come in and buy up land cheap with the support of local officials in desperation.

It will be interesting to see if we learn any lessons from this or if we continue to do things the old way, he said.

Mormino said he too wonders if Hurricane Ian will alter the course of Floridas history.

This is a wakeup call, but it hasnt seemed to awaken people in the last decade or so, he said. Im a pretty optimistic person. But Florida, its breaking my heart.

  

Tampa Bay Times Hurricane Ian coverage

HOW TO HELP: Where to donate or volunteer to help Hurricane Ian victims.

FEMA: Floridians hurt by Ian can now apply for FEMA assistance. Heres how.

THE STORM HAS PASSED: Now what? Safety tips for returning home.

POST-STORM QUESTIONS: After Hurricane Ian, how to get help with fallen trees, food, damaged shelter.

WEATHER EFFECTS: Hurricane Ian was supposed to slam Tampa Bay head on. What happened?

WHAT TO DO IF HURRICANE DAMAGES YOUR HOME: Stay calm, then call your insurance company.

SCHOOLS: Will schools reopen quickly after Hurricane Ian passes? It depends.

MORE STORM COVERAGE: Get ready and stay informed at tampabay.com/hurricane.
Tropical Storm Ian has strengthened into a hurricane as it prepares to hit Cuba and Florida early this week.

The National Hurricane Center said in a Monday morning advisory that Ian was forecast to be at major hurricane strength within hours, bringing heavy rainfall and flooding to Jamaica and western Cuba before making landfall on the west coast of Florida.

Life-threatening storm surge and hurricane-force winds are expected in portions of western Cuba beginning late today, and Ian is forecast to be at major hurricane strength when it is near western Cuba, the advisory states. Efforts to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.

The hurricane is forecast to continue traveling north within the Gulf of Mexico before making landfall in Florida later this week.

Regardless of Ians exact track and intensity, there is a risk of a life-threatening storm surge, hurricane-force winds and heavy rainfall along the west coast of Florida and the Florida Panhandle by the middle of this week, the advisory says.

The National Weather Service issued hurricane watches and warnings for areas along the Florida coast, including Sarasota and Tampa.

Forecasters suggest Ian will eventually make its way north, crossing into Georgia as a tropical storm at the start of the weekend.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) declared a state of emergency in all of Floridas counties in advance of the storm, telling residents to anticipate power outages and fuel disruptions.

The impacts will be broad throughout the state of Florida, DeSantis said, adding that evacuation orders could come in some areas.

President Biden on Saturday declared an emergency in the state, freeing up federal resources to respond to the hurricane.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Press Release

U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $1.5 Million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance to Capitalize Revolving Loan Fund to Serve Small Businesses in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana

WASHINGTON  Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced that the Departments Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1.5 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to Jefferson Parish Economic Development and Port District (JEDCO), Avondale, Louisiana, to capitalize and administer a Revolving Loan Fund that will serve small businesses in Jefferson Parish.

This project will provide gap financing to help small, local businesses recover, grow, and create new employment opportunities.

President Biden is committed to providing businesses with the resources they need to recover from the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. This EDA investment will provide needed capital to small businesses and entrepreneurs in southeast Louisiana, creating a stronger, more robust regional economy.

The Economic Development Administration plays an important role in supporting locally-driven strategies designed to stimulate entrepreneurial activity, said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo. This Revolving Loan Fund will provide the capital that small businesses and entrepreneurs in Jefferson Parish need to grow and thrive.

As a lifelong Louisianian and a member of the House Small Business Committee, I know that small businesses are at the heart of Louisianas economy. That is why it is critical that the federal government help them recover, rebuild, and create new, good jobs for the community, said Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr (LA-02). This Congressionally-allocated $1.5 million Revolving Loan Fund will help entrepreneurs in Jefferson Parish overcome one of the biggest challenges for small businesses: accessing the capitol they need to kick off or grow their enterprises. Todays announcement once again demonstrates that the Biden Administration is strong ally for small business and for the people of southeast Louisiana.

This project is funded under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (Public Law 116-136 PDF), which provided EDA with $1.5 billion for economic assistance programs to help communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus. EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance, which is being administered under the authority of the bureaus flexible Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) (PDF) program, provides a wide-range of financial assistance to eligible communities and regions as they respond to and recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)

The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation's regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA invests in communities and supports regional collaboration in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.
The chair of the Indiana Republican Party has indicated he knew about a sexual assault allegation against Republican Secretary of State candidate Diego Morales for more than a month before it was published in a gossip column Friday.

Kyle Hupfer said in a statement that a Republican asked to meet with him two months after the party nominated Morales at the Republican convention in mid-June.

"At the meeting, she shared with me elements of a story that have now been made public," Hupfer said. "It wasnt then, nor is it now, my story to share."

Briggs: Diego Morales' defense of his military record is a disaster

Morales denied the allegations in a statement of his own Friday.

On Friday morning, political writer Abdul-Hakim Shabazz published interviews with two women who said they had been sexually assaulted by Morales years ago. The stories appeared in Shabazz's publication, the Cheat Sheet.

The allegations are the the latest controversy to touch Morales, who was nominated by Republican delegates at convention despite once being fired from the very office he now seeks. His military experience has also been scrutinized after he made it the focus of his campaign despite spending a total of just three months and 18 days on active duty as part of his training period.

Briggs: Indiana Republicans just gave Democrats a chance to win in November

The first woman Shabazz interviewed said she is a lifelong Republican who has worked for numerous Republican candidates and the state party. She said Morales, whom she knew from working on a congressional campaign, repeatedly kissed her at his apartment in 2007 despite her actively refusing his advances both verbally and physically, Shabazz reported. He pinned her across the wall, she said, was "aggressively rubbing against her," and reached for her shirt before she could get away. She was 20 at the time.

"Never for a moment did I ever anticipate that my friend would do something like this," the woman said of Morales, according to Shabazz's report. "I trusted him. I believed that we were friends."

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The second woman had a similar story: At age 22, she was working for the Secretary of State's Office when after a dinner with Morales, he invited himself up into her apartment and then repeatedly tried to kiss her. She told Shabazz she had to forcefully push him off her.

More:Secretary of State candidate Diego Morales used campaign funds for $43,000 car

"It never got physically worse than that, but what happened in the subsequent weeks at work was him continuing to suggest that I give him a chance," she told Shabazz. "It was a lot of that. It was a lot of manipulation."

Both women told the writer they are now supporting the campaign of Destiny Wells, Morales' Democratic opponent.

In a statement Friday, Morales denied the allegations: "As a husband and father, I understand sexual harassment is deplorable and can leave devastating scars. The claims being made against me are false and I unequivocally deny all of them."

"The women, who will not reveal their identity, cannot corroborate their stories," Morales said prior to Hupfer's release of his statement. "They have neither documentation nor sources to substantiate their defaming comments. The falsities stem from 15 years ago and were not brought forward until now. Being 39 days out from the election, the timing is clearly politically motivated, especially because the women mention being volunteers and supporters of my opponent."

More:Indianas voter registration deadline is Oct. 11. How to register to vote

Morales noted the women's accusations were published via a publication with a disclaimer stating, "This is a compilation of pure gossip, rumor and blatant innuendo."

Hupfer also criticized the timing of the allegations being made public, although he didn't give an opinion on their veracity.

"Allegations like these should be fully and fairly vetted, and the accuser, accused, and voters deserve a process that allows for such," Hupfer said in his statement. "A political party is not an investigatory or judicial body, as parties lack the means and mechanisms to review these types of allegations, particularly in situations that allegedly took place over a decade ago. The age and timing of these allegations leave no opportunity for due process, and that is unfair to all involved."

Diego Morales, the GOP pick for Indianas Secretary of State, does a press conference at the state GOP Convention, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis, Saturday, June 18, 2022.

Wells defended the women who came forward.

"Diego Morales' victims need to be heard and believed. It takes tremendous courage in coming forward, and the last thing I want is for their personal sacrifice to be for naught," the Democratic candidate said. "While this race has been focused on safeguarding our right to vote, we too must safeguard a woman's right to exist in the workplace free of sexual harassment and assault."

IndyStar is attempting to reach the women who shared their stories.

Call IndyStar reporter Kaitlin Lange at 317-432-9270 or email her at kaitlin.lange@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter: @kaitlin_lange.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana Secretary of State candidate faces sexual assault allegation
ROME (AP)  Italian voters rewarded Giorgia Melonis euroskeptic party with neo-fascist roots, propelling the country toward what likely would be its first far-right-led government since World War II, based on partial results Monday from the election for Parliament.

In a victory speech, far-right Italian leader Giorgia Meloni struck a moderate tone after projections based on votes counted from some two-thirds of polling stations showed her Brothers of Italy party ahead of other contenders in Sundays balloting.

If we are called to govern this nation, we will do it for everyone, we will do it for all Italians and we will do it with the aim of uniting the people (of this country), Meloni said at her partys Rome headquarters.

Italy chose us, she said. We will not betray (the country) as we never have.

The formation of a ruling coalition, with the help of Melonis right-wing and center-right allies, could take weeks. If Meloni, 45, succeeds, she would be the first woman to hold the countrys premiership.

Giorgia Meloni voted at a polling station in Rome on Sunday. (Photo: via Associated Press)

Giorgia Meloni voted at a polling station in Rome on Sunday. (Photo: via Associated Press)

The mandate to try to form a government is given by Italys president after consultations with party leaders.

Meanwhile, former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi, whose government collapsed two months ago, stays on in a caretaker role.

Differences among Melonis potential coalition partners could loom.

She has solidly backed the supplying of Ukraine with arms to defend itself against Russias invasion. In contrast, right-wing League leader Matteo Salvini, who before the war was a staunch admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has voiced concern that Western sanctions could end up hurting Italys economic interests more that punishing Russias.

Former Premier Silvio Berlusconi, another long-time Putin admirer, has said that his inclusion in a center-right blocs coalition would guarantee that Italy stays firmly anchored in the European Union and one of its most reliable members.

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With Italys households and businesses struggling with staggeringly high energy bills as winter approaches, Meloni has demurred from Salvinis push to swell already-debt-laden Italy by tens of billions of euros for energy relief.

What kind of government the eurozones third-largest economy might be getting was being closely watched in Europe, given Melonis criticism of Brussels bureaucrats and her ties to other right-wing leaders. She recently defended Hungarys Prime Minister Viktor Orban after the European Commission recommended suspending billions of euros in funding to Hungary over concerns about democratic backsliding and the possible mismanagement of EU money.

After opinion polls in the run-up to the vote indicated she would be headed to victory, Meloni started moderating her message of God, homeland and family in an apparent attempt to reassure the European Union and other international partners, worried about euro-skepticism.

This is the time for being responsible, Meloni said, appearing live on television and describing the situation for Italy and the European Union is particularly complex.

She promised more detailed comments later on Monday. In her campaign, she criticized European Union officials as being overly bureaucratic and vowing to protect Italys national interests if they clash with EU policies.

Projections based on votes counted from nearly two-thirds of the polling stations in Sundays balloting indicated Melonis Brothers of Italy party would win some 25.7% of the vote.

That compared to some 19.3% by the closest challenger, the center-left Democratic Party of former Premier Enrico Letta. Salvinis League was projected to win 8.6% of the ballots, roughly half of what he garnered in the last 2018 election. Berlusconis Forza Italia party, appeared headed to win 8%.

Melonis meteoric rise in the European Unions third-largest economy comes at a critical time, as much of the continent reels under soaring energy bills, a repercussion of the war in Ukraine, and the Wests resolve to stand united against Russian aggression is being tested. In the last election, in 2018, Melonis party took 4.4%.

Fellow euroskeptic politicians were among the first to celebrate. French politician Marine Le Pens party also hailed the result as a lesson in humility to the EU.

Santiago Abascal, the leader of Spains far-right Vox opposition party, tweeted that millions of Europeans are placing their hopes in Italy. Meloni has shown the way for a proud and free Europe of sovereign nations that can cooperate on behalf of everybodys security and prosperity.

Turnout according to the Interior Ministry, was 64%, as eligible voters deserted polling stations in droves. That is far lower than the previous record for low turnout, 73% in 2018.

Italy has had three coalition governments since the last election  each led by someone who hadnt run for office, and that appeared to have alienated many voters, pollsters had said.

Melonis party was forged from the legacy of a neo-fascist party formed shortly after the war by nostalgists of Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.

Italys complex electoral law rewards campaign alliance. Meloni was buoyed by joining campaign forces with Salvini and Berlusconi.

The Democrats went into the vote at a steep disadvantage since they failed to secure a similarly broad alliance with the left-leaning populists of the 5-Star-Movement, the largest party in the just-ended legislature.

Headed by former Premier Giuseppe Conte, the 5-Stars appeared headed to a third-place finish, with some 16% of the vote. Had they joined forces in a campaign agreement with the Democrats, their coalition would have roughly take the same percentage of Melonis alliance

The election Sunday came six months early after Draghis pandemic unity government, which enjoyed wide citizen popularity, collapsed in late July after the parties of Salvini, Berlusconi and Conte withheld support in a confidence vote.

Meloni kept her Brothers of Italy party in the opposition, refusing to join Draghis unity government or the two previous coalitions led by Conte.

___

Associated Press journalist Nicole Winfield contributed from Rome.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...
NEWPORT  Audrain Concours + Motor Week has arrived, bringing car enthusiasts from all over the country, local motorheads and even a celebrity or two to the City-by-the-Sea for one of the marquee events on every automobile aficionados calendar.

Friday morning, the car crowd flocked to the grounds of Rough Point, the estate of Doris Duke, for The Gathering, a popular and highly attended car show and networking event that seems to be a highlight of the week for many of the visitors.

Some of them perhaps even have spotted classic cars along the way down the coast, with Cadillacs making a base camp in the Bristol Sip N Dip parking lot before the trip to Newport and a number of vintage Mercedes cruising down Ocean Drive on their way to the show.

Noted car collector Jay Leno was in attendance, of course, taking the mic for a conversation with Jeff Taylor of Bridgeport, Connecticut, about his one-of-a-kind 1991 Land Rover Defender 90, which garnered attention even among a field full of Ferraris, Cadillacs and Porsches.

Jeff Taylor poses with his 'woodie' electric 1991 Land Rover Defender 90 after having a conversation with Jay Leno about the one-of-a-kind vehicle at The Gathering at Rough Point.

That's because of the vehicle's custom wooden body panels made of ash and sapele (an African hardwood somewhat similar to mahogany) and its 32-battery powered electric drive train.

Check out what's on tap: World's finest cars will be on display at 2022 Audrain Newport Concours & Motor Week

Leno, the now-retired late night television host known not only for collecting cars but also for being genuinely knowledgeable about them, was clearly intrigued by Taylor's Land Rover, which incidentally is for sale for $450,000.

An audience gathered to hear Leno pick Taylors brain and examine the vehicle.

'That car was a giant killer'

There were also some locals in attendance  two gentlemen with VIP tags hanging around their necks turned out to be Bryan Bardy and Ron OHanley, both local sailors and Newport residents who have made a tradition of attending the annual motor week with their friends and family.

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Bardy said he has a 1980 CJ7 Jeep, which isnt suitable for this particular show but a vehicle he does bring to Newports Cars and Coffee events, which takes place every week from early spring until October at various locations.

More: Newport police close case of 1966 Doris Duke crash that killed Eduardo Tirella  again

Bardy and OHanley posed for a picture in front of their friend Chris Cannons bright yellow 1987 Porsche Carrera, which Cannon later explained he had heavily modified over the course of a build-out. It took about two years and resulted in a vehicle with about 100 more horsepower and 300 less pounds of body weight than a typical Carrera.

It was a great COVID project, Cannon, a Jamestown resident, said about the rebuild. I dont race it, but I do drive it on a track.

There was another Porsche on display at the entrance, a sleek red 1964 Carrera GTS that was Porsches first fiberglass racecar.

That car was a giant-killer, OHanley explained. It has a smaller engine than a lot of other cars, but it was so light that it won a lot of races. It still wins vintage races. That car (at the entrance) is probably worth $5 million.

More: This historic Newport house served as a bed and breakfast. It just sold for $5.5 million.

A stylish, retro-futuristic 'art deco car'

Another vehicle garnering a lot of attention was a pale blue Delahaye, a stylish, retro-futuristic looking car Ardy Arani, who described himself as a certified car guy, explained was an art deco car.

Arani said he flew in from Atlanta for the show, and had seen similar Delahaye vehicles at a museum in Georgia.

Jay Leno chats with fellow car enthusiasts Friday during The Gathering at Rough Point in Newport, part of the Audrain Concours + Motor Week.

Delahaye was a French company founded in the 1890s, but its racing department was established in 1932, just as the art deco era of automotive design really rose to prominence.

The cars, many of them French, featured massive engines, swooping fenders, big round headlights and lots of chrome, aesthetics that eventually influenced the design of more affordable American cars like the now-famous Chrysler Airflow.

This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Jay Leno makes appearance at Audrain Concours event The Gathering
Lower Kickemuit Dam

WARREN  A plan to restore the Kickemuit River to its natural state has taken a key step forward with the approval of an application to remove a concrete dam that was built across the waterway nearly 140 years ago.

The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council on Tuesday granted a request from the Bristol County Water Authority to take down the Lower Kickemuit Dam, which is located near Child Street and serves as a dividing line between the fresh- and saltwater portions of the eight-mile-long river that runs from headwaters in Rehoboth to Mount Hope Bay in Bristol.

The water authoritys proposal to demolish the Upper Kickemuit Dam, a newer earthen embankment less than a mile upstream, is still pending before the state Department of Environmental Management.

Environmentalists in favor, but neighbors object

The dams were built to create reservoirs that were integral to the drinking water system for Barrington, Bristol and Warren. But with the water authority buying supplies from the Scituate Reservoir and now working on a backup connection through East Providence, the reservoirs no longer serve any useful function for the countys water system and have fallen into disrepair.

Their removal has the support of Save The Bay, which has advised the authority on the project, and the DEM's Division of Fish and Wildlife. The Kickemuit River Council is also in favor of removing the dams and restoring the natural tidal flow along the full extent of the river. The groups say ecologically valuable salt marshes will be created, that river herring will be able to reach spawning habitat more easily, that access for kayakers and fishermen will be improved, and that the work will help with flood resiliency.

We believe the dam removal project will restore the Kickemuit River to its original state and help in the migration of native species back to our waters, wrote David Durban, of the river council, in a letter to the coastal council.

Story continues

But neighbors have objected to the plan, saying it could harm property values and cause saltwater contamination of their wells. They say the water authority was irresponsible in failing to maintain the dams and should make repairs rather than tear them down.

Now the risk, because they didnt do what they were supposed to do under Rhode Island law, is being passed to the community, Robert Botelho, a resident of Serpentine Road, told the council at Tuesday nights meeting.

He called on the authority to install a new water main to ensure his house and others arent harmed if the underground aquifer is tainted as saltwater starts mixing with freshwater in the reopened portions of the river.

Despite the concerns raised by Botelho  the only objector to testify at the meeting  the council approved the water authoritys application. But as part of their decision, council members instructed the authority to test wells for salinity before and after the lower dam is removed. Authority executive director Steve Coutu also told the council that the water main installation would be assessed for cost and feasibility.

He said after the meeting that the studies conducted by engineers hired by the authority concluded that the wells wont be impacted. At this point, theres no plan to preemptively run a new water line under Serpentine Road.

Theyre deep wells and we dont anticipate any issues, Coutu said.

Dams in disrepair, no longer needed

The 250-foot-wide lower dam was built in 1883 to store drinking water for the residents of Warren, Bristol, and later, Barrington. The upper dam and the reservoir above it followed in 1961, coming after Hurricane Carol in 1954 contaminated the lower reservoir with saltwater.

But the reservoirs largely became redundant in 1998 when the water authority completed a pipeline under the Providence River and became a wholesale customer of Providence Water, which gets its water from the Scituate Reservoir. The Kickemuit reservoirs were maintained as a backup supply, but theyre no longer needed with a plan underway to hook into the Pawtucket Water Supply Boards system.

With maintenance costs mounting and no use for the dams anymore, it made no sense for the authority to pay to repair them, said Coutu.

The same goes for the circa-1908 treatment plant that the authority owns near the lower dam. It was decommissioned in 2019 and is planned for demolition.

Climate change is one factor in the authoritys decisions. The infrastructure along the Kickemuit is seen as vulnerable to extreme storms and surges, which are reaching higher with sea level rise. By taking out the structures, the authority would open up more areas to hold floodwater.

Engineering studies project that removing the two dams would reduce the frequency of flooding above the lower dam. While flooding could go up slightly in places in some scenarios, it would go down during a 100-year storm, the baseline event used to measure flood risk.

Staff at the coastal council raised no concerns about the plan for the lower dam and recommended approval.

Grants to pay for removal

Grants from the state and federal government totaling $2.6 million are expected to cover the entire cost of removing both dams, said Coutu.

The authority is awaiting word from the DEM on the upper dam. The state agency is also assessing water quality impacts stemming from the removal of both dams. And the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must also sign off on both projects.

The DEM is expected to wrap up its reviews within the next month or so, according to spokesman Michael Healey. Staff at the agency support the project because they believe it will reduce stagnant conditions in the reservoirs and "significantly improve both water quality and habitat for a wide variety of fish and wildlife," he said.

"At the same time, though, we cannot prejudge a permit," he said. "A project must still meet environmental standards."

If all goes well, the project could go out to bid this winter and demol could start this time next year.

Its a good milestone for us, Coutu said of Tuesdays decision.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Dam removal in Warren RI gets key approval
Far-Right party Brothers of Italy's leader Giorgia Meloni shows a placard reading in Italian "Thank you Italy" at her party's electoral headquarters in Rome, early Monday, Sept. 26, 2022. AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia

Far-right politician Giorgia Meloni is poised to become Italy's first woman prime minister.

Her ultra-conservative party got the most votes in the country's national election held on Sunday.

The 45-year-old ascended to power after she joined the Italian Social Movement as a teen activist.

Far-right firebrand politician Giorgia Meloni is poised to become Italy's first woman prime minister after the 45-year-old's ultra-conservative party garnered the most votes in the country's national election held on Sunday.

Meloni led the Brothers of Italy party  which has roots in the post-World War II neo-fascist Italian Social Movement  to victory after co-founding the party in 2012 and becoming its president two years later.

Early Monday morning, Meloni called it "a night of pride for many and a night of redemption," CNN reported.

"It's a victory I want to dedicate to everyone who is no longer with us and wanted this night," Meloni told a crowd of supporters, according to the news outlet. "Starting tomorrow we have to show our value ... Italians chose us, and we will not betray it, as we never have."

Giorgia Meloni casts her vote at a polling station on September 25, 2022 in Rome. Andreas SOLARO / AFP) (Photo by ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP via Getty Images

Meloni's Brothers of Italy party won the most votes in the election with about 26% of the vote, putting Meloni on track to become the next Italian prime minister.

With Meloni's party in power, Italy's government is expected to be the most right-wing since the era of late Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, who ruled the country from 1922 to 1943.

Meloni, a mother of one, was raised by a single mom in Rome's working-class district of Garbatella after her father walked out on the family.

Giorgia Meloni takes a selfie with supporters during a rally. Nicolo Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images

In her teenage years, Meloni got involved in the Italian Social Movement, or MSI, a political party that supporters of Mussolini founded in 1946.

Meloni went on to head the youth branch of the party, which was renamed the National Alliance, the Associated Press reported.

She won her first local election at age 21. One decade later, Meloni became Italy's youngest minister when she was appointed to the youth portfolio in 2008, when Silvio Berlusconi was prime minister.

Story continues

Giorgia Meloni (left) alongside Matteo Salvini and Silvio Berlusconi. Riccardo Fabi/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Four years later, Meloni co-founded the Brothers of Italy party, which she has compared to the Republican party in the United States and Britain's Conservative party, according to Reuters.

"Yes to natural families, no to the LGBT lobby, yes to sexual identity, no to gender ideology, yes to the culture of life, no to the abyss of death," Meloni said in June to supporters of Spain's far-right conservative party Vox, Reuters reported.

Meloni continued in the speech: "No to the violence of Islam, yes to safer borders, no to mass immigration, yes to work for our people, no to major international finance."

Giorgia Meloni. ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)

In an interview with Reuters last month, Meloni pushed back on her party's fascist ties and previous comments she made as a teenager about Mussolini being a "good politician."

"Obviously I have a different opinion now," Meloni said without elaborating, Reuters reported.

The global rise of the far right

Meloni's rise to power comes during an era in which far-right parties and politicians have gained significant influence in the West and wider world. From France to India and beyond, there is a global trend of the far right increasing its power.

A party with neo-Nazi origins won 20.5% of the vote in recent elections in Sweden, which for years has been considered among the most liberal countries in the world.

In the US, some historians and experts on democracy have warned that former President Donald Trump has behaved like an authoritarian, with some even comparing him to leaders like Mussolini.

Trump  who is widely considered a frontrunner for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination  made false claims regarding the 2020 election that sparked a deadly insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro arrive to attend a military ceremony for the Day of the Soldier, at Army Headquarters in Brasilia, Brazil, Friday, Aug. 23, 2019. Bolsonaro says he's leaning toward sending the army to help fight Amazon fires that have alarmed people across the globe Eraldo Peres/Associated Press

Meanwhile, far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has employed a similar playbook to Trump as his country heads into an election, making baseless allegations of voter fraud as he trails his opponent in the polls.

There is also more and more collaboration and solidarity between far-right groups in different countries, as evidenced by the increasingly close ties between Republicans in the US and leaders including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. In a major rebuke of Orban's government and the steps he has taken to consolidate power, the European Parliament earlier this month backed a resolution that stated Hungary could no longer be considered a democracy and has become a "hybrid regime of electoral autocracy."

Leaders associated with these far-right movements often utilize near-identical rhetoric and tactics, and experts say Meloni is following a similar trajectory.

Then-President Donald Trump speaks to the media during an Oval Office meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on May 13, 2019. Mark Wilson/Getty Images

"Meloni in many ways sounds more like other modern national-conservative politicians such as Hungary's Viktor Orban and America's MAGA Republicans," Ruth Ben-Ghiat, an NYU historian and expert on fascism, wrote in a recent op-ed for the Atlantic.

"Meloni's enemies list is familiar: 'LGBT lobbies' that are out to harm women and the family by destroying 'gender identity'; George Soros, an 'international speculator,' she has said, who finances global 'mass immigration' that threatens a Great Replacement of white, native-born Italians," Ben-Ghiat added.

She continued: "Meloni seems unlikely to tone down her extremism or change her alignment with illiberal parties in Europe" such as Orban's Fidesz in Hungary.

"After all, pursuing hard-line anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQ policies in the name of defending white Christian civilization has worked well for them," Ben-Ghiat wrote.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Authorities in Catawba County, N.C. say that a man who was holding a hostage at gunpoint was shot and killed Saturday.

Deputies with the Catawba County Sheriffs Office responded to a report of a hostage situation on Village Circle, just outside Hickory  a city of about 44,000 people located 50 miles northwest of Charlotte  early Saturday morning.

When deputies arrived they discovered that an adult male was holding another adult male family member hostage, the sheriffs office said in a news release Saturday. The hostage-taker was armed with a handgun.

The hostage is believed to be the mans son, local television WSOC-TV reported.

Crisis negotiators and deputies made several attempts to de-escalate the situation and encourage the man to release the hostage, according to the news release.

However, despite efforts made by deputies and the negotiation team to resolve the issue in a peaceful manner, the hostage-taker continued to threaten the hostage and was shot by deputies.

Emergency personnel treated the suspect at the scene but he did not survive.

The hostages life was in danger, Capt. Aaron Turk told the TV station. We took action that we felt was necessary to save the hostage and bring the situation to an end.

Sheriff Don Brown spoke about the tragic incident in a statement, saying that his department would assist and cooperate fully with the State Bureau of Investigation as they conduct an investigation.

The Catawba County Sheriffs Office is also conducting an internal review.

Neither the hostage nor any deputies were hurt in the incident.
August was the 452nd consecutive month that the global average temperature exceeded the 20th-century average for the same month. To climatologists, 452 adds up to climate change. To farmers around the world, that translates to a lot of really bad weather. To those in Somalia, that very well could mean a famine this year. In any case, it contributes to a global food crisis  and one which all the worlds countries must address.

On behalf of the president, Secretary of State Antony Blinken did just that when he joined world leaders at the Global Food Security Summit in New York on Sept. 20 at the United Nations General Assembly. At this gathering, he challenged global partners to take the needed actions to combat the negative impacts of conflict and climate change on food security.

Climate change has arrived. During the 1980s, there were fewer than three natural disasters per year in the United States that cost roughly $1 billion each in damage (inflation adjusted). In contrast, there were 20 such natural disasters in the last year.

Credible projections indicate that by mid-century in many countries, the best growing seasons temperature-wise will closely resemble the worst of the past.

Globally, 193 million people face acute food insecurity. This years projected budget shortfall for the World Food Program exceeds last years entire budget. The World Food Program executive director recently remarked that the organization is being forced to make an agonizing decision  to take food from hungry children to give it to starving children. And were only beginning to feel the full effects of climate change.

The United States is providing an unprecedented amount of food aid and humanitarian assistance and is the World Food Programs largest donor. But make no mistake, these efforts are neither enough to resolve the current crisis nor prevent another. Food aid, regardless of the amount, is not and cannot be the only means to address food insecurity. There is no formula for determining the best balance of using available resources for immediate humanitarian aid and boosting food production (reducing the need for aid), but we know improving food systems is the answer. Most countries  131 of 196  are net food importers.

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Reliable local production, well-functioning markets, strong, responsive democracies, and open international trade are essential to strengthening food systems, especially in countries that are currently food insecure.

Vladimir Putin bears responsibility for exacerbating a global food crisis that was already well underway thanks to his decision to launch an all-out invasion of Ukraine, a top five supplier of wheat, corn, and vegetable oil to world markets. What happens in Ukraine doesnt stay in Ukraine. Rising prices downstream of Russias full-scale war have pushed millions more around the globe into food insecurity.

This food security crisis is unlike any of the past, as it is the result of multiple major causes, notably climate change, COVID-19, and global conflict. More than half of those experiencing hunger today live in conflict zones. Historically low grain stockpiles, high fertilizer prices, limited fertilizer availability, and food export restrictions imposed by about 20 countries also add to the list of causes. Moreover, 21 of the worlds 37 major aquifers are in decline. The Ganges and the Arabian aquifer systems, both sources of water for irrigation, are among those suffering serious depletion.

This is a multi-year crisis. Due to the many factors at play and the need for multiple growing seasons to restore supplies and markets, there are no quick or easy solutions. The fight against hunger must be conducted with a long-term perspective and on multiple fronts.

The U.S. government is engaged with a multi-year strategy that seeks to create food systems that are inclusive, resilient, and sustainable. We have expanded Feed the Future, the U.S. governments flagship global hunger and food security initiative, to eight new countries, all in Africa. The United States is providing support to institutions such as the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, which are contributing significantly to global food security. The Centers drought-tolerant corn is now planted on 17 million acres in Africa.

People wait in a line with groceries at the supermarket on Feb. 28, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine.

We must ensure that all crops important to food security receive adequate research funding and are climate ready to increase production, provide more farmer income, better nutrition, and heightened resilience both to weather extremes and geopolitical shocks. This makes humanitarian and economic sense and is in everyones self-interest. Ask any farmer anywhere.

This investment in research also makes sense from a national security perspective, as conflict is both a cause and effect of food insecurity. Intensifying climate change and hunger increase the risk of conflict.

Strengthening global food systems not only advances peace abroad but also helps our own farmers here at home. For wheat alone, every two cents invested by U.S. taxpayers generates one hundred dollars of benefit to our economy. And how does it impact the hungry? USAID programs, to cite but one example, have prevented 3.4 million children in target countries from being stunted.

When we choose to invest in global food security, we all benefit. In joining world leaders at the United Nations to address food insecurity, we will leverage our investment and put America in the lead where it must be.

February 2008 - Cary Fowler, a 1967 White Station High School graduate, not far from the arctic seed vault near Svalbard, Norway.

Cary Fowler is U.S. special envoy for global food security.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Opinion: The world cannot ignore the global food crisis
Chris and Jenny Knudsen, owners of Mane Attraction, pictured at their hair salon.

Hes a third-generation hairdresser whose grandfather once had the king of Norway as a customer back in Oslo.

But it took some soul searching for Chris Knudsen, co-owner of Mane Attraction Salon, to go into the family business.

He was putting his marketing degree to use managing a marketing firm in California. It brought a steady paycheck and solid living. But he yearned for something more  and that came in the form of a line of work he was around all his life.

Growing up in a family that was pretty successful, I didnt want to have doors open to me because of my family name. I wanted to carve my own path, Knudsen said.

His grandfather Erling kept the king of Norway appropriately coiffed. His father Erik was recruited to come to the U.S. as an official Breck Shampoo spokesperson and owned a successful salon in his hometown of Mequon, Wisconsin. His mother Carol was personal friends and one of the first personal assistants to Aveda Corporation founder Horst Rechelbacher.

But as I got older, I realized its a really positive industry to be in, Knudsen said.

In 2020, Knudsen and his wife Jenny became full owners and third-generation husband-and-wife owners of the longtime Phoenix salon that opened in 1977. In October, the Knudsens will see it celebrate 45 years of trimming, styling, coloring and blowing out.

The Knudsens worked alongside the salons previous husband-and-wife owners, Kendall Ong and Beate Assmuth-Ong since starting the ownership transition in 2016.

The Ongs had owned Mane Attraction since 1998, when they purchased it from founding couple Marino and Mary Anne Morelli.

Today, Chris does hair while Jenny does behind-the-scenes duties like managing inventory and marketing and also overseeing the salons philanthropic events.

This includes Beauty to the Rescue, the annual event that benefits animal rescues. The salon is closed for the day and does hair services for donations as a DJ and vendors set up at the front of the salon. Theres a silent auction and a portion of retail sales that day go back to the benefiting organization that year. Since the Ongs started the event in 2000, it has raised just under $400,000, Jenny said.

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What also continues is the salons growth under new ownership that transpired with the start of the pandemic. This year, the company is on track to finish 10% over 2019 in gross revenue, which is the most the company has done in its history, Chris said.

Since February 2021, the salon has averaged 180-200 new clients a month, creating a nearly 50% increase in new client business, another salon first.

Relationships bring back customers

Longtime regular Mike DiDomenico was a new client in the mid-80s, when he started going to the salon under the original ownership. Since then, he has gone every four weeks and no other salon has cut his hair.

The friendliness of everyone from the person who checks him in to those who do his hair and back massage are among the reasons hes gone nowhere else for nearly four decades.

And while hes had different stylists over the years, many of them for five or six year stretches, the consistency of the quality of the staffs work and culture impresses him.

Chris Knudsen, owner of Mane Attraction, is pictured working at his hair salon that he co-owns with his wife.

Its such a comfortable place. The owners over the years are very protective of the environment and thats reflected and clients appreciate it and are comfortable, said DiDomenico, who lives in Tempe. You spend so much time getting to know everyone personally. You develop a relationship thats what makes me want to keep going. Its family over there.

Both Wisconsin natives, Chris and Jenny were high school sweethearts who started dating when they were 15.

She taught me how to drive a car, Chris said.

After graduating high school, they headed to warmer weather in Southern California. Chris to the University of San Diego and Jenny to California State University at San Marcos. They remained a couple throughout and married in 2006.

Not long after, the Knudsens moved from Carlsbad to the Valley, where Chris parents were snowbirds.

Chris and Jenny Knudsen, owners of Mane Attraction, pictured at their hair salon.

We wanted to be near family but we didnt want to go back to Wisconsin, Jenny said with a laugh. Phoenix was a good place to be and raise our family.

Making the move created a natural break for Chris to re-career and heed the calling.

Jenny stayed home with their kids for eight years while Chris went to beauty school in 2007. He started at Mane Attraction a year later as an assistant and worked his way up.

The Knudeses are part of a U.S. hair salon market valued at $46.2 billion, according to IBISWorld.

But when they fully took the reins in April 2020, the reality of COVID-19 and the havoc it wreaked started to hit.

COVID-19: 'We were all in it together'

Initially, they thought they could weather the storm, that they would shut down for a few weeks and reopen like it never happened, Chris recalled.

That's not how it turned out. However, the Knudsens were not alone and their fellow salon owners were a constant reminder. Chris called salon owner veterans for advice and was often told they were at a loss.

Over time, as salon owners adjusted through trial and error, they were quick to share best practices in this new realm. Everyone remained flexible and instead of competition, there was camaraderie among the navigation.

It was kind of like everyones in a serious maze  and youre yelling over the wall, Come this way! Chris said. We dealt with what an experienced business owner deals with in a decade in a six-week time frame. But, we were all in it together.

Chris and Jenny Knudsen, owners of Mane Attraction, pictured at their hair salon.

The experience also enabled the Knudsens to jump start aspects of their business model on a truncated clock.

For example, they had planned on going cashless so the pandemic presented the perfect opportunity to do that. They updated their software and revamped the website to have a cleaner online presence where clients could search, schedule and inquire without having to pick up the phone.

It just sped up the process. In hindsight, everything turned out the way it should have been. Chris said.

Their children played a big role in Chris move from the corporate world.

Could I look my kids in the eyes and say Im proud of what I did? Being a number in a big company didnt do it for me, Chris said.

'It's not how much you cut off'

A lot of time is spent training staff to do styles that fit clients lifestyles. Its also spent making them feel their best when they're in the chair and when they leave.

Hair is the only accessory you dont take off at night. You wake up with it. It really defines how you look, he said. Its not how much you cut off but what you leave on that matters. For us, its about finding a shape that makes you feel beautiful and comfortable in your own skin.

While some may think getting hair done is superficial, the Knudsens believe its quite the opposite. Some clients come in because they are celebrating a birthday, anniversary or their child graduating from high school or college. Others have lost a loved one or seek to boost a heavy heart.

When word gets out about what brought a client there, its common for the staff to get a card and have everyone sign it, wishing congratulations or expressing sympathy.

People call back telling us, You really changed the course of my day, Chris said. You may not know why someone is in your chair. How we make them feel when theyre here is where our greatest impact is.

What: Mane Attraction Salon

Where: 3156 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix

Employees: 28

Interesting stat: The U.S. hair salon market is valued at $46.2 billion, according to IBISWorld.

Details: 602-956-2996, maneattractionsalon.com

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mane Attraction hair salon in Phoenix set to mark 45 years in business
Chantell and Mike Sackett have been waging a 15-year legal battle with the EPA over whether they can build a home near Priest Lake, Idaho (pictured). Credit - Sam JudyAlamy

On the first day of its new term, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear a long-running dispute over federal water regulation that climate activists argue could leave millions of acres of wetlands unprotected and potentially intensify pollution of Americas water system.

Idaho couple Chantell and Michael Sackett have been waging a 15-year legal battle with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over whether they can build a home on their property near Priest Lake, Idaho. In 2007, the EPA told the Sacketts that they couldnt build because the property includes wetlands protected by the Clean Water Act, the primary federal law regulating water pollution. The Sacketts first appealed on a procedural question up to the U.S. Supreme Court, which kicked the case back to the lower courts in 2012.

Read more: Prepare for Another Blockbuster Supreme Court Term

A decade later, the Sacketts are back before the high court. Represented by the libertarian law firm Pacific Legal Foundation, the Sacketts are asking the justices to adopt a more limited test for determining which wetlands are covered by the Clean Water Act. Carrie Campbell Severino, the president of the conservative legal advocacy group Judicial Crisis Network, argues that the Sacketts request could help countless homeowners and business owners who are simply trying to make use of their property and are being given crushing levels of regulation. But environmental activists argue the change could have a sweeping impact on Americas water system, potentially contaminating drinking water and exacerbating flooding.

Its really hard to overstate how consequential this is for the Clean Water Act, says Jon Devine, the director of federal water policy at the environmental advocacy group the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), which filed a brief in support of the EPA. This case will likely determine whether tens of millions of acres of wetlands and millions of miles of streams are protected by numerous pollution control programs.

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What are the Waters of the United States?

Passed in 1972, the Clean Water Act established an expansive framework for regulating water pollution. It banned the discharge of pollutants from a point sourcelike a pipeline or a man-made ditchinto navigable waters without a permit. The laws goal, lawmakers wrote, was to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the Nations waters.

But what counts as the Nations waters has never been totally clear. Does it include wetlands that only occasionally flood? What about wetlands that arent close to other bodies of water? The Supreme Court considered this question in 2006s in Rapanos v. United States and couldnt come up with an answer. The bench split 4-1-4, with no justice securing a majority for their definition of the waters of the United States.

Justice Antonin Scalia and Justice Anthony Kennedy each proposed their own test. Scalia, citing the definition of waters in Websters Dictionary, argued that the Clean Water Act regulated relatively permanent, standing or continuously flowing bodies of water, and did not include channels where water only flowed or drained occasionally. As for wetlands, he argued that they need to be right next to another body of waterso much so that there is no clear demarcation between the twoin order to be protected. Scalia was joined by three of the courts current conservative majority: Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Clarence Thomas, and Justice Samuel Alito.

Read more: What the Supreme Courts Ruling on the Clean Air Act Means for Carbon Emissions

Kennedy took a broader approach. In a solo opinion, he wrote that a wetland should be protected if it shares a significant nexus with another body of watermeaning that if a developer pollutes the wetland, it would it have a significant impact the physical, chemical, or biological health of another water downstream. In the 16 years since, lower courts have typically applied Kennedys test for determining which wetlands are covered by the landmark regulation.

The Sacketts are now asking the Supreme Court to throw out Kennedys test and formally adopt Scalias. Under the more limited test, they would be able to build on their property because the wetlands dont share a continuous surface connection with Priest Lake. And they argue the significant nexus test gives federal agencies unnecessarily broad discretionary power that has typically been reserved for state and local governments.

The test hasnt been shown to have any real limitations, argues Damien M. Schiff, a senior attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation, who represents the Sacketts. As a consequence, when the EPA and the [Army Corps of Engineers] employ the test, they often end up being converted to something like land use or zoning administrators, which is an unusual rule for a federal agency to occupy.

The EPA responds that such a rigid approach would upend an understanding of the Acts coverage that has prevailed for nearly half a century and create arbitrary and shifting distinctions that would stop the proper regulation of water pollution. Building a levee to protect a river and its adjacent wetland, for example, could strip that wetland of protection because it no longer has a continuous surface connection to the river, the government argues. Such a definition would mean the laws protection could also come and go as floods or storms created or breached natural barriers like berms and dunes, the EPA adds.

Read more: What the Supreme Courts Stunning Rulings Mean for Your Health

Schiff of Pacific Legal Foundation concedes that fewer wetlands would have federal protection if Scalias test is adopted. But he argues that would not necessarily result in a worse environmental outcome. States can always enact their own water laws, he argues, which could be even more protective than the federal standard.

But Devine of NRDC disagrees. NRDC estimates that over 45 million acres of wetlands would lose protection if Scalias test is adopted, which Devine says could not only worsen flooding as wetlands are eroded but also could contaminate drinking water that draw their source from streams with significant nexus connections to wetlands. The EPA estimates that 117 million people get some of their drinking water from systems that rely in part on intermittent, ephemeral, or headwater stream. Anyone who depends on clean water, he argues, should be invested in what the high court ultimately decides.
Matthew Heath, a former U.S. Marine corporal from Knoxville, Tennessee, who was arrested in 2020 at a roadblock in Venezuela on what the State Department has called "specious" weapons charges, was released today along with six other Americans imprisoned in the South American country.

In a rare softening of hostile relations, the White House said Saturday Venezuela freed the seven Americans and the United States released two nephews of President Nicholas Maduro's wife who had been jailed for years on drug smuggling convictions.

The swap of the Americans, including five oil executives held for nearly five years, follows months of back channel diplomacy by Washingtons top hostage negotiator and other U.S. officials  secretive talks with a major oil producer that took on greater urgency after sanctions on Russia put pressure on global energy prices.

Retired Marine Matthew Heath of Knoxville, Tennessee, was arrested and charged on alleged terrorism charges in 2020 in Venezuela, was one of seven Americans freed in a prisoner swap with Venezuela.

Retired Marine Matthew Heath of Knoxville, Tennessee, who was arrested and charged on alleged terrorism charges in 2020 in Venezuela, has been freed along with six other Americans. (Photos courtesy of his family from before and during captivity).

Related:U.S. must do more to free Tennessee Marine detained in Venezuela | Opinion

Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn said in a tweet, "Praising God that after two long years, Matthew Heath has been released from prison in Venezuela. Please join me in continued prayer for Matthew and his family as he returns home to Tennessee and recovers."

President Biden also commented on the release of the American prisoners saying in a statement, "Today, after years of being wrongfully detained in Venezuela, we are bringing home" the seven men, whom the president cited by name. "We celebrate that seven families will be whole once more."

The White House said Biden had spoken with the families and that the men were in stable health and have been offered a range of support services, including medical care.

A senior Biden administration official said the U.S. and Venezuela had explored a range of options, but that it became clear that one particular step  the release of the two Maduro family members  was essential in getting a deal done. The official said the deal required a painful decision but the administration's willingness to make it showed its commitment to bringing home American citizens held abroad.

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The administration in the last six months has struck similar deals with Russia and more recently the Taliban. But the official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the administration, said it remains extraordinarily rare that a choice like this is made.

Maduro's government said in a statement that it was releasing the American citizens as a humanitarian gesture. It praised the diplomacy that resulted in the freeing of the two "unjustly imprisoned" Venezuelans imprisoned in the United States and said it "hopes for the preservation of peace and harmony with all the nations of our region and the world."

The exchange amounts to an unusual gesture of goodwill by Maduro as the socialist leader looks to rebuild relations with the U.S. after vanquishing most of his domestic opponents. The deal follows months of back channel diplomacy by Washington's top hostage negotiator and other U.S. officials  secretive talks with a major oil producer that took on greater urgency after sanctions on Russia put pressure on global energy prices.

Maduro's government previously released two jailed Americans  oil executive Gustavo Cardenas and Jorge Fernandez, who was accused of using a prohibited drone  in March 2022 after a secret trip to Venezuela by top Biden administration officials.

The transfer took place in a country between the U.S. and Venezuela after the men in the deal arrived in separate planes, the Biden administration said.

Those freed include five employees of Houston-based Citgo  Tomeu Vadell, Jose Luis Zambrano, Alirio Zambrano, Jorge Toledo and Jose Pereira  who were lured to Venezuela right before Thanksgiving in 2017 to attend a meeting at the headquarters of the company's parent, state-run-oil giant PDVSA. Once there, they were hauled away by masked security agents who busted into a Caracas conference room.

In addition to Heath, the other prisoner freed was Floridian Osman Khan, who was arrested in January.

The United States freed Franqui Flores and his cousin Efrain Campo, nephews of "First Combatant" Cilia Flores, as Maduro has called his wife. The men were arrested in Haiti in a Drug Enforcement Administration sting in 2015 and immediately taken to New York to face trial. They were convicted the following year in a highly charged case that cast a hard look at U.S. accusations of drug trafficking at the highest levels of Maduro's administration.

Both men were granted clemency by Biden before the release.

The Biden administration has been under pressure to do more to bring home the roughly 60 Americans it believes are held hostage abroad or wrongfully detained by hostile foreign governments. While much of the focus is on Russia, where the U.S. has so far tried unsuccessfully to secure the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American, Paul Whelan, Venezuela has been holding the largest contingent of Americans suspected of being used as bargaining chips.

At least four other Americans remain detained in Venezuela, including two former Green Berets involved in a slapdash attempt to oust Maduro in 2019, and two other men who, like Khan, were detained for allegedly entering the country illegally from neighboring Colombia.

"To all the families who are still suffering and separated from their loved ones who are wrongfully detained  know that we remain dedicated to securing their release," Biden said in his statement.

The administration also pointed to an executive order from this summer that sought to impose new costs on countries that jail Americans without proper cause, as well a new warning indicator designed to caution U.S. citizens against traveling to countries  like Venezuela  that have a pattern of wrongful detentions.

His administration did not release another prisoner long sought by Maduro: Alex Saab, an insider businessman who Venezuela considers a diplomat and U.S. prosecutors a corrupt regime enabler. Saab fought extradition from Cape Verde, where he was arrested last year during a stopover en route to Iran, and is now awaiting trial in Miami federal court on charges of siphoning off millions in state contracts.

The oil executives were convicted of embezzlement last year in a trial marred by delays and irregularities. They were sentenced to between eight and 13 years in prison for a never-executed proposal to refinance billions in the oil company's bonds. Maduro at the time accused them of "treason," and Venezuela's supreme court upheld their long sentences earlier this year.

The men have all pleaded not guilty and the State Department has regarded them  and the two other Americans freed on Saturday  as wrongfully detained.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessean Matthew Heath freed from Venezuelan imprisonment
WENDOVER, Utah  A semi tractor-trailer driving on Interstate 80 just east of Wendover crashed into a parked semi on Friday afternoon.

One occupant was injured and transported by Wendover Ambulance for medical treatment.

The Utah Highway Patrol responded to the crash in the westbound lanes at 1:30 p.m., assisted by the Wendover police and fire departments. The cab of the moving truck sustained substantial damage.

Further information was not immediately available from the highway patrol.
Tennessee softball coach Karen Weekly announced the 2023 schedule Thursday, which includes two home tournaments, three road tournaments and eight SEC series.

Weekly was ambitious with the 2022 nonconference schedule and she didn't back down for 2023, either. In the Lady Vols' first tournament in February, four of the five opponents made the 2022 NCAA Tournament. That includes College World Series teams Northwestern and Texas, which lost to Oklahoma in the final. The last February tournament includes tournament teams USF and Clemson.

SUMMER WITH TEAM USA: Tennessee softball's Kiki Milloy takes advantage of late invite to U.S. softball roster

A SPECIAL LOOK THIS YEAR:Four Lady Vols programs to wear 'Summitt Blue' alternate jerseys in 2022-23 season

In SEC play, Tennessee will face LSU, Texas A&M, Kentucky and Arkansas on the road. Ole Miss, Alabama, Florida and South Carolina will all make the trip to Knoxville this spring. South Carolina is the only SEC opponent on the schedule that didn't make the NCAA Tournament. Arkansas and Florida advanced to the Super Regionals, but the Gators were the only SEC team represented at the CWS.

Game times and television schedules will be announced at a later date.

Tennessee finished third in the SEC in 2022, going 15-8 in conference play. The Lady Vols made it to the SEC Tournament semifinals for the second year in a row behind a historic 13-inning performance from Ashley Rogers, who is returning for her fifth year.

Despite the momentum from SEC play, Tennessee was eliminated in the Knoxville NCAA Regional for the second straight year.

Tennessee softball 2023 schedule

Feb. 10: Howard, Illinois (NFCA Leadoff Classic)

Feb. 11: South Alabama, Texas (NFCA Leadoff Classic)

Feb. 12: Northwestern (NFCA Leadoff Classic)

Feb. 16-19: Puerto Vallarta College Challenge

Feb. 24: Michigan State, USF (USF Tournament)

Feb. 25: Clemson, UIC (USF Tournament)

Feb. 26: UIC (USF Tournament)

March 3-5: Tennessee Classic

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March 8: Tennessee Tech

March 10-12: Ole Miss

March 15: Austin Peay at Midstate Classic

March 17-19: at LSU

March 24-26: Alabama

March 28: ETSU

March 31-April 2: at Texas A&M

April 6-7: Tennessee Invitational

April 11: at Virginia Tech

April 14-16: at Kentucky

April 21-23: Florida

April 28-30: at Arkansas

May 5-7: South Carolina

May 9-13: SEC Tournament at Arkansas

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee softball releases 2023 schedule loaded with tournament teams
Jake Sullivan, the US national security advisor, at a daily briefing on May 18. Win McNamee/Getty Images

The US national security advisor on Tuesday described the Nord Stream leaks as "apparent sabotage."

He tweeted that the US was supporting efforts to investigate the leaks.

European officials, including in Germany, have similarly suggested the leaks weren't accidental.

The US national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, used the phrase "apparent sabotage" Tuesday to describe leaks in key pipelines connecting Russia and Europe, and he underscored US efforts to aid in the investigation into the incidents.

"I spoke to my counterpart Jean-Charles Ellermann-Kingombe of Denmark about the apparent sabotage of Nord Stream pipelines," Sullivan tweeted Tuesday night. "The U.S. is supporting efforts to investigate and we will continue our work to safeguard Europe's energy security."

The leak in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was discovered in the Danish part of the Baltic Sea on Monday, the Danish Energy Agency wrote in an announcement. "The Danish Maritime Authority has released a navigational warning and established a prohibitive no sail zone around the area," the agency added.

A press representative for the Swedish Maritime Authority told Insider the agency was informed about one leak on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, southeast of the Danish island of Bornholm. Later the same day, it learned of two separate leaks on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline northeast of Bornholm.

Sullivan's comments echo similar statements from Germany, where government officials are said to believe the pipelines were sabotaged.

Der Tagesspiegel, a newspaper in Germany, reported a government source as saying: "We can't imagine a scenario that isn't a targeted attack. Everything speaks against a coincidence." A representative for Germany's economy ministry told Insider it "doesn't participate in speculation." Germany's energy regulator, the Federal Network Agency, said in an email it was working to clarify the situation.

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Later Tuesday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said it was "difficult to imagine" the damage was accidental.

On Tuesday, the Kremlin also said it couldn't rule out sabotage, per Reuters.

Following the incident, governments around the region issued warnings to ships to not sail within 5 nautical miles of the leaks.

The Danish Navy sent an Absalon-class frigate to the site of the leaks for monitoring purposes and to warn ships to stay away, the Danish Broadcasting Corporation reported Tuesday. A German government official told Insider a no-fly zone was in operation over the affected area.

The incidents on the Nord Stream pipelines could exacerbate Europe's energy crisis this winter, given that Russia typically supplies about 40% of Europe's natural gas, most of which is transported via pipelines.

Russia exported about 155 billion cubic meters of the fuel to Europe in 2021  and more than one-third came from the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, per Reuters.

The Russian state-controlled gas giant Gazprom turned off its gas supply to Europe via Nord Stream 1 in September, citing technical reasons.

The Nord Stream 2 natural-gas pipeline, which runs parallel to Nord Stream 1, has never been operational because Germany shelved the project in February, days before Russia invaded Ukraine. Construction on the $11 billion Nord Stream 2 pipeline was completed in September 2021.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The warning signs had abounded: The suspect had already been probed by federal prosecutors, who were so concerned that they referred him to the FBI. Multiple descriptions had painted him as callous and openly racist, a pattern that culminated with a killing Tuesday for which he and his brother have been arrested.

Were not talking about a school shooter or a hardened member of a gang or anti-government militia  but about Michael Sheppard, until a few days ago the warden of the notorious West Texas Detention Facility, a privately run ICE detention center with a history of abuse towards the people in its custody.

The 60-year-old Sheppard and his twin, Mark, have been charged by authorities in Texas with killing one person and wounding another in a potential hate crime Tuesday night. According to surviving witnesses, who along with the victims were recently arrived migrants walking along a rural road in a county outside El Paso, the Sheppards drove up to them in a truck and hurled insults before Mike stepped out of the car and opened fire, killing a man immediately and sending a woman to the hospital.

Its not the first time that Mike Sheppard has come to the attention of law enforcement; as warden at West Texas, 30 men from Somalia accused him of directing his staff to beat and demean them, and sometimes joining in himself. A report documenting his abuse was found credible enough for the U.S. attorneys office for the Western District of Texas to forward it to the FBI for further investigation. This was in addition to many other hazards and negligence identified by an internal ICE monitor.

Given the ambient inhumanity of many detention centers, particularly those run by private companies, these abuses are often ignored or theyre noted without any further consequence. In this case, they were warning signs for a man who authorities now say has committed a deadly act. If someone had only intervened sooner, the still-unnamed victim might be alive today.
It may be months before some Southwest Florida coastal areas hammered by Hurricane Ian have their power restored, according to Florida Power & Light Co.

"We are repairing in most places outside of, right along the barrier islands and the beaches and the immediate coast line of Southwest Florida," FPL CEO Eric Silagy said Saturday night. "Those areas are going to be rebuilding, and unfortunately for those who live there, we are looking at weeks or months. Frankly, many homes and businesses will not be able to accept power when that power is restored."

Death toll rises: Hurricane Ian death toll rises in SW Florida, as power, other challenges persist

Worse than Charley: Devastation from Hurricane Ian worse than Charley, Sanibel police chief says

Dangerous shores: Hurricane Ian: Dangerous storm roars along Southwest Florida shores

Lee County had 166,000 FPL addresses without power Saturday night while the Collier tally was 77,650. When including other utilities, Collier had 97,819 unable to turn on their lights or 37% overall. And in Lee, it was 341,337 or 72%.

That's a slight improvement from Saturday morning, when 40% of Collier and 73% of Lee woke up without electricity.

"The damage continues to amaze me," said Silagy, who has spent the better part of the past three days in Southwest Florida. "There are a lot of challenges that we do have ahead of us."

The city of Cape Coral showed major signs of damage after strong winds and flood waters as a result of Hurricane Ian impacted areas of the city on Thursday September 29, 2022.

For the rest of Southwest Florida, he said he expected power to be restored for most by next weekend.

"We expect to have power be essentially restored to everybody (that) can accept the power by Sunday, Oct. 9, so a week from Sunday," Silagy said. "We are going to be resetting equipment, and we're going to be digging out sand that is in a lot of the equipment that got flooded, and storm surge hit. (It) is going to take time. That's why we believe it's going to take a full week. Our goal is to do it faster."

Isolated outages expected in Southwest Florida

But just because your neighbor has electricity, it doesn't mean you will.

Story continues

"There are buildings that are just completely leveled or structurally damaged to the point that they're not going to be able to accept power," Silagy said. "There is structural damage to a lot of the buildings that I saw today. And that means that those buildings must be inspected before the power can come on. Just because power is restored in the area doesn't mean your home or business will be able to accept it."

Times Square, an iconic feature of Fort Myers Beach, is devastated after Hurricane Ian on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022.

He recommends hiring an electrician, especially "if there's any extensive damage to the roof, to the structure of the house," Silagy said. "You can make sure it is safe before you hook the power back up because otherwise you can burn the house down. You can burn the business down, and people will be in harm's way."

By 5:30 p.m. Saturday, 1.5 million FPL customers in the Sunshine State had had their power restored or 70% of those who had had outages in connection with Ian, he said.

More than 21,000 workers are part of the overall statewide effort.

"There are over 1,350 utility linemen working in our county to restore power," Collier County Commissioner Rick LoCastro said. "This storm produced significant damage to our grid. (Storm) surge damage to utilities has been severe. With Hurricane Ian, its much more than just straightening out poles and reconnecting lines the way it was during (2017's) Hurricane Irma."

This parking lot near Naples Park flooded late Wednesday but by Thursday morning, the water had drained, leaving behind mud and debris.

Cape Coral experienced a 100% power outage, and at 7 a.m. Saturday began "the process of restoring power to the city, Fire Chief Ryan Lamb said. We are continuing to work with over 30 vendors and city crew to continue that first push effort to get the debris cleared out of the roadways and work with damage assessment on not only our buildings but our power grid."

The lack of electricity has been crippling for businesses and key institutions, which are also trying to overcome damage and other hurdles.

School closings extended

Collier schools decided Saturday night it plans to have students return Thursday. And in Lee County, a lack of electricity played a role in schools being called off next week.

"Based on our most recent assessments of schools, as well as no power or water, we have made the decision to close all schools and district offices next week," the district said in a statement. "Reopening our schools is one of our top priorities. We will do so in a manner that is sensible and effective."

Downed power poles block a lane along Skyline Blvd. The city of Cape Coral showed major signs of damage after strong winds and flood waters as a result of Hurricane Ian impacted areas of the city on Thursday September 29, 2022.The city of Cape Coral showed major signs of damage after strong winds and flood waters as a result of Hurricane Ian impacted areas of the city on Thursday September 29, 2022.

Florida Gulf Coast University plans to reopen by Oct. 10. Florida SouthWestern State College has the same goal and plans to extend the schedule for its fall term by about a week.

"FSW facilities continues to work with vendors on campus repairs and are monitoring power, water and sewer conditions to determine return to campuses. FSW student affairs is assessing our residence hall to determine when student move-in is possible," FSW said in a statement. "At this time, fall term classes will be extended through Dec. 10 to include final exams. (These) dates may need to be adjusted based on conditions."

RSW opening Wednesday, with limited flights

Southwest Florida International Airport will open Wednesday for limited commercial flights, although some amenities may be limited and you are urged to get there early as roads may be hazardous and some airlines will be operating from different concourses than usual.

Heres what you need to know:

* The initial hours of operation for security checkpoints will be 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with flights operating from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

More from RSW: Southwest Florida International Airport is opening Wednesday with limited flights

Based at the Naples Daily News, Columnist Phil Fernandez (pfernandez@gannett.com) writes In the Know as part of the USA TODAY NETWORK. Support Democracy and subscribe to a newspaper.

Journalists Laura Layden and Luis Zambrano contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Hurricane Ian: Power may not be restored for months for some
Since health officials confirmed the first COVID-19 cases, misinformation has spread just as quickly as the virus. Social media may have made the amount, variety and speed of misinformation seem unprecedented, but COVID-19 isn't the first pandemic where false and harmful information has set back public health.

Misinformation altered how people trusted their governments and doctors during the 1918 influenza pandemic. It fueled the 19th century smallpox anti-vaccine movements through some of the same arguments as those currently used against the COVID-19 vaccine.

More:Valerie Myers: Erie health officials considered martial law to deal with 1918 pandemic

What sets the COVID-19 pandemic apart, however, is the sheer magnitude of damaging disinformation put in circulation around the world. Data shows that regions and countries where disinformation thrived experienced more lethal pandemic waves despite vaccine availability. In the U.S., for example, viewership of a Fox News program that downplayed the pandemic is associated with increased COVID-19 cases and deaths. Similarly in Romania, disinformation is a contributing factor to the country's disastrous fourth wave of COVID-19.

The problem of misinformation has been so widespread that it has its own word: "infodemic," a portmanteau of "information" and "epidemic." Coined by journalist David Rothkopf during the 2003 SARS outbreak, it describes a situation where "a few facts, mixed with fear, speculation and rumor, are amplified and relayed swiftly worldwide by modern information technologies."

Infodemics can affect economies, politics, national security and public health. The COVID-19 infodemic became such a problem that the Royal Society and the British Academy released an October 2020 report noting its significant impact on vaccine deployment, endorsing legislation that prosecutes those who spread misinformation.

Story continues

More:COVID-19 case totals remain stubbornly stable in Erie County, though few get seriously ill

As a researcher who studies HIV and lived through the AIDS pandemic, I felt a sense of deja vu as COVID-19 disinformation spread. In the 40 years since the emergence of AIDS, society has learned how to cope with the disease with more effective diagnostics, treatments and preventive strategies, transforming AIDS from a lethal condition to a chronic disease.

A Saint Vincent Hospital staff member attends to a COVID patient on Nov. 17, 2021.

However, there are striking parallels between the HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 pandemics that show the dire consequences disinformation can have on both patients and society as a whole.

Denying the existence of a virus or a pandemic

There are people who deny the existence of COVID-19. There are abundant claims on social media that the virus that causes COVID-19 has never been isolated, or it is insufficiently characterized. Others do not contest the existence of COVID-19, but ignore the severe consequences of infection.

In general, these groups tend to also deny germ theory, claiming that infectious diseases are not caused by pathogens like viruses and bacteria. Instead, they promote the idea that pathogens don't cause disease, but rather are a consequence of it.

Likewise, some denied the role of the HIV virus in AIDS infection. AIDS denialist Peter Duesberg was one person who disseminated this misinformation, which had been refuted by the scientific community at large. But his erroneous claim still reached the then president of the Republic of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, who banned the use of lifesaving antiretrovirals in public hospitals. This decision resulted in the deaths of over 330,000 people from HIV/AIDS between 2000 and 2005.

More:'Our plans didn't go past Friday night': How an Erie man has lived with HIV for 32 years

Mbeki's decision was considered so damaging that scientists and physicians worldwide signed the Durban Declaration, reiterating that HIV indeed causes AIDS and urging Mbeki to reconsider his decision. While the government did reverse the ban after strong international political pressure, the damage had been done.

Gain of function claims

Gain of function experiments involve manipulating a pathogen to understand what contributes to its ability to cause disease. At the same time, such experiments can give pathogens new abilities, such as making viruses more transmissible or more dangerous to humans. Conspiracy theorists have made claims that the COVID-19 virus resulted from alterations to a bat version of the virus that gave it the ability to replicate in human cells.

But these claims ignore several key facts about the COVID-19 virus, including that all coronaviruses from bats can infect humans without additional adaptation. The mutations that increased the transmissibility of COVID-19 occurred after it started circulating in people, resulting in even more infectious variants.

HIV also saw conspiracy theories claiming that it was created in a lab for genocide. But research has shown that HIV also naturally evolved from an animals. African non-human primates are natural hosts to a vast group of viruses collectively called simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIV). Despite their high rates of SIV infection in the wild, these primate hosts typically don't experience symptoms or progress to AIDS. Throughout the evolutionary history of SIV, jumping to a new host species involved naturally occurring genetic changes over the course of thousands of years.

Miracle cures

During a public health crisis, researchers and health officials are learning about a disease in real time. While missteps are expected, these can be perceived by the public as hesitation, incompetence or failure.

As researchers looked for possible COVID-19 treatments, others were offering their own unproven drugs. Multiple treatments for COVID-19, including ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, were tested and abandoned. But not before large amounts of time, effort and money were spent on disproving claims that these were supposed miracle treatments. Similarly for HIV, frustration and anxiety from a continued lack of available treatments amid rising deaths led to fraudulent cures, with price tags of tens of thousands of dollars.

Even though treatment delays and changing guidelines are a natural process of learning about a new diseases as it unfolds, they can open the door to disinformation and generate distrust in doctors even as they care for infected patients.

Preventing misinfodemics

The next pandemic is not a question of if but when and where it will occur. Just as important as devising ways to detect emerging viruses is developing strategies to address the misinfodemics that will follow them. The recent monkeypox outbreak has already seen similar spread of mis- and disinformation about its source and spread.

As author Gabriel Garcia Marquez once said, "A lie is more comfortable than doubt, more useful than love, more lasting than truth." Countering misinformation is difficult, because there are reasons other than ignorance for why someone believes in a falsehood. In those cases, presenting the facts may not be enough, and may sometimes even result in someone doubling down on a false belief. But focusing on urgent scientific and medical needs to the exclusion of rapidly addressing misinformation can derail pandemic control. Strategies that take misinformation into account can help other pandemic control measures be more successful.

Cristian Apetrei is a professor of immunology, infectious diseases and microbiology at the University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Misinformation a deadly common thread between COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS
PLAIN TWP.  A pair of Stark County inventors are taking their product to the sharks.

Brian Halasinski and Kirk Hyust are heading to "Shark Tank" with their Turbo Trusser, a stainless steel contraption that eliminates the need for cooking twine and master chef skills to truss poultry.

The pair will introduce the Turbo Trusser to the sharks on an episode that airs at 8 p.m. Sept. 30 on ABC.

"Shark Tank" is an entrepreneurial-themed reality show that allows entrepreneurs to pitch their businesses and products to business tycoons and convince them to invest.

Partners Kirk Hyust, right, and Brian Halasinski created the Turbo Trusser to make trussing poultry easy. The pair will take their product on "Shark Tank" on Sept. 30.

The Turbo Trusser was introduced late last year and is in 80 retail stores across the United States and Canada. It's sold locally at Hartville Hardware & Lumber, Custom Fireplace Shop in Jackson Township, Ace stores in Kent and Akron, and Mister Brisket in Cleveland Heights. It also can be ordered from turbotrusser.com or on Amazon. The product has been shipped to customers in Germany, Italy, Chile, Australia, Canada, England and Scotland, the owners said.

Turbo trussers stacked and ready to be packaged.

Inventors: Stark inventors resolve poultry cooking hassle with Turbo Trusser

They have sold about 10,000 units with about $100,000 in sales since launching the product, said Halasinski, a 1996 Perry High graduate.

The product retails for $14.99.

What is the Turbo Trusser?

The Turbo Trusser is designed to make trussing turkeys or chickens easier. Using the two wire hooks placed in the stainless steel trusser, it attaches to the legs and wings. The legs are then placed into the specially designed slots on the trusser.

It can be used with ovens, smokers, roasters, grills, rotisseries and deep fryers and is dishwasher safe.

The Turbo Trusser was designed and manufactured in Northeast Ohio. Cleveland Metal Stamping stamps the shape and the wire is made by Wire Products of Cleveland. The packing is produced by Wadsworth Rohrer Corp.

"You always want to sell more but being able to generate that kind of sales with very little marketing experience or dollars is pretty good," Halasinski said.

Story continues

He applied online to be on the show when the product hit the market late last year. He applied again a few months later once they hit $50,000 in sales. The application process was simple, he said, adding he answered a number of questions on the online application.

Inventors:Local men design stackable smoker BBQ pan

He heard back from "Shark Tank" producers in April seeking more information from him.

After months of waiting, the pair were asked to come to Los Angeles to film a segment for the show.

"They told you throughout the whole process as they continued to narrow it down there were no guarantees you were going to move on," he said. "Even if you taped the show, it didn't guarantee your (segment) would ever be seen on TV."

Shark Tank experience 'was awesome and really intense.'

Show officials just announced their segment would be broadcast.

Going into the taping, there were a few sharks the pair hoped to impress, including Lori Greiner. Halsinski can't talk about the details of the episode or what sharks they pitched their product to until after the show airs.

"We have a kitchen product and Lori Greiner does a lot of QVC and our product is very demonstrable," he said. "You don't even know which sharks will be there until right before you go to tape it.

"It was awesome and really intense," he added. "It was very stressful knowing you were going out there and pitching to well-known wealthy business tycoons, even billionaires. It definitely was an unbelievable experience for Kirk and me and it was something we will never forget."

They can't talk about what happened on the show until after it is broadcast, but no matter the outcome, Halasinski said the TV appearance on the hit show will give the Turbo Trusser exposure.

"Hopefully, this will put our company on a different trajectory. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience," he added.

Reach Amy at 330-775-1135 or amy.knapp@indeonline.com

On Twitter: @aknappINDE

This article originally appeared on The Independent: Stark inventors to appear on 'Shark Tank' with Turbo Trusser
Let me start out by saying Im not a cigar guy at allon the contrary, I find them kind of disgusting. So when I got the chance to try this new Cigar Blend from Irish whiskey brand Clonakilty, I had some reservations. But the whiskey itself is actually quite good, and thankfully tastes nothing like a smoldering stogie.

It turns out thats not even the point here. Instead, this whiskey was created to pair well with a cigar, which thankfully means you dont have to smoke one while sipping. According to the brand, extensive research was done to find a flavor combination that would complement the notes that cigar smokers enjoy while puffing away. So what this distillery, located in County Cork (also the home of Midleton, the giant that makes Jameson and Redbreast), did was to create a special blend of double-distilled malt whiskey (see, not all Irish whiskey is triple distilled) and 10-year-old grain whiskey aged in ex-bourbon barrels. This was then given a secondary maturation period in Zikos Rage imperial stout barrels from South Floridas 26 Degree Brewing, which the distillery christens the spiritual home of cigar smoking in the USA.

More from Robb Report

This isnt the first time the distillery has collaborated with an American brewery, as it has at least five other special releases that are finished in beer barrels (Clonakilty and 26 Degree collaborated previously in 2020 on the IPA1A finish whiskey), but this is the first one with cigar smokers in mind. The whiskey was not actually distilled onsite, as the distillery only began production a few years ago, so this is sourced liquidas common a practice in Ireland as it is here in the US. And its a pretty interesting sipping experience, with different types of chocolate shining through as the predominant note, no doubt from those imperial stout barrels. On the nose, theres ripe fruit, espresso and, yes, chocolate. The palate opens with rich dark chocolate notes, followed by malted chocolate, milk chocolate, some hops, cherry syrup and a little bit of grapefruit and vanilla. The finish is smooth, even at 52 percent ABV, which was calculated by the distilling team to be high enough to cut through cigar notes without overpowering.

Story continues

This is obviously an Irish whiskey that cigar smokers should consider, but dont be put off by the name even if thats not your thing. I could see this whiskey pairing just as well with cheese or chocolate or salami or just a quiet evening. And thats really the best indicator of quality.

Score: 85

What Our Score Means

100: Worth trading your first born for

95  99 In the Pantheon: A trophy for the cabinet

90  94 Great: An excited nod from friends when you pour them a dram

85  89 Very Good: Delicious enough to buy, but not quite special enough to chase on the secondary market

80  84 Good: More of your everyday drinker, solid and reliable

Below 80 Its alright: Honestly, we probably wont waste your time and ours with this

Every week Jonah Flicker tastes the most buzzworthy and interesting whiskeys in the world. Check back each Friday for his latest review.

Best of Robb Report

Sign up for Robb Report's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.
THERE'S NO STOPPING GIBBS @AlabamaFTBL is taking control  pic.twitter.com/maxoYWjJaC  FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 1, 2022

If you watched Georgia Tech last season, you knew that Alabama was getting a dangerous weapon in transfer running back Jahmyr Gibbs.

The do-it-all playmaker showed off his dynamic skill set Saturday against Arkansas, breaking off a 72-yard touchdown to put the game away early in the fourth quarter.

Gibbs long touchdown run helped a Crimson Tide offense that lost Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Bryce Young to injury in the second quarter.

He wasnt done yet, either. Gibbs found another crease in the Hogs defense later in the fourth quarter, racing 76 yards for another score:

Jahmyr Gibbs will force you to be disciplined in your run fits and lane integrity! If you give him the space, hell hurt ya! Explosive & electric! pic.twitter.com/QMRREnsIN9  Full-Time Dame  (@DP_NFL) October 1, 2022

NFL teams should already be excited about the versatility and explosiveness Gibbs will be bringing to the next level.

List

2023 NFL mock draft: 1st-round projections heading into the regular season

Story originally appeared on Draft Wire
'He is a warrior.' WA state trooper shot in the face is recovering well, says his dad
Update | WA state trooper shot in the face is being released from hospital, says his dad
The China-Maldives Friendship Bridge in Maldives on Sept. 1, 2019. (Photo by Wang Mingliang/Xinhua)

With the 20th CPC National Congress around the corner, the Party has gone through 10 extraordinary years under the leadership of Xi Jinping as its core. The past decade has been a glorious one in the past century, characterized by a slew of major achievements. Let me outline some of the great contributions China has made from a global perspective.

The Covid-19 pandemic is still with us, and the socio-economic crisis it caused is deepening. The war in Ukraine has added to the uncertainty of the world, increasingly dividing it into opposing camps, within which countries have some shared interests but are not close allies, rather, they constantly face political, economic and even military confrontation. Against growing tensions, the series of proposals by Chinese President Xi Jinping, particularly the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Development Initiative, are important and valuable.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was proposed by President Xi in 2013 to boost the infrastructure network across the five continents, and drive social, economic, technological and cultural cooperation and exchanges. The BRI is the largest global cooperation project in history aimed at promoting development of China and the rest of the world, and it has had a positive impact on improving the living standards of regions facing severe difficulties, such as Africa, Asia and Latin America. In promoting the initiative, China places full emphasis on voluntary participation, mutual respect, equal consultation, openness and transparency. This is in stark contrast to the approach of the United States and the European Union, where colonialism, discrimination, non-transparency and differential treatment of members have characterized their handling of trade agreements with other countries. To give just one example, under the logic of colonialism, developing local or inter-regional infrastructure was seen as unprofitable. On the contrary, infrastructure is the highlight of the BRI, which shows the non-colonial and altruistic nature of Chinas initiative. Moreover, apart from projects that directly benefit local people, the BRI encourages participating countries to work together with China to find solutions to real problems, such as addressing the plight of people who live in backwardness and social injustice.

Mankind has entered a new and historic stage. The BRI provides an important reference for addressing global challenges and building a new international order based on the principle of peaceful coexistence. It is worth emphasizing that the initiative was designed from the outset with an emphasis on ecological sustainability and renewable energy, which reflects Chinas full respect and responsibility for the environment and sustainable development of the planet.

One of the major crises today is that world peace and security are in jeopardy. The Cold War mentality has resurfaced and as a result countries are increasingly estranged, and those opposing the unipolar global order created since the collapse of the Soviet Union have been subject to various provocations and direct or hidden sanctions by the US-led Western camp. In this context, the Global Security Initiative (GSI) proposed by President Xi at the Boao Forum for Asia in April 2022 is of great significance. One of the objectives of the GSI is to uphold a common, integrated, cooperative and sustainable concept of security, which helps to effectively maintain peace and security of the world by resolving disputes through dialogue and consultation based on multilateralism and the fundamental principles of the UN Charter, and by rejecting double standards and unilateral sanctions.

The GSI calls for taking seriously the legitimate security concerns of all countries in the world, respecting the principles of global security, building a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture, and opposing attempts to achieve the security of one country at the expense of others. The initiative calls on the international community to strengthen development cooperation and accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The GSI responds to concerns about common global challenges, emphasizing the importance of cooperation in areas such as combating terrorism, tackling climate change, and advancing cyber and biosecurity. It is therefore my view that the GSI is a feasible initiative addressing global concerns, it marks yet another sincere contribution of Chinese wisdom to the world so that we can move away from the current confrontational dynamics that have serious consequences for all of humanity. As such, this Chinese initiative should be widely disseminated around the world and should be recognized by all countries.

In September 2021, President Xi proposed the Global Development Initiative (GDI) at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly. The GDI and GSI are inextricably linked. In other words, the GDI can prevent the world from falling back into a state of Cold War. A Cold War inevitably leads to estrangement and antagonism between countries, and trade wars and economic sanctions are a double-edged sword undermining the interests of the sanctioned, but also has serious repercussions for the country that initiated the sanction. The GDI therefore seeks to promote multi-level and cross-sectoral collaboration, foster technological innovation, accelerate technology transfer and knowledge sharing, thereby improves the global governance system with a view to ending colonialism and unequal relations between rich and poor countries, and creating a fairer and more equitable institutional environment. As President Xi put it, we should work together to foster new growth momentums and achieve stronger, greener and healthier global development.

The GDI offers a new model of global governance that centers on peaceful coexistence and shared well-being for humanity. I was impressed by a few lines of President Xis speech. He stressed that history and reality have taught us that the unilateral pursuit of ones own security at the expense of other countries will only create new contradictions and risks. He also pointed out that how a country is doing on human rights is essentially gauged by whether the interests of its people are upheld, and whether they enjoy a growing sense of fulfillment, happiness and security. That is the most important criterion for assessing the human rights conditions of a country. By the same token, only when people all over the world have a dignified life, can we deem that global security and the human rights of all peoples have been safeguarded.

A brief analysis of the three Chinese proposals mentioned above leads us to conclude that they are Chinese solutions offered by President Xi and the entire Chinese people in the face of the unprecedented challenges the world is experiencing. Whats worth noting is that these initiatives are well aligned with the UN Charter as they all aim to promote world peace and development. Therefore, anyone ignoring, smearing or maliciously misinterpreting Chinas proposals should be condemned. The common challenges facing humanity need to be addressed by such global initiatives that are people-centered and development-oriented.

Chinas foreign policy led by the CPC has always focused on peace and development. A rapidly growing China is not an aggressive competitor, let alone a new hegemon, but a sincere contributor to a better future of peace and progress for mankind, and a real partner fighting for this goal through equal and mutually beneficial cooperation in the fields of trade and commerce, science and technology, and culture. We must remain soberly aware that a new Cold War, once formed, will inevitably hinder countries in building good relations based on equality and freedom, sovereignty and independence, and solidarity, thus endangering the future of all mankind. In this way, Chinas proposal for the future development of the international landscape is of paramount importance.

Contributed by Jose Luis Centella, President of the Spanish Communist Party

Editor: Zhang Zhou
They wanted to control us": Fort Simcoe in Yakima County was home to a government-run boarding school for Native children from 1860 to 1922. New efforts aim to learn more about what really happened there.
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The domestic passenger vehicle industry recorded its best-ever monthly sales performance in September thanks to strong holiday demand, stronger manufacturing, and easier semiconductor supply. The second quarter sales were able to surpass the 10-lakh sales milestone because of the industry volumes in September, which were 3,55 946 units, a 91 percent increase from the same month last year. Leading manufacturers Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki, and Hyundai were able to increase their deliveries to dealers last month as a result of improved production as a result of the situation with the chip shortage eased.

The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI), said its total domestic passenger vehicle wholesales stood at 1,48,380 units last month as compared to 63,111 units in September last year.

"It is the second best month for the company in 42 months," MSI Senior Executive Director (Marketing & Sales) Shashank Srivastava told reporters. The best month for the auto major was October 2020, when it had dispatched 1,63,000 units in the domestic market, he added. Srivastava said that the company's market share stood at 42 percent last month, a jump of 7.8 percent over September 2021. He noted that the industry had crossed the 10-lakh sales mark in a quarter for the first time ever in the July-September period.

Also read: Bajaj-Triumph 350 cc scrambler spy shots leaked, reveals design details

"It is the first time ever that the industry breached the one million sales mark in a quarter. Even the first six-month wholesales are best for the industry with sales of 19.37 lakh units," he added.

Sales of mini cars, comprising Alto and S-Presso, rose to 29,574 units as compared with 14,936 in the same month last year, MSI reported. Similarly, sales in the compact segment, including models such as Swift, Celerio, Ignis, Baleno, and Dzire, rose to 72,176 units as against 20,891 cars in September 2021.

Similarly, sales of utility vehicles, including Grand Vitara, Brezza, and Ertiga, rose to 32,574 units compared with 18,459 vehicles in the year-ago month, MSI said. Rival Hyundai Motor India reported domestic wholesales of 49,700 units last month, 50 percent more than 33,087 units sold in September 2021.

"With the excellent resilience shown by the Indian economy over the last few quarters, the festive season has further fuelled the demand momentum," Hyundai Motor India Director (Sales, Marketing & Service) Tarun Garg said.

Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Managing Director Shailesh Chandra said the company attained its highest ever monthly sales of 47,654 last month, led by record sales of Nexon and Punch. "Going forward, we expect the festive season will witness strong retail on the back of improving the supply of vehicles," he added. Similarly, Kia India also reported its best-ever sales performance last month with dispatches of 25,857 units to dealers.

Japanese carmaker Honda Cars India said its domestic wholesales increased by 29 percent to 8,714 units last month as compared with 6,765 units in September 2021. "The festive demand has been strong and continues to show good momentum. On the supply side, we were able to increase our factory output compared to last month, which is also a positive for the festive sales in terms of better availability of Honda cars during the Navratras, Dussehra, and Diwali period," Honda Cars India Director (Marketing and Sales) Yuichi Murata said.

Similarly, Toyota Kirloskar Motor reported a 66 percent increase in wholesales last month at 15,378 units. The Bengaluru-based automaker dispatched 9,284 units to its dealers in September 2021.

Similarly, Skoda Auto India said its sales increased by 17 percent to 3,543 units in September. Volkswagen Passenger Cars India reported a 60 percent increase in September dispatches at 4,103 units.

In the two-wheeler segment, Hero MotoCorp said its domestic sales stood at 5,07,690 units in September as compared with 5,05,462 units in the year-ago period. TVS Motor company said its domestic two-wheeler sales increased by 16 percent to 2,83,878 units last month as against 2,44,084 units in September 2021.

With inputs from PTI
The Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) which is a multi-role vehicle that can fire a variety of missiles and other weapons, will be incorporated into service by the Indian Air Force (IAF) in the first batch. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL), a state-owned aerospace company, developed the LCH with high-altitude deployment in mind. According to officials, it will be added to the IAF inventory at a ceremony in Jodhpur with the participation of Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

They said that the 5.8-tonne twin-engine helicopter has already completed various weapons firing tests. In March, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approved the procurement of 15 indigenously developed Limited Series Production (LSP) LCH at the cost of Rs 3,887 crore. The defence ministry said 10 helicopters would be for the IAF and five for the Indian Army.

Watch IAF Light Combat Helicopters (LCH)

#AtmaNirbharBharat#IAF will formally welcome the Light Combat Helicopter on 03 October 2022.



Watch the induction ceremony LIVE here on our handle, DD National and DD Rajasthan YouTube channels from 1100 Hr onwards. pic.twitter.com/qSWHjXqZIB  Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) October 2, 2022

The LCH has similarities with Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv. Officials said it has several stealth armored-protection systems, night attack capability, and crash-worthy landing gear for better survivability.

Also read: Indian aviation industry to take BIG leap, expected to add 80 airports in 5 years

Light Combat Helicopters (LCH): Qualities

The LCH is equipped with requisite agility, manoeuvrability, extended range, high altitude performance, and all-weather combat capability to perform a range of roles, including combat search and rescue (CSAR), destruction of enemy air defence (DEAD), and counter-insurgency (CI) operations.

The helicopter can also be deployed in high-altitude bunker-busting operations, counter-insurgency operations in the jungles and urban environments, and for supporting ground forces.

The helicopter can also be used against slow-moving aircraft and remotely piloted aircraft (RPAs) of adversaries. Officials said it would be a powerful platform to meet the operational requirements of the IAF and the Indian Army.

They said state-of-the-art technologies and systems compatible with stealth features such as reduced visual, aural, radar, and IR signatures and crashworthiness features for better survivability have been integrated into the LCH for deployment in combat roles.

They said several key aviation technologies like a glass cockpit and composite airframe structure had been indigenised. They said that the future series-production version would consist of further modern and indigenous systems. The IAF has already accepted four LCH helicopters. The officials said IAF plans to procure more LCH in the near future.

"We are already working with DRDO and HAL to integrate new weapons on the helicopter," said one of the officials. The helicopter has been tested under stringent operating conditions, including at sea level, in desert regions, and Siachen. In February 2020, it was declared ready for production. The Army has a plan to acquire 95 LCH largely for a combat role in the mountains.

With inputs from PTI
India is expected to add almost 80 airports in the following four to five years. However, before flights can begin, aerodromes must first meet certain conditions. The number of airports in the nation has expanded from 74 to 141 over the past eight years, and according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, this number will increase to 220 in the following four to five years. The Civil Aviation Ministry has already given approval to set up 21 greenfield airports in different parts of the country.

The airports have been approved in multiple cities including Mopa in Goa; Navi Mumbai, Shirdi and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra; Kalaburagi, Vijayapura, Hassan and Shivamogga in Karnataka; Dabra in Madhya Pradesh; Kushinagar and Noida (Jewar) in Uttar Pradesh; Dholera and Hirasar (Rajkot) in Gujarat; Karaikal in Puducherry; Dagadarthi (Nellore), Bhogapuram and Orvakal (Kurnool) in Andhra Pradesh; Durgapur in West Bengal; Pakyong in Sikkim; Kannur in Kerala; and Hollongi (Itanagar) in Arunachal Pradesh.

So far, eight greenfield airports -- namely Durgapur, Shirdi, Sindhudurg, Pakyong, Kannur, Kalaburagi, Orvakal and Kushinagar -- have been operationalised.

Also read: Vistara launches Mumbai-Jaipur flight services, to be operated twice daily

As per the Aviation Ministry, in the financial year 2022-23, the Centre has granted site clearance to the Himachal Pradesh government for development of a new greenfield airport at Nagchala, Mandi. Besides, 35 airports, helipads and water aerodromes are targeted for development during FY 2022-23 under RCS-UDAN.

An official said that for safety purposes, an aerodrome needs to meet the specifications regarding its management systems, operational procedures, physical characteristics, assessment and treatment of obstacles, visual aids, rescue and fire-fighting services, as per the DGCA CAR (Civil Aviation Requirement).

While these guidelines are for the licensing of the aerodrome from the technical point of view, the licence for operation of airports is granted by the Central government as per the Civil Aviation policy.

As far as site clearance for a greenfield airport for public use is concerned, prior to commencing the construction, the owner or developer of the greenfield aerodrome will have to file applications to the steering committee at the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

The request for site approval and issuance of in-principle approval in respect of these aerodromes will be dealt by the concerned department in the Ministry as per the greenfield airport policy.

Licence for the aerodromes is given in two categories, including for private use and for public use and usage of private use aerodromes excludes the operation of scheduled flights. For the public use category, the Ministry of Civil Aviation will grant site clearance and `in-principle` approval for all proposals as per the greenfield airport policy.

On the other hand, for the private use category, site clearance as well as `in-principle` approval will be granted by the regulator as per technical assessment of the site and based on usage of the airport.

The `in-principle` approval granted by DGCA indicates that the proposed airport is essentially meant for non-commercial operations by the licensee and by individuals specifically authorised by the licensee only, said the DGCA, as per the new guidelines. Explaining the procedure for converting the usage of airports, the guidelines said that the government approvals as per the prevailing policy will be required for this.

With inputs from IANS
Egypts Public Prosecution ordered the release of 50 pretrial detainees on Sunday and Monday, a member of the Presidential Pardon committee announced.
An unfortunate incident took place where a Myanmar National Airlines plane ATR-72 , carrying 63 passengers, was hit by a bullet as it was about to land in Loikaw, the capital of the eastern state of Kayah, also known as Karenni. Myanmar's military government accused rebel forces in the eastern state of Kayah of firing at a passenger plane as it was preparing to land Friday, wounding a passenger who was hit by a bullet that penetrated the fuselage. Rebel groups denied the allegation. Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, a spokesperson for Myanmar's ruling military council, stated that the shooting was carried out by terrorists belonging to the Karenni National Progressive Party, an ethnic minority militia battling the government, and their allies in the People's Defense Force, an armed pro-democracy group.

I want to say that this kind of attack on the passenger plane is a war crime, he said. People and organizations who want peace need to condemn this issue all around. State television MRTV said the bullet entered the plane's lower fuselage as it was flying at an altitude of 3,500 feet about 4 miles (6.5 kilometers) north of the airport.

It said the injured passenger was taken to a hospital. The state news agency released photos it said were of the bullet hole and the passenger being treated. Myanmar National Airlines' office in Loikaw announced that all flights to the city were cancelled indefinitely.

Kayah state has experienced intense conflict between the military and local resistance groups since the army seized power last year, overthrowing the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

February 1, 2021, the takeover was met with peaceful nationwide protests, but after the army and police cracked down with lethal force on street demonstrators opposing military rule, thousands of civilians formed militia units as part of a People's Defense Force to fight back.

Also read: Indian aviation industry to take BIG leap, expected to add 80 airports in 5 years

Khu Daniel, a leader of the Karenni National Progressive Party, denied the government's accusation and said his party had not ordered its armed wing, the Karenni Army, to shoot at civilians or passenger planes. The military always blames other organizations for the shootings. Our armed wing didn't shoot the plane this morning, he said.

Government spokesperson Zaw Min Tun said it has been providing security around the airport and accused the KNPP and PDF of creating chaos in Loikaw by firing artillery into the city and the area near the airport.

Since the military seized power, there have been frequent clashes in Kayah between the army and local anti-government guerrillas near a base belonging to the government's 54th Light Infantry Battalion, located south of the airport.

State-run media reported last Christmas that the KNPP and PDF attacked a Myanmar National Airlines passenger plane with four 107mm rockets, which exploded about 2,000 meters (1.2 miles) east of the airport, injuring no one.

The Karenni Nationalities Defense Force, another ethnic rebel group, earlier advised against travelling on Myanmar National Airlines because it is state-owned, so its revenues go to the military, and the army uses it to supply its forces.

(With inputs from PTI)
Tata-owned Vistara airlines have launched daily non-stop flights between Mumbai-Abu Dhabi to expand its air route. The inaugural Vistara flight from Mumbai took off at 19:10 Hours (IST) and arrived in Abu Dhabi at 2040 Hours on Saturday (Oct 1). To give passengers comfort, Vistara has also introduced a premium economy class' on this route. Schedule of flights to/from Abu Dhabi, effective from October 1, will be Mumbai-Abu Dhabi (flight UK 0255) Daily 1910 Hrs 2040 Hrs and Abu Dhabi-Mumbai (flight UK 0256) Daily 2140 Hrs 0235 Hrs (+1).

The airline has been steadily strengthening our presence in the UAE and the rest of the Gulf region. We are excited to add Abu Dhabi to our growing international network. UAE's flourishing business, trade, and tourism make Abu Dhabi a perfect fit for our network. We are confident that travellers will appreciate the choice of flying India and South Asia's best airline on this route, said Kannan on Saturday during the launch of the operation.

The airline, which is a 51:49 joint venture between Tata Sons Private Limited and Singapore Airlines Limited, has a fleet of 53 aircraft and has flown more than 35 million customers since starting operations.

Further, Vistara also introduced the twice-daily flight service to Jaipur from Mumbai on September 30. The airline announced that it has sent out an Airbus A320 Neo aircraft equipped with three classes  business, premium economy, and economy on this route.

Also read: Mumbai International airport strengthens security after bomb hoax alert on IndiGo flight

By adding new locations and increasing frequency for specific routes, the airline has been aiming to increase its aircraft network's domestic and international reach. The opening of a new route will facilitate travel by increasing the flow of people between the cities. Vistara's overseas destinations are Bangkok, Dubai, Dhaka, Frankfurt, Jeddah, Kathmandu, London Heathrow, Male, Paris, and Singapore.

(With inputs from PTI)
New Delhi: Highly-acclaimed sci-fi web series Detective Boomrah is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.

The first season of the Saints Art original - Case of the Missing Man - shows Detective Boomrah and his partner Sam investigate a bewildering case of a mysterious person, who is found in a locked room of a Heritage hotel in Rajasthan and later jumps from its roof to disappear into thin air. While being an edge-of-the-seat thriller based on the concept of time travel, the series also touches upon several elements of India's rich heritage, such as Sitar.

Directed by actor-storyteller Sudhanshu Rai, the cast of the series includes Manisha Sharma, Shobhit Sujay, Raghav Jhingran, Abhishek Sonpaliya, Akhlaq Ahmad Azad, Priyanka Sarkar and Garima Rai. The sci-fi thriller has been co-written by Puneet Sharma, who recently made his directorial debut with Chintaa Mani.

The series marks the on-screen debut on Detective Boomrah, an iconic fictional detective character that has been a rage across social media, podcast platforms as well as FM Radio. Conceived by Sudhanshu Rai, who also plays the titular role in the series, Boomrah is unlike other iconic detectives who are confined by the realms of the reality. He is a fearless investigator, who takes up cases that are supernatural, paranormal and not run-of-the-mill crimes.

Delve into a world of sci-fi and thrill with Detective Boomrah, now available on Disney+ Hotstar as well.
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir policeman was killed while a CRPF personnel got injured in a terrorist attack at Pingelan area of Pulwama district in South Kashmir on Sunday afternoon. A top police officer said terrorists opened fire on the joint team of forces in Pingelan area of Pulwama district in which a policeman and CRPF personnel got injured. Both the injured personnel were shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment, where policemen succumbed and CRPF personnel are being treated. ADGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar said that soon after the attack the injured were shifted to hospital and the area of the terrorist attack has been cordoned off to nab the attackers.

"Terrorists fired upon joint Naka party of CRPF & Police at Pinglana, #Pulwama. In this #terror attack, 01 Police personnel got #martyred & 01 CRPF personnel got injured. Reinforcement sent. Area being #cordoned. Further details shall follow." Kashmir Police Zone tweeted.

Earlier in the morning hours, security forces claimed to have killed a LeT terrorist in an encounter and recovered one AK 47 rifle and other ammunition from the spot. The operation in shopian is concluded with the killing of the local terrorist identified as Naseer Ahmad Bhat of Nowpora Baskuchan.

ADGP Vijay Kumar in a tweet said " Killed #terrorist identified as Naseer Ahmad Bhat of Nowpora Baskuchan #Shopian, linked with LeT #terror outfit. #Incriminating materials, arms & ammo including AK rifle recovered. He was involved in several #terror crimes and recently escaped from an #encounter.
New Delhi: An old bridge built in the early 1990s in Maharashtra's Pune city was demolished in the early hours of Sunday as part of a development project to address the area's frequent traffic jams, officials said. They said 600 kg of explosives were used to demolish the bridge on the Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway (NH4) in the Chandani Chowk area at 1 a.m. The planned demolition of the bridge piqued the interest of many locals. People from the surrounding areas gathered at a safe distance from the site to watch the demolition exercise. Following the demolition, a large number of earthmover machines and trucks were used to bring down the hanging structures and remove the debris. Because of the demolition exercise, vehicular traffic was halted and diverted in the area. According to officials, police imposed Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in the area to limit mass gatherings near the bridge.

The highway reopened to traffic at 10 a.m. after the debris was removed, according to Pune Collector Rajesh Deshmukh. The bridge was demolished as part of an ambitious Chandani Chowk development project aimed at improving traffic flow at the key intersection. A multi-level flyover will be built at the intersection, and construction is already underway.

Also Read: 'Balasaheb always said Jai Maharashtra': Abu Azmi slams Shinde-led govt's 'Vande Mataram' order

"The bridge was demolished at 1 am on Sunday through a controlled blast and everything was executed as per the plan. We pressed earthmover machines, for nails and trucks to clear the debris from the spot," said co-owner of Edifice Engineering, Chirag Chheda, whose team, along with NHAI authorities, demolished the bridge.

According to officials, it is the same company that demolished Noida's Supertech Twin Towers in August of this year. When asked why a portion of the bridge structure had not collapsed completely, one of Edifice's lead engineers said the concrete had been removed due to the blast and only steel bars remained. "Once the steel bars are removed using the machines, the remaining structure will also come down," he said. He stated that the amount of steel used in the bridge construction was greater than expected. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari flew over the ongoing bridge construction at Chandani Chowk on Friday. According to the district administration, sufficient manpower and machinery were mobilised to demolish the bridge and clear the debris in preparation for the restart.

(Inputs from PTI)
Lucknow: Anil Shastri, son of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, vividly remembers the legendary leader's last birthday, especially the cutting of a cake resembling a Patton tank used by Pakistani forces against India. He said the celebrations on October 2, 1965, as compared to Shastri's previous birthday, were much higher as he had emerged as a hero, especially after the India-Pakistan war.

"I describe him as an honest, sincere, committed, dedicated and a fine gentleman, a brave person and a decisive man," Anil, a Congress leader, said about his father.

Recalling Shastri's last birthday, he said, "Thousands of people from different walks of life had gathered at 10 Janpath, then the prime minister's official residence, to greet my father. At the time, a Congress leader had brought a cake, which resembled a Patton tank and urged my father to cut it.

"My mother Lalita Shastri expressed her unwillingness to the idea saying, "Hamare yahan cake kaatna sahta nahi hai," (cutting a cake is considered inauspicious in our family). But the visitors insisted saying it was not just a cake but a Patton tank. And eventually, the cake was cut," Anil, a former Union minister recalled.

Narrating an incident wherein Shastri scolded him for using the official car, a Chevrolet Impala, Anil said, "He got angry, took the logbook from the driver and told him to take money from my mother for the distance covered."

When the country was reeling under food shortage after the US refused to send wheat, Shastri had appealed to the people to undertake fast, but not before asking his own children to make the same sacrifice.

"He checked whether we, the children in the family, could observe fast. Only after he was convinced that children in the family could do so, he appealed to the people of the country to go without food for sometime," Anil recalled.

"This had a tremendous impact and this was the reason Shastriji's credibility was so high. People had faith in him as there was no difference in his words and actions," he said.

After a rail accident in 1956, Shastri resigned as the railways minister taking moral responsibility. Narrating this incident, Anil said he was seven years old at the time. "I had asked him, 'babuji, you have resigned but you were not the loco pilot.' His replied saying, 'bete, I am the driver of my ministry'."

Shastri was born on October 2, 1904, in Uttar Pradesh's Mughalsarai and passed away on January 11, 1966, in Tashkent, which was part of the USSR and is now in Uzbekistan.




New Delhi: A plastic water bottle was thrown in the direction of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at a Garba event in Gujarat's Rajkot city, but the object did not hit him and passed over his head, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders said on Sunday.

A video grab of the incident, which took place on Saturday night during Kejriwal's visit to the Navratri event, showed the bottle thrown towards AAP national convener Kejriwal from behind as he walked waving at the participants.

The Delhi CM was accompanied by security officials and senior party leaders as he walked through the crowd of revellers.

AAP's media coordinator Sukanraj said, "The bottle was thrown from some distance. It passed over Kejriwal's head. It appears the bottle was thrown at Kejriwal, but we cannot say for certain that this was the case. There was no need to approach the police."

Also Read: Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann performs Garba-Bhangra fusion dance at event in Gujarat - Watch

Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann are on a two-day visit to Gujarat from Saturday, ahead of the Assembly polls in the state due later this year. Mann also took part in a Garba event at another venue in the city.

The two CMs stayed in Rajkot during the night after holding rallies at Gandhidham in Kutch district and Junagadh on Saturday.

They will jointly address two rallies in Surendranagar city and Khedbrahma town of Sabarkantha on Sunday.
RPSC Grade 1 Admit Card 2022: The Rajasthan Public Service Commission will soon release the admit card for the recruitment of 1st Grade Posts. Since the RPSC School Lecturer exams are scheduled to begin on October 11 the Commission is expected to release the RPSC Admit Cards for 1st grade exams any time by next week. Once released, candidates will be able to download RPSC Admit cards from the official website- rpsc.rajasthan.gov.in.

Here's how to download the RPSC 1st Grade Admit Card 2022

Once released, candidates can follow the simple steps given below to download the RPSC Admit Cards 2022

Visit the official website- rpsc.rajasthan.gov.in On the home page under the Candidate information tab click on Exam Dashboard link Click on the Admit card link across the "School Lecturer (School Edu.) - 2022" column Entre your credentials like Registration number, DOB etc Your RPSC 1st Grade Admit Card 2022 will appear on the screen Download and take a printout for exam day

The Commission is scheduled to conduct the RPSC Grade 1 exams on October 11, October 12 and from October 14 to October 21, 2022. The exam will be held in two shifts i.e. 9 AM to 10: 30 AM and from 2 PM to 5 PM.
New York: United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres on Sunday urged people to shun violence by following Mahatma Gandhi`s principles of Ahimsa (non-violence) on the occasion of his 153rd birth anniversary. Notably, Mahatma Gandhi`s birthday is celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence.

"On the International Day of Non-Violence, we celebrate Mahatma Gandhi`s birthday & values of peace, respect & the essential dignity shared by everyone. We can defeat today`s challenges by embracing these values & working across cultures & borders to build a better future," tweeted the UN chief.

On the International Day of Non-Violence, we celebrate Mahatma Gandhis birthday & values of peace, respect & the essential dignity shared by everyone.



We can defeat today's challenges by embracing these values & working across cultures & borders to build a better future. pic.twitter.com/EHJc2q4UZz October 2, 2022

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, popularly known as Gandhiji, a great leader of India who gave his life for the country, was born on 2nd October 1869. This day is celebrated with great pleasure every year to pay tribute to the Father of the Nation as well as to remember his values, principles and philosophy.

Also Read: Mahatma Gandhi makes special appearance at UN, shares message on education

In June 2007, the United Nations General Assembly marked 2nd October as International Day of Non-violence. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was India`s one of most important freedom fighters. He led the non-violence movement against the British.

He studied law and went to South Africa to represent a client. After returning to India, he joined the Indian National Congress. He fought for women`s rights and caste discrimination. He also led nationwide campaigns for peasants, labourers and farmers.

After 21 years of Gandhi`s death, Great Britain released a stamp to honour him. Gandhiji never won a Nobel Peace Prize, but he was nominated 5 times. Only Gandhi has been the first and only Indian to have been honoured with the title `Time Person of the Year` in 1930.

Many world leaders like Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and John Lennon consider Gandhi ideal. This is because he fought for freedom from the British, but he also fought against social issues like caste discrimination, women`s rights, etc.
Kanpur: At least 26 people were killed and several critically injured when a tractor-trolley overturned and fell into a pond near a village in Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, District Magistrate Vishak G Ayyar said.

Most of the victims were women and children, the DM said, adding that the toll is likely to go up. The incident occurred in the evening near Bhadeuna village located within the Saar police station limits, a senior official said.

Also Read: Uttar Pradesh: 10 killed as tractor-trolley overturns, falls into pond; 37 injured

Talking to PTI over the phone, Ayyar said the death toll has gone up to 26. The tractor-trolley, carrying about 50 people, was on its way to Ghatampur after the passengers attended a "mundan" ceremony at the Chandrika Devi temple in Fatehpur, the official said.

He added that more than a dozen people were killed on the spot.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have expressed grief over the incident.

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath expresses condolences over tractor accident in Kanpur pic.twitter.com/j7Z48wzETb  ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) October 1, 2022

"Distressed by the tractor-trolley mishap in Kanpur. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their near and dear ones. Prayers with the injured. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to the affected," Modi said in a tweet.

An ex-gratia amount of Rs 2 lakh each would be paid to the next of kin of the deceased from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF), Modi was quoted as saying in a tweet by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

The injured would be given Rs 50,000, the prime minister said.

Adityanath has sent ministers Rakesh Sachan and Ajit Pal to the accident site to speed up the rescue operation.

The chief minister has also appealed to people to use tractor-trolleys only for purposes related to farming and transferring goods and not for carrying passengers, according to an official release issued in Lucknow.

An eyewitness told reporters that he, along with others, rushed to the site hearing the cries of men, women and children for help.

The locals immediately jumped into the water and somehow managed to pull out the victims, some of whom were already dead, he said.

The injured were taken to the community health centre (CHC) at Bheetergaon, where some of them were declared brought dead, he added.

GSVM Medical College principal Sanjay Kala told reporters that several of the injured have been referred to the Lala Lajpat Rai (LLR) Hospital.

According to officials , the injured were first rushed to the Bheetergaon CHC in ambulances arranged by police and more than a dozen were declared dead at the facility.

A government spokesperson in Lucknow said the chief minister is personally monitoring the rescue operation and has announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 2 lakh each for the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each for those seriously injured.

"An investigation is on to ascertain the reasons behind the accident," the DM said.

The district administration has been told to carry out the rescue operation and ensure all possible assistance to the victims, he added.

In a tweet, Adityanath said: "The road accident in Kanpur district is heart-wrenching. The district magistrate and other senior officers have been directed to reach the spot immediately, conduct the relief-and-rescue operations on a war footing and make arrangements for the proper treatment of the injured.

"The loss of lives in the accident is very sad. My condolences are with the bereaved families. Praying to Lord Ram to grant the departed souls a place at his feet and courage to the families of the deceased to bear this unfathomable loss."

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati have also expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident.

In a tweet, Yadav said: "In Uttar Pradesh, transportation in tractor trolleys is continuously going on. The transport department is oblivious and innocent lives are being lost. The BJP government should take cognizance and carry out the rescue operation. Condolences on the deaths. The government should give a compensation of Rs 50 lakh to the relatives of the deceased, Rs 5 lakh to the injured and make arrangements for their treatment."

Mayawati conveyed her condolences to the bereaved families and asked the government to extend all possible help to the victims. In a similar accident on the outskirts of the state capital recently, 10 people were killed and 37 injured when the tractor-trolley in which they were travelling overturned.
Egypts Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry highlighted the dangers of filling and operating the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in a meeting with the President of the World Water Council (WWC) during the 2022 Cairo Water Week (CWW 2022).
Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday said his faction of the Shiv Sena would have got the Shivaji Park ground in central Mumbai as the venue for its Dussehra rally had he intervened in the matter as CM. In a shot in the arm for the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena faction, the Bombay High Court on September 23 granted it permission to hold its annual Dussehra rally at the iconic Shivaji Park ground in Dadar.

The Shinde-led faction had also sought permission to hold the rally at the same venue on the same day (October 5), and opposed the Thackeray group's petition in the high court.

When asked about it, Shinde told reporters that the leaders and workers of his party had demanded Shivaji Park for the rally, but how they honour the high court's order.

"Had I intervened as chief minister, we would have got Shivaji Park for the rally. But as CM, it is my duty to ensure peace and harmony. So we settled for the MMRDA ground at the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC)," he said.

For the Thackeray faction the high court's decision in its favour has a symbolic value as Shivaji Park is associated with the Sena since its birth, and his group is locked in a tussle with the rebel group led by CM Shinde to establish itself as the "real' Shiv Sena.
Gandhi Jayanti 2022: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and he was born on 2nd October 1869 in Porbandar which in the present day is known as Gujarat. A day dedicated to the Father of the Nation, Gandhi Jayanti is the celebration of his birth anniversary. Mahatma Gandhi's 153rd birthday is being commemorated this year, and this day serves as one of the year's three most significant national holidays.

Gandhi was a nationalist, a lawyer, and a political ethicist. The non-violent approach taken by Mahatma to win the country's freedom from British domination serves as an inspiration for people all around the world to put down their weapons and follow this path. Mahatma believed in the strength of tolerance and love.

Gandhi Jayanti 2022: Meaning

To commemorates the 153rd anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's birth in Porbandar, Gujarat Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated. In order to show respect for the leader, prayer services and cultural activities are held on this day in schools, universities, and even government institutions.

Gandhi Jayanti 2022: History

The Satyagraha and Ahimsa movements were initiated by Mahatma Gandhi while India was still under British rule. Since then, many civil rights throughout the nation have been affected by his strategy of pursuing nonviolence and persuading adversaries through the power of love. In addition to leading India's fight for independence, Mahatma Gandhi sacrificed his life for the good of the nation.

Gandhi Jayanti 2022: Significance

To honour Mahatma Gandhi and pay our respects to the freedom fighter, October 2 is observed as a national holiday. In an effort to honour Gandhi's methods, the United Nations General Assembly designated October 2 as the International Day of Nonviolence in 2007. On this day, awareness is raised about the value of nonviolence and the global convergence of peace, harmony, and unity.

Interesting facts about Bapu

- Gandhi spoke English with an Irish accent.

- Gandhiji never won the Nobel Peace Prize, though he was nominated for the prize 5 times.

- The title Mahatma was given to him by Rabindranath Tagore.

- There are 48 roads outside India and 53 roads in India that are named after him.

- Only Gandhi has been the first and the only Indian to have been honored with the title "Time Person of the Year" in 1930.

Also Read: Gandhi Jayanti: PM Narendra Modi pays tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 153rd birth anniversary

On this day at Raj Ghat, Mahatma Gandhi's samadhi in New Delhi, political leaders pay respects. His favourite songs, "Raghupati Raghava" and "Vaishnav Jan To Tene Kahiye," are also sung at the ceremony.
Lal Bahadur Shastri Jayanti 2022: The man who succeeded Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri was respected for his forthrightness and honesty, and after his passing, he was awarded the Bharat Ratna, making him the first posthumous laureate of this prestigious award. October 2nd marks the birth anniversary of India's second prime minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri, who was born on this day, 1904, in Uttar Pradesh's Mughalsarai.

Shastri has the same birthday (2nd October) as Mahatma Gandhi even though he was born in 1904, 35 years later. He came from a humble background, had high regard for Gandhi, and went on to hold key positions in politics.

Early Life

After completing his graduation, Lal was awarded the title of "Shastri" as a part of his bachelor's degree by Vidya Peeth. This title stuck with him and his name, thus he was named Lal Bahadur Shastri.

During the late 1920s, Shastriji became an active member of the Indian Independence Movement, in which he joined the non-cooperation movement with full might. Later in 1930, for his participation in the Salt Satyagrah, he was sent to prison by the British government for more than two years and then again in 1942 after Gandhi's Quit India speech. In total, he was in prison for about 9 years which were spent wisely by Shastriji reading books and familiarizing himself with the works of western revolutionaries, social reformers and philosophers.

Political significance

After India achieved independence Lal Bhadur Shastri's exceptional worth was long acknowledged by the then leader of the national movement by the time the Congress took office.

He was appointed Parliamentary Secretary in his home state of Uttar Pradesh and swiftly rose to the rank of Home Minister. He then moved to New Delhi in 1951 and held several positions in the Union Cabinet, including Minister for Railways, Minister for Transport and Communications, Minister for Commerce and Industry, and Home Minister.

Shastri resigned from his position as minister of railways after taking accountability for a tragic train accident. Then-prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru lauded Lal Bahadur Shastri's moral integrity and lofty principles while discussing the incident in front of Parliament.

Lal Bahadur Shastri took office as India's prime minister on June 9th, 1964. He advocated for the White Revolution, a federal initiative to boost milk production. In order to enhance food production in India, he also supported the Green Revolution and also gave the slogan "Jai Jawan Jai Kisaan".

Lesser known facts about the brief 2nd PM Shastri

- As a dowry for his wedding to Lalita Devi he accepted a Khadi cloth and spinning wheel.

- He also integrated the idea of the Green Revolution to boost the demand for India's food production.

- Shastri continues to inspire India's farmers and soldiers as he is the man behind the iconic slogan of "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan".

- In the 1920s he joined the freedom movement and served as a prominent leader of the Indian National Congress.

- During the White Revolution, he created the National Dairy Development Board and supported the Amul milk cooperative based in Anand, Gujarat.

- He signed Tashkent Declaration on 10 January 1966 with Pakistan President, Muhammad Ayub Khan to end the 1965 war.

- A highly disciplined and humble person with high self-esteem and morals. He did not even own a car after becoming the country's Prime Minister.

Lal Bahadur Shastri died due to a heart attack on 11 January 1966 but his legacy continues to thrive. A humble, tolerant leader with great inner strength who understood the language of the common man is and will always be the Man of Peace.
Mumbai: Khul Ke, launched by Loktantra Mediatech Pvt Ltd, is a social media platform that enables users to freely express themselves through purposeful conversations that matter.

During a RoundTable hosted on the platform for the series 'Kashmir Konversations' between the well-known Kashmir activist Sushil Pandit and the critically acclaimed director Vivek Agnihotri, the discussion shed light on one of the worst human tragedies in Indian history as well as Vivek's upcoming project.

Talking about his upcoming project, the filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri said, "Our web series is currently under production. The seven or eight-episode series will attempt to cover and depict the history and political conflicts. We are producing the document itself. Im looking to release it on or before 15th August, next year."

Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotris film The Kashmir Files had generated a lot of controversy for its depiction of the Pandit exodus from the Kashmir valley in 1990, with many contesting its version of the truth.

Vivek Agnihotri, while talking about the controversy that surrounded his last film, 'The Kashmir Files', said, "Its a collective failure, a collective embarrassment, and a collective guilt. Every person, every judge, every chief justice, everyone in the country who is currently in or were in power, whether they are right- or left winged, green, or orange flag supportersare accountable for this."

"Hamare liye jo sangya istemaal ki jaati hai wo migrant ki hai. This is just adding insult to the injury. Ye genocide ke baad usper ek aur ghaav, ek aur genocide jaisa hai", added Sushil Pundit.

The film 'The Kashmir Files' was released on the 11th of March this year and was loved and appreciated by audiences and critics alike.
Indian Railways has cancelled 166 trains today, October 2, owing to multiple reasons like maintenance and operational issues. In addition, the organisation has changed the source stations of 18 trains scheduled to run on Gandhi Jayanti. Furthermore, it has decided to divert 22 trains from their original path and change their route. Along with this, the railways have also rescheduled 18 trains owing to various causes, varying from operational work on rails to be held on tracks to natural calamities. Furthermore, some trains can be cancelled on October 3 as well, based on the information on the NTES website.

The cancellation and other changes to the railroads will have an effect on a number of states, including Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, New Delhi, West Bengal, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Rajasthan.

List of cancelled trains on October 2:

01605, 01606,01607, 01608, 01609,01610, 01620, 01623, 01823, 01824,01885, 01886, 03085, 03086, 03087, 03289, 03298, 04019, 04020, 04129, 04130, 04181,04182, 04194, 04255, 04256, 04267, 04268, 04381, 04382, 04552, 04601, 04602, 04647, 04648, 04685, 04686, 04699, 04700, 05031, 05032, 05091, 05092, 05117, 05118, 05334, 05366, 05379, 05380, 05453, 05454, 05459, 05460, 06977, 06980, 07795, 07906, 07907, 09108, 09109, 09110, 09113, 09349, 09362, 09365, 09366, 09373, 09375, 09376, 09391, 09392, 09393, 09394, 09395, 09396, 09427, 09428, 09429, 09430, 09483, 09484, 10101, 10102, 11265, 11266, 11651, 11652, 13309, 13310, 13344, 13345, 14123, 14124, 14201, 14202, 14203, 14204, 14213, 14214, 15035, 15036, 18006, 18109, 18202, 18203, 18213, 18233, 18234, 18235, 18236, 18247, 18248, 19035, 19036, 20471, 20948, 20949, 22167, 22910, 22960, 25035, 25036, 31411, 31414, 31711, 31712, 36033, 36034, 37211, 37216, 37246, 37247, 37253, 37256, 37305, 37306, 37307, 37308, 37319, 37327, 37330, 37338, 37343, 37348, 37411, 37412, 37415, 37416, 37611, 37614, 37657, 37658, 37782, 37783, 37785, 37786, 78511, 78512, 78513, 78514, 78515, 78516, 78517, 78518, 78519, 78520

Also read: Mumbai-Gandhinagar Vande Bharat off to flying start, almost fully booked on maiden run

Indian Railways cancels train operations every day for a number of reasons. Therefore, before starting their journeys, travellers are encouraged to check the status of their trains that are running today. On the NTES website, you can access the complete list by clicking the extraordinary train option in the top right corner.

Indian Railways is the most popular means of transportation since it is affordable and ensures that passengers get to their destinations in the utmost comfort and schedule. Indian Railways has announced the start of special trains to accommodate passengers with convenience and comfort of travel during holidays like Navratri, Durga Puja, Diwali, and Chhath Puja. This is to accommodate the high passenger flow during these celebrations. IRCTC has started special trains to and from Kolkata, Ajmer, and Mata Vaishno Devi in honour of the auspicious occasions of Durga Puja and Navratri in 2022.

Check more updates here
New Delhi: Garena Free Fire releases redeem codes on an everyday basis. The 12-digit redeem code consists of alphabets and numbers. Players can get rewards such as skins for in-game weapons and characters to improve their gaming experience.

ALSO READ | These 13 cities to get 5G internet first; Check is your CITY in the list?

Garena Free fire is banned in India. However, if you are located outside India, you can access the reward codes and redeem them. For that you will be required to visit official Garena Free Fire reward site and log in to your Facebook, Google, and Twitter IDs to access the Free Fire redemption page. (Also read: WhatsApp entering film-making biz, movie to premiere on Amazon Prime Video and YouTube)

Check out the Garena Free Fire Redeem Codes for October 2, 2022

6YLP JNOB IVUJ

DXKZ IAUY 6TQD

FE43 BG4H NRJK

TGIV UYCT XRSD

FDEV B12M T6KL

YOH9 I8BU 7VYF

DHNJ MKL5 OT11

FGJO 987Y TFSD

ERYH UJE3 NHY6

U7Y6 ST5R QFD2

V3B4 RJTG IVUT

CRXF SVDE BRNT

How to Redeem Garena Free Fire codes for today, October 2, 2022

Step 1: Go to the official Garena Free Fire redemption portal



Step 2: Log in on the portal with either your Facebook, Twitter, Apple, Google, VK, or Huawei ID.



Step 3: Enter a redeem code in the designated text box.



Step 4: Click on the Ok button to get free rewards in your game account.

(Disclaimer: Garena Free fire is banned in India. Hence we advise people to adhere to government rules)
New Delhi: Every year, Oct 2nd is celebrated as Gandhi Jayanti to mark the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Lovingly called Bapu, Mahatma Gandhi inspired the world with his simple living and high thinking.

Remembering the Father of the Nation and his teachings and ideology, &TV artists pay their tribute to him. These include Mohit Dagga (Ashok, Doosri Maa), Sapna Sikarwar (Bimlesh Singh, Happu Ki Ultan Paltan), and Aasif Sheikh (Vibhuti Narayan Mishra, Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai).

As Ashok in &TV's Doosri Maa, Mohit Dagga shares, Mahatma Gandhi has inspired us in numerous ways. His life lessons are the most important ones anyone can have. One thing that I learned from Bapu and have applied in my life is the art of forgiveness. Mahatma Gandhi once mentioned, 'The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.' I also believe in forgiving others because it allows them to grow and makes us feel lighter. Everybody should try to let go of their feelings of rage and vengeance and clear their minds of all negative emotions.

As Bimlesh in &TV's Happu Ki Ultan Paltan, Sapna Sikarwar shares, I have been a supporter of Gandhijis swadeshi ideology. I am a strong supporter of small-scale industries and local produce. Kiranas are an essential part of our economy. If local sales flourish, they can potentially replace the goods we buy from foreign-based companies that import their goods to India. It will also create more employment opportunities and encourage small and medium businesses. I encourage everyone to promote and support our Indian brands and their products and contribute to making our local brands popular globally.

As Vibhuti Narayan Mishra in &TV's Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai, Aasif Sheikh shares, Mahatma Gandhi once said, Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. That is something I have internalized. It means dont be afraid to live life and try something new. Let life be the reason you are living. It teaches us that one should live life to the fullest and there is learning throughout our journey, and we must not be afraid to live our lives. Do things that one always wanted to and learn throughout the years you live. So whenever I feel bogged down, I step back and start focusing on things that make me happy travel, yoga, spending time with family, or even going out and meeting friends. That way, it helps me find a balance and live my life to the fullest.

Watch Doosri Maa at 8:00 pm, Happu Ki Ultan Paltan at 10:00 pm, and Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai at 10:30 pm, airing every Monday to Friday only on &TV!
Moscow: In the wake of Russian troops` withdrawal from the strategic town of Lyman, the leader of the Chechen republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, called for using "low-yield" nuclear weapons on the battlefield amid mounting pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to use nuclear weapons as Russian army continues to face defeats in Ukraine, according to CNN.

"I do not know what the Defense Ministry reports to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, but in my personal opinion, we need to take more drastic measures, including declaring martial law in the border territories and using low-yield nuclear weapons. There is no need to make every decision with the Western American community in mind," Kadyrov said on his Telegram channel.

The Chechen leader also slammed the Russian generals amid the withdrawal of Russian forces from the strategic town of Lyman and said that it is about time for Kremlin to take drastic measures.

Meanwhile, Dmitry Medvedev, who was Russia`s president between 2008 and 2012, also discussed nuclear weapons earlier last week and wrote on his Telegram channel, "If the threat to Russia exceeds our established threat limit, we will have to respond ... this is certainly not a bluff."

After Russia annexed four Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia, concerns have sparked globally that Moscow could resort to nuclear weapons.

Also Read: Blow to Vladimir Putin; Russia withdraws troops after Ukraine encircles key city

On Friday, Putin formally announced the annexation of four regions - Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia and claimed that "this is the will of millions of people," media reports said. Putin said the residents in the four annexed regions will now be Russia`s "citizens forever".

While denying seeking revival of the Soviet Union by the said annexation, Putin accused Western states - which have imposed sweeping sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. Moreover, in a strong statement, Putin also added that Russia would now defend its new territory "with all the means at its disposal."

Following Putin`s announcement, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that his country is submitting an "accelerated" application to join the NATO military alliance.

"We are taking our decisive step by signing Ukraine`s application for accelerated accession to NATO," reported Al Jazeera quoted Zelenskyy as saying.

Russia`s annexation sparked wide criticism from around the world. The western leaders condemned it, termed it "illegal" and vowed that they will "never recognize" these areas. The United States announced that it will impose a "swift and severe cost" on Russia.

The Biden administration official said they are "targeting additional Russian government officials and leaders, their family members, Russian and Belarusian military officials, and defence procurement networks, including international suppliers supporting Russia`s military-industrial complex" through announcements from the Departments of Treasury, Commerce, and State, according to CNN.
By Trend

Video footage of Azerbaijani servicemen allegedly shooting at detained Armenian saboteurs that has been published on some social media pages is being investigated, Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan told Trend.

According to the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan, the Military Prosecutor's Office of Azerbaijan is fully and comprehensively investigating the authenticity of this category of videos, as well as the time and place where the video was shot, the identity of the servicemen shown on them, and all other points important for establishing the objective truth.

Based on the results of the investigation, the measures provided for by law will be taken.
One year after the withdrawal of foreign forces and the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, there are more and more human rights violations taking place in Afghanistan, writes Amr Wagdy

One year has passed since the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan and the fall of the capital Kabul into the hands of the Taliban Movement. Despite the movements rhetoric regarding the changes it would bring, and its promises that it would be different from the way it was in the past, it is behaving in the same way that it did when it ruled the country from 1996 until 2001.

The movements commitment to respect human rights has quickly evaporated.

Within a year of taking power, the Taliban have succeeded in turning the clock back, depriving the Afghan people of the first breaths of freedom that they had begun to feel, especially women and children.

Old scenes have returned, as women are being deprived of education, of expressing their opinions, and of getting suitable jobs. Afghanistan has become the only country in the world where women are prevented from enrolling in high school. Over one million girls are suffering under the brunt of these restrictions.

Women are again being forced to cover their faces and not leave their houses unless accompanied by a man. These restrictions have become obstacles that prevent them from enjoying life or finding opportunities to enter the labour market. In addition, there are no women in the Taliban government, and the former Afghan Ministry of Womens Affairs has been abolished.

The escalation of violations of the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan is costing a heavy price, notably because of its impacts on the countrys social and economic development. According to the UN, the current restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan have caused immediate economic losses of five per cent to the countrys total economic production.

Afghanistan is witnessing the worst drought in nearly 30 years, affecting three-quarters of its provinces and leading to a decline in agricultural production to below average. A widespread lack of food has led to the suffering of about 90 per cent of the population, or nearly 40 million Afghans, from malnutrition. More than half of the countrys population is in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, leading to a significant increase in the number of people forced to beg for a living and making the overall situation in the country even more dire and difficult to control.

Afghanistan is teetering on the brink of universal poverty, as 97 per cent of the population is now at risk of sinking below the poverty line and is already living below the level set by the World Bank of $1.90 per day. The countrys real GDP could contract by as much as 13.2 per cent, leading to an increase in the poverty rate of up to 25 per cent.

Although relief organisations are providing assistance that is contributing to protecting Afghanistan from many disasters, especially as the winter season comes on, the situation in the country is still deteriorating. Crop yields are insufficient to meet the needs of the population, especially after the shortages coming in the wake of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, and these are affecting many foodstuffs and agricultural production.

Humanitarian aid stopped after the withdrawal of foreign forces from the country last year and the takeover by the Taliban, with this aid previously estimated at about $8 billion.

Today, UN calls for funds to help Afghanistan have mobilised only $2.44 billion from a target of $4.4 billion. Donors are refraining from financing development in Afghanistan because of a regime that has not fulfilled the promises it made in terms of fighting terrorism or in the field of human rights.

Afghanistan has also been suffering from a crisis of press freedom, as more than 200 Afghan media platforms have been closed over the last year and about 2,100 women working in the field of journalism have lost their jobs. More than 80 journalists have been arrested or tortured for reporting on peaceful protests.

The Talibans crackdown on the freedom of expression has targeted human rights defenders and civil society activists, many of whom have been harassed, threatened, detained, and even killed as a direct result of their human rights work.

There have been widespread reports of Taliban soldiers beating and torturing Afghans deemed to have broken Taliban edicts or accused of working with the former government. There have also been reports of hundreds of extra judicial killings, with bodies found with gunshot wounds or bearing signs of torture. Dozens of people have been disappeared, with their whereabouts still unknown, because of their work under the previous government or because they are suspected of being involved in the resistance against the Taliban.

The situation in Afghanistan has become more catastrophic than ever, and the international community must ensure that civilians have equitable access to humanitarian aid and adopt measures that will pave the way for the recovery of Afghanistans economy.

The Taliban must also abide by international human rights law and Afghanistans international humanitarian law commitments, including respecting the rights of girls and women to education, employment, and participation in public life, support for the rights of persons belonging to minorities, and constructive engagement with human rights mechanisms.

It must immediately reopen all schools for girls and restore their access to quality education and lift the restrictions imposed on womens mobility, attire, employment, and political participation and cease all acts of violence against them.

* The writer is human rights officer at Supreme Standing Committee for Human Rights.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 15 September, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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An American navy veteran detained in Afghanistan since 2020 was released in exchange for a Taliban ally imprisoned in the US for heroin smuggling, US and Afghan officials announced Monday.

The Taliban government freed Mark Frerichs, a navy veteran who was working as a civil engineer on construction projects in Afghanistan when he was detained 31 months ago.

The US government meanwhile released Bashar Noorzai, a former regional strongman who was sentenced to life imprisonment in a US court 17 years ago for smuggling large amounts of heroin.

"After long negotiations, US citizen Mark Frerichs was handed over to an American delegation and that delegation handed over (Noorzai) to us today at Kabul airport," Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said at a press conference.

"We are happy that at Kabul International Airport, in the capital of Afghanistan, we witnessed the wonderful ceremony of one of our compatriots returning home."

Frerichs meanwhile flew to Doha, a US official said, adding that he was "in stable health."

"Today, we have secured the release of Mark Frerichs, and he will soon be home," President Joe Biden said in a statement.

"Bringing the negotiations that led to Mark's freedom to a successful resolution required difficult decisions, which I did not take lightly," he said.

Hero's Welcome

Noorzai was welcomed with a hero's fanfare by the government of the newly-styled Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA). Photos show he was greeted by masked Taliban soldiers bearing floral garlands.

"If the IEA had not shown its strong determination, I would not have been here today," Noorzai said.

"My release in exchange for an American will be a source of peace between Afghanistan and Americans."

Noorzai is the second Afghan inmate released by the United States in recent months. In June, Assadullah Haroon was released after 15 years of detention in the United States' notorious Guantanamo Bay prison.

Haroon was accused of links to Al-Qaeda but languished without charge for years at the US detention centre in Cuba, after his arrest in 2006 while working as a honey trader.

Afghan security analyst Hekmatullah Hekmat said Noorzai's release was a "major achievement" for Kabul's new rulers.

"The Taliban can tell their foot soldiers and Afghans that they are able to bring back their people held by opposition groups," he told AFP.

Muttaqi said the homecoming of Noorzai marks the beginning of a "new chapter" in relations between Afghanistan and the United States.

'Non-negotiable'

For Washington Frerichs' release was a priority issue to resolve after US forces withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021 following the Taliban's seizure of power.

The United States and allies have refused to recognise the new government, with Washington repeatedly telling the Taliban that they will have to "earn" legitimacy.

Biden had warned in January that the Taliban must release Frerich "before it can expect any consideration of its aspirations for legitimacy."

Noorzai, a militia commander, once fought with US-backed mujahideen forces against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and was a close associate of the Taliban's late founder Mullah Omar.

While he held no official position, Noorzai had "provided strong support including weapons" for the Taliban in the 1990s, Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP on Monday.

After travelling to the United States in 2005 he was arrested, accused of running a "worldwide narcotics network." When released he had served 17 years of a life sentence in a federal prison.

Delayed By Zawahiri Killing

Biden, who spoke to Frerichs' family ahead of the release, did not mention the deal involved.

But a senior Biden administration official said that the president okayed the swap in June after the Taliban made clear they wanted Noorzai in exchange for Frerichs' freedom.

Granting Noorzai clemency and returning him would "not materially change" the situation for Americans or the state of the Afghan drug trade, the US official said.

The official said the deal was delayed as Biden ordered the drone strike that killed Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in his Kabul residence on July 31.

Immediately after that, Washington quickly resumed pressure on Kabul for the exchange, warning them not to harm Frerichs and that a release could "begin to rebuild trust," the official said.

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A party with neo-fascist roots, the Brothers of Italy, won the most votes in Italy's national elections, looking set to deliver the country's first far-right-led government since World War II and make its leader, Giorgia Meloni, Italy's first woman premier, near-final results showed Monday.

Italy's lurch to the far right immediately shifted Europe's geopolitical reality, placing a euroskeptic party in position to lead a founding member of the European Union and its third-largest economy. Right-wing leaders across Europe immediately hailed Meloni's victory and her party's meteoric rise as sending a historic message to Brussels.

Near-final results showed the center-right coalition netting some 44% of the parliamentary vote, with Meloni's Brothers of Italy snatching some 26%. Her coalition partners divided up the remainder, with the anti-immigrant League of Matteo Salvini winning nearly 9% and the more moderate Forza Italia of ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi taking around 8%.

The center-left Democratic Party and its allies had around 26%, while the 5-Star Movement _ which had been the biggest vote-getter in 2018 Parliamentary elections _ saw its share of the vote halved to some 15% this time around.

Turnout was a historic low 64%. Pollsters suggested voters stayed home in part in protest and also because they were disenchanted by the backroom deals that had created the three governments since the previous election.

Meloni, whose party traces its origins to the postwar, neo-fascist Italian Social Movement, sounded a moderate, unifying tone in a victory speech early Monday that noted that Italians had finally been able to clearly determine who they wanted to govern.

``If we are called to govern this nation, we will do it for everyone, we will do it for all Italians and we will do it with the aim of uniting the people (of this country),'' Meloni said. ``Italy chose us. We will not betray (the country) as we never have.''

While the center-right was the clear winner, the formation of a government is still weeks away and will involve consultations among party leaders and with President Sergio Mattarella. In the meantime, outgoing Premier Mario Draghi remains in a caretaker role.

The elections, which took place some six months early after Draghi's government collapsed, came at a crucial time for Europe as it faces Russia's war in Ukraine and the related soaring energy costs that have hit ordinary Italian pocketbooks as well as industry.

A Meloni-led government is largely expected to follow Italy's current foreign policy, including her pro-NATO stance and strong support for supplying Ukraine with weapons to defend against Russia's invasion, even as her coalition allies stake a slightly different tone.

Both Berlusconi and Salvini have ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. While both have distanced themselves from his invasion, Salvini has warned that sanctions against Moscow are hurting Italian industry, and even Berlusconi has excused Putin's invasion as foisted on him by pro-Moscow separatists in the Donbas.

A bigger shift and one likely to cause friction with European powers is likely to come over migration. Meloni has called for a naval blockade to prevent migrant boats from leaving North African shores, and has proposed screening potential asylum-seekers in Africa, before they set out on smugglers' boats to Europe.

Salvini has made clear he wants to return to the interior ministry, where he imposed a tough anti-migrant policy as minister. But it's not clear he would get the post given he is currently on trial in Sicily for keeping migrants at sea.

On relations with the European Union, analysts note that for all her euroskeptic rhetoric, Meloni moderated her message during the campaign and has little room to maneuver given the economic windfall Italy is receiving from Brussels in coronavirus recovery funds. Italy secured some 191.5 billion euros, the biggest chunk of the EU's 750 billion-euro recovery package, and is bound by certain reform and investment milestones it must hit to receive it all.

That said, Meloni has criticized the EU's recent recommendation to suspend 7.5 billion euros in funding to Hungary over concerns about democratic backsliding, defending Viktor Orban as the elected leader in a democratic system.

Orban's political director, Balazs Orban, was among the first to congratulate Meloni. ``In these difficult times, we need more than ever friends who share a common vision and approach to Europe's challenges,'' he tweeted.

French politician Marine Le Pen's party hailed the result as a ``lesson in humility'' for the EU.

Santiago Abascal, the leader of Spain's far-right Vox opposition party, tweeted that Meloni ``has shown the way for a proud and free Europe of sovereign nations that can cooperate on behalf of everybody's security and prosperity.''

Meloni is chair of the right-wing European Conservative and Reformist group in the European Parliament, which gathers her Brothers of Italy, Poland's Law and Justice Party, Spain's Vox and the Sweden Democrats, which just won big in elections on a platform of cracking down on crime and limiting immigration.

Thomas Christiansen, professor of political science at Rome's Luiss University and the executive editor of the Journal of European Integration, noted that Italy has a tradition of pursuing a consistent foreign and European policy that is in some ways bigger than individual party interests.

``Whatever Meloni might be up to will have to be moderated by her coalition partners and indeed with the established consensus of Italian foreign policy,'' Christiansen said in an interview.

The vice president of the European Parliament, Katharina Barley of the Social Democrats of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, said Meloni's victory was ``worrying'' given her affiliations with Orban and Donald Trump.

``Her electoral lip service to Europe cannot hide the fact that she represents a danger to constructive coexistence in Europe,`` she was quoted as saying by German daily WELT.

Meloni proudly touts her roots as a militant in the neo-fascist Italian Social Movement, or MSI, which was formed in the aftermath of WWII with the remnants of Mussolini's fascist supporters. Meloni joined in 1992 as a 15-year-old.

During the campaign, Meloni was forced to respond after the Democrats used her party's origins to paint Meloni as a danger to democracy.

``The Italian Right has handed fascism over to history for decades now, unambiguously condemning the suppression of democracy and the ignominious anti-Jewish laws,'' she said in a multilingual campaign video.

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Korean Ambassador to Egypt Hong Jin-wook paid a visit to Upper Egypt's governorates of Minya, Assiut and Sohag from 25 to 28 September to explore possible avenues for cooperation between Korea and these governorates.

The ambassador met with Minya Governor Osama El-Qadi, Assiut Governor Essam Saad, and Sohag Governor Tarek Mohamed El-Feky.

During the meetings, Ambassador Hong discussed the developments in bilateral relations between Korea and Egypt as part of the comprehensive cooperative partnership signed between the two countries during President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisis visit to Korea in 2016.

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It is the right time to expand cooperation amid the excellent relations we have seen from [Korean President Moon Jae-ins] visit to Egypt in January this year, the ambassador said, while highlighting that Egypt and Korea have cooperated on projects including the manufacturing of K9 self-propelled howitzers, rolling stocks for the Cairo Metro, and Egypts Dabaa nuclear power plant project.

The ambassador also suggested expanding the scope of cooperation between Korea and Minya, Assiut and Sohag in the area of cultural heritage, highlighting that a memorandum of understanding on this front was signed earlier this year between the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea and the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt. The MoU includes cooperation in the restoration and development of antiquities as well as academic exchange.

Ambassador Hong said he expects that cooperative projects in cultural heritage will allow the governorates to take advantage of Koreas advanced technology in the restoration and preservation of the diverse cultural heritage in Upper Egypt.

Hong noted that the Korean governments choice of Egypt as a priority partner for official development assistance for 2021-2025 presents an opportunity to increase cooperation in Upper Egypt. He emphasised his countrys willingness to support Egypts Vision 2030 and its Decent Life initiative, which aims to develop rural areas nationwide.

During his Upper Egypt tour, the ambassador visited project sites where the Korean government is cooperating with the governorates to enhance education and gender equality.

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The ambassador visited Assiut University, where the Korean government has implemented a project to strengthen the universitys research and educational capacity with regards to advanced technology. He said he expects the project will contribute to enhancing the youths capabilities and their employment opportunities.

Hong also watched an edutainment performance by young people at the newly opened Population Awareness Club in Sohag, which is part of the UNFPA Project for Preventing and Combating Gender-Based Violence, funded by KOICA.

The Korean government is keen to cooperate with many stakeholders in achieving gender equality, Hong said.

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"With the finalisation of negotiations between Iran and the United States to release the prisoners of both countries, $7 billion of Iran's blocked resources will be released," the state news agency IRNA said.

Billions of dollars in Iranian funds have been frozen in a number of countries -- notably China, South Korea and Japan -- since the US reimposed biting sanctions on the Islamic republic in 2018 after unilaterally withdrawing from Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers.

Tehran has accused Seoul of holding $7 billion of its funds "hostage", repeatedly calling on South Korean authorities to release it.

IRNA on Sunday said that "Washington is pursuing at the same time the release of its citizens detained in Tehran and the release of Iranian funds in South Korea".

The development comes as on-off talks have been underway since April 2021 to revive the 2015 deal that gave Iran much-needed sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear programme.

Iran has repeatedly called for the lifting of sanctions, as well as guarantees that the United States will not again pull out of a revived deal.

Baquer Namazi is a former UNICEF official who was detained in February 2016 when he went to Iran to press for the release of his son Siamak, who had been arrested in October of the previous year.

Both were convicted of espionage in October 2016 and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The father was released on medical leave in 2018 and had been serving his sentence under house arrest.
King Charles III will not travel to next month's COP27 climate summit in Egypt after UK Prime Minister Liz Truss "objected" to the avid environmentalist attending, a report late Saturday said.

Britain's new monarch, who took the throne when his mother Queen Elizabeth II died last month, had intended to deliver a speech at the November 6-18 gathering, the Sunday Times reported.

But the plan has been axed after Truss -- who was only appointed prime minister by the late queen two days before she died -- opposed it during a personal audience with Charles at Buckingham Palace last month.

The report comes amid speculation Britain's new leader, already under fire over her economic plans which have sparked market turmoil, could controversially scale back the country's climate change commitments.

Her newly assembled cabinet contains a number of ministers who have expressed scepticism about the so-called 2050 net zero goals, while Truss herself is seen as less enthusiastic about the policy than her predecessor Boris Johnson.

The Sunday Times said she is unlikely to attend COP27 -- the 27th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) -- at the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Britain hosted the last summit in the Scottish city Glasgow, when Charles, the late queen and his son William all addressed the event.

Both Downing Street and Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the report.

The newspaper said the episode was "likely to fuel tensions" between Charles and Truss, but cited a government source who claimed the audience had been "cordial" and there had "not been a row".

Meanwhile, a royal source told the paper: "It is no mystery that the king was invited to go there.

"He had to think very carefully about what steps to take for his first overseas tour, and he is not going to be attending COP(27)."

Under convention in Britain, all overseas official visits by members of the royal family are undertaken in accordance with advice from the government.

However, despite not attending in person, reports said the king still hopes to be able to contribute in some form to the conference.

Charles III is a committed environmentalist with a long history of campaigning for better conservation, organic farming and tackling climate change.

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Italy is ready to enhance bilateral cooperation with Egypt in energy security, Mediterranean and Middle East stability, human rights, and religious freedom, new Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stressed on Sunday.

Meloni thanked President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in a reply to a message posted by the Egyptian presidency on Twitter yesterday in which El-Sisi congratulated the country's first-ever woman prime minister on her party's victory in the general elections last week.

The Brothers of Italy Party will lead a right, centre-right coalition government with the League and Forza Italia parties after winning first place in the snap elections last Sunday with 26 percent of the vote.

I look forward to working with [Meloni] within the framework of the solid partnership between Egypt and Italy to push our bilateral relations to broader horizons in all fields, in line with the deep-rooted history and civilisations of the two countries and for the benefit of their two peoples and humanity, El-Sisi said.

Egypt and Italy enjoy strong relationships on the political and economic levels. Italy is one of Egypt's largest trade partners in the European Union.

In 2021, the trade volume between the two countries rose by 29 percent to reach $5.8 billion, up from $4.5 billion in the previous year.

Egypts exports to Italy rose by 91.4 percent in 2021, bringing in nearly $2.8 billion, up from $1.5 billion in 2020.

Italian investments in Egypt also rose by 40.3 percent from $320 million during the last quarter of FY 2020/2021 to reach $448.8 million during the first quarter of FY 2021/2022.

The two countries are also members of the Cairo-based East Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF), which was formed in 2019 to establish a regional gas market in the Eastern Mediterranean and enhance trade relations between eight member states.

In 2015, the Italian energy giant Eni helped Egypt discover the Zohr natural gas field in its Mediterranean waters, catapulting the country to becoming a major producer of the alternative energy source.

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The premiers decision applies to workers in ministries, government institutions, public authorities, local administration units, as well as companies in the private, public, and public enterprise sectors, the Cabinet said in a statement on Sunday.

Egypt achieved victory in the October 1973 War against Israel, paving the way for the return of the occupied Sinai Peninsula to the homeland after a peace deal was signed with Israel.

The war eventually led to Israeli forces withdrawing from the Sinai Peninsula on 25 April 1982, after 15 years of occupation, based on a peace treaty signed between Egypt and Israel in 1979.

The Prophet Mohammeds birthday (aka Moulid Al-Nabi) is widely celebrated on 12 Rabi Al-Awal on the Islamic calendar, which falls this year on Saturday 8 October.
Sameh Shoukry, Egypts foreign minister and president-designate of the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference (COP27), headed on Sunday to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to attend the first preparatory meeting for the conference (pre-COP27 meetings).

The meeting is part of painstaking efforts exerted by Egypt ahead of the global climate conference, which will be held in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh 6-18 November, said Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid.

The meeting is set to focus on the main issues that will be tackled during COP27, including efforts to reduce carbon emissions, climate change adaptation, climate finance and the adverse impacts of climate change, added the spokesman.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Shoukry is scheduled to attend the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), according to the spokesman.

The top Egyptian diplomat will also hold bilateral meetings with a host of ministers and envoys concerned with the climate issue.

Shoukry is also scheduled to meet with a number of Congolese officials to discuss relations between the two countries.

Over the past two months, Egypt held five regional roundtables in its role as president of COP27 to catalyse investments in different climate sectors.

Hopes will be pinned during COP27 on turning climate-related pledges into action to help facilitate the move to green energy in order to reduce harmful gas emissions and adapt to climate change as per the Paris Agreement.

Egypt is set to announce a set of presidential initiatives in the spheres of food, water and energy during COP27.

On Thursday, the Egyptian presidency of COP27 urged countries to put aside political differences over the Russia-Ukraine war and collaborate to move forward on climate action.

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Israel's prime minister on Sunday welcomed a U.S. proposal for setting the maritime border with Lebanon, saying the American plan for resolving a long-running dispute between the neighbouring countries would lift Israel's economy and boost regional security.

Prime Minister Yair Lapid said the proposal was delivered over the weekend to both Israel and Lebanon. While he said it was still being studied, he said the plan would strengthen Israel's northern areas near the Lebanese border, allow Israel to produce additional natural gas and deliver new revenues to the national coffers.

``This is a deal that strengthens Israel's security and Israel's economy,'' Lapid told his Cabinet.

He also said Israel would not oppose the development of ``an additional Lebanese gas field'' straddling the maritime border, as long as Israel receives ``the share we deserve.'' He said this would weaken Lebanon's dependence on Iran, restrain the Hezbollah militant group and promote regional stability.

He said the deal was being reviewed by legal and defense officials before it is to be voted upon by the government. Israeli media said a vote could take place Thursday.

On Saturday, the proposal was also delivered to Lebanese leaders.

Lebanon and Israel have been officially at war since Israel's creation in 1948 and both countries claim some 860 square kilometers (330 square miles) of the Mediterranean Sea.

Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser for energy security at the U.S. State Department who has been mediating between the two neighbors, last visited Beirut in September, where he expressed optimism after meeting with Lebanon's leaders.

Lebanon's parliament speaker, Nabi Berri, said in an interview with the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper Saturday the proposal ``in principle meets the Lebanese demands.''

Lebanon hopes to unleash offshore oil and gas production as it grapples with the worst economic crisis in its modern history, plunging three-quarters of its population into poverty.

A Lebanese official who attended the talks last month told The Associated Press that the proposal put forward by the U.S. envoy gives Lebanon the right to the Qana field, located partially in Israel's domain.

A part of it stretches deep into a disputed area. The official added that the main point now is how to draw the demarcation line in a way that stretches south of Qana. Lapid's comments appeared to be a reference to the emerging agreement over Qana.

Israel set up a gas rig at its designated location at the Karish field. Israel says the field is part of its U.N.-recognized exclusive economic zone, while Lebanon insists Karish is in a disputed area.

In July, the Israeli military shot down three unarmed drones belonging to Lebanon's Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah flying over the Karish field. Hezbollah's leader has issued warnings to Israel over the maritime dispute, saying that ``any arm'' that reaches out to steal Lebanon's wealth ``will be cut off.''

The heavily armed group, which has fought several wars with Israel, has repeatedly said in the past that it would use its weapons to protect Lebanon's economic rights. Hezbollah officials have however said they would endorse a deal reached between Lebanon's government and Israel.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a speech Saturday echoed similar sentiments to Lebanon's top political leaders about Hochstein's proposal and reasserted that the Iran-backed party will back the Lebanese political leadership's position.

``God willing, if it reaches the desired and best result, it would be the result of national unity, cooperation, and solidarity,'' he said.

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United Securities Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mustafa Ahmed Salman has won the coveted Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the industry, at the Alam Al Iktisaad Awards.

The awards were held under the auspices of Salim bin Mohammed Al Mahrouqi, Minister of Heritage and Tourism. The Alam Al-Iktisaad Awards felicitate top corporate leaders, business performers and achievers.

A leader and passionate advocate for the Investments and Securities industry in the sultanate, Salman has demonstrated tireless commitment to the sector for decades. He is known for his efforts in bringing the private sector, as well as regulatory and legislative leaders together, to strengthen the investment products and services industry.

When you give back to an industry that has given you so much, there is nothing more rewarding, said Salman. I am passionate to continue being a part of a solution that makes the investment and securities sector a better place. My family, my team at United Securities, and our customers inspire me every day to do more and be better. I am grateful to be a part of this industry and honoured by Alam Al Iktisaads recognition which I am delighted to share with my team.

Salman has been a Director at the MSM, National Pharmaceutical Company, Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI), Muscat Depository & Securities Registration Co, and the Chairman of Majan Glass Company.

At present, besides his ongoing role at United Securities, Salman is Honorary Consul to the Australian Government for Oman, and is Director at United Insurance Company and Al Sharqiyah Desalination Company. He is a Committee Member of the Oman Saudi Investment Committee, OCCI, and the Omani French Association. He is also the Treasurer of the Omani Society for Intellectual Property and the Chairman of the Omani Securities Association. He is also the Owner of several construction and real estate development companies.

As one of the sultanates largest financial investment advisory and securities businesses that has a proven track record in outperforming benchmarks, United Securities provides clients with expert advice, innovative solutions, outstanding execution and comprehensive access to the Omani, GCC and other capital markets such as the United States.  TradeArabia News Service
The ministry usually refers to killed militants as ``neutralized.'' It said the number of casualties in the mission in the Asos region of northern Iraq, which is controlled by the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government, was expected to rise.

A video accompanying the ministry's tweet showed F-16 fighters taking off and a number of explosions in a mountainous area. The ministry referred to a statement from Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on Thursday in which he said airstrikes had hit 16 targets in the Asos region.

Turkey has been conducting a series of operations in northern Iraq since 2019, saying the military is targeting the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, to prevent it from launching cross-border attacks on Turkey. In April, Operation Claw-Lock was launched, which involves ground and air forces.

The PKK has waged an on-again, off-again insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people. The group is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

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Hundreds of students were taking tests training for university admission, and the United Nations said at least 35 were killed and another 82 wounded, with most of the casualties being girls and young women.

On Sunday, more than 100 women -- mostly Hazara -- rallied in Herat against the attack, one of the deadliest to strike the minority in recent years.

"Education is our right, genocide is a crime," the protesters chanted, marching from the University of Herat to the provincial governorate.

They were stopped from reaching the governorate by heavily-armed Taliban forces.

Women's rights protests have seen tense standoffs with authorities since the Taliban returned to power, with demonstrators detained and rallies broken up by aerial firing.

Women activists have still tried to stage sporadic protests, most in Kabul, against a slew of restrictions imposed on them by the Taliban.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for Friday's attack at the Kaaj Higher Educational Centre in Kabul.

The jihadist Islamic State (IS) group regards Shiites as heretics and has previously staged attacks in the area targeting girls, schools and mosques. Hazaras have also been targeted in Herat in recent years.

IS has emerged as a key security challenge for the Taliban, but officials insist their forces have defeated the jihadists.
Voter apathy dominated Bulgaria's early election on Sunday, raising the prospect of yet another fractured parliament that will struggle to form a viable governing coalition.

The European Union nation's fourth election in 18 months was marked by a raging war nearby, political instability and economic hardships in the bloc's poorest member.

Some 6.6 million people were eligible to cast ballots for 240 lawmakers in the parliament. Voter turnout was nearly 30 percent by 5 p.m., less than in previous elections. Analysts attributed that to voter fatigue and disillusionment with politicians unable to cobble together a viable government coalition.

Surveys before the vote suggest that up to eight parties could muster the 4 percent threshold to enter a fragmented parliament where populist and pro-Russia groups could increase their representation.

This early election comes after a fragile coalition led by pro-Western Prime Minister Kiril Petkov lost a no-confidence vote in June. He claimed afterward that Moscow had used "hybrid war'' tactics to bring his government down after it refused to pay gas bills in rubles and ordered an expulsion of Russian diplomats from Bulgaria.

A low turnout favors three-time former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov's GERB party, which is likeliest to finish first because it can still count on a loyal base.

After casting his vote on Sunday, Borissov told reporters that Bulgaria needs to clearly position itself on Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine.

"With this, aggression, with this war with a clear aggressor in the face of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin - (I have) nothing against the Russian people, with this farce with the referendums, Bulgaria must be very clear, categorical, and precise about its place in the European Union and NATO,'' he said, adding that Bulgaria's entry into Europe's 19-nation shared currency eurozone should be its first, most important task.

Still, the predicted percentage won't be enough for Borissov's party to form a one-party government, and the chances for a GERB-led coalition are slim as it is blamed for presiding over years of corruption by most opponents.

Petkov rejected recent polls as questionable and voiced confidence that the vote will yield positive results for his party.

"Today's election is very important. The choice is between going back to the years of transition or to break with this period once and for all and heading to a new prosperous and reformed Bulgaria,'' he said after casting his ballot.

Petkov ran on promises to cobble together a coalition and continue with his efforts to eradicate corruption but painful reforms may be hard to swallow amid a European energy crisis sparked by Russia's war on Ukraine.

Many Bulgarians share pro-Russia sentiments, which provides fertile soil for aggressive Kremlin propaganda in the Balkan country.

The pro-Russia party Vazrazhdane, riding on those feelings, is attracting many voters. The latest opinion polls predict it will capture 12.8 percent of the vote, up from 4.9 percent in the previous election.

"After these elections Bulgaria will have two options for the future, it will either radically change its path of development and will have a chance for survival, or `God save Bulgaria,''' party leader Kostadin Kostadinov said Sunday.

Unlike the stance taken by the EU, Kostadinov has urged "full neutrality'' for Bulgaria in the war in Ukraine.

First exit poll results will be announced after polls close at 8 p.m. and preliminary results are expected on Monday.

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Humanitarian workers in the Tigray capital, Mekele, and the region's second-largest city, Shire, confirmed the deadly attack. They spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

On Friday, an Ethiopian government-run Twitter account accused the rival Tigray forces of ``hiding its arms'' in residential areas and said Ethiopia's air force recently targeted the forces' ``military equipment and arsenal'' in Adi Daero.

In a statement Thursday, Tigray forces accused the air force of neighboring Eritrea of striking Adi Daero and killing ``a number of civilians.'' Eritrean forces are fighting alongside Ethiopia's military in Tigray.

The AP was unable to verify who was responsible for the strike. Satellite imagery shared this week by Maxar Technologies showed a military buildup inside Eritrea near the border with the Tigray region.

Several airstrikes have been reported in Tigray since fighting resumed in August after a months-long lull in the fighting. Humanitarian aid to the long-blockaded region of more than 5 million people has again been cut off.

``We're not moving any trucks in presently`` and no staff has been able to enter or leave Tigray since Aug. 24, the World Food Program's regional director for East Africa, Michael Dunford, told a think tank on Thursday, adding that there is a ``real need for the offensive to end, for the fighting to stop.``

He said 89% of people in Tigray have limited food capacity and more than 40% are ``acutely food insecure.''

Dunford said diplomats are better placed to advocate for a humanitarian truce.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched a barrage of missile and drone strikes on Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region on Wednesday, killing 14 people, including a US citizen.

In a statement late Thursday, the Guards said they were using "all kinds of missiles, kamikaze and combat drones" in the operations against bases and headquarters of what they called "terrorists".

"These operations will continue until the terrorist groups are disarmed and we ask the central government and the government of the northern region of Iraq to show more seriousness in their responsibilities towards Iran as a neighbour," the statement added.

The Guards have accused Iraq-based Kurdish groups of "attacking and infiltrating Iran... to sow insecurity and riots, and spread unrest".

Foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani "strongly condemned" Western statements criticising the cross-border strikes.

"Unfortunately, the countries that issued the statements, while violating their international responsibility to fight terrorism, continue their regrettable habit of selective and discriminatory behaviour," Kanani said.

He warned that Iran "reserves the right to defend its national security against acts of aggression from any territory and decisively confront any terrorist actions".

On Wednesday, State Department spokesman Ned Price said the United States "strongly condemns" Iran's "brazen attacks" across the border.

Germany too condemned the "escalation" and rejected "attempts to locate the causes of the Iranian protests in the neighbouring country".

A wave of unrest has rocked Iran since Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old from Iran's Kurdistan province, died on September 16 three days after her arrest by the morality police in Tehran for allegedly not observing the mandatory dress code for women.

The street violence has led to the deaths of dozens of people -- mostly protesters but also members of the security forces -- and hundreds of arrests.

The protests have been particularly well observed in Kurdish communities in western Iran that share strong connections with Kurdish-inhabited areas of Iraq.
Iran launched cross-border missile and drone strikes that killed 13 people on Wednesday after accusing Kurdish armed groups based there of stoking a wave of unrest that has rocked the Islamic republic.

"Our thoughts are with the victims and their families. These attacks are a violation of Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity," and EU spokesman said in a statement.

"The EU reiterates its full solidarity with the Iraqi people, the Iraqi Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government."

The September 16 death of Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, 22, while in the custody of Iran's morality police has sparked a major wave of protests and a crackdown that has left dozens of demonstrators dead.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has accused the Iraq-based Kurdish groups of "attacking and infiltrating Iran... to sow insecurity and riots and spread unrest".

The Revolutionary Guards warned on Thursday that they will press on with attacks on rear bases in neighbouring Iraq.
KYODO NEWS - Oct 2, 2022 - 10:07 | All, Japan, World

Japan, the United States and Australia will deepen their coordination over security strategy, their defense ministers said Saturday, apparently reflecting wariness over China's growing maritime assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.

During their talks in Hawaii, the ministers also "strongly condemned" China's ballistic missile launches across the Taiwan Strait in August after U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, the Japanese Defense Ministry said.

"We will continue to strengthen trilateral cooperation to contribute to the realization of a free and open Indo-Pacific," Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada told reporters after meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles.

To enhance interoperability among their forces, the three countries pledged to expand trilateral drills and facilitate cooperation in defense equipment, technology and information gathering, according to the ministry.

Hamada also said the ministers confirmed their opposition to "any act that escalates tensions" in reference to the Chinese test-firings of ballistic missiles, some of which fell in Japan's exclusive economic zone.

China conducted large-scale military drills in response to Pelosi's trip to Taiwan, which China regards as a breakaway province to be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary. Beijing opposes official contact between the self-ruled island and the United States.

The ministers vowed to encourage a peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues, the ministry added.

The meeting came as Japan has been discussing ways to update its National Security Strategy and two other key documents on defense policy by the end of the year. The revision is intended to deal with a rapidly worsening security situation affected by the actions and strategies of China, North Korea and Russia.

It would be Japan's first change to its long-term security and diplomacy policy guideline since it was adopted in 2013.

The defense ministerial meeting between Japan, the United States and Australia was the first since they met in Singapore in June on the sidelines of the Asia Security Summit, known as the Shangri-La Dialogue. It was also the first since Hamada assumed his post in August.
By Tomoji Tatsumi, KYODO NEWS - Oct 2, 2022 - 11:25 | All, Japan

While the Imperial Japanese Army used portions of the poison gas weapons it manufactured mainly during the 1937-1945 Sino-Japanese War, the rest were abandoned or disposed of in China and Japan.

A number of unexploded shells filled with poison gas or such gas in other forms were found in more than 40 locations in China and over 30 areas in Japan -- from Hokkaido to Kyushu, according to the Japanese government.

The issue remains unresolved even after the two neighbors marked the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties on Sept. 29.

During the war, Japanese troops carried out poison gas attacks in China at least 2,091 times, leaving more than 80,000 people dead or injured, according to a Chinese study.

As the war dragged on, the Japanese army stepped up the building of poison gas weapons -- which it also regarded as important in preparation for war with the Soviet Union -- and stockpiled them in various locations in Japan.

But in the midst of confusion after Japan's surrender in World War II, army personnel abandoned and disposed of the weapons haphazardly, resulting in damage in both countries.

Zhong Jiang, 61, a resident of Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang Province, said his ordinary life "ended" after being exposed to poison gas made by the Japanese army.

In 1982, Zhong was left on the verge of death after being exposed to the Japanese army's mustard gas inside a steel container that a worker unearthed during a road expansion job he was supervising in the northeastern China city.

Zhong was unable to continue work because he was in and out of hospital. His wife left him, taking their daughter, and he suffers heavy aftereffects even today.

However, the Japanese government has not provided medical care for Zhong or any other victims in China.

More than 50 Chinese victims lodged a series of damages suits in Japan against the government. But they lost those cases because Japanese courts ultimately did not acknowledge the legal responsibility of the government.

Despite the cold response to the victims, the Japanese government, in cooperation with its Chinese counterpart, has contributed large funds for the disposal of abandoned poison gas weapons.

After the war, China gathered and buried an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 such weapons in Haerbaling in Jilin Province in the country's northeast.

U.S. military documents show the Japanese army manufactured more than 7,000 tons of poison gas at a factory it secretly built on Okunoshima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, western Japan, in 1929.

The documents were discovered at the U.S. National Archives by Yoshiaki Yoshimi, a professor emeritus of modern Japanese history at Chuo University in Tokyo.

The army made a total of 7.39 million shells at a plant the army constructed in 1933 in Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan, and another 70,000 were manufactured at a factory the Imperial Japanese Navy ran in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo.

Related coverage:

FEATURE: Japan WWII poison gas agents still scarring people today

Seeing it as the responsibility of the state in order to comply with the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Japanese government will speed up weapons disposals in Haerbaling and other areas in China, officials say.

In a sign of its determination, the government allocated a total of 384.7 billion yen ($2.7 billion) in the state budget for the project until March 2021.

The government has scrapped abandoned weapons discovered in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, and Wuhan, Hubei Province, using mobile facilities, and plans to start operating four new large-scale disposal facilities in Haerbaling as early as in October.

But it is not immediately known when Japan will be able to complete the disposal of such weapons.

"We would like the Japanese government to set aside even a small portion of the budget to extend medical care for us," says a Chinese poison gas victim.

When the Allied powers tried Japanese leaders for war crimes at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, they considered filing charges over the use of poison gas by the Japanese army.

But they eventually did not do so, and some believe this is because the United States sought to keep the option of using such gas after World War II.

Decades later, a change in Washington's weapons strategy and other factors led to the enforcement in 1997 of the convention, which bans development, manufacturing and possession of poison gas and other chemical weapons.

The convention also calls for total elimination of such weapons from the world.

While the Japanese government has not yet responded to calls for compensation, Japanese lawyers and others who assisted Chinese victims in filing damages suits launched in 2016 a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting such people.

In cooperation with medical professionals, the NPO, called the Japan-China Cooperative Fund for Victims of Chemical Weapons, has been conducting medical checkups for Chinese poison gas sufferers and extending 1,000 yuan, or 20,000 yen, a year in aid for acquiring drugs.

The NPO is asking people in Japan and other countries for donations so as to expand assistance to Chinese victims.

Rina Aotsuka, 27, a Japanese victim of poison gas materials buried in Kamisu, east of Tokyo, says that when she was in elementary school, her family hosted at their home in the city in Ibaraki Prefecture a Chinese girl of around the same age who also suffered damage from the chemical agent.

Aotsuka has overcome health disorders and is now the mother of two children. But her brother Ryuji, 21, sustained a severe intellectual disability after drinking powdered milk dissolved in poison gas-tainted water from a nearby well.

That water, back in the early 2000s, was approved by local authorities as drinking water.

"A lawyer brought the Chinese girl to our home," Aotsuka recalls, saying she was encouraged by her exchanges with her. "We learned each other's language," she said.

Reiko Okada, who was mobilized during World War II to Okunoshima Island to manufacture bomb-bearing balloons, is urging Japanese people to raise their voices to prod lawmakers to support poison gas victims in Japan and China.

During the war, the Japanese developed incendiary balloon bombs as a means of conducting direct attacks against the U.S. mainland, launching over 9,000 of them from sites in Japan between November 1944 and April 1945. But they were largely ineffective, causing just six civilian deaths and minor damage in a single incident in Oregon.

Okada, 93, a former school teacher in Mihara, Hiroshima Prefecture, was a student when she was assigned to the island.

She joined rescue missions in Hiroshima city 12 days after the U.S. atomic bombing of the city.

Looking to the future, Okada says, "We would like citizens of Japan and China to get closer and step up calls for friendship and peace."
ADEN, Yemen, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- A homemade bomb blast struck a regular patrol of the pro-government forces in Yemen's oil-rich province of Shabwa on Saturday, killing a military officer and a soldier, a government official told Xinhua.

"The explosion is caused by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) targetting a patrol of Shabwa's defense troops when it was passing by a public market in Ataq, capital of Shabwa," the local government source said on condition of anonymity.

The explosion that rocked the area also injured two soldiers and a number of civilians gathering in the area, according to the source.

Attacks carried out by militant groups against the pro-government southern troops have surged in various regions of Yemen when an UN-brokered nationwide truce is set to expire in the upcoming hours.

The explosion came as the Yemeni government forces backed by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition are striking the hideouts of the Yemen-based al-Qaida branch mainly in the mountainous areas in Shabwa.

The Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) network has been responsible for many high-profile attacks against the security forces in the country's southern provinces.

The AQAP has exploited years of deadly conflict between the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels to expand its presence in the war-ravaged Arab country. 
The China-Thailand railway, a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative, is an important part of the trans-Asian railway network. Many Thai people expect the project to serve as a bridge for closer communication between Thailand and China.





Produced by Xinhua Global Service
Eskan Bank has signed an agreement with The National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) to finance Eligible Citizens for the new Housing Financing schemes.

The signing ceremony took place at Eskan Bank in the presence of Dr Khalid Abdulla, General Manager of Eskan Bank and Subah Abdullatif Al Zayani, Chief Executive- Retail Banking at NBB, alongside executives from both entities.

The agreement will include financing options for citizens who would like to benefit from the new housing financing schemes, which include, Tasheel which features three financing options  Tasheel Aqari, Tasheel Al Bait Al Oud, and Tasheel Taawon, as well as the new category of Mazaya along with the previous version one.

Elevating quality

Dr Abdulla said: Eskan Bank has maintained its successful partnership with NBB, a leading financing institution in the kingdom, as we continue to elevate the quality of our services with the aim to meet the housing demands of Bahraini citizens. Through our collaboration with the various private sector and financial institutions in the Kingdom, we are able to provide a variety of housing options to fit the needs of different segments of our beneficiaries.

Al Zayani said: We are pleased to continue our journey with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning and Eskan Bank in providing innovative housing solutions for Bahraini nationals. Both Tasheel and Mazaya finances are key contributors to our sustainable financing portfolio, and in-line with our ESG commitments. Our team are well prepared to extend financial advisory services to prospective clients who will make use of the recently launched schemes.-- TradeArabia News Service
ADEN, Yemen, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Yemeni leader met on Sunday with the UN special envoy in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh to discuss the extension of a nationwide truce set to expire tonight, state-run Saba news agency reported.

The meeting between Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Chairman Rashad al-Alimi and UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg "intended to explore chances to extend the UN-brokered truce amid Houthi militia's constant intransigence about the underway efforts," said Saba.

Al-Alimi reaffirmed the support by the PLC and government for the underway efforts, highlighting the need to increase international pressures on the Houthi group to make it engage constructively and to put the Yemeni peoples' interest above all.

An updated UN proposal calling for an extension of the truce set to expire on Oct. 2 has already been received by both sides of Yemen's warring parties.

On Saturday, the Yemeni government said the government is studying the proposal and will deal with it positively to alleviate the suffering of the people in all provinces without discrimination.

However, the Houthi group's negotiation team for the truce published a statement later, saying the talks on truce renewal have reached a "dead end" and "the Yemeni government and the Saudi-led coalition should be responsible for the impasse."

Meanwhile, Mahdi al-Mashat, chairman of Houthi's political council, warned foreign oil and mining companies in Yemen to "stop looting Yemen's sovereign wealth, starting from six o'clock in the evening (on Sunday)" or facing "full responsibility," according to the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

The truce between the Yemeni government and the Houthi militia went into force on April 2 and was later renewed twice through Oct. 2.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern cities and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa. 
The government of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Saturday held a flag-raising ceremony and a reception to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC).





Produced by Xinhua Global Service
Jaziel Romero Rodriguez, logistics manager of Italika's Chongqing office, introduces business cooperation with Chinese suppliers in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, July 18, 2022. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

CHONGQING, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- When Mexican businessman Jaziel Romero Rodriguez joined Italika, a major motorcycle company in Mexico, he did not expect that a business trip to China in 2008 would be prolonged from six months to 14 years and lead him to his "second hometown."

"At that time, our company was developing both its motorcycle and automobile businesses. They thought the automobile business would have a promising market. However, the motorcycle one eventually became a trump card," said Rodriguez, 49, logistics manager of Italika's Chongqing office. "And this should be owed to our cooperation with China."

The company had tried to import foreign motorcycles into Mexico several times, but all attempts were in vain due to unaffordable purchase prices, he said.

After many rounds of research and comparisons, China seemed to be the best choice for the development of the new business. Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, the country's major motorcycle manufacturing base, attracted the company's attention.

Mere five years after Rodriguez arrived in China, the company's share in the Mexican motorcycle market reached 50 percent, and now that percentage has hit about 70 percent, thanks to the cooperation model.

For more than a decade, Italika has had its motorcycles made in China.

The motorcycles produced in China are now sold via Italika in more than 1,000 shops in Mexico, winning local consumers' hearts for their competitive prices and excellent quality. Particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, more and more people are choosing more economical vehicles, which has led groups of new clients to buy Chinese motorcycles.

"In 2008, we shipped 800 containers of Chinese motorcycles to Mexico. Last year, there were more than 10,000 containers. This year, we have already shipped more than 6,000 containers to Mexico," Rodriguez said.

Italika's success is peaking people's interest for the motorcycles the company makes in China -- particularly those made in Chongqing, China's "Mountain City." Some other Mexican companies are also turning to Chongqing to begin cooperation with local manufacturers.

In 2021, China exported approximately 12 million motorcycles with internal combustion engines, with a total export value of about 7 billion U.S. dollars. Among the exports, about 1.42 million motorcycles were sent to Mexico, according to the General Administration of Customs.

"If you want to develop a motorcycle business, you cannot bypass China," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez has decided to settle down in China and contribute more to cooperation and exchanges between his old home and his new one. "I think Chongqing is my second home," he said.

"China has developed so fast, with more and more new buildings and bridges shooting up, which makes people feel amazed," Rodriguez added.

He is now vice president of the newly established Chongqing Chapter of the Mexican Chamber of Commerce in China.

"I hope I can help more Mexican companies come to Chongqing and bring more local products to Mexico," he said. And these endeavors will not be limited to the motorcycle business. 
A helicopter carries a Nigerian national flag during celebrations marking Nigeria's Independence Day in Abuja, Nigeria, Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Emma Houston/Xinhua)

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to continue to fight corruption and prevent opportunities for corrupt practices in the country.

LAGOS, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari emphasized on Saturday the importance of continuing to fight corruption and preventing opportunities for corrupt practices in the country.

The president's remarks came while addressing the nation in a broadcast as part of activities to mark the nation's 62nd Independence Day on Saturday in Abuja, the nation's capital.

Photo taken on Oct. 1, 2022 shows soldiers participating in a parade marking Nigeria's Independence Day in Abuja, Nigeria. (Photo by Emma Houston/Xinhua)

Referring to the achievements in anti-corruption during his presidential terms, Buhari said the progress was one step in the reform process, which he had vowed to continue.

"We strengthened the institutions for tackling corruption and also cultivated international support, which aided the repatriation of huge sums of money illegally kept outside the country," he said.

According to the president, the increasing number of prosecutions and convictions, with associated refunds of large sums of money, is still ongoing. 
PRAGUE, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The leading government coalition party, the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), won the most seats in this year's Senate elections, according to official results published by the Czech Statistical Office on Saturday.

The ODS, headed by Prime Minister Petr Fiala, won eight out of 27 seats, followed by Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL), another government coalition party, with seven, and the opposition party Action of Dissatisfied Citizens (ANO) with three.

ANO will have a total of five senators in the country's upper house of parliament, allowing the party to create its own parliamentary group in the Senate.

The opposition party of former Prime Minister Andrej Babis saw strong gains in last weekend's local elections. ANO came ahead in 17 of 27 major Czech cities -- including eight of the 13 regional capitals.

One-third of the Czech Senate's 81 seats are filled every two years and its members are elected for a six-year term. 
Aerial photo shows tourists visiting a peach orchard in Pinggu District of Beijing, capital of China, April 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

BEIJING, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- For Zhang Guorong, selling peaches is an easy job that needs only a smartphone.

In the early morning, with her phone ready to live stream, Zhang started picking peaches in her orchard in Beijing's Pinggu District. Her online hawking will soon draw many consumers nationwide.

"Live streaming helped me sell around 70 kg of peaches on average per day during this year's peach season from July to October," Zhang said.

Surrounded by mountains on three sides, Pinggu District in Beijing's northeastern suburb has a natural fertile ground for peach trees. Thanks to policy and technology support, the district has become known as the "hometown of peaches."

As online shopping has become increasingly popular, the district launched a project in 2017. A professional team was set up to teach farmers to sell their peaches with mobile phones and transform the local peach industry into a modernized internet-plus business.

Peach sales via e-commerce across Pinggu stood at 25 million kg in 2021, compared with nearly zero in 2012, according to Wang Na with the district's bureau of commerce.

"The peach supply falls short of demand, and now my products are sold to other provinces across the country, including Sichuan, Guangdong and Shandong," said Wang Zilong, a local farmer who owns a peach orchard of about 13 hectares.

The swelling online demand for peaches has also boosted the development of the local logistics industry. Many logistics giants, such as SF Express and China Post, have been brought in, thus slashing the delivery fees.

Delivering a box of peaches from Pinggu to other districts in Beijing costs only about 9 yuan (about 1.26 U.S. dollars) now. It is much lower than 40-plus yuan in 2012 when local e-commerce was just in its infancy, said Xiong Yujin, director of Pinggu's e-commerce service center.

With 161 delivery stations, courier service is now accessible to all villages in Pinggu. From January to July, the district saw a total of 2.34 million express deliveries of peaches, up 20 percent year on year, according to Wang Na.

Many young people have been drawn to the district to jump on its e-commerce bandwagon. "When I first came to Pinggu in 2012, there were only a few young people doing e-commerce, but more than 1,000 are involved in the sector now," said Xiong.

Statistics show that the annual output of the peaches in Pinggu has exceeded 170 million kg, with total revenue of more than 1.2 billion yuan. The peach economy has also driven the sales of other agricultural products in the district and promoted leisure agriculture featuring bed and breakfasts (B&Bs), camping and rural cuisine.

With government support, Pinggu started building itself into an agricultural innovation hub last year, focusing on the modern seed industry, biotechnology, smart farming and food safety.

"Looking into the future, the district will strive to spearhead efforts in rural revitalization and modernization of agriculture and the countryside," said Tang Hailong, Party chief of Pinggu. 
MADRID, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- At least four migrants have died as an inflatable boat was adrift about 278 km south of Gran Canaria, local media reported on Sunday.

A young man of 27 years from Cote d'Ivoire, the only rescued survivor so far, claimed that a total of 34 people were on board and that they had been at sea for nine days.

The survivor was found by a merchant ship on Saturday. According to his account, the occupants of the dinghy were 34 adult men of sub-Saharan origin, the EFE news agency cited emergency teams sources.

The number of occupants coincides with an NGO's alert that a dinghy had departed more than a week ago from the coast of the Sahara, at a point between El Aaiun and Boujdour, with 34 occupants on board and of which there was no news.

A helicopter transferred the survivor to the airport of Gando in Gran Canaria, and from there he was taken to a hospital. 
Chen Mingjian (L, front), the Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania, and Liberata Mulamula (2nd R, front), Tanzania's Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, planted a tree together in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua)

Tanzania and China have vowed to cement their friendship in celebrations of the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

DAR ES SALAAM, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania and China on Saturday planted trees to cement their friendship and celebrate the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Tanzania's Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Liberata Mulamula, and the Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania, Chen Mingjian, planted the trees in front of the Chinese-built office building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam.

Speaking after they had planted the trees, Mulamula praised China for the milestones it has made in the past 73 years.

Chen Mingjian (R), the Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania, and Liberata Mulamula, Tanzania's Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, posed for a photo with a planted tree in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua)

Mulamula said China has made many achievements in the past 73 years, including 61 years of excellent diplomatic relations with Tanzania, China's tremendous socio-economic transformation, and pulling a lot of people out of poverty.

In the course of the 73 years, Tanzania and China have solidified their relations and friendship, said Mulamula, citing the construction of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway and the Urafiki Textile Mills.

"Tanzania and China have been together in bad and good times," said Mulamula in an answer to a question by Xinhua.

"The trees we are planting today not only mean life and journey but also symbolize friendship, unity, and solidarity," said Mulamula.

For her part, Chen said China and Tanzania enjoyed profound traditional friendship, the seeds of which were sown by the older generation leaders of the two countries, including Chairman Mao Zedong, President Julius Nyerere, and others.

"For the past half-century and more, the China-Tanzania friendship trees have taken root, flourished, and borne rich fruits in various fields of cooperation," said the Chinese envoy.

Chen added that "by planting these two 'friendship trees', we intend to firmly keep China-Tanzania friendship in our heart, and constantly advance the bilateral relationship."

The event, attended by some 20 officials and diplomats from both countries, was co-organized by the Chinese Embassy in Tanzania and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation. 
Changgar shows newly-picked tea leaves to his granddaughter in Medog County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, June 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Ying)

by Xinhua writers Lin Jianyang, Lyu Qiuping and Liu Ying

LHASA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- On a narrow rocky trail where even horses were reluctant to move, a porter, carrying a washing machine on his shoulder, climbed step by step over a peak at more than 4,600 meters above sea level, heading home deep in the Himalayas.

It was a scene captured by a documentary produced by the Japanese public broadcaster NHK in 2010.

The porter in the film represented most young men in Medog, China's last roadless county in the country's Tibet Autonomous Region, who had to trek for days to carry heavy loads in and out of the mountain-locked county.

After the isolation of the county ended in October 2013, when Medog Highway opened to traffic, porters in Medog faded into history.

Medog was lifted out of poverty by the end of 2019. The per capita disposable income of farmers and herders skyrocketed to 15,278 yuan (about 2,147 U.S. dollars) in 2021 from 4,875 yuan in 2012.

ISOLATION

Located in a deep valley in the Himalayas, Medog is besieged by high hills and primitive forests. For centuries, porters were the major transportation means for the county.

It took porters up to five days to arrive at Pai Township, the nearest town outside the mountains, as they had to climb snow-capped mountains without any concrete road.

Being the oldest son in a family that could not afford school, Tenzin Gyatso, an ethnic Monba from a village in the county, started being a porter at age 12.

When he first arrived at Pai Township, he saw wide roads, vehicles and television sets for the first time, forming a sharp contrast to his hometown.

"We had nothing back home, even no electricity," Tenzin Gyatso recalled.

In his life as a porter, he carried cement, steel and other materials for construction sites and daily necessities for a public-owned store. He also used to carry sausages, cigarettes and herbicides back home for retail.

"The sausage bought at the price of 14 yuan per kg could be sold at 50 yuan per kg," he said.

Using the savings he acquired by being a porter and selling groceries, Tenzin Gyatso successively bought a hydroelectric generator, a radio cassette recorder, a television set and a washing machine, carrying them home all by himself. The generator did not retire until a nearby hydropower station started operation.

In the isolated county, children had to trek for days to school, and many patients had to be carried on a stretcher or shoulder to a hospital in the city proper.

Changgar, a former porter from Medog's Baibung Township, still remembered when he and his fellow villagers took turns carrying an 85-kg patient to a hospital.

"We shifted every half an hour. On one leg of the journey, I carried the patient on my shoulders for two hours," said Changgar, now 59, who weighed only 60 kg at that time.

Jamyang, vice president of the hospital of Medog, said because of the poor transportation facilities, the hospital was short of large equipment and professionals, and therefore, patients in serious condition had to be transferred to larger hospitals outside the county.

"Some patients died on the way while being carried out," recalled Jamyang, who has been working at the hospital since 2008.

Because of long trips carrying heavy loads, many male residents in Medog suffer from spinal and knee joint problems even now, according to Jamyang.

ROAD TO PROSPERITY

The situation significantly changed following the start of operation of the Medog Highway in October 2013, with vehicles and machines flowing in. Children can now go to school by vehicle, and, whenever needed, patients can be transferred to the city hospital quickly, sometimes by ambulance. Porters are no longer needed.

Wei Changqi, Party chief of the county, said Medog Highway has facilitated the travel of local people, greatly guaranteed the supplies needed for people's livelihood and the county's construction, and helped bring down prices of goods in the county. Healthcare and education levels have also been much improved.

Tenzin Gyatso now owns an excavator, which he leases to construction sites. He also runs a homestay and rents it to construction workers. Combined with the income from the tea plantation, his family now earns more than 100,000 yuan a year.

Benefiting from the improved education situation, Tenzin Gyatso's four children have all studied at universities. "Young men are lucky as they no longer have to be porters as we were," he said.

After graduation, Tenzin Tsomo, Tenzin Gyatso's eldest daughter, teaches in a high school in the city of Qamdo, more than 1,000 km away from Medog.

To return home, the 30-year-old needs to hire a car to head for Bomi County, where she has to transfer to a bus. The entire trip takes more than 16 hours.

To her delight, the Sichuan-Tibet Railway currently under construction will pass through both Qamdo and Bomi.

"When the railway line starts operation, it will be much more convenient to return home," said Tenzin Tsomo. 

Tenzin Gyatso plays with his granddaughter in Medog County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, June 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Ying)

File photo shows porters carrying goods through a landslide area to Medog County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Oct. 18, 2004. (Xinhua)
A staff member measures the sweetness of peaches at a cooperative in Yukou Town of Pinggu District, Beijing, capital of China, July 3, 2022.(Xinhua/Ren Chao)

BEIJING, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- For Zhang Guorong, selling peaches is an easy job that needs only a smartphone.

In the early morning, with her phone ready to live stream, Zhang started picking peaches in her orchard in Beijing's Pinggu District. Her online hawking will soon draw many consumers nationwide.

"Live streaming helped me sell around 70 kg of peaches on average per day during this year's peach season from July to October," Zhang said.

Surrounded by mountains on three sides, Pinggu District in Beijing's northeastern suburb has a natural fertile ground for peach trees. Thanks to policy and technology support, the district has become known as the "hometown of peaches."

As online shopping has become increasingly popular, the district launched a project in 2017. A professional team was set up to teach farmers to sell their peaches with mobile phones and transform the local peach industry into a modernized internet-plus business.

Peach sales via e-commerce across Pinggu stood at 25 million kg in 2021, compared with nearly zero in 2012, according to Wang Na with the district's bureau of commerce.

"The peach supply falls short of demand, and now my products are sold to other provinces across the country, including Sichuan, Guangdong and Shandong," said Wang Zilong, a local farmer who owns a peach orchard of about 13 hectares.

The swelling online demand for peaches has also boosted the development of the local logistics industry. Many logistics giants, such as SF Express and China Post, have been brought in, thus slashing the delivery fees.

Delivering a box of peaches from Pinggu to other districts in Beijing costs only about 9 yuan (about 1.26 U.S. dollars) now. It is much lower than 40-plus yuan in 2012 when local e-commerce was just in its infancy, said Xiong Yujin, director of Pinggu's e-commerce service center.

With 161 delivery stations, courier service is now accessible to all villages in Pinggu. From January to July, the district saw a total of 2.34 million express deliveries of peaches, up 20 percent year on year, according to Wang Na.

Many young people have been drawn to the district to jump on its e-commerce bandwagon. "When I first came to Pinggu in 2012, there were only a few young people doing e-commerce, but more than 1,000 are involved in the sector now," said Xiong.

Statistics show that the annual output of the peaches in Pinggu has exceeded 170 million kg, with total revenue of more than 1.2 billion yuan. The peach economy has also driven the sales of other agricultural products in the district and promoted leisure agriculture featuring bed and breakfasts (B&Bs), camping and rural cuisine.

With government support, Pinggu started building itself into an agricultural innovation hub last year, focusing on the modern seed industry, biotechnology, smart farming and food safety.

"Looking into the future, the district will strive to spearhead efforts in rural revitalization and modernization of agriculture and the countryside," said Tang Hailong, Party chief of Pinggu. 

Photo taken on Aug. 9, 2022 shows peaches at an orchard in Yukou Town of Pinggu District, Beijing, capital of China.(Xinhua/Ren Chao)

Farmers harvest peaches at an orchard in Yukou Town of Pinggu District, Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 9, 2022.(Xinhua/Ren Chao)

A staff member weighs peaches at a cooperative in Yukou Town of Pinggu District, Beijing, capital of China, July 3, 2022.(Xinhua/Ren Chao)
Arab Financial Services (AFS), a leading digital payment solutions provider, has been recognised and honoured for its workforce nationalisation efforts in Bahrain.

The honouring took place at an event recently on the sidelines of the GCC ministerial meetings hosted by Saudi Arabia. AFS was the only financial institution from Bahrain to receive this honour, as a committed employer of Bahraini talent.

Samer Soliman, AFS CEO, said: This is a tremendous honour for AFS and reflects the importance we place on recruiting and nurturing local talent. Our employees are the most important drivers of the organisations growth and innovation, and this award provides validation of our best practice in all areas of Employee Development.

19 leading firms

The Saudi Minister of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD), Eng Ahmed bin Sulaiman Al-Rajhi, honoured 19 leading companies in the fields of labour and development across the GCC states, at the event. Receiving the award on behalf of AFS was Zainab Ali, Senior Human Resources Officer.

With 70% Bahrainisation across its Bahrain operations, AFS is committed to its national workforce investment while offering exciting career opportunities both locally and regionally.

Most recently, AFS successfully concluded its inaugural Summer Internship Programme: AFS iSuites. The programme, which trained promising, primarily Bahraini, students from local, regional, and global academic institutions, is a testament to AFSs commitment to supporting youth by developing their professional and technical skills.

The internship programme focused on giving students with a range of academic specialisations a strong payments technology knowledge-based foundation that will serve them well in future.-- TradeArabia News Service
Livestock farmers in the Midi district of Hajjah province in northern Yemen have complained that the siege imposed by the Houthi militia are making their life worse.
Aerial photo taken on Sept. 7, 2022, shows a construction site of the China-Thailand railway in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand. (Xinhua/Lin Hao)

The China-Thailand railway aims to energize the economic development in Thailand and promote the interconnection of the pan-Asian railway network. Serving as a bridge for closer people-to-people exchanges between Thailand and China, the railway will help boost tourism and regional connectivity.

BANGKOK, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-four-year-old Nantapong Nuchanet has been expecting to drive a train that runs fast and steady in his home country Thailand. As the construction of the China-Thailand railway continues apace, he feels getting closer to his dream job.

Nantapong now works as a translator at the first-phase project of the China-Thailand railway that is to link the Thai capital of Bangkok with Nakhon Ratchasima province in northeastern Thailand. "I've achieved a small goal by doing a job related to the high-speed railway," he said.

Nantapong considers himself a lucky man -- he learned the Chinese language because of his interest in Chinese culture and technology, which won him a chance to study in China.

Nantapong Nuchanet (L), a translator of the China Railway Design Corporation (Thailand Branch) discusses with project supervisor Viroj Lubkritcom at a construction site of the China-Thailand railway in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Sept. 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Lin Hao)

In 2016, Nantapong attended an exam held by the Maritime Silk Road Confucius Institute and attained a scholarship for a three-year program at Tianjin Railway Technical and Vocational College in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin, where he chose to learn high-speed train operation and maintenance. After graduation in 2019, he got a job at the China-Thailand railway project.

"When I studied in China, I used to take the Beijing-Tianjin high-speed train. It ran really fast and steady. I hope Thailand would also have the high-speed railway and I could drive such a train after the China-Thailand railway starts operation," he said.

"It (China-Thailand railway) will link to China in the future," Nantapong said, expecting to take the train and travel all the way to Tianjin and to the tourist city of Guilin in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The China-Thailand railway, an important part of the trans-Asian railway network, will be Thailand's first standard-gauge high-speed railway.

When completed, the line will carry trains from Bangkok to the border town of Nong Khai, where a bridge will connect it with the China-Laos railway, making it possible to travel by train from Bangkok, through Laos, to Kunming in southwest China's Yunnan Province.

Photo taken on Sept. 7, 2022, shows a construction site of the China-Thailand railway in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand. (Xinhua/Lin Hao)

Analysts said the China-Thailand railway, once into operation, will not only inject vitality into the economic development of regions along the line in Thailand, but also push the linking-up of the pan-Asia railway network and promote regional connectivity.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi told media on July 14 that China, Laos and Thailand will take the opening of the China-Laos Railway as an opportunity to smooth the flow of goods with convenient channels, promote economy and trade with better logistics, and boost the development of industries with robust economy and trade.

Efforts will be made to advance the vision of interconnected development of China, Laos and Thailand, Wang said.

For Viroj Lubkritcom, a 59-year-old Thai engineer, the China-Thailand railway is more than just a physical infrastructure of connectivity, it's a project that is set to boost people-to-people bonds.

Viroj has worked in the sector of project supervision for 35 years and now works at the China Railway Design Corporation (Thailand Branch), the supervision company of the first-phase China-Thailand railway project.

Viroj Lubkritcom (R), a project supervisor of the China Railway Design Corporation (Thailand Branch), works at a construction site of the China-Thailand railway in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Sept. 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Lin Hao)

"We've been working closely with our Chinese colleagues. By cooperating and communicating with them, we have gained a lot of experiences, both in terms of railway construction and project management," he said.

Viroj expected the project to serve as a bridge for closer personnel exchanges between Thailand and China, and a boon for tourism development.

"We've seen that the China-Laos railway has boosted local tourism and logistics since it started operation. My friends and I hope the construction of the China-Thailand railway could complete as soon as possible and better connect us with our neighboring countries," he said. 
UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday expressed deep concern over the situation in Burkina Faso following a coup that ousted President Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba.

The secretary-general "strongly condemns any attempt to seize power by the force of arms and calls on all actors to refrain from violence and seek dialogue," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres, in a statement.

Burkina Faso Army Captain Ibrahim Traore announced Friday night that President Damiba was ousted.

Gunshots were heard in the capital city of Ouagadougou on Friday morning. Access to the presidential palace, the public television and certain strategic points in the city were blocked by soldiers.

"The secretary-general expresses his full support for regional efforts toward a swift return to constitutional order in the country. Burkina Faso needs peace, stability and unity to fight terrorist groups and criminal networks operating in parts of the country," said the statement.

Guterres also reaffirmed the commitment of the United Nations to accompany the people of Burkina Faso in their efforts toward durable peace and stability.

Friday's coup was the second this year in Burkina Faso. In the one on Jan. 24, President Roch Kabore was overthrown, and Damiba was sworn in on Feb. 16. 
HONG KONG, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said on Sunday that it will render its full assistance and cooperation to the country's selection exercise for recruitment of payload specialists in the HKSAR.

China Manned Space Agency announced on Sunday the official launch of the recruitment of the fourth batch of astronauts, and payload specialists will be selected in HKSAR and the Macao Special Administrative Region for the first time.

HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee welcomed and expressed gratitude towards the recruitment and described the move as uplifting and exciting with great historical significance.

"The China Manned Space Agency's recruitment of payload specialists in the HKSAR provides an opportunity for Hong Kong people to realize their space aspiration and contribute to the country," Lee said.

Payload specialists are professional scientific researchers who are mainly responsible for conducting aerospace experiments or research, operating space laboratory equipment, and managing daily operations of space stations with other astronauts.

According to the HKSAR government, the recruitment period for payload specialists in Hong Kong will be from Oct. 6 to 27, where the further screening will be conducted by relevant authorities in the Chinese mainland. Candidates should have a PhD in a relevant field of study, have worked in the relevant industry for at least three years and be aged between 30 and 45 years old.

Michael Wong, deputy financial secretary of the HKSAR government, believes that the recruitment of payload specialists in Hong Kong fully reflects the country's care for the Hong Kong people, the importance it attaches to Hong Kong's science and technology sector, as well as the support it gives to the HKSAR government.

Sun Dong, secretary for innovation, technology and industry of the HKSAR government, said that aerospace is an important industry for Hong Kong in terms of industrial development, and the research teams of local universities have been actively involved in a number of national space missions.

It is believed that Hong Kong's aerospace technology will contribute to Hong Kong's technological and economic development in the future, Sun said. 
Azzam al-Ahmad of Fatah (front R) and Saleh al-Arouri (front L) of Hamas react after signing a reconciliation agreement in Cairo, Egypt, on Oct. 12, 2017. (Xinhua file photo)

Can ongoing week-long reconciliation efforts end more than 15 years of internal division? This time in Algeria, such efforts by 14 Palestinian factions may still clash with divergence of their positions.

GAZA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian reconciliation issue has once again come into the spotlight as senior officials of 14 Palestinian factions are meeting in Algeria on Sunday, hoping to end the more than 15 years of internal Palestinian division.

Over the last few days, Algeria held separate meetings with officials of Hamas, the ruling faction of the Gaza Strip, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement, to hear their vision for the success of reconciliation.



Still, neither side accepts the vision of the other.

Palestinians celebrate after Palestinian rival movements Hamas and Fatah signed a reconciliation agreement following talks mediated by Egypt, in Gaza City, on Oct. 12, 2017. (Xinhua file photo)

Hamas, which has controlled Gaza since the summer of 2007, requires reform of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), while Fatah, whose leadership in the West Bank is accepted by the international community, insists on forming a national unity government that respects the conditions laid out by the international Quartet of the United Nations, the United States, the EU and Russia, which include condemning violence and recognizing Israel and the signed peace agreements.



During a meeting of the Fatah Central Committee held in Ramallah on Friday, Abbas confirmed that Fatah would respond to the reconciliation efforts made by Egypt and other Arab nations and work to make them a success in Palestinian reconciliation, official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

But he stressed that Palestinian reconciliation has to be based on the UN resolutions and the recognition of the PLO as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.

Palestinians celebrate after Palestinian rival movements Hamas and Fatah signed a reconciliation agreement following talks mediated by Egypt, in Gaza City, on Oct. 12, 2017. (Xinhua file photo)

Fatah accused Israel "and some regional and international powers" of not wanting a Palestinian reconciliation or ending the internal division "because keeping this division serves their interest and obstructs the Palestinian efforts to end the occupation and establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital."

Munzer Hayek, Fatah spokesman in Gaza, told Xinhua that the movement had presented its vision for Palestinian reconciliation in Algeria, which starts with unifying the institutions of the Palestinian Authority before going to the issue of PLO.

The presence of the Fatah delegation in Algeria was preceded by the arrival of a Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas' Arab and Islamic Relations Office, along with Maher Salah and Hussam Badran, members of Hamas Political Bureau.

The Hamas delegation held a series of meetings with an Algerian team specialized in the Palestinian reconciliation issue.

Hazem Qassem, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, told Xinhua that Hamas presented an integrated vision of reconciliation in harmony with most Palestinian factions, hoping the Fatah delegation would have the same positive spirit toward ending the internal division.

Sunday's meeting comes as a culmination of the call of Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune during a meeting with Abbas in Algeria at the end of last year.

Palestinian supporters of Hamas take part in a rally against the Israeli annexation plan in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on July 3, 2020. (Xinhua file photo)

On Dec. 7, 2021, Tebboune announced that his country would host Palestinian factions to unify the Palestinian ranks. He decided to grant Palestine a financial contribution of 100 million U.S. dollars, which was welcomed by the Palestinians officially and publicly.

Palestinian analysts believe that the meeting in Algeria is a significant opportunity for the Palestinian factions to reach an agreement on a unified Palestinian reference to confront Israeli policies.

Hani al-Masri, a political analyst from Ramallah, told Xinhua that reconciliation and unification of various Palestinian factions "is a necessary step to confront the Israeli plans, which are becoming increasingly fierce and extreme in an attempt to liquidate the Palestinian cause."

In fact, what prevents a breakthrough in the Palestinian national unity over the past years "is the priority of individual and factional interests over the national interest," al-Masri said.

The Palestinians have been suffering from an internal division since the summer of 2007, when Hamas violently took control of the Gaza Strip from Abbas's security forces. Several agreements and understandings sponsored by Arab mediators have failed to achieve reconciliation and end the internal division. 
A Palestinian farmer harvests dates from a date palm tree during the harvest season in the city of Dir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, Oct. 2, 2022. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

Date farming in Gaza is tasting a bitter harvest season under the impact of climate change. Local experts called for government efforts to brace farmers for more volatile production in the future.

by Sanaa Kamal

GAZA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- A much-needed harvest has not arrived for date palms in the Gaza Strip through September, which local farmers said is another evidence of the tangible impact that climate change has on their livelihood, following the poor pollination in spring.

Ahmed Baraka, a 70-year-old farmer from Dir al-Balah in central Gaza, said about 40 percent of his 300 date palms did not bear fruit this season.

"This harvest season is the worst in decades ... the climate change contributed greatly to the failure of pollinating palm trees," the father-of-six told Xinhua.

Considering this year's delayed harvest season, farmers worried that if it ends in time in mid-October, the gross yields of this sweet household fruit could be bleak.

A Palestinian farmer harvests dates from a date palm tree during the harvest season in the city of Dir al-Balah in central Gaza Strip, Oct. 2, 2022. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

In Gaza, Baraka said, palm trees are usually pollinated in early spring when the weather gets warmer and not rainy, but this year the winter cold wave had extended well into March and April, resulting in a much shorter pollinating period.

"Because of this, I am afraid I will have heavy financial losses instead of profits," the elderly man complained, expressing his fear of not being able to pay the salaries of his 30 workers.

"Normally, the coastal enclave produced about 15,000 tons of date, while this year it will not exceed 10,000 tons," Adham al-Bassiouni, spokesman for the Hamas-run agriculture ministry, told Xinhua.

What makes matters worse, according to Baraka, is that the Gazan products are increasingly hard to compete with imported dates on the local market, even though date harvesting plays as a short-term but quick remedy to the spiking unemployment in the Palestinian enclave.

A Palestinian farmer harvests dates during the harvest season in the city of Dir al-Balah in central Gaza Strip, Oct. 2, 2022. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

Hassam Mohammed, a Gaza-based farmer, told Xinhua that working as a seasonal harvester bears his hope of keeping the family afloat.

"I used to work for 12 hours a day and earn about 500-700 U.S. dollars each season," said the 29-year-old, adding that in this season, however, both working hours and wages are shrinking.

"This year, I am working for eight hours a day for ten dollars only," the father-of-three added.

In Gaza, there are about 12,000 dunams (about 1200 hectares) of agricultural land growing palm trees, about 8,500 dunams of which are fruitful, and the rest are unproductive, according to the Hamas-run agriculture ministry.

Wind and insects are the natural pollinators of palms, and their activities may vary according to broader climatic patterns. Al-Bassiouni said when the natural environment becomes unfavorable, proper human intervention is crucial for the entire pollinating and seeding process.

Islam Abu Shuaib, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Civil Society for Palm Development in the city, called on the Hamas-run agriculture ministry and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization to help brace the Gazan palm growers for a more volatile future.

Palestinian farmers sort dates during the harvest season in the city of Dir al-Balah in central Gaza Strip, Oct. 2, 2022. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
KAMPALA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- At least 65 health workers in Uganda have been put under quarantine after getting in contact with Ebola cases, a ministry of health spokesperson said Sunday.

Emmanuel Ainebyoona, Ministry of Health spokesperson told Xinhua by telephone that some of the affected workers would stay home for 21 days.

"We are monitoring them for 21 days. We believe they got in contact with suspected cases of Ebola," Ainebyoona said.

"They are in isolation but in their homes. But the situation is under control," he added.

This comes after one doctor, a Tanzanian national on Saturday died of Ebola in the western Ugandan district of Kabarole.

The Ebola outbreak in Uganda was announced on Sept. 20, after a 24-year-old male adult tested positive.

The ministry of health said by Sept. 30, the country had registered 38 confirmed cases and 8 deaths as a result of Ebola. 
CANBERRA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government has accused the country's giant telecommunications provider of failing to help customers affected by a major data breach.

Home Affairs and Cyber Security Minister Clare O'Neil and Bill Shorten, minister for Government Services, on Sunday called on Optus to help the government protect those affected by the breach.

In September, Optus revealed it was hit by a cyber attack that compromised the information of up to 10 million current and former customers in one of the biggest data breaches in Australian history.

Services Australia has requested the full details of all customers whose information was compromised in order to bolster security measures but the government said on Sunday it is still awaiting a response.

"In the face of a breach on an unprecedented scale in Australia, Optus needs to come together with the Australian government to be part of the solution," O'Neil and Shorten said in a joint statement.

"This is a security breach that should not have occurred, but what's really important here is that we row in the same direction and do everything we can to stop financial crime against Australians," said O'Neil.

It remains unknown how many of the 10 million customers had their identity details stolen in the attack but the purported hackers released those of 10,000 people.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) on Friday launched an operation to protect those victims.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said on Sunday that the breach should act as a wake up call for corporate Australia, flagging stricter privacy laws.

"Companies throughout Australia should stop regarding all of this personal data of Australians as an asset for them, they actually should think of it as a liability," he told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) television.

"I may be bringing reforms to the Privacy Act before the end of the year to try and toughen penalties and make companies think hard about why they are storing the personal data of Australians." 
ISLAMABAD, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The number of dengue fever cases is continuing to rise in Pakistan amid an outbreak blamed largely on floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains in the South Asian country.

A total of 476 more people were diagnosed with the disease in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the provincial health department reported on Saturday night. The number of active cases in the province stands currently at 2,032 and the total number of cases this year has reached 8,961.

The eastern Punjab province reported 389 new cases, the provincial health authorities said on Saturday. The total number of dengue cases in Punjab this year has now gone up to 6,766.

The southern Sindh province reported 329 new infections, said the provincial health department on Saturday evening. The worst-hit area was Karachi, the provincial capital, which reported 220 new cases. 
NEW DELHI, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- More than 20 people died, including 10 children and 10 women, and several others were injured in a road accident in north India on Saturday evening when the vehicle they were traveling in overturned and fell into a pond, local police said.

The mishap occurred in Kanpur district of India's northern state Uttar Pradesh. The injured were admitted to a local hospital.

There were around 50 people in the vehicle, who were returning home from a temple in a nearby town, local police official told Xinhua over phone. 
Real estate transactions should be performed on trading floors: MoC

The Ministry of Construction (MoC) has proposed that real estate projects must sell their products on real estate trading floors, according to the draft amending the Law on Real Estate Business.











Apartment blocks in Hanoi.

The ministry has also suggested that individuals engaged in brokerage activities must have a practising certificate.



Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Van Sinh said this revision is mainly to clarify some contents relating to real estate trading floors, regulations on trading property products via the floor, and new types of real estate products. Notably, the amendment includes regulations for the real estate market to ensure stable and sustainable development.



The domestic real estate market saw strong growth in many localities in the first half of 2021. At that moment, the market needed the State to have policies and regulatory tools to help its sustainable development. They included regulatory tools on tax, credit, land and finance.



The Law on Real Estate Business will be revised to solve inadequacies that hinder socio-economic development; and eliminate overlaps in enforcement and administrative procedures.



According to director of the Department of Housing and Real Estate Market Management Bui Xuan Dung, the draft would add regulations on the types of marketed real estate products and clarify the types of available houses and future residential houses.



Regarding the types of houses, Hoang Van Cuong, member of the National Assembly's Finance and Budget Committee, said that it is necessary to pay attention to the type of future housing products. This includes whether they should be recognised or not as they are just on paper.



Therefore, the transactions, management and registration cannot be the same as those for finished housing products.



At present, the market often witnesses disputes regarding this type of housing product, according to Cuong.



Pham Thanh Hung, vice chairman of the Cen Group, said future real estate products often cause market growth. Therefore, the proposal on transactions on trading floors is necessary.



These projects are formed without a red book until they are completed, so they must be verified on a trading floor to ensure legality and safety for buyers and sellers, Hung said. Payment for this product often takes a long time, therefore the transactions via the floor will ensure benefits for the traders.



Hung said brokerage activities need to be certified, and it is also necessary to distinguish between brokers and sales agents. Brokers can be individuals or organisations with legal status.



Now, there are many individuals who are engaged in agency-style sales, but they have poor experience, so it is necessary to consider the authority in signing and closing the transaction.



Hung has proposed only brokers with practising certificates should be eligible to appraise and sign transactions.



Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Real Estate Brokers Association Nguyen Chi Thanh agreed that trading future housing products on trading floors should be compulsory, but the law needs to have specific conditions for establishing a real estate trading floor.



Thanh has added that the draft sets out detailed conditions for granting practising certificates for real estate brokers, but making the certificate valid for two years is not reasonable. This puts pressure on the brokers because the examination is difficult.



Many countries do not specify the period of validity for this certificate, which makes the brokers feel safe in doing business, he said.



Apartments



The ministry has proposed regulations on the duration of ownership and use of apartments in the draft amending the Law on Housing.



According to Cuong, a member of the National Assembly's Finance and Budget Committee, this draft has many new points, including the regulation of apartment use terms. This regulation will help people have more chances to buy apartments.



People want to have permanent ownership of property products to hand down to their children. If the State has regulations on switching to ownership with a term, then people will have to consider renting or buying.



If there is a term of ownership for the apartment, it should also have a term of renting land for projects building those apartments.



Nguyen Quoc Hiep, chairman of the Vietnam Construction Contractors Association, said the proposal setting a term of ownership for apartments is reasonable because the apartments do not exist permanently.



Hiep said the State should solve existing obstacles for old apartment buildings before having regulations on terms of ownership. That would help get agreement from the people.



Now, there are hundreds or thousands of households in apartment buildings, so it is difficult to renovate apartments.



Lawyer Nguyen inh Vinh, director of VietThink Law Firm, said many countries have regulations on the term of using apartments. Condotel, a type of apartment, has better quality than many current apartment buildings. However, the condotel only has a 50 year lease, while apartment buildings are granted indefinite ownership. Therefore, the Housing Law should be equal in terms of apartment ownership.



However, some businesses such as CEO Group, Sunshine, Sun Group, and VinaCapital, believe that regulations on terms of apartment ownership may affect the property market.



With this regulation, it is possible that people will want to buy land to build houses for long-term ownership, affecting apartment development.



Meanwhile, apartment buildings are a current suitable development model to save land resources. At the same time, the enterprises are afraid of investing in the development of apartment buildings.
Acwa Power, a leading Saudi developer, investor, and operator of power generation, water desalination and green hydrogen plants worldwide, has signed MoUs with the National Water Company of Senegal (Sones) and the National Electricity Company of Senegal (Senelec), for the development of a 300,000 cu m/day seawater reverse osmosis plant (SWRO) in Grande Cote, located approximately 40 km north-east of capital Dakar.

The agreements were signed in the presence of Macky Sall, President of Republic of Senegal, Engineer Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Falih, the Saudi Minister of Investment, and Fahd bin Ali Al Dosary, the Saudi Ambassador to Senegal.

In close collaboration with Sones, Acwa Power will oversee the development of the SWRO plant, which, once completed, will be the largest desalination project of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa.

It is also the first desalination project in the country being implemented on a public-private partnership basis.

The second MoU announced will see Acwa Power working closely with Senelec to develop a combined cycle gas-turbine (CCGT) plant in Cap des Biches with an initial design capacity of 160MW.

In line with Senegals gas-to-power strategy, which aims to increase the countrys energy independence, reduce the cost of electricity, and provide universal access to electricity, the development of the new facility will furthermore assist the countrys efforts to reduce its GHG emissions by at least 23% by 2030, said Charles Fall, the Managing Director of Sones.

"The signing of these agreements is in anticipation of rapid demographic growth and consumer demand in the Dakar-Mbour-Thies triangle, which represents over 5 million consumers. Furthermore, this first PPP experience will have no impact on water prices," he stated.

According to Fall, this partnership framework is a testimony of the strong cooperation ties between Saudi Arabia and Senegal and represents an opportunity for the local private sector through the creation of a Senegalese company operating under Senegalese law.

Acwa Power Chairman Mohammad Abunayyan said: "We are deeply honoured to contribute towards the strengthening ties of Saudi Arabia, our home country, and Senegal via the signing of two landmark MoUs today and we extend our sincerest gratitude to the Senegalese leadership for their trust and confidence in Acwa Powers abilities to realise these strategic projects for the country."

"In line with our mandate to provide reliable delivery of power and desalinated water, Acwa Power is leveraging its global expertise to support the nations sustainable and socio-economic development for years to come," stated Abunayyan.

"As the largest private operators of water desalination plants in the world, Acwa Power today has a robust portfolio that collectively produces 6.4 million m3 of desalinated water per day and includes 10 mega-scale SWRO projects," he added.

Abunayyan pointed out that Acwa Power would bring its long-standing experience as a leading developer and operator of desalinated water and power generation facilities to create utility infrastructure essential to Senegals future capacity requirements.

Chief Investment Officer Clive Turton said Acwa Powers global power generation portfolio of 42.7 GW, comprises a mix of conventional power, natural gas, and renewable energy solutions.

"We remain dedicated to our mandate to deliver reliable and sustainable electricity and desalinated water at a low cost across the countries we operates in," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
JAKARTA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- One died, 25 others were injured, and about 950 houses were damaged in a 6.0-magnitude earthquake in Indonesia's North Sumatra on Saturday, local government officials confirmed on Sunday.

Head of the North Sumatra Province Regional Disaster Management Agency Abdul Haris Lubis told Xinhua on Sunday that the injured were hospitalized and displaced people set up tents in front of their houses, although the government had prepared evacuation posts.

When the earthquake rocked North Sumatra on Saturday at 02:28 a.m. local time, people panicked and rushed out of their homes, said the spokesperson for the National Disaster Management Agency Abdul Muhari.

The quake damaged buildings, roads, bridges, and irrigation canals, and also triggered electrical short circuits that burned shops at a market in North Tapanuli.

Significant aftershocks of 5.1-magnitude and 5.0-magnitude were recorded around the same area at a depth of 10 km. No tsunami warnings were issued. 
Photo taken on Oct. 1, 2022 shows a view of the Pacific Airshow at Huntington Beach, California, the United States. The Pacific Airshow, one of the largest airshows in the United States, returned to the skies over Southern California this weekend, featuring demonstrations by military aviators and civilian performers. (Xinhua)

People watch the Pacific Airshow at Huntington Beach, California, the United States on Oct. 1, 2022. The Pacific Airshow, one of the largest airshows in the United States, returned to the skies over Southern California this weekend, featuring demonstrations by military aviators and civilian performers. (Xinhua)

Photo taken on Oct. 1, 2022 shows a view of the Pacific Airshow at Huntington Beach, California, the United States. The Pacific Airshow, one of the largest airshows in the United States, returned to the skies over Southern California this weekend, featuring demonstrations by military aviators and civilian performers. (Xinhua)

Photo taken on Oct. 1, 2022 shows a view of the Pacific Airshow at Huntington Beach, California, the United States. The Pacific Airshow, one of the largest airshows in the United States, returned to the skies over Southern California this weekend, featuring demonstrations by military aviators and civilian performers. (Xinhua)

People watch the Pacific Airshow at Huntington Beach, California, the United States on Oct. 1, 2022. The Pacific Airshow, one of the largest airshows in the United States, returned to the skies over Southern California this weekend, featuring demonstrations by military aviators and civilian performers. (Xinhua)
CHICAGO, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- CBOT agricultural futures closed mixed in the past week as a result of a rapid decline in consumer demand which is piling up inventories, Chicago-based research company AgResource noted.

The odds are growing that the U.S. and world central banks will not be able to orchestrate a soft landing. AgResource sees the outlook for agricultural futures as complex with tight supply/stocks battling a rapidly faltering demand.

CBOT corn ended firm but well below the week's highs. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) stocks data was fundamentally bullish. AgResource bets that U.S. corn production will be lowered 30 to 50 million bushels in USDA's October World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate (WASDE) report, which will pull 2022-2023 end stocks down to just 1.1 billion bushels. Near-term upside targets hold at 7.00 to 7.25 dollars for corn futures.

Longer term, the U.S. balance likely shows a steady boost in end stocks beyond October as WASDE reconciles the weak pace of export and industrial consumption. There is no urgency to boost ethanol grind rates amid lofty stocks and declining U.S. gasoline consumption. While the U.S. balance sheet is tight, there is no fear of actual shortages given demand contraction and the slowing world economic growth.

Drought in Argentina will be monitored, but this is unlikely to impact price discovery until December. Rallies are selling opportunities. U.S. corn is expensive in the global market.

World wheat futures scored new three-month highs this week amid renewed concern over Black Sea grain flows and as USDA unexpectedly lowered final 2022 U.S. wheat production by 133 million bushels. The U.S. balance sheet will be exceptionally tight in 2022-2023. Supply risks remain intact as extreme droughts linger across the U.S. plains and in Argentine. A lasting bearish trend is not anticipated prior to spring.

The Black Sea export corridor is unlikely to be extended, but exactly how this will impact grain flow is less certain.

AgResource leans modestly bullish into winter, but will advise new 2022 sales on rallies. Global economic contraction is a massive concern and the world wheat trade in the first quarter was down 19 percent. The rising U.S. dollar makes wheat expensive.

Soybean futures suffered steep losses and ended the week down 0.61 dollars. The combination of building harvest pressure and soaring barge freight send U.S. cash markets sharply lower. The Mississippi River has fallen to the lowest in a year as draft restrictions have sent barge freight rate to historic levels. Unfortunately, weather forecast in the Central U.S. remains dry, good for harvest but bad for recharging river levels.

Weekly losses were extended by a bearish September Grain Stocks report that showed soybean stocks were 34 million bushels larger than expected after USDA raised the 2021-2022 soybean crop size by 30 million bushels. Follow-through technical selling looks to weigh on CBOT trade. Initial support is just below the market at 13.50 dollars. AgResource's market outlook is bearish on CBOT rallies in the coming months. Supply pressures exist with Brazil expected to plant 105 million acres of soybeans and harvest a crop of 150-plus million metric tons. 
by Xinhua writers Tan Jingjing, Gao Shan

DENVER, the United States, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Sounds of Chinese instruments accompanied a dragon dance team as they mimicked the postures and movements of the dragon at a Chinese Festival in the U.S. state of Colorado on Saturday afternoon.

Frank Leitz, the lead dancer, lifted, dipped, thrust, and swept the dragon's head, as the dragon regaled the crowd at the Centennial Center Park near downtown Denver, to bestow good luck and prosperity.

The performance drew the attention of hundreds of visitors to the Chinese Festival of Colorado, in celebration of the Chinese National Day and the Chinese traditional Moon Festival.

Guests from local American and Chinese communities enjoyed an enchanting guzheng musical piece and a Chinese classical dance performance. Students from Chinese language schools in Denver performed Chinese songs.

Guests were also invited to taste a variety of Chinese foods and snacks.

"We hope to celebrate the Chinese festival with the local community, and have more people experience the Chinese culture. Cultural exchanges serve as a bridge in enhancing our mutual understanding and China-U.S. relations," Feng Mimi, honorary president of the Chinese American Association for Rocky Mountain Region, the organizer of the festival, told Xinhua.

Alice Britton, one of the hostesses and dancers at the festival, speaks fluent Chinese. The 11-year-old started to learn Chinese when she was three.

"I love to be immersed in Chinese culture, Chinese food and traditions. I love Chinese dance, which has a beautiful rhythm," she said.

Her mother said her whole family love joining Chinese cultural events and would love to introduce traditional and modern Chinese culture to more Americans.

Leitz, the lead dragon dancer, said he has a true passion for Chinese history, adding that the Chinese Festival is a very good opportunity to engage with the community and embrace different cultures. 
Rio De generio: All eyes will be on whether front-runner Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva can win in a single round of voting in Brazil's divisive presidential election on Sunday, as well as whether the incumbent Jair Bolsonaro will accept the outcome.

According to a final poll from the Datafolha institute released Saturday evening, the campaign, which left the Latin American giant sharply divided, resulted in former president Lula (20032010) leading ex-army captain Bolsonaro with 50% of valid votes to 36%.

According to the numbers, Lula is on the verge of receiving the number of votes required to win handily and avoid a runoff on October 30: half the valid votes plus one.

Also Read: These animals are becoming extinct rapidly in the world

However, Bolsonaro, who is renowned for his combative demeanour, has frequently claimed that "only God" has the power to remove him from office, attacked alleged fraud in Brazil's electronic voting system, and vowed that there are only three possible outcomes for his reelection campaign: "prison, death, or victory."

The charismatic but tarnished ex-president Lula, who is trying to make a comeback at the age of 76, says he fears the incumbent will cause "turmoil" if he loses. This is a worry that is frequently expressed in Brazil in the lead-up to election day.

Fears of a Brazilian version of the riots that broke out at the US Capitol last year after Bolsonaro's political hero, former president Donald Trump, refused to accept his election loss, have been stoked by Bolsonaro's attacks on the voting system.

In the event that he loses, Adriano Laureno, a political analyst with the consulting firm Prospectiva, predicted that Bolsonaro would challenge the election results.

Also Read: BRICS FMs in favour of peaceful settlement of the Ukraine situation

However, that doesn't guarantee his success. The outcome will be quickly recognised by the global community. Although there may be some turbulence and uncertainty during the transition, there is no danger of a democratic breakdown.

The Inter-American Union of Electoral Organizations (UNIORE), the Carter Center, the Organization of American States, and other international organisations will be monitoring the vote.

Meanwhile, the White House declared that the country would be "closely monitoring" the vote.

On election day, more than 500,000 security personnel will be on duty.

Anderson Torres, the minister of public security, made an effort to play down tensions.

We're not at war; we're having an election, he declared.

Four years after spectacularly falling from grace when he was imprisoned for 18 months on dubious corruption charges, Lula, the former metalworker who rose from abject poverty to become the most beloved president in Brazilian history, is attempting to stage a remarkable comeback.

Lula, who was convicted of participating in a sizable corruption scheme centred on the government-owned oil company Petrobras, regained his eligibility to run for office last year after the Supreme Court overturned his convictions on the grounds that the case's chief judge was biassed.

Meanwhile, 67-year-old Bolsonaro, who was elected in 2018 on a wave of anti-establishment outrage, has lost his air of being an outsider.

Evangelical Christians, security hawks, and the influential agribusiness sector make up the president's "Bibles, Bullets, and Beef" base, which he pledges to defend "God, country, and family."

However, his handling of the fragile economy, his venomous criticism of Congress, the judiciary, and the press, a spike in Amazon rainforest destruction, and his failure to stop the Covid-19 disaster, which has killed more than 685,000 people in Brazil, have caused him to lose moderate voters.

Also Read: Bolsonaro uses red scare techniques in the Brazilian election

In a race where none of the other nine candidates were able to rise above single digits in the polls, many voters are extremely disenchanted with both contenders as well as the dearth of other options.

In Lula's native state of Pernambuco, Uber driver Matheus Fernandes, 27, said, "It feels like we have a gun to our heads."

He intended to use a blank ballot.

Outside of Sao Paulo, where Lula first gained notoriety as a union leader, he intends to cast his ballot in Sao Bernardo do Campo. Former Rio de Janeiro congressman Bolsonaro will cast his ballot in the well-known beach city before travelling back to Brasilia to observe the results.

The polls are open from 8:00am to 5:00pm (11002000 GMT), and results are anticipated two hours later.

In addition, the 156 million voters in Brazil will choose the 27 state governors, one-third of the Senate, and members of the lower house of Congress.
Zelenskyys Office head visits Turkish Baykar company, discusses production of UAVs in Ukraine 2 October, 07:16 PM During his visit to Turkey, Andrii Yermak met with the managers of the Baykar company (Photo:Office of the President)

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak has visited the production facilities of the Baykar company, Turkey, which produces Bayraktar unmanned aerial vehicles, the presidents press service reported on Oct. 2.

Yermak also met with company heads Haluk and Selcuk Bayraktar. The sides discussed current and future cooperation projects, in particular regarding the production of UAVs on the territory of Ukraine.

Read also: Bayraktar drone manufacturer affirms commitment to Ukraine

The creation of a training center and a plant of the Baykar company on the territory of our country, as well as the joint production of promising aviation engines, will be the key element of enhancing the strategic partnership between Ukraine and Turkey, the Ukrainian official said.

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In addition, pursuant to the instructions of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Yermak awarded Chairman of the Board of Directors and CTO of the Baykar company Selcuk Bayraktar with the Order of Merit, III degree.

We continue to enhance the defense capability of our state in close cooperation with our strategic partner  Turkey, Yermak added.

Read also: Kremlin threatens to destroy any future Bayraktar plant in Ukraine

Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Vasyl Bodnar said in August that the Baykar company had already bought a land plot in Ukraine and intends to implement the plant project by the end of the year.

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In honor of Latine Heritage Month , here are 21 dishes that would not and could not exist without the influence of Latine native foods and culture:

1. Pumpkin bread and pumpkin lattes

Bhofack2 / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Yes, you're favorite fall, pumpkin-flavored staples have Latin American roots. Pumpkin and many other root vegetables like squash and sweet potatoes are native to Mexico and Central America (Honduras, Panama, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Belize). While having inspired your favorite fall lattes and treats, they're also seen in traditional Latine food, like Mexican "calabaza en tacha" or candied pumpkin that's served on Dia de Muertos.

2. French fries and sweet potato fries

Schuster, Christian / Getty Images/Foodcollection

Potatoes originated in Peru, as well as sweet potatoes. Spanish colonizers introduced the food to Europe, making way for favorites like french fries, sweet potato fries, and other potato and sweet potato renditions like mashed potatoes and sweet potato pie.

3. Acai bowls

Bruno Netto / Getty Images/iStockphoto

The acai palm tree, which is native to both Central and South America, produces acai berries  a deep purple fruit that has many antioxidant properties. The acai bowl can be credited directly to Brazil and its creator, Carlos Gracie, who blended frozen acai pulp with banana and popularized the dish in the 1980s.

4. Caesar salad

Eyewolf / Getty Images

Caesar salad was actually invented in Tijuana, Mexico at Caesars Restaurante-Bar. Cesare Cardini was an Italian immigrant who moved to the United States in the 1910s, but relocated to Mexico in the '20s to open his business and escape Prohibition. The salad was a work on improvisation, combining leftover ingredients together during a busy service on the 4th of July.

5. Quinoa and other grain bowls

5ph / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Quinoa is considered an ancient grain that comes from a plant native to Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. It was also first cultivated in areas South America (Colombia, Argentina, and Ecuador). Traditionally, quinoa was a food staple and sacred crop for the Incas.

Story continues

6. Avocado toast

Arx0nt / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Avocados are native to Mexico and other Latin American countries, so without them, this brunch necessity could not have existed.

7. Hot chocolate

Marcos Elihu Castillo Ramirez / Getty Images/iStockphoto

The origins or chocolate go back to Mexico and also where the first cacao plants were found. A form of drinking chocolate can be traced all the way back to the Mayans in 500 BC, in which they enjoyed a warm drink of ground cocoa seeds, cornmeal, chile peppers, and other ingredients mixed with water. Today, hot chocolate is still a staple of many Latin American cultures, as anyone who's had the "Is Ibarra or Abuelita hot chocolate better?" debate knows.

8. Zoodles or zucchini spaghetti

Westend61 / Getty Images/Westend61

While zucchini are now grown in the US and have become a popular, low-carb pasta substitute, zucchini is a gourd native to Central America and Mexico.

9. Pineapples

Oleksii Polishchuk / Getty Images/iStockphoto

While you probably associate pineapples with Hawaii, the fruit is not actually native to the islands. They're believed to originally have come from the rainforest in Brazil, and then spread throughout Central and South America.

10. Ceviche

Jackf / Getty Images/iStockphoto

This chilled fish dish cooked in lime juice is the perfect appetizer or main course. It's said to have come from Peru, but there is also a debate on whether it actually originated in Ecuador.

11. Chili and cornbread

Michaeljust / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Chili, while it may be considered a Tex-Mex favorite, would not be possible without the chile pepper  native to Bolivia  and corn  native to Mexico.

12. Butternut squash soup

Zia_shusha / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Similarly to pumpkin, butternut squash is native to Mexico and Central America. The squash is high in vitamin A and was only made popular in the US in the 1940s.

13. Chia seed smoothies and bars

Gannamartysheva / Getty Images/iStockphoto

The chia seed is also an ancient grain and superfood that is native to Mexico and Guatemala. Now the seed has been popularized in American health foods for its omega-3s, proteins, and other health benefits.

14. And finally, cashews

Priscila Zambotto / Getty Images

The cashew plant is native to Brazil, specifically in the northeast. Aside from the nut you probably know and enjoy, other parts of the cashew are also enjoyed, like juice from the cashew apple.

Latine Heritage Month is here! Join us in celebrating from September 15 to October 15 and support our content celebrating la cultura.
Iranian students and recent graduates of Iowa State University sought to make not only their voices heard Thursday, but also the voices of their friends, family and other fellow citizens at home fighting government repression while mostly silenced to the world by internet censorship.

Iran has seen protests and the government's subsequent crackdown in recent weeks after the death of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, in the custody of the country's so-called "morality police," who arrest women whom they perceive have improperly covered their hair with a hijab.

Women in Iran have been required to wear hijabs in public since the 1979 Islamic Revolution brought to power the country's religious authorities.

Amini collapsed at a detention center, fell into a coma and died three days later, after having been reportedly beaten on the head, according to a statement by acting U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif.

Amini's death came after expanded street patrols by the morality police, and the Human Rights Office had received "numerous, and verified, videos of violent treatment of women, including slapping women across the face, beating them with batons and throwing them into police vans," Al-Nashif's statement added.

Iranian students at Iowa State University protest against the Iranian government for brutality against women in front of the university Parks Library on Thursday in Ames. The students gathered after Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman, was killed last week by the Iranian morality police for not fully covering her hair.

More:How protests in Iran over Mahsa Amini's death 'forever moved the debate' over women's rights

"Today, Mahsa Amini is Iran's George Floyd," said a recorded statement broadcast at Thursday's protest on Iowa State's campus near Parks Library, referencing a Black Minneapolis man murdered in custody by a white police officer in 2020, which sparked protests in the U.S.

About 50 people took part at the beginning of Thursday's protest, shouting pleas for justice for Amini and Iran, saying women and Iran deserve freedom.

"Those who have no choice, we will be their voice!" was one chant.

Some women at the protest cut their hair in public as an act of defiance against the Iranian regime.

Most students and recent graduates who spoke with the Ames Tribune during and before the protest did not use their full names and often partly covered their faces with cloth masks because of the risk of retribution from the Iranian government, especially against their family and friends at home.

Story continues

The regime's reach could extend inside the U.S. The U.S. Department of Justice announced in August that a member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had been charged in a murder-for-hire plot targeting former national security adviser John Bolton. Last year, four Iranians were charged in a kidnapping plot against an Iranian dissident U.S. citizen in New York City.

Zohreh Parvini, who's from the city of Kermanshah and just started a doctorate program at Iowa State, said given how people are risking their lives much more so in Iran to protest, "That's the least we could do here," to give people hope.

Sarah, who's from the Iranian capital of Tehran and recently defended her doctorate, said the government's shutdown of the internet to censor information about the protests affects phones and apps, too.

The use of virtual private networks can at least temporarily get people access, but people like Zohreh's parents aren't tech-savvy enough to use VPNs.

Mary, using a family nickname for her, who helped organize the protest and spoke with the Tribune on Wednesday, graduated last spring with a master's degree from Iowa State. She's from Tehran and has lived in the U.S. since 2019.

Her sister in Iran uses VPNs, so she at least hears from her every couple days, We are fine. Dont worry.

An Iranian student at Iowa State cuts her hair in a show of defiance Thursday. Thousands of Iranian people are protesting for the rights of women and their bodies.

Mary knows shes taking a risk by speaking out. Her parents are scared for her.

If I dont get to go back to Iran, OK, I accept that, and she can visit her family abroad, she said.

That risk is worth it to her because she sees the bravery of girls in her country, taking off their headscarfs and burning them in front of the police, risking being shot. If they are that brave to do that on the streets, I need to do my part.

A lot of her friends go out to protest every night, and their social media posts educate people on what to do if theyre shot or arrested. We are just trying to amplify their voices and help them as much as we can, by the letting the world know whats happening.

More:Iowa State professor with relatives in Ukraine developing tool for refugees to find housing

Mary said she's had one experience with the morality police, when she was 18. She said it's a common thing for women to be approached by the morality police walking down the street. A van pulls up, women are pushed inside and taken to a police station.

At the station, just like a criminal, women are booked and have their picture taken for the states records.

The stops are random, Mary said. Some women are just unlucky to live and work close by a police station and have to deal with them more often.

Weve had a lot of people dead in their custody, for many different reasons, but this time, this was different," Mary explained.

Amini was a woman from outside the city, visiting with her brother. And people dont buy the governments story that Amini had a heart attack.

We are sure that she was beaten to death. This is a 22-year-old, innocent girl, not protesting, Mary said.

Mary said reformists have been at work for decades in Iran, but, We are just right now sure that this government is not going to accept any reforms. Enough is enough. We just dont need this regime controlling our oil money, our reputation, our bodies, even if were covering our hair or not. Im just hoping for a big revolution to come.

Shes proud of feminist movements in the U.S., but you cannot be a feminist and you cannot talk about womens rights if you do not amplify the voices of women right now in Iran protesting. Theyre in a true war. Theyre getting shot for this.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement the nation condemns Amini's death, and "We mourn with her loved ones and with the Iranian people."

The U.S. imposed sanctions on several top morality police, intelligence, military and paramilitary leaders, and acted to try to open the flow of digital information to people in Iran.

There is no active Iranian student organization at Iowa State, but Iran has been the fifth most-represented nation by international students at the university since at least the fall of 2017, according to enrollment data, with 124 Iranian students on campus this fall.

Amin, a recent graduate from Tehran, said Thursday the volunteers who organized the protest raised money from students and Iranian faculty members, and are hoping to get an Iranian Students and Scholars Association set up this year.

More:2022 enrollment: Iowa only university to gain students; ISU sees most diverse freshman class

How Iowa universities handle investments with companies operating in Iran

The Iowa Board of Regents is required by state law each year to report universities' investment ties with companies that do business in Iran. The state's public universities had no direct holdings in any such companies as of June 30, according to the latest report.

Iowa State University and the University of Iowa did have indirect holdings with several companies that do business in Iran. Indirect funds are part of managed investments, such as mutual funds.

Iowa State's indirect holdings with companies doing business in Iran totaled more than $377,000  mostly with Volkswagen, Siemens and POSCO, a South Korean steelmaker. The University of Iowa's indirect holdings totaled more than $1.9 million, also mostly among the same companies, with the addition of Porsche.

The University of Northern Iowa's investment portfolios are mingled with the University of Iowa's, according to Josh Lehman, spokesperson for the Board of Regents.

The Board of Regents is part of a statewide contract with ISS ESG, an investment analysis company, to scrutinize companies using public sources. The board then sends letters each year to companies to encourage them to cease prohibited operations, but divestment of indirect holdings in those companies is not required, Lehman said.

Iowa law requires the same scrutiny of companies that do business in Sudan or boycott Israel, and the board reports on those investments as well. "The board holds no direct investment in individual companies that requires divestment," Lehman said.

He said the universities' investment portfolios maintain liquidity, add flexibility in making long-term investments and grow endowment funds, among other financial roles. "Faculty and staff retirement funds have no correlation with the university-managed investments," he added.

Phillip Sitter covers education for the Ames Tribune, including Iowa State University and PreK-12 schools in Ames and elsewhere in Story County. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com. He is on Twitter @pslifeisabeauty.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Iranian community at Iowa State protests government repression at home
MIAMI, FL --News Direct-- Kruger

Ernesto Kruger traveled to the United States to exchange impressions about the scenario that companies are going through and the need to rescue talents in the world of technology.

In the Digital evolution era, companies face two main problems: understanding what the digital transformation consists of and being able to access specialized talent to carry out the technological changes that will allow them to achieve this progress, said Kruger.

The solution to these problems is the mission of Kruger Corporation, a technology multinational with 29 years in the market and a presence in 12 countries around the world, which continues its internationalization and is now landing in the United States.

The pandemic favored traditional companies that converted and used technology. Those that innovated grew and those that refuse definitely tend to disappear, Ernesto emphasizes. There are large companies that need an automation process, we have talked to companies all over the United States and we know there is an opportunity to serve the American market with the best talent, Hispanic talent.

Faced with the unsatisfied demand for specialized talent in Information Technology, Ernesto Kruger will recruit sophisticated professionals in the United States to join the global market through Kruger Corporation. Today he opens a new home, a window of valuable career opportunities for Hispanic professionals, especially the young.

We recruit them here to start working with the Kruger team, the bilingual talent working with Hispanic talent. Talent which is recruited to develop in programming language topics, blockchain, Java, and we use partnerships with large manufacturers like Google and Amazon, he adds.

The search for talent is done through social networks, which is part of Krugers culture, whose purpose is to boost lives, especially for young people who today are looking for flexible or remote work.

Kruger Corporation is constantly expanding, with clients who need a large pool of talent. They dont need a university degree because in nine months they are able to train professionals who can handle the necessary tools and software. The desire to learn and experience come together to create a professional in the technological area.

Story continues

This Latino entrepreneur knew how to recognize the needs of the market and created a successful product based on Hispanic talent. I started with a beeper and a briefcase, my secretary and my office. Nothing is impossible, the impossible just takes a little longer. Thats why I like to encourage younger people to be part of the changes and processes in any company in the world, says Krueger.

Today we are a family of more than 400 people and with a socially responsible approach, focused on transforming education. We created a startup incubator, and we help young people to grow with very successful cases such as the technology of environmental services. Latin American talent, with desire, can specialize and turn these young developers into blockchain experts, for example, Ernesto tells us while emphasizing that supporting young Latinos is one of his goals.

One of the companys values is sustainability and care for the environment since the application of blockchain makes it possible to measure the carbon footprint associated with production and thus compensate for it. Improving peoples economy is key, but also avoiding climate damage. Technology can and must help nature, concludes Krueger, because without a planet we will have nothing.

Contact Details

Kruger Corp.

analucalderon@krugercorp.com

Company Website

https://krugercorp.com/

View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/ernesto-kruger-ecuadorian-entrepreneur-and-visionary-seeks-technology-experts-in-the-united-states-230697994
ReportLinker

and is expected to reach an installed capacity of 8000 MW in 2027 from 123 MW in 2021. COVID-19 has adversely affected the growth of floating offshore wind power projects due to disruptions in European and global trade, which restricted the project construction and further resulted in increased CAPEX for the projects.

New York, Sept. 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Floating Offshore Wind Power Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06321497/?utm_source=GNW

The major factors driving the market studied are the increasing cost-competitiveness, with an average Levelized Cost of Energy of USD 50/MWh being within reach. Additionally, the governments of the existing offshore markets intend to increase their targets and volumes toward 2030, which may lead to a significant increase in offshore installation and the new projects being awarded. However, the technological advances and cost reductions already achieved within the bottom-fixed wind turbines have been hindering the growth of the market.



- The cost of wind energy has significantly declined during the past decade. The leading cause behind the declining price is the use of taller and larger-sized wind turbines. Earlier, the wind industry mainly depended on components made of steel and aluminum. These heavy materials can be damaged if used for large-sized wind turbines. Thus, it may lead to rapid future growth in the offshore wind power market.

- Moreover, the integration of artificial intelligence, internet of things, robotics, and data analytics in offshore wind power will enable advanced condition monitoring and predictive maintenance, which result in increased efficiency and reduced operational and maintenance costs, which is likely to provide an opportunity to a growth in the deployment of floating offshore wind farms in coming future.

- Europe is expected to be the largest floating offshore wind power market and is likely to grow further during the forecast period.



Key Market Trends

Declining Cost of Wind Energy



- In recent years, the wind industry has developed more reliable and lightweight materials, such as fiberglass composites and other polymers. Besides that, earlier wind industry mainly used steel to build large towers, but now wind towers are made of steel and concrete, allowing manufacturers to build large towers.

- Further, the improvements in the technology, including longer blades, the bearing materials for wind turbine gearbox, and access to better wind resources as wind farms are moving further from shore, are likely to support the growth of the floating offshore wind energy market. Additionally, the designs and manufacturing processes have significantly improved in the last few years. Due to these developments, manufacturers can build large-sized wind turbines at a relatively lower cost.

- According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the global weighted average Levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of newly commissioned offshore wind declined by 60% between 2010 and 2021, from USD 0.188/kilowatt hour (kWh) to USD 0.075/kWh. In 2021 alone, there was a 13% reduction, year-on-year.

- Between 2010 and 2021, global weighted average total installed costs fell 41%, from USD 4,876/kW) to USD 2,858/kW. At its peak in 2011, the global weighted average installed cost was USD 5,584/kW, which is twice its value in 2021. In Europe, the weighted average LCOE of newly commissioned offshore projects fell 29% between 2020 and 2021, from USD 0.092/kWh to USD 0.065/kWh. Driven by project economies of scale, there was a 25% reduction in total installed costs year-on-year and an increase in new projects weighted average capacity factor from 42% to 48% in 2021.

- The total installed cost and LCOE reductions have been driven by both technology improvements and the industrys growing maturity. Additionally, the growing developer experience, greater product standardization, manufacturing industrialization, service hubs, and economies of scale have contributed to cost declines

- Therefore, the declining cost of wind energy in the offshore industry is expected to drive the adoption of floating offshore wind power technology during the forecast period.



Europe to Dominate the Market Growth



- Europe holds the highest share of offshore wind energy installations across the world. According to European Union, Europe represents a quarter of global installations of the total offshore wind market, Europe (primarily North Sea countries) is likely to be at the helm of the offshore wind market.

- Globally, around 85% of the total offshore wind installations are in European waters. The governments of the European region, particularly in the North Sea area, have set an ambitious target for the installation of offshore wind farms in their respective territorial waters.

- In 2022, Europe has an installed capacity of 112 MW of floating offshore wind power capacity, with the United Kingdom, France, Norway, Ireland, and Spain being the major markets in the region.

- In August 2022, Cerulean Winds and Ping Petroleum UK signed an agreement on offshore oil and gas facilities powered mainly by offshore wind. Under the agreement, Cerulean Winds with its consortium of Tier 1 industrial partners will provide a large floating offshore wind turbine which will be connected, via a cable, to Ping Petroleums Floating Production & Storage vessel. The project is expected to come online in 2025. The project was enabled by a grant to Cerulean Winds through the Floating Offshore Wind Demonstration Program.

- In February 2022, Norway announced plans for its first auction for offshore wind. The tender, scheduled in the second half of this year, at first would look for bids to develop at least 1.5 GW of offshore wind capacity to supply the country, with subsequent tenders designed to provide an economic boost by providing more electricity for export to Europe.

- Furthermore, eight new offshore wind projects reached Final Decision Investment (FID) in 2020, with construction due to start in the coming years. The projects have an investment cost of USD 29.67 billion.

- These recent trends, in turn, are expected to present Europe as an excellent business destination for players involved in the floating offshore wind farm business during the forecast period.



Competitive Landscape

The floating offshore wind power market is moderately fragmented due to many companies operating in the industry. The key players in this market include General Electric Company, Doosan Enerbility, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, BW Ideol SA. and Vestas Wind Systems A/S among others.



Reasons to Purchase this report:

- The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format

- 3 months of analyst support

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06321497/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________

Story continues

CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




Swiss sanitary solutions provider Geberit offers an innovative washbasin tap system which has been developed to meet the demand for a robust solution in public bathrooms.

Geberit Tap Type 80, manufactured in the US and launched in the Gulf in July, is a hygienic and reliable tap for public washrooms that provides a clever solution for elegant, durable and hygienic ablution spaces with high-quality products.

The touch-free electronic tap has a contemporary design, is robust and vandal-resistant and ensures easy maintenance. It is offered in the Gulf as a mains or battery version, with an internal mixer.

The tap system can be used in ablution areas where installation is made easy with the pre-assembled Geberit Duofix frame, which is splash water resistant and designed for an electronic wall-mounted ablution tap. The system comes with a new tileable cover plate, a sealing set and a robust tap connection.

"In ablution areas, hygiene is highly important. With Geberits touchless taps and the suitable frame behind the wall, we offer an elegant solution," says a spokesman for the company.

"The construction of the frame and the tap connection is extremely durable and therefore vandal-proof  that is, even if someone holds on to the tap in order to clean the feet, the installation is stable enough to withstand this charge," he states.

"The function box is well protected and there is no need to worry about damages due to splash water. The cover plate of this function box is sealed and can be discreetly tiled and, therefore, blends harmoniously into the design of the bathroom," he adds.-TradeArabia News Service
TipRanks

Not many hedge managers have ignited as much controversy as Cathie Wood. The founder of Ark Invest has built her brand on running against the crowd. From her early embrace of tech stocks to her outspoken political conservatism, Cathie Wood has always been something of a lightning rod. Wood is staking her reputation and fortune on a belief that new technologies, and especially the way that new technologies will interact with each other, are going to completely transform our world. In her view, se
England captain Sam Tomkins says the 16th World Cup will be the strongest (Nick Potts/PA) (PA Wire)

England captain Sam Tomkins has welcomed the decision of high-profile NRL players to switch their allegiance from Australia to Samoa, even though it adds to the size of his teams task in the World Cup opener.

Penrith stand-off Jarome Luai and winger Brian Too are among those to turn their backs on the Kangaroos by pledging their support to the Pacific Islanders, who will have no fewer than eight players appearing in Sundays NRL Grand Final between the Panthers and Parramatta.

That has strengthened Samoas chances of emulating their Pacific rivals Tonga, who benefited from the defection of players of the calibre of Jason Taumalolo and David Fifita from New Zealand and Australia respectively to establish themselves as a world force.

Tomkins believes that will help to make the 16th World Cup the strongest yet, with one of the big nations certain to miss out on the semi-finals.

If you look at Tonga and Samoa in previous World Cups, they didnt have anything like the squads theyve got now, said the Catalans Dragons full-back.

Thats down to lot of players wanting to play for their own country rather than Australia.

It weakens Australia but only a little bit. They could name three squads and compete.

Its good for the World Cup that theres five teams there that can all compete. One of those good teams is not going to make a semi.

Tonga gave England the fright of their lives in the semi-finals of the last World Cup in 2017 and Brisbane centre Herbie Farnworth, who was on Friday named in Shaun Wanes 24-man England squad, is expecting a similarly tough test from Samoa at Newcastles St James Park on October 15.

Farnworth, who has witnessed close up the might of the NRL-based Samoans for the last two years, said: Its a very strong challenge.

A couple of boys got named in the Australian side but turned it down to play for their own country.

They are a top quality side but I think weve got the side to beat them.

It's good for the World Cup that there's five teams there that can all compete. One of those good teams is not going to make a semi.

Story continues

Sam Tomkins

Wane will also be able to draw on the inside knowledge of his other five Australia-based players when it comes to working out the strengths and weaknesses of his southern hemisphere opponents.

England regulars Tom Burgess (South Sydney), Luke Thompson (Canterbury Bulldogs) and Elliott Whitehead (Canberra) have been joined by Victor Radley (Sydney Roosters) and Dom Young (Newcastle Knights) and Farnworth believes both players can make a big impact on the competition.

Victor brings a lot of toughness, Farnworth said. Hes a quality player who brings a lot of skill  he could probably play half as well.

I played against Dom this year and hes a really strong boy. I tried to tackle him a couple times and he bumped me off once or twice.

Hes a big lad, strong and fast, he brings a lot of size and power to our team.

Meanwhile, Tomkins says he is now fully fit after using the time generated by his clubs early exit from the Super League play-offs to get his knee right.

I got injured in August and couldnt quite get the time for it to fully heal, he said.

Although it was disappointing Catalans getting knocked out in the first week of the play-offs it has actually been a blessing for me, its given me more than enough time now.

Luckily Im back running and back fully training. I just needed that few weeks of intense rehab.
Students at Colonial Forge and Louisa County high schools, REACH Homeschool and the Stafford County Sheriffs Community Engagement Unit have joined students, schools and youth groups across Virginia to kick off a statewide campaign to increase seat belt usage rates among teens and youth.

Youth of Virginia Speak Out About Traffic Safetys peer-to-peer campaign, Drive for Change: Buckle Up and Slow Down, is designed to encourage youth and teens to develop a lifelong buckle up habit by reminding them that seat belts are their best defense against injury and death in a crash.

The campaign also addresses speed-prevention after Virginia saw an alarming 56% increase in teen driver fatalities in 2021. According to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, from 2020 to 2021, 60% of fatal crashes involving teen drivers (ages 15-19) were speed-related in Virginia, and 62% of teens killed in crashes were unrestrained.

Participating high schools, middle schools and youth groups will complete a checklist of activities each month that educate and remind teens to buckle up and drive safely. Schools and youth groups that elect to compete will also be required to complete pre and post seat belt checks and a creative project. Non-competing schools may register to receive materials and complete any activities of their choice.

At the conclusion of the campaign, each competing school and youth group will be judged on the completion of required checklist activities each month, the effectiveness and creativity of its seat belt and/or speed educational programs, the percentage of students reached, and the percentage increase in the schools seat belt usage rate by the end of the campaign. Prizes funded by State Farm will be awarded to the top three high schools and middle schools; winners will be announced Jan. 11, 2023.

For more information or to register your school for this campaign and free materials, contact Casey Taylor, program development coordinator at 540/739-4392 or email casey.taylor@vsp.virginia.gov. Registration can also be completed at yovaso.org/driveforchange.

YOVASO is a program of the Virginia State Police with grant funding by the Virginia DMV. YOVASO is free and open to all Virginia high schools, middle schools and youth groups. YOVASO currently has 87 schools and youth groups that actively participate in the program.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  The remnants of Hurricane Ian downed trees and power lines across North Carolina, and authorities reported at least four fatalities Saturday connected to the severe weather.

In Johnston County, outside of Raleigh, a woman found her husband dead early Saturday morning after he went to check on a generator running in their garage overnight, sheriffs office Capt. Jeff Caldwell said.

Carbon monoxide levels also were high inside the home, and the woman was checked out at a hospital, according to Caldwell.

Also in Johnston County, two young adults died in traffic collisions during stormy and wet conditions Friday, Gov. Roy Cooper's office said in a news release. In eastern North Carolina's Martin County, a 22-year-old man drowned when his truck left the roadway and submerged in a flooded swamp, the news release said.

We mourn with the families of those who have died and urge everyone to be cautious while cleaning up to avoid more deaths or injuries," Cooper said in a statement.

The highway patrol responded to over 1,400 calls for service and 784 collisions between midnight Friday and early Saturday morning, a spokesman said. Not all were necessarily weather-related.

There were no initial reports of major structural damage, though nearly 73,000 people across the state were without power Saturday evening, according to a state outage map. That was down from over 330,000 earlier in the day.

The National Weather Service warned that hazardous conditions remained along the coast, including the possibility of flooding and rip currents.
The city of Colorado Springs is weighing whether to gate Old Stage Road to reduce late-night shooting across private property, vandalism, lighting fireworks, dumping and other illegal activity.

You voted:
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.
One person was shot at then drove themselves away in a silver Nissan sedan, according to a reporting party who called Colorado Springs police. Officers arrived at the 1000 block of North Academy Boulevard to locate the victim, but were unable to do so.

Shortly after, another shooting was reported in the 6100 block of Mustang Meadow Point. The victim was located and police helped treat not life-threatening injuries, then took them to a nearby hospital.

The victim couldn't list any identifiable features of the suspect, according to police.
Falcon residents are concerned about possible plans to build a concrete batch plant within a new 255-acre commercial metropolitan district that El Paso County commissioners authorized last week.

If built within the special district that proposes to encompass the northwest corner of the intersection at Curtis Road and Falcon Highway, directly south of Judge Orr Road, the plant would be inconsistent with the surrounding area and could emanate steam, smoke and dust that could pose health and safety risks to the nearby Meadow Lake Airport and surrounding residents, they said.

Voters still need to approve creating the metro district during an election.

"You can look in all directions and youre going to see just houses," said Will Drexler, who lives near the airport. "So on compatibility, it is not a compatible area with heavy industrial."

Commissioners denied a previous request in June 2020 to build a concrete batch plant in the same area, near Stapleton and Judge Orr roads, in part because it wasn't compatible with the residential and agricultural uses there.

A batch plant on this new site "is also inappropriate for the same reason," Dave Elliott, president of the Meadow Lake Airport Association's Board of Directors, told commissioners during their regular meeting Sept. 6.

Local developer Kevin O'Neil received county approval to rezone portions of the site, including 31 acres for commercial service, about 51 acres for limited industrial use, and the largest portion  about 173 acres  for heavy industrial use, such as a concrete batch plant.

The plant could be a special or temporary use at the site. Cement manufacturing could also be a permitted special use in this area, according to a list provided by developers. It includes more than 80 potential uses, ranging from an auto and boat storage yard to studios and theaters.

O'Neil said he wanted to build a self-sufficient community.

"The thing that we forget is somebody brought all the materials for their houses, and someone brought asphalt for the roads. It came from somewhere. Anything thats inherent for our community I think should come from our community. ... What youll see here is our attempt at building a quality project thats inherent in our community," he said.

County land code stipulates that any special use can be, by default, approved administratively. But the county planning director has discretion to take those special use requests to a public hearing.

To ensure public engagement, commissioners are requiring any special use proposed for the site already listed by developers to come before the Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners for detailed consideration during a public hearing.

Elliott said while the Meadow Lake Airport does not object to commercial or light industrial uses at the site, heavy industrial use could pose hazards to "safety of flight and aerodynamic stability."

"These factors could not only have an adverse affect on the airplane and its occupants, but it could result in hazarding public safety, such as the Saddlehorn Ranch residential subdivision, that are directly in line with" the airport's primary traffic pattern running directly under the site, he said.

Andrea Barlow of N.E.S. Inc., representing the developer, said the airport's concerns about fumes, air quality, dust and building height are specific concerns that are unrelated to several of the possible heavy industrial uses proposed for the area.

"Certainly not the ones that we are proposing," Barlow said. "There would be further scrutiny of any of those uses through the special use process. ... Some of those detailed concerns  which can only be analyzed when we know what the uses are  have a further process to go through."

Residents said O'Neil had also spoken out against the concrete batch commissioners previously denied in the same area two years ago.

"The batch plant that they showed there is not the batch plant that I conceive in our community," O'Neil said. "  That batch plant is old. It was probably built for the bottom line. If there are (heavy industrial) uses that are up against an airport that are not compatible with an airport, we would not put those in the airport."

Residents also had concerns industrial use at the site would require water the area doesn't have. Planning documents show the site is located in a region identified as "potentially having issues regarding long-term sustainable draw from the Denver Basin aquifer."

"The water draw on currently already stressed aquifers will become detrimental to those who rely on those aquifers for their home water," resident Marlene Hindman wrote in a letter to county planners objecting to the rezone requests.

The developer is not yet required to provide a finding of water sufficiency, but it will be required with any future subdivision request. The commercial metro district would provide public water and wastewater systems.

The 2018 El Paso County Water Master Plan projects regional water demand at build-out in 2060 to be 8,307 acre-feet per year, with a projected supply of 8,284 acre-feet per year  a deficit of 23 acre-feet per year.

An acre-foot of water is enough to cover an acre of land to a depth of about 1 foot and is considered the amount needed by a family of four for about a year.
Dubais Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has awarded a contract for construction of internal roads and lighting works at four residential communities in the emirate - Margham, Lahbab, Al Lesaily and Hatta.

The project, which covers roads extending 37 km in total, also includes road works running over 21 km long and adding streetlights for existing roads stretching 16 km. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.

Announcing the contracts, Mattar Al Tayer, the Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, said: "The construction of internal roads stems from RTAs keenness to improve the infrastructure of roads, light and stormwater drainage systems in residential communities."

On the Margham project, Al Tayer said: "The internal roads project covers the construction of roads extending 8 km in an area on the Dubai-Al Ain Road, nearby Skydive Dubai. The infrastructure works also include rainwater drainage networks and streetlights."

"The project serves more than 1100 residents of the neighbourhood," explained Al Tayer.

On the Lahbab project, he said it involves paving roads extending 4 km along with infrastructure works of rainwater drainage and streetlights. The project scope also covers lighting works of the existing streets extending 2 km at the Dubai-Hatta Road beside Lahbab Camels Race Track.

"The project serves more than 3,000 residents, and improves the linking of the residential area under construction with the roads network," he added.

On the Al Lesaily project, Al Tayer pointed out that the internal roads span 7 km. "The project includes road works at Saih Assalam near Last Exit and Al Qudra Lake over more than 14 km, the project serves about 2,900 residents and improves the entry/exit points of the area," he added.

On Hatta, RTA chief said the project covers the construction of roads extending 2km at Hatta, specifically at Saaeer, Al Salami and Suhaila in addition to infrastructure works that include rainwater drainage and streetlights.

The project serves about 6,000 residents and improves the entry/exit points as well as the connection of the residential community under construction with the road network," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
B. Lin found herself homeless after her good intentions squared off against bad people.

The clash led to squatters illegally occupying and trashing her once-nice home in a middle-class neighborhood in northeast Colorado Springs.

And for more than three months, Lin has been seesawing between living in her car and staying in a homeless shelter.

Meanwhile, her home is now on the citys list of 38 dilapidated and condemned residences.

People think Im crazy when they hear what happened, she said. My life has not gone well at all. I blame myself.

The tragic irony of Lin ending up homeless after squatters took over her property  which she and her now estranged husband had purchased as a newly built Richman home in the late 1980s  is uncommon, said Glenn Shellhouse, who does unpaid street outreach for Rocky Mountain Human Services.

As an agency volunteer, hes been helping homeless people get back on their feet for seven years.

Her story was so unique that it popped out at me immediately, Shellhouse said. I hear a lot of stories, a lot are heartbreaking, a lot are moving, and hers is unusual.

But the tale of squatters isnt.

Squatting  occupying an empty building or piece of land without the owners permission  happens all over the city all the time, said Chase Kinter, a code enforcement officer with the city of Colorado Springs.

We deal with it constantly, he said.

The most prevalent situation is when renters move into a house or apartment without the landlord knowing and are not on the lease agreement, Kinter said.

Other situations typically arise as a result of negligent landlords or people refusing to leave the premises.

Lins case is more of an extreme. Good-heartedness led to her being taken advantage of, which the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated and created even more difficulties righting what went wrong.

I act strong, but Im not, said Lin, who's in her 60s. I dont want to show it.

Colorado Springs was home base for Lins military family, who moved around while raising their children. They also traveled when her husband exited military service and worked for a government department.

The couple never rented out the house while they were on job assignments; it stood empty and waiting for them, she said.

They also never had problems until four years ago, when her husband retired, and they returned to Colorado Springs for good.

Lin, who was born in Taiwan and emigrated as a young woman, and her husband had hired a remodeling crew to spruce up the property.

One of the guys said he didnt have any money or any place to stay or credit, she explained while showing the ruins of her house. I felt sorry for him. It was so cold out.

The couple provided a basement bedroom in their five-bedroom home, with Lin being her hospitable self, cooking for the man and making sure he was comfortable.

But he soon brought a relative to live there, she said, and eventually sneaked in a girlfriend. When Lin found a hypodermic needle in the dryer, shed had enough.

We kicked them out, she said.

But she had given the man a key to the home and didnt ask for it back.

When marital problems surfaced, Lin fled to Florida and left her husband behind. She thought he was continuing to live in the residence, but then she began receiving calls from the citys code enforcement about issues at the Colorado Springs house.

Her husband had abandoned the home, and his whereabouts are still unknown to Lin and code enforcement, who have tried to contact him.

Squatters told city authorities who would come to the house that the owner had died or was on vacation. Squatters also transferred utilities accounts to their names and accumulated $18,000 in outstanding bills, which accrued during COVID leniency, Kinter said.

If I would have known what was going to happen, Lin said, I would never have left.

While in Florida, Lin became ill, suffered injuries from a car crash and underwent several surgeries, which she said prevented her from returning to Colorado Springs until June.

The state of her beloved retirement dream left her feeling as broken as the home looked.

From 2018 to May of this year, but particularly during the pandemic, the residence was a central hub for homeless people, neighbors told her, with at one point up to 30 people staying there.

I kept the house up real good, Lin said, fighting back tears while looking at the empty rooms.

Squatters left behind holes and writing on the walls, bare wooden floors that previously had plush carpeting, gouged countertops, missing light fixtures, wrecked plumbing, zero furniture, mice feces and a lingering odor of discontent.

But the propertys appearance is much better than its condition in June, when code enforcement condemned it.

It was completely filled with trash, rodents, debris, Kinter said. Things were scurrying everywhere.

In May, after pandemic restrictions on tenancy and evictions lifted, $7,500 in outstanding utility bills on the house remained, and Colorado Springs Utilities tagged the water heater for being unsafe, code enforcement officers received municipal court orders for entrance and seizure warrants.

Authorities told about 15 people to leave due to unsafe and unsanitary conditions, and in June, code enforcement boarded up the house.

The damage that had been done was extensive and required a huge load of work to clear out, Kinter said.

But even after barricading entryways, posting signs and changing the locks, Lin said people continued trying to get in. She points out marks on the front door where people attempted to break the new locks, and where basement windows were shattered to bypass the blockades.

One night Lin slept in her car across the street from her shuttered home and watched as a man climbed a tree in the backyard and went into a second-story bedroom, apparently to retrieve some belongings.

Another day over the summer, she found guns stashed in a barn on the property, which she and her estranged husband had never used, because it was new when she left four years ago.

I had to call police several times in July, she said, adding that shes been returning to the house once or so a week to clean and make sure no one occupies it.

Codes enforcement removed trash from the outside and hauled away inert vehicles multiple times, Kinter said. The city billed Lin for the service, which Lin said shes still trying to pay off.

It is beyond my power, beyond my budget to do this, she said of her house woes.

A family member paid a nearly $35,000 bill for a professional cleaning company to gut and strip the interior, Lin said.

Inhabitants used alcohol, methamphetamines and other narcotics, Kinter said.

"They were under the influence of various drugs; it was never-ending," he said.

It seemed obvious that drug dealers lived there, said a neighbor who didnt want to give his name because he didnt want it appearing in a public account.

Squatters stole cars, he said, and police showed up every other week and made a number of arrests.

Police responded to the address on numerous complaints for abandoned autos, disturbances, medical calls, reports of assault and sex-offender registrations, said Robert Tornabene, spokesman for the Colorado Springs Police Department.

The neighbor said he was glad when the property was condemned.

It was a busy spot, he said.

And as for Lins situation: Its rare you see anything this tragic, the neighbor said.

The longer squatters stay in a place that doesnt legally belong to them, the harder it becomes to remove them, Tornabene said.

Police have the legal authority to remove someone within the initial 24 hours of squatting, but after that, police cannot arrest them, he said.

If squatters establish residency by putting utility bills in their name or receiving mail at the address, then it becomes the process of figuring out if an eviction would occur, Tornabene said.

Squatters can claim a residence after 18 years of living in it, according to Colorado law.

Its difficult to get people out, Tornabene said. The law has vague definitions and is so different than other states.

To prevent squatters, he said people should put up signs that say No trespassing, and provide written notice to anyone whos in a house or apartment without permission that they cannot be there.

There are steps that have got to be put in action, saying people cant be doing what theyre doing, Tornabene said.

Kinter advises homeowners to have someone they trust check on their property if they plan to leave it empty for a period.

Also, be sure to have a lease agreement signed with all tenants, he said.

You need to have a contract in place for someone not to take advantage of you, Kinter said.

Lin fears the process to restore her home to a habitable state will be long and beyond her meager finances and lead to an extended stay for her at the homeless shelter.

The water heater in Lin's home needs proper ventilation to function properly again and other renovations need to be completed. As long as she's showing progress, the work can continue, Kinter said.

These types of properties are rampant in the city, he said.
Eternal Robotics, a tech firm focused on automation through innovation, has released a new AI-driven solution designed to streamline multiple business operations, including quality inspection surveillance and action recognition systems. The pioneering company is part of the UAE-based Mojay Global Holding, which seeks out disruptive technology for investment and growth opportunities.

Aptly named Smart Eyes, Eternal Robotics SaaS solution can monitor employee uniform and grooming compliance, a critical operational function in specialised industries, such as airlines, luxury mobility, hospitality, construction and the manufacturing industry.

It offers companies a transparent, digitised and automated alternative to human inspection services, which can be inconsistent and costly.

Uniform inspections

With uniform inspections, Smart Eyes detects any deviation, no matter how minor, such as an incorrectly knotted tie, lack of safety standards and protective equipment, unauthorised use of mobiles, and more depending on the scenario.

Compatible with existing camera surveillance systems, the application utilises AI to identify, track and monitor employees and workers across different industries like mobility, hospitality, retail, facility management, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, life sciences and automotive services. Smart Eyes monitors multiple criteria such as people, uniforms, grooming, operational efficiency, product standards, and action recognition, which are three of the systems main functions.

In addition, the system is easy to implement, requiring only two to four weeks to become fully functional. Customers can choose and customise the solution for the most critical aspects of the business to be monitored and reported on through comprehensive insightful dashboards.

PREIMO Urban Mobility

Luxury chauffeur service PREIMO Urban Mobility recently adopted Smart Eyes to inspect the drivers uniforms. The applications AI identified instances where uniforms did not meet company regulations and helped management streamline surveillance, attendance and conformity of the drivers.

PREIMO also gained valuable automated insights into its operations and real-time updates regarding employee compliance (which were not subjective as it can be when outsourced). Overall, the company reported a 70% decrease in quality inspection costs, saving a significant amount in operational expenses. The company also experienced increased compliance of staff with the standards, which brought notable improvement in consistency and customer satisfaction.

Raul Silva, CEO of Mojay Global Holdings, said: Mojay is a pioneering company that is disrupting the industry with new AI-driven solutions. The new automation system is a unique solution for streamlining business operations, including inspection, surveillance and action recognition systems. Eternal Robotics has impressively proven itself to be at the forefront of AI within the region and I am looking forward to seeing it grow within the region and on a global scale.

Highly accurate

Srikar Reddy, Founder & Director of Eternal Robotics, remarked, Our Vision stack is highly accurate, and we are adding multiple libraries constantly to serve the expanding needs of our clients. We specialise in delivering AI software which runs on existing camera infrastructure which removes ROI burdens. Our expertise with hardware engineering also allows us to integrate fully customised AI Vision stations depending on our client requirements.

Mojay Global Holding Limiteds other technology ventures include the award-winning MYRO, the worlds first smart construction wall painting robot to be launched commercially. The company welcomes innovative projects, business opportunities, and resourceful entrepreneurs who dare to challenge the current status quo and supports cutting-edge technology incorporating new and higher standards in various, diverse industries.-- TradeArabia News Service
Jon Caldara is president of the Independence Institute in Denver and hosts The Devils Advocate with Jon Caldara on Colorado Public Television Channel 12. His column appears Sundays in Colorado Politics.
Special Correspondent | TwoCircles.net

New Delhi: A list of alleged members and sympathizers of the now banned and dissolved Popular Front of India (PFI) was prepared; their addresses were discreetly verified, and current locations traced. Intelligence inputs were gathered and heavy deployments were made accordingly. Several teams of the Delhi Police Special Cell were formed to zero in on the PFI across six districts  including Nizamuddin and Shaheen Bagh  of the national capital. Now, the stage was set for coordinated action.

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Around 3 am on September 27 the city polices anti-terror wing launched Operation Octopus and arrested and detained 30 people  nine from Jamia Nagar and Nizamuddin in Southeast district, six each from Rohini and East Delhi districts, five from northeast Delhi, and one from Central Delhi.

It was a part of the second round of massive raids against the PFI suspects across the country that took the total number of arrests/detentions so far to over 250. In the first round of multi-agency operations headed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on September 22 at 93 locations in 15 states, around 108 alleged PFI workers from across the country.

The outfit is being investigated by the NIA and the ED for its alleged role in terror activities and terrorism-linked funding.

Families of the majority of the 12 people arrested from southeast Delhis Shaheen Bagh alleged they have not so far been supplied with copies of the first information report (FIR); therefore, they dont know the charges under which the detentions have been made.

Four policemen knocked at our gate at around 3 am on September 27. As the gate was opened, they caught hold of him (the suspect) and whisked him away without even informing us who they were, the so-called crime committed, and where he was being taken. We were not shown any papers, authorizing the cops to pick him up. There was heavy police force outside the building, a relative of one of the accused told TwoCircles.net without wishing to be named.

He said he went to Shaheen Bagh police station to know about the whereabouts of his relatives but to no avail.

Then I checked with my sources, one of whom informed me to go to Lajpat Nagar police station. I reached there at 4 am. Initially, they refused to share anything but later they asked me to go to another police station where he would be presented before a duty magistrate. I was also assured that the arrest has been made under two minor sections of the IPC and that he would be released from the police station only. When I reached there, I saw a police van arriving there with all the 12 who were picked up. The van was parked in the police station premises in such a way that we do not see who is de-boarding it, he narrated, alleging that the accused was remanded to judicial custody for seven days without listening to the defense side.

He claimed his lawyer was neither briefed about the charges nor provided with a copy of the order of the duty magistrate.

Others corroborated the sequence of the events, alleging that they too have no information about why their people have been picked up and jailed.

The Supreme Court in the DK Basu Vs State of West Bengal had issued detailed guidelines on arrests and detentions that say all police personnel should wear name tags indicating their name and designation, an arrest memo (containing signatures of the arrested person and any relative of his her relative or any respectable person of the locality and date, time and place of arrest) has to be prepared by the police officer making the arrest, relative or friend of the arrested person has to be properly informed about the reasons of the detention and the place where he is being kept in custody and the police cannot deny the arrestee access to his or her lawyer.

Apart from Kerala, the stronghold of the outfit, which has witnessed 22 arrests, the maximum number of people have been apprehended from Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states. More than 70 alleged PFI activists are reported to have been taken into custody from Karnataka. It was followed by Maharashtra (43), Delhi (30), Assam (25), Madhya Pradesh (21), and Gujarat (15).

Around 2,000 are said to be under scanner in Madhya Pradesh.

With six arrests on September 27, 11 suspected PFI members and sympathizers have been picked from Uttar Pradesh.

Searches have also been carried out in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Goa, West Bengal, Bihar, and Manipur.

In addition to all top leadership of the PFI, several others who have been arrested have been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA after the Centre directed states and Union Territories (UTs) to exercise powers of the stringent legislation against the outfit and its affiliates.

Following the crackdown, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on September 28 banned the PFI and organizations affiliated with it for five years, declaring them unlawful association, under the UAPA.

The PFI and its affiliates, according to the MHAs notification, have links with global terror organisation and were involved in several terror cases, with an intent to create a reign of terror in the country  endangering the security and public order of the state.

Hours after the Centre banned the outfit and its affiliates, the PFI announced the disbanding of the organisation.

PFI State General Secretary A Abdul Sattar said in a statement that the organisation was dissolved after the MHA issued a notification banning it. As law-abiding citizens of the country, we accept the decision of the Home Ministry, he added.

The PFI has been working with a clear vision for the socio-economic and cultural empowerment of the underprivileged, downtrodden, and marginalised sections of the society for the past three decades. But as law-abiding citizens of our great country, the organisation accepts the decision of the Ministry of Home Affairs. It also informs all its former members and the general public that the Popular Front of India has been disbanded. All members of the Popular Front of India are requested to cease their activities since the publication of the notification, he said in the statement.

Among those who have been arrested from the national capital is a Delhi University student, a preacher of the holy Quran, and one who runs a publishing house in Daryahanj  printing Urdu literature. In addition, they include activists and alleged sympathizers.

Sources in the Delhi Police said the operation was well coordinated and discreetly carried out as part of a strategy to set the stage to ban the PFI and ensure no protest or violence take place as witnessed in the first phase of the crackdown.

The first phase of the operation was carried out by the NIA and the ED, but by local police forces, said one of them.

When asked about the allegations leveled against them by the families of the accused, he rubbished it, saying everything was done as per the law and laid down procedure.

More than 1,400 criminal cases had been lodged against the leaders and activists of the PFI and its affiliates across the country over the years, said investigating agencies.
Here is a post that I came across online from a guy who had a 610 GMAT, got wait-listed at Cornell and eventually admitted.---------------------------------------Sakira:Ok guys, here's what I did. Lol maybe I shouldn't have picked a username that's my FIRST NAME, since there goes all anonymity haha.I applied to Tuck (darmouth), Columbia, Tulane, Rice, and Cornell. But please keep in mind that I applied VERY LATE--at or after the last de@d lines for all of these schools. I do not suggest you do this--almost all of the seats are filled up by this time. I waited this long because I wanted more time to prepare for my GMAT, but in the end my score didn't go up much and packaging the rest of your application is much more important. I was rejected from Columbia and Dartmouth outright--this could be because of my GMAT, or it could be because of how late I applied. In the case of Tuck, they invite everyone to come interview beforehand and I never did that, so this could have hurt my case there too.You have to treat your application like a marketing project. How will you market yourself? What are you trying to draw attention to? Don't just do the prototypical ap and hope they'll notice your strengths--draw attention to them, cleverly. I had a 2-prong strategy with my applications: use my essays to not necessarily sell them, but at least generate enough curiosity to nab an interview. Then use the interview to sell them. In the case of Johnson, they only allow 3 essays with 400 word counts, so this was difficult. They are not looking for flowery writing--they want to see what you can do in this limited space. It's like working on a commercial during the superbowl--you have a 30 second time slot to pitch to your market. How are you going to do it?I was kind of a troubled kid when I was younger, so I used my optional essay to paint a very dramatic picture of that, but then used it to show how far I've come. When you do things like this, DO NOT MAKE EXCUSES, and ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY for anything in your past. Then show how it made you a stronger person. You have to be yourself.What helped me was a book called "How to get into Top MBA programs". There are a million sample essays in the back. The reason this is helpful is that you can see what EVERYONE else that is successful does--and then NOT do it. If you do this, you won't stand out, and if you have a lower GMAT score, you need to stand out on something else. Avoid the wording everyone uses, cliche phrases like "to gain broader perspective" or "I want to hone my skills". Everyone says things like that. Use your essays to really show them a little bit of yourself.Use your personal unique experiences to show why you're a different candidate. You don't have to show you're better than everyone else--just show what's different about you. MBA Admissions teams want to build diverse classes and the more unique strenghts you bring, the more forgiving they will be if you aren't up to par on the conventional ones.Lastly, apply a little psychology. Think about this from the admissions committee's perspective. They have to read thousands of essays on people trying to sell themselves. They get bored of all of the people bragging about the same thing. If you can hit an emotional cord with them, or make them smile or best of all laugh out loud, you've instantly made yourself stand out. But don't be fake or cheesy. Just be natural. Think about if you had to read a million essays on virtually the same thing. What would you appreciate? What would entertain you? What qualities would you look for if someone didn't have the highest GMAT or GPA?An article that I highly suggest was written by a senior admissions rep at Virginia. Granted he doesn't work in MBA admissions, but I think this is great advice for ANY admissions essay-writing:One last note. I didn't get right in, I was waitlisted. Along with over 170 other people. Now I had to stand out more than ever before. In the case of Johnson, they accept updates on your grades, goals, recommendations, whatever. I knew everyone would do this--but I had to do it creatively. So I made them a brochure on why they should accept me, with pictures and such. It was just something different for them. I don't suggest everyone do this--now that it's already been done. But the point is, think of something creative and personal to do that's not flamboyantly over the top.I also got into Tulane with a scholarship. You'll find that in general some sschools appreciate creativity and unique experiences more than others. MBA programs really are about fit. Do your research and see which ones jive best with your personality. Another one I interviewed at was Rice--and honestly, that was a terrible experience for me. I had a student interviewer, and we didn't connect at all. The interview was awkward and uncomfortable, while my interviews at Tulane and Johnson were conversational and full of laughs. The program at Rice seemed Rigid, the students seemed conservative, and most of their candidates work in the oil industry. That's the antithesis of me: a little entrepreneur, an environmentalist, and a huge liberal. How well you connect with other students is important, and this comes across in your interview.On a side note, the Rice application process was generally a miserable experience. They don't respond to emails, they're rude on the phone, and they're disorganized. When you go to their info sessions the adcom says feel free to call but if you do you'll never get past the front desk. They didn't even give me a decision until over a week after the date they were supposed to. Johnson, on the other hand, was amazingly responsive, very efficient, and extremely warm and approachable. Tulane was a great experience too. I highly recommend you tailor the schools you're applying to in light of what your strengths and goals are and not just look at names and rankings. This will give you much more to say in your essays and interviews.This whole MBA process has been a HUGE learning experience for me. I didn't even tell my parents I applied at first because my dad was so convinced I didn't have a chance. But I wanted to take a chance, and along the road I found so many people that supported and believed in me. I've never felt more confident about a decision I've made in life. I really feel like the adcom at Johnson got to know me personally and accepted me for that, and that's a great feeling. It shouldn't have to be about them taking you because of some frosted image you put on. I encourage all of you to think about what's uniquely positive about you, and then sell it. I'll be happy to answer any other questions you have.Good luck everybody!!-------------------------------------------------------------
Cases of COVID-19 have reached their lowest levels since April and hospitalizations have dipped.

But Dr. Elaine Perry, director of the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts, cautioned that COVID levels could increase again this fall. Cases and hospitalizations have climbed in the autumn each of the past two years as more people congregate indoors.

We are very encouraged by seeing our COVID-19 community levels drop this week, Perry said. We hope people enjoy this time of low levels while still remaining flexible and ready to implement more mitigation procedures should we shift back into higher levels.

There were 1,200 average cases across the state Friday, the lowest number since late April, when the BA.4 and BA.5 variants were spreading across the country. Cases rose until late May and stayed relatively flat until late July.

For the past two months, COVID cases have declined in Virginia.

Hospitalizations, which tend to lag behind cases, have begun to drop. COVID hospitalizations rose from May to August, peaking at about 800 hospitalizations per day throughout the state.

Hospitalizations have been on the downswing since the beginning of September. There were 579 average hospitalizations Friday, the lowest number since early July.

The community level for the Danville and Pittsylvania County area has been downgraded to low. Most of northern and eastern Virginia are low, and much of western and Southwest Virginia remain medium, including Albemarle and Montgomery Counties and Roanoke.

Four localities in far southwest Virginia remain high, including Wise and Giles Counties. The CDC assigns community levels for each county and city based on case and hospitalization rates.

Omicron-specific booster shots were released this month, and roughly 15,000 Virginia residents received a shot each day this week. Eighty-one percent of Virginians are considered fully vaccinated, meaning they have received both doses of a two-dose series.

Roughly 3 million residents have received a booster, and almost 600,000 have gotten a second.
WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for North Carolina, enabling the federal government to provide Hurricane Ian-related equipment, money and other aid to the state, officials said Saturday.

He also said the destruction in Florida is likely to rank among the worst in U.S. history and pledged aid for as long as it takes.

The storm, which made landfall in Florida on Wednesday, has caused at least 30 deaths in the state, according to The Associated Press. Almost 1.8 million homes and businesses remain without power and Lee County, the hardest-hit area, has no running water. Homes, bridges and other infrastructure are in ruin, with damage estimates ranging from $68 billion to $100 billion.

North Carolina was more fortunate. There were no initial reports of major structural damage, though 134,278 people across the state were without power as of 5 p.m. on Saturday  27,608 in Guilford County  according to Duke Energy.

The remnants of Hurricane Ian downed trees and power lines statewide, and at least four fatalities connected to the severe weather were reported.

Among them:

 A 25-year-old man who lost control of his vehicle in Johnston County and hydroplaned into another car.

 A 24-year-old woman who hit a tree in Clayton, which is also in Johnston County, after veering off a wet road.

 A 22-year-old man who drowned in Martin County when his truck left a roadway and became submerged in a flooded swamp on Friday night.

We mourn with the families of those who have died and urge everyone to be cautious while cleaning up to avoid more deaths or injuries, Cooper said in a statement.

The Highway Patrol responded to over 1,400 calls for service and 784 collisions between midnight Friday and early Saturday morning, a spokesman said. Not all were necessarily weather-related.

Cooper said many hazards remain across the state.
REIDSVILLE Rebecca Isley, Rockingham Countys 2022-23 Teacher of the Year, acquired an interest in problem solving from her mother, a science teacher, and her father, a chemist, but her desire to pursue teaching stemmed from the treatment of her brother in the school system.

Isleys brother, Thomas, has Down syndrome, and Isley remembers when he was born that his condition was explained as a list of things he could or would never be able to do. When he started school, Isley watched his teachers work with him as if no such list of cant dos existed. As she got older, she realized the impact those observations of her brothers teachers had on her and her decision to become a teacher.

They (her brothers teachers) had superhero faith in their students, Isley said. I aspire to make a difference in the life of my students the way his teachers did.

Isley is a third-grade teacher at Monroeton Elementary School. She is a bit modest about the Teacher of the Year distinction and said she actually feels a bit overwhelmed and undeserving.

Teacher of the Year is an odd phrase to me, she said. I am grateful for the encouragement but very aware I still have so much growing to do.

Monroeton Elementary Principal Trina McCoy believes Isley is an excellent asset to her school.

"Mrs. Isley is an outstanding educator who goes the extra mile for all her students," McCoy said. "She genuinely wants each student to reach their full academic potential."

In her third year as a teacher at Monroeton, Isley grew up in Alexandria, Va., receiving her bachelors degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She taught fourth grade at Shiloh Elementary in Union County Schools before leaving teaching in 1998 to raise her family. Before returning as a classroom teacher in Rockingham County, she was a substitute teacher, working at many schools in the district.

I knew I was not done teaching yet; I had more to give, she said of her return to teaching. I want to serve my community.

Her husband, Alan Isley, attended Monroeton, where she now teaches.

I get to work with some amazing educators who pour their heart into their students each day, Isley said of working at Monroeton Elementary. I am blessed to be surrounded by caring professionals who have chosen a calling as their career.

Isley said her own philosophy about teaching stems from a quote credited to Theodore Roosevelt which states, Believe you can and youre halfway there.

My own version may go, Believe you can; you just havent yet, with yet being my favorite word,Isley said. In a beautiful way, it encompasses the belief that all things are possible.

One of the things she enjoys most about teaching is the relationships she forms with students and their families.

The moment a student realizes they are going beyond where they have been is to me when they begin to believe in themselves and take ownership, Isley said. It is bittersweet; they are growing up.

Isley had not been back in the classroom as a full-time teacher long before the coronavirus pandemic hit and recalls that time period as difficult for teachers but even more so for students.

I tried to make virtual school as normal as possible so my class did not miss out on time with each other or learning, she said.

Today, she said she can see the results of the pandemic on her students.

We have a lot of work to do, and families need the support of the community to get back what we all lost during the lockdowns, Isley said.

Isley said that anyone interested in helping should contact their local school and ask how they can help.

The community is the end user of the product public schools produce, she said. The support of the community and families is needed.

Isley and her husband have three children, Ben, 24, who serves in the Air Force; Nate, 22, a student at NC State University; and Cade, 21, a cadet at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

In addition to spending time with her family, Isley enjoys working with the youth at her church and taking a group to summer camp each year.

Now that Isley has been named Rockingham Countys Teacher of the Year, she advances to the regional competition and will participate in interviews this month.

Her goal as she looks ahead is to continue to serve her community and work with students.

I have been blessed that I feel a calling to give back to others in any way I can, she said.
Gaven Bently Bush, 20, was driving a 2008 Honda Civic east on South Mebane Street near Flint Street when he lost control of the car, drove off the road and hit a utility pole before rolling the vehicle several times, police said. He was treated at the scene of the crash and taken to a local hospital for further treatment, police said.
The story of American Chemet Corp. is one of family.

The manufacturer of metal-based powders and chemicals and its East Helena facility are celebrating their 75 years of business, and President and CEO Bill H. Shropshire said from the shareholders to the workforce on the factory floor, an emphasis on family has guided the company through the decades and into new frontiers.

"I'm not thinking exclusively of shareholder families," said Shropshire, the third generation of Shropshires to helm the company. "In the workforce, we've got mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, fathers and daughters, brothers, uncles and nephews. To me, it's a huge honor that people believe in this place enough to vouch for us to family members."

Kyle Kambic started his career at Chemet about 20 years ago filling bags with product, as all new hires start out doing and today works a superintendent and production scheduler.

Kambic said his uncle worked for the company when he applied for a job.

"One thing I try to portray to new hires is our family atmosphere," Kambic said. "Shropshire and the board treat people like family. It's what really keeps me coming back."

Former President and CEO for about 34 years William W. Shropshire, the father of Bill, said his company's family atmosphere was never something they intentionally set out to foster.

The elder Shropshire said by investing in the employees and creating a positive work environment, "the people who were working with us enjoyed the work and suggested it to their kin. And we're always looking for good people."

William handed over the company to Bill about 12 years ago, but at 86 years old, he still chairs the company's board of directors and said he is "just tickled to death" by the direction the company is headed.

"It's a really exciting time," he said.

Chemet is in the midst of about a $22 million expansion, and like it has throughout its history, is transitioning into new product lines and new methods of manufacturing.

"The expansion is giving us a whole lot more flexibility in how we produce our products," he said. "As the technology broadens, we have the capability to produce compounds from other elements."

Back in 1946, when the grandfather, William Wallace Shropshire, and three business partners formed the company, the world was only just coming out of World War II, and the men anticipated a need for paint.

The grandfather moved from Chicago to East Helena and set up shop next door to the East Helena American Smelting and Refining smelter. Chemet sourced their materials from the smelter and produced zinc oxide out of its waste.

Over the decades, product availability, environmental regulations and shifting market demands forced the company to adapt.

"There's an expression around here, 'the Chemet way,'" current President and CEO Bill Shropshire said. He said it harkens back to those early days of adapting to a rapidly changing world.

"There's the challenge. Here are the resources available. How can we make this work?" Shropshire said. "There were times in our history where it's been duct tape and bubble gum. Now we have more resources."

He said the company uses that deep-seeded entrepreneurial ingenuity to guide itself into its next 75 years.

Between its locations in East Helena, Chicago and Tennessee, Chemet employs about 200 people. This year, Chemet's East Helena facility expects to ship 86 million pounds of product around the globe, up from around 75 million pounds the prior year and about 61 million pounds in 2020.

"We're in one of those periods right now where the markets are presenting opportunities to us, and we're deploying capital to give industry what its asking for," Shropshire said.

The massive new facility erected on the south side of the East Helena property represents that capital deployment and, in Shropshire's eyes, the next 15 years of expansion "the Chemet way."

Father William Shropshire said in addition to the talented workforce and sharp management, the company's neighbors have helped to bring it along, adding that its relationship with the cities of East Helena and Helena have been "very good for a long time."

"Over the 75 years, we have been really helped out and cheered on by our community," he said. "The people who live here have always been wonderful to work with."

Kambic is one of those people. He said he had no idea the job he took in the '90s at the suggestion of his uncle would blossom into a more than 20-year career.

He said he and his family lived in Butte at the time, but not long after his hiring, he moved the family to Helena.

Kambic also serves on the company's donation committee and said he is proud to continue on the company's community involvement. Through that role he has been able to help local food pantries, Meals on Wheels and veteran causes.

"This company invests not only money, but also time into its facilities, employees and community," he said. "That community involvement has kept me sticking around."

It is also part of why Kambic's son started his new job at Chemet this month filling bags with product.
The report from the team of first responders who eventually knocked down the Rising Moon fire on Aug. 23 listed the only structure lost among the nearly 30 homes in the area as a "garage," but it was so much more than that.

Known as the "bunkhouse," Vi Gauvin said it was the site of family vacations and home to her late husband's large collection of antiques.

Vi and Rich Gauvin moved into their home, a stone's throw from the Missouri River, in 1998. The couple were veritable pioneers as the first to develop in the area. By 1999, the two and some friends finished building the bunkhouse.

It was 60 feet by 24 feet and had a boat bay and a second story living space, a favorite of the Gauvin's grandchildren.

Rich, an Army veteran and excavation business owner, died of cancer in May 2021. Vi said she was still figuring out what to do with his collections when disaster struck.

The fire burned through 135 acres around the Gauvin's home as about 40 residents of the area were evacuated.

"The fire was right here as we were pulling out," Vi said, gesturing to the nearby ridge at the edge of her property still charred from the fire.

Vi's next door neighbors Heath and Tammie Cooper said they had three tanker trucks parked in their yard protecting their home. Heath said his shop building had to be dosed in fire retardant foam.

Heath was in Avon at the time and said his family had only 20 minutes to grab their belongings and flea from the inferno.

"Ms. Vi took the brunt of it," Heath said.

Another neighbor Brian Goddard said he stayed behind to keep an eye on the neighborhood. Goddard said he provided "unfortunate" updates to his neighbors over the phone.

"It was a pretty stressful night for everyone," he said.

Vi did not return to her property once allowed to. Her daughter was at work still, and she said she could not return alone.

For two weeks, Vi and family and friends did their best to clear the charred remains of the bunkhouse.

"I would dig through the ashes for hours looking for anything, but it was all gone," the 73-year-old Vi said.

An antique electric stove she bought for her husband as a 70th birthday gift was turned over and completely blackened in the blaze. Vi said inside the oven, perfectly preserved, was a beautiful ceramic pie plate, which now sits on her kitchen island.

Saturday morning, Goddard and more than 30 neighbors and area contractors surprised Vi when they showed up unannounced to build her a new out-building despite the rainy weather.

"There was an onslaught of people," he said.

Vi smiled as she watched the first truss get hoisted into place.

"It's a big surprise," she said. "Everybody is in trouble here."

She said she saw the numerous cars staged at Goddard's house next door and thought he must have been having a party and did not invite her.

"Our neighborhood is really close. They're all like our children," she said.

Goddard, a contractor himself and owner of Cardale Industries, put out an SOS among the neighbors and his contacts in the business.

He said Lowe's provided materials at a reduced cost and donated some items. A1 Rentals loaned him a truss boom and trencher. Tri-County Disposal provided three dumpsters for the remaining debris.

He said thanks to the generosity of everyone involved, they were able to secure materials and labor for less than what it would have cost Vi in insurance deductible.

"We need to step up and help one another like they did in the old days with barn raisings," Goddard said.

Vi said her late husband would have "loved all of this, them all getting together like this."

"Take the time to get to know your neighbors," she said. "Be friendly. There's a lot of nice people out there."
The Montana VA Health Care System kicks off the 2022 flu shot season in October, giving enrolled Montana veterans several options to make getting a free flu shot easy.

Veterans enrolled with VA health care will be offered flu shots at their Montana VA primary care appointments.

Flu vaccines are available at pharmacies and urgent care locations statewide. To find a close-to-home and in-network community care provider, Veterans can search by entering in their home ZIP code in the drop-down menu of the VA locator, https://www.va.gov/find-locations.

Many local Montana VA clinics are offering more flu shot options, such as drive-in flu clinics or walk-in options (details below based on location).

Veterans should get a flu shot each year. The flu shot is safe and effective, and a person cannot get the flu from the flu shot. The flu virus most impacts high-risk groups such as adults who are 65 or older, pregnant women, people in nursing homes and long-term care facilities, people with medical conditions (such as heart disease, asthma, and kidney or liver disorders), and people with weakened immune symptoms.

Montana VAs Flu Shot Clinic Schedule (by location)

Billings: Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow VA Clinic (1775 Spring Creek Lane).

 Oct. 5 Drive-Through Flu Clinic: From 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (in the parking lot)

 Walk-in flu shots are available every Thursday beginning Oct. 6 from 10 a.m. to 1 pm in the Ben Steele Conference room.

Bozeman: Travis W. Atkins VA Clinic (1101 E. Main St.)

 Oct. 5 Walk-In Flu Clinic: From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Butte: VA Clinic (40 Three Bears Drive)

 Oct. 12 Drive-Through Flu Clinic: From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

 Walk-in flu shots are available every Wednesday from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Cut Bank: (8 Second Ave. SE)

 Walk-in flu shots are available Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to noon and 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Fort Harrison/Helena: (3687 Veterans Drive, Fort Harrison)

 Oct. 5 Drive-Through Flu Clinic: From 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Parking Lot A)

 Walk-in flu shots are available in the Primary Care Clinic (2nd floor conference room) every Thursday (beginning Sept. 29) from 8:30-11 a.m.

Glasgow (630 2nd Ave. S., Suite A)

 Walk-in flu shots are available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Glendive: VA Clinic (2000 Montana Ave.)

 Oct. 4 Drive-Through Flu Clinic: From 8:30 a.m. to noon.

 Walk-in flu shots are available Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Great Falls: VA Clinic (1400 29th St., Suite 1)

 Walk-in flu shots are available Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-11 a.m.

Kalispell: VA Clinic (31 Three Mile Drive, Suite 102)

 Walk-in flu shots are available every Wednesday in October from 8-10 a.m.

Miles City: VA Clinic (316 S Haynes Ave.)

 Oct. 5 Drive-Through Flu Clinic: From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (North side of clinic)

 Walk-in flu shots are available Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Missoula: David J. Thatcher VA Clinic (3885 West Broadway St.)

 Oct. 13 Walk-In Flu Clinic: From 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

 Walk-in flu shots are available every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Montana VA serves over 47,000 enrolled veterans with a staff of 1,400 at 18 sites.
SHANNON, Ill.  Darrell Stitzels grandparents moved to a farm in Carroll County in northwestern Illinois 65 years ago. His wife Lauries father started his career as a tenant farmer in South Dakota. Together, the couple has grown a thriving pork business while also being active in their community.

They were recognized this year at the Illinois State Fair as the 2022 Illinois Pork Producer Farm Family of the Year.

I was happy to see Darrell recognized for his hard work and dedication to pork producers and am very proud of him, Laurie said.

Darrell helped on the farm as a teenager, but he said he was in college earning his degree in agricultural economics at the University of Illinois Urbana- Champaign when he started to appreciate the idea of farming full-time.

Today, Stitzel Hog Farm markets 10,000 pigs from their wean-to finish hog farm and grows 450 acres of corn.

The corn is mostly for the hogs, Darrell said.

The evolution of the farm and its buildings is proudly captured in a couple of aerial photos of the farm hanging in their home office.

Darrells parents, Dan and Paulette, took over the operation from his grandparents in the 1960s, building the first hog barn in 1972 and more in the 1980s. The family started as a farrow-to-finish operation with some outdoor production, Darrell said.

Now we concentrate on one aspect, he said.

Darrell started farming full time in 1990 and took over daily operations from his parents more than a decade ago. With the help of his cousin, Nathan Cluck, they manage farming operations today.

Over time, Darrells interest in the policy and promotion side of raising pork grew and he became active in the Carroll County Pork Association. That interest became a springboard to being elected to the Illinois Pork Producers Board of Directors. He served in each of the IPPA offices over a nine-year period and became its president in 2005.

Darrell took part in the National Pork Leadership Academy, where he said he learned more about pork production and marketing. He used that knowledge to speak at more than 30 Operation Main Street gatherings, telling the pork industrys story and dispelling myths about the industry to his audiences.

The two points we tried to get across is hog farms are environmentally friendly and that lean pork is healthy, he said.

Being involved in IPPA gave him a lot of opportunities, including attending the Pork Leadership Academy. He said, he really learned a lot in a half dozen or so visits to Washington, D.C. In being part of the state and national pork associations, he said he learned to look at the pork industry as a bigger picture, instead of only how an individual issue would affect him directly.

As a group, we (pork producers) are a consumer-driven industry, he said.

For both Darrell and Laurie, it was a highlight to help Texas pork producers on Operation Snowball Express, a nonprofit to help families who lost a spouse or a parent in active duty. In the Lone Star State, pig farmers from Illinois and Texas served up food and interacted with the families.

It was neat to be part of that. It is a great cause, he said.

Brent School of Polo, Illinois, who was part of the Texas team, also worked with Darrell on the IPPA board of directors and nominated the Stitzels for the Illinois Pork Producer Farm Family of the Year award. His nomination included recognition of the Stitzels many efforts in pork promotion as well as for the many events they cook pork for.

In addition to being an active part of the pork industry, the couple embraces their community. Laurie, who recently retired from running a beauty salon in Polo, says she still does some hairdressing and is active with the Shannon Lions Club.

Darrell serves on the Farm Business Farm Management (FBFM) state board, is a township supervisor and recently stepped down from the Carroll County Board after a decade of service there.

Darrell, who started farming full time 30 years ago, said he looks forward to at least another decade working in a successful business that has value.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. High 71F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low near 45F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
A $232,500 grant from the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) Education and Telehealth Access Fund will be used to finance the provision of broadband internet service through Starlink satellite service to unserved or underserved households with school children in Wise County.

The grant funds will be used for the cost and expense of hardware and wiring; and for two-year subscriptions for 94 residences in Wise County to expand education and telehealth access. According to the IDAs application, the funds will result in 438 students receiving Starlink internet service. Wise County has committed to provide $155,000 in leveraged funding toward the project.

VCEDA was appropriated $500,000 in the Virginia state budget for FY2023 and $500,000 in FY2024 for initiatives intended to expand education and telehealth access, VCEDA Executive Director/General Counsel Jonathan Belcher said. Previously, in FY2022, VCEDA also received $500,000 for this purpose and developed the VCEDA Education and Telehealth Access fund to administer the funds being received from the state.

The first application approved from the fund was for the Appalachian Council for Innovation (ACI) for its project to provide the initial low earth orbit Starlink Satellite Internet service to unserved and/or underserved children in the VCEDA footprint. The project was done by ACI in association with various local school districts, resulting in 719 children in four counties being provided access to Starlink, including connections made possible by leveraged funding from the participating localities of Dickenson, Russell, Tazewell and Wise counties, according to ACI. The grant application approved by VCEDA and closed recently will further that program.

After the initial two-year subscription has passed, individual account holders will be responsible for the ongoing monthly subscription unless other support mechanisms are found, according to the Wise County application.

Discussions concerning the funding being received by VCEDA in FY2023 have resulted in several of the county industrial development authorities expressing a desire to apply for the funds for the Starlink projects in their respective jurisdictions, Belcher said, noting Wise Countys IDA was the first to submit an application.

High quality Internet service is a vital part of our development efforts in Wise County, Wise County Industrial Development Authority Executive Director Brian Falin said. The Wise County IDA is thrilled to be the recipient of this grant from the VCEDA Education and Telehealth Access Fund and looks forward to working with our project partners on the continued deployment of StarLink internet service to those households with the greatest need.

This grant will primarily provide enhanced educational opportunities, but will also allow for health treatment expansion including improved telemedicine and enhanced workforce education and remote worker (telework) opportunities. Data shows students with high-speed broadband perform at one-half letter grade better than those without and we are proud to work alongside Wise County Public Schools in these efforts. We want to thank VCEDA for the opportunity to access these funds and for always supporting our development efforts in Wise County and the region.
Coalfield Development Corporation, the University of Virginias College at Wise and other regional partners are hosting the tri-state areas first Appalachian Social Enterprise Summit.

The one-day summit which will be held Tuesday, Oct. 4 at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia features two UVA Wise students who will pitch their entrepreneurship business projects.

UVA Wise student Zachary Cunningham, a business administration major from Farmington, Missouri, will share his vision linking eastern Kentucky and Southwest Virginia non-profits called Appalachia Social Capital Bridge.

Isaias Martin Gutierrez, a UVA Wise business major, will present his solution to help feed Appalachia called Hungry to Serve Appalachia. He hopes to tackle chronic hunger in the region though a non-profit that aims to reduce food waste and better utilize natural resources. Martin Gutierrez is from Huelva, Spain.

The rise of social entrepreneurship in our region has led to several innovative business initiatives and entrepreneurs who want to run their business with the efficiency of a for-profit and the compassion of a non-profit, Brandon Dennison, chief executive officer for Coalfield Development, said. To diversify the Appalachian economy, we believe the social enterprise model is essential for reaching the underserved communities scattered throughout Appalachia.

The Summit hopes to attract aspiring entrepreneurs who are interested in social entrepreneurship and business leaders who are already utilizing the social enterprise model and looking to network and expand their business.

Coalfield Development Corporation is hosting a farm-to-table dinner the evening before the summit at their West Edge Factory location. That event will feature community training opportunities for anyone interested in woodworking, screen printing and composting.

Gayle Manchin, federal co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission, will be the keynote speaker for the dinner and training.

Marshall University President Brad Smith is one of the speakers at the event, which also includes breakout sessions and workshops.
As a child, Buford Barnett loved going to see displays of military aircraft in Darlington, South Carolina.

Barnetts memories of that time are somewhat bittersweet as he recalled the deterioration that resulted from the planes being left outside in the wind and rain.

Barnett is now the manager of the Hickory Aviation Museum and he notes that many of the museums planes face the same challenges as those in Darlington.

The museum keeps much of its collection  about 21 military planes dating back to World War II  in an open space behind the airport terminal.

The planes themselves are showing the signs of wear and exposure. Barnett noted the effect of bird droppings on a Curtiss XF15C-1 as one example.

These planes will not be remaining outdoors for much longer, however. The museum and city of Hickory have partnered to build a hangar that will serve as the new home for the museum.

Barnett spoke of the advantages that having an indoor space will provide when it comes to preservation of the aircraft, which is a core mission of the museum. Were hoping to get everything inside, maintain the integrity of the aircraft, get them all painted up and just like brand new, Barnett said.

The museum space will be part of a larger structure that also will be the home of the Catawba Valley Community College Workforce Innovation Center.

The three-story center will have classrooms as well as rooms for simulators and flexible use space available for training various types of technical disciplines. The third story will be used for a restaurant or event space.

In June, the Hickory City Council awarded a $1.2 million contract for design of the building to Charlotte architecture firm McMillan Pazdan Smith.

Funding for the innovation center is in place, courtesy of a $15 million appropriation from the state.

The $7 million cost for the museum portion will be covered through private fundraising. So far, the museum has been able to obtain more than $4.4 million through fundraising from larger donors.

The museums public fundraising campaign launched this week, complete with an event at the Drendel Audtiorium on Wednesday and the launch of a new website for donations.

Former Mayor Jeff Cline and CommScope founder and Hickory Aviation Museum benefactor Frank Drendel joined representatives from the aviation museum, CVCC and architecture firm MacMillan Pazdan Smith to talk about the project.

Frank Weisser, a retired U.S. Navy commander and Blue Angels pilot, was the featured speaker.

Weisser, a Georgia resident, came to Hickory in November 2020, flying in the Blue Angels plane that is now part of the museums collection. He is now a member of the aviation museum board. The Blue Angels is a flight demonstration squadron of the U.S. Navy.

Weisser treated the audience to clips showing the first-person perspective of what it is like to land a jet on an aircraft carrier and fly as part of a Blue Angels routine. He also showed behind-the-scenes footage of some of his low-altitude flying in the blockbuster film Top Gun: Maverick.

He said the reason the Blue Angels have rarely if ever come to Hickory is because of the difficulties in clearing enough air space.

Weisser said the aviation museum is able to accomplish the same things the Blue Angels try to achieve through their demonstrations.

What this museum is proposing to do does our mission for us, Weisser said. It brings aviation, this love this excitement  it brings it to the children. It brings it to the veterans. It brings it to the young adults. It brings it to everybody.

He also praised the dedication and passion of the volunteer staff when it comes to preserving and sharing the memory of those who flew and maintained the aircrafts in the museums possession.

It was this passion that the people here have for this museum, this passion that brings it to life, Weisser said. Thats what made me excited about it. Its not the machines. The machines are awesome, but the stories are even better.

The fundraiser runs through the end of the year.
According to Ursula von der Leyen, this represents the freedom of Europe.

The gas pipeline connecting Bulgaria and Greece was delivered on Saturday, MTI reported with reference to the AP international news agency.

The Greece-Bulgaria gas pipeline (IGB) was completed in July, and now the delivery has started. This is of great importance from the point of view of European energy security, because Russia stopped the delivery of gas to Bulgaria at the end of April, after Sofia, ignoring the demand of the Russian side, refused to pay for the gas in rubles.

The 183-kilometer-long pipeline starts from the town of Komotini in northeastern Greece, connected to the Trans-Adriatic Gas Pipeline (TAP), and runs from there all the way to the Bulgarian town of Sztara Zagora in the north. According to the plans, the initial capacity of the pipeline could be three billion cubic meters of gas per year, which would later be expanded to five billion.

Teodora Georgievaaccording to the projects Bulgarian manager, the gas pipeline can supply gas to several countries in the Western Balkans, and with its help they will also be able to transport gas to Moldova and Ukraine.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, says that this pipeline can change the energy security situation in Europe, because thanks to such projects, Europe will have enough natural gas in the winter. He added that the European Commission contributed nearly 250 million euros (105.7 billion forints) to the construction of the network.

Von der Leyen said that Europe has everything to become independent from Russia in its energy supply, and the rest is just a matter of political will. According to the report, at Saturdays ceremony in Sofia, von der Leyen also spoke about how the southern pipeline symbolizes the freedom of Europe.
RALEIGH  Are Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, Republican House Speaker Tim Moore and Republican Senate leader Phil Berger about to strike a deal to expand North Carolinas Medicaid program?

I dont know. The three leaders have been negotiating for months. While they broadly agree on the expansion itself, Bergers chamber is the only one to have passed a bill  by a 44-2 vote  and it included some deregulatory measures to expand the supply of medical services to North Carolinians.

Special-interest groups that benefit from the current regulatory structure dislike the Senate version. Hospitals, in particular, strongly dislike the idea of having to compete for your business, which is what the bills certificate-of-need reforms would encourage. Many House members disagree with the Senates approach, as well. So does Cooper. Still, theyd rather enact it than nothing, so the governor has publicly called for the interest groups to give in. A few days ago, the hospitals offered what they termed a compromise, though Berger called it more public relations than a substantive or serious proposal.

If North Carolina acts on Medicaid, we certainly ought to accompany expansion with the Senates pro-competition reforms. We need to reduce the actual cost of delivering health care, not simply transfer the bill from patients or employers to taxpayer-funded Medicaid. While our leaders have been negotiating, however, events in a neighboring state have reopened an issue once thought dead: work requirements.

As originally written, the Affordable Care Act didnt really leave state governments any choice in the matter: They had to expand Medicaid. After the U.S. Supreme Court struck down that part of the bill in 2012, many Republican-led states signaled that they were willing to forego the massive federal subsidies attached to Medicaid expansion because of their concerns about long-term fiscal impact and increased dependency on public assistance (Medicaid is already Americas largest welfare program).

Allowing states to require work in exchange for Medicaid enrollment would have made expansion more palatable. The Obama administration sounded at first like this might be a real option, but it soon became clear that President Obama would never allow the enforcement of serious work requirements.

The next administration saw things very differently. During President Trumps four-year term, 13 states received federal waivers to implement work rules for Medicaid. Several other states were in the process of seeking such approval when President Biden won election. States were instructed not to bother submitting such applications. All previously granted waivers were rescinded.

Most of these work requirements had never been implemented, anyway. Progressive groups had successfully sued to strike them down. The cases hadnt yet reached the U.S. Supreme Court when the Biden administration rescinded the waivers. Earlier this year, the court declared the cases moot.

But what if Bidens action was itself illegal? Thats what the state of Georgia argued in a lawsuit filed in January. Last month, a federal judge sided with Georgia, calling the administrations actions arbitrary, capricious and contrary to reasoned decision making. For now, at least, Georgia is authorized to proceed with its work requirement for non-disabled Medicaid recipients.

Given this development, I think Berger and Moore ought to reemphasize, as a condition for compromise, another provision of the original Senate bill: a work requirement for the childless adults who make up the majority of potential beneficiaries of Medicaid expansion. Cooper and Democratic lawmakers wont like it, of course, but would they truly prefer no Medicaid expansion at all? I think Cooper knows his negotiating position will probably be weaker after the 2022 election. Democrats might also conclude that the Biden administration will refuse to grant such a waiver, anyway, and thus thered be no risk in allowing Republicans to include work requirements in an expansion bill.

If thats true, what would be the point of including it? Well, I would argue that as a general proposition all public-assistance programs  cash, nutrition, housing and health care  should have work requirements. Let the president say otherwise. Then let voters say what they think about that in 2024.
CHARLESTON  Adeline, age 3, is accustomed to seeing fire trucks and ambulances up close while visiting her father, firefighter-paramedic Hunter Thomson, at his Charleston Fire Department station.

Still, Adeline got caught up in the excitement along with a large crowd of other children on Saturday during the annual open house at Fire Station No. 2, 1510 A St., for National Fire Prevention Week. She eagerly put on a child-sized set of turnout gear, including a plastic helmet, to try out a junior firefighter obstacle course.

"Today is cool because it's different for her," Thomson said of Adeline, who got to swing a small mallet in the obstacle course to simulate forcing up a door at a fire scene.

Nearby, Chris and Judy Walters of Charleston cheered on their 2-year-old grandson, Kyson, as he was among the many children who tried using the powerful spray of water from a fire hose to knock down simulated flame targets in a free-standing window frame. The spray was strong enough at the outset that it knocked down the window frame on a couple of occasions.

"Kyson remembered the fire hose from last year. That was his favorite thing," Judy Walters said. However, she noted that the 2-year-old also kept returning to the fire and storm safety education trailer, in which children can practice escaping from mock fires.

In addition to the trailer, the Charleston Fire Department's fire trucks and ambulances were on display during the open house at this station behind McDonald's. The event also featured a Charleston Police Department patrol vehicle and Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center's Healthy Kids KickStart Mobile, plus a flyover by the Air Evac 145 helicopter.

Ryan Croy and Laura Kuhl of Charleston helped 4-year-old Emilia and 2-year-old Roaryn sit in the front seat of the fire department's big ladder truck and in the jump seats in the back of an ambulance. Kuhl said they turned out for the open house so the children could see the fire trucks, and they stayed around to check out the other activities.

"I've enjoyed it. It's a nice experience," Kuhl said.

The open house included vehicle crash extrication equipment and Charleston police canine demonstrations, visits with Sparky the Fire Dog, and free hot dogs inside the fire station.

Charleston resident Amy Mann said visiting the open house has become an annual tradition for her sons, 5-year-old Layne and 3-year-old Landon, who are big fans of the free iced slushies served up by the firefighters.

"It's just a fun time and they love seeing the fire trucks, ambulances and firefighters," Mann said.
The sounds of chainsaws and leaf blowers were heard across the area Saturday as crews and residents cleaned up the debris left in the wake of the remnants of Hurricane Ian.

By mid afternoon Saturday, Duke Energy reported less than 7,500 outages in Forsyth County. The areas with the most customers without power were the west and northwest parts of the Winston-Salem.

Friday, Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines declared a state of emergency for the city, making it eligible for reimbursement for certain expenses related to storm cleanup.

A spokesman for the Winston-Salem Police Department said that it was relatively quiet,

There were power outages, trees down and a few accidents, but nothing major, he said.

Stoplights at the intersection of Robinhood and Peace Haven roads were out late Saturday morning. At the intersection of Stratford, Country Club roads, First and Miller streets Winston-Salem police officers were directing traffic because the stoplights were not working.

Crews from the City of Winston-Salem had to remove tree limbs that had become entangled and broken a stoplight at the intersection of Cloverdale Avenue and First Street.

Aaron Swiggett, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Raleigh, said that Forsyth County got about one and a half to two and a half inches of rain. Locally, some areas saw up to three inches.

The maximum wind gust was recorded at Smith Reynolds Airport. It was 47 mph, he said.

August Vernon, the director of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Office of Emergency Management, said that early Saturday there were about 17,000 people without power in the county.

He said that there were several reports of trees on houses. There was no damage reported to roads or infrastructure. Roads and highways remained open and passable.

This was a 24-hour storm, Vernon said. One example I have heard was, This was like a severe thunderstorm that went on for hours and hours. That was a good analogy.

Across North Carolina about 210,000 customers were without power, according to a press release from Gov. Roy Cooper.

The press release reported that there were four fatalities in North Carolina associated with the storm. Three of the people killed were involved in vehicle accidents. The fourth, a 65-year-old Johnston County man, died and his wife was hospitalized from carbon monoxide poisoning when they put a running generator in an enclosed garage.

The forecast for Sunday from the National Weather Service is for cloudy conditions and rain beginning around 2 p.m. The high will be 61 degrees and winds will be out of the northwest then north at 5 to 9 mph.

Sunday night will be cloudy and rain is likely before 8 p.m. Winds out of the north at 10 to 13 mph and gusts up to 22 mph. The low will be 51 degrees

Mondays forecast is partly sunny with a high of 64 degrees.
Christian Unity and the Syriac Churches

Hagia Sophia. (AINA) -- In June 2021, Patriarch Sako shared a reflection on the difficulty of achieving unity among Christians, especially in Iraq. The differences among the churches are not only doctrinal, but also canonical and liturgical, geographic, ethnic, and linguistic. We strive to overcome doctrinal disagreements and some liturgical and canonical divergences, but these other factors are not intended to be overcome. Instead, they ought to remain with us and to be understood not as obstacles to our communion in faith and sacraments.

In response to His Beatitude, I proposed that consideration be given to a concrete outline of Christian unity that is compatible with our ancient differences. The most important aspect of unity that Christians seek is Eucharistic communion -- the celebration of the Eucharist together. Few obstacles stand in the way of this. Although divided by schisms lasting even more than 1,500 years, Christians of the apostolic churches hope for and very well may see the restoration of communion among them in our own lifetimes.

After the restoration of Eucharistic communion will likely follow certain forms of administrative union. These may reflect liturgical, canonical, geographic, ethnic, linguistic, and other historical differences. Such administrative unions represent a unity far less important than Eucharistic communion. But they are quite concrete, and therefore they provide us with a somewhat more concrete vision of our future unity. In what follows, I'd like to reflect on the administrative shape of Christian unity, especially among the Syriac Churches.

At the start, I must limit the scope of my considerations to the four communions of apostolic churches, such as understood by the Catholic Church: Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and the Assyrian and Ancient Churches of the East. Also, I am not anticipating a revolution in ecclesiology but will consider what lightest of administrative reforms might yield the clearest expression of Christian unity. Consequently, I begin with the observation that most Syriac-speaking Christians belong to three historic churches that date to apostolic times: the Church of Antioch, the Church of the East, and the Church of Malankara.

These historic churches are sadly divided among all four communions today -- the Church of Antioch into five different patriarchates, the Church of the East into three (though hopefully soon to be two), and the Church of Malankara into six structures that remain within the four communions and several others in communion with Protestant Christians. The clearest expression of Christian unity through administrative reform would likely come from the restoration of unity within each of these three historic churches. In other words, the five patriarchates of Antioch would form a single Church of Antioch with one holy synod and one patriarch. The Assyrian and Chaldean churches would form a single Church of the East with one holy synod and one catholicos-patriarch. And the Syriac Churches of India would do the same.

Even after overcoming the outstanding doctrinal disagreements among the communions, several further divergences will need to be addressed in the case of each historic church. I'll examine the case of each church one-by one.

The Church of the East

The situation with the Church of the East is likely the most straightforward. Both Assyrians and Chaldeans practice the East Syriac Rite and share much of their cultural heritage in common. Assyrians and Chaldeans list the sacraments differently, but the International Dialogue Commission between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East has already indicated that this divergence is no obstacle to the restoration of communion. Assyrians and Chaldeans also count ecumenical councils differently, but one may hope that this and other issues of universal significance, such as how to reconcile divergent pastoral responses to failed marriages, will find similar resolution through the international dialogues.

However, consensus achieved at the international level that declares a divergence no obstacle to communion may not suffice for the administrative union of historically divided churches under one holy synod and one patriarch. So how the Church of the East will teach her faithful about the sacraments, about ecumenical councils, about the prerogatives of the Roman Pope, etc. will need to be worked out between Assyrians and Chaldeans specifically, in light of the consensus achieved by the international dialogue undertaken with Rome.

For the Church of the East, two issues will likely require special care: liturgical uniformity and ethnic identity. The East Syriac Rite has suffered some degree of Latinization among the Chaldeans. The Chaldean Church, especially under the leadership of Patriarch Sako, has also undertaken multiple liturgical reforms, even introducing the new Anaphora of St. Thomas. On the Assyrian side, the Assyrian Church of the East and the Ancient Church of the East continue to grapple with divergent calendars. Bringing all three patriarchates together will demand patience and flexibility from all, careful study of historical sources, especially in the correction of Latinizations, and, most likely, openness to some liturgical variation and to the good that each variant brings to the Church of the East in the service of her mission.

Ultimately, ethnic identity may not be an issue for the Church of the East. Some Chaldeans distinguish between an Assyrian ethnic identity and a Chaldean ecclesial identity and accept both. Others identify with a Chaldean ethnicity. Disagreements over ethnicity among Assyrians and Chaldeans and other partisans, and even over the nature of ethnic identity, have caused some tension. In ancient and medieval times, the Church of the East embraced many ethnicities throughout her canonical territory of Asia east of the Roman Empire. In the same way, the Church of the East need not in the future identify herself with any one ethnicity. I have proposed that the Church of the East adopt an ecclesiologically appropriate and non-ethnic appellation for her faithful: Eastern Apostolic, analogous to "Armenian Apostolic" and the less-used "Georgian Apostolic," whose churches are also ancient catholicosates.

The Church of Antioch

The case of Antioch is more complex. Her faithful belong to five different patriarchates and practice three rites -- Byzantine, Maronite, and West Syriac. Moreover, the Chalcedonian-Miaphysite schism that originally divided the Melkites and Maronites, on the one hand, from the Syriacs, on the other, has lasted for more than 15 centuries. Thankfully, this division has begun to heal.

Results of the Joint Commission of the Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches have found little reception. But the situation may soon change. In the wake of the recent decision by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople to restore communion with and grant autocephaly to the faithful of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the partial schism and invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation that followed, the Orthodox Church has begun to retrieve an ancient understanding of oikonomia -- not merely as lenience in pastoral care for individual souls but as a method to restore and preserve Christian unity. This retrieval may soon bear fruit for dialogue among all the apostolic churches.

Similar to the Church of the East, after consensus regarding issues of universal significance is achieved by the international dialogues and after the five patriarchates of Antioch have further refined this consensus for application within a single Church of Antioch, two more issues will likely require special care: how to handle liturgical diversity and Antioch's canonical territory. Regarding the first, liturgical diversity will remain with Church of Antioch. Her faithful will not abandon their rites to adopt another or to blend them into one. Maybe each rite will undergo some adaptation to overcome incompatibilities among them or to draw them closer together. For example, the Maronites could correct Latinizations. Likewise, the Byzantines (today Antiochian Orthodox and Melkite Catholics) could give more prominence to the Anaphora of St. James. But each rite will persist.

Given such diversity, the Church of Antioch will need to consider how to preserve her unity. For example, she could retain three separate hierarchies that form one holy synod and that elect one patriarch, perhaps rotating the patriarchal office among the three rites. (The rotation could be simple or complex.) Alternatively, she could go further and integrate her dioceses around the world, so that each diocese has one pre-eminent bishop and additional auxiliary bishops of the other rites, according to needs of each diocese, who together serve the faithful. The pre-eminent episcopal office in each diocese might likewise rotate among the rites of the faithful in the diocese, unless tradition advises to the contrary -- for example, the Archbishop of Mt. Lebanon should always be a Maronite. I don't think that there are many mutli-rite dioceses at present, but the bi-ritual Archeparchy of Kottayam could serve as a model for tri-ritual dioceses in a united Church of Antioch.

Since 2009, the Orthodox Church has sought to integrate her diasporic jurisdictions around the world into 13 regional synods. If a united Church of Antioch sought to integrate her own Byzantine, Maronite, and Syriac jurisdictions around the world, the Antiochian Byzantine (Melkite) jurisdictions would forego integration with the other Byzantine jurisdictions in favor of integration with Maronites and Syriacs. Whether tri-ritual Antiochian jurisdictions in the US and Oceania would enjoy the same degree of autonomy that the Antiochian Orthodox jurisdictions have today would need to be determined by the united Church of Antioch. These proposals constitute just one strategy through which the Church of Antioch might address the liturgical diversity among her faithful.

To clarify Antioch's canonical territory, it is best to begin with the territorial claims of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch, because she already enjoys communion with the neighboring churches of Constantinople and Jerusalem. In Turkey, Constantinople claims East Thrace and geographic Anatolia, while the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch claims the territory from Cilicia through Turkish Kurdistan. (The Church of Georgia claims Turkey's small Tao-Klarjeti region). Syria and Lebanon indisputably belong to Antioch, while Israel, Jordan, and Palestine belong to the Church of Jerusalem. In recent years, the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem has supported a diocese in Qatar, despite the traditional assignment of the Arabian Peninsula to the canonical territory of Antioch.

The Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch also claims Iraq and Iran. However, these countries indisputably belong to the canonical territory of the Church of the East. Respect for the canonical territory of the latter need not entail the loss of Antioch's dioceses in Iraq. The Church of the East could allow other churches to support local hierarchies to serve their faithful but insist that, within her canonical territory, Eastern Apostolic bishops enjoy precedence in relation to equally ranked bishops of other churches. Consequently, the Church of Antioch might support jurisdictions around the world but limit her territorial claims to Cilicia, Lebanon, Syria, Turkish Kurdistan, and the Arabian Peninsula.

(Relatedly, if the Armenian See of Cilicia ever accepts the status that the other major Armenian sees understand her to have -- i.e. not as autocephalous but as an autonomous church under the authority of Etchmiadzin -- and if, according to the desire of many Armenians in North America, Cilicia allows the duplicate Armenian jurisdictions that she supports there to integrate with the jurisdictions under the authority of Etchmiadzin (without thereby ceasing to support the Western Armenian traditions and historical memory preserved by the former), then Cilicia might claim jurisdiction over all and only Armenians within the canonical territories of Antioch and Cyprus. This would require Cilicia to surrender to Etchmiadzin the Armenian dioceses in Iran, and in turn for Etchmiadzin to surrender to Cilicia the Armenian jurisdictions in Damascus and the Arabian Peninsula.)

The Church of Malankara

Finally, we get to the case of the Church of Malankara. Like the Church of the East and unlike the Church of Antioch, this church suffered no lasting internal schism until the 16th century. Like the Church of Antioch and unlike the Church of the East, the faithful of this church are divided between different rites -- East Syriac and West Syriac. And unlike either Antioch or the East, the Church of Malankara has never enjoyed an undisputed status of autocephaly (i.e. complete administrative independence).

Until the 16th century, the Church of Malankara belonged to the Church of the East. After the arrival of the Portuguese in India and their attempt to subjugate the Syriac-speaking Indian Christians to the Latin hierarchy and Latin Rite, the church split into those who preserved a Latinized version of the East Syriac Rite and became subordinate to Rome and those who adopted the West Syriac Rite and became subordinate to the Syriac Patriarch of Antioch. Since then, both communities have divided further, but all or nearly all parties have regained some autonomy, in different degrees, in relation to the Churches of Rome, Antioch, and the East. There have also been efforts to de-Latinize the East Syriac Rite in India.

Administratively, Christian unity might find the clearest expression among the Indian Christians of the Syriac Rites if they joined to form a single bi-ritual autocephalous church with one holy synod and one catholicos-patriarch. Tradition suggests a title for the latter such as follows: Catholicos-Patriarch of Kochi-Angamaly and Gate of All India. Malankara Christians already have experience with one bi-ritual diocese -- the Archeparchy of Kottayam, which belongs to the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church and which serves the strictly endogamous subset of Malankara Christians called the Knanaya within the Catholic communion. A united Church of Malankara could integrate all her jurisdictions to form bi-ritual dioceses in India and worldwide, perhaps alternating the patriarchal and local episcopal offices between the rites, as I proposed for the Church of Antioch.

A rather recondite question remains regarding who would grant to the Church of Malankara the status of autocephaly. In the Catholic communion, only Rome can establish new patriarchates. In the Orthodox Church, Constantinople claims the sole right to grant autocephaly. The Church of Russia disputes this, as has the Church of Serbia in a somewhat half-hearted manner by her recent actions in relation to the Orthodox Church in North Macedonia. Among the Oriental Orthodox Churches, it seems that the church to whose territory the new church formerly belonged has this right. In this case of India, after the restoration of Eucharistic communion among the apostolic churches, it would seem most appropriate for the Churches of Rome, Antioch, and the East to act together to grant autocephaly to the Church of Malankara.

Such joint action would bring clarity to the situation. But at least one more significant administrative challenge remains. India is also home to several million Latin Catholics and several million Protestant Christians. Because the Latin Church has so significant a presence in the country, India could be treated as "shared canonical territory" -- shared between the Church of Malankara and the Church of Rome -- such that equally ranked bishops of the Syriac Rites and of the Latin Rite would have equal status. India is not the only country for which to consider the possibility of "shared canonical territory." The Sinai Peninsula could be shared between the Churches of Alexandria and Jerusalem, the former caring for Alexandrian Rite faithful and the latter for Byzantine Rite faithful. And Central Europe -- specifically Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Albania -- could be shared between Rome, on the one hand, and Constantinople and her daughter churches, on the other.

Although making a territorial claim upon India, the Church of Rome could take other steps to support the autocephalous status of the Church of Malankara. For example, Rome could suppress the non-resident patriarchal title of the Latin Archbishop of Goa and either suppress the primatial title of the same archbishop or amend it with the addition of "for the Latins." Rome also supports in India two national episcopal conferences: the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) for India's Latin Rite bishops and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), which gathers all of India's Catholic bishops and whose leadership rotates among the three rites. If not detrimental to India's Latin Catholics, Rome could do away with the CCBI and propose that the presidency of the CBCI be assigned always to the Catholicos-Patriarch and the vice-president be elected by India's Latin bishops. This would secure the ecclesiastical authority of the Church of Malankara in India.

For the sake of completeness, I will note that the Catholic Church also supports regional and continental "superconferences" -- formally, "international meetings of bishops' conferences." Just as the presidency of the CBCI could be assigned to India's Catholicos-Patriarch and its vice president be elected by India's Latin bishops, so too could the presidency of Africa's superconference (SECAM) someday be assigned to the Patriarch of Alexandria and its vice president be elected by all its bishops. Likewise might Asia's superconference (FABC) someday include and its presidency be assigned to the Catholicos-Patriarch of the East and its vice president be elected by all its bishops. To Rome and Constantinople might be assigned, maybe in an honorary way, the presidency and vice presidency of Europe's superconference (CCEE). Also in Europe, Rome could establish a regional superconference for Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Bosnia, Croatia, and Slovenia, whose presidency might someday be assigned to the Patriarch of Serbia. Finally, because Cyprus, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and North Macedonia each have their own autocephalous churches, it would make sense for them to have their own episcopal conferences as well.

This discussion of the administrative shape of Christian unity in the Syriac Churches has been both very detailed and highly speculative. I have made some concrete proposals. However, my purpose is not to shape our future unity but to offer these speculations as an invitation to anticipate our future unity more concretely and consequently to desire it more fervently. Christ Himself prayed that we may be one. To the prophet Habakkuk, the Lord said: "Write the vision; make it plain upon tablets" and "Still the vision awaits its time; it hastens to the end -- it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay" (Habakkuk 2:2-3).
As many of 3 million birds a day are flying over Forsyth County as another fall migration season launches.

Thats right, 3 million, according to BirdCast, a partnership between the Cornell Lab, Colorado State University and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst that forecasts migration patterns.

Those are numbers we cant even comprehend, conceded Kim Brand, engagement coordinator for Audubon North Carolina and a Winston-Salem resident.

But not all of those avian travelers make it through the countys airspace.

In Winston-Salem, volunteers with Forsyth Audubon have found as many as 50 dead or injured birds a month during early-morning searches in the downtown area in past years. The timing of those discoveries point to an almost-certain cause of the casualties.

Nationally, at least 100 million birds die every year when they collide with buildings after being disoriented by artificial lights during nighttime hours, the National Audubon Society estimates.

Preventing such deaths, experts say, is as easy as flipping a switch.

Through its Lights Out Winston-Salem program, Forsyth Audubon has worked with local building owners and operators to turn the downtown dark during bird migration season.

As a result, lights go out at 11 p.m. at 500 West Fifth Street, Liberty Plaza, the Cardinal Hotel and Winston Tower, along with Truist, Reynolds American and Wells Fargo buildings between Sept. 10 and Nov. 30, and from March 15 to May 31.

Night flight

Most birds fly at night on their migratory journeys because they expend less energy in the cooler air and arent as exposed to predators, Brand explained.

In the darkness, birds use the moon and stars to navigate but, like moths, theyre drawn to light and can become confused.

Theres not really anything in their evolutionary history to prepare them for light shining up at them from below, so its totally disorienting, Brand said.

New York Citys nighttime Tribute in Light display every Sept. 11  early in fall migration season  at the site of the 2001 World Trade Center terrorist attacks has become somewhat of a case study in this phenomenon.

You see birds becoming trapped in those lights, Brand noted. Theyre not physically trapped but theyre mentally trapped, bouncing around, and cant seem to figure out how to leave the beam.

When a significant number of birds find themselves in that predicament, New York City Audubon volunteers alert the displays operators, who cut the lights temporarily.

In urban areas, illuminated buildings become a particular challenge for birds lured from their flight plan by city lights.

They have to navigate this environment that is full of windows that birds dont perceive as necessarily solid, so either theyre seeing the reflection of habitat or it looks like they could fly thought it, Brand explained.

The Wood Thrush Connection

Habitat destruction, climate change and building collisions are the leading human-related contributors to bird deaths, experts say.

In North Carolina, the wood thrush  a particular favorite of Brands  is among the species most impacted by the actions of people.

I personally adore the wood thrush, she said. They have a gorgeous song, and they sing in the deep, dark woods, in that place where its just really peaceful in the North Carolina summer. It feels magical to hear them sing.

But those are becoming rarer performances, experts say.

The wood thrush population has declined by half over the past 40 years, according to Audubon, and that trend is expected to continue.

Climate change is predicted to make conditions more favorable for wildfires that destroy forests, spring heat waves that endanger young birds and heavy rains that can flood nests.

And population growth in North Carolina continues to spur urban and suburban development that results in clearcutting of old growth trees.

As a result of those threats, wood thrushes are expected to lose about 80% of their current range by 2080.

It just shrinks the places where they can make more wood thrushes, Brand explained.

Because songbirds like the wood thrush return to precisely the same place every year and resist moving to new areas, they are at high risk when their familiar habitat is compromised.

Brand was one of several participants in a project that explored those migratory habits and became the subject of an award-winning documentary in 2017.

Working with the Smithsonian Institution, Audubon officials and volunteers from the local, state, national and international levels  with the help of a small transmitter attached to a wood thrush in its summer habitat at Pilot Mountain State Park  were able to track the birds 3,000-mile migratory trek to and from its winter home in Belize.

As part of the Climate Listening Projects production of The Wood Thrush Connection, Brand traveled to the Central American country to explore the birds winter grounds and consult with counterparts there.

It was amazing, she said of the experience.

Tough to be a bird

Brand admits she initially experienced a common misconception about where birds are tragically impacted by nighttime lighting.

When I started this work I thought it was just a big-city problem  in Toronto and Chicago and New York City, she explained. But its really a problem anywhere there are windows.

In 2009, Brand and Audubon Forsyth began collecting data on dead and injured birds found during migratory seasons.

Within a couple years, we had plenty of data and knew which buildings were the worst, Brand said. We had buildings that had lights that definitely needed to be turned out.

Audubon worked directly with the owners and operators of those buildings, who agreed to kill lights after 11 p.m. during the spring and fall migratory seasons.

Twenty U.S. cities  including Greensboro, Charlotte, Raleigh and Matthews in North Carolina  have adopted Lights Out policies and let municipal government buildings go dark at night.

But its not just high-rises that pose a threat. Illumination from ordinary homes, especially exterior lighting pointing upward, can be disorienting for birds, Brand said.

And autumn is particularly hazardous.

Twice as many building collisions occur in the fall compared to the spring because so many young birds are experiencing their first migrations.

Its tough to be a bird, Brand noted. Migration is definitely the most dangerous and demanding part of their entire life.

Darkening their path could lead to a brighter future.
Gunshots fired from a passing vehicle injured a Winston-Salem man Sunday morning outside a home where a party was being held, according to authorities.

Kevin Toribio Hernandez, 22, was struck in the hip at about 4:30 a.m. near the home at the 5200 block of Pineview Drive, the Winston-Salem Police said. The house is just north of Old Rural Hall Road.

Hernandez was transported to a local hospital. His injury is not life-threatening, police said.

The shooting "appears to be an isolated incident," the police department said in a press release.

No suspects had been identified as of Sunday afternoon.

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call the Winston-Salem Police Department at 336-773-7700, Crime Stoppers at 336-727-2800, or in Spanish at 336-728-3904.

Tips also may be submitted by searching Crime Stoppers of Winston-Salem Forsyth County on Facebook.
Friday bore witness to a travesty of international relations as Russian President Vladimir Putin took his invasion of Ukraine a step further.

After invading, occupying and subjugating four areas of Ukraine, representing about 20% of the country, on Friday he signed treaties to annex them to Russia, swearing to use all available means to protect them  from "Ukrainian and Western aggression," which he described as satanic.

Russia is violating international law, trampling on the United Nations charter, and showing its contempt for peaceful nations everywhere, President Biden said in a statement. Make no mistake: These actions have no legitimacy.

The U.S. and several major ally nations responded with a new round of sanctions and warned other nations that they, too, face sanctions if they support the move.

Putins ceremony came three days after Kremlin-orchestrated referendums supposedly approved and signed by the occupied Ukrainians  the result of ballots carried door-to-door by armed Russian soldiers.

The vote was obviously bogus. But that wont stop Russian authorities from claiming that it legitimizes their occupation and annexation.

Holding people at gunpoint as they cast ballots is not the only way to undermine democracy and exert power. Some in North Carolina are just a bit more adroit in their tactics.

In the case of Moore v. Harper, scheduled to come before the U.S. Supreme Court this month, N.C. Republican legislators are arguing that they should have the unfettered right to set the rules for our states elections, free from any restraints exerted by North Carolina courts  or the N.C. Constitution. As weve written before, In practical terms, that means that state legislators could not only gerrymander to their twisted hearts content, but in 2024, they could assign their Electoral College votes to whomever they please  even if their decision differs from that of the majority of voters in their state.

At that point, our votes would no longer have any meaning.

Its all part of whats known as the independent state legislature theory, which promotes legislative power uber alles.

Its a tactic that would lead to never-ending conservative outrage if Democrats were in charge and tried it  and rightly so.

The legal theory has been around for a while, but its always been considered a radical outlier, with little or no constitutional justification.

But we now have a conservative-majority Supreme Court that seems eager to overturn legal precedent, often favoring conservative causes.

Three of the court's conservatives  Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas  have signaled they would likely side with the Republican legislators if the case came before them.

The Republicans case has been criticized by Republican leaders and jurists as well as Democrats. Last month, the Conference of Chief Justices, a group representing the top state judicial officers in the nation, filed a brief urging the court to reject the case.

That the conference is willing to take a stand here highlights how extreme and dangerous the argument of the North Carolina legislators is, Nicholas Stephanopoulos, a law professor at Harvard, said. That argument would undermine the authority of state courts to interpret state law  a bedrock principle of our system of federalism, and one that conservative justices historically championed, not questioned.

Some likely find it offensive that we would link Russian aggression and an obviously rigged election to N.C. GOP legal theories.

Some would likely have found it offensive if wed suggested that former President Trumps supporters would turn to violence to keep him in office, before Jan. 6, 2021.

We live in a time of extremes, in which one major political party, seeing its future electoral prospects slip away, has desperately expanded the means by which it's willing to hold onto power. Some of its leaders have indulged in extreme gerrymandering, phony myths of "voter fraud," talk of "1776-style" revolution  and the unwavering promotion of a Big Lie. Where it will stop, nobody knows.

The November elections promise to be consequential, to say the least.

Hang on tight. Its going to get rough. Rougher.
Sixteen-year-old Adismarys Abreu had been discussing a long-lasting birth control implant with her mother for about a year as a potential solution to increasing menstrual pain.

Then Roe v. Wade was overturned, and Abreu joined the throng of teens rushing to their doctors as states began to ban or severely limit abortion.

"I'm definitely not ready to be pregnant," said Abreu, who had Nexplanon  a reversible, matchstick-sized contraceptive  implanted in her arm in August. Her home state of Florida bans most abortions after 15 weeks, and not having that option is "such a scary thought," she said.

Experts say the U.S. Supreme Court's June ruling appears to be accelerating a trend of increased birth control use among teens, including long-acting reversible forms including intrauterine devices and implants. Appointments have surged and Planned Parenthood has been flooded with questions as doctors report demand even among teens who aren't sexually active.

Some patients are fearful because the new abortion laws in several states don't include exceptions for sexual assault.

"Please, I need some birth control in case I get raped," patients tell Dr. Judith Simms-Cendan, a pediatric-adolescent gynecologist in Miami, where state law does not provide exceptions for rape or incest after 15 weeks.

Simms-Cendan, the president-elect of the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, said parents who might have been hesitant in the past now want to discuss birth control.

"It's a sea change of, 'I don't have room to play. We have got to get my child on something,'" she said.

Teens already were shifting to more effective long-acting forms of birth control, which have similar or even lower failure rates than sterilization, said Laura Lindberg, a professor at Rutgers University's School of Public Health in New Jersey. Her research found the number of 15- to 19-year-olds using those methods rose to 15% during the period 2015 to 2019, up from 3% during the 2006 to 2010 period.

No national data is available for the months since Roe was overturned, said Lindberg, who previously worked for nearly two decades at the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights.

But she said "major ripple effects" have to be expected from the loss of abortion access and noted that it wouldn't be the first time politics have led to a shift in birth control use.

After former President Donald Trump's election, as women raised concerns online that the Affordable Care Act would be repealed, demand for long-acting birth control rose by nearly 22% across all age groups, according to a 2019 research letter published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

In Ohio, where a judge recently blocked a ban on virtually all abortions, patients  both male and female  now listen with rapt attention to the contraception talk that Dr. Peggy Stager has long made a part of routine appointments at her pediatric practice in Cleveland.

Stager said her practice's dedicated spots for insertion of the Nexplanon implant are consistently filled, and requests for contraceptive refills have increased 30% to 40% since Roe was overturned. Recently, she talked to a college-bound student who wasn't sexually active but decided to get an IUD anyway.

"She was real clear: 'I want to have a great four years without any worry,'" recalled Stager, who chairs the section on adolescent health at the American Academy of Pediatrics. "And that's a change."

In Missouri, among the first states in the country with a trigger law in effect to ban abortions at any point in pregnancy, Dr. David Eisenberg also has seen a similar sense of urgency from college-bound teens.

"Fear is an amazing motivator," said Eisenberg, an associate professor at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, who performs abortions in neighboring Illinois. "They understand the consequence of a contraceptive failure might mean they become a parent because they might not be able to access an abortion."

Interest is also high at the contraception clinic that Dr. Elise Berlan oversees in Columbus, Ohio. Before the Supreme Court's decision, the clinic booked appointments for new patients within a week or two.

Now, it is booking several months out for first appointments, said Berlan, an adolescent medicine specialist who sees mothers and daughters in tears in her exam room. She said the clinic is adding a provider.

The day Roe was overturned, twice as many birth control questions as normal poured into Roo, Planned Parenthood's online chatbot aimed at teens.

Online birth control appointments skyrocketed that day  up 150% from a typical day, with an even-larger 375% surge for IUD-seekers, said Julia Bennett, director of digital education and learning strategy for Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

By mid-July, several weeks after the ruling, birth control appointments remained up about 20%, although the data isn't broken down by age group.

The growing interest exists in states like North Carolina, where abortion remains legal but the Legislature is conservative.

Dr. Kavita Arora, an obstetrician-gynecologist in Chapel Hill, said she saw maybe one teen a month before the ruling. Now, she said, she sees them at each clinic session.

"They're aware that this is an incredibly fluid situation, and what is allowed at one moment may not be allowed a week or a month later," Arora said.
HARTFORD, Conn.  With more than 1,000 followers on Instagram, Porkchop the therapy mini-pig is hamming it up all over Connecticut, bringing joy to schools, nursing homes and now, birthday parties.

Her bright disposition aside, Porkchop even poops out tomato seeds that have produced a bumper crop of the cherry variety.

"I take her everywhere," said Porkchop's mom and trainer Jess Moffo, an animal control officer at Woodbridge Regional Animal Control. "She lightens my heart, and I see the effect she has on other people. ... She's so gentle and caring."

Porkchop returned last week to Southington High School's Collaborative Learning Program because her visits last year were so positive for students. Students love helping Porkchop through her obstacle course by feeding her blueberries.

"Porkchop is just a wonderful break for our students," said Kristine Frattini, a social worker at the school. "Porkchop changes the mood of the day."

Moffo, who lives in Waterbury with her husband, four dogs and Porkchop, has been working with the mini-pig over the past year to earn her official therapy pig certification. That official designation will allow them to add hospital visits to the itinerary.

The idea of helping people through animals came from Moffo's memory of how her late grandmother with dementia so beautifully connected with her whenever she visited with her dog.

Moffo is doing Porkchop's training herself through the American Mini Pig Association's program. When Porkchop masters a skill, Moffo sends the association a video to prove it. The skills Porkchop needs to master include gentle treat-taking, walking among people, coming when her name is called, obeying the commands sit, stay and leave it and walking up stairs.

Once Porkchop is officially certified, Moffo plans to visit children and veterans in hospitals.

Moffo originally planned to train a therapy dog but decided to switch species when her cousin offered her a piglet in exchange for farm work. Moffo has never second-guessed that decision.

When Moffo got Porkchop, she weighed only 10 pounds and had blond hair with black spots. Now she's 50 pounds with tan, black and white hair. She's part potbelly, part Juliana pig.

Moffo said she gets some wisecracks about Porkchop's name  and some snarky remarks such as "Pass me the barbecue sauce," but she assures them Porkchop is like a daughter to her and will never be someone's food.

"You just think of a pig as food," said Moffo, who gave up pork after getting Porkchop and is working toward vegetarianism. "She personally is so above and beyond, it makes people fall in love with her."

Greta Perrin, the recreation director at The Willows in Woodbridge, a nursing home/rehab facility, said Porkchop visits every other month.

"The residents love that she comes to each one of them and they can feed her," Perrin said. "Everyone can pet her. A few people held her. It absolutely makes their day."

One resident who wouldn't get out of bed for six months finally got up and out when she heard Porkchop was coming, Perrin said.

"She's definitely therapeutic, and residents aren't afraid of her," Perrin said.

Even though it's not a business, but rather a volunteer gig, Moffo recently made a birthday party appearance with Porkchop. Now she has two more parties booked. She sometimes accepts tips.

"The kids thought it was the coolest thing ever," said mom Michelle Follert, who threw the party for her 4-year-old daughter Olive.

Follert, who had many activities at the party, said she wanted something educational and fun that wasn't "a big deal," to organize and achieve. She heard about Porkchop from her son's former teacher.

The kids at the party learned a lot from Moffo and got to see Porkchop's tricks and feed her fruit, a lesson she said was healthy for the kids, too.

Moffo had trouble at first getting her husband, Chris Moffo, to accept Porkchop into their home, which already included four big dogs. But eventually he "surrendered," she said, having been charmed by Porkchop.

She's so well trained that when Porkchop hears "It's bedtime," she runs right into her room. She's also potty trained and has a specific grunt for being let out to go.

In her therapy pig role, Porkchop sits on laps, accepts hugs and does a few tricks such as spinning maneuvers and obstacle courses with jumping included.

"She's not only helped others, she's helped me," Moffo said. "Seeing what she does for these other people, it makes me feel like she's making a difference. You can definitely see they're overjoyed."
Connie Duncan will not seek reelection next year to the Lincoln Board of Education after two terms representing District 2.

Instead, Duncan will serve as the co-chair of the campaign for Piyush Srivastav, a Lincoln businessman and community leader who announced his candidacy for the District 2 seat Sunday.

Srivastav is the founder and president of NAQS Environmental Experts, a Lincoln-based environmental consulting firm that advises national and international companies. He previously served as the chair of the Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools and was involved in the creation of The Career Academy.

"Lincoln is fortunate to have safe, high-quality public schools and I am proud to be an LPS parent. I want to be a part of the school board to protect and strengthen our schools and ensure all our students, parents and teachers have the resources they need to succeed," Srivastav said.

In an interview with the Journal Star, Duncan said she always intended to serve for only two terms after she was first elected in 2015. But it was only about a year ago that she knew for sure she wasn't going to run and started scouting out others who could run to represent south Lincoln.

"Eight years and two terms is a good amount of time to give back to your community, " said Duncan, the vice president of philanthropy at the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation. "Fresh eyes are always good."

She said she stands behind Srivastav as someone who is a "tireless advocate for educating" all children.

"His experience, dedication and passion is unrivaled. I am proud to support him," she said in a statement.

Srivastav moved to the United States from India in 1989. He and his wife Aradhna have two daughters, one who graduated from Lincoln Southeast High School and another who is a freshman there.

He currently serves on the board of directors for the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce and the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department's Air Pollution Control Advisory board. He also previously served on the advisory board for the Southeast Community College Entrepreneurship Center.

"I'm always about giving back to the community, and there is no better organization than LPS to give back to," Srivastav told the Journal Star.

Duncan, a Republican, won a second term in 2019 representing District 2, which covers portions of south-central and eastern Lincoln. She is the vice president of the board and has served as president twice.

Srivastav, 56, will run as a Democrat in the officially nonpartisan election, with the primary set for April 2023.
Most July nights, Pastor Bill Forbes left his house in Paxton at about 5 p.m. and didnt return until sundown.

The Lutheran pastor went door-to-door in his western Nebraska town. He asked his neighbors: Would you sign a petition to support banning abortion in Paxton?

Some 138 residents signed, Forbes said.

Paxton, pop. 516, doesnt have an abortion clinic. Its 230 miles from the nearest abortion provider, in Denver.

Still, this November, Paxton and at least five other Nebraska towns will vote on whether to ban abortion within their city limits. Three Nebraska towns have already passed bans. More cities are gathering signatures to try the same  including Bellevue, home to one of the states three abortion clinics.

If passed, the ordinances allow citizens to sue medical professionals for performing abortions in city limits. Many would also allow lawsuits against residents suspected of aiding or abetting abortion  acts such as driving a woman to a Denver clinic, or even donating to what the ordinances call an abortion fund.

What these potential laws have in common: Texan Mark Lee Dickson. Armed with pre-written ordinances, local government knowledge and a team of volunteers to collect signatures, the anti-abortion preacher criss-crosses the country.

The goal: Ban abortions and abortion-inducing drugs. Make it unlawful to perform or help someone get an abortion. Some try to limit internet access to abortion-related websites.

In practice, the ordinances may not change much. Except for Bellevue, none of the Nebraska cities and villages have an abortion clinic. Getting abortion pills in the mail through telehealth is illegal in Nebraska. Law experts say the ordinances may be unenforceable in a state where abortion remains legal.

I think its fairly clear that cities dont have the authority to regulate this, said Anthony Schutz, a law professor at the University of Nebraska College of Law.

Still, pro-choice advocates in the towns worry that the ordinances  enforceable or not  will create a chilling effect for women trying to find care.

Ive seen people do it on their own terms. Im worried about those lives, said Erin Pascoe, a registered nurse in Curtis, a town voting on a ban in November.

For locals urging the issue, like Forbes, the proposed bans send a message. About the disconnect they feel from the states eastern metro areas. And about what they want: an abortion-free Nebraska.

Changes that need to take place to protect our country wont come from Washington, and they wont come from Lincoln, he told the Flatwater Free Press. Real changes are going to come down here where the grass grows.

* * *

In April 2021, Hayes Center became the first village in Nebraska to declare abortions illegal.

The southwest Nebraska town of 224 people joined a group that calls itself Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn  a group that now includes 49 towns around the country.

Like Hayes Center, these places are mostly rural and located hundreds of miles from a brick-and-mortar abortion clinic.

Like Hayes Center, they passed abortion bans after connecting with Dickson.

Dickson, the director of Right to Life of East Texas, first proposed a local abortion ban three years ago in Waskom, Texas.

The ordinance came with a unique legal twist  it would be carried out through private enforcement. Individual citizens would be the ones to sue clinics, doctors and nurses for performing abortions, or regular citizens suspected of aiding or abetting one.

The local policy became state law in Texas, a law U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor said deputized the states citizens as bounty hunters.

In Nebraska, versions of the original ordinance have now been adopted in Hayes Center, Blue Hill and Stapleton.

Arnold, Brady, Curtis, Hershey, Paxton and Wallace will go to the ballot box to vote on a ban in November.

Even if passed, cities and towns in Nebraska likely lack the power to enforce an actual abortion ban, legal experts said.

The Legislature has to explicitly authorize what cities and villages  other than Lincoln and Omaha  have the power to regulate. State constitutional law experts dont think that currently includes abortion, Schutz said. Ordinances that conflict with state law are unenforceable, the legal expert said.

That makes the proposed bans more like virtue signaling, said Richard Rosen, a Texas Tech University law professor.

If this violates state law, the cases arent going to go that far, Rosen said.

Through a spokesperson, Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson declined comment on the legal standing of local abortion bans.

Dickson insists the ordinances are enforceable. Towns have the power to regulate health and welfare, and he thinks abortion would fall under that purview.

This is an ordinance thats meant to protect these communities and the culture of these communities, he said. There are people that are wanting Nebraska to be more like Texas.

Dickson is working with at least 10 more Nebraska towns gathering signatures. Most are concentrated near North Platte. Interest from Nebraskans grew after Dickson spoke at a fundraising banquet for the Womens Resource Center there last year.

The overturning of Roe v. Wade accelerated those efforts, Dickson said.

Forbes, the Paxton pastor and a registered Democrat, said most of the 35 people who regularly attend his Sunday services signed his petition.

Dickson and his volunteers collected all of the signatures in Brady, said Laurie Viter, a local resident working for a ban.

In Curtis, Melanie Standiford helped collect 47 signatures. Standiford is the news director of KNOP, a TV station and NBC affiliate serving the North Platte area. She extensively covered the issue as a reporter as she aided the petition drive.

Curtis, pop. 806, calls itself the Easter City of Nebraska. Three crosses overlook the town from a nearby hill. Everyone she knows is Christian and anti-abortion, Standiford said during an interview with the Flatwater Free Press. In her mind, the ordinance would be widely supported and not controversial.

When asked if it was appropriate for her to cover an issue as a reporter that shes politically involved in, Standiford said: Youre probably right, I probably, maybe, shouldnt have even done that. But who knew it would be an issue?

* * *

This isnt the first time the city of Curtis has contemplated an abortion ban.

Last fall, when Roe v. Wade was still the law of the land, Dickson presented his ordinance before the Curtis City Council. Worried it violated the law, the council struck it down.

Erin Pascoe then stood before the five men on the council, explaining why she believed an abortion ban had no place in her town.

Abortion access is already limited in southwest Nebraska, she said. A volunteer EMT and registered Republican, shes scared a ban could cause a legal nightmare for first responders treating miscarriages.

This was not in the best interest of women. This was not something that the City of Curtis should even be thinking about, the nurse said.

Afterward, she said friends and neighbors that shed never discussed abortion with thanked her for saying something.

Enforceable or not, the potential abortion bans will have a chilling effect, said Scout Richters, a lawyer for the ACLU of Nebraska. None of the ordinances penalize a woman for having an abortion, but rather target the person performing or aiding an abortion.

The confusion itself is a deterrence, she said.

They really just sow this spirit of fear  about peoples access to abortion, Richters said. The strategy is to do anything possible to limit access to abortion through any means they can.

How and when the ordinances will be tested by the courts is uncertain, Schutz said. Typically, the Nebraska Supreme Court waits until a measure has passed to determine its validity.

Jonathan Mitchell, a co-author of the ordinances and former solicitor general of Texas, has told towns that he will represent them for free if they are challenged in court. So far, no ordinance has been struck down. But some towns in other states have walked back which aspects of the law theyll actually enforce. Two rescinded ordinances within months of passing a ban.

The six votes happening in Nebraska in November may turn out to be largely symbolic. Thats just fine with many supporters interviewed by the Flatwater Free Press.

Im hoping our votes through these small communities speak volumes to those who are representing us (in Lincoln,) Viter said. We want our voice to be heard, that we stand for life.

The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraskas first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter.
Many of Nebraska's higher-education institutions offer college credit to students affiliated with the military, but the practice isn't universal and the specifics vary from institution to institution.

Now state lawmakers are exploring the possibility of establishing a statewide process to make it easier for service members to pursue a higher education.

The Nebraska Legislature's Education Committee held a hearing Friday launching a study to examine the feasibility of creating a statewide process to award college credit based on an individual's military education and training.

Education Committee Chairwoman Lynne Walz of Fremont said there wasn't a timeline for completing the study, and couldn't say when or if any legislation would come from it.

Students affiliated with the military can already receive college credit at many of Nebraska's post-secondary education institutions. Walz said the study aims to ease the process and help those students understand how they can receive the credits.

Michael Baumgartner, executive director of Nebraska's Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education, said while the state aims to be the most veteran-friendly in the U.S., several other states are ahead of Nebraska in this area.

"Nebraska may have room to improve," Baumgartner said.

Sara Appel with the Midwestern Higher Education Compact said there are multiple states in the Midwest that already have pathways for military members to receive college credits. While states that don't have policies are still able to effectively serve military members, there is sufficient evidence to show that states with policies generally get better results, she said.

Lt. Col. Phil Turner gave the committee several recommendations for a potential Nebraska policy. Mainly, he said it is important that the process be consistent and create a clear avenue for students to transition from the military to college and then into the workforce. He also recommended the state form partnerships with organizations working on the issue.

"The system works when we work it," Turner said.

Multiple representatives of Nebraska's higher-education institutions spoke during the hearing, each confirming that many of their schools already offer college credit to military students. However, each of them also indicated they would support a statewide process for it.

"We're absolutely on board," said Courtney Wittstruck, executive director of the Nebraska Community College Association.
RACINE  Samantha Cohen knows things are going well when students quietly read.

In classes at Park High School, Cohen assigns students literature related to the Holocaust, and she can tell a book hits home when they silently engage with the text.

Theyre really processing everything, they really connect to whats happening in the story, said Cohen, Park English department chair. They care about whats happening to those individuals.

Cohen said relating to personal experiences is key when instructing students about the Holocaust.

That human aspect of these events, I think, makes the learning more meaningful, more impactful for students, Cohen said.

Racine Unified students already were learning about the Holocaust in sixth grade, ninth grade and 10th grade, and doing so is now part of state law. Starting this school year, all Wisconsin students in fifth through eighth grade must receive instruction on the Holocaust and other genocides at least once, and high schoolers must again be instructed at least once.

The state law emphasized the importance of Holocaust instruction and provided additional education resources, but it didnt drastically alter instruction at RUSD.

It was expressed very explicitly: This has to be taught, said Karin Gonzalez, Park High School social studies teacher. But that doesnt change actually how I was teaching.

Mallory Umar, RUSD assistant director of curriculum and instruction, led the RUSD committee charged with implementing the state law, and Cohen was a committee member.

Umar said the state law didnt cause major changes, but it did result in RUSD prioritizing and expanding lessons on the Holocaust and other genocides. For example, after the committee met with many citizens who mentioned the Armenian genocide, that will now be taught to RUSD seventh-graders.

The state Department of Public Instruction provided school districts with the 10 stages of genocide and a formal definition of genocide: a process of a state agent and its collaborators seeking to destroy, in whole or in part, the physical and cultural existence of a minoritized group.

RUSD received training and materials from the Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center, a Milwaukee nonprofit. Racine Unified students in seventh through 12th grade will also have the option to compete in a Holocaust art and writing contest next spring.

Pulling off the Band-Aid

Before teaching, the RUSD educators went through their own education about the Holocaust.

Cohen is of Jewish descent and cannot recall a time in her life when she was not aware of the Holocaust. Her uncle was a survivor of Auschwitz concentration camp, and she remembers the prison numbers tattooed on his arm.

In addition to learning from her family, Cohen saw Schindlers List in the theater with her parents around age 15 and said it was a coming of age moment for her.

I will never forget that, Cohen said. It was like the Band-Aid was ripped off for me.

Gonzalez similarly remembered watching Schindlers List with her father when the movie was released.

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank stayed with Cohen after she read it in high school. She also said The Boy in the Striped Pajamas has helped her children personally connect to the Holocaust.

Indeed, Umar said it is important to have a variety of options for students to learn about the Holocaust  film, videos, novels and nonfiction writing, among others  in an age-appropriate manner.

Drawing connections

Gonzalez teaches the Holocaust to high-schoolers as part of her lessons on World War II so students can understand the context in which the genocide occurred. She emphasizes the importance of primary source documents and eyewitness accounts.

It is crucial for students to learn from the people who experienced and lived it, the people who saw it, Gonzalez said.

Cohen agreed.

To better understand other peoples experiences is why this is so important, Cohen said. Everyone needs to know the history and the personal stories, because if we dont examine it, if we forget it or we pretend that it didnt happen, then history will most definitely repeat itself.

Umar said personal stories can convey the reality of the Holocaust to younger students.

When she taught fourth-graders, students asked, This is real? This really happened? Umar said. The fact that there are folks who are living who can speak firsthand I think really shocked some of the students, to realize how close we are to the Holocaust and the fact that genocides are still occurring.

The educators said it is crucial to connect the Holocaust to other genocides, including current ones.

Its not just something that happened back then and its over with, Gonzalez said. This is something that we do need to be paying active attention to in the here and now.

Gonzalez also stresses the importance of students understanding potential signs of tyranny.

They need to be able to recognize the signs of destruction, and they need to be able to recognize the signs of tyranny and dictatorship and respond to it in the present, Gonzalez said.

Difficulties, inspiration

When learning about genocide, teachers aim for empathy from students.

A person whos good at history is one who can firmly identify with what theyre studying, Gonzalez said. They can put themselves in that place.

Learning about historical atrocities can be challenging, though. Cohen noted the importance of age-appropriate instruction about the Holocaust but said that doesnt mean its not going to be upsetting to students.

Teaching about genocide can be emotionally draining as well. Gonzalez has cried in class while instructing.

Students have left her classroom because whatever it is that were talking about has just hit them full force, Gonzalez said. I hate making them upset and feeling bad, but then I realize how connected they are and how well theyre doing at studying and learning and taking on how important it is.

Umar said it is crucial for teachers to include processing time in class when discussing tragedies so that students have time to work through their emotions.

Learning about genocide is a grave matter, yet Umar feels inspired by student discussions.

Kids in general have a strong sense of justice, and they want to make the world a better place, Umar said. Im always inspired (by)  the ideas that students have about how they want to make sure that things like this dont occur. What they would have done, the awareness that they want to bring  It gives you hope for the future of our society. These are our future leaders, and they have some really great ideas about how we as people need to interact with each other.

With the new state law in place, students could have a deeper understanding and more ideas.
RACINE  When JeLeslie Taylor first started working for the states Department of Corrections, she told a woman there, I am going to be a warden one day.

The woman doubted her. She told her she couldnt do it.

So I said, Watch me, Taylor said. Sometimes silence is very powerful. You can just say a phrase, be quiet, and then show them. I just believe that, when you tell me I cant, Im going to show you that I can.

Taylor, 50, warden at the Racine Youthful Offender Correctional Facility, is a woman with a plan  and several backup plans  who is passionate about what she does. She wants the best for people and will be there to help out whenever she can.

She is currently one of only two institution wardens in the state who are women of color. And the warden part is just a title for her.

The passion and the purpose that I have is not just work-related. It is truly who I am, Taylor said. I love what I do. Even on my bad days. I love coming to work because I know Im making a difference. I know Im also walking in my purpose.

Plan A, B and C

Taylor was born in Oxford, Mississippi, and moved to Racine as a child because her parents wanted better work opportunities. Shes stayed in Racine the majority of her life.

Her family was strict. She was raised by a police officer father and a nurse mother; they taught her to always have a plan.

They wanted their kids to go to college, so that was Taylors plan A.

She attended Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, for not even a full semester before she realized college wasnt for her. She became pregnant at age 18.

It was just like, OK, I need to come up with a plan B, she said. College isnt for everyone. There are other avenues, opportunities, where you can be successful. Im an example of that.

Often when she speaks to young people, such as the male offenders ages 18-24 in RYOCFs care, Taylor tells them there may be a time in their lives when they have an Aha moment that may cause them to reevaluate and make a change.

That Aha moment for me was when I got pregnant, she said. I had to make some decisions. I had to get out of that relationship. I had to get a job that was gonna provide me some benefits. It was that Aha moment like, OK, you have to grow up now. And you have to come up with a plan for your life because now your life isnt about you anymore.

Of the challenges Taylor has faced throughout her life, I got through them, she said. I learned from them, and I kept going.

She worked at Southern Wisconsin Center in Union Grove for about two years, a facility that serves adult clients with intellectual disabilities combined with other physical or mental health disorders. She then moved to Southern Oaks Girls School, a division of juvenile corrections. She said her passion for working with young people and in the Department of Corrections stemmed from there.

After holding various other positions, and after the girls school closed, Taylor started working for RYOCF as a unit manager for a few years. She was then the program director at Racine Correctional Institution. She came back to RYOCF in 2017 as a deputy warden and then in 2019 became the warden.

Sunday, Oct. 2, is Taylors 30-year anniversary of working for the State of Wisconsin.

I have a passion for working with youth. I always have, she said. I believe that I can impact and make a difference, and so that is my passion. And my purpose in life is to impact lives and help people see that they can change.

Taylor plans to be with the DOC for five more years and then plans to continue helping young people or working in anti-human trafficking.

The best part about working with the DOC for the past 30 years has been seeing staff grow and flourish in their careers, she said, and seeing young men and women that shes worked with grow, change and seeing the direction they follow.

Seeing people here at RYOCF get on board with my vision for change for these young men here, just lets me know that Gods purpose and works is being done, Taylor said.

She never forgets where she came from and the struggles shes had. Someone helped her get to where she is, so her job is to help someone else.

Her deputy warden, Kenya Mason, is the only Black female deputy warden in the state. Taylor hopes Mason will eventually take over her spot.

When you look at Department of Corrections, look at female wardens and diversity, we definitely could improve, Taylor said.

Impacting others

Because Taylor has lived in Racine, she understands and has experienced some things that young people have experienced. She said she grew up economically disadvantaged and was exposed to crises. She got in trouble in high school and hung out with the wrong people at the wrong places.

Taylor is very passionate about mental health and helping heal trauma because she had her own trauma to work through, she said.

I understand what its like to put something in the back and not want to deal with it but eventually have to deal with it, she said.

When young people act out, they can easily be labeled without having the core issue addressed, which most of the time is mental health and trauma, Taylor said.

They need positive role models, they need love. They need to know somebody cares for them, she said. Theyre in survival mode trying to do their best they can. But thats not how its being viewed. The question is, why? Do we take the time to say why? Or do we just label?

Among the types of abuse is verbal abuse, which is powerful, she said.

If you have somebody telling you that youre not going to be successful, youre not anything, youre dirt, that sticks with you. And that is what you start to think of yourself, Taylor said. We have to try to change that thought, and show them that they can, they are beautiful, and they are smart, and be confident in yourself and hold your head up and believe in yourself.

Besides preaching those positive affirmations, Taylor also lends a listening ear. She said the young men in RYOCFs care share so much of their story with staff, and the staff in turn has to listen, understand, be empathetic and not judgmental of what crimes the men committed.

Its up to the staff to work with incarcerated people directly. But despite Taylors busy schedule as warden, often consisting of operational duties, she makes her rounds to visit the young inmates at least once a week.

Presence is powerful, and it also lets them know that I care, that I am here and the staff is here, Taylor said. I can relate and understand where theyre coming from and try to help them see that they can be successful in our community. And they are very important. And no matter what mistakes we make in life, as long as we learn and grow from them, we can still be successful. And whatever goals and dreams that we have, we still can achieve them.

Vikki Sorensen, administrative captain at RYOCF, first met Taylor while working at Southern Oaks Girls School. Throughout the 25-plus years theyve known each other, what stands out most to Sorensen is Taylors way of dealing with challenging youth.

She had a way of bringing out the best in the worst situations, Sorensen said of their time at Southern Oaks. The way she spoke to the girls was very impactful to them. The girls and staff found her to be a great listener, a source of information and encouraging.

Sorensen said Taylor is one of the most caring people shes ever known.

She puts 100% into everything she does and continues to do so. She is confident, honest, transparent and has that never give up attitude, Sorensen wrote in an email. She is inspiring, very generous and is a true example of a leader. She has always recognized a job well done, and has a passion for what she does! And, she always wears the coolest-looking eyeglasses!

Spreading her message

Taylor tells the inmates to always have a Plan A, B and C. She asks what their goals are once they get out of RYOCF, if they can tell somebody who they are and why they should hire them. And then she asks them how they can maintain that job.

Those are my drilling moments for them, Taylor said, noting she emphasizes a no labels factor.

You are not a DOC number. You are not a felon. Dont let people label you. You have a name; that is who you are, she said. You may have some bad choices. You have to serve time for it, but that is not who you are.

Taylor tells them they can be anything they want to be.

You may have to fight a little extra, you may have to work a little harder, she said. You may have to come in early, stay late, you may have to do some extra things to get it done. You have to pay for some trainings out of your pocket to help you move forward, but it can be done. You got to believe in yourself. And I think that is my biggest thing, is making sure our youth and the young men here have confidence to believe in themselves.

Wider impact

RYOCF Human Resources Assistant Antawnette Boatner also first met Taylor at Southern Oaks, in 2001. The two have worked together in some capacity for the past 21 years.

Boatner said Taylor is approachable and personable.

She was a compassionate person which was really important for the young ladies we had in our care, Boatner said of their Southern Oaks time.

Boatner said Taylor overwhelmingly deserves her position as warden and has values of hard work, dedication, devotion and persistence.

Ms. Taylor embodies what leadership means and what effective leadership looks like. She has an open-door policy, supporting and motivating her staff as they all work together to provide the best for the persons in our care, Boatner said, noting Taylor is a standout in the community as well. Her compassion for others never goes unnoticed. She empowers others to work hard and strive for better opportunities.

JeLeslie was always willing to lend a helping hand, Sorensen said. I cannot count how many times she went above and beyond to help someone out. She has this positive energy about her which is felt by many. She truly has made a difference in many peoples lives.
1. Yes. Its important to cast my votes early and avoid the lines on Election Day.

2. Yes. With nearly two weeks of early voting, its a more convenient way to take part.

3. No. Its better to wait until Election Day, in case any last-minute information surfaces.

4. No. Im not planning to vote early or on Election Day. It isnt worth my time.

5. Unsure. It depends on how the campaigns are shaping up. Ill play it by ear.

Vote

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The Supreme Court opens its new term Monday, hearing arguments for the first time after a summer break and with new Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Here's a look at some of the cases the court has agreed to hear. The justices are expected to decide each before the end of June, and will add more cases to their docket in coming months.

Affirmative action

In cases from Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, the court could end any consideration of race in college admissions. The high court has been asked repeatedly over the past 20 years to end affirmative action in higher education. In previous cases from Michigan and Texas, the court reaffirmed the validity of considering college applicants' race among many factors. But this court is more conservative than those were.

Voting rights

The court could further reduce protections for minority voters in its third major consideration in 10 years of the landmark Voting Rights Act, enacted to combat racial discrimination. The case the justices are hearing involves Alabama, where just one of the state's seven congressional districts has a Black majority. That's even though 27% of the state's residents are Black. A three-judge panel that included two appointees of President Donald Trump agreed that the state should have to create a second district with a Black majority, but the Supreme Court stopped any changes and said it would hear the case.

Elections

Republicans are asking the justices to embrace a novel legal concept that would limit state courts' oversight of elections for Congress. North Carolina's top court threw out the state's congressional map that gave Republicans a lopsided advantage and came up with a map that basically evenly divided the state's 14 congressional districts between Democrats and Republicans. The state GOP argues that state courts have no role to play in congressional elections, including redistricting, because the U.S. Constitution gives that power to state legislatures alone. Four conservative justices expressed varying levels of openness to the "independent state legislature" theory.

Clean water

The court is being asked to discard an earlier ruling and loosen the regulation of property under the nation's chief law to combat water pollution. The case involves an Idaho couple who won an earlier high court round in their bid to build a house on property near a lake without getting a permit under the Clean Water Act. The outcome could change the rules for millions of acres of property that contain wetlands.

Immigration

The Biden administration is appealing a ruling against a Biden policy prioritizing deportation of people in the country illegally who pose the greatest public safety risk. Last term, the justices by a 5-4 vote paved the way for the administration to end the Trump policy that required asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for their court hearing. In July, also by a 5-4 vote, the high court refused to allow the administration to implement policy guidance for deportations. A Trump-era policy favored deporting people in the country illegally regardless of criminal history or community ties.

LGBTQ rights

A new clash involving religion, free speech and the rights of LGBTQ people also will be before the justices. The case involves Colorado graphic and website designer Lorie Smith, who wants to expand her business and offer wedding website services. She says her Christian beliefs would lead her to decline any request from a same-sex couple to design a wedding website, however, and that puts her in conflict with a Colorado anti-discrimination law. The case is a new chance for the justices to confront issues the court skirted five years ago in a case about a baker who objected to making cakes for same-sex weddings. The court has grown more conservative since that time.

Native American adoption

In November, the court will review a federal law that gives Native Americans preference in adoptions of Native children. The case presents the most significant legal challenges to the Indian Child Welfare Act since its 1978 passage. A federal appeals court in April upheld the law and Congress' authority to enact it. But the judges also found some of the law's provisions unconstitutional, including preferences for placing Native American children with Native adoptive families and in Native foster homes.

Bacon law backlash

Also on the menu: a California animal rights law. The case stems from a 2018 ballot measure where California voters barred the sale of pork in the state if the pig it came from or the pig's mother was raised in confined conditions preventing them from laying down or turning around. Two agricultural associations challenging the law say almost no farms satisfy those conditions. They say the "massive costs of complying" with the law will "fall almost exclusively on out-of-state farmers" and that the costs will be passed on to consumers nationwide.

Art world

The court's resolution of a dispute involving pieces by artist Andy Warhol could have big consequences in the art world. If the Warhol side loses a copyright dispute involving an image Warhol made of the musician Prince, other artworks could be in peril, lawyers say. But the other side says if Warhol wins, it would be a license for other artists to blatantly copy.
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Dan Welsh says hes excited about the Oct. 18 opening of the Hy-Vee supermarket in the former Sears department store building at Valley View Mall, and the Hy-Vee Fast and Fresh convenience store that will open the same day in a new nearby building.

As district store director, Welsh will oversee the La Crosse Hy-Vee at 4200 Hwy. 16, as well as the Winona Hy-Vee that he has overseen for the past six years.

The 105,000-square-foot La Crosse store is one of the largest in the Hy-Vee chain, Welsh said. The nearby convenience store has 4,100 square feet of space.

At the Winona store, Welsh said, Weve had a lot of inquiries about when were coming to La Crosse. Were finally here, and we cant wait to serve the community.

The new store will have a Wahlburgers restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, a Starbucks, a Market Grille, a Hy-Chi department with sushi and other Asian food, an Italian department, a Long Island Deli department, seafood and meat departments, a pharmacy, wine and spirits, and a Joe Fresh clothing department. Some of those departments will be new to the area, Welsh noted.

The La Crosse supermarket will open at 6 a.m. Oct. 18. After that, regular store hours will be 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

Hours at the nearby Hy-Vee Fast and Fresh convenience store will be 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, said Christina Gayman, assistant vice president of communications at Hy-Vee headquarters in West Des Moines, Iowa. It will feature fresh on-the-go meal offerings, a Market Grille Express and select grocery staples including fresh produce and fresh bakery items, she said. It also will sell gasoline and diesel fuel.

The new Hy-Vee will have about 550 employees, Gayman said. Last week it still had about 150 part-time job openings and a handful of full-time openings. For information about job interviews, visit the stores Facebook page.

Hy-Vee purchased the vacant former Sears department store property in September 2020 and has remodeled it into a supermarket, while building the convenience store nearby.

Hy-Vee operates more than 285 stores in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin. For more information about the new La Crosse store, call 608-668-6600 or visit its Facebook page.

Bakalars Sausage Co. in La Crosse purchased food distributor Tri-Star Foods Inc. of Maple Grove, Minn., and its Elliotts Up North brand of meat products on Aug. 31, which owners Mike and Bethany Bakalars say will mean more jobs in La Crosse.

Tri-Star will continue to operate from the Twin Cities suburb of Maple Grove, as a subsidiary of Bakalars Sausage. Elliotts products include bacon, hams, natural casing wieners, skinless hot dogs, summer sausages, cheese, semi-dry meats and sliced lunch meats.

Tri-Star in the past has contracted with various meat processors, including Bakalars Sausage, to make Elliotts products. Elliotts products in the past have been distributed throughout Minnesota and in northern Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan, and will begin appearing in this area.

With the acquisition, Bakalars Sausage will boost its production of Elliotts products, and expand its distribution area for Bakalars meat products.

Bakalars Sausage had about 55 employees in La Crosse before the Tri-Star acquisition, which boosted Bakalars total employment to about 85.

Mike and Bethany Bakalars said they expect to add eight to 10 employees in La Crosse within the next year because of the acquisition.

Our employees at Bakalars Sausage Co and Tri-Star Foods are our greatest assets, and this acquisition would not have been possible without their hard work and dedication, Mike Bakalars said. For more information, visit his companys Facebook page.

Sixty-four years after Ed Von Haden started the business as a Standard Oil gas station, the Heeters Car Care building at 2402 La Crosse St. is being sold. And its equipment, parts and salvage automobiles will be auctioned at 11 a.m. Thursday.

The business started in 1958, Dave Heeter said last week. He and his brother, Harley, who are grandsons of Von Haden, have been operating the auto repair business.

The business was known as Heeters Amoco gas station until 1997, when the Heeter family quit selling gasoline and renamed it Heeters Car Care, continuing to do automobile and light truck repair work.

Dave Heeter said the sale of the property will close later this month. The buyers name hasnt been revealed yet.

Deep Roots Chiropractic will hold a grand opening celebration from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday in Suite 104 in the Old Town Center development at 208 S. Holmen Drive in Holmen.

The event will feature a taco bar, prizes and office tours.
Hope Village will host a free public launch event from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, at the Heyde Center in Chippewa Falls.

The $2.7 million capital campaign will support maintaining a small community of temporary and transitional tiny homes, in addition to building and maintaining affordable housing duplexes and six-plexes.

The purpose of Hope Village is to provide temporary and affordable housing to the increasing number of unsheltered individuals and families in the Chippewa Valley.

To help guests transition into living a quality way of life, Hope Village offers case management and supportive services, including developing a secure living plan that includes financial stability, health resource connections and permanent housing.

The need is real when it comes to affordable housing in the area. There is a shortage of affordable housing, with 2,685 individuals who were seeking housing services in 2021, said Mike Cohoon, executive director of Hope Village. Chippewa Valley poverty levels are above the state average of 10.3%.

The upcoming launch event will feature a brief presentation with special announcements about fundraising totals, expansion details and ways the community can support Hope Village and its mission.

There will be complimentary appetizers served, as well as a cash bar. Pat Krietlow, founding editor with UpNorthNews, will emcee the event.

The Hope Village board, its committees, volunteers and staff are excited to celebrate the hard work and support of the community in making this expansion project a reality. The launch event is a culmination of that success, Cohoon said.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone at the event on Oct. 6, said Dick Hebert, co-chair of the Welcome Home Campaign. The committees have been working so hard this past year on bringing the vision of Hope Village to life, and we cant wait to show you the progress weve made.

The launch event will be livestreamed on the Hope Village Chippewa Falls Facebook page.

For more information about the event or registration assistance, please contact Mike Cohoon at director@hopevillagechippewafalls.org or 715-210-5405.

Registration is required due to limited space. To register please sign-up online at: https://bit.ly/3xNit9N. Details about the project are available online at www.hopevillagechippewafalls.org.
The truth needs so little rehearsal. When Derrick Van Orden extols his term as a Navy Seal, he freely admits that those who pledge loyalty to the Constitution should not participate in a riot to violate it.

As the U.S. militarys Joint Chiefs of Staff on January 12, 2021 said, The violent riot in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021 was a direct assault on our Constitutional process. As service members must support and defend the Constitution, so Mr. Van Orden's participation in the Jan 6 riots is not only against our traditions, values, and oath, it is an act to disrupt the constitutional process and is against the law.

And Van Orden admitted in an op-ed in the Tribune of being at the riot, acting against the very Constitution he swore to protect. Candidates' words show us which of our leaders are accountable, and like Van Orden, which are willing to twist the truth to their own ambitions.

Is Van Orden going to stand up for you and me, or for violating our Constitution whenever he feels like it? It's a question we all must ask ourselves before November.

Andrew Bakken
Zavala was born and raised in Mexico City. She moved to Delaware in 2006. She earned an Associates Degree in fashion design at the Art Institute of Philadelphia. She has 12 years of experience creating clothing and accessories taking into consideration her cultural roots and social trends. She specializes in projecting Mexican culture and costume design through visual art in fashion. Creativity, imagination, and perspective are her most essential skills in her design process. Her main goal is to reflect the artistic side of fashion using unconventional and recyclable materials for the creation of unique pieces.
Candidates for the 3rd Congressional District seat recently answered a set of questions asked by the Tribune. Here are the written answers from Brad Pfaff (D) and Derrick Van Orden (R), as well as the biographical information they both supplied when they answered questions prior to the primary election.

What policies do you think would best support farmers in the 3rd District?

Pfaff: I was born and raised in this district on my familys dairy farm, and Ive spent my career fighting for Wisconsins family farmers at the state and national level. I understand the challenges facing farmers in western and central Wisconsin, and I know that means to have no voice at the federal agriculture policymaking table. This is unacceptable, which is why Im running to seek a seat on the House Agriculture Committee. With the 2023 Farm Bill on the horizon, we need real leadership and real experience on this committee to elevate the voices of Wisconsin farming communities.

What we dont need is Derrick Van Orden in this seat and at that table because he doesnt understand our communities. Thats why he doesnt have a plan or proposal to address the challenges our farmers are facing. Unlike him, Ive released a set of proposals that would invest in family farms and prioritize local growers, not giant agribusinesses. Im running a campaign based on real solutions, and that starts with our farming communities.

Van Orden: The best start will be to have a member of Congress on the Agriculture Committee. That is why for over two years I have been saying that this is the only committee I will advocate to get on if elected.

On policy, we need to unleash American energy production to lower costs for our farmers. To put anything in the ground, to pull it out of the ground, to get it to a processing facility, and then get it to a retail market takes diesel fuel. The bulk of the nitrogen for fertilizer comes from natural gas, grains are dried with natural gas. The Biden administration shut those valves off and it has had a ripple effect throughout the economy so we need to open up Americas energy independence.

What are your thoughts on the work of the Jan. 6 committee, and what do you hope its impact will be?

Van Orden: This paper published my piece from Jan. 13, 2021, in which I condemned all forms of political violence and stated that that day was one of the most tragic in our nations history. That position has not changed. I wholeheartedly condemn all forms of political violence. I also condemn political theater, which is what this commission is. A group of career politicians, hand-selected by Nancy Pelosi, have abused the committee process for political gain. The only impact it will have is to increase the noise in the echo chamber that is the current leadership of the House of Representatives.

Pfaff: Jan. 6, 2021, was a shameful, deadly day that will live in infamy, and this committee should do everything in its power to fully uncover the depth of radical efforts to overthrow our free and fair elections. Derrick Van Orden was an active participant in the insurrection with photographic evidence proving he entered the restricted Capitol grounds.

No one who participated in the insurrection can call themselves a patriot. I believe we need more western Wisconsin values in Congress, not Derricks track record of insurrection, sexual and verbal harassment, and radically wrong stances on issues including womens health, protections for people with preexisting conditions, and many of our western Wisconsin values.

In todays divided world of politics, how are you appealing to undecided voters on the campaign trail?

Pfaff: Voters in this district need and deserve real solutions to the challenges that they are facing, and they need a leader in Congress who can elevate their voices above the partisan rhetoric. This is what Ive done as State Senator, as Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, and what I will do as your Representative in Congress. I know how to work across the aisle  I was one of a handful of Democrats who voted in favor of the 2021-2023 Republican state budget signed into law by Gov. Evers that included a more than $2 billion tax cut and investments in broadband and infrastructure repairs. And Im not afraid to speak truth to power  the state legislature refused to confirm my nomination as Secretary of Agriculture for criticizing their inaction on the silent mental health crisis facing our family farmers.

Im not running to serve a political party or myself. Im running to bring western Wisconsin values like hard work, common sense, and cooperation to Congress. These are values that everyone can get behind, regardless of political affiliation.

Van Orden: We have put nearly 180,000 miles on our vehicles during this campaign traveling this district and meeting folks where they are. They understand that as a former small businessman, I know how to create jobs and put the wellbeing of employees above my own. They understand that Sara Jane and I raised our kids on a single enlisted mans salary, so I know how to live on a budget. And, being endorsed by 16 of the 19 sheriffs in the district, including La Crosse Countys own Jeff Wolf, they understand that I will work tirelessly for their security and safety. These issues transcend political parties and the people in the 3rd know I will work tirelessly to help make their lives better.

How urgent do you think it is to act on climate change, and what policies do you support to combat its effects, especially in the 3rd District?

Van Orden: We all want to have clean energy, and that means we need to streamline the regulations that are preventing the construction of new nuclear plants. As a reality check, if the Biden administration actually wanted to meet their self-professed goal of being carbon neutral by 2030, we would have to double the number of nuclear power plants in the entire world. This is impossible in the current regulatory environment and speaks to the fact that they have politicized this issue and are fear mongering instead of problem solving. On a typical day, fossil fuels provide 60% of power production in the Midwest. If people are truly serious about reducing these fuel sources, they need to embrace the actual solution. Until we get there, we must take an all of the above approach or we will have people freezing in the winter.

Pfaff: The climate crisis is real, and weve felt its effects here at home  rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and even the tragic loss of life. For too long, politicians in Washington have treated this crisis like an afterthought, and communities in western and central Wisconsin are suffering as a result.

I know that our farming communities have an important role to play in addressing the climate crisis and can serve as leaders in transitioning to the clean economy of the future. As State Senator, Ive passed legislation incentivizing cover crops to prevent runoff and fought to preserve and protect our watersheds. And as Congressman, Ill fight to reduce our out-of-state and foreign dependency on fossil fuels  the recently enacted CHIPS Act is a smart first step in addressing the climate crisis, but we can be doing more to solve the larger issue of long term energy costs.

Whoever wins in November will replace an incumbent who has served for more than two decades. Do you believe there should be term limits, and if so, for how long?

Pfaff: Term limits are an important issue worth considering, but there is more that we can do. Lets prohibit sitting members of Congress from buying and trading stocks, overturn Citizens United, and work to decrease the influence of outside special interests in our democracy.

But when Im on the campaign trail, I dont hear a lot about these particular issues. I hear about how hardworking families in this district and across our state are still facing pressing challenges like high costs, both at the pump and at the grocery store.

My campaign is focused on cutting costs for working families, prioritizing Wisconsin farmers at the national level, investing in domestic manufacturing, and rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure. My opponent is happy to talk about term limits because he has no real plan to address these real problems that are impacting folks right here in Wisconsin. I know that this district wants solutions, which is exactly what Im focused on.

Van Orden: I absolutely believe in term limits. Our founders never intended for career politicians like my opponent to be in office for decades. The goal was for people with real world experience to take that knowledge to the legislature, exchange what we now call best practices then return to their daily lives. As a congressman, I believe that three terms would be an appropriate number of years to accomplish my goals.
A report of a day care being operated in an Onalaska residence occupied by convicted murderer and rapist Terrance Shaw has forced him to find a new home.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections Sex Offender Registry, Shaw has moved to Americas Best Value Inn in La Crosse. The registry had previously reported his address as a residence in Onalaska.

Onalaska police chief Charles Ashbeck said the existence of the day care was confirmed by DOC.

We had some conversations with DOC staff about the possible day care in the home, and so that may have triggered Mr. Shaw moving out while that matter was investigated by DOC staff, Ashbeck said. We werent part of their internal discussions; they had notified us once they decided to remove him from the home.

Shaw, 73, was convicted in the April 14, 1981, murder and sexual assault of Susan Erickson at her Onalaska residence. He was arrested a year later after he was seen prowling in an Onalaska neighborhood. He was convicted in 1982 and sentenced to life plus 20 years in prison. The Wisconsin Parole Commission initially granted parole to Shaw Feb. 19, 2021, but delayed his release because his original housing plan fell through.

Shaw was released from Racine Correctional Institution Sept. 7, 2021, after another living arrangement was made. A Milwaukee woman who supported Shaws parole bid said Friday that Shaw moved in with his son and daughter-in-law and that his son acted as a caregiver. Joyce Ellwanger said the daughter-in-law was told she may no longer operate the child care center in her home even though Shaw had left the house after being ordered by DOC.

Terrance was not in the home the day they came and shut it down, Ellwanger said.

DOC spokesperson John Beard said Friday that DOC officials had previously visited the residence and had not been informed that non-family children were being cared for at the residence.

DOC was made aware last week that Mr. Shaws family members, with whom he was previously residing, were watching children in a separate section of the home from where he was living, Beard said.

Beard said Shaw, who has severe limitations on his mobility, was living in the lower level of the home, while non-family children were cared for in the upper level of the residence. Beard said the residence wasnt a licensed day care facility.

Mr. Shaw has no known offenses involving minors and no restrictions regarding contact with minors, Beard said. Nevertheless, DOC thought it best that he be moved to another location.

State law prohibits anyone who has committed certain criminal offenses, including homicide and sexual assault, from working or residing in an area where licensed day care services are provided.

Parole minutes released

The Wisconsin Parole Commission released the minutes of Shaws mandatory parole hearing Friday in response to an Open Records request.

State law requires a regular parole hearing for anyone imprisoned for crimes prior to Dec. 31, 1999. Shaw would not have been eligible for release under truth in sentencing guidelines that apply to offenses committed after that date.

It was Shaws 29th parole hearing.

The commission concluded that Shaws institutional and program participation have been satisfactory and that releasing him would not involve unreasonable risk to the public.

The commissions comments state that Shaw was mentally unstable at the time due to post-traumatic stress syndrome triggered by military service, a family breakup and lingering effects from being sexually assaulted as a child.

The commission noted that Shaw had no prior criminal record. His prison record includes one major and six minor conduct reports with none occurring since 2011.

The report says Shaw can support himself on Social Security and disability income.

Based on a review of the record, it is clear that you no longer resemble the individual who entered the system over 38 years ago, the commission wrote. Within these years, you have maintained positive and institutional adjustment, have completed all essential programming, have transitioned through reduced security. ... Given this significant growth and the fact that you have an approved release plan, an argument can be made that you have reduced your risk to an acceptable level.

The Parole Commission consists of four members. The governor appoints the chairperson for a two-year term, who is subject to confirmation by the state Senate. The remaining three commissioners are hired in accordance with the civil service system and report to the chairperson.

Ellwanger criticized the coverage of Shaws release. She said the publicity has resulted in personal suffering for Shaws family.

The family feels threatened by the sensational headlines and the coverage by the press, Ellwanger wrote in a Sept. 23 correspondence with the Tribune. Mr. Shaw has not only had his peaceful return of over a year interrupted, he has lost his home  though he will have to continue to pay the mortgage along with his son so that the family may stay in the home  and he is being reviled not only in the media but has been referenced by politicians who are running on a ticket of eliminating parole, suggesting that he is threat to the community.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  South Korean activists say they clashed with police while launching balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang propaganda materials across the North Korean border, ignoring their governments plea to stop such activities since the North has threatened to respond with deadly retaliation.

Park Sang-hak, a North Korean defector-turned-activist, said he his group had launched about eight balloons from an area in the South Korean border town of Paju Saturday night when police officers arrived at the scene and prevented them from sending their 12 remaining balloons. Park said police confiscated some of their materials and detained him and three other members of his group over mild scuffles with officers before releasing them after questioning.

Officials at the Paju police and the northern Gyeonggi provincial police agencies didnt immediately respond to requests for comment Sunday.

The balloons flown toward North Korea carried masks, Tylenol and Vitamin C tablets along with propaganda materials, including booklets praising South Koreas economic wealth and democratic society and hundreds of USB sticks containing videos of U.S. Congress members denouncing the Norths human rights record, Park said.

One of the balloons carried a placard that read, Entire humanity denounces Kim Jong Un who threatens to preemptively strike (South Korea) with nuclear missiles, referring to the North Korean leaders escalatory nuclear doctrine thats raising tensions with neighbors.

Saturdays launch came weeks after South Koreas government pleaded for activists to stop their balloon launches, citing concerns related to the safety of border area residents. Lee Hyo-jung, spokesperson of Seouls Unification Ministry, then said that the South would also sternly respond to any North Korean retaliation over the balloons.

Animosity between the Koreas has worsened this year as North Korea ramped up its missile testing activity to record pace and punctuated those tests with warnings that it would preemptively use its nukes in a broad range of scenarios where it perceives its leadership has come under threat.

North Korea is extremely sensitive to outside criticism about the Kim familys authoritarian rule of its people, most of whom have little access to foreign news. It has berated South Koreas current conservative government for letting South Korean civilian activists fly anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets and other dirty waste across the border by balloon, even dubiously claiming the items caused its COVID-19 outbreak.

For years, Park has floated helium-filled balloons with leaflets and other propaganda material harshly criticizing the Kim family. He also began sending masks, medicine and vitamins following the emergence of COVID-19.

Last year, South Korea, under its previous liberal government that sought to improve inter-Korean ties, enforced a contentious new law criminalizing civilian leafleting campaigns. Park still kept launching balloons, becoming the first person to be indicted over that law, but his trial has basically been put on hold since he filed a petition requesting the Constitutional Court to rule whether the new law is unconstitutional, according to his lawyer, Lee Hun.

Opponents of the law say its sacrificing South Koreas freedom of speech in attempting to improve ties with North Korea. Supporters say the law is aimed at avoiding unnecessarily provoking North Korea and promoting the safety of frontline South Korean residents.

In 2014, North Korea fired at balloons flying toward its territory, and in 2020 it destroyed an empty South Korean-built liaison office in the North to express its anger over leafleting. In a failed assassination attempt in 2011, South Korean authorities captured a North Korean agent who tried to kill Park with a pen equipped with a poison needle.
APIA, Samoa  When and if an island nation fully submerges due to rising seas, what happens to the nationalities of its citizens?

This and other related questions are being considered by island nations advocating for changes to international law as climate change threatens their existence.

"Climate change induced sea level rise is a defining issue for many Pacific Island states and like most climate change issues, Pacific Island states have been at the forefront of challenging international law to develop in a way which is equitable and just," said Fleur Ramsay, head of litigation and climate lead of the Pasifika Program at the Australia-based Environmental Defenders Office.

Ramsay noted the shortcomings in the development of international law. For example, under international law, there are discussions of nomadic tribes making claims over lands they have historically passed over. However, rights over historical ocean passages have not yet been explored for citizens of island nations.

"If you ask our people to move, there is no way we would voluntarily leave," said Eseta Vusamu, who is currently working in Samoa but from a village on the island of Ovalau, Fiji. "There are graves there, these are our ancestral lands."

Vusamu's village, Tokou, along with many coastal communities in Fiji, were hard hit during Cyclone Winston in 2016, which led to the relocation of over 3,000 villagers from the coastal areas.

Tuvalu Prime Minister Kausea Natano said that Pacific Island nations had done very little to contribute to global warming  he said less than 0.03% of the world's total emissions  but yet could be destroyed by the consequences of a warming planet and rising seas.

"In this century, several Pacific Island nations will lose considerable territory to rising seal level with some becoming completely uninhabitable," said Natano.

There is already evidence of loss of islands. Between 1947 and 2014, six smaller islands in the Pacific archipelago of the Solomon Islands completely vanished, according to a paper published in Environment Research Letters in 2016. The study identified the complete loss of reef islands and other islands that were experiencing severe shoreline recession, leading to the relocation of some communities. And in its report earlier this year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world's top body of climate scientists, noted risks to coastal areas and ecosystems due to submergence and flooding through sea level rise and increased height of waves.

The issue of protecting sovereignty is a constant topic of discussion for many Pacific Islands leaders. The maritime and resource entitlements that islands stand to lose in the face of land loss were part of talks during the Pacific Small Island Developing States meetings this week in Apia, Samoa. The meetings came on the heels of last week's U.N. General Assembly meetings, in which Pacific Island leaders pushed for changes that would protect island nations as they lose territory to erosion and rising sea levels.

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On Oct. 6 this year in Winona there will be two worthwhile events regarding mental health and well-being, a very serious and pervasive problem for and in our society. During the day there will be a free depression screening day at Winona Health. In the evening, Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Center will host a gathering called Bringing Light into Dark from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Levee Park by the river. It is meant to raise awareness of the darkness that mental illness and addiction can evoke and shed light on avenues to help through personal stories as well as discussion.

The problem with the term mental illness is that it still carries a huge amount of stigma, shame and negative connotations. Someone who is depressed cannot control the disease that has taken over their thoughts and emotions. It cripples the person by inhibiting them from doing so many everyday things, even though they really want to. No one can explain why it takes hold like that. But they cant just shake it off or pull out of it. They are not weak. They are sick with a disease of their brain tissue and function.

Only once have I ever read truly appropriate phrase that describes what the sufferer feels. It is psychic pain. We all understand physical pain, say from a cancer, bone fracture, or heart attack. We cant SEE a persons brain tissue to appreciate the disease changes that induce the severe anguish that can consume their thoughts, and cause them seek relief in whatever form it may take, like suicide or addiction.

The national mental health act was passed in 1946, creating the National Mental Health Institute in Washington. The first national depression screening day was in 1991. There was a hiatus for in person screenings from Covid for the last couple years. Winona Health is offering their screening through Psychiatric and Counseling Services at 507-454-2606. The screening will take about 30 minutes for a brief questionnaire and a meeting with a mental health therapist. You wont receive a diagnosis, but it may just start a process of identifying and treating a very serious problem.

Depression affects one of every 5 adults. Some symptoms that may be clues include persistent feeling of sadness, loss of pleasure in enjoyable activities, a feeling of hopelessness or helplessness or worthlessness, a crucial one, changes in sleep patterns and appetite, loss of energy, restlessness, thoughts of suicide or/and death. There are others. There should be NO shame or guilt in seeking help.

The gathering at the levee is part of Mental Illness Awareness Week, first established in 1990 by Congress for the first week of October. Here we are. Their press release says, At the event 1,000 green lights will glow to represent the individuals in Minnesota who have lost their lives to suicide or substance abuse in 2021. Suicide and substance use deaths continue to be on the rise in Minnesota [and elsewhere]. We seek to educate about what the state of Minnesota is doing to bring hope to the Winona Community. The weather so far promises to cooperate.

Suicide is not a result only of depression. We still dont have a handle on all the factors that drive a person to die from it (not commit it). Being a product of a pedigree with depression and suicide, I have come to feel that there are actually different depressions we have yet to define, like different causes of pneumonia. If you have any inclination to take advantage of either or both events, please do so. All of us need to learn that there is nothing to be ashamed of if you or someone you love has a mental illness. We are not alone in this.

There is help. Also, there is new phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, available 24/7. It is simply 988 in every state. The previous number, 800-273-8255, remains available to people in crisis.
Russians See U.S. as Main Beneficiary of Nord Stream Sabotage

Oct. 1, 2022 (EIRNS)Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his remarks on the accession of four regions formerly of Ukraine into Russia, charged that the U.S. and its allies have shifted from sanctions on Russia to outright sabotage. But the Anglo-Saxons believe sanctions are no longer enough and now they have turned to subversion, he said. It seems incredible but it is a factby causing explosions on Nord Streams international gas pipelines passing along the bottom of the Baltic Sea, they have actually embarked on the destruction of Europes entire energy infrastructure. It is clear to everyone who stands to gain. Those who benefit are responsible, of course.

Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev told a meeting of the Commonwealth Independent States (CIS) foreign intelligence chiefs in Moscow on Sept. 29 that it is the U.S. that benefits from the sabotage of the two pipelines, especially economically. More and more often, serious questions are being asked of the organizers of these smear campaigns (against Russia). For instance, literally from the very first minutes after the reports about explosions at the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines had emerged, the West embarked on a vigorous campaign to find the culprits. Nevertheless, it is obvious that the main beneficiary, first and foremost, economically, is the U.S., he said.

At the Kremlin, Russian Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov termed the sabotage an unprecedented act of state terrorism, which requires a serious international investigation. Obviously, such an unprecedented act of, one might say, state terrorism, cannot and should not go without a serious international investigation. Of course, cooperation within the framework of such an investigation will be required, the Kremlin spokesman stressed, reported TASS.

However, TASS reports, Peskov remained mum on whether the Russian Federation is ready to provide data indicating a Western trace to the state of emergency at the Nord Stream pipelines, mentioned by Sergey Naryshkin, who heads the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR). I cant answer that question yet, he said.

TASS observes that earlier, Naryshkin had said that Russias Foreign Intelligence Service possesses materials indicating a Western trail to the terrorist attack on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines. He also recalled that an investigation is underway in Russia following the explosions along the gas pipelines.

At the UN Security Council, Russian Permanent UN Representative Vassily Nebenzia called for a thorough international investigation into the damage to the pipelines, one that must include Russia. We hope that you (Western members of the UNSC) will refrain from engaging in Russophobic verbal games that defy common sense, similar to those that you used in relation to Ukrainian strikes on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, Nebenzia said. Nebenzia added that Any international investigation into what happened can claim impartiality only if Russia takes part in it.

As Patrushev had earlier, Nebenzia also pointed to the U.S. as the main beneficiary of the leaks. The main question is whether the Nord Stream incident benefits the U.S.. It certainly does. U.S. liquefied natural gas suppliers should be celebrating the manifold increase in LNG supplies to the European continent, he said. We had no reason to destroy with our own hands the project in which we had invested heavily and from which we could have had a significant economic return. Nebenzias statement is posted in full on the Russian missions website, as is the ambassadors interchange afterward with media.
Hanoi to welcome screening of seven Italian movies

The Italian Film Festival 2022 will get underway from October 3 to October 9 at the National Cinema Center at 87 Lang Ha Street in Hanoi.











The event is being organised in collaboration with the Asian Film Festival of Rome and aims to offer the Vietnamese public a glimpse at contemporary Italian cinema.



Through drama and comedy, intimate stories and urban city life, these seven movies perfectly depict Italian contemporary society which faces new challenges amid efforts to maintain its deep roots in its past.



The movies to be screened include Everythings gonna be alright (Cosa Sara), The great silence (Il Silenzio Grande), Doctor on call (Una note da dottore), A girl returned (Larminuta), Breaking up in Rome (Lasciarsi un Giorno a Roma), The inner cage (Aria Ferma), and The King of Laugh (Qui rido io).



On the opening night, audiences will have the chance to talk with the renowned Vietnamese journalist and film critic Le Hong Lam, along with the Antonio Termenini, director of the Asian Film Festival of Rome.



Free tickets will be available at the National Cinema Center in Hanoi from September 30.



The festival organised by the Embassy of Italy in Vietnam will also take place at the DCINE Ben Thanh at 6 Mac Dinh Chi street in District 1 of Ho Chi Minh City from October 10 to October 16.
Chinas used luxury goods market is growing at a time when the economy is slowing down, market experts and business owners say.

Buyers in China's $74-billion luxury goods market have historically purchased new products  not used ones.

Zhu Tainiqi is the Shanghai-based founder of second-hand, or used, luxury goods marketplace ZZER. Business has been so good that Zhu is now looking for shop space to expand the business.

The business owner, age 33, has seen an increase in people wanting to sell their Hermes Birkin bags or Rolex watches. In addition, Zhu has seen increased interest from buyers who want to save some money.

"More and more people are now aware they can sell luxury goods for some money and the buyer side is noticing that they can get a great deal," said Zhu. "They think, 'Why not give it a shot?'"

He said the number of ZZER's consigners, or people putting up their goods for sale, has increased 40 percent so far in 2022 over the same period last year. The business now has 12 million members and expects to sell 5 million luxury pieces this year.

The resale markets growth could have big effects on the business plans of the world's big luxury goods makers. They are dealing with decreased demand in China, an important market.

Iris Chan is a partner and head of client development at Digital Luxury Group, a market research group.

Chan suggested luxury makers will likely have to "think about how they're going to handle this (resale) market, and what role they are going to play in the whole process."

China's second-hand luxury market is expected to grow to $30 billion in 2025 from $8 billion in 2020.That information, released late last year, comes from the business research group iResearch. New estimates from this year have not yet been released.

Office worker Wang Jianing is exploring second-hand luxury products.

"My consumption will definitely be downgraded (this year), but I still like what I like, and I can't control the desire to buy it," she told Reuters.

Besides ZZER, other Chinese companies, such as Feiyu, Ponhu and Plum, are getting attention. Each of them gained tens of millions of dollars in investments in 2020 and 2021.

Experts expect local companies to control China's luxury resale marketplace, at least in the short term. International companies such as Vestiaire Collective and The RealReal have not yet entered the mainland China market. They told Reuters that they have no immediate plans to do so.

Handbags remain the top-selling item on luxury websites like ZZER, but Zhu said sales of watches and jewelry are also growing fast.

Prada Messengers or Fendi Baguettes, luxury handbags for women, cost 30 to 40 percent less on resale websites than in luxury stores. But the price difference for some products has widened as more people sell goods online.

Im John Russell.

Casey Hall and Xihao Jiang reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English.

_________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

luxury n. something that is costly but not necessary

second-hand adj. not new; having had a previous owner; used

handle  v. to deal with (a person, situation, etc.) successfully

consumption  n. the act of buying things

downgrade  v. to lower in extent, quality, or value

handbag  n. a woman's small bag or purse used for carrying personal things and money

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Demand for organic produce has increased so fast that it has grown faster than the supply in the United States.

The challenge for U.S. farmers is not getting buyers to pay higher prices; it is getting enough farmers to grow organic products.

Instead of growing to meet the demand, the number of farmers starting to grow organic crops is dropping. Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said it would spend up to $300 million to help more farmers make the change.

Chris Schreiner is executive director of the organic-approving organization Oregon Tilth. He said about the government support, It feels good. He added that it is an important step in this work.

Schreiner has worked at the Oregon-based organization since 1998. He said expanding technical training is important because of the difference between farming land with usual, or conventional methods, and organic ones. Schreiner noted that one farmer told him that changing a farm to organic production was like asking a foot doctor to become a heart surgeon.

The important difference is the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides and genetically changed seeds. Most conventional farms use those materials, but they are banned on organic farms. Instead, organic farmers must control unwanted plants and animals with different methods. They include seasonally changing crops and planting cover crops that push out unwanted plants and add nutrients to the soil.

Crops can only be called organic if they are grown on land that has not been treated with synthetic products for three years. During that period, farmers can grow crops, but they do not get the extra income that comes with organic crops.

Data from the USDA shows the number of conventional farms newly changing to organic production dropped by about 70 percent from 2008 to 2019. Organic produce makes up about six percent of overall food sales, but only one percent of the countrys farmland is in organic production. Foreign producers make up the rest.

Megan DeBates is vice president of government affairs for the Organic Trade Association. She said in the U.S., There are so many barriers to farmers making that leap to organic.

While farmers do not seem ready, U.S. buyers are. The Organic Trade Association found yearly sales of organic products have nearly doubled in the past 10 years and now reach about $63 billion. Sales are predicted to increase by 5.5 percent this year.

The new USDA effort would include $100 million toward helping farmers learn new methods for growing organic crops. It would include $75 million for farmers who meet new conservation standards. It would include $25 million to expand crop insurance programs and to reduce costs. And it would include $100 million to aid the development and expansion of markets for organics.

Nick Andrews of Oregon State University works with organic farmers. He called the USDA effort important.

Farmers with small farms should find this effort appealing because the added value of organic crops makes it possible to make more money from even 10 to 40 hectare farms. That is much smaller than the commercial operations that provide most of the countrys produce.

Andrews said, Ive seen organic farmers keep families in business who otherwise would go out of business.

Im Gregory Stachel.

Scott McFetridge reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English with additional reporting from Reuters.

________________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

challenge  n. a difficult task or problem

surgeon  n. a doctor who performs operations that involve cutting into someone's body in order to repair or remove damaged or diseased parts

synthetic  adj. made by combining different substances: not natural

pesticide  n. a chemical that is used to kill animals or insects that damage plants or crops

leap  n. a great and sudden change, increase, or improvement

standard  v. a level of quality or achievement that is considered acceptable or desirable

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Photo: The Canadian Press

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced in May that he would be stepping down as United Conservative Party leader after receiving 51.4 per cent support in a leadership review. Kenney said the result did not show enough support for him to stay on and he would step down when a new leader could be chosen. A new leader and premier is to be elected Thursday. Here are some past Alberta premiers who resigned amid party strife:

Ralph Klein (1992-2006):

The folksy one-time Calgary mayor led Alberta's Progressive Conservatives to four straight majority governments. But toward the end of his tenure, Klein's popularity was buffeted by austerity measures, labour conflict and questions about his behaviour. He garnered 55 per cent support in a March 2006 leadership review and stepped down later that fall.

Ed Stelmach (2006-2011):

Stelmach won a come-from-behind victory to replace Klein as party leader and premier. A review of oil and gas royalty rates the following year drew anger in many quarters. Though he led the PCs to a resounding majority in the 2008 election and garnered 77 per cent approval in a 2009 leadership review, some caucus members took issue with his handling of the economy. In early 2011, he announced he would not be seeking re-election.

Alison Redford (2011-2014):

Redford became Alberta's first woman premier when she succeeded Stelmach as leader. The PCs won a majority in the 2012 election, despite predictions that they would be toppled by the upstart right-wing Wildrose Party. She, too, won 77 per cent party support in a leadership review. But revelations of lavish travel expenses  like $45,000 to attend Nelson Mandela's funeral in South Africa  led to Redford's undoing. Following weeks of caucus turmoil, she resigned in March 2014.

Jim Prentice (2014-2015):

The respected former federal cabinet minster left politics for the private sector, only to return to the fray for a run as PC leader. He handily won the leadership, but his party suffered a historic defeat to the New Democrats in the 2015 election, ending more than four decades of PC rule in the province. Prentice stepped down as party leader and MLA on election night after his party ended up in third place.
HELSINKI (AP)  Latvia held a general election Saturday amid divisions over Russia's attack on Ukraine among the Baltic countrys sizable ethnic-Russian minority. An exit poll predicted that the center-right will win the most votes but whoever forms the next government will face huge war-induced energy concerns.

A joint exit poll forecast that center-right New Unity party of Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins would win the election, capturing 22.5% of the vote. The poll was done by the Riga Stradins University, the SKDSA research center. the LETA newswire, Latvian Television and Latvian Radio.

The poll also predicted that a new centrist party that favors green development  United List  would be second with 11.5% of the vote and the opposition Greens and Farmers Union would come in third with 10.9% support. Only eight parties are predicted to pass the 5% barrier and secure representation at the 100-seat Saeima legislature.

A total of 19 parties had over 1,800 candidates running in the election. Official results are expected Sunday morning.

Initial voter turnout was 59%, the Central Election Committee said, an increase from 54.5% in the 2018 election.

Karins, who became head of Latvia's government in January 2019, currently leads a four-party minority coalition that along with New Unity includes the center-right National Alliance, the centrist Development/For!, and the Conservatives.

Karins, a 57-year-old dual Latvian-U.S. citizen born in Wilmington, Delaware, told Latvian media that it would be easiest to continue with the same coalition government if New Unity wins. He has excluded any cooperation with pro-Kremlin parties.

Support for parties catering to Latvia's ethnic-Russian minority, who make up over 25% of Latvia's 1.9 million people, is expected to be mixed; some loyal voters have abandoned them since Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.

This election is likely to be the death knell for the opposition Harmony party, whose popularity has steadily declined. The Moscow-friendly party traditionally served as an umbrella for most of Latvias Russian-speaking voters, including Belarusians and Ukrainians. In the 2018 election, Harmony received almost 20% of the vote, the most of any single party, but was excluded by other parties from entering the government.

However, Harmony's immediate and staunch opposition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine caused many voters who still back Russian President Vladimir Putin to desert it. Those opposed to the war, meanwhile, tended to move toward Latvias mainstream parties, who condemned the invasion.

A recent poll by Latvian public broadcaster LSM showed Harmony trailing in fifth place with 5.1% support.

I think the Russophonic part of the population is very fragmented, Pauls Raudseps, a columnist at the Latvian news magazine IR, told The Associated Press. You cant say its unified on anything. Some part is pro-Putin. But what weve seen is that the war in general has changed attitudes. And it has happened fairly rapidly.

Long lines were reported outside polling stations in several places Saturday, including the capital, Riga. Many voters said Russias invasion of Ukraine affected their attitudes.

People are getting more active, and as you see, there is a queue already. So, hopefully some of the pro-Russians have switched to the more European parties now, IT engineer Ratios Shovels, 38, said at a Riga district polling place.

Elena Dadukina, a 43-year-old lawyer said, said she wasn't sure if the healthy turnout was "due to the war or whether people want greater responsibility in choosing their candidates because of how they will influence our domestic politics.

Since Russia's war on Ukraine started in February, Latvian officials have banned Russians from entering the country with tourist visas and dismantled a prominent Soviet monument in Riga.

This week, the Latvian government announced a state of emergency at certain border areas as a precaution following Russias partial military mobilization. Like Baltic neighbors Estonia and Lithuania, Latvia is refusing to grant political asylum to Russian military reservists escaping conscription.

Latvia, which joined the European Union and NATO in 2004, also plans to reintroduce military conscription next year after a hiatus of over 15 years.

AP video journalist Eduard Kolik contributed from Riga, Latvia

Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
WASHINGTON (AP)  In a rare softening of hostile relations, Venezuela freed on Saturday seven imprisoned Americans in exchange for the United States releasing two nephews of President Nicolas Maduros wife who had been jailed for years on narcotics convictions.

The swap of the Americans, including five oil executives held for nearly five years, follows months of back channel diplomacy by senior U.S. officials  secretive talks with a major oil producer that took on greater urgency after sanctions on Russia put pressure on global energy prices.

The deal amounts to an unusual gesture of goodwill by Maduro as the socialist leader looks to rebuild relations with the U.S. after vanquishing most of his domestic opponents. While the White House denied any change in policy toward Venezuela is afoot, the freeing of Americans could create political space for the Biden administration to ease crippling oil sanctions on Venezuela if Maduro shows progress in on-again, off-again talks with his opponents.

I cant believe it, Cristina Vadell, the daughter of Tomeu Vadell, one of the freed Americans, told The Associated Press on Saturday.

Holding back tears of joy on her 31st birthday, she said: This is the best birthday present ever. Im just so happy.

The transfer took place Saturday in the Caribbean island of St. Vincent and Grenadines, which is ruled by an ally of Maduro, three people in Venezuela briefed on the matter told the AP on the condition of anonymity. The prisoners arrived from their respective locations in separate planes, the Biden administration said.

These individuals will soon be reunited with their families and back in the arms of their loved ones where they belong, President Joe Biden said in a statement.

Those freed include five employees of Houston-based Citgo  Vadell, Jose Luis Zambrano, Alirio Zambrano, Jorge Toledo and Jose Pereira  who were lured to Venezuela right before Thanksgiving in 2017 to attend a meeting at the headquarters of the company's parent, state-run-oil giant PDVSA. Once there, they were hauled away by masked security agents who busted into a Caracas conference room.

The men were convicted of embezzlement in 2020 in a trial marred by delays and irregularities and sentenced to between eight years and 13 years in prison for a never-executed proposal to refinance billions in the oil companys bonds.

Also released was Matthew Heath, a former U.S. Marine corporal from Tennessee who was arrested in 2020 at a roadblock in Venezuela, and a Florida man, Osman Khan, who was arrested in January.

The State Department had regarded all the men as wrongfully detained.

To facilitate a deal, Biden granted clemency for Franqui Flores and his cousin Efrain Campo, nephews of First Combatant Cilia Flores, as Maduro calls his wife. The men were arrested in Haiti in a Drug Enforcement Administration sting in 2015 and convicted the following year in New York in a highly charged case that cast a hard look at U.S. accusations of drug trafficking at the highest levels of Maduros administration.

Referring to the men only as Venezuelans unjustly imprisoned in the U.S., the Maduro government in a statement said it welcomes the outcome of these talks and hopes for the preservation of peace and harmony with all the nations of our region and the world.

The Biden administration has been under pressure to do more to bring home the roughly 60 Americans it believes are held hostage abroad or wrongfully detained by hostile foreign governments. While much of the focus is on Russia, where the U.S. has so far tried unsuccessfully to secure the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American, Paul Whelan, Venezuela has been holding the largest contingent of Americans suspected of being used as bargaining chips.

At least four other Americans remain detained in Venezuela, including two former Green Berets  Luke Denman and Airan Berry  involved in a slapdash attempt to oust Maduro in 2019, and two other men  Eyvin Hernandez and Jerrel Kenemore  who, like Khan, were detained for allegedly entering the country illegally from neighboring Colombia.

To all the families who are still suffering and separated from their loved ones who are wrongfully detained  know that we remain dedicated to securing their release, Biden said in his statement.

Saturday's swap came together quietly over several months of backchannel talks. Roger Carstens, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, has made multiple visits to Venezuela over the last year to discuss potential deals and to meet with the detained Americans.

In July, Maduro officials upped the ante in meetings in Caracas with Carstens and Ambassador James Story, who heads the Venezuela Affairs Unit in neighboring Colombia. It substitutes for the U.S. Embassy the Trump administration shuttered in 2019 to protest Maduro's reelection in what was widely seen as a sham election.

In exchange for freeing the nephews and insider businessman Alex Saab, Maduro was willing to release all Americans, a U.S. official briefed on the outreach told the AP.

In the end, Saab  Venezuela considers him a diplomat and U.S. prosecutors a corrupt regime enabler  was never seriously considered, according to the U.S. official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the talks.

Unlike the nephews, who were arrested as a result of a drug sting and are about halfway through 18-year sentences, Saab bitterly fought his extradition to the U.S. from Cape Verde, where he was arrested in 2020 during a stopover en route to Iran. He is now awaiting trial in Miami federal court on charges of siphoning off millions in state contracts.

Still, it's unclear if the prisoner release will lead to a broader thaw in relations.

The Biden administration is constrained in its engagement with Maduro, especially in the battleground state of Florida, where Latino voters whose families fled authoritarian rule in Cuba and Venezuela hold major sway.

Another Biden appeasement that will result in more anti-U.S. dictators taking more innocent Americans hostage in the future, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said on Twitter about Saturday's exchange.

Although the U.S. in the last six months has struck similar deals with Russia, and more recently with the Taliban, a senior Biden administration official downplayed any suggestion that it was caving to hostage-takers, saying such exchanges remain extraordinarily rare. The official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the administration, also pointed to an executive order from this summe r that sought to impose new costs on countries that jail Americans without cause.

Meanwhile, many Maduro supporters remain distrustful of the U.S. Empire," recalling the Trump administration's decision to impose sanctions on a Venezuelan governor who brokered the release of another American, Joshua Holt, in 2018.

However, some longtime Venezuela watchers say theyre hopeful this time will be different.

A visit to Caracas in March by Juan Gonzalez, the top National Security Council adviser on Latin America, was itself a remarkable gesture toward a leader whom the U.S. considers illegitimate and has indicted on narco-terrorism charges. The Biden administration has also promised to review sanctions if Maduro can point to progress in talks with opponents that had been taking place in Mexico that are aimed at creating fairer conditions for 2024 presidential elections

President Biden did the right thing, said Caleb McCarry, a former Republican staffer who met recently with Maduro in a bid to free Americans and improve bilateral relations. "This is serious diplomacy and can only help put the Mexico negotiations back on track. Its a win for the families, the American people and the Venezuelan people.

Goodman reported from Miami.
While world leaders from wealthy countries acknowledge the existential threat of climate change, Tuvalu Prime Minister Kausea Natano is racing to save his tiny island nation from drowning by raising it 13 to 16 feet (4 to 5 meters) above sea level through land reclamation.

While experts issue warnings about the eventual uninhabitability of the Marshall Islands, President David Kabua must reconcile the inequity of a seawall built to protect one house that is now flooding another one next door.

That is the reality of climate change: Some people get to talk about it from afar, while others must live it every day.

Natano and Kabua tried to show that reality on Wednesday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. Together they launched the Rising Nations Initiative, a global partnership aimed to preserve the sovereignty, heritage and rights of Pacific atoll island nations whose very existence has been threatened by climate change.

Natano described how rising sea levels have impacted everything from the soil that his people rely on to plant crops, to the homes, roads and power lines that get washed away. The cost of eking out a living, he said, eventually becomes too much to bear, causing families to leave and the nation itself to disappear.

This is how a Pacific atoll dies, Natano said. This is how our islands will cease to exist.

The Rising Nations Initiative seeks a political declaration by the international community to preserve the sovereignty and rights of Pacific atoll island countries; the creation of a comprehensive program to build and finance adaptation and resilience projects to help local communities sustain livelihoods; a living repository of the culture and unique heritage of each Pacific atoll island country; and support to acquire UNESCO World Heritage designation.

The initiative has already gained the support of countries like the United States, Germany, South Korea and Canada, all of which have acknowledged the unique burden that island nations like Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands must shoulder.

A U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report released in February spelled out the vulnerability of small island developing states and other global hotspots like Africa and South Asia, whose populations are 15 times more likely to die from extreme weather compared to less vulnerable parts of the world.

If warming exceeds a few more tenths of a degree, it could lead to some areas  including some small islands  becoming uninhabitable, said report co-author Adelle Thomas of Climate Analytics and the University of the Bahamas.

On Thursday, Robert Abela, the prime minister of the island state of Malta, pointed to the serious threat that climate change poses to everyone, but especially to small islands developing states and coastal communities.

It threatens state sovereignty, brings loss of territory, and causes damage to states critical infrastructure as well as their existing rights under maritime zone boundaries, Abela said.

Natano noted that Tuvalu and its Pacific neighbors have done nothing to cause climate change, with their carbon emission contribution amounting to less than .03% of the world's total.

This is the first time in history that the collective action of many nations will have made several sovereign countries uninhabitable, he said.

Representatives from other nations who attended Wednesday's event did not deflect responsibility. But whether they will do enough to turn things around remains to be seen.

Several have pledged money to help island nations pay for early warning systems and bring their buildings up to code to better protect them from hurricanes and other weather events. But there was less talk of mitigating the problem of climate change and more about how to adapt to the devastation it has already wrought.

We see this train coming, and it's coming down the track, and we need to get out of the way, said Amy Pope, deputy director general of the International Organization for Migration.

Germany's climate envoy, Jennifer Morgan, who also attended Wednesday's event, spoke of her country's target to reach carbon neutrality by 2045. But while Germany remains committed to phasing out coal as a power source by 2030, it has had to reactivate coal-fired power plants to get through the coming winter amid energy shortages as a result of Russias war in Ukraine.

For the president of the Marshall Islands, wealthy nations could be doing much more. During his speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, Kabua urged world leaders to take on sectors that rely on fossil fuels, including aviation and shipping. He pointed to the Marshall Islands carbon levy proposal for international shipping that he says will drive the transition to zero emission shipping, channeling resources from polluters to the most vulnerable.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has likewise encouraged going after the worlds largest polluters. During his opening remarks to the assembly on Tuesday, he pushed for richer countries to tax the profits of energy companies and redirect the funds to both countries suffering loss and damage caused by the climate crisis and those struggling with the rising cost of living.

In the meantime, as wealthy countries urge action instead of words in their own U.N. speeches, Kabua, Natano and their fellow island nation leaders will continue to grapple with their daily climate change reality  and try to continue to exist.

Pia Sarkar, a Philadelphia-based journalist for The Associated Press, is on assignment covering the U.N. General Assembly. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/PiaSarkar_TK and for more AP coverage of the U.N. General Assembly, visit https://apnews.com/hub/united-nations-general-assembly
Students across Wisconsin: Start drawing and writing about the First Amendment.

Teachers and parents: Please encourage them.

The Wisconsin Newspaper Association, through its foundation, is seeking opinion columns and cartoons from middle- and high-schoolers this month as part of its second annual contest promoting civic education and engagement.

With our nation increasingly divided and often incited by political extremes, young people need to learn how our democracy functions and why our freedoms  especially to speak and write  are so vital to keeping America strong.

Many school districts in Wisconsin, including Madisons, dont require civics class. Thats unfortunate and should change.

How to enter Students should submit their editorials at go.madison.com/WritingContest. Cartoons can be submitted at go.madison.com/CartoonContest. For rules and other details: go.madison.com/rules.

Americas next generation of leaders needs to understand our nations separation of powers, its respect for individual rights and the rule of law. America will need its young people to participate in civic life as they grow older. That includes voting, speaking out, respecting the right of others to speak, and running for public office.

The WNAs Civics Games Editorial Writing and Cartoon Contest helps accomplish these goals. It seeks 500-word opinion columns from high school students and 200-word letters to the editor from middle school students about the First Amendment. It also welcomes editorial cartoons on the same topic.

Students should write or draw from personal experiences, current events and historical examples, organizers suggest.

The Civics Games Editorial Writing and Cartoon Contest comes with prize money: $500 for first place, $250 for second, $100 for third and $50 for honorable mention in each division. The deadline for submissions is 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 24, with winners announced in early December.

So get going, students.

Besides money, the winners will have their work published in the Wisconsin State Journal and other news outlets across the state.

Last years winners were from Elkhart Lake, Kenosha, La Farge and Wittenberg. Finalists represented Bristol, Cedarburg, Kansasville, Loyal, Milwaukee and Soldiers Grove.

Writing and drawing about the First Amendment could be assigned by a teacher or something a teenager does from home. The contest is open to all Wisconsin middle and high school students, including home-schoolers.

A good place to start on an idea for an essay or cartoon is by reading the First Amendment:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

What does that mean to students? How does it affect them? Why are those words important?

The Civics Games Editorial Writing and Cartoon Contest is so much more than a game. Its what our democracy requires: A lively dialog and competition of ideas to win the support of fellow citizens.

We look forward to publishing this years winners.
Will Russia learn from our mistakes?

In January 1968, I was in college, knowing I soon would be drafted as our war in Vietnam expanded its reach. Then came the Tet Offensive. The Viet Cong overran many cities thought to be safe.

They paid a heavy price, but Tet shattered our myths about the war. The enemy wasn't growing weaker. We hadn't won the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese. We weren't invincible. Still 18 months after the Tet Offensive, I was ordered to Vietnam.

We carried on in Vietnam because we decided there could be no peace without honor. As a result, the war took an additional 25,000 GIs and hundreds of thousands more Vietnamese before our humiliating exit. The wounds and divisions from that war have yet to fully heal.

Now Russia is suffering its own Tet Offensive, as its foolish and dangerous myths are being shattered. Vladimir Putin must now decide how much more Russia, Ukraine and the rest of the world must endure to save his honor.

We can only hope he will learn from our mistakes. Self-centered myths can metastasize and invade a nation's soul. In an unholy war, only peace and self-reflection can bring honor.

Bruce Meredith, Madison
The Idaho Legislatures Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee will begin three days of training and meetings Monday in Twin Falls.

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee sets the state budget each year and is one of the largest, hardest working committees in the Idaho Legislature.

Although the Idaho Legislature is not in session now, JFACs fall meetings held outside of the Idaho State Capitol in Bosie have become a tradition and one of the warmups for a new legislative session that starts in January.

During this years road show in the Magic Valley, JFAC members will receive briefings on the state general fund and begin reviewing each of the agency budget requests for fiscal year 2024  from K-12 public schools to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Medicaid, corrections and across the spectrum of state government. Committee members will also receive tours of the College of Southern Idaho, the Idaho State Department of Agricultures quality lab and a new juvenile court building.

Rep. Wendy Horman, an Idaho Falls Republican and JFAC member who often helps set the public school budgets, said the fall trainings and budget briefings are important enough that shes making plans to secure a ride to participate in the first two days of meetings as she recovers from shoulder surgery.

These meetings help the legislative session go more smoothly, so when we come in January, we wont be coming in the dark. We will have had a strong review of what the (budget) requests are, Horman said in a telephone interview.

This years fall training and budget review meetings may prove especially important in light of the turnover in the Idaho Legislature and on JFAC. At least 11 of JFACs 20 members will be new in the 2023 legislative session due to retirements and primary election losses in May.

Horman said several incumbent legislators and incoming legislators have expressed an interest in serving on JFAC given the openings. Horman said she held a sort of JFAC 101 training and 18 likely incoming legislators attended. Horman is also encouraging any incumbent legislators and legislative candidates to follow this weeks JFAC meetings to get up to speed.

Monday and Tuesdays meetings begin at 8 a.m. at College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls. Wednesdays meeting begins at 10 a.m. at Bruneau Dunes State Park and continues with a tour of Anderson Ranch reservoir at 2 p.m. The public can also attend the meetings and agendas are available on the Idaho Legislatures website.

The 2023 legislative session is scheduled to begin Jan. 9 at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise with the governors annual state of the state address.
TWIN FALLS  Sgt. Mike Wendler crossed the Perrine Bridge on Saturday afternoon in a procession befitting a hero, as he made his way home from the hospital.

Police cars, ambulances and fire engines greeted the Idaho State trooper who was injured Sept. 8 when he was struck outside his vehicle while directing traffic on Interstate 84 in Jerome.

Even St. Lukes medical helicopter made an appearance.

A crane hoisting a giant American flag and Idaho State Police flag met Wendler, who was riding in a big Ford pickup, at the bridge.

To top it off was a crowd of waving and cheering supporters who lined the bridge, many of whom wore Wendlers Warriors T-shirts and were holding signs of encouragement.

Although Wendler is now at his Twin Falls home, he still faces months and perhaps years of recovery, supporters say, although his progress thus far has been miraculous.
Photo: .

B.C. has released the full investigative report about the challenges of repeat offending and unprovoked, violent stranger attacks that some communities are facing.

In co-operation with the BC Urban Mayors' Caucus, the province hired experts in mental health and policing, Amanda Butler and Doug LePard, to conduct a rapid investigation into these public safety challenges and recommend evidence-based solutions to keep people and communities safe.

More than 60 experts with practical or academic knowledge contributed to the report, including mayors, police, the BC Prosecution Service, health authorities, the Crown Police Liaison Committee working group and many others. The BC First Nations Justice Council (BCFNJC) provided a written submission to the investigation panel, which is fully endorsed by the investigators.

The full report follows the release of 28 recommendations that were released on Sept. 21, 2022.

The province says many of the report recommendations align with work underway, and the experts said these co-ordinated efforts will make a difference on the ground and in people's lives.

It is working on three recommendations beginning with bringing back the prolific offender management program that ran from 2008 until 2012.

The program had success bringing together community partners such as police, mental-health and community support service providers to monitor and help offenders break the cycle of repeat offending and was shown to reduce repeat offending by as much as 40 per cent in the first year.

Secondly, it is working on establishing a dedicated provincial committee to co-ordinate supports for people with complex healthcare needs in the criminal justice system.

Thirdly, it is supporting work by the BCFNJC to develop a pilot program based at the Prince George First Nations Justice Centre to better support Indigenous people who come into conflict with the law.

The BCFNJC said it was pleased with the provinces swift actions in accepting the recommendations.

We welcome the provinces announcement as a step in the right direction said BCFNJC Chair Doug White, in a press release.

Too often the underlying factors driving contact with the criminal justice system go ignored. Funding dedicated to better understanding these factors is limited, and the existing culturally appropriate supports and programs are insufficient. With this pilot, the BCFNJC intends to focus on harm reduction, education, and providing the necessary supports that promote diversion and healing for our people and communities.

The BCFNJC said that ensuring that individuals can develop and maintain a personal connection at Indigenous Justice Centres s across British Columbia, but especially in Prince George, is important for ensuring that the cycle of harm is no longer repeated and that individuals can grow and heal to find safety and security in a good way.

The full report, as well as the BCFNJCs submission to the investigative panel is available to view online.
BOISE  Authorities are searching for whoever left an unextinguished campfire they say led to the largest wildfire in Idaho this year that has drawn hundreds of firefighters, three of whom died.

Wildfire officials said Wednesday that the 200-square-mile Moose Fire in east-central Idaho near the town of Salmon that started in mid-July is only about half contained.

The U.S. Forest Service said interviews by its special agents and law enforcement officers as well as forensic processing of where the fire originated identified an unattended campfire as the source.

The agency said the fire began in a dispersed camping area between the Salmon River Road and the main Salmon River, across from the Moose Creek drainage. It then spread from grass and shrubs to forests at higher elevations, officials said, eventually forcing the evacuations of residents near the town of Salmon.

The agency is asking the publics help in identifying anyone present at the camping area from the afternoon of July 16 to the morning of July 17.

State and federal authorities in recent years have bolstered efforts to hold responsible careless campers, fireworks users and public lands target-shooters, seeking firefighting costs that can reach millions of dollars.

The program has had to expand, of course, because we have more need because of human-caused negligent fires, said Jessica Gardetto, external affairs chief for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management at the Boise, Idaho-based National Interagency Fire Center.

She cited an increase in public land use during the COVID-19 pandemic, with recreationists possibly new to the outdoor experience and unfamiliar with safely using a fire in wildland areas.

Humans are the most common cause of wildfires in the U.S., according to the Fire Center, starting nearly 53,000 in 2021. Lightning accounted for about 6,300 wildfires that year. Final numbers arent yet available this year.

Idaho officials also track human-caused wildfires and aggressively seek those responsible. As of Tuesday, the Idaho Department of Lands, or IDL, reports that 123 of the 276 wildfires its responsible for fighting on 10,000 square miles of state, federal and private land were human-caused.

We investigate every fire under IDL protection, spokeswoman Sharla Arledge said. Weve had some good success, and there have been two arrests for arson this year.

Over the past two years, the agency has also bolstered its wildfire investigation capabilities by creating a new program that has a dedicated manager who can tap 20 workers who have completed specialized fire investigation training.

Finding those responsible for a wildfire is important not only for people who own the property, but for taxpayers, Arledge said.

Residents who have lost homes in wildfires have also filed lawsuits against those found responsible to collect damages.

On the Moose Fire, Salmon-Challis National Forest officials said Thomas Hayes, 41, of Post Falls, Idaho, and Jared Bird, 36, of Anchorage, Alaska, died from injuries they sustained when their CH-47D Series Chinook crashed in the Salmon River on July 21.

Fire officials also reported that 48-year-old Gerardo Rincon, a crew boss with a 20-person hand crew from Independence, Oregon, who had 28 years of experience fighting wildland fires, died on Sept. 20 after experiencing a medical emergency early in the morning.

Hundreds of firefighters lined up on Saturday at the Lemhi County Airport south of the city of Salmon as Rincons body was transported past them in a hearse to a waiting aircraft and then flown to Oregon.

About 500 firefighters and support personnel remain at the blaze that has an estimated containment date of Oct. 31, potentially meaning it will take an end-of-season rain or snow event to extinguish the fire.
A few weeks after the FBI searched former President Donald Trumps residence at his Palm Beach, Florida, resort, Fox News host Steve Doocy, a longtime ally of the former president, posed a question that remains unanswered. Why did he have all that secret stuff at Mar-a-Lago? Doocy wondered during an interview with South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.

Trumps response  that the secret stuff was not really secret because he declassified it before he left office  is both implausible and, in the context of the potential crimes that the FBI is investigating, legally irrelevant. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit underlined both points last week.

Trump brought more than 300 records marked as classified to Mar-a-Lago, including 184 discovered in 15 boxes he gave the National Archives in January, 38 that his lawyers surrendered in June in response to a federal subpoena and more than 100 seized during the FBIs Aug. 8 search. The documents ranged from confidential to top secret and included sensitive compartmented information about intelligence sources and methods.

It is still not clear that storing those records at Mar-a-Lago posed a threat to national security grave and imminent enough to justify the unprecedented search of a former presidents home. At the same time, Trumps justification for keeping them is hard to fathom.

Trump initially claimed he had a standing order as president that automatically declassified any documents he removed from the Oval Office. That policy was news to national security officials who should have known about it, and it would have been a haphazard and cavalier way to treat sensitive records.

William Barr, Trumps former attorney general, thinks it is highly improbable that Trump ever issued such an order. But if he did, Barr says, it would be such an abuse and show such recklessness that its almost worse than taking the documents.

In a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity last week, Trump himself cast doubt on his initial explanation, saying the president can declassify documents simply by thinking about it. That means such decisions do not have to be communicated to anyone, even though the whole point is to change how records are stored and handled.

Even that explanation seems inconsistent with what Trump lawyer Evan Corcoran said in a May 25 letter to Justice Department official Jay Bratt. Corcoran told Bratt that documents purportedly marked as classified were once in the White House and unknowingly included among the boxes brought to Mar-a-Lago by the movers.

According to Corcoran, those records ended up at Mar-a-Lago by accident. If Trump did not know what was in the boxes, it is hard to see how he could have declassified the documents even by thinking about it.

Last week, a unanimous 11th Circuit panel, including two judges appointed by Trump, noted that he had presented no evidence that any of these records were declassified. And even if they were, the appeals court said, Trump had offered no reason to think he had an individual interest in them, that he has a need-to-know the information they contain, or that he is entitled to them.

Thanks to the 11th Circuits stay, the FBI can continue to use those 100-plus records in its criminal investigation, which likewise does not hinge on their current classification status. The FBIs search warrant cited three possible felonies: mishandling of government records, obstruction of a federal investigation and improper retention of defense information that could be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of any foreign nation.

If the Justice Department ultimately decides to prosecute Trump for any of those offenses, it may have difficulty proving the requisite intent, since his conduct can plausibly be attributed to some combination of ignorance, arrogance, laziness and sloppiness. But to obtain convictions, prosecutors would not have to refute Trumps assertion that the classification status of any given document is contingent on his fleeting thoughts or acquisitive impulses.
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa.  Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is in the process of filing a lawsuit against New York Attorney General Letitia James for allegedly leaking to the press a list of donors to her nonprofit Stand for America.

Last week Haley released the findings of the New York Freedom of Information Act request she filed late last month with Jamess office.

Haleys team requested records of all Freedom of Information Act requests about Stand for America from Jan. 1, 2019, to the present. James office responded, Please be advised that the Office of the Attorney General has conducted a diligent search and has located no records that respond to your request.

The attorney generals answer raises more questions than answers and leaves open the possibility that the attorney generals office illegally sent donor data or emailed it via unofficial emails, then leaked it to Documented, the watchdog group that gave Haleys donor list to Politico.

Last Tuesday, Haley sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland demanding that the Department of Justice investigate the illegal delivery, receipt and public disclosure of a list of the identities of donors to Stand for America. These illicit acts are subject to criminal penalties, and it is your duty to launch an inquiry, follow the facts wherever they lead, and prosecute, she wrote. Haley added that once Garlands office has concluded its investigation, it should prosecute all those responsible to the fullest extent permitted by law.

The materials, which contained donor names  all influential men and women in the conservative movement  were leaked in August to Politico in a chilling act of intimidation against conservative political speech. Haley, a Republican, has been an outspoken critic of New Yorks no-bail laws and believes this is an instance of retaliation.

Haley launched Stand for America after leaving the Trump administration in 2019. In an interview with the Washington Examiner while she was campaigning with Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz in Delaware County, Haley said that when she was first contacted by Politico about the donor list, she was stunned by the outlets access to something that was supposed to remain private. They say they have it, she said. We say, Show it to us. They send it to us and, look at the back page, its stamped by the New York State Attorney Generals Office.

This is how liberals behave, she added. Once again, they were upset that I was calling out what was going on in New York state, and they are upset that Im calling out Biden for his failings, and they are trying to intimidate conservatives to be silent or hide in the shadows. Were not going to let it happen. Were suing the New York state attorney general, and I am going to Merrick Garland and saying, You need to investigate what happened, and you owe us an answer on this, and were going to keep on fighting through this.

Republicans have been too nice for too long, she said. At the end of the day, theres no time to whine and complain about this. This is time to fight, and we go back, and were going to hold her accountable.

Haley has been all over the country with conservative candidates running for office, as was the case with Oz here in suburban Philadelphia. The audience here gave her a warm welcome: After the event, several attendees said they were impressed with her delivery, her willingness to take the fight to the Left and her grace. Some said they would love to see her run for president in 2024.

The first female governor of the Palmetto State has a formidable record of helping candidates in Republican primaries this cycle: Her endorsement record shows she went six for six in GOP primaries in Iowa. She was also successful in her home states most competitive Republican congressional primaries in June, when U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., defeated challenger Katie Arrington. In that race, she went head-to-head with former President Donald Trump and won.

Haleys fall schedule, which included this crowded event with Oz, is packed with travel plans that will take her across the country to headline events with various candidates. Her efforts to stump for candidates around the country could prove to be a wise investment of time and effort if she chooses to run in the Republican primary for president in 2024.

Haley said that when she talks to voters at events such as this one, she finds that it is the media and the Democrats who are myopically focused on Trump. They are missing what is really motivating voters to the polls.

Frankly, Im not hearing voters talk about Trump or Biden, she said. What theyre talking about is that gas prices are high, and thats how they get to work. Grocery prices are high, and thats how they feed their family. And they are frustrated and scared of the very idea that theyre having to dip into their savings accounts to pay for both. The idea that utility bills are going through the roof, or they cant get basic supplies for their homes or businesses; thats what theyre talking about. And theyre talking about crime on the streets and border. Theyre talking about education for their kids. They dont feel like they have the luxury of politics. They just want someone to hear them and fight for them because they feel like we got to get things back on track.

After her event with Oz, Haley left Pennsylvania for Georgia, where she was doing an event with Herschel Walker in his quest to unseat incumbent Democrat Sen. Raphael Warnock. I feel like were in a different state all the time, she said, laughing. What I can tell you is weve endorsed over 50 candidates. We raised over four and a half million dollars. Were not going to stop until we get to Election Day.

As for the release of her documents, Haley said she is not going to back down in demanding answers for that as well  not just for herself, but for all the conservative groups and conservatives whose private information has been illegally leaked by government officials as a form of political punishment.

These disclosures arent just meant to intimidate people, she said. They are a violation of federal and state law, and I am not just going to stand aside any longer as liberals use government power as a weapon against conservatives.

Haley is a true dragon slayer. When she was wrongly accused by The View host Sunny Hostin for being a chameleon for not using her Indian first name, Haley shot back, saying, Nikki is my name. It is on my birth certificate. It is an Indian name, and I embrace my Indian heritage. I have written two books that describe the struggles that my family had, what it was like growing up.

Its not the first time, and it wont be the last time that the hosts of The View come after me or that liberals come after me in... whatever way, Haley said. They cant stand the fact that a minority female would be a conservative Republican.
On Sept. 13, Iranian Islamic dictatorship morality police in Tehran arrested a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman named Mahsa Amini. The morality police charged her with violating the regimes dress code. She hadnt covered her hair properly, or something.

On Sept. 16, Amini was pronounced dead. The Tehran dictatorship established by the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini said a heart attack killed her. Witnesses who saw her in the hospital said she died from a severe beating  a brutal beating committed by Iranian Shia political Khomeinist zealots whose real god is the power to kill.

Big Point No. 1: Aminis Khomeinist killers want to kill a lot of people. The Khomeinist death cult controlling Iran ritually screams Death to America and calls Israel a one-bomb country. The one bomb Tehrans hate cult invokes is, of course, a nuclear weapon.

What doesnt appear in major media is the sorry and cowardly depth of Americas feckless response to the Iranian peoples appeals for aid and assistance in escaping the terrible Aryan Islamofascist regime that brutalizes them.

Aryan puzzles you? Iran is short for Aryanistan. Land of the Aryans. Thats the way privileged Iranian Ayatollah regime supremacists regard themselves.

Their Semite, Turk, Slav and Caucasus Mountain hillbilly neighbors?

Like Hitlerite German Nazis, the ayatollah clan considers these neighbors to be Untermensch. Translate that as lower beings. God and the ayatollahs demand the Aryan-Iranians dominate.

And if you cant dominate them, a nuke will really bring death to Arabs and Turks and Israelis and Americans and whoever  so the robed dictators claim.

Former President Donald Trumps administration leveraged this Ayatollah Aryan supremacy claptrap to fashion the Abraham Accords. Arabs and Jews are both Semites. Check with the Saudis and Emiratis. Despite the ayatollahs incessant nuke Israel propaganda, the Gulf Arabs know Iran threatens them.

This isnt 21st-century racist pap. Iranian supremacists in various guises have been peddling this propaganda for some 4,000 years.

Big Point No. 2: President Joe Bidens administration has ignored the Abraham Accords. Why? The Trump administration promoted them. According to Biden ayatollahs, all things Trump are bad, verboten, unclean, and if they actually create strategic stability, they are forbidden knowledge. Democrat Party media pals like The New York Times and MSNBC must never mention them under penalty of cancel culture.

My bet: History will call the Biden administrations failure to reinforce the Abraham Accords its second-greatest strategic failure. Its foremost failure: the Afghanistan withdrawal debacle.

Back to current events in Iran. Aminis death has brought the Iranian people into the street. Since Sept. 17 the robed regime has confronted mass demonstrations, with several dozen people killed and thousands arrested. Police stations have been burned  not because the Iranian people want to defund the police, but because the regime they serve is controlled by misogynist thugs who murder innocent women because they didnt wear a scarf.

Aminis 2022 murder echoes 2009. On June 20 of that year 26-year-old Neda Agha-Soltan exited a car in the middle of a street demonstration triggered by 2009s clearly rigged national election. A regime sniper immediately shot her through the chest and killed her.

Videos recorded her murder, providing global evidence of the Iranian regimes war on women and civilization.

But the Obama-Biden administration? In 2009, as the anti-Khomeinist demonstrations intensified and Iranians begged for American support, the Obama-Biden administration remained silent.

That silence in the face of dictatorial cruelty blew the best chance the Iranian people have had to this day to topple the true evil dominating their country.

From the start of his administration, President Barack Obama offered concessions to Irans Aryan cult. Why? His administration was riddled with multiculturalists from the academic Left who thought American power and strong American leadership were the source of the worlds most wicked problems.

In 2009 Obama failed to immediately support the Iranian demonstrators. Instead of promoting democracy he opted for finger-wagging and strongly worded memos. Gray-haired profs with ponytails may love it, but in the international arena they are kindergarten theatrics.

Biden, Obamas veep, is now in charge. Fair bet: the robed dictators will once again crush the Iranian peoples rebellion.
There was a time in America, more than a decade ago, when horror stories of six-figure student debt racked up by graduates with faint prospects and no idea how theyd repay the money led to a rethinking about the cost of higher education.

The average student debt at the time was $23,000.

President Barack Obama launched a program, Know Before You Owe to educate teens and parents about student debt.

In a bid to make college more affordable, Obama also signed a bill that reduced student loan repayments to 10% of borrowers income and forgave remaining balances after 20 years of payments  10 years for those who qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

But of course, that is not enough. It never is.

Now President Joe Biden plans to shift more of the payment burden from borrowers who took out student loans of their own free will and onto taxpayers who have no choice.

On Jan. 1, the Biden administration will cancel $10,000 of a students debt  $20,000 for those who received Pell Grants.

Most taxpayers didnt graduate college, but in Joe Bidens America, theyll get to pay for it.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated the cost of the loan forgiveness plan to be $400 billion, but the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget sees a cost of roughly $500 billion over the next 10 years.

Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that critics oppose the Biden package because they know it will provide much needed relief for working families.

Wrong. I dont like it because Biden is gaming COVID so that he can give away other peoples money in a craven play for the youth vote. I also happen to be one of those chumps who paid off her student loan.

Adam Looney of the Brookings Institution warned that under the new plan, loans will be the preferred option for most students, and by a wide margin. Get 50% off the cost of college! But only if you pay with a federal loan, because you dont have to pay it all back.

Note that the president delayed announcing the bonanza until close to the midterms.

The administration claims that the scheme is legal because of COVID, a national emergency. Thats hard to believe given that Biden himself recently said the pandemic is over.

America is back at work. The unemployment rate for August was 3.7%.

The Pacific Legal Foundation has filed a suit challenging the program as a flagrantly illegal exercise in executive overreach.

Biden may be president, but the Constitution didnt give him a blank check.
My newspaper died. Well, technically it still appears, but even when its delivered it has no life, no news and barely a pulse. Its a mere semblance of a real paper, one of the hundreds of local-journalism zombies staggering along in cities and towns that had long relied on their once-vigorous selves. Each one has a bare number of subscribers keeping it going, mostly longtime readers like me clinging to a memory of what used to be and a flickering hope that, surely, the thing wont get worse. Then it does.

Our papers are getting worse (at a time we desperately need them to get better) because they are no longer mediums of journalism, civic purpose and local identity. Rather, theyve been reduced to little more than profit siphons, steadily piping local money to a handful of distant, high-finance syndicates that have bought out our hometown journals. The Austin American-Statesman, for example, was swallowed up in 2019 by the nationwide Gannett chain, becoming one of more than 1,000 local papers Gannett presently mass produces under its corporate banner, The USA Today Network. But even that reference is a deception, for the publication doesnt confide to readers that its actually a product of SoftBank Group, a multibillion-dollar Japanese financial consortium that owns and controls Gannett.

SoftBank has no interest in Austin as a place, a community or even as a newspaper market, nor does it care one whit about advancing the principles of journalism. Its in the profit business, specifically the business of extracting maximum short-term payouts from the properties it owns.

This has rapidly become the standard business model for American newspapering. Today, more than half of all daily papers in America are in the grip of just 10 of these money syndicates. Indeed, only three high-flying hedge funds (SoftBank, Alden Global Capital and Chatham Asset Management) have captured your dailies in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Charlotte, Columbus, Des Moines, Detroit, El Paso, Fort Worth, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Louisville, Miami, Milwaukee, Nashville, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Jose, St. Paul... and many more. Equally important, these profiteers are snatching up hundreds of weekly papers meant to serve neighborhoods, suburbs and rural communities from coast to coast.

Far from serving your news needs, theyre strictly interested in diverting the income and assets of our local papers into jet streams of cash flying from our economies straight into their private wealth funds. Its called financialization of journalism, but thats a Wall Street euphemism for old-fashioned plundering, which they do by decimating staff (reporters, editors, et al.), closing news bureaus, outsourcing design and other production work, shrinking the papers size and frequency, nationalizing and standardizing content, selling off printing plants and other core assets... and drastically jacking up the papers price.

All of the above not only removes wealth (including important jobs) from our communities, but also basic information, connection and voice  transferring power from millions of us to a tiny circle of superrich speculators who dont give a damn about newspapers, our towns or us.

As a four-decade subscriber to Austins newspaper, I can attest that the hedge-fund owners are as aggressive as airline monopolists at hollowing out their product and charging more for less. I hasten to add that this in no way faults the thousands of talented, dedicated journalists and production staffers of recent years whove tried  against impossible odds of demoralizing ownership greed, ignorance and indifference  to salvage a smidgen of respect for what remains of the press. Rather than a failure of journalism, America has experienced the plundering of journalism. In a short time, piece by piece, our Austin paper has been financialized into the SoftBank American-Statesman.

Our Saturday paper has been eliminated.

Round after round of newsroom and production cuts keep coming.

Final editing, design and page makeup are largely done by computers and assembled by understaffed, out-of-town contractors trying to rush out multiple papers each night.

Worst is the Statesmans daily substitution of filler and puffery for articles of substance and timeliness.

A recent editorial hailed newspaper opinion sections as the treasured hallmarks of a democracy, a modern-day town square. Then, the same piece announced that Gannett was shutting down most of the Austin papers town square!

To go along with the cheapening of the paper, SoftBank has raised its price. A lot. Subscriptions were $48 a month when Gannett and bankers came to town three years ago. So far, theyve doubled that to $99.60 a month (over $4 per paper), plus tacked on an annual $5 statement fee, charging customers for sending us a bill! Then they wonder why theyre losing subscribers and cant attract new ones.
The Drug Enforcement Agency is warning that drug cartels are making colorful rainbow fentanyl to appeal to kids. Brightly-colored fentanyl is being seized in multiple forms, including pills, powder, and blocks that resemble sidewalk chalk, a DEA press release warns.

And yet there is no evidence that these pills are being peddled to the playground set.

Im skeptical that (dealers) would try to target children where there is not an existing market, says Sally Satel, an addiction psychiatrist and resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Whats more, young kids are a true loss leader, because without a significant tolerance for opioids, the chances of overdosing are huge. So few would survive and come back for more.

Which is not to say that the colors arent possibly designed to make the pills more attractive to an audience safely out of elementary school, Satel added, just like heroin packets come stamped with all kinds of edgy names and images.

Reilly Capps, a drug writer for The Washington Post and Rooster magazine, agreed: On the one hand, Its a way to brand your stuff. For instance, he says, at raves, people will walk around with backpacks, saying, Molly, molly, molly, peddling different shapes and colors of Ecstasy. Some pills are shaped like Mickey Mouse, some are branded Tesla, and so on.

These undoubtedly appeal to a certain segment of the market. But that segment is not the sidewalk hopscotch crowd the DEA implies the Mexican drug cartels are targeting.

Such nuance is often lost when the story hits the news cycle, which it is doing right now. While a long piece on CNN explicitly said parents of young children should not overly panic  props, CNN!  a WRAL piece began, We all know how easy it is for children to pass candy around to each other... as if rainbow fentanyl is about to be shared like M&Ms.

Many media outlets simply ran the DEA press release without any independent reporting, says Ryan Marino, a Case Western Reserve School of Medicine emergency room doctor with a specialization in addiction and toxicology. Colors have been added to drugs for years, he says. The real danger isnt that kids are being given fentanyl like candy. Its that fentanyl is being pressed into the shape of other drugs, like Oxycodone. People take a fentanyl pill thinking it is something else, and OD.

But of course, its the kiddie angle thats irresistible to the media, because it provides a huge rush of our cultures favorite drug: fear for our children. We just cant get enough of stranger danger.

The reaction to that rush is just as predictable: Calls to throw more money at the DEA to keep our kids safe.

Chuck Schumer wanted 290 million more dollars because of this, said Capps. But that money could be spent on any number of life-enhancing, abuse-reducing initiatives, Capps points out, including harm reduction programs. It could even go toward hiring parkies to keep parks safe from drug dealers  so young people could go back to playing outside on their own, a mood brightener for any age.

Fentanyl is a deadly drug. It is a scourge upon the land. But frightening parents about one more danger that leads them to lock their kids inside isnt making America more safe. Its making America more scared, depressed and angry  an America that wants to be sedated.
Tracey Widmann, principal of East McDowell Middle School has been named the 2023 McDowell County Schools Principal of the Year, administrators announced on Friday.

Widmann was notified Thursday with a surprise announcement that included the East McDowell Middle School staff and students, board member Beth Silver, Interim Superintendent Brian Oliver and other district staff.

The process for choosing the Principal of the Year begins with nominations from McDowell County Schools Leadership Team. Directors and principals have the opportunity to nominate principal they feel creates a climate of inquiry that challenges the school community to continually re-purpose itself by building on its core values and beliefs.

Principals from around the district then vote on someone who is deserving of this honor.

I am truly humbled and honored to be chosen by my colleagues as McDowell County Schools Principal of the Year, Widmann said.

Widmann graduated from Clearwater High School in Florida in 1989. She then attended the University of South Florida and graduated in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science degree.

She began her career teaching special education with Pinellas County Schools in Florida, serving students in middle and high school.

Widmann joined McDowell County Schools in 2006 as a special education teacher.

After earning her Masters of School Administration (2010) from Appalachian State University, she became an assistant principal at McDowell High School in 2012.

Widmann was promoted to the position of principal at the Alternative Education Center in 2014, where she served for the next four years. She was named the first Principal of the McDowell Academy for Innovation in 2018. Widmann was reassigned in June 2022 to serve as the leader of East McDowell Middle School.

Interim Superintendent Brian Oliver had strong words of praise for Widmann. Tracey Widmann is a dynamic educational leader who impacts students and staff each day, he said. We could not ask for a better representative for McDowell County Schools!

Widmann will compete against 15 other district principals in Region 7 (Northwest) in November for a chance to be the Regional Principal of the Year. The eight regional principals of the year will then be considered for the honor of State Principal of the Year later in the spring.
Moroccos Embassy in Ouagadougou has set up a monitoring cell of the situation in Burkina Faso and reassures on the situation of the members of the Moroccan community residing in this country, the diplomatic representation said in a statement.

The Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco is closely following the situation in Burkina Faso and the events taking place there since Friday, the statement read.

It reassures on the situation of the members of the Moroccan community residing in Burkina Faso, the statement added, calling on compatriots to remain in their homes and exercise caution.

The Embassy has set up a monitoring cell and provides this emergency number in case of need: +226 06 41 80 80, the statement concluded.

Moroccos national carrier Royal Air Maroc announced the cancellation of flights to and from Ouagadougou amid the political crisis in the country on October 1 and 2. Future trips might also be cancelled depending on the evolution of the situation, RAM said.

On Friday, military officers ousted Henri Sandaogo Damiba and replaced him at the head of the country by Captain Ibrahim Traore. Damiba has been accused of focusing on politics more than on addressing the security challenges facing the country.

The recent coup came eight months after a similar action from Damiba against Roch Marc Kabore in January.
GREAT FALLS  In the poem Pishkun, Richard Hugo wrote that Charlie Russell, the most famous of Western painters, forgot the world has garbage, alluding to the unidealized modern life that exists outside Russell's wooden frames.

As temperatures rise and the Montana landscape so frequently depicted in art begins changing rapidly, some contemporary Montana artists emphasize the fragility in those celebrated mountains that likely seemed static a hundred years ago. They depict them at close range, no matter how difficult some locations might be to reach on foot.

Two unrelated projects have been ongoing for about a decade each. One artist, Jonathan Marquis, has been hiking to peaks around the state for his Glacier Drawing Project, with a goal of reaching more than 55 named features left in the state.

A collective of three artists recently displayed work from an ongoing project called The Last Glacier, at the Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art in Great Falls. One is a photographer, two are printmakers.

The park itself is the lure for that exhibition. Curator Nicole Maria Evans said Montanans naturally love the national parks, and the concept of them generally. The art, meanwhile, works with that idealized concept but plainly states facts about climate change.

The landscape can become idealized in history and in memory, and become something unchanging, she said. Unlike a grand landscape painting, though, the real world does change, and art can pinpoint that decline.

The Last Glacier

Todd Anderson, a printmaker in the collective trio, said that art can signify the importance of something but it doesnt ever give metrics, at least in the way that people might want. Originally centered on the namesakes in Glacier National Park, the collective artists branched out, separately and together, to document other landscapes that are under threat.

Fellow collective member Ian van Coller is a professor of photography at Montana State University. He describes himself as a formalist and the beauty of the landscapes he photographs is obvious. His list of deliberate decisions that separate them from everyday social media mountain pornography are each smart and subtle. He shoots very few images, despite using a digital camera, and doesnt use a telephoto lens.

He wants them to convey what you may have seen, had you been there, rather than the kitsch sublime, as he called it, that heightens the colors and distorts the perspective in ways that render a mountainside youve seen with your own eyes into a hyperactive widescreen image.

The text that hangs on the walls in some of The Last Glacier exhibitions is a part of the image now. He works with scientists who will transfer them, annotating them with information about what youre seeing.

The idea of writing on a photograph might seem like its intruding. But the effect emulates what you might be thinking sometimes when on a hike  the landscape has shifted, altered, degraded  and the collaboration just gives you better data. Escapism has its limits, even within your consciousness  why not in art?

A photograph from the Rwenzori mountains of Uganda has notes from Carsten Braun, a geographer, marking by hand where the ice reached decades ago. It's part of his project, "Naturalists of the Long Now," which included travel funded through a Guggenheim fellowship. Another picture includes a minivan-sized boulder marooned on a pedestal of ice, and Braun wrote notes explaining how that happens. The snow-free dirty ice around it indicates that there is only loss of mass, not gains, and will continue shrinking.

The idea is rooted in one of van Collers favorite authors, Alexander von Humboldt, a naturalist who, like other scientists from the Victorian era, had training in illustration.

The places he points the camera reinforce that fragility of expanses that we think of as massive and impermeable, yet are deteriorating because of the activity of humans. At Antarcticas Canada Glacier, he shot the side of a massive ice wall, but not its expanse. Not the rim, either. A boulder pile of ice has collapsed onto a floor of ice, shed like rock from a granite mountainside in the Bitterroot but destined to melt.

An image of an ice arch on Jackson Glacier, water glistening in the sun, is gorgeous but unsettling if the context around the picture is in mind. It rises delicately in the upper left corner, destined for the dirt just below.

Iceland is similarly treated. In one picture, van Coller saw the oddity of ice fragments, striped black like exotic and endangered creatures, seemingly drowning in opaque muddy water.

Chaney Glacier, in this framing, is devoid of vistas  a steep bowl of watermelon snow (colored by pink algae that accelerates the speed of melt) drains in a spiral to an ominously blue pool at the center, like a sink. Its otherworldly, but in this rendering, a place you want to mourn or pray for rather than plot a vacation.

'Glacier Drawing Project'

Separately, another artist has been maintaining a similar series for nearly as long.

Jonathan Marquis started his Glacier Drawing Project nine summers ago. His goal from the outset was to visit and draw the nearly 55 remaining glaciers in the state of Montana. Some that hes including fall under the 25-acre minimum of the U.S. Geological Survey.

After nine seasons, he estimates he has about seven left to reach. Some he hasnt completed drawings of. Others, like Glacier Park's Sperry, hes drawn dozens of times.

Now based in Tucson, Arizona, where he teaches art, and where people are often surprised to hear that glaciers exist in Montana at all, Marquis has carried onward, returning each season to check off as many as he can given the short season. Regardless of the time of year, the drawings and various side projects have consumed most of his art in some way  whether in mixed-media paintings, cyanotypes made on site, and video projects.

This year, he headed out to remote corners, often with Richard Forbes, an experienced mountaineer and graduate student in environmental journalism at the University of Montana, who has glacier-related projects of his own.

One outing spanned 60 miles over four days, with 19,000 feet of elevation gain. Some of the points reached to draw glaciers require climbing. A view of Blackfoot Glacier from rarely seen Mount Logan. Thousands of hikers have touched Sperry Glacier, but far fewer have seen its expanse from Mount Edwards. Marquis and Forbes bushwhacked through the northern Livingston Range to reach Vulture and Carter glaciers, and get a peek at Rainbow.

Marquis doesnt think of himself as a landscape artist, or that hes working in that tradition, especially as it relates to the white settlement of the western United States. On a visual level, he doesnt identify his art with the composition of those traditional works  the epic scale dwarfing a viewer planted on ground level, taking in a romanticized scene of an unpeopled Eden ripe for the taking.

His work is on a smaller scale, often. The drawings made on site, for one, are physically small due to the practicalities of hiking or climbing with extra gear or a cumbersome travel tube.

Created over the course of nearly a decade, his way of drawing has changed  make them spontaneous, hype up the color, create more focal points.

Back in Tucson, he completes drawings in the off-season and works on paintings that merge media (acrylic, collage, photo transfer) and styles (abstraction and landscape).

The question of what good art can do is more vague, as climate change has been confirmed by personal experience and information is dispersed widely by scientists, journalists and photographers.

The art might accomplish something on an individual level. Perhaps seeing an exhibition with an image of every glacier in the state, imaginatively drawn, could push someone to get to know their own surroundings, whether its open space, national parks, state parks or whatever. Maybe they stir thoughts about starting to keep in mind that, as Marquis puts it, we are in the landscape all the time, and not live as though one is sort of somehow conceptually separate from it.

Theyre places he would visit regardless. Conditions on a peak, looking down on one of those ice fields, might not allow for any drawing time, with the wind, the ice and weather, but is worthwhile regardless.

The project is like a hike, Marquis said. Step by step, changing course with time, along with the subjects he's drawing.
The signs are already here: scarlet flashing on sumac shrubs, a reddish tinge in some kinds of maples, yellow leaves beginning to flutter down. The colors are telling us fall is here.

Typically, the color of trees and shrubs is at its height in early to mid-October in northern Illinois, according to Ed Hedborn, manager of plant records and fall color scout at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. But theres no way to be sure when or where trees will be at their brightest, because the color is affected by factors that vary from place to place.

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Trees just a few miles apart may have gotten very different amounts of rainfall over the summer, he said. Every location, and every tree, is different.

Apart from the weather, the largest factor is the genetic makeup of the trees themselves. Every species of tree or shrub is genetically programmed to turn a particular color or range of colors.

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Trees change color and drop their leaves at different times through the fall, depending on the species, the location and the weather throughout the growing season as well as in autumn. (Beth Botts)

Buckeyes, elms and Norway maples turn yellow. Like sumacs, Virginia creeper and poison ivy turn bright red, while oakleaf hydrangeas and white oaks turn burgundy. Serviceberry leaves turn orange. And some species, such as sweetgums, combine yellow, orange and red leaves on a single tree. Sugar maples can be yellow or all the colors of sunset, depending on the weather.

In a neighborhood with only a few kinds of trees, most trees may change color and drop their leaves at the same time. At the Arboretum, which has thousands of kinds of trees from around the world, the color is often more varied and lasts longer. Hedborn reports on the procession of tree color at the Arboretum at mortonarb.org/fall-color-report.

Although genes control what colors a tree can turn, the weather is the big factor in how intense the color is likely to be, Hedborn said. Trees that have been stressed by drought usually have muted colors and change early. Where there has been ample rainfall, colors are likely to be more brilliant.

We see the best autumn color when there has been plenty of rain all summer, and when nights are cool in autumn and days are sunny, he said.

The colors of trees leaves are a side effect of the big change they undergo every fall: entering a dormant state to survive the rigors of the winter. You can think of it as going to sleep for a while, Hedborn said. Dormancy keeps deciduous trees and shrubs safe from winters cold and drought and helps them conserve resources for their burst of growth in spring.

As trees sense days growing shorter, they start to temporarily shut down many of their functions and get ready to abandon their leaves. They stop producing chlorophyll, the chemical that powers photosynthesis and gives leaves their green color. As the green chlorophyll drains away from each leaf, its underlying colors can be seen  in most species, yellow or brown.

The red pigment that amps up fall color, anthocyanin, is produced only by some tree and shrub species. The amount varies by species and depends both on that years weather and on the situation in which the tree is growing.

A sugar maple growing among other trees in the woods will produce more anthocyanin at the top of the tree, where leaves are in full sunlight, Hedborn said. It will only have red and orange high up in the sun. The same species of tree growing by itself might be red and orange all over, because the sun can reach more of the leaves.

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The timing of autumn tree color depends on so many interrelated factors, and is so localized, that scientists are still trying to figure out how climate change is likely to affect it, said Christy Rollinson, a forest ecologist at the Arboretum.

It seems to be highly dependent on where youre looking and what species youre talking about, she said.

The best way to enjoy the colors of autumn, Hedborn said, is to pay attention to the changes all season long, rather than waiting for one perfect day.

Each autumn is different, and its different in every place, he said. Every autumn day is a new experience.

For tree and plant advice, contact the Plant Clinic at The Morton Arboretum (630-719-2424, mortonarb.org/plant-clinic, or plantclinic@mortonarb.org). Beth Botts is a staff writer at the Arboretum.
Chaney Glacier sits below Mount Kipp in Glacier National Park on the opposite side of the ridge from the Highline Trail, a remote destination thats difficult to reach.

Ian van Coller remembers it being an exerting haul. When he saw it he felt an overwhelming rush of endorphins. The photographer, who teaches at Montana State University, brings along a medium-format digital camera to shoot highly detailed images of glaciers like these that are in retreat.

He and his collaborators, the printmakers Todd Anderson and Bruce Crownover, set out for that spot years ago as part of the Last Glacier Project, a now decade-old undertaking thats taken them to far-flung corners of the park. By three years end, they reached 15 of the 25 remaining glaciers and began to expand their geographic range, visiting other places across the globe.

Were trying to urgently document these rapidly changing landscapes and somehow visually preserve them, Van Coller said. They want to reach them before theyre gone entirely.

Theyre depicting the ice in their own artistic voices, not as a means of illustrations. Nor are they making landscape art, or the particular kind of Western art that nostalgically looks to the past, or ignores the present threat of rising temperatures.

To Crownover, its a slightly subversive method. His prints, with a heightened palette and an eye for beauty, can be compelling enough on their own to draw someone in.

Im making pretty pictures about something thats really a crisis, he said. The three collaborate with scientists to select new projects and destinations, and ask experts to write essays. The lure of the landscape lies in the art and is the hook for messages.

Anderson cited social science research thats proven that relaying risk with imagery is the best way to elicit change and a response.

If someone reads more after seeing the closely observed details in his prints, theyll see its not just a glacier, he said. It helped carve the valley you might have stood in over the course of thousands of years, and is now disappearing.

'My son will never see this'

The project started in 2012, when Anderson read news reports that scientists believed most of the namesake features of Glacier National Park would be gone within decades.

Anderson, a professor of art at Clemson University in South Carolina, began looking up more information. He couldnt find indications that any artists were documenting the disappearance of the ice and so he reached out to two friends.

On the first trip, it was only two of them. Crownover came over from Madison, Wisconsin, and he and Anderson reached a mountain that would give them a view of Thunderbird Glacier, northeast of Bowman Lake. Anderson, whod recently become a father, thought my son will never see this glacier.  He thinks thats the point where this project, then unnamed, really picked up urgency.

They logged more than 200 trail miles in the first two years, which Van Coller said involved successes along with the expected trials and travels of bushwhacking to nothing.

In various combinations, the three have branched out from their first two years in the park to visit places such as Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, Baffin Island in the northeast Canadian Arctic, and in 2019, Antarctica. Anderson and Crownover documented the plight of juniper and pinon trees in Utah for another project, Sentinels.

Van Coller and Anderson have photographed glaciers in the Rwenzori Mountains of Uganda.

In Montana, the three exhibited their Last Glacier work at the Hockaday Museum of Art in Kalispell in 2021, and then this summer at the Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art, along with Sentinels. Outside of Montana, the work is dispersed in limited edition art books that are held in major universities and museums.

Making art on site

All three were hikers and, in their 20s, mountaineers, before Anderson suggested the project. Most of the glaciers in the park are remote and the views in the art were hard-won.

Jackson Glacier, one of the few visible from Going-to-the-Sun Road, is as distant as it appears: a 24-mile round trip from the trailhead.

Crownover and Anderson can draw on site, absorbing the atmosphere of a place, and also shoot photographs, and then complete work later. Andersons large-scale prints can take him a month to complete. Van Collers work is more exposed to the elements and the unfriendly light of August at mid-day, when they typically reach a destination.

They hadnt been up near Jackson long before the sky darkened and snow, followed by graupel and hail, blew in on 60-mph winds. Van Coller had set up his tripod on the edge of the moraine, near an almost vertical drop-off.

Thats the closest Ive come to dying on any of the trips weve taken, Van Coller said. Anderson said they took off as quickly as they could. Before, though, Van Coller shot a photograph of a delicate ice arch looming over wet, muddy rock, as if reaching downward.

Others glaciers were so remote that they reached impasses and had to turn back. Vulture Glacier, in the Livingston Range, was one such place. After extensive bushwhacking, they hit a headwall. The guidebook laid out steps to get up it, but none of it seemed feasible to any of them.

They reached Blackfoot Glacier, which is above Jackson and requires traversing multiple moraines, but Van Coller wasnt happy with any of the photos he took.

Anderson, who makes reductive woodblock prints with a high level of detail in every nook and cranny of a rock face or glaciers cracking wall, produced a print of it, as seen from close by.

Printing books

Their first publication together, The Last Glacier, is one of the largest books you might come across, measuring 25 by 38 inches when laid open on a table. (Van Coller has made others that have a 50-inch span when cracked open.)

They are limited edition, with color artwork by all three, along with essays by scientists. The aim is for something permanent. While exhibitions are temporary, Van Coller said they offer a vision of a specific place at a specific time, from the viewpoint of three different artists.

Theyre expensive to make and expensive to buy. But they achieve a few goals. Theyre sold to private collectors to help fund the next project and the costs of visiting remote places. They can also get them into collections at places like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Getty Museum and universities like Stanford and Yale. If you have a card, you could check one out at the New York Public Library.

Anderson said theyre also a statement of a kind. If you go to a museum and see a painting by J.M.W. Turner, theres the beauty and the subject matter to admire and think about, yet they also tell a story about the things we value to later generations.

The books can also help when they reach out to scientists about a collaboration, that it will be placed in teaching institutions and be a part of a longer, larger record than a museum show thats taken down after a few months.

Working with scientists

The collaborations with scientists initially started with Van Coller. Originally from South Africa, his work was related to colonialism, apartheid and everyday life in the post-apartheid era. After he moved to the United States, that work became harder. He was distant geographically and felt like an outsider.

An avid birdwatcher, some early trips to Glacier stirred his interest in a new direction. When they were on Sperry Glacier, he noticed the automated weather station and realized he knew very little about the science of what he was shooting. While looking up Mount Kilimanjaro, he saw an image with a copyright watermark. It was shot by Douglas Hardy, a glacier researcher at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Hardy, who did his graduate work at MSU, was open to Van Coller coming along on a trip to Peru. He was also game to collaborate, by annotating photographs with hand-written information about the natural processes under way in what otherwise would be a still image of a landscape. Its an homage, in a way, to one of Van Collers favorite books, The Invention of Nature, by Alexander von Humboldt. The Victorian-era naturalist produced maps that worked both as art and visual information, such as a painting of a mountain that indicated the elevation at which various species of plants could be found.

The three have worked with other experts since then. Anderson said they rely on scientists to help us understand what's happening in different parts of the planets, and we really follow in the wake of the scientists who have been trying to bring something fully unique to that conversation.

He and Van Coller traveled to the Rwenzori Mountains in Uganda, where one of the last glaciers in Africa is located. Its a rugged trail to reach, even with porters. Carsten Braun, a geographer at Westfield State University, brought along copies of historical photographs that showed a mountain covered in ice a hundred years ago. Now, it was shimmering black rock. Van Coller had him draw on the photograph, with dotted black lines and all-caps interjections: NO ICE! and inset the older images onto his picture. Its still a landscape photograph, but one thats closer to Humboldts concept than anything youd see at Western Art Week.

Antarctica

In 2019, Anderson and Van Coller spent a month in Antarctica, where the summers peak with permanent daylight. The sun doesn't set, but makes a circle in the sky, never falling below the horizon, Anderson said.

They were awarded a grant with the National Science Foundations Antarctic Artists and Writers Program. It doesnt include funding  it covers logistics and training to get to the continent and collaborate with scientists. One portion involved igloo-building, in case it was necessary. They worked with elite trainers, including an Everest guide.

They joined a team from Princeton and other universities that was drilling in the Allan Hills for the oldest ice on earth, the title of their upcoming project. The area sits at 5,000 feet above sea level, against the Transantarctic Mountains and exposed to constant wind that ablates the surface, leaving blue ice.

The light made shooting photographs a challenge. For his part, Anderson thought the range of color was wider than anyone thinks.

In 2015, a research team retrieved ice that was estimated to be 2.7 million years old. The group in 2019 was to replicate that result and perhaps find ice that was older, perhaps 3 million to 5 million years old.

From that research, they hope to make correlations between what our future might look like with this kind of carbon content, and what was back then when there was a similar atmosphere. That will give indications of whats ahead for humans.

The book will follow, too, with images that favor the fragility of nature and perhaps research equipment, rather than the human element. It will likely end up in museums, a way to show people what we value, Van Coller said. A photograph of a wall of ice degrading can be a way of conveying empathy for the natural world  the nonhuman world.
ATLANTA (AP)  When Democrat Stacey Abrams narrowly lost the Georgia governor's race to Republican Brian Kemp four years ago, she didnt go quietly.

She ended her campaign with a nonconcession that acknowledged she wouldn't be governor, while spotlighting her claims that Kemp had used his post as secretary of state to improperly purge likely Democratic voters. Abrams founded Fair Fight Action, a group focused on fair elections, which within weeks filed a wide-ranging federal lawsuit alleging gross mismanagement of Georgias elections.

People are already voting by mail in a Georgia governors race that again pits Abrams and Kemp against each other, with fewer than 40 days remaining before voting ends on Nov. 8.

And Republicans are now using the loss to attack what they see as the big lie that underlies Abrams' career. They label her claims that Georgias election system has been discriminatory as a fraud she used to enrich herself and aggrandize her political career after her 2018 loss.

This is existential to who Stacey Abrams has become as a public and political figure, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, a Republican who defended the case, told The Associated Press on Saturday. She put herself in the political spotlight nationally, potentially globally, all over the narrative that she lost the governors race because of voter suppression. And here you have a federal judge saying, its all untrue. It didnt happen.

Carr and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger are among a faction of Georgia Republicans who say that Democratic President Joe Biden beat Donald Trump fair and square in 2020 for Georgia's 16 electoral votes and that Kemp also beat Abrams fairly in 2018. They argue that Trump's claims about voter fraud in 2020 and Abrams' claims about voter suppression in 2018 both corrode faith in democracy.

Stolen election and voter suppression claims by Stacey Abrams were nothing but poll-tested rhetoric not supported by facts and evidence," Raffensperger said Friday in a statement.

Abrams, though, has said from the dawn of her current campaign that her actions in 2018 are not equivalent to what Trump did.

I will never ever say that it is OK to claim fraudulent outcomes as a way to give yourself power, Abrams told news outlet The 19th last month. That is wrong. I reject it and will never engage in it. But I do believe that it is imperative, especially those who have the platform and the microphone, to talk about the access.

She is far from backing down from her position, and says she won a number of victories that made elections fairer.

In 2019, less than six months after the Fair Fight lawsuit was filed, legislators passed a law that addressed some of the issues. The laws biggest change was to replace the states antiquated, paperless touchscreen voting machines with a new system that uses touchscreen machines to print paper ballots that are scanned.

The plaintiffs also count as wins the reinstatement of 22,000 voters who were removed from the rolls in 2019, an end to people being excluded from voting rolls if their records didn't exactly match their driver's license, an audit that identified people wrongly excluded because of incorrect citizenship information, and improvements to a voter's ability to cancel a mailed ballot and vote in person.

As the judge says in his first sentence, This is a voting rights case that resulted in wins and losses for all parties,'" Abrams said in a Friday statement. "However, the battle for voter empowerment over voter suppression persists, and the cause of voter access endures. I will not stop fighting to ensure every vote can be cast, every ballot is counted and every voice is heard.

And despite the loss, the idea that Republicans are trying to restrict voting is a powerful current running through the most bitter disputes in Georgia politics  not only Abrams 2018 loss, but also a 2021 Republican election law that shortened the period to request an absentee ballot and limited ballot drop boxes, and harsh clashes over redrawing election districts this year that led one Democrat to accuse Republicans of seeking to preserve white power.

Jermaine House, director of communications for political research firm HIT Strategies, said that because theres been so much energy and excitement and conversation around voting rights in Georgia, it's an issue that drives Democrats, especially African Americans, to the polls. His firm has done work for liberal voter mobilization group New Georgia Project, the NAACP and Democratic efforts to reelect Sen. Raphael Warnock.

If you look at polls across the country about voter suppression, you may find that voter suppression may not reach the top 10 issues among Black voters, House said. But one exception that is the case is definitely Georgia. Georgia voters are well aware of voter suppression efforts, very attuned to it, and Black voters are really mobilized by the issue."

Follow Jeff Amy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jeffamy.
RENO, Nev. (AP)  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. Police tried to break up the crowds and drivers sped off, meeting up again at several intersections and industrial parks into Saturday morning. A dozen people were arrested, 14 cars impounded and 33 people were issued citations.

Browett said Reno is just the latest city to see late-night takeovers by auto enthusiasts who ignore law enforcement efforts to stop the illegal and dangerous activity.

I don't know what the underlying movement is with this group, but it goes a little beyond cars, Browett said. They're very anti-authoritarian, and they basically just show up and do whatever they want.

Cities across the country have been dealing with similar issues in recent years, including Phoenix, San Francisco and Chicago. Last weekend, three people were killed and several others badly hurt in crashes related to a pop-up sideshow in Wildwood, New Jersey.

In Reno, no one was seriously injured. But Browett said those arrested faces charges including reckless driving, hit and run causing injury and weapons possession.

This story has been corrected to fix the spelling of Lt. Browett's name on second reference.
In a few weeks, Ill travel to Japan with University of Montanas Mansfield Center, my first trip there since 2018. I first visited Japan in 1980 as a young U.S. Treasury Department economist, and Ive made many trips since.

Its interesting to consider the path Japan has traveled since 1980 and how our perception of the country has changed over time.

Japan today barely registers in the public mind, in contrast to the late 1980s, when Japanese companies in a range of industries were vigorously challenging their American competitors and stirring great resentment in business circles and the public alike.

Japans banks and corporations ranked among the worlds largest; its economy grew rapidly to become second only to the United States; and Japanese investors eagerly bought American land, banks, and other assets, including Rockefeller Center in New York and other well-known real estate icons.

I worked on U.S.-Japan economic and trade relations during that time  and in the years since. I recall the intensity of feeling and the breadth of legislative and policy responses pursued by the U.S. Government to address what many considered to be unfair trade practices, including an undervalued yen-dollar exchange rate giving a price boost to Japanese exports.

I was part of a Treasury team pressing Japan to take certain specific steps to allow the yen to rise in value, reflecting the strength of the Japanese economy. While on the House Ways and Means Committee staff, I handled legislation related to Japan. One year, more than 300 bills were introduced by members of Congress taking aim at a wide range of Japanese trade practices considered harmful to those members business constituents, especially in the manufacturing sector.

After I moved to the U.S. State Department, my colleagues and I, along with other U.S. government agencies, pursued discussions with Japanese government officials aimed at encouraging Japan to make some major changes to their economic policies and practices that we believed gave unfair competitive advantage to their producers and exporters.

And at the OECD, I led work on regulatory reform, corporate governance, and other policy initiatives involving not only Japan, but other countries as well. Our objective was to encourage Japan and other countries to adopt policies that would improve their economies and also reduce friction among countries.

The results of these efforts were mixed at best. Japan made some changes at the margin and the yen strengthened, but  like most countries would under the same circumstances  Japan resisted changing policies and practices that had served it so well during its high growth years.

But Japans boom years came to an abrupt stop in 1991 when its real estate bubble burst, sending shock waves through the economy and financial system. At the bubbles height in the late 1980s, the supposed value of all of Japans land was four times higher than the value of Americas entire landmass, even though America is roughly 25 times larger than Japan.

Since that real estate collapse, Japan has struggled to pull itself out of economic stagnation. It remains a relatively wealthy country, but its growth has faltered since then. Its once-mighty exporters no longer rank among the worlds top competitors; the country and its people are more inward-looking than during the halcyon days of rapid growth; and its rapidly aging population actually began to shrink in 2011.

I keep this example of Japans boom and bust in mind when considering China. While there are many differences between the two countries, China the economic juggernaut faces some big structural challenges to future growth. Its also grappling with its own real estate bubble and is trying to reverse a declining birth rate and shrinking labor force in its rapidly aging population.

Will China overtake the United States in size, as many forecasters project? Will China become old before it becomes rich, as many countries before it have? While no two countries are alike, Japans recent history should be a cautionary tale about projecting current trends forward into the future.

The future will unfold in unknown ways. In the meantime, Im looking forward to returning to a country that holds great significance to me and my forebears.

And because Ill be in Japan when my November column is due, Ill be back with you in December. Until then, be well.
With the inaugural class of the Global Immersion Academy (GIA) at Mountain View Elementary School entering fourth grade this year, Burke County Public Schools is seeing more signs of success for its dual language program.

Lannie Simpsons, BCPS ELL director, presented testing data for the program to the Burke County Board of Education on Sept. 6. The data shows GIA students significantly outperforming their peers at Mountain View Elementary School and matching levels seen at some of the districts higher-performing schools in many key areas.

Simpson said this is the first year they have been able to compare End of Grade test results between GIA students and the rest of the school since the programs inaugural class only reached third grade last year.

The data shows Global Immersion Academy students outperforming the general student population at the school by nearly 11 points in math and 25 points in reading. The results were less dramatic for English Language Learners than for native English-speakers, but Simpson pointed to other data suggesting those gaps may continue to close as GIA students advance to higher grades.

Simpson said these results are not surprising given research showing dual language programs come with many educational benefits.

There are a lot of brain benefits to learning two languages, Simpson told The News Herald. One is improving working memory; one is mental flexibility  solving new problems in new ways ... and the other one is the ability to focus on whats important.

Simpson said research shows these benefits translate across cultural, racial and economic barriers making quality dual language programs one of the best ways to erase the achievement gap.

It is the most robust way I know of to close all achievement gaps, she said. Research shows that achievement gaps are closed by the end elementary school, and its all achievement gaps, not just English learners versus all students. For example, it could be EC students versus all students, it could be African American students versus all students. It closes all achievement gaps.

The BCPS Global Immersion Academy currently has 10 classes serving 199 Burke County students between kindergarten and fourth grade. Participate Learning, which helps schools build dual language programs like GIA, helps the district find specially certified teachers who are fluent and literate in both Spanish and English.

Students at GIA, half of whom are native English speakers and half of whom are native Spanish speakers, spend 50% of their day learning in English and 50% in Spanish.

The first group started in kindergarten five years ago and will continue throughout elementary school. Simpson said she is currently developing options that will allow GIA students to carry their dual language education into middle and high school. She told the board middle and high school programs would look different than the elementary program but would allow students who complete them to earn a Global Language Endorsement on their high school diploma.

Brittany Deal, the mother of a native English-speaking GIA student said the program is challenging, especially for kindergarten students learning a new language during the first months of school.

It was really overwhelming for her, at first, to have all Spanish, she said.

Deal reached out to the schools guidance counselor who told her that her daughters experience was common for many of the English-speaking children in the program. The counselor told Deal it would suddenly click for her, probably some time in November.

Thats what happened with Landry, Deal said. She just fell in love with Spanish. She actually says now she wants to be a Spanish translator when she grows up.

According to the data presented by Simpson on Sept. 6, this extra effort seems to be paying off for GIA students.

The N.C. Department of Public Instruction Star Reading Test administered near the end of each school year shows the number of students at or above benchmark reading levels in Spanish continue to grow each year. For the 2021-22 school year, only 17% of third graders and 13% of second graders needed reading intervention, according to the test. This is down from 40% and 33% respectively a year ago.

According to the AAPPL Assessment administered to second graders, GIA is well ahead of the curve when compared to other Participate Learning programs in North Carolina. At GIA, 83% of second graders met or exceeded oral language goals in Spanish during 2021-22 compared with 63% of students in Participate Learning schools statewide.

Beyond the data, GIA teachers and parents see many other benefits to the program.

Its a global world, said Karen Maldonado, a GIA teacher who has been with the program since its inception. We are learning globally. We are exchanging cultural experiences and opening that window and that door.

For Deal, this aspect of the program is what first drew her attention to it.

It has really broadened her worldview and I think thats invaluable, Deal said. Landry has had a teacher from Honduras, Colombia, Chile and then her teacher last year, her family was from Cuba.

She is also impressed with what the program has helped her daughter achieve at such a young age.

The fact that my child can read on a third-grade level in Spanish and in English, that is amazing to me, she said.

Deal is currently planning an upcoming family trip to Central America and said she plans to lean on her 8-year-old as the translator for the group.
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 965 of the most wanted books.

Current BCPL Top 10 Holds

1. Verity by Colleen Hoover  10 holds

2. Dreamland by Nicholas Sparks  8 holds

3. Captive by Iris Johansen  6 holds

4. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid  6 holds

5. Treasure State by C.J. Box  6 holds

6. Blowback by James Patterson  5 holds

7. Desperation in Death by J.D. Robb  5 holds

8. Fairy Tale by Stephen King  5 holds

9. Falling Stars by Fern Michaels  5 holds

10. Girl Forgotten by Karin Slaughter  5 holds

Current New York Times Best Sellers and NC Cardinal Consortium Holds

1. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens  263 holds

2. Oath of Loyalty by Vince Flynn  182 holds

3. Fairy Tale by Stephen King  315 holds

4. Verity by Colleen Hoover  566 holds

5. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover  455 holds

6. The Butcher and the Wren by Alaina Urquhart  33 holds

7. Blowback by James Patterson  256 holds

8. Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover  156 holds

9. Nona the Ninth by Tamsin Muir  13 holds

10. November 9 by Colleen Hoover  57 holds

Adult programming

Join us on Saturday, Oct. 8, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., for Star Wars Reads! New York Times best-selling Author, Beth Revis will discuss her new book, The Princess and the Scoundrel at 1 p.m. Other activities will include: Jedi Training Class w/ Tabers Black Belt Academy (10:30-11:30 a.m.), Star Wars Themed Food (2-2:30/3 p.m.), Crafts for adults/teens (afternoon), Storytime/Craft for kids (3-4 p.m).* (*Must pre-register), Giveaways, Costume Contest (all ages), and Cosplayers (themed characters). The event is open to all ages and there is no charge to attend. Have fun, you will!

Young adult programming

Happy Spooky Season! #YAS is excited to kick off this month with a Game Night on Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. at the C.B. Hildebrand Public Library. No pre-registration is required. This weekend BCPLS is hosting Star Wars Reads Day at the Morganton Public Library. This program will also be hosting special guest, author Beth Revis who will be discussing her new Star Wars book The Princess and the Scoundrel at 1 p.m. Be sure to join us and enjoy the photo ops, giveaways, costume contest, cosplayers and more all day long.

Childrens programming

There are so many exciting programs for children coming up this week, and we hope you can join us! Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at the Morganton Public Library on Wednesday, Oct. 5, by attending a special Hispanic Heritage storytime at 6p.m. The storytime will also include music, crafts and light refreshments with Ms. Maria. Children of all ages are welcome. Pre-registration is required.

If you would love to learn (or practice) your Spanish-speaking skills, make plans to attend our Spanish Through Stories program at the C.B. Hildebrand Public Library on Thursday, Oct. 6, at 4 p.m. There will be an introduction to the Spanish language for kids featuring Millie Ramos. A craft will also be provided.

On Saturday, Oct. 8, the Valdese Public Library will host a Spooky Snacks Cooking Class at 2:30 p.m. Pre-registration is required.

eBooks @ your library

There are 4,013 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.
The Mississippi State Department of Health is committed to meeting the statutory requirements of the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act. Our goal is to provide a safe and accessible program that meets the needs of patients and the public health and safety of all Mississippi residents.

E-mail updates about the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Program and its regulations are free.

Subscribe

Apply for License/Registration

Applications are now being accepted for:

Patients and caregivers: for the use of medical cannabis as directed by a medical professional

for the use of medical cannabis as directed by a medical professional Medical practitioners: to certify patients for medical cannabis use

to certify patients for medical cannabis use Facilities: cannabis cultivation, processing and testing

cannabis cultivation, processing and testing Services: cannabis transportation and waste disposal

Dispensaries: The Mississippi Department of Revenue will be responsible for the licensing of medical cannabis dispensaries beginning in July.

All Businesses: Registration with the Mississippi Secretary of State's office should be your first step. Find out more

If You Are a Patient If You Are a Patient Before you apply, visit a medical professional to be certified for medical cannabis use. Steps to certification: Visit a physician, nurse practitioner, or optometrist participating in the medical cannabis program.

The medical professional will determine whether you have a qualifying medical condition, and if so, register your certification for medical cannabis use with the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Program.

Within 60 days of medical certification, apply to the Medical Cannabis Program as a patient, using our online form below. You'll receive an electronic identification card that can be used at a medical cannabis dispensary. The Mississippi State Department of Health does not publish the names of individuals enrolled in the medical cannabis program.

Pre-Application Checklist

All types of applicants should review the general guide below to prepare for the application process.

Background Checks

Caregivers, facility staff and individuals associated with cannabis businesses may be required to have a criminal history background check and submit an affidavit with their application.

Applying Online

First, register with our online Portal. Before entering an application, register with the Medical Cannabis Portal. You'll need a valid e-mail address to register, and you'll need to create an account name and password.

Before entering an application, register with the Medical Cannabis Portal. You'll need a valid e-mail address to register, and you'll need to create an account name and password. Select a starting application type. When you register with the Portal, choose the type of application you intend to make. (If you intend to make different types of applications, such as a business license and an individual license, you can add a second account later.)

When you register with the Portal, choose the type of application you intend to make. (If you intend to make different types of applications, such as a business license and an individual license, you can add a second account later.) Verify your Portal registration. You'll receive an e-mail message to confirm your registration. Follow its instructions to confirm your new

You'll receive an e-mail message to confirm your registration. Follow its instructions to confirm your new Start your application. You'll be returned to the Portal to sign in with your new user name and password, and create your application. (Individuals must upload a photo.)

Detailed instructions can be found in our Portal user guide, or get help by sending e-mail to MSMedicalCannabis@msdh.ms.gov.

Get Started

Approval time: Upon completion of an application and supporting documents that meet regulatory requirements, there is a 30-day approval time for licensure applications. Upon approval of a patient application, patient identification cards are made available within five days. Please allow time for review and approval of patient applications and practitioner certification information. Applications are reviewed and determinations made in order of receipt of all required information.

Documents, Forms and Regulations

Facilities and Services

Medical Practitioners

Patients

Local Government

Complaints

To share complaint, concern or grievance that you have about a licensed medical cannabis establishment in Mississippi (a grower, testing facility, dispensary, etc.), use our online form.

Clearly identify the medical cannabis establishment.

Please provide as much information as possible, including the basics of "who, what, when, and where". These details help us better understand your concerns.

The online form allows you to share pictures and other documentation supporting your concern(s).

Enter a complaint
Indigenous people are the original stewards of Montana's rivers. Since time immemorial, we have lived with the value that water is sacred. This is because water is a life-giving force that nourishes Tribal members, supports fish, wildlife, and livestock, and irrigates the crops we grow for agriculture. Many wild plants that we harvest for food and ceremony grow right alongside our rivers in riparian landscapes. As a people, we depend on clean water and healthy rivers. Our physiological health, spiritual well-being, and economy rely on them.

That is why on behalf of the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council we are proud to endorse the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act (MHLA). Our Council is made up of Tribes in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and Alberta that all hold ancestral connections to the Montana rivers identified for federal protection in the MHLA. Our Council includes the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council, Chippewa Cree of Rocky Boy, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Council, Crow Tribal Council, Eastern Shoshone Business Council, Fort Belknap Indian Community Council, Assiniboine-Sioux Tribes of Ft Peck, Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Northern Arapaho Business Council, Piikani Nation, and Shoshone Bannock Tribes.

The Montana Headwaters Legacy Act is new Wild and Scenic River legislation that will protect many headwater streams in our ancestral homelands of southwest and southcentral Montana. These rivers include the Gallatin, Yellowstone, Boulder, Stillwater, Smith, Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone, and Rock Creek. This legislation is important to us because the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act protects the free-flowing function of a river segment, water quality and remarkable values associated with a stream such as indigenous cultural heritage, fisheries, wildlife, recreation, and scenery.

Our Council first endorsed this effort in April 2017 when it was presented as draft legislation by representatives from the Montanans for Healthy Rivers coalition. Since Senator Jon Tester formerly introduced the legislation in the U.S. Senate last year, the Council voted unanimously to continue our endorsement of the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act. Now it's time for Senator Steve Daines to join Senator Tester in supporting and passing this vital legislation for our Tribal interests and for the benefit of all Montanans.

Senator Daines is Montana's only member in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee where this bill is assigned. Senator Daines has the power to help or hinder conservation legislation. We are fortunate to have a Montana Senator in this committee representing natural resources for Indian country. But we were disappointed to hear Senator Daines speak negatively about the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act in its first hearing this summer. He shared a few marginal voices of opposition but neglected to acknowledge the broad Tribal support and significant public approval that exists for more Wild and Scenic River protection in Montana.

We believe river conservation unites Montanans and transcends partisan lines. That is why we now ask Senator Daines to stand up for Montana river conservation instead of stand in its way. Please pass the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act by the close of the year.
Gov. Andy Beshear's office says an advisory committee set up this year by the governor reported that many Kentucky adults favor legalizing marijuana for medical purposes. The Democratic governor formed the Medical Cannabis Advisory Committee after a bill to legalize medical marijuana died in the state Senate. Beshear has said he supports legalization. He says the committee found that Kentuckians who suffer from chronic conditions are not getting relief from painkillers and opioids and fear their addictive properties. Justice and Public Safety Secretary Kerry Harvey, the committee co-chair, said the committee did not hear any opposition at town hall meetings on the topic.
The sun sets on a church at the scene where a 7-year-old was shot on the 10800 block of South State Street on Oct. 2, 2022, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

A 7-year-old boy was shot Sunday morning in the Roseland neighborhood while in a vehicle with his family who was heading to a church service, police said.

At approximately 11:21 a.m. in the 10800 block of South State Street, a male offender began firing shots in the direction of the vehicle the boy was in, according Chicago police Deputy Chief Larry Snelling.

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Five occupants were in the vehicle including the 7-year-old, Snelling said at a news conference. One of the rounds struck the boy and another struck the car. The shooter fled the scene.

The 7-year-old, Legend Barr, was taken to Roseland Community Hospital and then transferred to Comer Childrens Hospital, where his condition was stabilized. He suffered a gunshot wound to one of his legs that shattered his femur, according to a GoFundMe page created to support the family.

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We are just still waiting for him to go in surgery, said the boys mother, Keshawana Barr, in a text message to the Tribune Monday morning. He is in a lot of pain and is having a hard time sleeping due to nightmares.

The shooter was positively identified by some of the occupants who were in the vehicle, police said.

I want to commend our 5th district officers for their quick response, Snelling said. They gave chase, and they were able to take that subject into custody.

Area Two detectives are investigating and questioning the person of interest.

Afternoon Briefing Daily Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon. >

Snelling said one of the vehicle occupants confronted a person who was going inside a nearby parked vehicle that belonged to the occupant.

Its hard to stand here and say he was lucky but this could have been worse, Snelling said. I do understand that its really hard to walk out and see someone breaking in or damaging something that you paid your hard earned dollars for, but its not worth it to confront that individual because life is on the line.

Barr said events unfolded differently.

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We never confronted that man, Barr said. We were driving and trying to park (and) I feel like the man was nervous because we saw what he was doing.

The family needs financial support as they move out of their current apartment, according to Barr, who will be taking a leave from work as she stays by her sons side during the recovery process.

My whole family is traumatized and hurt from this senseless act of violence, she wrote in the fundraisers page.

tatturner@chicagotribune.com
MUSCATINE  Muscatine Community College is celebrating the latest achievement of one of its Criminal Justice Students.

On Thursday, the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and the International Public Safety Leadership and Ethics Institute (IPSLEI) announced that society member and MCC student, Jennifer Solis, had been selected to receive the 2022 Gordon Graham Leadership and Ethics in Criminal Justice Scholarship. Through this, she will receive a $1,000 scholarship.

Originally established as a way to honor Gordon Graham, who served as both a law and enforcement commander as well as an attorney, this scholarship is awarded to one Phi Theta Kappa member nationwide every year. This member must also be enrolled in an associate degree program in a criminal justice field at a regionally accredited college.

Solis shared that when first attending MCC, she had decided to join the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society during the first semester of her first year. Then, in spring 2022, she was elected as president of the Muscatine chapter.

When asked for her reaction to receiving the scholarship, Solis shared, I was pretty shocked" to receive the scholarship, she said, "because they only give it to one individual. So when I saw that I was a finalist and that I had the opportunity to be interviewed, I was thankful enough to get to that point. When they then told me that I had won, my first reaction was to call my parents and tell them about it.

Solis said her college adviser, Dena Dawson, and Dr. Marie Ripslinger-Atwater originally encouraged her to try applying for the scholarship.

They were pretty happy to know that I had won, Solis said.

Beyond the scholarships dollar amount, Solis said the additional value of receiving it had been the additional sense of motivation that it had since given her.

It makes me feel like if I really push myself to do something, I know I can do it because if I got something so important and so big with just accomplishing a little, I feel like if I push myself more, then Ill be able to accomplish even more, she said.

One of the biggest focuses of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society is the recognition of students attending associate degree-granting colleges that reach high levels of academic achievements, with its efforts being used as a way to help these students grow into scholars. For more information about Phi Theta Kappa and its scholarships, visit www.ptk.org.
129 dead after fans stampede to exit Indonesian soccer match

MALANG, Indonesia (AP)  Panic at an Indonesian soccer match after police fired tear gas to stop brawls left 129 dead, mostly trampled to death. Police said Sunday that several brawls between supporters of the two rival soccer teams were reported inside the stadium after the Indonesia premier league game ended with Persebaya beating Arema 3-2. East Javas police chief says the fighting prompted riot police to fire tear gas, causing panic among supporters. Hundreds ran to an exit gate in an effort to avoid the tear gas. Some suffocated in the chaos and others were trampled. More than 300 have been rushed to nearby hospitals for their injuries. But many of them died on the way and during a treatment.

Russia withdraws troops after Ukraine encircles key city

KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  After being encircled by Ukrainian forces, Russia has pulled troops out from an eastern Ukrainian city that it had been using as a front-line hub. It was the latest victory for the Ukrainian counteroffensive that has humiliated and angered the Kremlin. The city of Lyman was a key transportation hub for the Russian front line. A day earlier Moscow had annexed as part of Russia. Kyiv has retaken vast swaths of territory beginning in September. With Lyman recaptured, Ukraine can now push further into the occupied Luhansk region, one of the four regions that Russia annexed Friday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his military have vowed to keep fighting to liberate all regions from Russian control.

Ian leaves dozens dead as focus turns to rescue, recovery

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP)  Dozens of Florida residents have evacuated from their flooded and splintered homes by boat and air as rescuers search for survivors after Hurricane Ian. Stunned residents of South Carolina and North Carolina also began taking stock Saturday of their losses after Ian smashed across their states. The global death toll from the storm, one of the strongest hurricanes by wind speed to ever hit the U.S., grew to more than four dozen, with 47 deaths confirmed in Florida, along with four in North Carolina and three in Cuba. Separately, the White House announced that President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden would travel to Florida on Wednesday.

Pine Island residents recount horror, fear as Ian bore down

PINE ISLAND, Fla. (AP)  Emergency responders are seeking to evacuate residents from the largest barrier island off Florida's Gulf Coast, and survivors there spoke of the terror of riding out Hurricane Ian in flooded homes and howling winds. A volunteer group, Medic Corps, was flying residents off Pine island by helicopter on Saturday. The bridge to Pine Island was heavily damaged by the hurricane, leaving it reachable only by boat or air. Some residents said they hadnt seen anyone from outside the island for days and spoke of being trapped in flooded homes as boats and other debris crashed around their houses in the storm surge. Some feared they wouldn't make it.

Ian shows the risks and costs of living on barrier islands

SANIBEL ISLAND, Fla. (AP)  Experts say that Hurricane Ian is shining a spotlight once again on the vulnerability of the nations barrier islands and the increasing cost of people living on them. Florida's Sanibel Island was hard hit by the storm. Homes were destroyed. Two people have been confirmed dead. And Sanibel's lone bridge to the mainland collapsed. Barrier island communities like Sanibel anchor tourist economies that provide crucial tax dollars. But the cost of rebuilding them is often high because theyre home to many high-value properties. Jesse Keenan is a real estate professor at Tulane University. He questions whether such communities can keep rebuilding as hurricanes become more and more destructive from climate change.

Russia blindfolds, detains Ukraine nuclear plant chief

KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Ukraines nuclear power provider says Russian forces blindfolded and detained the head of Europes largest nuclear power plant hours after Moscow illegally annexed a swath of Ukrainian territory. In a possible attempt to secure Moscows hold on the newly annexed territory, Russian forces seized the director-general of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Ihor Murashov, around 4 p.m. Friday. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed treaties to absorb Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine, including the area around the nuclear plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency said Saturday that Russia told it that the director-general of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was temporarily detained to answer questions.

Venezuela swaps 7 jailed Americans for Maduro relatives

WASHINGTON (AP)  Venezuelas government has freed seven Americans imprisoned in the South American country in exchange for the release of two nephews of President Nicolas Maduros wife who had been jailed for years by the United States on drug smuggling convictions. The swap of the Americans, including five oil executives imprisoned for nearly five years, is the largest trade of detained citizens that the Biden administration has ever carried out. It amounts to an unusual gesture of goodwill by Maduro as he looks to rebuild relations with the U.S. after vanquishing most of his opponents and follows months of secretive talks, including repeated visits to Venezuela over the last year by Washingtons top hostage negotiator.

Trump at center of Oath Keepers novel defense in Jan. 6 case

WASHINGTON (AP)  The defense team in the Capitol riot trial of the Oath Keepers leader is relying on an unusual strategy with Donald Trump at the center. Lawyers for Stewart Rhodes are poised to argue that jurors cannot find him guilty of seditious conspiracy because all the actions he took before the riot were in preparation for orders he anticipated from the then-president. But those orders never came. Rhodes and four associates are accused of plotting for weeks to stop the transfer of presidential power, culminating with Oath Keepers in battle gear storming the Capitol alongside hundreds of other Trump supporters on Jan. 6, 2021. Opening statements in the trial are set to begin Monday.

Supreme Court poised to keep marching to right in new term

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court begins a new term on Monday at a time of diminished public confidence and justices sparring openly over the institutions legitimacy. The court seems poised to push American law to the right on issues of race, voting and the environment. Back in June, the conservative majority overturned nearly 50 years of constitutional protections for abortion rights. Now, the court is diving back in with an aggressive agenda that appears likely to split the six conservative justices from the three liberals. Joining the nine-member court is new Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the courts first Black woman.

GOP attacks Georgia's Abrams on voting as judge rejects suit

ATLANTA (AP)  Republicans are using the defeat of a voting suit brought by a group founded by Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams to attack her legitimacy as a voting rights advocate. They say a judge's rejection on Friday of the last remaining claims in a suit brought by Fair Fight Action shows that Abrams was wrong all along to claim that she lost the 2018 Georgia governor's race to Republican Brian Kemp because of voter suppression by Kemp. But Abrams is far from backing down from her position, and says she won a number of victories that made elections fairer. Her advocacy has also helped make voting rights a defining issue for Black voters in Georgia.
Im sure you saw the news. President Joe Biden sought out deceased Rep. Jackie Walorski on Wednesday during remarks at a conference, saying "Where's Jackie?"

Walorski died in a head-on collision in her home state of Indiana on Aug. 3. So unless Biden was searching for Walorskis ghost, his comments were a bit unnerving.

Biden, in his remarks, praised bipartisan lawmakers who worked on addressing childhood hunger and wanted to acknowledge Republican Walorski in this statement. "Representative  Jackie, are you here? Where's Jackie? I think she wasn't going to be here  to help make this a reality," Biden said.

No doubt it was a social fumble. Bidens random asides have been gaining more attention than his attempts to push policy. I understand that his gaffes make him a target for jokes from folks on both sides of the aisle. Yes, hes old. Yes, hes awkward. But suddenly, everyone is a doctor  diagnosing him with everything from dementia to advanced Alzheimers.

This is where I take issue. I will be upfront  I am not a doctor. I possess no medical degrees. I minored in psychology in college. Thats the extent of my formal training. But what I do have is experience. I have seen advanced Alzheimers up close. Biden may exhibit signs of dementia (he is 79, after all), but he doesnt have advanced Alzheimers.

So when I see people write online: BIDEN CANT RUN THIS COUNTRY. HE CLEARLY HAS ADVANCED ALZHEIMERS (and yes, of course these kinds of people have to write in all caps), I get upset. Sure, these are just words, but I cant help but feel the sting.

Alzheimers disease is a serious illness. You dont get to use it as a slur in your campaign to badger Biden. The President may need an intervention in terms of his mental health and intellectual competence to serve as leader of the United States. But instead of insulting him, you should be concerned and show compassion. At the end of the day, hes just a man  a very powerful man  but hes only human.

Despite lacking a medical degree, I know Biden doesn't have advanced Alzheimers because I watched my grandmother deteriorate from the disease. In the end, she had trouble walking, trouble eating and trouble performing basic human functions. That all came after years of slowly being stripped away of her memories. In the end, she was only a shell of herself.

Ive shared stories about my grandmother's battle with Alzheimer's in these columns. I was honored to share my familys story with Napa Valley at large during a Walk To End Alzheimers fundraiser a few years back, and I continue to volunteer at Walk events throughout the Bay Area. It saddens me that people throw around an alleged Alzheimers diagnosis so carelessly.

It breaks my heart because Alzheimers is one of the cruelest diseases. In many cases, families with loved ones suffering from advanced Alzheimer's have to seek out long-term healthcare facilities for assistance. Those who cant afford it have to essentially baby-proof their home if their family member is still mobile.

It is difficult for the caregivers as well as they watch their loved one fade away. Im still haunted by some of the things my family endured as my grandmother moved further and further out of reach.

Again, Im not a doctor. I only have my experiences. But I encourage people to educate themselves. Not all dementia is Alzheimers disease. Dementia comes in many forms. If you are interested in learning about Alzheimers, I recommend visiting alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/10_signs.
Both Anne Cottrell and John Dunbar want to be the Napa County supervisor who represents the heart of wine country, with its acres of world-famous vineyards and wineries.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register.

Only one can win the 3rd District Board of Supervisors seat and voters in a district that includes Yountville, St. Helena, Calistoga and a northeast slice of the city of Napa will make their pick in the Nov. 8 election.

Both have long histories in Napa County. Cottrell was born and raised in St. Helena after her parents came in 1969 to make wine. She later worked for the Oregon state attorney general, returned to Napa County and is on the county Planning Commission.

I have a long-term connection to the people and places of the county, she said.

Dunbar grew up in Oakland, but visited Napa County as a youth because his uncle was chief of surgery at the Veterans Home of California at Yountville. He moved to the county and to Yountville in 1998, where he is mayor.

The attraction specifically in Yountville was the small-town feel, Dunbar said. Having grown up in Oakland, I really fell in love with the style of living in Yountville.

What makes them different

Dunbar said he's learned local people in general agree the county must protect water supplies, prevent wildfires and protect the natural environment.

What really I think defines me against my opponent is my strong commitment to the business community and the agricultural community, Dunbar said. This is a defining time in this valley, based on the challenges to our wine industry and agriculture.

He supports protecting the environment, but believes Cottrell is seen as someone who focuses more on environmental issues than some of the other important issues, Dunbar said.

If we dont continue to have a strong local economy, we cant do a lot of the other things we want to do, Dunbar said. We cant achieve the goals we want to achieve. It takes money to protect the valley. It takes money for us to be successful. Most of that money is coming from visitors.

Cottrell said she sees a three-legged stool  the economy, natural and agricultural resources and the community of people who live here.

If we get out of balance on any of those three, were not headed in a sustainable direction, she said.

One thing that differentiates her is her experience, including working on natural resource and criminal issues as an attorney, serving eight years on the county Planning Commission and serving on boards for the Land Trust of Napa County and Nimbus Arts in St. Helena, she said.

The 3rd District is the biggest supervisor district geographically. It has a diversity of communities, with a lot of rural residents. Each municipality has its own flavor and personality, she said.

I think I bring a deep understanding of the differences there and an understanding of that geography, Cottrell said.

Dunbar mentioned his experience on the Yountville Town Council for 18 years, with 12 years as mayor. He's worked with his elected colleagues throughout the valley and at the county level and has worked on such things as city budgets, he said.

To approve or not approve?

The Board of Supervisors sets policies that say when new wineries can come in, how wineries can expand and where new vineyards might be planted. It helps shape wine country growth.

But growth can be controversial. When is enough enough?

I find that our wine industry is very sensitive to any development, whether its vineyard plantings or facilities being built or expanded, Dunbar said. I think theres definitely an awareness to the sensitivity to not overdoing it.

Some people think any more vineyards and wineries are too many. But he thinks the long-term Napa County plan to regulate growth has succeeded, Dunbar said.

That said, not every parcel, not every property is appropriate for a winery or vineyard, he said. We have to be consistent with applying the law. But we also have to be consistent protecting impacts to the environment, our water supply.

Theres a complicated, complex set of conditions that need to be met. When they are met, its fair to allow property owners to do what the law permits, he said.

Cottrell in her role on the county Planning Commission has been on the front line of wine country growth issues.

We have a set of regulations and processes and pretty rigorous conditions of approval, she said. So those boxes all need to be checked.

Recently a winery came to the Planning Commission and wanted to increase visitation. The owners also showed how they would manage traffic and reduce water use.

That, in that particular instance, was a rationale for me to support that, Cottrell said.

She likes having wineries do traffic management plans. That allows them to come up with their own solutions, she said.

New wineries must obtain a use permit and wineries wanting to grow must revise their use permit. That often involves doing various studies, working with county staff and ultimately going to the Planning Commission.

Amid all of this, Cottrell said shes concerned about wise stewardship of natural resources.

And yet Im also concerned we create an environment where businesses have clarity and certainty about the process, what its going to take to get to that finish line, she said.

Cottrell as a planning commissioner has been involved in long Planning Commission sessions trying to figure out how many visitors a particular winery should be allowed.

Its really not an each-visitor impact, Cottrell said. Its the impact on water use and the impact on traffic, which is vehicle miles travelled. The more we can focus on what the actual impacts are, that allows applicants to come up with their own solutions. And the county is actually paying attention to what really matters

Going door-to-door for campaigning, she talked to a winery worker who was frustrated about wineries that dont follow the rules, given his does. It's important to have a level playing field, Cottrell said.

Dunbar sees room to improve how the county permitting process works.

I dont think its fair that it cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and takes years to work through a permit application or modification, Dunbar said.

He questioned how the county limits each winery to a certain number of tasting room visitors that varies from winery to winery. Other industries dont face similar, arbitrary limitations. He doesnt think the practice achieves the goal of regulating visitor traffic, Dunbar said.

Im not saying its 100% correct or wrong, but I think visitation and other limits should be reviewed and reconsidered to see if theyre achieving the goals they are meant to achieve, Dunbar said.

He also doesnt think the county consistently applies the rules, Dunbar said. If neighbors complain, the county imposes different limitations than if neighbors dont complain.

Issues that excite

Cottrell and Dunbar considered the issue that they are most passionate about, that really excites them.

Dunbar said the most important priority is providing housing to all income levels. But the thing that excites him?

Personal passion is supporting our business community, which is agriculture, wineries, restaurants and hospitality, he said. That is our core identity. Thats what leads us to all of the other things.

Napa County found out during the pandemic what happens when those industries shut down, he said.

People lose their jobs, it puts pressure on being able to afford rent or mortgage, it then means we may not be able to afford some of the other priorities we find valuable, which is having wildfire protection, being able to prioritize climate initiatives, he said.

Cottrell talked wildfire prevention, water security, workforce housing, climate change and county communications. She elaborated on wildfire prevention.

One of the things about wildfire is it is an existential threat to the county, she said.

Fire is a common enemy where people can work together. Thats true whether they identify primarily as a resident or a member of the wine industry, Cottrell said.

I think we need common ground as a starting point for lots of other issues, she said. We're not going to solve our water security issues if were a polarized county. And similarly, housing and climate change.

Anne Cottrell Anne Cottrell Age: 51 City: St. Helena Occupation: Planning commissioner, mother Education: UC Berkeley School of Law Most admired person: Sue Cottrell (mother) Favorite book: "Angle of Repose" by Wallace Stegner Sample of endorsements: County Supervisor Diane Dillon, county Supervisor Brad Wagenknecht, Napa Mayor Scott Sedgley, St. Helena City Councilmember Anna Chouteau, Cal Fire Firefighters Local 2881

John Dunbar John Dunbar Age: 59 City: Yountville Occupation: Mayor Education: Bachelor of Science, UC Davis Most admired person: Martin Luther King Favorite book: "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho Sample of endorsements: Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, Napa County Farm Bureau, Calistoga Mayor Chris Canning, former Napa Mayor Jill Techel, county Supervisor Ryan Gregory
Joelle Gallagher and Suzanne Besu Truchard are each making a pitch to voters  Im the best choice to be on the Napa County Board of Supervisors.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register.

They need votes from a 1st District that includes much of downtown Napa and the Carneros region. They must convince people they can handle controversial wine country issues and forge a vision for the future.

What makes each of them different from their opponent?

I would say the number one point of differentiation is experience, Gallagher said.

Gallagher grew up Sonoma County, went to Napas Justin-Siena High School and lived in various parts of the Bay Area. She moved to Napa County in 1992 when her daughter was 6 months old, where she had family.

She is executive director of First 5 Napa County and is on the county Planning Commission. She once served as executive director of Cope Family Center and Napa County Farm Bureau.

Ive been advocating for working families, living wage, housing, all these issues, frankly, for decades, Gallagher said.

Truchard, the daughter of Cuban immigrants, came to Napa County about 13 years ago. She was looking for an attorney job in the San Francisco area, visited Napa Valley, met her future husband Anthony Truchard and moved here, where she is an attorney and real estate broker.

Truchard highlights her private sector credentials. She said shes used to negotiating and advocating on behalf of her clients  and if elected, her clients would be the county and its residents.

I feel as though the current Napa County system is sort of a mess. Theres a lot of behind-the-scenes drama and alliances and all these things. And I dont feel the current government is serving the people of Napa, she said.

Agriculture or Agricultural Disneyland?

Napa County faces wine country issues. One is striking the proper balance between two visions  a dirt-under-the-fingernails agricultural area and a destination for wine, food and the good life.

Truchard said Napa County has had a thoughtful growth pattern. She called agriculture the highest and best land use in the rural county and noted her endorsement from Napa County Farm Bureau.

She also sees the tourism growth in the downtown city of Napa and wants to balance that with providing things for locals, such as everyday shops and restaurants and maybe a community pool.

Some of these issues within Napa city limits are under control of the Napa City Council, not the Board of Supervisors. But Truchard sees peoples concerns as spilling across government compartments.

What Ive learned with this process is sometimes the city and county are at odds, Truchard said. And I just find that ridiculous. The city and the county should have a symbiotic relationship."

She plans to have weekly check-ins with the council members and the mayor, Truchard said.

Gallagher said the direct-to-consumer model changed ways wineries do business. That model depends on customers visiting the winery, given wineries have a harder time finding distributors.

Does that mean wine country sizzle must overshadow agricultural substance? Gallagher says "no."

There are examples of wineries that are able to still leave a fairly light footprint on the county  to farm and to process their grapes and make their wines and not create places that I guess really just dont stay within the agricultural character of Napa County, she said.

Dirt under the fingernails is part of the countys history and charm, Gallagher said.

That can be degraded in some ways by places that dont really appreciate and enhance that, she said.

The Board of Supervisors sets policies that help determine when winery and vineyard proposals get the green light and when they dont. It gets to say yes and no to wine country growth.

Gallagher said that as a planning commissioner she reads the staff reports carefully. She talks with applicants and visits the sites. She talks to neighbors who might have concerns. If neighbors say local wells are going dry, thats ground-truthing information.

I want to see a project from all sides, Gallagher said.

When the rubber hits the road, you have to use common sense and ask the overarching question, What is best for the community? she said.

Is this a project that's going to enhance to community, be something that will be positive for the community or is it not? Gallagher said. It could be a lot of different factors that could be pro and con when asking that question.

Truchard said one must look at the county ordinances and what is permissible under the law and such factors as water supply. She doesnt plan to make decisions arbitrarily. Neither does she plan to rubberstamp every proposed winery and vineyard.

No wants to see the Disney-fication of Napa, Truchard said. But, while some people say Napa County has too many visitors, the next generation of wine and hospitality people are going to Paso Robles and other parts of California to work and live.

I think it is a double-edged sword, she said. If you stop everything, then you dont have young people wanting to be innovative here, wanting to be creative. And Napa becomes a retirement community.

Too wine dependent?

One issue that periodically comes up is whether Napa Countys economy is too wine-centric and needs diversification.

I always think economic diversity is a good thing, Truchard said. Theres no denying the main economic engine that fuels this valley is our agriculture, grape-growing and tied to that, wine-making and hospitality.

Perhaps the county could bring health-and-wellness or tech companies to the southern county. These things will likely be mostly ancillary to agriculture, she said.

When going door-to-door, she meets people who work for the wine industry. But she also meets people who are in tech or have a marketing company and work out of their homes, she said.

Actually, the pandemic did push a little of that into Napa, she said.

Gallagher is also interested in the issue.

I think its always worthwhile to be looking at how we can diversify our economy, Gallagher said. But I think we have to be realistic about what we can do given our geography, in terms of how we are situated in the Bay Area.

Perhaps additional companies that are peripheral to the wine industry could locate here, Gallagher said.

The county planning commissioner in 2020 heard a presentation that noted the countys airport industrial area is 95% wine-related industries. Among the constraints to diversity mentioned was traffic on Highway 29 and Highway 12, which makes it harder for trucks and workers to travel.

New leader

Napa County is amid transition. The Board of Supervisors recently dismissed former County Executive Officer Minh Tran, citing his search for another job and job offer from Riverside County. Some residents criticized the Board for granting Tran severance pay.

The Board of Supervisors agreed not to hire the next county executive officer until January, when new supervisors are seated. Truchard and Gallagher considered what qualities they want in candidates.

Gallagher said shes been on both sides. Shes served as an organizational administrator for several nonprofits and served on boards that hire administrators.

She wants a leader who has vision, knows how to manage, is a good relationship builder, can talk openly and frankly with board members, staff and community members, knows how to motivate others, is extremely collaborative and is trustworthy.

How do you attract that really stellar person to your community? I think part of it is modeling the behavior, Gallagher said.

Truchard criticized the county for granting a $400,000-plus severance package to former CEO Tran when he recently left to become county counsel for Riverside County. She called 18-months severance pay outlandish and "irresponsible."

She also said the county squandered taxpayers dollars in giving a $500,000 settlement to former Undersheriff Jon Crawford. That arose from Crawford's termination from his job and subsequent appeal.

"We have all our taxpayers dollars going to settlements. What about programs and resources and road repair? To me, it was very, very frustrating," Truchard said.

The next CEO needs to have a combination of humility, fiscal responsibility and communication skills, Truchard said.

What really excites

Numerous issues land in the lap of supervisors, from wine country growth to health and human services to the criminal justice system to libraries. Out of all of this, supervisors often have a passion for a certain issue.

With Gallagher, climate change response is among those rising to the top. She wants to see a green county with green cities.

We have been on the cutting edge of wine-making and great food, she said. Why are we also not on the cutting edge of responding to climate change?

Napa County in 2018 released a draft climate action plan for the rural, unincorporated county. It shelved the effort while it pursues a possible county climate action plan that includes the cities.

That draft 2018 plan had a lot of, Lets support this and Lets encourage that, Gallagher said.

I dont believe a plan like that will work very well, she said. Basically, its just asking people to do the right thing.

She wants a plan to not only require certain practices, but also incentivize them. Maybe grants from the state or federal government or other agencies can help the county move in the right direction, she said.

Truchard talked about putting local needs first. The main components of that are road repair, traffic and homelessness.

I think we need more focus and funding to fix the roads, she said. If you look at other hospitality destinations and other cities, their roads are pristine. And we do need to be that way, whether its a country road or one of the more traversed roads here.

On the traffic front, she said she was knocking on doors on Main Street and cars were just zipping by. She as supervisor would want to work with such organizations such as Slow Down Napa.

She would study successful homelessness programs in other parts of the country to see what works and what doesnt.

I think we can do more, so the everyday local person feels their needs are being heard and addressed, Truchard said.

Joelle Gallagher Joelle Gallagher Age: 59 City: Napa Occupation: Executive Director, First 5 Napa County Education: Bachelor of Science, University of Santa Clara Most admired person: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Favorite book: "Like Water for Chocolate" by Laura Esquivel Sample of endorsements: Local Firefighters Associations 2881, 2134, 1186; Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry; 1st District county Supervisor Brad Wagenknecht, Napa Mayor Scott Sedgley; Napa Sierra Club

Suzanne Besu Truchard Suzanne Besu Truchard Age: 42 City: Napa Occupation: Small business owner/attorner/mother Education: Northwestern University School of Law Most admired person: Lin-Manuel Miranda Favorite book: "My Own Words" by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, non-fiction Sample of endorsements: State Sen. Bill Dodd, county Supervisor Diane Dillon, county Supervisor Ryan Gregory, former Napa Mayor Jill Techel, Napa County Farm Bureau
Close readers of the Napa Valley Register may have noticed a couple of subtle changes in the last week or so. First is the appearance on the front page of a QR code  that square-shaped bar-code-like bit at the bottom of the page  that takes you to our expanded comics and puzzles offerings. To get there, point your smartphone at the code and click the link.

Many, if not all, of the features that are no longer in the print edition can be found there. A link to the page can also be found on the homepage of our website.

The other, while subtle in and of itself, I believe will have a much bigger impact. The names of the members of the newly reconstituted editorial board can now be seen at the top left part of the Opinion & Letters page in print as well as the e-edition.

This group  which includes three members of the Register staff and seven community members  will be helping to drive the official opinion of the paper, which includes endorsing candidates for office and weighing in on matters of local interest.

_

FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version of this story misstated the date of the meeting of the Community Advisory Board. It will be held Thursday, Oct. 6 at 6 p.m.

__

We met for the first time on Wednesday at the Register offices, and our first editorial publishes today. So this seems like a good time to introduce each of the community members. In no particular order:

Kevin Courtney  Kevin was a longtime reporter and city editor of the Register who retired in 2021, but has continued writing his "Napa Journal" column each Sunday  a streak going back more than three decades. He has lived in Napa since 1973.

Lilea Heine  Lilea is a coordinator for First 5 Napa County. She is a second-generation Mexican American and member of the LBGTQ community. She has been involved in early childhood education for many years. She is also the mother of two special needs children.

Annette Dambrosio  A San Francisco native, Annette moved to Napa in the heart of the pandemic. Her years of teaching, writing and consulting in higher education include a background in bringing together people with divergent perspectives to reach consensus.

Stephen A Corley  Stephen worked for most of his life in wine at his family's winery, Monticello Vineyards, before stepping back in 2022. He serves on the board of Napa Valley Vintner Community Health Center as well as working with the First 5 Napa Network and Leadership Napa Valley. He previously served on the boards of Visit Napa Valley and the Napa Valley Vintners, among others.

Evy Warshawski  Evy formerly served as executive director of the Napa Valley Opera House. She is a longtime resident and active member in the arts community. She currently serves on the Napa County Library Commission, the Napa County Arts & Cultural Grants Advisory Panel and was a board member of Leadership Napa Valley. In 2015, she and her husband Morrie created the nonprofit, E & M Presents, dedicated to presenting touring shows  earmarked for kids and families  to Napa Valley audiences.

Donna R Altes  An educator for more than four decades, Donna taught at the elementary, middle and adult school levels at Napa Valley Unified School District, as well as at the University of Berkeley Extension. She now serves on the Napa Valley College Foundation Board, the AAAs Advisory Council on Aging, and the Concierge Alliance of Napa and Sonoma. While teaching at Silverado Junior High, one of her ninth grade journalism students eventually became the editor of the American Canyon Eagle.

Cindy Webber  Cindy, who is the sole member of the former iteration of the editorial board to continue on, worked at the Register as its controller. After leaving the paper in 2015, she has worked at Central Valley Lumber Yards and currently works in the wine industry at Hess Persson Estates.

Additionally, I will be holding monthly meetings of what were calling the Community Advisory Board. This will involve me giving a brief presentation of the goings on at the Register in the previous month but will be primarily a listening session. I want to hear readers thoughts about what weve done, what we can do, and what we could do better.

The first of these meetings  which are open to the public  will be held at the Registers offices on Thursday, Oct. 6, at 6 p.m. Please stop by and say hello.
Another high treason exposed in Armenia

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Two people killed in Yeysk after military plane crashed

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Turkish Foreign Minister: Baku insists on equal status of 'Lachin' and 'Zangezur' corridors

Foreign Ministry: Iran has repeatedly stated that it has not sent weapons to either side of war in Ukraine

U.S. House of Representatives delegation arrives in Yerevan

IRGC commander: Changing regions geography is red line for Iran

Uzbek officials banned from being dishonest and swearing on social media

Lawyer: Erik Aleksanyan does not accept charges against him

Erdogan to visit Azerbaijan on October 20

Baku reacts to Pashinyan's proposal: To suggest 3 unrealistic options is not a good policy

Dollar, euro gaining value in Armenia

Reuters: Chinese banks sell off dollars to support yuan

Armenia MOD: Artillery presence toward Vardenis is linked to Azerbaijan additional forces movement

Armenia official: Azerbaijan way of working radically contradicts EaP values, principles

Belarus Armed Forces secure railroad, bridges and crossings on border

Bird flu found in poultry in Britain

President of Artsakh meets with representatives of political forces represented in parliament of Artsakh

European Council approves 6th tranche of 500mn military aid to Ukraine

Turkey FM expresses readiness to meet with Armenia counterpart

Only 33% of Americans support Biden's re-election as U.S. president

Norwegian Foreign Minister to pay working visit to Armenia

Defense minister welcomes EU mission visit to Armenia (PHOTOS)

Valery Brusov linguistics university students holding protest march in Yerevan

Russia MOD: Armed forces struck Ukraine energy facilities

The Daily Star: Turkey may once again resort to football diplomacy in relations with Armenia

Karabakh presidential spokesperson: Delegation that visited Armenia will present details of its meetings there

Parliament speaker to Brazil envoy: I call for strictly, targeted condemning Azerbaijan aggression against Armenia

Opposition MP: Turkey demands from Armenia to sever ties with its diaspora

European Council decides to deploy civilian monitoring mission on Armenia border with Azerbaijan

Iran kicks off military exercises on Azerbaijan border

NATO begins nuclear deterrence exercises

PM: Armenia government waiting for positive reaction from Azerbaijan

8 injured in shooting near US university campus

EU civilian mission in Armenia to have about 40 observers at initial phase

Ukraine media inform about sounding air raid alarm throughout country

Armenias largest taxpayer in first 9 months is Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine

Mayor Klitschko reports about explosions in downtown Kyiv

Azerbaijan fires at Armenia positions

Scientists say humanity could begin to disappear from Earth by 2100

World oil prices going up

19Fortyfive: US strategy on Ukraine could lead to nuclear war

Pet dog saves boy from diabetic coma in UK

SVT: US will secure Sweden's borders during the NATO application process

White House: U.S. supports protests in Iran

Asia Times: Dollar's dominance is fast approaching its end

Taiwan refuses to make concessions on sovereignty and democracy

Netherlands has field capable of replacing gas from Russia

Iran plans to connect national power grid to Russia

Fire kills four inmates in Evin Prison in Iran

Serbia temporarily closes its embassy in Kyiv: Staff of diplomatic mission sent to Belgrade

Rallies against price rises take place in Paris

Pope Francis calls for reform of international organizations

Over 40 people killed in Nigeria because of floods

Iran talks Biden's habit to 'fishing in troubled waters'

Iraqi authorities open new international airport

Sky News: Britain's Home Secretary wants to expand police powers to tackle protests

Rogov: Ukrainian troops changed their plan to take over Zaporizhzhya NPP

Erdogan thanks Armenia for expressing condolences over explosion

Pope calls spending on nuclear weapons unacceptable

WP finds out about Trump's demand to co-founders of Truth Social to give their shares to his wife

U.S. State Department demands that Iran release imprisoned Americans

At least 12 people killed in bar shooting in Mexico

Biden slams Truss government's economic plan

Americans' nuclear fears are at their highest level since Cold War

3 people die in Pittsburgh

16 blasts heard near Belgorod in Russia

President Biden doesn't acknowledge dollar's influence on problems in global economy

Jamilya Afghani receives Aurora Award 2022

Iranian foreign minister calls presence of foreign forces in Caucasus a common concern of regional states
Chicago police investigate an officer-involved shooting where a man was killed on Oct. 2, 2022, in the 400 block of West Blackhawk Street. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

A man was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police officers in Old Town on Sunday morning, according to police.

Officers were investigating reports of an armed man in the 400 block of West Blackhawk Street shortly after 5 a.m. They encountered a man with a gun at the location and shots were fired, police said.

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The man was shot and died at the scene. Police said they found a weapon nearby. One police officer went to the hospital for observation.

Chicago police investigate an officer-involved shooting where a man was killed on Oct. 2, 2022, in the 400 block of West Blackhawk Street. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

The Civilian Office for Police Accountability is investigating, while the officers involved are placed on routine administrative duties for 30 days.

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adperez@chicagotribune.com
Another gruesome video has surfaced, apparently showing Armenian prisoners of war being executed, Toivo Klaar, EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, wrote on his Twitter.

"If this video is proven to be authentic then this is a war crime that needs to be investigated and the perpetrators punished," Toivo Klaar noted.

A gruesome video of the shooting of four unarmed Armenian prisoners by Azerbaijani servicemen is circulating in Telegram channels.

On September 15, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan received EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar.

Mirzoyan presented to Toivo Klaar the situation created as a result of the Azerbaijani armed forces' premeditated large-scale aggression against the sovereign territory of Armenia and the steps taken by Armenia to stop that aggression.

On September 28 from 6 p.m. onwards, as previously reported, the Azerbaijani armed forces started firing mortars and heavy machine gun fire at the Armenian positions in the eastern direction of the border. The Armenian side resorted to retaliatory actions.

Later, the Ministry of Defense reported that as of 10 p.m. the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border was relatively stable. As a result of the Azerbaijani provocation, three Armenian servicemen were killed.
Last night there was a gruesome video of Azerbaijani soldiers executing several Armenian prisoners of war at close range, Jean-Christophe Busson, deputy director of the French magazine Le Figaro, wrote on his Twitter.

"A gruesome video was received last night showing Azerbaijani soldiers executing several Armenian prisoners of war at close range. This video of new war crimes by Azerbaijan is being verified (by international media and bodies)," Busson wrote.

A gruesome video of the execution of four unarmed Armenian prisoners of war by Azerbaijani soldiers is circulating in Telegram channels.

Earlier, EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar said that if it is proven that the video is genuine, it is a war crime that must be investigated and the perpetrators punished.

On September 28, starting from 18:00 the Azerbaijani Armed Forces started firing mortars and large-caliber small arms at the Armenian positions in the eastern direction of the border. The Armenian side resorted to retaliatory actions.

Later, the Ministry of Defense reported that as of 10 p.m. the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border was relatively stable. As a result of the Azerbaijani provocation, three Armenian servicemen were killed.
Volunteer Lucia Goyanes waits with Fred the dog as other adoptable dogs and cats are unloaded at Anti-Cruelty Society from a bus traveling in from Furry Friends shelter in Jupiter, Florida on Oct. 1, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

Volunteers cheered as Princess made her way off the bus wagging her tail.

She smiled as two of the volunteers stroked her head and an employee with the Anti-Cruelty Society slipped a collar on her neck.

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Princess, the first off the bus, was one of 15 dogs that made the trip north from the Furry Friends Adoption, Clinic and Ranch shelter in Jupiter, Florida, to make space for displaced and lost pets after Hurricane Ian.

The Florida shelter also sent 20 cats along for the ride to the Anti-Cruelty Society headquarters, 510 N. LaSalle St., including Aspen, who has gray fur and big, shiny eyes.

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Hurricane Ian flooded much of southwest Florida with heavy storm surges Wednesday before making landfall as a Category 4 storm that night. As the storm made its way to South Carolina over the weekend, the death toll reached 35 people, 28 of them in Florida, The Associated Press reported.

Anti-Cruelty Society employee Naomi Williams unloads cats as animals from a bus traveling in from Furry Friends shelter in Jupiter, Florida. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

Cats are carried in cages as workers and volunteers at Anti-Cruelty Society unload adoptable dogs and cats from a bus traveling in from Furry Friends shelter in Jupiter, Florida. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

In Chicago and across the Midwest, people are stepping up in support of those affected as recovery continues.

Part of that support was Anti-Cruelty Societys willingness to take in shelter animals.

After each dog had been taken inside the facility, the group of about 15 volunteers went back out to the alley where the bus was parked and started taking the cats inside.

Some of the kittens shared a kennel. One larger, timid cat, sat as far away from the kennel door as possible, while a small black kitten who shared a kennel meowed and swiped his paw at anyone who approached.

The bus left Furry Friends around 5 p.m. Friday and arrived at Anti-Cruelty Society just before 4 p.m., stopping only for gas or at rest stops to take the dogs out for a break, said Kirsten Tourville, director of behavior and training at Furry Friends.

Furry Friends management reached out to Anti-Cruelty Society about a week ago to ask if they could send up some pets and free up their kennels, said Darlene Duggan, chief operations officer at Anti-Cruelty. Once they knew Hurricane Ian was turning into a devastating storm, they agreed to take in the 35 animals, Duggan said.

(Furry Friends) rallied and tried to get here before the storm hit, but were unable to get, so to speak, all of the animals onto the bus quick enough, Duggan said. So they rode out the storm back in Florida and then as soon as things settled down with the weather they left to come up.

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Duggan said animal welfare workers learned important lessons after Hurricane Katrina more than 15 years ago. Instead of relocating animals after a disaster hits, shelters started relocating already relinquished animals in order to make room for pets displaced by a natural disaster or pets that might need temporary shelter while their family deals with the effects of a storm.

It happens often, actually, anytime there are natural disasters, whether its hurricanes or flooding or wildfires, Duggan said. Since Ive been in animal welfare, it seems to have picked up speed within the past 10 years or so.

Vet tech Alex Zegarra and Anti-Cruelty Society medical director Emily Swiniarski complete a well being check up on Joe the dog as animals arrived in Chicago from a bus traveling in from Furry Friends shelter in Jupiter, Florida. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

Once all the animals were taken off the bus they were taken one by one to a team of veterinarians for a basic checkup. The animals were already spayed or neutered and ready for adoption in Florida before their almost 24-hour trip to Chicago.

Afternoon Briefing Daily Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon. >

Lucy, a playful 5-month-old dog, was last in line to see the vet. As Anti-Cruelty staff looked for an open kennel for her, she played with Alex Zegarra, one of the veterinarians, licking and biting his beard and leaning in for belly rubs, smiling.

Most of the new animals will be ready for adoption almost immediately, Duggan said. But first, they will spend 24 hours in a holding room.

This was a stressful 24 hours for them being in a vehicle. You know, their normal feeding routine and potty break routine was disrupted, she said. So well give them about a day.

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Volunteer Georgia Libbares waits with a dog at Anti-Cruelty Society as adoptable dogs and cats are unloaded from a bus traveling in from Furry Friends shelter in Jupiter, Florida. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

Some of the animals will go to foster homes and will be available for adoption from their foster home. And a few will be taken to partner shelters in Chicago suburbs.

Tourville said she was grateful Anti-Cruelty accepted the dogs, allowing Furry Friends to help those in cities affected by the hurricane.

Duggan joked she hopes the animals enjoy their first Chicago winter, likely never having experienced snow.

In reality, our hope for them is the same for all of the animals that come into the care of the Anti-Cruelty Society, Duggan said. And that is just a warm, loving, engaged home that they can spend the rest of their lives with.
At this point it has been ascertained the authenticity of the video. It is new, the incident took place on September 13 this year during a large-scale attack unleashed by the Azerbaijani armed forces on the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia, Armenian Human Rights Defender's Office said in a statement.

"This morning, a video was disseminated on the Azerbaijani social media platforms depicting the execution of the Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani servicemen.

At the moment, we have identified the authenticity of the video: it is new, the incident occurred during a large-scale attack by the Azerbaijani armed forces on the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia on September 13 of this year.

This fact is confirmed by a combination of examining the terrain, similar video materials in our and other databases, as well as by a complex combination of weather conditions, uniforms of military personnel, the conversation of Azerbaijani servicemen, and other parameters.

This is yet another war crime committed by the Azerbaijani armed forces, the source of which is a consistent policy of Armenophobia by Azerbaijan, manifesting itself starting from the educational content in all spheres of public life and in the statements of the President of this country himself. By the way, this is also recorded in the recent report of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination concerning Azerbaijan.

This video, among others, will be included in the Ad Hoc Report of the Human rights defender and sent to international organizations and actors.

Today, the UN calendar celebrates the International day of Non-Violence, however, the inadequate response of structures with an international human rights mandate to these war crimes, unfortunately, carries the risk of filling such new days in the UN calendar," reads a statement from the Armenian Ombudsman's Office.
Authorities in Afghanistan broke up a women's rally in the Afghan city of Herat in the west of the country on Sunday, with protesters claiming they were beaten by Taliban gunmen firing into the air, AFP reported.

Dozens of female students protested Friday's suicide bombing in a classroom in Kabul that killed and injured dozens of students studying for exams.

The terrorist blew himself up in the women's section of a gender-segregated classroom in an area of Kabul that is home to the historically oppressed Shiite Muslim Hazara community.

The United Nations reported that at least 35 people were killed and 82 others wounded, most of them girls and young women.

On Sunday, more than 100 women, mostly Hazara women, marched in Herat against the attack, one of the deadliest for the minority in recent years.

Education is our right, genocide is a crime, protesters chanted as they marched from Herat University to the provincial governor's office.

Dressed in black hijabs and headscarves, the protesters were stopped by heavily armed Taliban, who also ordered journalists not to report on the rally.

"We had no weapons but were only chanting slogans as we marched, protester Wahida Saghri told AFP. "But they beat us with sticks and even fired in the air to disperse us. Please carry our voice across the world because we are not safe here."

Another group of female students, who were not allowed to protest on the street, held a separate rally on campus.

Since the Taliban's return to power, protests for women's rights have been accompanied by tense confrontations with the authorities, demonstrators have been detained, and rallies have been dispersed by aerial bombardment.

Women activists are still trying to organize sporadic protests, mostly in Kabul, against a range of restrictions imposed on them by the Taliban.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for Friday's attack at the capital's Kaaj Higher Education Center.

However, the jihadist group Islamic State considers Shiite heretics and has previously attacked girls, schools and mosques in the area.

In recent years, there have also been attacks on Hazaras in Herat.
Germany's largest power producer RWE has agreed to buy U.S. Con Edison Clean Energy Businesses for $6.8 billion, nearly doubling RWE's renewable energy portfolio in the United States, the world's second-largest renewable energy market, Reuters reported.

The purchase will be financed in part by RWE's $2.43 billion convertible bond issue to Qatar Investment Authority, through which QIA will become a 9.1 percent shareholder in RWE.

Con Edison said it is abandoning plans to issue up to $850 million in new shares this year and is withdrawing its placement recommendations for the next two years. The company said the deal will allow it to focus on its core business of utilities and clean energy development in New York City.

The deal will nearly double RWE's U.S. renewable energy portfolio to more than 7 gigawatts (GW) and increase its regional portfolio by 7 GW to more than 24 GW.

After the takeover, the share of solar power in RWE's U.S. portfolio will be 40%, up from 3% currently, the presentation slides show.

The deal, which is expected to close in the first half of 2023, will make RWE the fourth-largest player in the U.S. renewable energy market, which plays a key role in its green expansion, although it is still significantly behind the largest player NextEra, which has about 58 GW of generating capacity.

RWE's expansion into the U.S. comes at a time when Germany is struggling with the consequences of the complete disruption of Russian gas supplies, which has already led to the nationalization of its smaller competitor Uniper.

The activist energy fund Enkraft Capital, which owns 0.15% of RWE, said it was unclear how RWE could have spent 7 billion euros on an M&A deal in the United States amid the biggest energy crisis Germany has ever seen.

But Qatar-based QIA CEO Mansour bin Ebrahim Al Mahmoud said the company was proud to support RWE's efforts to become a global leader in renewable energy.

QIA's investment expands Qatar's relationship with Europe's largest economy, which already includes stakes in Volkswagen, Deutsche Bank and Porsche.

The deal, the largest for RWE since the collapse of its former Innogy unit was announced in 2018, will immediately boost profits, providing RWE with an additional $600 million a year in core revenue.

This comes nearly a year after RWE refined its global renewable energy roadmap, which includes 50 billion euros ($49 billion) in gross investment through 2030, of which 15 billion is earmarked for the United States.

RWE also confirmed plans to pay a dividend of 0.90 per share for 2022.
More sexual abuse allegations have been leveled against the Rev. David Ryan, pictured in 2003, who is pastor of St. Francis de Sales in Lake Zurich. The accusers, a woman now 49 and man now 38, say Ryan abused them when the accusers were children at Maryville Academy in Des Plaines. (James Branaman/Chicago Tribune)

A 49-year-old woman and a 36-year-old man have retained a lawyer and are accusing the Rev. David Ryan, pastor of St. Francis de Sales in Lake Zurich, of sexual abuse from when they were minors, according to Des Plaines police.

The department announced Monday that it was recently made aware of the allegations by legal representatives of the Archdiocese of Chicago, which publicly announced Sept. 17 it had been informed of the allegations.

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The Archdiocese advised Des Plaines investigators that they received a letter from an attorney representing two separate accusers, claiming two past incidents of sexual misconduct, naming Fr. David Ryan as the offender, the department announced.

The allegations date back to Ryans time at Maryville Academy in Des Plaines, a child care organization rooted in the Catholic faith, where he began working in 1985.

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According to Des Plaines police, the 49-year-old woman is alleging that Ryan sexually abused her by groping and fondling her while she was a resident at Maryville Academy sometime around 1986.

The 36-year-old man claims Ryan fondled and groped him sometime between 2002 and 2003 while he was a resident at Maryville Academy.

Ryan was reinstated as pastor at St. Francis de Sales in 2021 after an investigation by authorities and the Archdiocese of Chicagos Independent Review Board determined there was insufficient reason to suspect Ryan had sexually abused minors in the 1990s.

Archdiocese spokeswoman Susan Thomas said it became aware of allegations on Sept. 15, before it reported them to authorities on Sept. 16.

In a Sept. 17 statement, Cardinal Blase Cupich called the allegations upsetting news.

We have appreciated your patience with this process in the past and your understanding that only with an impartial and thorough effort can we fulfill our duty to protect the young people in our care, and if the investigation warrants, restore the good name of the one so accused, Cupich wrote.

Ryan was eventually promoted to active executive director at Maryville Academy before he was assigned to St. Emily Parish in Mount Prospect in 2005 and became the pastor of St. Francis de Sales in 2006, according to the parishs website.

Officials from Maryville Academy did not respond to Pioneer Press requests for comment.

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Thomas would not give a timeline for the new investigation by the Independent Review Board, which consists of nine to 11 people appointed by Cupich.

Of the 11, three members of the board are employees of the Archdiocese of Chicago, while eight are lay Catholics with backgrounds in psychiatry, psychology or social work, law, and also a survivor or parent of a victim or survivor of sexual abuse, a parish council member and a parent.

The Independent Review Board performs a thorough investigation of every allegation, Thomas said. The board then makes a recommendation to the cardinal.

The Cook County states attorneys office received a report in 2020 about allegations against Ryan, Cupich stated at that time. However, this time around, officials from the states attorneys office said in an emailed statement to Pioneer Press the office has not been contacted to review this matter for criminal charges by law enforcement, who would handle the initial investigation.

A representative from the Archdiocese of Chicago said, however, that it did notify the Cook County states attorneys office of these latest abuse allegations when reporting them to the Des Plaines Police Department and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

DCFS spokesman Bill McCaffrey confirmed the department received a report but could not open an investigation because the department only looks into claims of abuse against those who are currently minors.

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St. Francis de Sales spokeswoman Katie McGlauchlin declined to comment on behalf of the parish when reached by phone.

Further attempts by Pioneer Press to reach Ryan for comment have been unsuccessful. The 71-year-old pastors parish voicemail appeared to be disconnected as of Monday.

Thomas said the Archdiocese of Chicago has had comprehensive policies and procedures handling allegations of abuse for 30 years.

We take every allegation seriously, offer pastoral care to every accuser and report every allegation to civil authorities, Thomas said. We will do the same with these most recent allegations against Father Ryan.
Yemen ceasefire ends with no word on extension

About 23.4 million of Yemen's 30-million population rely on humanitarian aid. Photo: AP

A six-month-old UN-brokered ceasefire in Yemen's war between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and a Saudi-led coalition ended on Sunday with no word from the rivals on whether it would be extended.



The conflict that started in 2014 has left hundreds of thousands dead and created what the United Nations has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis with widespread malnutrition and disease.



The ceasefire has twice been renewed since April 2 but neither the UN office in the rebel-held capital, Sanaa, nor the warring parties revealed whether talks were still going on.



The rivals have faced international calls to extend the measure, including from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, and even the United States and Russia came together at the UN Security Council to back the ceasefire.



UN envoy Hans Grundberg has shuttled between Sanaa and Oman, which has acted as a mediator, in a bid to secure an extension.



On Sunday, he met in Riyadh with the head of Yemen's presidential council, Rashad al-Alimi, the Yemeni news agency SabaNet reported.



Rebel leader Mehdi Mashat told a political meeting in Sanaa that the UN proposals did "not meet the aspirations of the Yemeni people", the rebels' Al-Massira TV reported.



Sporadic clashes were reported on Sunday in southwest Yemen, as coalition military sources said the Houthis had sent reinforcements to the region.



The Houthis said in a statement on Saturday that the ceasefire was at "a dead end".



"Over the past six months, we haven't seen any serious willingness to address humanitarian issues as a top priority," the statement said, accusing the coalition of failing to agree measures to "alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people".



The lull has led to a 60 percent reduction in casualties while fuel imports into the Houthi-held port of Hodeida have quadrupled, humanitarian groups said on Thursday.



Sanaa residents say their daily lives have dramatically improved. Prices have come down as more essential goods entered the city even though key roads remain shut.



About 23.4 million of Yemen's 30-million population rely on humanitarian aid.



While the truce has largely held, the Houthis and the coalition blame each other for reported violations.



A siege remains in place on Taez, Yemen's third city, which is controlled by the government but surrounded by Houthi forces. (AFP)
Alaska Air Group (ALK) Trading Report

Source: Stock Traders Daily

Longer Term Trading Plans for ALK

Buy ALK slightly slightly over 37.40 target 42.94 stop loss @ 37.29 Details

The technical summary data tells us to buy ALK near 37.40 with an upside target of 42.94. This data also tells us to set a stop loss @ 37.29 to protect against excessive loss in case the stock begins to move against the trade. 37.40 is the first level of support below 39.15 , and by rule, any test of support is a buy signal. In this case, support 37.40 would be being tested, so a buy signal would exist. Short ALK slightly under 42.94, target 37.40, stop loss @ 43.06 Details The technical summary data is suggesting a short of ALK as it gets near 42.94 with a downside target of 37.40. We should have a stop loss in place at 43.06though. 42.94 is the first level of resistance above 39.15, and by rule, any test of resistance is a short signal. In this case, if resistance 42.94 is being tested, so a short signal would exist.

Swing Trading Plans for ALK

Buy ALK slightly slightly over 39.18, target 42.94, Stop Loss @ 39.07 Details

If 39.18 begins to break higher, the technical summary data tells us to buy ALK just slightly over 39.18, with an upside target of 42.94. The data also tells us to set a stop loss @ 39.07 in case the stock turns against the trade. 39.18 is the first level of resistance above 39.15, and by rule, any break above resistance is a buy signal. In this case, 39.18, initial resistance, would be breaking higher, so a buy signal would exist. Because this plan is based on a break of resistance, it is referred to as a Long Resistance Plan. Short ALK slightly near 39.18, target 37.40, Stop Loss @ 39.29. Details The technical summary data is suggesting a short of ALK if it tests 39.18 with a downside target of 37.40. We should have a stop loss in place at 39.29 though in case the stock begins to move against the trade. By rule, any test of resistance is a short signal. In this case, if resistance, 39.18, is being tested a short signal would exist. Because this plan is a short plan based on a test of resistance it is referred to as a Short Resistance Plan.

Day Trading Plans for ALK

Buy ALK slightly slightly over 39.18, target 39.87, Stop Loss @ 39.09 Details

If 39.18 begins to break higher, the technical summary data tells us to buy ALK just slightly over 39.18, with an upside target of 39.87. The data also tells us to set a stop loss @ 39.09 in case the stock turns against the trade. 39.18 is the first level of resistance above 39.15, and by rule, any break above resistance is a buy signal. In this case, 39.18, initial resistance, would be breaking higher, so a buy signal would exist. Because this plan is based on a break of resistance, it is referred to as a Long Resistance Plan. Short ALK slightly near 39.18, target 38.69, Stop Loss @ 39.27. Details The technical summary data is suggesting a short of ALK if it tests 39.18 with a downside target of 38.69. We should have a stop loss in place at 39.27 though in case the stock begins to move against the trade. By rule, any test of resistance is a short signal. In this case, if resistance, 39.18, is being tested a short signal would exist. Because this plan is a short plan based on a test of resistance it is referred to as a Short Resistance Plan.

ALK Ratings for October 02:

Term  Near Mid Long Rating Weak Weak Weak P1 0 0 37.40 P2 38.69 36.52 42.94 P3 39.87 39.18 48.71

Get Notified When our Ratings Change: Take a Trial

























This report was produced using AI developed by Stock Traders Daily. Over the past 20 years this proprietary AI has been refined to help identify the most opportune trading strategies for both individual stocks and the stock markets themselves. This methodology is also applied to Index options, ETFs, and futures. The objective of this specific report is to optimize trading in Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK) while incorporating prudent risk controls.

Warning:

This is a static report, the data below was valid at the time of the publication, but support and resistance levels for ALK change over time, so the report should be updated regularly. Real Time updates are provided to subscribers. Unlimited Real Time Reports.

Subscribers also receive market analysis, stock correlation tools, macroeconomic observations, timing tools, and protection from market crashes using Evitar Corte.

Instructions:

The rules that govern the data in this report are the rules of Technical Analysis. For example, if ALK is testing support buy signals surface, and resistance is the target. Conversely, if resistance is being tested, that is a sign to control risk or short, and support would be the downside target accordingly. In each case, the trigger point is designed to be both an ideal place to enter a position (avoid trading in the middle of a trading channel), and it acts as a level of risk control too.

Swing Trades, Day Trades, and Longer term Trading Plans:

This data is refined to differentiate trading plans for Day Trading, Swing Trading, and Long Term Investing plans for ALK too. All of these are offered below the Summary Table.
"Shri Tulsi Tanti was a pioneering business leader who contributed to India's economic progress and strengthened our nation's efforts to further sustainable development. Pained by his untimely demise. Condolences to his family and friends. Om Shanti," PM Modi tweeted.

Tulsi Tanti, who was also a renowned expert on renewable energy, died due to cardiac arrest on Saturday evening. A company statement said that the Suzlon founder was travelling from Pune to Ahmedabad when he suffered a major cardiac arrest. He is survived by his daughter Nidhi and son Pranav.

In a regulatory filing, the company said, "With profound sadness, we inform you of the untimely demise of Tulsi R Tanti, the founder, the chairman & managing director, and one of the promoters of Suzlon Energy Limited... on 1st October 2022. Tanti suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away the same day."

From managing a 20-employee textile company in 1995 to selling off the textile business to signing a contract of Edison Mission Energy (EME) of US for delivery of 150 wind turbines of 2.1 megawatts in 2008, the visionary was one of the pioneers that put India in the map of renewable energy producers in the world. To date, Suzlon Energy has fifteen manufacturing facilities and a workforce of over 8,000 employees globally.

In January 2017, Suzlon Energy achieved 10,000 megawatts installed wind energy milestone in India. Suzlon's 10,000 MW of wind installation can power over 5 million households per annum and offsets 21.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions annually. (ANI)
Indian TV serial 'Mere Sai' fame actor Anaya Soni, on Saturday, revealed that her health condition is serious due to kidney failure and has to undergo a transplant soon. Taking to Instagram, Anaya Soni shared a long note and wrote, "Doctors are telling that my kidney is failed and I have to go on dialysis... My creatinine have come to 15.76 and haemoglobin is 6.7 ...condition is serious.. I m getting hospitalize in holy spirit Andheri East hospital on Monday .. pray for me guys life has not been a easy journey for me was trying to take it easy by enjoying the present moment ..." but yea time aane wala tha pata tha mujhe .. but this too shall pass .. soon have to go with my kidney transplant .. will apply for kidney post dialysis." https://www.instagram.com/p/CjLqHUzMaNN/ Soon after the actor shared the tragic news on her social media, fans seemed worried about her health. "Our prayers are with you wishing you a speedy recovery, Get well soon Buddy," a fan commented. Another fan wrote, "Get well soon dear." "You r the most brave girl I have came across... get well soon," another fan commented. Previously in 2021, actor Anaya Soni shared some videos on her Instagram and gave her health updates regarding her kidney failure and asked for financial help from her fans for her treatment. On the work front, the actor has worked in Tv serials like 'Mere Sai', 'Naamkaran', 'Adaalat' and the popular crime show 'Crime Patrol'. (ANI)
Not keeping the promise of selling an iPhone despite taking money from a friend proved costly for a 17-year-old Class 12 student, who was allegedly shot dead by his friend in Delhi's Batla House area, the police said. A senior police officer said that the deceased has been identified as Abdullah, who was shot dead on Friday afternoon. Though first it was said that a mysterious stray bullet had hit the deceased, the police later claimed to have solved the case with the arrest of Abdullah's friend. During the course of investigation, the police learnt that the deceased had taken Rs 72,000 from Khalid for selling an iPhone to him. The police then took Khalid into custody and interrogated him in connection with the case. During interrogation, he broke down and confessed to the crime. He told the police that he gave Rs 72,000 to Abdullah to buy an iPhone. But Abdullah didn't give him the iPhone, nor did he return the money. "On Friday, the accused had gone to meet Abdullah following which an argument broke out between the two. As the argument got heated, Khalid fired at Abdullah and fled from the spot," the officer said. --IANS atk/khz/arm ( 216 Words) 2022-10-01-19:42:04 (IANS)
In the run up to the Assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh, Chief Electoral Officer Maneesh Garg on Saturday felicitated 103-year old retired government teacher Pyar Singh, who has been declared district icon, by visiting his house in Chamba town. All voters above the age of 80 years were honoured across the state with a citation signed by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar at functions to mark the International Day of Older Persons. Singh first voted in year 1952 and since then he has never missed an opportunity to cast his vote. He normally walks to the nearest polling booth at Hatnala Mohalla to cast his vote. He is a retired school teacher from Government Boys School in Chamba. "It is a unique initiative of Election Commission of India (ECI) to honour and thank the elderly voters on October 1, which is marked as International Day for Older Persons and the day inspires millions of young voters," said Garg. He said the contribution of elderly voters in the electoral process is important. The CEO also released an election mascot bearing a tagline "Mu Bi Gaana Vote Paana" (I will also go to vote) under SVEEP activities for awareness of the people. It is an SVEEP mascot, named 'Bholu' dressed in traditional Gaddi attire, urging voters to go and cast vote and at the same time giving a message for the conservation of brown bear, an endangered species mostly found in the Kugti Wildlife Sanctuary of Chamba. The hill state, which is likely to go to the polls for 68-member Assembly in November, has 122,093 voters above 80 years of age. A total of 1,190 of them are above 100 years. The Sullah Assembly constituency in Kangra district has 2,936 elderly, while Fatehpur seat in Kangra has 72 centenarian voters, the highest in the state. --IANS vg/pgh ( 315 Words) 2022-10-01-19:44:02 (IANS)
The body of a tiger was found floating in a river in the buffer zone of Pench National Park -- a tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh, officials said on Saturday. Shockingly, the big cat's paws were missing, and the incident has come to the light on a day (October 1) when all six tigers reserves in the state were reopened for tourists. The forest officials received a call from the local residents early on Saturday that the carcass of a tiger was floating in Pench river between Badal Par and Lonar Pindari region. The tiger was aged around 3. On receiving information, the forest officials reached the spot and recovered the tiger's body. Officials suspect the tiger may have died of electrocution due to use of electric wire for fishing by local villagers. Sources told IANS that all four claws were found missing, giving a reason to forest officials to assume that the tiger was either poached for claws, or the villagers must have severed it after finding the body. However, what exactly caused the death of adult tiger was yet to be known from the officials of Pench Tiger Reserve. It needs to be mentioned that poaching of tigers or other wild animals had been a major threat to tiger conservation in this area. It is also said that self-styled 'tantriks' extract paws, claws and whiskers to cast spells and make money from it. Talking to IANS, Ajay Dube, a Madhya Pradesh based wildlife activist, said: "Not only this particular tiger but all those are killed or being poached in every tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh, is occurring because of gross negligence. More, ironically, the forest officials can not do anything. To ensure the security of tigers in MP, Centre government in 2008 had approved a policy to recruit a Special Tiger Protection Force ( STPF), which not implemented by the state government." He further said that MP's tiger reserves like Kanha, Bandhavgarh and Pench are highly sensitive zone and poaching had been a regular incidents for the last many years. "Due to dense forest area and number of tigers and other wild animals, these zones are highly sensitive. Such incident won't stop until STPF are deployed in forest areas and every time we would just counting number of tigers died in MP," Dube added. --IANS pd/pgh ( 400 Words) 2022-10-01-20:24:02 (IANS)
The Standing Committees for both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are likely to be reconstituted in the coming days. The principal opposition party Congress is likely to lose out on several committees where the chairman was from their party. This also includes the Standing Committee for Communications and Information Technology which was chaired by Lok Sabha MP Dr Shashi Tharoor. Top sources told ANI, the chairmanship of the Committee will go to the new National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partner the Eknath Shinde-led faction of Shiv Sena. Sources from Shiv Sena have confirmed the news to ANI. It is learnt that the party has decided to nominate the name of MP Prataprao Jadhav for the same. "Our party has been offered the chairmanship of the IT committee and after consultation with top leaders, we have decided to nominate Jadhav," the Sena sources said. Prataprao Jadhav is a Lok Sabha MP from the Buldhana constituency in Maharashtra. Jadhav was one of the many Shiv Sena MPs who jumped into the rebellion ship led by Eknath Shinde. Notably, several opposition MPs including Karti Chidambaram, John Brittas and others had written to Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla, requesting for the continuation of Tharoor as chairman of the IT panel. The Standing Committee for Communications and Information Technology has been a point of friction between the ruling BJP MPs and the Opposition MPs led by chairman Tharoor. Another member of the IT panel Nishikant Dubey on several occasions has asked for the removal of Tharoor citing his personal party-driven agenda and had also moved a couple of breach of Privilege Motions against him. In September 2019, Shashi Tharoor, a Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram, was appointed as the chairman of the Committee for Communications and Information Technology by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Despite opposition from several BJP MPs, Tharoor was reappointed as the panel chief in September 2021 through a voice vote. (ANI)
The team of STF Ambala conducted a search operation in the Sadar Karnal area from where they nabbed the most wanted criminal.

The team received a tip-off that Mukesh, a resident of Karnal district and an active member of the Ankush Kamalpur gang and the Lawrence group, had brought illegal weapons in large quantity which were reportedly dropped by a drone from Pakistan.

On the basis of the information, the police team raided the spot and after an encounter, arrested the accused.

A total of four foreign pistols, empty shells and 10 cartridges were recovered from the possession of Mukesh.

During preliminary interrogation, it was revealed that the accused had links with the Babbar Khalsa group, Lawrence Bishnoi group and Ankush Kamalpur gang.

The accused had purchased illegal weapons from gangsters Damanjot Singh, alias Kahlon, and Virender Sambi, who are currently residing abroad.

--IANS vg/arm

( 186 Words)

2022-10-01-22:10:04 (IANS)
A new film focusing on the evacuation of trapped Chinese nationals from a war-wrecked African country hit Chinese screens on Sept. 30, the eve of China's seven-day National Day holiday.

"Home Coming," directed by Rao Xiaozhi and starring veteran actor Zhang Yi and heartthrob young actor Wang Junkai, originally from teen sensation boy group TFBoys, tells how two unarmed Chinese diplomats, who lose contact with the Chinese embassy, lead 125 Chinese citizens to embark on an exodus to return to China through chaos, riot, battlefields, and desert in a fictional country in North Africa. It is inspired by a real evacuation event in Libya in 2011, when the Chinese embassy evacuated more than 30,000 Chinese nationals over 12 days.

Rao said he and the crew combed through many reports and documents about the evacuation to create the story, which has both thrills and touching moments. "Home Coming" is an eye-opening work that demonstrates how Chinese diplomats working in extreme environments overcome various dangers and challenges to protect overseas compatriots. "The real diplomats are also ordinary people; they are fathers, husbands, and sons, but they need to get to the frontline as their professional ethics and responsibilities demand. Their bravery and sacrifice deeply moved me," Rao said at the premiere of his new film in Beijing on Monday.

The film is a one of Huace Pictures' key projects and was formerly known as "Translator." The director's long-time friend and colleague, Frant Gwo, director of sci-fi blockbuster "The Wandering Earth," served as executive producer of the film. Gwo said he was working on "The Wandering Earth 2" while Rao was shooting "Home Coming" in Qingdao. Gwo added that he was so impressed by the realism of the set of "Home Coming" that he wanted to borrow parts of it to shoot some scenes for "The Wandering Earth 2." The crews of the two film projects even exchanged some props for shooting.

Rao described how he and his crew traveled all over China to find suitable filming locations, including Qingdao, Beijing, and Yinchuan since they were unable to leave the country due to travel restrictions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. The whole African city set was built to a 1:1 scale in Yinchuan, capital of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, with the designers focusing on every last detail to make the African buildings, replicas, and props as convincing as possible. The cast and crew also had to immerse themselves in the real desert environment near Yinchuan to experience a similar environment as if they were in Africa.

Though lacking the kung fu action scenes found in other blockbusters such as Wu Jing's "Wolf Warrior 2" and Dante Lam's "Operation Red Sea," which are also about rescues and evacuations, albeit in a more explosive way, it was actor Zhang Yi's multi-layered acting genius, the solid performances of his supporting actors, a tight script, and a tense plot that will move audiences. "Home Coming" is also filmed for IMAX, which enhances the immersive watching experience.
In a horrifying incident, two persons opened indiscriminate fire at a crowd dispersing after Navratri celebrations, in Kandivali west suburb, killing one and injuring at least three others, early on Saturday. The Kandivali Police and the local Crime Branch, which had launched a manhunt for the unknown assailants, managed to track the duo to Gujarat's Navsari town on Saturday evening and arrested them, said an official. According to the official, around 12.15 a.m. the two men sped to the Laljipada area on scooter and started shooting blindly at the people dispersing after a local Navratri programme in the middle-class residential locality. Amid the screaming, shouting and people running away, the assailants' bullets managed to kill one and wounded three others, including two pedestrians, he added. They have been identified as Ankit Yadav, who died on the spot, while Abhilash Dabholkar, Prakash Narain and Manish Gupta who sustained gunshot injuries, have been admitted to the BMC's Shatabdi Hospital for treatment. Moving swiftly, the Kandivali Police set up a team to trace the killers and finally caught up with them in Navsari town as their incident struck terror among Navratri revellers. They shall be brought to Mumbai later tonight and produced before a court on Sunday, the official said, though the police have ruled out any possibility of a gang-war. Earlier on Saturday, locals claimed that the assailants may be youths living in the vicinity and suspect it to be vendetta killing for some previous enmity, but the police have not commented on the motives yet. Deputy Commissioner of Police-Zone XI Vishal Thakur said that the police teams are probing various angles to shootout, including from where the guns were acquired, the exact number of rounds fired, business or personal rivalries and other issues. --IANS qn/pgh ( 308 Words) 2022-10-01-22:16:01 (IANS)
The meeting was attended by senior officers of the IAF and the Chandigarh administration.

During the air shows, the CTU buses will be deployed for transporting the public to the lake and the entry for viewing the show will be through the passes provided free of cost.

The passes will be available soon on the Chandigarh Tourism app.

The administration has advised the public not to bring any eatables during the air show.

--IANS vg/pgh

( 116 Words)

2022-10-01-22:42:02 (IANS)
The BJP's central leadership is urging for a truce between deposed AIADMK leader O. Panneerselvam (OPS) and the party's interim General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS). Sources in the BJP told IANS that the party does not want any differences that may affect the 2024 general elections, and that it wants a grand alliance between OPS, EPS, V.K. Sasikala and T.T.V. Dhinakaran so that the NDA could gain ground in the state. OPS and Sasikala have met many AIADMK leaders at the behest of the BJP central leadership and sources told IANS that recently EPS was in New Delhi, where the BJP's national leadership had clearly told him to sort out differences and forge unity with OPS. The powerful Thevar community, to which both Sasikala and OPS belong, has also come in support of the duo. The Thevars have been traditional supporters of the AIADMK and the community has high prominence in southern Tamil Nadu that can influence votes in favour of the party. With both Sasikala and OPS, the most prominent faces of the Thevar community, being out of reckoning in the AIADMK, the community elders had met and decided to throw their weight behind the duo. In another development, EPS informed the Supreme Court on Friday that there won't be any elections for the post of AIADMK General Secretary until the case is heard by the apex court. OPS had filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Madras High Court ruling against him. With the Supreme Court set to hear the case on the ousting of OPS from the AIADMK, Sasikala and OPS have upped their ante to bring a favourable decision before the case is heard. While EPS is having a brute majority in the party's General Council, the intervention of the BJP's central leadership will come as the support base for Sasikala and OPS. OPS and Sasikala are also banking on the support of the grassroots AIADMK cadres, who are upset at the failure of the party's leadership in countering the DMK government on its 'failures'. OPS, according to party sources, had recently met Dhinakaran, the Chairman of the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) and the nephew of Sasikala, and devised strategy to take over the AIADMK. With only a short time remaining for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP's national leadership does not want a rift within the AIADMK and is hence trying to forge unity between the warring factions. --IANS aal/khz/arm ( 425 Words) 2022-10-01-23:06:06 (IANS)
The Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP), launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of the National Logistics Policy (NLP) on September 17, has received good response from the industry, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said on Saturday. Till date, 13 organisations -- MapMyIndia, CargoExchange, Freight Fox, Conmove, Intugine, Eikonatech, Yes Bank, Superprocure, CargoShakti, CloudStrats, Shyplite, APSEZL and AITWA -- have signed non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to access data on ULIP. Agreements with 11 more organisations like Instavans & Trucks, Bosch India, Portlinks, Shiprocket etc. are in the process, the ministry added. The startups are gearing up to showcase their innovative ideas for creating new solutions for the sector whereas large enterprises are mulling to integrate with ULIP for simplifying complex logistics processes, verifying the documents of vendors as well as to get visibility of cargo movement. As per the Ministry, ULIP is the promising initiative in the logistics sector that aims to bring ease of doing business in the logistics sector by simplifying the logistics processes, improving its efficiency, bringing in transparency and visibility, and reducing logistics cost and time. The ULIP will enable the industry players to get secure access to the information related to logistics and resources available with various Ministries. At present, 30 systems from seven Ministries are integrated through more than 100 APIs covering more than 1600 data fields for usage by the stakeholders. ULIP has a dedicated portal that makes the process of data request simpler, faster and transparent. A dedicated support team is working round the clock to provide support to the industry players for registration on the portal. After the registration, users need to submit their use-cases, which will then be reviewed based on the proposed usage of the requested data. After the successful review, users requesting for data will have to sign a NDA. With signing of the NDAs, industry players can develop APIs for integration with ULIP. After the system security check and thorough testing of the integration, the users can fetch authentic data through ULIP from various government sources. --IANS kvm/khz ( 353 Words) 2022-10-01-23:08:02 (IANS)
Alleging that supporters of the ruling YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh are behind the hacking attack, the TDP supporters have lodged a complaint with the police, party sources said. Efforts were on to restore the Twitter account.

TDP supporters realised the party Twitter account was hacked after noticing that the party-related posts had been replaced by posts about the visual arts on Saturday.

The hackers' bio on the TDP handle stated "Visual artist working with algorithms, plotters, and paint. Sometimes I write about art on my site. Creator of Fidenza, co-creator of QQL".

The TDP Twitter had suffered a hacking attack in the past too.

On an earlier occasion, the party managed to restore the account within a few hours.

--IANS pvn/pgh

( 159 Words)

2022-10-01-23:12:03 (IANS)
Union Minister of State for Electronics and Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Saturday said 5G technology will transform the life of every Indian. Speaking to ANI, the Minister said, "The launch of 5G will have a lasting impact. It will be the future of the internet. 5G will bring a change to each person's life be it small businessmen, farmers, doctors or students. It will also drastically affect our startup ecosystem." "We are becoming an electronic nation and also proceeding towards the direction to become the 5G country. We have experienced 2G, 3G and 4G but 5G will create a framework for the future of wireless internet," he said. Chandrasekhar opined that 5G will have a large impact on society. With 5G, he said the innovation and startup ecosystem will get a boost. Highlighlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision, He said, "There used to be nearly 100 per cent import of mobile phones in 2014. Today, 97 per cent of the mobile phones used in India are manufactured in the country. Before 2014, we had to import every component of the mobile network and mobile technology from other countries, but today, the components of modern high-tech technology like 5G are being designed in India." The Minister further said India has emerged as the leader of the world in the field of technology in the last eight years. He said the country is also becoming self-reliant. The 5G telecom services seek to provide seamless coverage, high data rate, low latency and a highly reliable communications system. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched 5G technology services in India and said that technology has become democratic in its truest sense since even the poor of the country have always come forward in adopting new technologies.He said that this is a major step in the vision of Digital India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat. "Talking about Digital India, some people think that this is just a government scheme. But Digital India is not just a name, it is a big vision for the country's development," said PM Modi while inaugurating the 6th India Mobile Congress at Pragati Maidan in Delhi and launching 5G services. PM Modi further said that the goal of this vision is to take that technology to the common people, which works for the people, works with the people. Earlier on Saturday, Prime Minister inspected an exhibition at Pragati Maidan.The three major telecom operators of the country demonstrated one use case each in front of the Prime Minister to show the potential of 5G technology in India. Unlike existing mobile communication networks, 5G networks will allow tailoring of requirements for each of these different use cases within the same network. (ANI)
An encounter broke out between terrorists and security forces in the Baskuchan area of Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian, on Sunday, said police. "Encounter has started at Baskuchan area of Shopian. Police and security forces are on the job. Further details shall follow," tweeted Jammu and Kashmir Police. Further details are awaited. Earlier on Friday, two local terrorists linked with the proscribed terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) were killed after an encounter in Baramulla. Jammu and Kashmir Police had gotten intelligence input on the presence of terrorists in Yedipora village in the Pattan area of District Baramulla. A joint cordon-and-search operation was launched by police, Army and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) in the area. During the search operation, as the joint search party approached the suspected spot, the hiding terrorists fired indiscriminately upon the security forces which was retaliated effectively leading to an encounter. Police had said in the ensuing encounter, two local terrorists linked with the proscribed terror outfit JeM were killed. They have been identified as Yawar Shafi Bhat, a resident of Kalampora Pulwama and Aamir Hussain Bhat, a resident of Veshro Shopian. As per police records, both the killed terrorists were categorized terrorists and had recently joined the terrorist ranks. Both were involved in terror crime cases including attacks on Police/ security forces and civilian atrocities. According to J-K Police, preliminary investigation and intelligence-based inputs had revealed that the killed terrorists were tasked to attack the ongoing Army Recruitment Rally (Agniveer) in Baramulla to derail the recruitment rally and disturb the youth who are eager to join the mainstream. However, their elimination has helped Police/SF in repulsing such nefarious plans. Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition including an AKS74U rifle with three magazines, and a pistol with a magazine were recovered from the site of the encounter. All the recovered materials had been taken into case records for further investigation. In this regard, a case under relevant sections of law was registered and further investigation is in progress. Meanwhile, J-K Police, along with Army, had recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition including seven AK-47 rifles, two Pistols, 21 AK magazines, 1,190 rounds, 132 Pistol rounds, 13 grenades and other incriminating materials in Nowshera Nard, Gurez area of Bandipora district on Friday. In this regard, a case under relevant sections of law was registered and an investigation has been initiated. (ANI)
On the 153rd anniversary of Gandhi, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi tweeted, "Bapu is an example of truth. Bapu is the torch of courage. Bapu is a traveller of India, sharing the sufferings of the country's people and uniting the whole of India.

"Today, we are walking on the path shown by Bapu with the slogan 'Bharat Jodo' on our tongue and with the determination to hold the torch of solidarity in hand," she added.

Born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar town of Gujarat, Mahatma Gandhi or Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi adopted a non-violent resistance and was at the forefront of the freedom struggle against colonial British rule.

This led to India finally achieving its independence in 1947. Fondly known as Bapu, his unwavering belief in 'Swaraj' (self-governance) and 'Ahimsa' (non-violence) won him accolades across the world.

Globally, Gandhi's birth anniversary is celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence. Several events are held in India and across the world to mark the occasion.

Born in Uttar Pradesh in 1904, Lal Bahadur Shastri was the second Prime Minister of India and served from 1964 to 1966. He died in Tashkent on January 11, 1966, at the age of 61, soon after signing the Tashkent Pact with Pakistan. (ANI)
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of the 153rd birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation at Gandhi Ashram in Lucknow. Yogi took Twitter and said, "Humble tributes to the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi ji on his holy birth anniversary. He had made an invaluable contribution to the independence of the country by uniting the people in the thread of unity. He is a great inspiration to the countrymen." Speaking on the occasion, Yogi encouraged people to purchase Khadi products. "People must wear at least one Khadi product. To make a self-reliant India, we have to make 'one district- one product' successful in UP," he said. Before paying homage to Gandhi, Yogi also attended a function where some of the favourite bhajans of Mahatma Gandhi, such as 'Vaishnav Jan To Tene Kahiye', were sung by a group of artists. On this occasion, Yogi also announced Mother Bhoomi Yojana which will be launched today. "On the occasion of the birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi, the 'Mother Bhoomi Yojana' dedicated to 'creation and reverence' will be launched today. This epoch-making scheme will give us an opportunity to pay tribute to our ancestors along with the development of our village. All of you must participate in this 'virtuous work'," Yogi said in another tweet. Gandhi's birth anniversary is globally observed as the International Day of Non-Violence, underlining his philosophy of non-violence to achieve social or political change. Born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar town of Gujarat, Mahatma Gandhi or Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi adopted a non-violent resistance and was at the forefront of the freedom struggle against colonial British rule. This led to India finally achieving its independence in 1947. Fondly known as Bapu, his unwavering belief in 'Swaraj' (self-governance) and 'Ahimsa' (non-violence) won him accolades across the world. Globally, Gandhi's birth anniversary is celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence. Several events are held in India and across the world to mark the occasion.CM Yogi also paid floral tribute to the former Prime Minister of the country Lal Bahadur Shastri whose birth anniversary also falls on October 2. "A humble tribute to former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri ji on his birth anniversary, a man of purity, simplicity, simplicity and conscientiousness in personal and political life, the announcer of energetic chants like 'Jai Jawan-Jai Kisan'. His sacrificial life is a role model for Indian politics," Yogi tweeted. Born in Uttar Pradesh in 1904, Lal Bahadur Shastri was the second Prime Minister of India and served from 1964 to 1966. He died in Tashkent on January 11, 1966, at the age of 61, soon after signing the Tashkent Pact with Pakistan. (ANI)
Both Murmu and Dhankhar visited Rajghat, the final resting place of Gandhi, and later Vijay Ghat, the memorial of Shastri, in Delhi.

[{cf7ccbcc-cf83-4b1a-9002-6520f8bf2868:intradmin/ANI-20221002051228.jpg}]

Gandhi's birth anniversary is observed globally as the International Day of Non-Violence, underlining his philosophy of non-violence to achieve social or political change. Several events are held in India and worldwide to mark the occasion.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid floral tributes to the Mahatma and Shastri at Rajghat and Vijay Ghat respectively.

Born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar town of Gujarat, Mahatma Gandhi or Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi adopted a non-violent resistance and was at the forefront of the freedom struggle against British colonial rule.

This led to India finally achieving its independence in 1947.

Fondly known as 'Bapu', his unwavering belief in 'Swaraj' (self-governance) and 'Ahimsa' (non-violence) won him accolades worldwide.

Born in Uttar Pradesh in 1904, Shastri was the second Prime Minister of India and served from 1964 to 1966. He died in Tashkent on January 11, 1966, at the age of 61, soon after signing the Tashkent Pact with Pakistan. (ANI)
Digital transformation and technological innovation have brought about new professions requiring new skills and knowledge in various industries amid China's endeavors to promote high-quality development.

China has added 158 new professions to its list of recognized occupations since 2015, according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. It started the revision work in April last year in order to update the edition released in 2015.

This brings the total number of professions on the newly-revised list to 1,639, according to the ministry.

Increased digital waves have affected the labor market in a variety of ways, for example, providing more types of work. The revised list identifies 97 professions related to the digital sectors.

The move is designed to meet the employment demand of the booming digital economy and support its development, especially in technological innovation and talent team construction, said Wu Liduo, director of a technical guidance center for employment training of the ministry.

A program has been launched to provide training for digital technology engineers, which covers about 80,000 people every year, said Li Jinsheng, an official with the ministry.

China's digital economy grew at an average rate of 15.9 percent from 2012 to 2021. During the period, the share of the digital economy in its GDP expanded from 20.9 percent to 39.8 percent, representing an annual average increase of about 2.1 percentage points, according to a white paper on global digital economy released by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology.

The latest edition of the list also features professions within the country's emerging industries such as cryptographic engineering, carbon management and financial technology.

By adding the new types of jobs to the list, it is expected to boost the development of related industries, increase employment, and strengthen vocational education and training.

In 1999, China published its first reference book on occupational classifications. In 2010, China started revising the reference book by adding new types of work and published the revised edition of the reference book in 2015.

The ministry said efforts have been made to formulate national standards for new professions and launch occupational training courses to cultivate more talent.

China has increased spending from its general public budget on improving people's livelihoods and keeping the job market stable this year.

Expenditure on social security and employment totaled 2.53 trillion yuan (about 365.05 billion U.S. dollars) in the first eight months of 2022, up 6.6 percent year on year, data from the Ministry of Finance showed.
Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar dared the state government on Sunday to act against him and former CM Siddaramaiah for wearing the "PayCM" t-shirt, alleging that several party workers were booked for wearing the same t-shirt during the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'. "The Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Siddaramaiah and I and other leaders will participate in Bharat Jodo Yatra by wearing 'PayCM' t-shirts. Let's see what the BJP will do," Shivakumar told reports in Nanjangud. He said cases had been filed against some Congress workers for wearing t-shirts with "Pay-CM" written on them during the march in Gundlupet. "We are not afraid of this (cases)," he said. On Saturday, a Congress worker was made to take off his t-shirt that featured the "PayCM" poster during the Bharat Jodo Yatra and an FIR has also been registered against him at the Chamarajanagar police station. "PayCM" is an aggressive campaign launched by Congress against the Basavaraj Bommai government, accusing it of massive corruption. The PayCM campaign appears to have started on September 21, when posters featuring Bommai surfaced in Bengaluru. These posters had a QR code with the message "40 per cent accepted here". Once scanned, the QR code would take people to a parody "40 per cent Commission Government" website launched recently by Congress. If any, people would then be asked to file their complaints against the chief minister. The government has dismissed the Congress charges as politically motivated. "The government is sunk in 40% commission. All sections including farmers are suffering. On the one hand, there is corruption and unrest, on the other hand, there is the problem of farmers and unemployment. An atmosphere of fear has been created among the people," Shivakumar alleged. The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief accused the BJP of slander and baseless criticism because "our development is unbearable" to it. "BJP is doing petty politics to divert people's attention. They are criticizing us even though it has dead rats on its plate". Speaking about the yatra, Shivakumar said it is "not a party programme but a people's programme that connects minds". "We are trying to find answers to problems and give courage to worried people," he added. (ANI)
Abdul Rashid Kumhar, a traditional pottery artisan in Kashmir's Pulwama district was about to wind up his ancestral livelihood earning work, but is now thinking of hang on to this small trade. A small intervention by the government of India has given a ray of hope to this craftsman. A 39-year-old Kumhar of Lethpora, a village located along the Srinagar-Jammu highway, is making earthenware like firepots and utensils of clay. Pottery was a traditional craft of the Kashmir Valley for centuries and hundreds of families earned their livelihood by making clay utensils, firepots and flower vases the womenfolk would walk around villages to sell thus pottery and run their families. For decades, potters, known as Kumhars, would use traditional handrun potter's wheel and fire ovens to make earthenwares. But due to strong competition from steel, metal and crockery manufacturing, craftsmen like Kumhar would hardly make ends meet. "The traditional pottery has also been at the deathbed due to stiff competition from mechanical industry and lack of financial or mech support from the government," Kumhar said. Hundreds of potters have wound up their traditional units due to low demand for earthenware and less earning, but pot makers like Kumhar have stuck to it as they could not find any other livelihood. However, with the intervention of the government of India and the Jammu and Kashmir administrations through Khadi India, the remaining pot-makers can survive. Khadi India Village Industries Board (KVIB) recently provided mechanical motor-driven wheels to potters at a function in the saffron Valley of Pampore. As per Khadi India, 350 potters were given free electricity to run potter wheels to replace their traditional earthen wheels. "The government's focus is to prove employment by reviving traditional small family-driven factories. Pottery revival is one among them from which a family at home can earn a livelihood by successfully running pottery units," said Manoj Kumar, chairman of Khadi India Village Industries Board. Kumar said that more such motor-driven wheels will be given free to potters to revive this craft. "Traditional wheels made of clay would take a lot of time and energy to make utensils. The motor-driven wheel will save our time, and energy and help in making more products in less time," said Kulsum, a young woman of Kulgam, who works at the pottery unit of her family. Amid the unmatchable competition from mechanical units, Kashmiri potters make fire pots which are used in winter for fighting freezing cold to keep warm, tandoors (clay ovens) used by traditional bakers in Kashmir and tumbakneer (goblet drum), used as a musical instrument in marriages. Kumhar of Lethpora said that the neglected craft is being revived which has given this dwindling craftsman a ray of hope to run their units and they expect more support from the government. (ANI)
Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, who is one of the contenders for the party's top post, announced his "official start" to the election campaign on Sunday. "The day I filed my nomination, I submitted resignation from my post, aligning with the 'One Person One Post' decision of the party taken in Udaipur. I officially begin my campaign for the post of Congress party president today," Kharge said while addressing a press conference with other three Congress leaders Gourav Vallabh, Deepender S Hooda and Syed Naseer Hussain, here. Kharge tendered his resignation as the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Rajya Sabha on Saturday as he filed nomination papers to contest the post of president of his party a day before. Gourav Vallabh also announced his resignation from the post of the official spokesperson of the party to campaign for Kharge in Congress' internal elections. "All three of us (Congress leaders Gourav Vallabh, Deepender S Hooda and Syed Naseer Hussain) resigned from the post of official spokespersons to campaign for the election of Mallikarjun Kharge as party president and want this election to be free and fair," Vallabh said. Notably, the 80-year-old leader had received support from nearly 30 Congress leaders, including Deepender Hooda, Salman Khurshid, Ashok Gehlot, Digvijaya Singh, Manish Tewari, Prithviraj Chavan, and several others. Kharge is a known Gandhi family loyalist, who entered into the fray at the eleventh hour. Several top leaders, including from the G-23 faction flanked Kharge when he filed the nomination papers. Congress Central Election Authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry said that a total of 20 nomination forms were received on Friday and added that the Gandhi family is not supporting any candidate for the party president's post. Mistry added that 14 nominations were received from Mallikarjun Kharge, five from Shashi Tharoor and one from Jharkhand Congress leader KN Tripathi. He said that the candidates were in the fray of their own volition and Gandhis are neutral in this contest and are not supporting anyone. Apart from Kharge, G23 leader Shashi Tharoor has also filed his nomination for the post. Tharoor on Saturday drew an analogy between the Gandhi family and the DNA of the party and said that no party chief can distance himself from the Gandhi family, asserting that he is contesting the party's presidential elections to bring a " change" in the grand old party. He stressed that the contest between him and Kharge is "not a battle" and it should be left upon the Congress workers to choose between the duo. Tharoor and Kharge are up against each other in the race for the post of Congress president. Digvijaya Singh pulled out from the race on Friday (the last day to file nominations) and extended his support to Kharge, who he said is a senior and respected leader of the party, and against whom he "cannot think of contesting". Singh was the second Congress leader to pull out of the race after Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced he would not contest the elections following the political turmoil in his state. With the Gandhis not running for the top post, the grand old party is all set to get a non-Gandhi president after over 25 years. The results of the party polls will be declared on October 19. (ANI)
An experienced fighter pilot with over 3,600 hours of flying, he is an alumnus of the Rashtriya Indian Military College Dehradun, National Defence Academy Pune, Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and Air War College, USA. Commissioned in June 1985, he is a Qualified Flying Instructor, Fighter Strike Leader and Instrument Rating Instructor and Examiner and has also been an Air Force Examiner.

During his illustrious career, he has commanded a frontline fighter squadron and a Fighter Flying Training Establishment. He has instructional experience in conducting Professional Military Education for medium and senior-level officers at the Defence Services Staff College and at the College of Air Warfare, Secunderabad.

He has served as Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Training) at Air Headquarters and Air Defence Commander at Headquarters Eastern Air Command. He has the distinction of being the first Director General of Defence Space Agency. Before assuming his present appointment, he was the Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters South Western Air Command at Gandhinagar.

Air Marshal SP Dharkar succeeds Air Marshal DK Patnaik AVSM, VM who superannuated on September 30 after more than 38 years of distinguished service in the IAF, stated a press release by Lt Col AS Walia, PRO (Defence), Tezpur. (ANI)
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday said that he cannot forget those 102 MLAs who saved the Congress government in the 2020 political crisis. He alleged that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tried to wean away 102 MLAs by offering Rs 10 crore or more each to the MLAs who supported him. "How can the 102 MLAs who saved the government be forgotten? That's why I had to apologize to Sonia Gandhi. BJP will try every time how to disturb the government. At that time Amit Shah held a meeting. They were feeding sweets to our MLAs," Gehlot told mediapersons. "How can I forget the favour of those 102 people? There were offers of Rs 10 crore each on exiting the hotel. Later this amount increased. In many states, the government changed through horse trading. However, they could not succeed in Rajasthan. Such a big crisis came but with everyone's cooperation, we were successful. So how can I forget them?" he added. On the question regarding the election of the National President of Congress, he said that Mallikarjun Kharge is rich in experience and a person of a clean heart. Shashi Tharoor is also a good person but Kharge has a long experience in the organization. "There will be a unilateral victory (of Kharge) for the post of president," he declared. On being asked whether there can be a change of guard in Rajasthan, Gehlot said that it is for the party's high command to decide. "I am doing my work and if a decision has to be taken, it is for the party high command to take," he said. Attacking the legislators who had revolted against him in 2020, he said they were hand-in-glove with the BJP. Without naming Sachin Pilot, Gehlot indicated that he should be investigated for anti-party activities. He said, "It should be looked into as to why there was resentment among MLAs over the name of a new Chief Minister in the state." While talking about Bharat Jodo Yatra, he said that the BJP government is becoming restless "They are trying to tarnish the image on social media. The yatra is being successful and the whole country is looking towards Rahul Gandhi," he further said. Attacking the BJP-led central government, he said, "When we had given a separate budget for the farmers, it was only then that we had said that the upcoming budget would be dedicated to the youth. Our theme is that every family should get social security. This is what we urge the central government. On the one hand, the central government waives thousands of crores of industrialists but does not waive the loans of poor farmers. The central government will have to change this thinking. It is easy to start a riot or start a fire but it is difficult to put out the fire." Gehlot was till last week sure to be elected Congress President but had to withdraw from the contest. MLAs loyal to him threatened to resign over Pilot being a possible replacement for the post of CM. Ashok Gehlot would've had to give up his post in keeping with the party's "one person, one post" policy. More than 80 MLAs owing allegiance to Gehlot gathered at assembly speaker CP Joshi's place and submitted their resignation to protest any move by the central observers to select the Rajasthan CM's bete noire Sachin Pilot, who had led a revolt against him in 2020. (ANI)
Ahead of the Congress presidential polls, Shashi Tharoor said that he represents change in the party which a leader like Mallikarjun Kharge can't bring about. The Congress MP, while addressing party workers at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial in Nagpur on Sunday, said that the Congress President's polls are not a war, but only "he" can bring the required changes in the party. "We are not enemies, it's not war. Some people are saying that Kharge Ji is a senior leader, and why don't I get out of the race for him? I respect Kharge Ji, but it's a poll for our party's future. There are differences in the way we want to take the party forward," Tharoor said. "Kharge Ji is a part of our leadership, and other than the Gandhi family he is among the top three leaders of the Congress party. But leaders like him can't bring change and will continue the existing system. I will bring the change as per the expectations of party workers," Tharoor further said. Earlier on Saturday, while talking to ANI, Tharoor had called the Gandhi family an asset to the party saying, "Gandhi family and Congress' DNA is the same...No (party) president is such a fool to tell "goodbye" to Gandhi family. They are a huge asset to us". Tharoor stressed that the contest between him and Kharge is "not a battle" and it should be left upon the Congress workers to choose between the two. "This isn't a battle...Let party workers choose, that's our message. I'm saying that if you're satisfied with the party's work, vote for Kharge Sahab. If you want a change, I'm there. But there's no ideological problem. There will not be any change in the message of the Congress party," he said. Noting that the Central leadership in the party is taking all the decisions, Tharoor emphasised on giving rights to the lower levels of the organisation to take decisions. "All the decisions are being taken in New Delhi these days. It would be good for the party if the right to take decisions is given to the grassroots at the levels of the blocks, Zilla and states," he said. Notably, in the manifesto released by Tharoor soon after filing his nomination, he mentioned the need for "decentralization" in the party. Talking about his decision to run for the party's top post, he said that he intended to contest when the election was announced, backed by the party workers. "The internal democracy that we are showing is not present in any other party. When the election was announced, I had the intention (to contest). I wrote an article, stating that the election is good for the party and mentioned its reasons," he said. Tharoor and Kharge are up against each other in the race for the post of Congress president. Digvijaya Singh pulled out from the race yesterday and extended his support to Kharge, who he said is a senior and respected leader of the party, and against whom he "cannot think of contesting". Singh is the second Congress leader to pull out of the race after Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced he would not contest the elections following the political turmoil in his state. With the Gandhis not running for the top post, the grand old party is all set to get a non-Gandhi president after over 25 years. The results of the party polls will be declared on October 19. (ANI)
Uniqueness is the quality of being particularly remarkable, special and unusual or simply being the only one of its kind. So, with the Durga Puja festivities in full swing all around, it's time for hundreds of unique thematic and aesthetic pandals, which attract huge crowds. After the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2022, people have been eagerly waiting to welcome 'Maa Durga' and this puja season, pandal committees are ready to provide some unique experiences to the devotees. Hence, from library-themed pandals to one depicting the Vatican city, here are 5 unique pandals that will leave you awestruck. Pandal depicting Kolkata's journey This year, the theme of an innovative pandal set up by North Kolkata's Dumdum Tarun Dal, Puja Committee, which turns 45 this year, is 'City of Joy, Calcutta.' It attempts to reflect the city's transformation from Old Calcutta to today's Kolkata. Library theme to encourage reading In Chatribari area in Assam's Guwahati, the Chatribari Sarbajanin Debo Pujasthan Samiti has built its Durga Puja pandal to depict a library. With this theme, the Puja committee intends to encourage people to read more. The pandal with a library motif features great personalities and literature linked to the Assamese literature. Depicting lives of sex workers A pandal in Kolkata that depicts the lives of sex workers under the 'Parichai' (identity) shows the society they live in and the way they are seen by people. An idol of Maa Durga made of silicon in the form of a mother has been installed and it attempts to show that even a sex worker has the form of a mother. Vatican City-themed pandal This year Kolakata's Shree Bhoomi Sporting Club, which enthrals the audience every year, has set the theme of its Pooja Pandal as 'Vatican City'. They have created its marquee as a replica of the Vatican City's St Peters Basilica. Pandal made with commemorative coins Keeping in line with the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, the Babubagan Sarbojanin Durgotsav Puja pandal in South Kolkata has come with a unique pandal that is made of thousands of commemorative coins issued since independence. The pandal also depicts freedom fighters and great personalities through its 'Maa Tujhe Salaam' theme. Over the years, Durga Puja has become an inseparable part of Indian culture with innumerable people celebrating this festival in their own unique way while pertaining to tradition. Durga Puja holds great significance for the devotees, as they pray to the different avatars of goddess Durga each day during the nine-day celebration, known as Navratri. It is among the most important Bengali festivals. (ANI)
CM Yogi instructed the officers of the Home and Transport department to quickly enforce the road safety-related works.

He further also instructed the Central Public Works Department officials, the Information department and the Transport department to run road safety awareness campaigns in rural areas using hoardings.

CM Yogi also appealed to the public to follow the safety protocols and only use safe vehicles for the safety of themselves and their family.

Toll-free numbers were also released for the public for informing about traffic violation incidents.

Earlier on Saturday, 26 people were killed in a road accident in Kanpur when a tractor-trolley carrying devotees returning from Unnao overturned.

Following the accident, the police arrived at the spot and started the rescue operation along with the locals.

Sarh police station in-charge Anand Kumar was suspended due to a delay in rushing the police force at the accident spot.

"A total of 26 people have lost their lives and others are injured. The pilgrims were returning from Chandika Devi temple in Fatehpura. The injured people have been sent to Hallet hospital. The investigation is underway. Rescue work has been completed," said Vishak G Iyer, District Magistrate, Kanpur.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next kin of each of the deceased while the injured would be given Rs 50,000, said the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

CM Yogi Adityanath also announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh for each ex-gratia. The poor will get some land as well as pucca houses, informed UP Minister Rakesh Sachna.

Earlier today, CM Yogi Adityanath visited Kurtha village of Kanpur where a family lost six of its members in the tractor-trolley accident. He also met with those injured in the accident. (ANI)
As part of the ongoing war against drugs launched under the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Fatehgarh Sahib Police has busted an inter-state pharmaceutical drug cartel with the arrest of a Haryana resident after recovering 2.51 lakh Pharma opioids from his possession, the Punjab Police informed on Sunday. The drug bust was done as part of the ongoing war against drugs launched under the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the police said. The Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Anti-Gangster Task Force-cum-Ropar Range Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that the arrested accused is a resident of Haryana and was supplying drugs from there. "The arrested accused has been identified as Ranjit Goswami, a resident of Batra Colony in Sonipat, Haryana. The Police have recovered 2,37,000 tablets of Alprazolam and 14,400 of the Pyeevon Spas capsules from his KIA car, in which he was smuggling drugs from Haryana," he added. "Following a tip-off, Police teams from CIA Sirhind and Police Station Khamano laid a special checking at Khamano and stopped a KIA car bearing registration number HR10AJ9791, which accused Ranjit Goswami was driving. While checking the car, the police teams have recovered a huge quantity of pharma opioids," he added. SSP Fatehgarh Sahib Dr Ravjot Grewal said that during preliminary investigations, it has come to light that the arrested accused was supplying drugs in Punjab for the last few years. "The accused has confessed that he has been supplying pharma opioids in Punjab for the last few years and most of his customers are in Moga and Ludhiana. The police have procured three days of police remand for the accused person after producing him in the court and further investigations are on," she said. Meanwhile, FIR No 131 has been registered under section 22(c) of the NDPS Act at Police Station Fatehgarh Sahib, the police said. As per the police, this is the third such inter-state pharmaceutical drug racket busted by the Fatehgarh Sahib district Police in less than three months. Earlier, Fatehgarh Sahib Police had recovered as many as seven lakh tablets and capsules of Pharma opioids on July 14. While 1.17 lakh tablets and capsules of Pharma opioids were recovered on September 4. (ANI)
China thwarts proposal on legitimizing AUKUS's nuclear submarine deal at IAEA meeting: envoy

Xinhua) 10:08, October 02, 2022

VIENNA, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- China's permanent mission to the United Nations (UN) in Vienna on Friday thwarted an amendment proposed by the AUKUS countries to legitimize their nuclear submarine cooperation at a meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog, the mission's head has said.

At this week's General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United States (U.S.), the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia proposed an amendment to an IAEA safeguards resolution in an effort to legitimize their submarine deal in the context of the NPT (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons), but later withdrew it after China's opposition.

Wang Qun, China's Permanent Representative to the UN in Vienna, said on Friday after the meeting that since November 2021 when China initiated an intergovernmental review process over the AUKUS submarine deal at the IAEA's board meeting, it's the first time that the agency reviewed the deal at the level of the general conference.

Wang accused the AUKUS countries of attempting to "whitewash" their nuclear submarine deal by pushing the IAEA general conference to adopt their amendment and also of trying to mislead public opinion and "demonize" the China-initiated intergovernmental review process.

In September 2021, the U.S., the UK and Australia established the AUKUS alliance, under which the U.S. and the UK will assist Australia in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines. China and many other countries have repeatedly expressed concerns over the transfer of nuclear weapon materials involved in the trilateral pact.

The Chinese envoy said China thwarted the AUKUS-proposed amendment in efforts to safeguard the NPT, and many IAEA member states also expressed grave concerns over the proliferation risks of the AUKUS submarine deal at the conference.

He urged the AUKUS countries to follow the intergovernmental review process, adhere to the international non-proliferation regime and seek common grounds to resolve the issue of their submarine cooperation.

"Whatever tricks the AUKUS countries play, they cannot change the position of the NPT as the cornerstone of the international non-proliferation regime; cannot coerce the IAEA to engage in proliferation activities that advance military purposes; cannot hijack the IAEA Secretariat to make a verification program in favor of the three countries; and cannot block the intergovernmental review process agreed by consensus four times at the IAEA board meetings," he noted.

"Attempts to bypass the intergovernmental review process are doomed to fail," he added.

(Web editor: Zhao Tong, Bianji)
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Assets under the management of China's public offering funds reached 27.29 trillion yuan (about 3.84 trillion U.S. dollars) by the end of August, data from the Asset Management Association of China showed.





The figure was 231.9 billion yuan higher than the end of July, according to the association, an industry body supervised by China's securities regulator.





As of the end of August, a total of 10,262 public offering funds were operated by 140 fund management companies, the association said.





In breakdown, the scale of closed-ended funds reached nearly 3.25 trillion yuan, while open-ended funds stood at about 24.04 trillion yuan, the data showed.





Of the 140 fund management companies, 45 are foreign-funded while 95 are domestic firms, the association said.
As the three-day Special Investigation Team (SIT) remand of the three accused in the Ankita Bhandari murder case ended today, the probe agency informed that they have been successful in finding the motive behind the crime. The SIT has not revealed the motive so far but they have successfully cracked the case. The SIT in charge Renuka Devi told ANI that the investigation in the Ankita murder case has progressed a lot and the statements of several witnesses have been recorded. "We have conducted a thorough interrogation of the accused. We will further probe as we get more evidence. What is the motive of the incident and how the incident was happened has been inquired by our team. We have been successful in finding the motive behind the crime. We had taken a three-day remand of the accused. The three accused have been questioned a lot." She further said that the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) said that the SIT has got enough evidence. "Patwari Vaibhav has not been arrested yet. Further action will be taken on the basis of evidence. The DIG said that the investigation so far has come a long way about what is the motive of the incident. Enough evidence has been found. If the remand of the accused is needed again, the remand will be taken," Renuka Devi added. Further, the main culprits of the Ankita murder case were brought back to the district jail Khadusain after three days of police remand. The Jailor VP Singh of Pauri District Jail said that "The SIT team brought the accused back to Khadusen jail after interrogation at 5:00 am on Sunday. Keeping in mind the Covid -19 here, the three accused have been kept in separate barracks." The Kotdwar Court on September 30 granted three-day remand to the three accused, including the main accused Pulkit Arya. On September 30, VP Singh, the Jailor of the Pauri district Jail told that the SIT will interrogate the murder accused by bringing the main witnesses of the murder face to face. "The SIT will interrogate the accused in the Ankita murder case for the next 72 hours. For this, the accused have been taken from the district jail Pauri to some secret place. Considering the sensitivity of the incident, the accused have been taken to a secret place for interrogation by the SIT," the Jailor said. The murder case pertains to a young girl (Ankita Bhandari) whose body was recovered from the Chilla Canal in Rishikesh on September 24. 19-year-old Ankita was missing for at least six days before the Uttarakhand administration recovered her body from the Chilla canal in Rishikesh on September 24. Son of expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya, Pulkit Arya was arrested in the case for allegedly pushing her into the canal following an altercation. Besides Pulkit Arya, two more people were arrested in the case. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami met Ankita Bhandari's parents on September 30 and assured them of strict action against the culprits. "Today, after reaching Dobh Srikot village of Pauri district, expressed condolences while meeting the family members of daughter Ankita. I assured them that by taking the strictest action against the culprits of this heinous crime, we would get the matter heard in the fast-track court," tweeted CM Dhami. (ANI)
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath cancelled his scheduled Balrampur visit and reached the Kanpur Hallet Hospital to enquire about the well-being of the injured persons today. He expressed his grief over the accident and gave instructions to the Health Department's officials and doctors for the necessary care for the injured. Addressing the media, the Chief Minister said he was here with the Speaker of the Assembly to express condolences to the families who lost their members in the accident. Stating that the government has run several awareness programmes from time to time to prevent such accidents, the CM also said, "the President, Prime Minister and Home Minister have all expressed their grief over the tragic road mishap". "Rs 2 lakh is being given to the kin of those who died in this accident and Rs 50,000 to the injured. Following the final rites, this sum will be given to the deceased's kin", he said. Yogi Adityanath further remarked, "I have given instructions to the officials of the Transport Department to see to it that tractors, trolleys and trucks, which are meant for transportation of goods and agriculture purposes, are not used for public transport. We will also run an awareness campaign in this regard for the public." The CM added that he has also directed the Home Department, Transport Department and all other departments on preventing road accidents. "It is deeply saddening, and both the Central and State governments stand by the families who have lost their loved ones in this tragic accident. But we must also raise awareness to prevent such accidents in future", the CM added. CM Yogi also visited Kortha village where he met the families of those who lost their lives in the accident. While comforting the family members, CM Yogi assured of providing all possible assistance to them. He was accompanied by other authorities, including Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana. On October 1, about 50 residents of Kortha village in Kanpur district visited Chandrika Devi temple in Fatehpur in a tractor-trolley. The accident occurred when the tractor trolley overturned and fell into a pond near the Ghatampur on their way back. Earlier in the day, CM also held high-level meetings with officials following the Kanpur tractor mishap which took place late Saturday evening. CM Yogi instructed the officers of the Home and Transport department to quickly enforce the road safety-related works. He further also instructed the Central Public Works Department officials, the Information department and the Transport department to run road safety awareness campaigns in rural areas using hoardings. CM Yogi also appealed to the public to follow the safety protocols and only use safe vehicles for the safety of themselves and their family. Toll-free numbers were also released for the public for informing about traffic violation incidents. Earlier on Saturday, 26 people were killed in a road accident in Kanpur when a tractor-trolley carrying devotees returning from Unnao overturned. Following the accident, the police arrived at the spot and started the rescue operation along with the locals. Sarh police station in-charge Anand Kumar was suspended due to a delay in rushing the police force at the accident spot. "A total of 26 people have lost their lives and others are injured. The pilgrims were returning from Chandika Devi temple in Fatehpura. The injured people have been sent to Hallet hospital. The investigation is underway. Rescue work has been completed," said Vishak G Iyer, District Magistrate, Kanpur. (ANI)
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday said that they will not challenge the Bombay High Court's decision in the Supreme Court for allowing the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction to Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park in Mumbai. "We respect the Bombay High Court's decision and will not challenge it in Supreme Court," said Shinde. Earlier on September 23, the Bombay High Court ruled in favour of the Shiv Sena and allowed the Uddhav Thackeray faction to hold the Dussehra rally at the Shivaji Park. The tussle between the Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led faction and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led faction was in full pace for weeks and the decision came only after thorough brawls came to the fore. Shiv Sena leader Anil Parab confirmed the development and said that the permission was given for a duration of five days starting October 2. The BMC had refused to give permission to the two factions to hold the rally, based on the local police's report which said that the event might cause law and order problems in the area. Shiv Sena has been holding the rally on Dussehra every year since 1966. The event is significant this year as Sena is now split up into two factions and the rally was not held in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Uddhav Thackeray, in August, took a dig at Shinde, stating the party is not sure whether it will get permission for the event. Thackeray went on to say that whatever happens, he will hold a Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park "Shiv Sena's Dussehra rally will be held at Shivaji Park in Mumbai. Shiv Sainiks from all over the state will reach for this rally. We do not know these technical things whether the government will give permission or not. We will hold the rally. It doesn't matter to us whether others will hold rallies or not. Shiv Sena has grown not by traitors but by the blood of Shiv Sainiks," Thackeray had said addressing workers of his party. Thackeray had said that a lot is happening in Maharashtra about which he will speak at the Dussehra rally. Dussehra will be celebrated on October 5 this year. (ANI)
A tempo carrying dried animal bones and fat overturned today at the Ghogha Mor in the national capital on Sunday afternoon. According to the police, it was found that the driver was carrying dried animal bones and fat which prima facie looks like a buffalo but needs further forensic examination for confirmation. According to the police, five meat sellers in Bawana JJ Colony sold these items. They purchase meat from Ghazipur slaughterhouse. After selling edible parts of the meat, they processed the remaining scrap by boiling it and separating bones and fat. Along with the five meat sellers another person from Bawana JJ Colony collects them and sells them further to a person in Bhajanpura. The police said that the transportation of these goods was done by the tempo driver and all the accused except the final receiver of the goods are in the police station to verify their licenses and permits. "We are looking for that person for verification of his license/permit", added the police. On further investigation, it was found that the licenses of the five meat sellers have been verified and one's validity was found to be expired on 31.03.2022. Others are valid upto 31.03.2023. Based on facts discovered during the investigation further legal action will be taken as required. The incident pertains to areas under PS NIA. Further information on the matter is awaited. (ANI)
Punjab Police busted Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) backed drone-based Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) terror module and apprehended two of its operatives from Chamkaur Sahib area, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab, Gaurav Yadav on Sunday. According to Punjab Police, the terror module is being operated by Canada-based terrorist/gangster Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh Dala, who is a close associate of KTF's Canada-based chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Those arrested have been identified as Veeja Singh alias Gagan alias Gaggu, a resident of Chand Nava village in Moga and Ranjodh Singh alias Jyoti, a resident of Ganji Gulab Singh Wala village in Moga. The Police also recovered two illegal weapons including a 0.22 bore revolver and 0.32 bore pistol along with 21 live cartridges from their possession. The development came four days after Police had recovered an AK-47 assault rifle along with two magazines and 60 live cartridges from a pinpointed location at the paddy fields of village Arifke in Ferozepur. Police investigations revealed that the consignment was dropped using a drone on the direction of terrorist/gangster Arsh Dala and was intended to be retrieved by Veeja Singh and Ranjodh Singh from Arifke village. Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said that after the recovery of the weapons from Ferozepur, an intelligence-led operation was launched across the state to nab the accused persons. Acting on inputs, Rupnagar Police has managed to arrest both the accused persons from Chamkaur Sahib area during the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. DGP Yadav said that during preliminary investigations, arrested persons confessed that they had gone to Arifke village to retrieve this consignment on directions of terrorist/gangster Arsh Dala but could not find it, and later, it was recovered by the Ferozepur Police on the information of a field owner. "Both accused have also confessed to having received few drone-based weapon consignments to further deliver them at specific locations as directed by Canada-based Terrorist/Gangster Arsh Dala, which was to be used further for major target killings to disturb communal harmony of the state," said the DGP. An FIR has been registered under section 153A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 25 of the Arms Act at Chamkaur Sahib police station. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Rupnagar, Sandeep Garg said that further investigations are underway and more arrests are expected soon. According to Police, Canada-based Arsh Dala, a native of Dala village in Moga, is a notorious gangster turned terrorist involved in various criminal activities in Punjab and abroad, and is most wanted by the Punjab Police. His involvement had also emerged in various targeted killings that took place in the border state of Punjab, besides, in cases of supplying militant hardware including RDX, IEDs, AK-47 and other arms and ammunition to modules in the state after getting them imported from Pakistan, said police. DGP Gaurav Yadav said that the process is on to extradite Arsh Dala from Canada and soon, he will be brought to India. Notably, the Red Corner Notice against Arsh Dala has already been issued in May 2022. (ANI)
Amid the row over Congress' 'PayCM' campaign against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Karnataka, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said Congress is a party on bail and called its Bharat Jodo Yatra a "sinister campaign". Speaking to reporters, Bommai said, "On Gandhi Jayanti day, I need not talk about the fake Gandhis. The whole party is on bail. Rahul Gandhi, his mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi and KPCC President all are on bail. It is a party on bail and all the cases are pertaining to corruption. Bharat Jodo Yatra is a sinister campaign." Bommai's remarks came in the backdrop of Rahul Gandhi's statement terming the incumbent BJP government in Karnataka a "corrupt one". The Karnataka Chief Minister further said, "The KPCC president is struggling hard in padayatra as the cases have been going on for the last 2-3 years. Hitherto, Karnataka was their ATM but not now, and for this reason, they may be unhappy. Everybody knows that there is no 40 per cent (commission) here. I will order an inquiry if they give me documents where such things have happened." This came amid the row over the "PayCM" t-shirt. Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar dared the state government to act against him and former CM Siddaramaiah for wearing the "PayCM" t-shirt, alleging that several party workers were booked for wearing the same t-shirt during the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'. "The Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Siddaramaiah and I and other leaders will participate in Bharat Jodo Yatra by wearing 'PayCM' t-shirts. Let us see what the BJP will do," Shivakumar told reports in Nanjangud. He said cases had been filed against some Congress workers for wearing t-shirts with "Pay-CM" written on them during the march in Gundlupet. "We are not afraid of this (cases)," he said. On Saturday, a Congress worker was made to take off his t-shirt that featured the "PayCM" poster during the Bharat Jodo Yatra and an FIR has also been registered against him at the Chamarajanagar police station. "PayCM" is an aggressive campaign launched by Congress against the Basavaraj Bommai government, accusing it of massive corruption. The PayCM campaign appears to have started on September 21, when posters featuring Bommai surfaced in Bengaluru. These posters had a QR code with the message "40 per cent accepted here". Once scanned, the QR code would take people to a parody "40 per cent Commission Government" website launched recently by Congress. If any, people would then be asked to file their complaints against the Chief Minister. Meanwhile, The State government has dismissed the Congress charges as politically motivated. "The government is sunk in 40 per cent commission. All sections including farmers are suffering. On the one hand, there is corruption and unrest, on the other hand, there is the problem of farmers and unemployment. An atmosphere of fear has been created among the people," Shivakumar alleged. The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief accused the BJP of slander and baseless criticism because "our development is unbearable" to it. "BJP is doing petty politics to divert people's attention. They are criticizing us even though it has dead rats on its plate". (ANI)
According to a new study conducted by Lund University in Sweden, cities have a negative impact on bird diversity. Even if the forest areas are of equal quality, urban woodlands have far fewer bird species than rural forests. The researchers examined 459 natural woodlands located in or near 32 cities in southern Sweden. They counted the occurrence of different bird species, and the result is clear: in natural forests located in a city center, there are on average a quarter fewer species of forest birds compared to forests outside the city. In terms of endangered species, about half as many species were found in urban forests compared to rural forests. The results deepen our knowledge of the impact of cities on biodiversity, says William Sidemo Holm, one of the researchers behind the study. It is already well known that urbanization is one of the main driving forces behind the loss of biodiversity, as cities spread out across the globe. What is not as well known, however, is how cities affect protected natural areas in a city. "Our study demonstrates that you cannot surround nature with urban development and believe that it will remain as it is, there is going to be a negative effect", says William Sidemo Holm, who worked on the study during his time as a doctoral student at Lund University. The researchers wanted to specifically examine similar forests, or habitats. It is therefore not city parks that have been compared to countryside forests, emphasizes William Sidemo Holm. The study is one of the first to compare the diversity of similar habitats along a so-called urban gradient. "This way we know that the results are not driven by differences in the actual habitats, which in this scenario was a natural forest. Instead, it was the surrounding environment that was different", he says. The fact that an urban environment has such a clear negative impact on forest bird diversity may have to do with access to food, the researchers believe. Many birds depend on food resources not only in their immediate vicinity but also in their surroundings, and in cities, there are fewer insects, for example. In addition, some species are sensitive to artificial disturbances such as noise and light, which occur more in cities. "Our results highlight the importance of taking surrounding nature into account in urban planning. Above all, it is important to avoid the expansion of cities adjacent to protected environmental areas where there may be endangered species - we found that these are particularly sensitive to urban surroundings", says William Sidemo Holm. The study also showed that urban forests can be important for bird diversity. Although a majority of the bird species were more common outside the cities, there were species that were more often found in cities, such as the hawfinch. The reason may be that cities have more fruit trees that can provide them with food. "Our conclusion is that it is important to preserve natural forests both in the cities and outside them in order to maintain local diversity", says William Sidemo Holm. In order to better preserve the biodiversity of cities, more knowledge is needed on how to reduce the negative impact on natural areas from the surrounding urban environment, say the researchers."In the future, it would be particularly interesting to investigate whether coherent green infrastructure in cities, or between city and countryside, can increase the opportunities for bird species in the city to find the necessary resources", William Sidemo Holm concludes. (ANI)
India's abstentions on Western-sponsored resolutions on Russia's invasion of Ukraine don't weigh on India-US ties or are seen as neutrality, Permanent Representative Linda Thomas-Greenfield has indicated. Speaking to reporters on Friday after India had abstained for at least the ninth time on a substantive resolution on Ukraine, she said that it was not done to support Russia and it had made clear the condemnation of the invasion. India joined China, Brazil and Gabon to abstain on a Security Council resolution condemning Russia's annexation of four Ukraine territories it had captured. Thomas-Greenfield said: "Their extensions clearly were not a defence of Russia. They were not in support of Russia. And they made clear their condemnation of Russia." Asked about the abstentions, she said: "The four countries who abstained, I can't explain their decisions to abstain, but I can refer you to the statements that they made in the council, and all four of them express concerns about what Russia is doing in Ukraine." Explaining the abstention at the Council, India's Permanent Representative Ruchira Kamboj said: "India's position has been clear and consistent from the very beginning of this conflict. The global order is anchored on the principles of the UN Charter, international law and respect for sovereignty and the territorial integrity of all states." She also referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi telling Russia's President Vladimir Putin publicly last month in Samarkand that "this cannot be an era of war". This was a clear statement from India against Moscow's invasion and another was External Affairs Minister telling that General that India was on the side that respects the UN charter and they were welcomed by US officials. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: "I really want to emphasize what (Indian) Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, because I think he captured, as well as anyone I've heard, fundamentally what this moment is about. As he said, 'This is not an era, this is not a time for war'." "And then in the General Assembly, where the prime minister said of India, and I quote, 'We are on the side that respects the UN Charter and its founding principles,' end quote," Blinken said at a news conference with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, although that speech laying out India's foreign policy objectives was by Jaishankar. While India's abstentions have been portrayed as neutrality on Russia's invasion, Thomas-Greenfield's statement shows that as far as Washington is concerned, India's UN abstentions are not viewed as neutrality or a departure from outspoken statements critical of Russia or implying backing for Ukraine based on it being the party that respects the UN Charter and its founding principles. India has voted twice -- once in the Council and another time in the Assembly -- with the West on Ukraine-relater matters, but both were on a procedural matter to allow Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to speak through a video-link. (Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis) --IANS al/pgh ( 513 Words) 2022-10-01-23:06:05 (IANS)
Following a deadly explosion at an education centre in Kabul, a large number of students took to the streets of the city on Saturday. Some of them were said to be the survivors of the deadly blast. Condemning the ghastly attack at the Kaaj Educational Center that resulted in 60 deaths and injuries to several others, some of the explosion attack survivors reportedly took part in the protests, Khaama Press reported. As per local media, the student protestors were also repressed by the Taliban and the terror outfit reportedly used shafts as well as electric duty gears to disperse the students and beat the protestors. The protests went on from the Pol-e-Sokhta area of Kabul to the Mohammad Ali Jinnah hospital, according to Khaama Press. Meanwhile, numerous Kabul women from Afghanistan's minority Hazara community on Saturday protested in the country's capital against the terror attack at the Kaaj Educational Center. The women protestors dressed in black chanted slogans against the genocide of minorities and demanded their rights. Friday's blast follows many recent attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure across Afghanistan, including in religious minority communities. Families of victims and local residents raised security concerns and called on the Taliban to ensure the safety of the public and punish those responsible after the ghastly attack at an education centre in Kabul left 60 persons dead. UNICEF said this "heinous act" claimed the lives of dozens of adolescent girls and boys and severely injured many more. India condemned the terror attack on Saturday. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "We are saddened by yesterday's terror attack at the Kaaj Educational Center in Dasht-e-Barchi, Kabul and extend our condolences to the families of the victims. Indian strongly condemns the continued targeting of innocent students at educational places. "UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres deplored the heinous attack on the Kabul educational centre - a predominately Hazara Shia area - which caused scores of casualties. He expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured. "Education is a fundamental right and an essential driver for sustainable peace and development," he said. The UN Security Council (UNSC), while condemning the terrorist attack, reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security. (ANI)
Ishaq Dar, who replaced Miftah Ismail as the new Finance Minister of Pakistan, has taken a sharp dig at Imran Khan and blamed his party for the country's poor economy as he vowed to provide more relief to the masses in the coming weeks. Addressing a press conference recently, Ishaq Dar lambasted the Imran Khan-led PTI government for Pakistan's economy-driven political crisis and vowed to reverse the damage caused to the economy by the previous government, saying that he passed on relief to the people by reducing fuel prices despite challenges, ARY News reported. "We reduced petroleum prices last night and making all-out efforts to provide more relief to common people, the Finance Minister said. "During the last five days, an improvement has been witnessed in the country's economic indicators including the appreciation of a rupee," the Finance Minister added, reported ARY News. Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) senator Ishaq Dar, who was involved in several corruption cases, was handed the responsibility of finance and revenue on Wednesday, shortly after he was sworn in as Federal Minister. Dar was nominated by PML-N premier Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as the finance minister during a meeting on Sunday. A newly appointed minister, earlier this week, arrived in the country along with PM Sharif, Dawn reported. Earlier, in May, the Pakistan court issued a perpetual arrest warrant against former Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in a "corruption reference." According to media reports, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a meeting with party supremo Nawaz Sharif in London on Saturday, where it was decided that the ruling coalition would hand over the Finance Ministry to Ishaq Dar after he returns to the country. The resignation of Ismail comes after continued speculation that former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was unhappy with some of his key decisions, including the hike in fuel prices. (ANI)
A sky survey telescope installed on a mountaintop to the north of Beijing to scan celestial bodies in our Galaxy and beyond has had increasing global scientific influence over a decade after going into operation.

The Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) is an ingeniously-designed instrument capable of seeing the sky wider and deeper at once. It produced the world's largest databank of stellar spectra, serving as a starry "dictionary" that global astronomers can refer to when starting a cosmic investigation.

The proportion of LAMOST-based research papers co-written by Chinese astronomers and their foreign counterparts increased from 38.9 percent in 2017 to 48.3 percent in 2021, said Zhao Yongheng, deputy director, LAMOST operation and development center.

The LAMOST survey, capable of taking 4,000 spectra in a single exposure, has released spectra for more than 10 million stars, approximately 220,000 galaxies, and some 71,000 quasars, twice as large as the spectra obtained from other ground-based sky survey telescopes put together.

Such a massive capacity makes LAMOST a facility that can partner with other telescopes globally for new insights into the universe.

A German research group relied on LAMOST observations to discover how the Milky Way took shape and evolved in its infant and juvenile stages. The results were published in the journal Nature in March.

The researchers from Max-Planck Institute for Astronomy analyzed millions of LAMOST-acquired stellar spectra and the star locations and movement provided by the European Space Agency's Gaia satellite.

"LAMOST has near-complete Gaia coverage and provides an unprecedented perspective on chemistry across the Milky Way," said a group of researchers from Columbia University and the University of Sydney who studied chemical abundances in our Galaxy.

NASA's Kepler Space Telescope is space-borne in search of planets outside our solar system. But the lack of stellar spectra of those exoplanets' host stars crippled the further closer study.

Fu Jianning, a professor of astronomy from Beijing Normal University, initiated a project linking Kepler with LAMOST.

With LAMOST spectra, the magnetic activity index of 5,648 sun-like stars found by Kepler was calculated. It revealed that twelve stars with superflares are as magnetically active as the Sun.

Also, LAMOST data have shown that most of the 698 Kepler-found exoplanets have nearly-round, coplanar orbits, demonstrating that our solar system is not unique in the Galaxy.

Zhao Gang, a researcher from the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is leading a research program collaborating with Japan's Subaru telescope to obtain high-definition spectra of poor-metal stars.

In a study published in Nature Astronomy in 2019, his team used data obtained by the two telescopes to discover a chemically peculiar star within the Galactic halo which has an unusually low amount of magnesium but contains an excessive amount of heavy elements, such as europium and uranium.

"LAMOST helped scientists achieve many unexpected findings, especially in search of peculiar celestial bodies," said Zhao Yongheng. "It has made significant contributions to the astronomic research in the world."
In the wake of Russian troops' withdrawal from the strategic town of Lyman, the leader of the Chechen republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, called for using "low-yield" nuclear weapons on the battlefield amid mounting pressure on the Russian President Vladimir Putin to use nuclear weapons as Russian army continues to face defeats in Ukraine, according to CNN. "I do not know what the Defense Ministry reports to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, but in my personal opinion, we need to take more drastic measures, including declaring martial law in the border territories and using low-yield nuclear weapons. There is no need to make every decision with the Western American community in mind," Kadyrov said on his Telegram channel. The Chechen leader also slammed the Russian generals amid the withdrawal of Russian forces from the strategic town of Lyman and said that it is about time for Kremlin to take drastic measures. Meanwhile, Dmitry Medvedev, who was Russia's president between 2008 and 2012, also discussed nuclear weapons earlier last week and wrote on his Telegram channel, "If the threat to Russia exceeds our established threat limit, we will have to respond ... this is certainly not a bluff." After Russia annexed four Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia, concerns have sparked globally that Moscow could resort to nuclear weapons. On Friday, Putin formally announced the annexation of four regions - Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia and claimed that "this is the will of millions of people," media reports said. Putin said the residents in the four annexed regions will now be Russia's "citizens forever". While denying seeking revival of the Soviet Union by the said annexation, Putin accused Western states - which have imposed sweeping sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. Moreover, in a strong statement, Putin also added that Russia would now defend its new territory "with all the means at its disposal." Following Putin's announcement, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that his country is submitting an "accelerated" application to join the NATO military alliance. "We are taking our decisive step by signing Ukraine's application for accelerated accession to NATO," reported Al Jazeera quoted Zelenskyy as saying. Russia's annexation sparked wide criticism from around the world. The western leaders condemned it, termed it "illegal" and vowed that they will "never recognize" these areas. The United States announced that it will impose a "swift and severe cost" on Russia. The Biden administration official said they are "targeting additional Russian government officials and leaders, their family members, Russian and Belarusian military officials, and defence procurement networks, including international suppliers supporting Russia's military-industrial complex" through announcements from the Departments of Treasury, Commerce, and State, according to CNN. (ANI)
Notably, Mahatma Gandhi's birthday is celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence.

"On the International Day of Non-Violence, we celebrate Mahatma Gandhi's birthday & values of peace, respect & the essential dignity shared by everyone. We can defeat today's challenges by embracing these values & working across cultures & borders to build a better future," tweeted the UN chief.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, popularly known as Gandhiji, a great leader of India who gave his life for the country, was born on 2nd October 1869. This day is celebrated with great pleasure every year to pay tribute to the Father of the Nation as well as to remember his values, principles and philosophy.

In June 2007, the United Nations General Assembly marked 2nd October as International Day of Non-violence.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was India's one of most important freedom fighters. He led the non-violence movement against the British.

He studied law and went to South Africa to represent a client. After returning to India, he joined the Indian National Congress. He fought for women's rights and caste discrimination. He also led nationwide campaigns for peasants, labourers and farmers.

After 21 years of Gandhi's death, Great Britain released a stamp to honour him.

Gandhiji never won a Nobel Peace Prize, but he was nominated 5 times.

Only Gandhi has been the first and only Indian to have been honoured with the title 'Time Person of the Year' in 1930.

Many world leaders like Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and John Lennon consider Gandhi ideal. This is because he fought for freedom from the British, but he also fought against social issues like caste discrimination, women's rights, etc. (ANI)
Several civil society organizations protested against Beijing's human rights violations and policy of aggression against various ethnic groups in Paris on the occasion of China's National Day on October 1. At a large demonstration near the Chinese Embassy, more than 100 persons from organisations like Students for Free Tibet (SFT), Committee for Liberation of Hong Kong, Association of Uyghurs in France, as well as Mongolian, Taiwanese and Vietnamese groups joined this protest. Marking the day as the Global Day of Action, the protesters, carrying placards with slogans against China, demanded China end the Uyghur genocide and other violations against the people of Tibet, Hong Kong and Taiwan etc. They also called on the global community to unite to prevent China from committing these crimes against humanity. October 1st is generally celebrated as China's National Day; a day filled with a widespread celebration around the country based on the ideological preaching of Mao Zedong. Historically, on the 1st of October in 1949, China's newly declared Premier, Mao Zedong hoisted the Chinese flag on Tiananmen Square and announced the birth of a new communist nation, The People's Republic of China. Soon after the declaration of China as a communist regime, on 2nd October 1949, the new government passed the resolution on the National day leading to October 1st of each year being celebrated as the country's National Day. Around the globe, Tiananmen Square, however, is not remembered for its celebratory statues and festivities of 1st October, but is somewhat synonymous with its horrendous massacre in China's independent history. The brutal massacre of protesters indeed does not require any recounting, yet at the same time, it is an important reminder of what the Chinese Communist Party has come to be in these modern times. A totalitarian government riding on the repression of its own citizens and a hawkish nature with the world is what summarises the projection of China in front of the rest of the world. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday offered his "sincere condolences and heartfelt sympathies" to US President Joe Biden over the loss of lives and destruction caused by hurricane Ian. "My sincere condolences and heartfelt sympathies to @POTUS @JoeBiden for the loss of precious lives and devastation caused by Hurricane Ian. Our thoughts are with the people of the United States in these difficult times," tweeted PM Modi. At least 66 people are believed to have died because of Ian in Florida alone, and four people were killed in storm-related incidents in North Carolina, officials say. Ian also knocked out power for hundreds of thousands in the Carolinas Friday into early Saturday, reported CNN. In western Florida's Arcadia - dozens of miles inland - river flooding still covered part of the town like a lake on Saturday, making a state highway invisible and swallowing all but the roof of a gas station. In hard-hit Fort Myers, where storm surge swallowed vehicles and many homes, reported CNN. By Saturday evening, Ian was a post-tropical cyclone, continuing to weaken across southern Virginia. It could drop several more inches of rain over parts of West Virginia and western Maryland into Sunday morning, the National Hurricane Center said. On Wednesday, Ian smashed into southwest Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, pulverizing coastal homes and trapping residents with floodwaters, especially in the Fort Myers and Naples areas. It pushed inland into Thursday, bringing strong winds and damaging flooding to central and northeastern regions, reported CNN. The hurricane then made another landfall Friday in South Carolina between Charleston and Myrtle Beach as a Category 1 storm, flooding homes and vehicles along the shoreline and eventually knocking out power for hundreds of thousands more in the Carolinas and Virginia. More than a million customers in Florida still did not have power Saturday evening, and more than 99,000 did not have power in North Carolina, according to poweroutage.us. (ANI)
Several foreign envoys to India, including from Denmark and Afghanistan, joined External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in celebrating the massive Navratri festival underway in Vadodara in Gujarat and praised India's rich culture and heritage. They shared their excitement after participating in the festivities, which saw thousands of people perform Garba, a popular dance form held during the Navaratri. With the presence of foreign delegates, the well-organised event likely bolstered India's soft-power image across the globe. "I am so full of joy and happiness... I wish all Indians across the world a happy Navratri and may the light break the darkness," Danish Ambassador Freddy Svane said. "It's so fantastic, so amazing, it is just awesome. This is incredible India indeed, I just love it," said the High Commissioner of the Republic of Botswana to India, Gilbert Shimane Mangole. At the event on Saturday, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar also performed an 'aarti' of Maa Durga. "It is a matter of pride that we have come here with officials of different countries. As the Navratri festival is on, they will spend the day enjoying festivities. They are excited to see the development here," Jaishankar said after meeting the delegates and ambassadors. Russian Ambassador Denis Alipov also attended the festivities and called himself "Russie Rajdoot". "Bohot shaandar mahotsav hai (It's an incredible festival)," he added. The High Commissioner of the Republic of Fiji, Kamlesh Prakash, was amazed to participate in Garba. He said, "Garba shows why people in Gujarat are happy, Modi magic is of course there to galvanize people like a magnet." "India and Tanzania have a special connection as most Indians living in Tanzania come from Gujarat, so this is a special moment for me," said Tanzanian High Commissioner Anisa K Mbega. "I thank all Gujaratis from the people of Afghanistan for giving us such love and respect," said Afghanistan's Ambassador Farid Mamundzay. The Navratri festival celebrates the victory of good over evil as Goddess Durga killed the demon Mahishasura. The 10th day of Sharad Navratri is celebrated as Dussehra or Vijaya Dashami. During the nine-day festival, devotees worship Maa Durga's nine incarnations to seek her blessings for a prosperous and joyous life. During these nine days, people observe fast, recite shlokas, wear new clothes, and offer 'bhog' to the goddess. This year, Navratri started on September 26 and will conclude on October 5. (ANI)
As China prepares to hold the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CCP) which is widely expected to approve a third term for President Xi Jinping, anti-China protests were held all across the World to mark the National Day of China on October 1. In Tokyo, hundreds of Japanese citizens came out on the streets to express solidarity with the oppressed people of Tibet, Xinjiang, Mongolia, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Early morning joggers around the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo city were greeted by slogans criticising China for its brutal crackdowns in all minority regions. This was the protest against the continuing denial of basic human rights that they promised even in the Chinese constitution. Posters also spoke of the damage China has caused to Japan in the past fifty years, despite Japanese companies having helped establish China's modern industrial foundations. Later in the day, activists from across Japan, as well as representatives of the minority ethnic communities from China walked to the centre of Tokyo carrying banners, flags and posters denouncing China. They urged the rest of the world to wake up to the harm China is causing. The demonstration was held around the twin themes of - 'nothing to celebrate' and 'day of shame', both sentiments that echo strongly not just in Japan, but increasingly across the world. Just a couple of weeks ahead of the 20th National Congress of the CCP, such a gathering showed unequivocally that despite businesses continuing to rely on China, the people of Japan wanted to send out a strong message to China and the CCP: respect the people and their rights. Without these, your power has no legitimacy, and your leadership will have no legacy worth the name. A small protest was also organised in front of the Chinese Embassy in Vienna, Austria. Protesters were carrying anti-CCP posters and the Tibetan flag. Tibetan Diaspora along with President Nawang Lobsang Taglung of Tibetan organisation in Vienna held a symbolic protest. Nawang said, "the fight for Freedom of Tibet will continue in future". In Paris, multiple civil society organisations opposed to the Chinese government came together to protest against The Chinese government's human rights violations and policy of aggression against various ethnic groups. At a large demonstration near the Chinese embassy, more than 100 persons from organisations like Students for Free Tibet (SFT), Committee for Liberation of Hong Kong, Association of Uyghurs in France, as well as Mongolian, Taiwanese and Vietnamese groups joined this protest. Marking the day as the Global Day of Action, the protesters, carried placards with slogans against China and demanded China end the Uyghur genocide and other violations against the people of Tibet, Hong Kong and Taiwan. They also called on the global community to unite to prevent China from committing these crimes against humanity. In Amsterdam city of Netherlands for the first time several Chinese organisations - Chinese Democratic Party Overseas Committee, Netherland for Hong Kong, Southern Mongolian Congress, The Church of Almighty God, Stitching Nederland Service Centre voor het verlaten van de Chinese Communistische (End CCP Service Center Netherlands), Human Rights Watch in China participated along with Tibet Support Group in condemning the Chinese Communist Party. Protests were witnessed in major States across the United States including New York and California as also in Canada. In Istanbul city of Turkey, the Uyghur community marked the 73rd National Day of China as the beginning of an era of occupation, persecution, starvation and inhuman crimes against the peoples of East Turkestan. Uyghur NGOs protested near the Chinese Consulate in Sariyer district of Istanbul against the Chinese policies of assimilation and genocide. Uyghur leaders spearheading the protest included Hidayetullah Oghuzhan - President of East Turkestan Education and Solidarity Association (ETESA), Abduselam Teklimakan - President of East Turkestan New Generation Movement (ETNGM), Nur Muhammad Majid - visiting representative/ lawyer from East Turkestan Australia Association, Rushan Abbas - noted Uyghur activist and Founder & Executive Director of Campaign for Uyghurs, members of Uyghur Academy and several others. The protest started with the recitation of the verses of holy Quran and the national song of East Turkestan. Protestors raised slogans against Chinese policies and Chinese President Xi Jinping including 'China Stop Genocide', 'Release our relatives', 'Where are our relatives' and 'Stop Starvation'. Protestors also displayed photographs of their family members missing in Chinese internment camps whom they have not been able to contact for many years. A motorbike rally of around fifty Uyghur activists carrying flags of Turkiye and East Turkestan passed near the protest site. A signature campaign on a large banner appealing for the support of the United Nations was also showcased. According to Amnesty International, the human rights situation across China continued to deteriorate. Human rights lawyers and activists reported harassment and intimidation; unfair trials; arbitrary, incommunicado and lengthy detention; and torture and other ill-treatment for simply exercising their right to freedom of expression and other human rights. In its 2021 report, Amnesty International stated that the CCP government continued a campaign of political indoctrination, arbitrary mass detention, torture and forced cultural assimilation against Muslims living in Xinjiang. The Amnesty report compiled data collected between October 2019 and May 2021. It relied on interviews with 128 people, including 55 former internment camp prisoners, and 68 family members of people either missing or presumed detained. (ANI)
Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra who is on an official visit to the Maldives met President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and assured him of the firm commitment to the growth of India and Maldives relationship. "Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra called on President @ibusolih and held substantive discussions on #IndiaMaldives relations, including on progress of ongoing development projects. FS assured President Solih of India's firm commitment to the growth of India-Maldives partnership," tweeted Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs. Kwatra also met his Maldivian counterpart Ahmed Latheef and handed over peed launch to the Maldives Correctional Services, under Indian grant assistance. "FS Kwatra & FS Latheef witnessed the exchange of the USD 100 mn Line of Credit Agreement, announced during the visit of President Solih to India in early Aug 2022, and handing over of a speed launch to the Maldives Correctional Services, under Indian grant assistance. @ForeignSecMV," tweeted Bagchi. India's "Neighborhood First" policy and Maldives' "India First" policy work in tandem to tackle shared concerns and advance mutual interests. For India, Maldives has always been a close and important maritime neighbour. Multifaceted ties between the two countries have strengthened despite the pandemic-related disruptions. High-level engagements continued with External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar visiting the Maldives in February 2021 and two visits by the Foreign Minister of Maldives to India in April and July 2021. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldivian counterpart Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had a telephonic conversation in July 2021. Bilateral cooperation with the Maldives includes the creation of people-friendly infrastructure - housing, water and sanitation, health and education, ports, roads and stadiums. It also includes maritime security; connectivity and people-to-people exchanges. India gifted 200,000 doses of Covishield vaccines to the Maldives in January - February 2021 and this set the stage for a rapid and successful vaccination drive in the Maldives. This has enabled the Maldivian economy to get back on a path to recovery. India has emerged as Maldives' second-largest trade partner, with around 13 per cent market share for Indian exports. In July 2021, India extended the agreement on quotas for restriction-free export of 9 essential commodities to the Maldives for the next 3 years. (ANI)
The Islamabad High Court on Sunday approved the pre-arrest bail of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and directed him to appear before the court concerned before October 7 in a contempt case, media reports said. This comes after an arrest warrant was issued for the former premier in connection with his controversial remarks against Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Zeba Chaudhry and other officials at an August 20 public rally. Protesting the arrest warrant which was issued on Friday by Senior Civil Judge Rana Mujahid Rahim the PTI workers gathered on Banigala to thwart any attempts of the arrest. The workers warned that if Imran Khan is arrested it will be considered as crossing a "red line," reported Dawn. The pre-arrest bail was given to Imran Khan after he filed a petition with the Islamabad High Court on Sunday through his counsel Babar Awan. In the plea, Imran said that a terrorism case was initially filed against him, however, he added that the charges were later struck down by the high court and the case was transferred. He further accused the coalition government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of filing a false case against him. Calling the government "corrupt", Imran said that all of this was only to repudiate the peaceful demonstrations. Taking up the petition filed by Imran Khan, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani barred Islamabad police from arresting Imran and the court approved Imran's bail against the submission of surety bonds worth Rs 10,000 further directing him to appear before the court concerned before Friday. While speaking with the media outside the court, Imran Khan's counsel Awan said the IHC had granted the PTI chief "pre-arrest transitory protective bail", adding "we will turn up at the lower court before Oct 7." "Warrants are issued to ensure the appearance of suspects before courts," the spokesman stated. Imran Khan's case, the Islamabad police official, said was transferred to a session court after the Islamabad High Court removed charges of terrorism from it. Earlier, Islamabad High Court asked Imran Khan to submit an affidavit. Imran Khan submitted the affidavit stating that he had realised he "might have crossed a line" at a public rally on August 20 in the capital, ARY News reported. The Express Tribune reported citing the affidavit said that Imran Khan assured the court that he would never do anything in future that would hurt the dignity of any court and the judiciary, especially the lower judiciary. Notably, the magistrate of Islamabad's Margalla Police Station issued the warrant in the case registered on August 20 against the PTI chief for threatening Additional District and Sessions judge Zeba Chaudhry. At a rally at the F-9 park in Islamabad, the PTI chair had warned that he would "not spare" Islamabad's inspector-general, deputy inspector general, and female magistrate, vowing to file cases against them for allegedly torturing PTI leader Shahbaz Gill. "We will not spare the IG and DIG," he said while addressing the rally. The former Prime Minister called out Additional District and Sessions Judge Chaudhry, who had approved Gill's two-day physical remand at the request of the capital police, and said she, too, should prepare herself as the case will also be registered against her, reported Geo News. (ANI)
Pakistan's Federal Cabinet has formally given the go-ahead to start legal action against former Prime Minister Imran Khan over the recent audio leaks that purportedly featured him and his aides discussing a US cypher. The federal cabinet met Friday with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the chair. The cabinet accused Khan, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief, of compromising vital national interests for political gains, Geo News reported Sunday. A handout issued after a meeting of the cabinet declared that the "theft" of diplomatic cypher records is an "unforgivable crime" and a violation of the Official Secrets Act, 1923. "Vital national interests were damaged by giving concocted meanings to the diplomatic cypher for political gains and the cable was stolen after fraud, forgery and fabrication," the federal cabinet noted. "It was the act of unpardonable crime against the state through which political interests were given priority over the vital national interests," it observed. The cabinet formed a committee and recommended legal action over the audio leaks. "This is a matter of national security, which has serious implications for national interests and a legal action in this regard is vital," the cabinet noted. According to the report, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) will probe the matter. The federal cabinet met after it was informed about the missing copy of the diplomatic cypher from the PM House record. On Wednesday, audios purportedly featuring Khan were leaked in which he was reportedly talking to one of his aides about a US cypher and how to use it. The PTI chief reportedly told his aide to "play with" the cypher and turn it into a foreign plot to oust his government. The aide, said to be then-principle secretary Azam Khan, is then heard advising Imran Khan to hold a meeting with Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Foreign Secretary Sohail Mehmood to bring this on record by faking the meeting minutes. Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Saturday called for a raid at Imran Khan's residence to recover the missing copy of the cypher, alleging that Khan conspired to twist a routine diplomatic cable for political gains, ARY News reported. Cypher is an alleged secret diplomatic cable which fuelled conspiracy theories that the US wanted to topple former Imran Khan's government and facilitate regime change in Pakistan. The cypher, based on then-envoy Asad Majeed's meeting with State Department official Donald Lu, has been at the centre of PTI's claim that the US conspired with elements within Pakistan to dislodge Imran from office. (ANI)
Taking a dim view of the "grave" situation that has arisen in recent days, Pope Francis made an appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war and also to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "to be open to serious proposals" for peace, reported Vatican News citing a working translation of the pontiff's address in Italian. "My appeal is addressed first and foremost to the President of the Russian Federation, imploring him to stop this spiral of violence and death, also for the sake of his own people. On the other hand, saddened at the immense suffering of the Ukrainian people as a result of the aggression they have suffered, I address an equally confident appeal to the President of Ukraine to be open to serious proposals for peace," he said. The speech was given by Pope Francis before leading the recitation of Sunday's midday Angelus prayer in Saint Peter's Square. He expressed "great concern" and said that the course of the war in Ukraine has become "so serious, devastating and threatening." Calling for an immediate ceasefire, Pope said it will be so if conditions for negotiations are "based on respect for the sacrosanct value of human life, as well as the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each country", and the rights of minorities and legitimate concerns. "I deeply deplore the grave situation that has arisen in recent days, with further actions contrary to the principles of international law. It increases the risk of nuclear escalation, giving rise to fears of uncontrollable and catastrophic consequences worldwide." As it prolongs, Pope termed the war a "terrible and inconceivable wound to humanity", and said that instead of healing the war continues to shed "even more blood, risking to spread" further. "I am saddened by the rivers of blood and tears spilled in these months. I am saddened by the thousands of victims, especially children, and the destruction which has left many people and families homeless and threatened vast territories with cold and hunger." "Certain actions can never be justified, never!" Pope said. Several Ukrainian regions have been in the headlines over alleged mass graves or due to the imminent risk to the nuclear plants. Taking note of the past such developments, Pope distressingly told the gathering that "it is disturbing that the world is learning the geography of Ukraine through names such as Bucha, Irpin, Mariupol, Izium, Zaparizhzhia and other areas, which have become places of indescribable suffering and fear." Pope Francis described the war "absurd" and questioned, "What is to happen next? How much blood must still flow for us to realize that war is never a solution, only destruction?" "In the name of God and in the name of the sense of humanity that dwells in every heart, I renew my call for an immediate ceasefire. Let there be a halt to arms, and let us seek the conditions for negotiations that will lead to solutions that are not imposed by force, but consensual, just and stable." The pontiff urged all the protagonists of international life and the political leaders of nations to do everything possible to bring an end to the war, without allowing themselves to be drawn into dangerous escalations, and to promote and support initiatives for dialogue. "Please let the younger generations breathe the holy air of peace, not the polluted air of war, which is madness! After seven months of hostilities, let us use all diplomatic means, even those that may not have been used so far, to bring an end to this terrible tragedy. War in itself is an error and a horror!" (ANI)
Indian Navy signed an agreement on White Shipping Information Exchange with the Royal New Zealand Navy to promote greater transparency in the Maritime Domain, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. The agreement was signed between Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar and Rear Admiral David Proctor, Chief of Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) during the former's recent visit to the country. "In a milestone development, an Agreement on White Shipping Information Exchange was signed during this visit. Closer collaboration towards enhancing shared Maritime Domain Awareness is in keeping with convergent views of both countries with regard to promoting greater transparency in the maritime domain," the Ministry of Defence said. CNS Hari Kumar visited New Zealand from September 29 to October 1, 2022. Upon his arrival, he was welcomed in the traditional Powhiri ceremony hosted by the RNZN leadership at the Te Taua Moana Marae and was presented the Ceremonial Guard of Honour at the Navy Ground, the Defence Ministry said. During his visit to New Zealand, the CNS met with RNZN Rear Admiral David Proctor and exchanged views on a wide spectrum of maritime cooperation opportunities and areas of mutual interest. Both leaders exhibited enthusiasm toward expanding the scale and scope of bilateral engagements in the coming years. The release further said that the CNS complimented RNZN leadership for their active participation in MILAN-22 and that the Indian Navy was looking forward to the maiden involvement of young RNZN officers in the upcoming Admiral's Cup Sailing Regatta, scheduled to be hosted by the Indian Navy in December 2022. The visit of CNS coincided with the Anniversary Celebrations of RNZN. He was received as a special guest at the 'Beat Retreat and Ceremonial Sunset Ceremony' held in Auckland to mark this special occasion. Besides, he CNS was also provided a comprehensive tour of the Maritime Museum of New Zealand, showcasing the country's rich maritime heritage. The CNS, accompanied by Shri Bhav Dhillon, Honorary Consul of India at Aukland, also interacted with the Indian veterans and community leaders in Auckland. The visit to New Zealand further consolidated the shared commitments of both navies and has set in motion a promising growth trajectory for deeper bilateral maritime engagements. (ANI)
Protesting against extrajudicial killings in Pakistan of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) workers, the MQM UK held a demonstration at 10 Downing Street, the residence of the British Prime Minister in London on Saturday. MQM UK organized the protest against extrajudicial killings, setting fire to Nine Zero, enforced disappearance of former Member of Parliament Nisar Panhwar, unconstitutional and illegal ban on founder leader Altaf Hussain's speech, and state atrocities on Mohajirs. MQM coordination committee members Qasim Ali Raza, Mustafa Azizabadi, central executive committee members Shahid Mustafa, Hashim Azam, MQM UK central organizer Sohail Khanzada, organizing committee members, workers, women, and children participated in the demonstration. The protesters were holding MQM flags, portraits of founder and leader Altaf Hussain, and various placards on which were written demands against extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arrest of Nisar Panhwar, and ban on Altaf Hussain's speeches. Participants were chanting slogans of "We want justice", "Stop killing Mohajirs", "Release Nisar Panhwar", "Wake up...wake up...UK Wake up" "Mohajir is alive ", "a light of revolution is ..Altaf, Altaf" and others. Protesters also distributed pamphlets among the passers-by on which there were details regarding the demonstration. Qasim Ali Raza, Mustafa Azizabadi, Shahid Mustafa, Hashim Azam, Sohail Khanzada, Abdul Hafeez, Moeen Ahmed, and women workers expressed their views on this occasion. They strongly condemn the ongoing state operation against MQM, extra-judicial killing of activists, fire at MQM central office nine zero, the disappearance of Nisar Panhwar, and illegal ban on Hussain's speech. They demanded that state operations should stop including the recovery of all the missing workers like Nisar Panhwar, the immediate release of the captives, and the end of the unconstitutional ban imposed on founder leader Altaf Hussain. Later, a five-member MQM delegation comprising members of the coordination committee Qasim Ali Raza, Mustafa Azizabadi, UK organizer Sohail Khanzada, Ghufran Hameed, and Abdul Hafeez, finance secretary of MQM UK, went to 10 Downing and handed over an SOS petition to the staff for the British Prime Minister Liz Truss. In the petition, MQM appealed to the British Prime Minister to use his influence to stop the ongoing state operation against MQM and the grave human rights violations. Along with the petition, photographs of MQM martyrs Irfan Basarat Shaheed, Abid Abbasi Shaheed, Waseem Akhtar Raj Shaheed who were extra-judicially killed recently, the report of the incident of setting fire to Nine Zero by the Rangers, with booklet based on the details about the unconstitutional ban imposed on Altaf Hussain and the state atrocities on the Mohajirs was also presented. (ANI)
Two Pakistan Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel were injured and four persons were killed in an exchange of fire in the Nasirabad district of Balochistan province on Sunday. According to the CTD team, four terrorists were killed in an encounter in Nasirabad's Nootal area. "The terrorists opened fire at the CTD team and in retaliation, four were killed on the spot, two CTD personnel also sustained injuries." ARY News reported. The CTD said that two of the killed terrorists are residents of Suhbatpur. Further investigation into the matter was underway. In a similar incident on Saturday, four officials of the CTD were injured and two others whom the officials called "terrorists from a banned outfit" were killed in an exchange of fire in Karachi's Janjal Goth area, a statement issued by the Karachi Police Media Cell said. According to the details, the security forces conducted the operation on intelligence reports of the presence of terrorists in a house in Janjal Goth near Gulshan-e-Maymar, ARY News reported. As per CTD spokesperson, "A woman and a child were also present in the house during the operation, who remained unhurt and were taken into custody." The injured officers were shifted to Aga Khan Hospital while the bodies were taken to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. However, the condition of two of the CTD officers was said to be critical. Further investigations were underway and the security forces cordoned off the area and an extra contingent has been called, ARY News reported. In another incident on Saturday, two officials of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation's (KMC) fire brigade department were killed while another was injured by unidentified men in Karachi. Karachi East Zone Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), Muquddus Haider said, "A pair of suspects riding a motorbike arrived at the fire brigade office around 2 am, woke up four of the employees and began firing at them. As a result, three KMC officials sustained bullet injuries while the fourth managed to escape." "The police are probing the incident from every possible angle and investigators had invoked terror charges in the first information report," the DIG said. (ANI)
Ever since Beijing launched the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the repeated attacks on Chinese nationals in Pakistan's Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces and the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir region reveal the strong dissent of Pakistani nationals against Chinese interests. Records suggest that in the last six years, especially after Chinese landed in hordes in Pakistan in connection with CPEC projects, different extremist groups have made Chinese interests targets of their attacks inside the country. Recently, a Chinese national was killed on Wednesday and two others were injured when an unidentified man opened fire inside a dental clinic in Karachi's Saddar area. According to the Asian Lite publication, since 2016, when Beijing launched the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), this was the 10th attack on Chinese nationals and interests in Pakistan. In Karachi, this was the second attack on Chinese nationals since the Shehbaz Sharif government came into power. In line with these attacks, on January 17, political activists and Pakistani nationals in Sindh province organised a massive rally and raise pro-freedom slogans while condemning China for exploiting their resources. Last year in August, people burned tires, chanted slogans, and shut down Pakistan's port city of Gwadar, protesting against China's illegal fishing in nearby waters and the CPEC project which is a part of President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative, stretching across 70 countries in the world, Asian Lite reported. In July, nine Chinese workers were killed when a vehicle laden with explosives and driven by a suicide attacker rammed the bus in which they were travelling towards the Dasu Hydropower project in the Upper Kohistan area of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. China's ambassador to Pakistan, Nong Rong escaped unhurt, yet five people were killed and 12 others injured when a suicide bomb attack was carried out at a luxury hotel in Pakistan's Quetta in April 2021. In July 2020, a huge protest erupted in Muzaffarabad of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir against China, condemning it for the illegal construction of Neelum Jhelum and Kohala Hydropower stations. The protestors highlighted the environmental impacts of dams constructed by China under the CPEC initiative, Asian Lite reported. Earlier, on November 18, 2020, thousands of Pakistani labourers staged a protest against China in Karachi, complaining about unequal wages received by them as compared to Chinese workers involved in CPEC projects. Earlier, the Chinese Consulate in Karachi was attacked by the Baloch Liberation Army in November 2018. It was the second attack on Chinese interests in that year after a bus carrying Chinese engineers was targeted by suicide bombers in Baluchistan's Dalbandin city in August 2018. Three Chinese nationals were injured in that suicide bomb attack. In 2017, an outfit called 'Majeed Brigade' attacked a five-star hotel in Gwadar when the Chinese delegation was busy planning for a port project. Eight people were killed in that attack, Asian Lite reported. In the same year, a video on Twitter and other social media surfaced in which a purported member of the 'Majeed Brigade' is heard warning Chinese President Xi Jinping to "get out of Balochistan." Earlier in May 2017, the couple Li Zang Hing and Ming Leassi Ha were kidnapped from Quetta and were later killed. The Islamic State had claimed responsibility for killing the Chinese couple who were said to be teachers at a language centre in Quetta, Asian Lite reported. According to the International Forum for Right and Security (IFFRAS), CPEC was sold to the people of GB as a landmark project to uplift their lives and infrastructure, but it has in fact deepened their colonial subjugation. More importantly, the implementation of the project constitutes an illegal encroachment on territory that is legally a part of the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Currently, one consequence of the imperialist conquest of GB by China has been natural resource exploitation and infrastructural development by Chinese companies in GB, whose primary beneficiary has been the Pakistani military, reported IFFRAS. This has come at a cost to local livelihood and environmental sustainability. China's economic expansionists programme aimed at conquering a key geographical location lying at the heart of Central Asia, India and China, i.e., Gilgit Baltistan (GB) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) has led to several attacks on Chinese nationals. Indications are clear that Pakistan has become a killing field for Chinese nationals and no amount of their security is foolproof as Beijing wants it to be. However, China has never criticised the Pakistani government or its law enforcement agencies for their failure to stop the attacks on Chinese nationals. This is surprising for foreign watchers across the world, Asian Lite reported. (ANI)
Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa is on an official visit to the United States, Pakistan's military media wing said in a press release. Bajwa called on General Birame Diop (Senegal), United Nation's Military Advisor to Secretary General during the visit to the United States, the Inter-Services Public Relations added. During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, and overall regional security situation including natural disasters caused by floods across the country came under discussion. The UN Military Advisor expressed his grief over the devastation caused by ongoing floods in Pakistan due to climate change and offered sincere condolence to the families of the victims. He assured full support to the flood victims. Record monsoon and heavy floods in Pakistan have given rise to hunger and various illnesses which have affected 33 million people and experts believe that the situation would aggravate in the coming days as the flood affectees are forced to live under the open sky depriving them of required resources. Around 888 health facilities have been damaged in the country, of which 180 are completely damaged, leaving millions of people lacking access to health care and medical treatment, as reported in many affected districts. Pakistan receives heavy -- often destructive -- rains during its annual monsoon season, which is crucial for agriculture and water supplies. But the heavy downpour this year has created havoc in the country, while rapidly melting glaciers in the north have for months heaped pressure on waterways. Huge areas of the country are still underwater and hundreds of thousands of people have been forced from their homes. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Pakistan is facing one of the worst flooding events in its history. The human and socio-economic toll is expected to increase as flood levels continue to rise, with immense pressure on the country's dams. (ANI)
A total of 1,000 Syrian students have benefitted from the first two phases of the scholarship scheme, an MEA press release read. Sayeed met with the Syrian foreign minister Fayssal Mekdad and discussed a range of bilateral, regional, and international issues of mutual interest.

Sayeed, Secretary (Consular, Passport & Visa and Overseas Indian Affairs) visited Damascus on October 2 and called on Mekdad where the leaders discussed a range of bilateral, regional, and international issues of mutual interest.

"Both sides identified key areas of bilateral cooperation during the meeting, including renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, fertilizers, civil aviation, vocational training, etc," the press release added.

Secretary (CPV & OIA) also met with Mohamed Seif El-Din, Minister of Social Affairs & Labour of Syria.

"Secretary CPV & OIA, Dr. Ausaf Sayeed called on Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad of Syria in Damascus today. Key areas of bilateral cooperation were identified, including renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, fertilizers, civil aviation, and vocational training. Also discussed regional & global issues of interest," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi wrote in a tweet.

As part of India's developmental and humanitarian assistance to Syria, Secretary (CPV & OIA) inaugurated the Second Artificial Limb Fitment Camp (Jaipur Foot) in Damascus for the needy people of Syria on the occasion of the 153rd Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

The visit of Secretary (CPV & OIA) to Syria provided the much-needed impetus to our bilateral relations with the country. (ANI)
The Union Minister will be in Oman from October 3-4, as per a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.

This will be his second visit to Oman and a part of the periodic exchange of high-level visits to reinforce the shared commitment to "ever-growing" relationship between both countries.

During the visit, Muraleedharan will meet Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi, Foreign Minister of the Sultanate of Oman and other senior dignitaries and engage in discussions on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest.

He will participate in a Community Reception and interact with a wide cross-section of the Indian community in Oman, particularly those in health, education, business, and social service sectors, as per the statement.

There has been sustained and frequent exchange of high-level visits between both countries.

In 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also visited Oman, while External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Oman in 2019. MoS himself visited Oman in December 2020. In recent months, Foreign Minister of Oman Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi visited India in March 2022, and Qais bin Mohammed al Yousef, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion visited India in May 2022.

India and Oman share warm and friendly relations underpinned by historical and cultural linkages and strong people-to-people ties.

As per the MEA statement, the visit will provide an opportunity to comprehensively review the state of bilateral relations between India and Oman and to chart pathways to further deepen and strengthen it.

India and Oman have continued close cooperation during the COVID-19 pandemic and maintained high-level contacts. India is among Oman's top trading partners and bilateral trade for the current financial year (FY 2021-2022) so far is almost USD 7.5 billion. (ANI)
Pakistani newspaper The Nation reported that a three-judge bench of the LHC headed by Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti and comprising Justice Ali Baqir Najfi and Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh will hear the case on October 3.

PML-N Vice President filed her petition for passport recovery in the high court on September 7. Her passport was allegedly confiscated by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case, as per The Nation.

In her miscellaneous petition, Maryam said that she had no intention of fleeing the country as she had returned to Pakistan leaving her mother on her deathbed abroad. She said the NAB law does not stop anyone from travelling abroad.

She further stated that she had deposited PKR 700 million as security and she got bail in the case on merit. She requested the court to order the deputy registrar judicial to return her passport, The Nation said.

Earlier, NAB had submitted its reply in the case.

The accountability body had told LHC that it did not require Maryam's passport that she allegedly surrendered to the court for getting bail in a case.

The accountability watchdog had previously opposed the petition seeking the return of Maryam's passport, which she had surrendered to the court when post-arrest bail was granted to her in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.

NAB has accused former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of being a direct beneficiary of Chaudhry Sugar Mills and his daughter, Maryam for holding over 12 million shares in the sugar mills. (ANI)
The father of a Marist College student was killed Sunday morning in a shooting at a New York hotel during "family weekend," authorities said.

Poughkeepsie police officers responded to the Courtyard by Marriott, 10 minutes from Marist's campus, after they got a call that shots had been fired, the police department said on Facebook.

Courtyard by Marriott in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. (Google Maps)

"One male victim was located inside the hotel," police said. "The victim was transported to a local area hospital where he was later pronounced deceased."

Officials have not released the identity of the victim or the events that led to the shooting, as it is still under investigation.

No other injuries were reported, and there was no active threat to the public or the college, police said.

The shooting took place on the last day of Marist College's "family weekend," an annual tradition in which students and their families are invited to enjoy activities, including a football game and a tailgating party. It was unclear Monday whether the victim was in town for the festivities.

In a statement emailed to members of the community Sunday, the college said it was aware of the shooting that took the life of a student's "family member."

"Our deepest condolences go out to the family, and we are offering the full support of the Marist community to them," the statement read. "We remain in contact with local authorities and will keep you informed with any updates."

Two suspects, identified by police as Roy A. Johnson Jr. and Devin M. Taylor, were taken into custody. Johnson, 35, was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, Police Chief Joseph Cavaliere said at a news conference Monday. Taylor, 26, was charged with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon, Cavaliere said.

The gunman intended to shoot the victim, whom he did not know, Cavaliere added.

The suspects are scheduled to appear in court Friday.

Detectives determined that gunshots were fired inside and outside the hotel. "Manuals related to the making of explosive devices, as well as materials with the potential to be used as explosives," were found in a hotel room, police said in the statement.

Story continues

The state police bomb squad secured the evidence. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is investigating the explosives-related material.

Dutchess County Emergency Response and the Red Cross helped remove guests from the scene. All guests and staff members at the hotel were relocated, police said.

The ATF, state police and other agencies were on the scene assisting with the investigation.

The investigation continues, Cavaliere said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
IZIUM, Ukraine  The first time the Russian soldiers caught him, they tossed him bound and blindfolded into a trench covered with wooden boards for days on end.

Then they beat him, over and over: Legs, arms, a hammer to the knees, all accompanied by furious diatribes against Ukraine. Before they let him go, they took away his passport and Ukrainian military ID  all he had to prove his existence  and made sure he knew exactly how worthless his life was.

No one needs you, the commander taunted. We can shoot you any time, bury you a half-meter underground and thats it.

The brutal encounter at the end of March was just the start. Andriy Kotsar would be captured and tortured twice more by Russian forces in Izium, and the pain would be even worse.

Russian torture in Izium was arbitrary, widespread and absolutely routine for both civilians and soldiers throughout the city, an Associated Press investigation has found. While torture was also evident in Bucha, that devastated Kyiv suburb was only occupied for a month. Izium served as a hub for Russian soldiers for nearly seven months, during which they established torture sites everywhere.

Based on accounts of survivors and police, AP journalists located 10 torture sites in the town and gained access to five of them. They included a deep sunless pit in a residential compound with dates carved in the brick wall, a clammy underground jail that reeked of urine and rotting food, a medical clinic, a police station and a kindergarten.

The AP spoke to 15 survivors of Russian torture in the Kharkiv region, as well as two families whose loved ones disappeared into Russian hands. Two of the men were taken repeatedly and abused. One battered, unconscious Ukrainian soldier was displayed to his wife to force her to provide information she simply didnt have.

The AP also confirmed eight men were killed under torture in Russian custody, according to survivors and families. All but one were civilians.

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At a mass grave site created by the Russians and discovered in the woods of Izium, at least 30 of the 447 bodies recently excavated bore visible marks of torture  bound hands, close gunshot wounds, knife wounds and broken limbs, according to the Kharkiv regional prosecutors office. Those injuries corresponded to the descriptions of the pain inflicted upon the survivors.

AP journalists also saw bodies with bound wrists at the mass grave. Amid the trees were hundreds of simple wooden crosses, most marked only with numbers. One said it contained the bodies of 17 Ukrainian soldiers. At least two more mass graves have been found in the town, all heavily mined, authorities said.

A physician who treated hundreds of Iziums injured during the Russian occupation said people regularly arrived at his emergency room with injuries consistent with torture, including gunshots to their hands and feet, broken bones and severe bruising, and burns. None would explain their wounds, he said.

Even if people came to the hospital, silence was the norm, chief Dr. Yuriy Kuznetsov said. He added that one soldier came in for treatment for hand injuries, clearly from being cuffed, but the man refused to say what happened.

Men with links to Ukrainian forces were singled out repeatedly for torture, but any adult man risked getting caught up. Matilda Bogner, the head of the U.N. human rights mission in Ukraine, told the AP they had documented widespread practices of torture or ill-treatment of civilian detainees by Russian forces and affiliates. Torture of soldiers was also systemic, she said.

Torture in any form during an armed conflict is a war crime under the Geneva Conventions, whether of prisoners of war or civilians.

It serves three purposes, said Rachel Denber of Human Rights Watch. Torture came with questions to coerce information, but it is also to punish and to sow fear. It is to send a chilling message to everyone else.

NO SAFE HAVEN

AP journalists found Kotsar, 26, hiding in a monastery in Izium, his blond hair tied back neatly in the Orthodox fashion and his beard curling beneath his chin. He had no way to safely contact his loved ones, who thought he was dead.

Back in March, after his first round of torture, Kotsar fled to the gold-domed Pishchanskyi church. Russian soldiers were everywhere, and nowhere in Izium was safe.

Hiding amid the icons, Kotsar listened to the rumble of Russian armored vehicles outside and contemplated suicide. He had been a soldier for just under a month and had no idea if anyone in his little unit had survived the Russian onslaught.

When he emerged from the church a few days later, a Russian patrol caught him. They kept him a week. His captors idea of a joke was to shave his legs with a knife, and then debate aloud whether to slice off the limb entirely.

They took, I dont know what exactly, some iron, maybe glass rods, and burned the skin little by little, he said.

He knew nothing that could help them. So they set him free again, and again he sought refuge with the monks. He had nowhere else to go.



By then, the church and monastery compound had become a shelter for around 100 people, including 40 children. Kotsar took up a version of the monastic life, living with the black-robed brothers, helping them care for the refugees and spending his free hours standing before the gilt icons in contemplation.

In the meantime, Izium was transforming into a Russian logistical hub. The town was swarming with troops, and its electricity, gas, water and phone networks were severed. Izium was effectively cut off from the rest of Ukraine.

SCREAMS IN THE NIGHT

It was also in the spring that the Russians first sought out Mykola Mosyakyn, driving down the rutted dirt roads until they reached the Ukrainian soldiers fenced cottage. Mosyakyn, 38, had enlisted after the war began, though not in the same unit as Kotsar.

They tossed him into a pit with standing water, handcuffed him and hung him by the restraints until his skin went numb. They waited in vain for him to talk, and tried again.

They beat me with sticks. They hit me with their hands, they kicked me, they put out cigarettes on me, they pressed matches on me, he recounted. They said, Dance, but I did not dance. So they shot my feet.

After three days they dropped him near the hospital with the command: Tell them you had an accident.

At least two other men from Mosyakyns neighborhood, a father and son who are both civilians, were taken at the same time. The father speaks about his two weeks in the basement cell in a whisper, staring at the ground. His adult son refuses to speak about it at all.

That family, along with another man who was also tortured in the basement cell on Iziums east bank, spoke on condition of anonymity. They are terrified the Russians will return.

Mosyakyn was captured again by a different Russian unit just a few days later. This time, he found himself in School No. 2, subject to routine beatings along with other Ukrainians. AP journalists found a discarded Ukrainian soldiers jacket in the same blue cell he described in detail. The school also served as a base and field hospital for Russian soldiers, and at least two Ukrainian civilians held there died.

But the soldiers again freed Mosyakyn. To this day, he doesnt know why.

Nor does he understand why theyd release him just to recapture him a few days later and haul him to a crowded garage of a medical clinic near the railroad tracks. More than a dozen other Ukrainians were jailed with him, soldiers and civilians. Two garages were for men, one for women and a bigger one  the only one with a window  for Russian soldiers.

Women were held in the garage closest to the soldiers quarters. Their screams came at night, according to Mosyakyn and Kotsar, who were both held at the clinic at different times. Ukrainian intelligence officials said they were raped regularly.

For the men, Room 6 was for electrocution. Room 9 was for waterboarding, Mosyakyn said. He described how they covered his face with a cloth bag and poured water from a kettle onto him to mimic the sensation of drowning. They also hooked up his toes to electricity and shocked him with electrodes on his ears.

It was here that Mosyakyn watched Russian soldiers drag out the lifeless bodies of two civilians theyd tortured to death, both from Iziums Gonkharovka neighborhood.

Kotsar was taken to the clinic in July and received a slightly different treatment, involving a Soviet-era gas mask and electrodes on his legs. AP journalists also found gas masks at two schools.

By the time Kotsar arrived, people had already been there for 12 to 16 days. They told him arms and legs were broken, and people taken out to be shot. He vowed that if he survived, he would never allow himself to be captured again.

They released him after a couple of weeks. He craved familiar faces and people who meant him no harm. He returned to the monks.

When I came out, everything was green. It was very, very strange, because there had been absolutely no color, he said. Everything was wonderful, so vivid.

SHALLOW GRAVE

In mid-August, the bodies of three men were found in a shallow forested pit on the towns outskirts.

Ivan Shabelnyk left home with a friend on March 23 to collect pine cones so the family could light the samovar and have tea. They never came back.

Another man taken with them reluctantly told Shabelnyks family about the torture theyd all endured together, first in the basement of a nearby house and then in School No. 2. Then he left town.

Their bodies were found in mid-August, in the last days of the occupation, by a man scavenging for firewood. He followed the smell of death to a shallow grave in the forest.

Shabelnyks hands were shot, his ribs broken, his face unrecognizable. They identified him by the jacket he wore, from the local grain factory where he worked. His grieving mother showed the AP a photo.

He kept this photo with him, of us together when he was a small boy, said Ludmila Shabelnyk, in tears. Why did they destroy people like him? I dont understand. Why has this happened to our country?

His sister, Olha Zaparozhchenko, walked with journalists through the cemetery and looked at his grave.

They tortured civilians at will, like bullies, she said. I have only one word: genocide.

The Kharkiv regions chief prosecutor, Oleksandr Filchakov, told the AP it was too soon to determine how many people were tortured in Izium, but said it easily numbered into the dozens.

Every day, many people call us with information, people who were in the occupied territories, he said. Every day, relatives come to us and say their friends, their family, were tortured by Russian soldiers.

MISSING NO MORE

After his final escape, Kotsar hid in the monastery for more than a month. Without documents and a phone connection to prove his identity, he was too afraid to leave.

Kotsars family had no idea what happened to him. They had simply reported him missing, like so many other Ukrainian soldiers caught on the wrong side of the frontline.

He spoke with effort to AP journalists, and at one point asked them to turn off the camera so he could compose himself. The AP contacted the Commissioner for Issues of Missing Persons Under Special Circumstances, which confirmed the missing person report and his identity through a photo on file. Then Kotsars own unit, which had left Izium in disarray, returned and tracked him down.

Kotsar doesnt know what comes next. Ukrainian officials are still in the process of restoring his identity documents, and without them he cant go anywhere. He would like psychological treatment to deal with the trauma from repeated torture, and for now hes staying with the monks.

If it werent for them, I probably wouldnt have survived at all, he said. They saved me.

Kotsars first call was to the sister of his best friend  the only person in his entire circle of loved ones he was certain was in a safe place. He grinned as the connection went through.

Tell him Im alive, he said. Tell him Im alive and in one piece.
A 70-year old man was arrested after he allegedly killed a man Oct. 1 in Fresno County.

Homicide detectives with the Fresno County Sheriffs Office arrested Edmundo Martinez of Parlier. He is booked into Fresno County jail for the homicide charge.

His bail is set for $1 million.

Deputies said before 8 a.m., Parlier Police responded to a call of an injured man at the Parlier Plaza Apartments, located at 640 South Zediker Avenue.

Officers found a man, identified as 45-year-old Jose Palafox Jr., who was pronounced dead. It is not immediately known how Palafox, who was from Parlier, was injured.

On Thursday, the sheriffs office released new details in the shooting. Deputies said Martinez had his bicycle stolen on Sept. 30. It was valued at $700 and was his only transportation.

Martinez received information that Palafox was the person responsible for stealing the bike.

Deputies said Martinez and Palafox are familiar with each other, and Martinez went went to Palafoxs home to try and retrieve the bike.

Palafoxs family told Martinez they were not aware of any bike and that Palafox was not home. Later in the day, deputies said Martinez saw Palafox walking on the street and confronted him and demanded his bike back.

Palafox Jr. denied having the bike.

On Oct. 1, Martinez contacted Palafox Jr. outside the Parlier Plaza Apartments and allegedly shot him multiple times.

The bike was never recovered, deputies said

The Fresno County Sheriffs Office took over the homicide investigation.

Anyone with information can call Homicide Detective Richard Antunez at 559-600-8221 or can call Crime Stoppers at 559-498-7867, www.valleycrimestoppers.org and will remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.
Leaders of nine NATO countries in Europe released a joint statement on Sunday throwing their support behind a path to membership for Ukraine, which applied to join the military alliance just days earlier.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy applied on Friday for the country to get fast-tracked NATO membership in response to Russia annexing four regions in violation of international law. Ukraine and the West have denounced as a sham Russian President Vladimir Putins referendums to annex the regions  his latest move in the months-long war.

A country needs approval from all 30 members to join NATO, and Ukraine has received mixed responses in the past from the alliance due to its geographic proximity to Russia. Being at war complicates the countrys request to join the military alliance.

The nine NATO countries that voiced support for Ukraines membership are the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. All of the countries are in Central and Eastern Europe, and could face Russian aggression next if it isnt stopped in Ukraine.

Together with the Presidents of , we:

- Support Ukraine's sovereignty& territorial integrity

- Support  in its defense against Russia's invasion

- Firmly stand behind  future #NATO membership

- Call for accountability of war criminals.https://t.co/KySAG9Cuxbpic.twitter.com/SDOrqpkRFo  Gitanas Nauseda (@GitanasNauseda) October 2, 2022

We reiterate our support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. We do not recognize and will never recognize Russian attempts to annex any Ukrainian territory, the statement said. We firmly stand behind the 2008 Bucharest NATO Summit decision concerning Ukraines future membership.

Story continues

At the 2008 summit, NATO members welcomed Ukraine and Georgias desires to join the alliance, but declined to provide a clear timeline for the countries path to membership. The letter on Sunday also did not provide such a timeline, though Zelenskyy thanked the countries for publicly supporting Ukraine becoming a member.

Finland and Sweden officially applied to join NATO on a fast-track in May out of security concerns following Russias invasion. Most member countries have already ratified their applications, and the two nations are on track to join the alliance.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Friday that the U.S. has long supported an open-door policy for NATO, but that the application process for Ukraine should be taken up at a different time.

Right now, our view is that the best way for us to support Ukraine is through practical, on-the-ground support in Ukraine, Sullivan said.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg gave a similar response on Sunday, telling Chuck Todd on NBCs Meet the Press that Ukraine has the right to choose what kind of security arrangements it wants to be part of, but that any decision on membership has to be taken by consensus.

After the annexation, the U.S. sanctioned over 1,000 people and firms connected to Russias invasion, including its Central Bank governor and families of National Security Council members. Sullivan said that sanctions have been a critical element to the White Houses strategy against Putins regime because of the economic pressure that we are placing on Russia, and the denial of their ability to gather what they need to be able to regenerate their war machine.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...
PRAGUE (AP)  The heads of nine European NATO members on Sunday issued a joint statement backing a path to membership for Ukraine in the U.S.-led security alliance, and calling on all 30 NATO nations to ramp up military aid for Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise move Friday to apply for fast-track NATO membership, in response to Russia's annexation of four regions of Ukraine.

NATO membership needs approval from all 30 members and Ukraine is unlikely to join anytime soon. Being a country already at war complicates the request.

The nine NATO countries in Central and Eastern Europe fearful that Russia could target them next if it isn't stopped in Ukraine urged a response to the annexation.

The leaders of Czechia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania and Slovakia published a statement on their websites Sunday saying: We support Ukraine in its defense against Russias invasion, demand (that Russia) immediately withdraw from all the occupied territories and encourage all allies to substantially increase their military aid to Ukraine."

It said the leaders firmly stood behind the 2008 Bucharest NATO Summit decision concerning Ukraines future membership. At the 2008 summit, NATO members welcomed Ukraine and Georgias aspirations to join, but declined to provide a clear timeline for the two countries possible ascension. Sunday's letter didn't mention a timeline, either.

Asked Friday about Zelenskyys application for accelerated NATO membership, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the application process in Brussels should be taken up at a different time.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg was noncommittal when asked about Zelenskyys appeal to join.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russias Security Council chaired by Putin, derided the move, saying that Zelenskyys request amounts to begging NATO to accelerate the start of World War III.

Story continues

Spurred into action by security concerns over Russias invasion, Finland and Sweden officially applied to join NATO in May using an accelerated procedure. Most member countries have already ratified their applications and the two Nordic nations are on track to join in record time.

___

Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Incumbent Texas Gov. Greg Abbott effectively tied his Democratic challenger Beto ORourke to the unpopular policies of President Biden in a debate between the two, according to an expert in campaign debate preparation.

Abbott and O'Rourke squared off Friday at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, where the border was a major topic of discussion, along with abortion, gun control and energy.

The apparent tactic of Abbott, like other Republicans in the 2022 midterm election cycle, was to tie O'Rourke to the president, who has struggled with underwater approval ratings for over a year and whose party faces historical headwinds and a slate of crises. According to Brett O'Donnell, an expert in advising political candidates to debate effectively, Abbott succeeded.

"Beginning with immigration, which dominated the beginning of the debate, Abbott repeatedly blamed Biden for the crisis and tied ORourke as the representative for those failures in Texas," O'Donnell told Fox News Digital.

DURING TEXAS DEBATE WITH GOV. GREG ABBOTT, BETO O'ROURKE SUPPORTERS SOUND OFF

Texas gubernatorial candidates Greg Abbott, a Republican, and Beto O'Rourke, a Democrat. Brandon Bell, Jim Bennett/WireImage via Getty Images

O'Donnell, who helped seven GOP candidates win seats in the Senate in 2014 and did the same in 2016, said this midterm cycle is all about the sitting president.

"In 2014, Barack Obama famously said that his policies were on the ballot. Every single one of them. Almost every Republican in 2014 used that line with success and added that, in their district or state, the policies went by the name of their Democrat opponent. And while Joe Biden hasnt said exactly the same, Republicans have played it as so," O'Donnell said.

BETO O'ROURKE BLAMES BIDEN FOR MORE TEXAS LATINOS VOTING GOP: DIDNT SPEND A DIME OR DAY' IN BORDER REGION

On immigration, O'Rourke, who sat on City Council in El Paso, where he still lives, attempted to blame the situation on Abbott. "We are eight years into his time as governor, and this is what we have on our border," O'Rourke said.

Abbott has taken fire for a program of bussing migrants to left-wing "sanctuary cities" in recent months, which critics say is a political stunt and takes advantage of the suffering of immigrants seeking better lives for their families. But, during the debate, Abbott suggested he would continue the program since the border situation allows unchecked flow of illegal immigration.

Story continues

"There will be other cities in the future that also will be on the receiving end of migrants, because we will continue to have to move migrants because Joe Biden continues to allow more illegal immigrants to come into the state of Texas," Abbott said.

O'Rourke made much of the debate about abortion and gun control policies, following the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade in June and the tragic shooting at Uvalde Elementary School in May.

"ORourke wants to make this election about abortion  he said so in the debate," O'Donnell said.

BETO O'ROURKE EXPLODES AT HECKLER WHO LAUGHS OVER CRITIQUE OF GUNS AFTER UVALDE: FUNNY TO YOU MOTHERF---ER

Abbott said his pro-life views originate from his Catholic faith and the adoption of his daughter and insisted he would govern from those principles.

"This election is about reproductive freedom, but Ive got to respond to this, this silliness on Plan B  this comment he made about eliminating rape in the state of Texas. This is an attack on women," O'Rourke said, referring to a comment Abbott made that he wanted to "eliminate rapists" from Texas.

There was one major midterm issue that didn't make it into the discussion, O'Donnell said.

TEXAS GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE BETO O'ROURKE DODGES TWICE WHEN ASKED IF HE WOULD 'TAKE YOUR AR-15'

"The two extensively debated immigration, guns, abortion, crime, the electrical grid and taxes, but oddly missing was an extensive discussion of the economy. Perhaps thats because the Texas economy has been strong. But its very telling that the media panel omitted a discussion of inflation that is impacting the daily lives of every single Texan but spent multiple questions on abortion," O'Donnell said.

Abbott accused O'Rourke on several occasions of changing his position.

"The ghost of 2008 John Kerry also was invoked as Abbott also repeatedly accused ORourke of flip-flopping on issues, beginning with his position on deploying troops to the border."

O'Rourke, who has been haunted in his campaign by his previous support for confiscating high-powered weapons while running for president in 2019, did not directly answer when asked if he still supported the position.

"I'm for making progress," he said Friday night.

"Abbott effectively made it about Biden-ORourke," O'Donnell said.

The Texas gubernatorial election is Nov. 8.
Migrants. Jasmin Merdan/Getty Images

Many migrants coming to the U.S. border are now legally applying for asylum, creating a backlog of 660,000 cases. Here's everything you need to know:

What is asylum?

It is an immigration category for people who face threats in their home countries. The Refugee Act of 1980, which was based on United Nations protocols the U.S. had previously signed, officially authorized the admission to the U.S. of people fleeing "persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion." Since that legal definition of "persecution" was established, federal officials have expanded it to include gang violence, homophobic repression, and forced abortions under China's One Child Policy. Most migrants now arriving at the U.S. southern border come from Central America, a region plagued by lawlessness, extreme poverty, and drug-related gang violence. Another growing share of refugees are fleeing repressive socialist regimes in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, including most of the 50 migrants Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently flew to Martha's Vineyard. Most asylum seekers cannot have their claims quickly processed at the border, and are released into the U.S. to await legal proceedings. There is now a backlog of more than 660,000 cases, and it can take four or more years for claims to be heard. "The system," said former U.S. immigration chief Doris Meissner, "is deeply broken."

How does the process work?

Migrants first undergo a "credible fear" interview, in which they explain the nature and severity of the threats they face if deported. Migrants who pass that interview can apply for asylum and move on to the next stage: the "asylum merits" interview. Failure to clear both rounds triggers the deportation process, though a migrant has multiple chances to appeal. Asylum applications can either be "affirmative," at the applicant's first contact with immigration authorities, or defensive, usually after a migrant has been apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Asylum seekers are generally held in detention centers or monitored through electronic devices, with frequent required check-ins.

Story continues

Do most claims succeed?

No. Last year, judges denied 63 percent of asylum claims. Acceptance and denial rates vary dramatically among judges and jurisdictions: While more than half of asylum applications are approved in some New York immigration courts, in Atlanta's, at least 97 percent are denied. Judges have discretion in deciding whether the migrant has demonstrated with substantial evidence that coming to the U.S. was the only way to escape persecution. That standard can be difficult to meet, especially if the applicant is not a legally oppressed minority or the persecutor is a nonstate actor such as a gang or abusive husband. Some claims fail on their cases' merits, others on technicalities, such as a paperwork error or a missed hearing; migrants are not provided lawyers, and those representing themselves usually lose their cases.

What was Trump's asylum policy?

His administration sought to discourage and block asylum claims. In 2018, Customs and Border Protection introduced the "Remain in Mexico" program, which forced overland asylum seekers to wait south of the border  mostly, in squalid tent cities and shelters plagued by disease and violence. In March 2020, the administration cited COVID to invoke Title 42, a 1944 public health directive that allows border agents to deny entry and immediately deport migrants coming from areas with outbreaks of infectious disease. More than 2 million instant expulsions have taken place under Title 42. During his presidential campaign, Joe Biden promised to "end Trump's detrimental-asylum policies" and ensure "the dignity of migrants."

What has Biden done?

After a long court battle, his administration terminated "Remain in Mexico" in June. It has also loosened Title 42's restrictions, but a court ruling in May prevented it from being lifted entirely. A pilot program announced in March will surge asylum officers to the border so that cases can be decided within 90 days, but it hasn't been widely implemented yet. During Biden's tenure, more than 1 million migrants have been temporarily allowed into the U.S. (while 1.7 million were turned away at the border), further overwhelming the country's immigration bureaucracy.

Are there other solutions?

The Biden administration has been working with countries in the Western Hemisphere to tackle the "root causes" of migration, but the violence, corruption, and economic instability in countries such as El Salvador and Honduras will not be easily improved. Conservatives argue that the U.S. should have a stricter standard for asylum that excludes factors such as violent crime and poverty. Otherwise, they say, tens of millions of people in this hemisphere would qualify for asylum  an influx far too large for the U.S. to handle. Progressives contend that granting asylum is a humanitarian imperative and a potential economic boon for a country with major shortages of low-skilled workers in many industries. Nearly everyone agrees that the U.S. immigration system is in dire need of a major overhaul. Meanwhile, asylum seekers like Adri Fernandez await decisions about whether they can stay. Fernandez says he made the arduous journey from Venezuela to pursue "the American dream, which is to work hard and lift your back." His first hearing will be in March 2024.

Keeping track of asylum seekers

Nearly 26,000 immigrants were living in ICE detention centers in September. About 300,000 more are part of the Alternatives to Detention program, a probation-like monitoring system that has doubled in size under the Biden administration. Migrants complete daily or weekly check-ins with immigration officers. Some wear GPS-tracked ankle monitors. Others receive special phones equipped with facial-recognition technology for check-ins. In April, three immigration advocacy groups sued ICE over the devices, seeking to uncover how their data is used and shared. Migrants complain the phones require constant charging and are glitchy, threatening their ability to remain in good standing with authorities. One told CNN that when he first used the check-in app, it displayed multiple error messages and then a "two attempts remaining" warning before it finally accepted his photo. "It scared me," he said. "I can't go back to Cuba."

This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here.

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MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia on Sunday imposed targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on 28 Russian-appointed separatists, ministers and senior officials after President Vladimir Putin proclaimed the annexation of four regions of Ukraine.

The new sanctions targeted individuals who the Australian government said were flouting international law to legitimise Russia's actions in Ukraine through "sham referenda, disinformation and intimidation".

"These additional sanctions reinforce Australia's strong objection to the actions of President Putin and those carrying out his orders," Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement.

Putin on Friday announced the annexation of four regions of Ukraine after holding what Moscow called referendums - votes that were denounced by Kyiv and Western governments as illegal and coercive.

"The areas of Ukraine currently occupied by Russian forces are the sovereign territory of Ukraine. No sham referendum will change this," Wong said.

Australia said the regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia are sovereign Ukrainian territory.

Canberra has also filed with the International Court of Justice in support of a case brought by Ukraine against Russia for violating the Genocide Convention.

"We stand with Ukraine in bringing these proceedings against Russia before the International Court of Justice," Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said in the joint statement with Wong.

(Reporting by Sonali Paul; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Canberra is set to rescue dozens of Australian women and children of Islamic State fighters from refugee camps in Syria, following a secret mission by the country's security intelligence agency, media reported on Monday.

The government did not immediately confirm reports that 16 women and 42 children of dead or jailed Islamic State fighters who have been held in camps for three and a half years would be repatriated.

"The Australian Government's overriding priority is the protection of Australians and Australia's national interests, informed by national security advice," a spokesperson for Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said in emailed comments.

"Given the sensitive nature of the matters involved, it would not be appropriate to comment further."

O'Neil had no immediate response to a call by her opposition counterpart for the government to assure Australians that anyone who may have been radicalised posed no threat on their return to Australia.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said on Monday that there are around 40 Australian children living in a camp in Syria, and some of their mothers were tricked and married off to Islamic State fighters when they were very young.

"When they come back to Australia, I think it's going to be very important that the children in particular receive counselling," Plibersek said on Channel 7 television.

"But I think for everybody involved, there will be an ongoing expectation that our security and intelligence agencies will stay in contact with them and monitor them," she said.

Australia first rescued eight children and grandchildren of two dead Islamic State fighters from a Syrian refugee camp in 2019, but has held off repatriating any others until now.

(Reporting by Sonali Paul; editing by Diane Craft)
Insiders were net buyers of Australian Agricultural Projects Ltd's (ASX:AAP ) stock during the past year. That is, insiders bought more stock than they sold.

Although we don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.

View our latest analysis for Australian Agricultural Projects

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Australian Agricultural Projects

While no particular insider transaction stood out, we can still look at the overall trading.

You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

Australian Agricultural Projects is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Insider Ownership

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. It's great to see that Australian Agricultural Projects insiders own 47% of the company, worth about AU$3.3m. This kind of significant ownership by insiders does generally increase the chance that the company is run in the interest of all shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Australian Agricultural Projects Tell Us?

There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. With high insider ownership and encouraging transactions, it seems like Australian Agricultural Projects insiders think the business has merit. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. To that end, you should learn about the 3 warning signs we've spotted with Australian Agricultural Projects (including 2 which are a bit concerning).

Story continues

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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By Sonali Paul

MELBOURNE (Reuters) -The Australian government on Sunday levelled its harshest criticism yet against Optus, the second-biggest telecoms company, for a cybersecurity breach that affected the equivalent of 40% of the country's population.

The government blamed Optus, owned by Singapore Telecommunications, for the breach, which affected 10 million accounts, urging the company to speed up its notification to 10,200 customers whose personal information was released in one of the country's biggest cybersecurity breaches.

"We should not be in the position that we're in, but Optus has put us here," Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil told a televised news conference from Melbourne. "It's really important now that Australians take as many precautions as they can to protect themselves against financial crime."

Optus said on Sunday it was working closely with federal and state government agencies to determine which customers need to take any action but was still seeking further advice on the status of customers whose details had expired.

"We continue to work constructively with governments and their various authorities to reduce the impact on our customers," an Optus spokesperson said in emailed comments.

The spokesperson did not respond to a question on whether Optus had identified how the breach occurred.

The company ran a full-page apology in major Australian newspapers on Saturday for the "devastating" breach that it first reported on Sept. 22. An unidentified person later posted online that they had released personal details of 10,000 Optus customers and would keep doing so daily until they received $1 million.

Australian police's operation to find the person or people behind the breach at Optus is "progressing well", O'Neil said, adding that police would provide an update this week.

However she said Optus needed to step up its efforts to call, not just email, people whose identification data was released online to let them know they are at risk.

Story continues

Saying now was "a time for real vigilance for Australians", O'Neil urged those who had been notified to cancel their passports or other identification cards and get fresh identification documents as soon as possible.

Five days after being requested, Optus had not handed over information to the government about customers who had provided their Medicare health care cards or other social services information for identification purposes for Optus accounts, said Government Services Minister Bill Shorten.

"We call upon Optus to understand that this breach has introduced systemic problems for 10 million Australians in terms of their personal identification," he told reporters at the joint media conference.

"We know that Optus is trying to do what it can, but having said that, it's not enough," Shorten said. "It's now a matter of protecting Australians' privacy from criminals."

O'Neil said Australia needs to reform its cybersecurity laws to give the government stronger powers to respond to cyber security emergency incidents.

(Reporting by Sonali Paul; Editing by William Mallard)
A Barrow County man has been arrested after deputies say they found him with child pornography.

Martin Smith, 54, of Winder, has been charged with five counts of possession of child pornography after his home was searched by the Barrow County Sheriffs Offices Internet Crimes Against Children Unit on Thursday.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

The investigation into Smith began with multiple reports made to the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding the possible upload and possession of child pornography.

This investigation is part of the ongoing effort by the Barrow County Sheriffs Office and the Georgia Bureau ICAC Task Force to identify those involved in the trade of child sexual abuse material, according to a news release.

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This investigation is still active, and additional charges may be pending, deputies say.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
Oct. 2Beckett Ensminger rushed 17 times for 163 yards with two touchdowns and the Shadle Park Highlanders beat the visiting Rogers Pirates 42-7 in a Greater Spokane League 2A game on Saturday.

Ensminger added five catches for 48 yards with a 6-yard TD. The bruising fullback had just four touches in the second half.

Shadle Park quarterback Natreven Dickerson completed 14 of 17 passes for 201 yards with four touchdown passes. Receiver Jordan Dever made seven catches for 117 yards with TD catches of 18 and 29 yards.

"Beckett and Dever are probably, I think, the two best players in the league and we will ride those guys as long as we can," Shadle Park coach Jim Mace said. "Our O-line is playing really physical right now (and) the quarterback is making good reads. So it's been a great combo."

Rogers QB Deon Kinsey rushed 26 times for 101 yards with a touchdown and completed 8 of 12 passes for 59 yards.

"Shadle is a really solid team, very experienced, senior heavy and they took it to us," Rogers coach Mike Dewey said. "So we learn from it, and we go back and look at the film and get better next week. Just try to keep continuing to improve."

The Highlanders (4-1, 3-0) took the opening kick and covered 65 yards on 11 plays, the last a 6-yard TD run by Ensminger.

Rogers (1-4, 0-2) came right back. Kinsey carried for 8 and 11 yards, then broke around the end and went 36 yards for a score to tie it at 7.

It was all Shadle Park after that.

Dickerson found Dever for an 18-yard score on the Highlanders' next possession. After a Rogers three-and-out and subsequent short punt, Shadle needed just six plays to find the end zone again on Ensminger's 8-yard run.

"Beckett, when he gets a little bit of gap, he makes a lot of plays," Mace said.

Late in the half, Dickerson hit Kam Odell on a post route for a 28-yard touchdown pass, and the Highlanders led 28-7 at halftime.

Dever scored on the same route from 29 yards early in the third, and Ensminger took a swing pass 6 yards later in the quarter to cap the scoring.

Story continues

"Our biggest focus right now as a team is getting better at tackling, especially in space," Mace said. "A lot of young guys were getting a little better there, and in the second half played a lot better."

Late in the game, Rogers put together a 17-play drive  which started at its 16  and had second-and-1 at the 2. But the Highlanders called timeout, then stuffed the Pirates on three consecutive plays.

Shadle Park has a win in hand over Pullman (3-1, 2-0), which was off this week. The teams square off on Friday in Pullman.

"We're trying to tell the guys competition is getting better a little bit each week," Mace said. "We got to get better, it's a short turnaround to Pullman  a lot of work cut out for us."
By Humeyra Pamuk and Matt Spetalnick

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads to Latin America on Monday to reassert Washington's commitment to the region and meet with three new leftist leaders, amid concerns that neglect of the hemisphere has let China make economic inroads.

During his week-long trip to Colombia, Chile and Peru the top U.S. diplomat will also attend a ministerial summit and hold talks on regional challenges including migration, drug-trafficking, post-pandemic recovery, climate change and the Venezuelan crisis.

U.S. officials acknowledge privately the need to show the United States' southern neighbors they remain a policy priority despite the focus on big geopolitical issues such as Russia's war in Ukraine and China's threat to Taiwan.

Officials remain hopeful that Latin America's new leftist leaders will not govern as ideological firebrands and instead continue to maintain a free-enterprise-friendly approach and nurture U.S. ties.

"We are not judging countries based on where they fall on the political spectrum, but rather their commitment to democracy, the rule of law and human rights," Assistant Secretary Brian Nichols, the State Department's top diplomat on the Western Hemisphere, said in a briefing call.

"And I would note that we are also visiting three countries that have been longtime vital trade partners of the United States, countries with free trade agreements with the United States ... We are focused on strengthening our relations with those governments," Nichols said.

Blinken will aim to solidify U.S. partnerships in the face of an increasingly ambitious China that has been expanding its economic footprint across the resource-rich region, which was once Washington's geopolitical backyard.

"This (the trip) reflects the interest of the United States to pay more attention to Latin America, and specifically South America in this case, in terms of the deepening relationship there is with China," said Guillermo Holzmann, a Chilean academic and political analyst.

Story continues

DRUGS AND DIPLOMACY

The trip, Blinken's first in almost a year to the Andean region, will kick off a day after Brazilians head to the polls for a highly-polarized election, in which leftist candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is leading in opinion polls against the far-right populist President Jair Bolsonaro.

Blinken's first stop, in Colombia, could be a test of long-standing close U.S. ties. Its new leftist president, former rebel Gustavo Petro, has derided the U.S.-led war on drugs as a failure and called for a new international approach.

The South American country is a top producer of cocaine and has historically faced pressure from Washington to eradicate drug crops. Petro has also moved to re-engage diplomatically and economically with the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, despite U.S. efforts to isolate the OPEC country.

Blinken's trip comes after a rare prisoner swap on Saturday in which Venezuela freed seven U.S. citizens, including five oil executives, and the Biden administration released two relatives of Maduro held in federal prison in Florida on drug convictions.

Biden administration officials have struck a mostly conciliatory tone toward Petro, stressing areas of agreement on issues such as climate change and citing his appeals to Maduro to return to talks with the Venezuelan opposition.

Regarding Petro's calls to end the war on drugs, Nichols said Washington strongly supports "a health and science based approach" to counter narcotics.

"This is reflected in our policy of supporting rural development and rural security in Colombia. And we believe that President Petro strongly shares that goal," Nichols said.

But one U.S. official said Washington was watching closely whether Colombia's outreach to authorities in neighboring Venezuela undercuts U.S. sanctions on Maduro's government.

RESOLUTION ON UKRAINE

Blinken's second stop will be Chile, where Gabriel Boric, a former protest leader, was elected as the country's youngest ever president earlier this year promising ambitious social reforms amid a wave of political unrest.

But his approval ratings quickly fell and in September voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposed new constitution, forcing an overhaul of his cabinet.

Though Boric has openly criticized autocratic left-wing leaders such as Maduro and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, he rankled U.S. officials by speaking out against President Joe Biden's decision to exclude Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua from the Summit of the Americas in June.

In Lima, Blinken will attend a ministerial meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly, where Washington will push to pass a new resolution against Russia's invasion of Ukraine after the group issued one in March condemning Moscow.

But there are doubts over how many countries will support the move after Petro said arming Ukraine would escalate the conflict. "We hope for strong support from all member states on the resolution on Ukraine," Nichols said.

Blinken's visit will come at a sensitive time for Peruvian President Pedro Castillo, a leftist who took office last year. Politics in the world's No. 2 copper producer is highly polarized amid mounting allegations of corruption against Castillo and close allies. He denies any wrongdoing.

Peru's foreign minister Cesar Landa told Reuters that items on the agenda for discussion with Blinken included democratic governance, combating drug trafficking, and immigration.

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Matt Spetalnick; Additional reporting by Natalia Ramos in Santiago, Marcelo Rochaburn in Lima, and Julia Symmes-Cobb in Bogota; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
The Imperial River is rising, and City of Bonita Springs officials say theyre keeping a close eye on it.

Bonita residents should do the same, says the city's deputy mayor, Mike Gibson.

The city is currently monitoring the river slowly rising, Gibson said during a Facebook Live press conference about Hurricane Ian on Sunday afternoon. "Wed like to advise residents near rivers and canals to keep an eye on the water levels.

There is not a mandatory evacuation at this time. However, should the levels increase, residents in flood-prone areas should take precautions.

A gage monitoring the river shows water levels have risen 2.10 feet in the last week, according to data listed online by the United States Geological Survey.

The rise is being caused by sheet flow  stormwater that travels across the land after a hurricane  that resulted from Hurricane Ian, Gibson said.

Hurricane Ian damages Bonita Beach: Boats, debris, sand everywhere

Supplies update: What's open and where to get what you need after Hurricane Ian

Hurricane Ian: When will FPL restore all power in Florida?

Bonita Springs' deputy mayor, Mike Gibson, speaks during a Facebook Live update about Hurricane Ian Sunday. City Manager Arleen Hunter (right) also spoke during the virtual event.

The rise has slowed down, so we will continue to watch that," he said. There is no immediate urgency. There is no mandatory evacuation. Its just something to monitor at this time.

The Facebook Live news conference lasted about 6 minutes. Questions werent taken afterward.

During the virtual event, City Manager Arleen Hunter asked residents to exercise caution with debris, flooding and downed power lines in the city. She added: We do want to urge you, as best as possible, if you do not need to be on our roadways, to be safe and be clear of those areas as we continue our assessments.

Onlookers survey the damage to Doc's Beach House on Bonita Beach on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, after Hurricane Ian.

During the virtual update, Gibson and Hunter also offered this additional information:

People can get food, ice, water and other supplies at Old Bonita Library, 26876 Pine Ave., Bonita Springs.

The American Red Cross is in town going from neighborhood to neighborhood providing warm food. For a full list of organizations providing aid, call 211 or visit unitedwaylee.org.

The city curfew is continuing from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., Hunter said. Plus no one is allowed "24-7" in the Bonita Beach area.

Verizon has instituted cross-carrier roaming for cell phones in Bonita Springs. If you have no reception, turn your phone off and then back on again," Gibson said. "You may need to do it multiple times throughout the day, but that should help with reception.

City crews have started doing assessments of damaged property  a process that will take many weeks, Hunter said. Theyre also clearing debris on public right of ways and identifying locations with safety issues, such as downed power lines (although Hunter added that those lines are not live).

The city is working with CrowderGulf Disaster Recovery and Debris Management to cut and toss away roadway debris so emergency management crews can get to where need to go.

The city's administrative office remains closed, but people can still reach city officials by calling 949-6262.

People can find more resources by clicking the Hurricane Ian icon on cityofbonitasprings.org. Or use the citys mobile app.

Story continues

Mitch Hickman lost a boat on Bonita Beach Road after Hurricane Ian swept through the area. He said, "When I strapped it down , I said 'It'll either be here or it won't.' And it's kind of here."

Bonita Springs boil water notice lifted

In another Bonita-related development, Bonita Springs Utilities said Sunday afternoon that most of its customers no longer have to boil their water  with a few exceptions.

"If you are a resident of Lee County and a customer of BSU, meaning you receive a bill from us, there is no need to boil water," the company said in a news release. "We currently have two precautionary boil water notices in place which are listed on our website, under Service Alerts.

"These notices affect only a few streets where we repaired local water lines. Residents of Lee County who are customers of other utilities should check with their service provider on the status of boil water notices in their area."

To find out if you still need to boil your water, visit bsu.us/service-alert.

Connect with this reporter: Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. Email him at crunnells@gannett.com or connect on Facebook (facebook.com/charles.runnells.7), Twitter (@charlesrunnells) and Instagram (@crunnells1).

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Hurricane Ian: Imperial River rising after storm, Bonita officials say
SARAJEVO (Reuters) - Moderate Croat and Bosniak candidates Zeljko Komsic and Denis Becirevic are leading in the run-up for the seat on Bosnia's tripartite inter-ethnic presidency, according to the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) preliminary vote count.

Komsic, the leader of the Democratic Front (DF) party, is set to secure the fourth term in the presidency beating a rival candidate from the Croat largest Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ) with 70.7% of the votes, based on 80% of the counted ballots, SDA said.

Becirevic of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), who was backed by 11 opposition civic-oriented parties, has won 56.5% of the votes, leading ahead of SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic who is trailing him with 38.7%.

(Reporting by Daria Sito-Sucic; Editing by Ivana Sekularac)
These psychological tendencies explain why an onslaught of facts won't necessarily change anyone's mind. Francesco Carta fotografo/Moment via Getty Images

A rumor started circulating back in 2008 that Barack Obama was not born in the United States. At the time, I was serving as chair of the Hawaii Board of Health. The director and deputy director of health, both appointed by a Republican governor, inspected Obamas birth certificate in the state records and certified that it was real.

I would have thought that this evidence would settle the matter, but it didnt. Many people thought the birth certificate was a fabricated document. Today, many people still believe that President Obama was not born in the U.S.

I once listened to a Science Friday podcast on the anti-vaccination movement. A woman called in who didnt believe that vaccines were safe, despite overwhelming scientific evidence that they are. The host asked her how much proof she would need in order to believe that vaccines were safe. Her answer: No amount of scientific evidence could change her mind.

As a psychologist, I was bothered, but not shocked, by this exchange. There are several well-known mechanisms in human psychology that enable people to continue to hold tight to beliefs even in the face of contradictory information.

Cognitive shortcuts come with biases

In its early days, the science of psychology assumed that people would make rational decisions. But over the decades, its become clear that many decisions people make  about choices ranging from romantic partners and finances to risky health behaviors like unsafe sex and health-promoting behaviors  are not made rationally.

Instead, human minds have a tendency toward several cognitive biases. These are systematic errors in the way you think about the world. Given the complexity of the world around you, your brain cuts a few corners to help you process complex information quickly.

For example, the availability bias refers to the tendency to use information you can quickly recall. This is helpful when youre ordering ice cream at a place with 50 flavors; you dont need to think about all of them, just one you recently tried and liked. Unfortunately these shortcuts can mean you end up at a nonrational decision.

Story continues

In efficiency mode, your mind may discount contradictory information. DjelicS/E+ via Getty Images

One form of cognitive bias is called cognitive dissonance. This is the feeling of discomfort you can experience when your beliefs are not in line with your actions or new information. When in this state, people can reduce their dissonance in one of two ways: changing their beliefs to be in line with the new information or interpreting the new information in a way that justifies their original beliefs. In many cases, people choose the latter, whether consciously or not.

For example, maybe you think of yourself as active, not at all a couch potato  but you spend all of Saturday lying on the couch bingeing reality TV. You can either start thinking about yourself in a new way or justify your behavior, maybe by saying you had a really busy week and need to rest up for your workout tomorrow.

The confirmation bias is another process that helps you justify your beliefs. It involves favoring information that supports your beliefs and downplaying or ignoring information to the contrary. Some researchers have called this my side blindness  people see the flaws in arguments that are contradictory to their own but are unable to see weaknesses in their own side. Picture fans of a football team that went 7-9 for the season, arguing that their team is actually really strong, spotting failings in other teams but not in theirs.

With the decline of mass media over the past few decades and the increase in niche media and social media, its become easier to surround yourself with messages you already agree with while minimizing your exposure to messages you dont. These information bubbles reduce cognitive dissonance but also make it harder to change your mind when you are wrong.

Shoring up beliefs about yourself

It can be especially hard to change certain beliefs that are central to your self-concept  that is, who you think you are. For example, if you believe youre a kind person and you cut someone off in traffic, instead of thinking that maybe youre not all that nice, its easier to think the other person was driving like a jerk.

This relationship between beliefs and self-concept can be reinforced by affiliations with groups like political parties, cults or other like-minded thinkers. These groups are often belief bubbles where the majority of members believe the same thing and repeat these beliefs to one another, strengthening the idea that their beliefs are right.

Researchers have found that people generally think they are more knowledgeable about certain issues than they really are. This has been demonstrated across a variety of studies looking at vaccinations, Russias invasion of the Ukraine and even how toilets work. These ideas then get passed from person to person without being based on fact. For example, 70% of Republicans say they dont believe the 2020 presidential election was free and fair despite a lack of any evidence of widespread voter fraud.

[The Conversations science, health and technology editors pick their favorite stories. Weekly on Wednesdays.]

Belief bubbles and the defenses against cognitive dissonance can be hard to break down. And they can have important downstream effects. For instance, these psychological mechanisms affect the ways people have chosen whether or not to follow public health guidelines around social distancing and wearing masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, sometimes with deadly consequences.

Changing peoples minds is difficult. Given the confirmation bias, evidence-based arguments counter to what someone already believes are likely to be discounted. The best way to change a mind is to start with yourself. With as open a mind as you can summon, think about why you believe what you do. Do you really understand the issue? Could you think about it in a different way?

As a professor, I like to have my students debate ideas from the side that they personally disagree with. This tactic tends to lead to deeper understanding of the issues and makes them question their beliefs. Give it an honest try yourself. You might be surprised by where you end up.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. If you found it interesting, you could subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

It was written by: Jay Maddock, Texas A&M University.

Read more:



Jay Maddock 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.
Every year, breast cancer affects millions of women in the county and hits thousands more in the Mid-South.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and theres an important message about the disease, which affects men too.

FOX13s reporter Dakari Turner was at the scene of the event, learning more.

In just a couple of weeks, as many as 10,000 people are expected to walk down Tiger Lane, to help save lives.

Its a walk to benefit breast cancer patients and their families.

Now the event is in its 22nd year.

Its an opportunity for us to invite out anyone who has been affected by breast cancer, Elizabeth Ennis, of the American Cancer Society said.

Ennis is with the Memphis office.

The American Cancer Society stresses that more awareness is needed in this predominantly Black city.

Their research showed breast cancer is the leading cause of death in Black women, who are also 41% more likely to die from the disease than White people.

Here in Memphis... we have several things that impact patients and advocates, Ennis said.

Curtis Pettis is part of a group of men, called Real Men Wear Pink, raising money for breast cancer awareness.

This disease, it has no gender. Its more predominant in women, but men can get it as well, Pettis said.

He, and 35 others, are working to raise a combined $225,000 through grassroots efforts.

I havent lost any family member to breast cancer. But its the pain. I relate to the pain, Pettis said.

It gives the men in the community an opportunity to show their support, Ennis said.

The walk is set to take place on Oct. 16 at Tiger Lane, starting at 1:30 PM, and the actual work begins at 3 PM.

The goal is to raise $400,000.

Registration is free.

Visit the American Cancer Societys website to learn more by clicking here.

Download the FOX13 Memphis app to receive alerts from breaking news in your neighborhood.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

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The Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 has been studied at length by military minds and academics for decades. The naval officer in charge of the Pacific Fleet in the months before the attack was a Texas native, Admiral James Otto Richardson. As the United States began preparing for war in 1940, Richardson pointed to weak defenses at Pearl Harbor that he feared would lead to disaster.

Richardson was born in Paris in September 1878. After he graduated from high school, he did not immediately attend college. In 1898, he instead received a congressional appointment to attend the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He excelled in his studies, graduating fifth in his class in 1902.

His first assignment was with the Asiatic Squadron helping with naval support of American attempts to suppress a rebellion in the Philippines. He was transferred to the Atlantic Fleet in 1905. He came to command two small torpedo boats in 1907, the USS Tingay and the USS Stockton. In 1909, he was tapped to enter the Naval Academys special graduate engineering school, part of the first group of officers selected for this special training and education program. By 1914, he rose to head the Bureau of Steam Engineering, responsible for monitoring the navys fuel supply.

Bridges

Richardson had an honorable record and steadily moved up the ranks. He served as executive officer of the battleship USS Nevada during World War I. He then rose to command the USS Asheville, a gunboat, by 1922 when he led the navys patrols of the South China Sea. Periodically, his service was interrupted by further studies at the naval academy and the Naval War College. He commanded the heavy cruiser USS Augusta from 1931 to 1933. While serving as Budget Officer with the Navy Department, he was promoted to rear admiral in 1934.

As Assistant Chief of Naval Operations in 1937, he was at the forefront to the navys response to two events that riveted the worlds attention. When famed aviator Amelia Earhart disappeared in the Central Pacific, Richardson helped coordinate the navys search operations. He also helped formulate the information and response to Japans sinking of an American gunboat, the USS Panay, in Chinas Yangtze River. Japans invasion of China and steady expansion in East Asia became a grave concern to the United States.

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In January 1940, Richardson was named commander-in-chief of the United States Fleet, one of the senior-most positions in the navy, which also put him in command of the Pacific Fleet. In June 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the Pacific Fleet to move its headquarters to Pearl Harbor. Roosevelt believed that the nation must begin preparing for a possible war. He also believed that while Pearl Harbor was still thousands of miles from the Japanese sphere of influence, the presence of the fleet in the Central Pacific sent a strong message of disapproval to Japan and might dissuade Japan from further incursions in the Far East. In the meantime, the United States continued to negotiate with Japan for it to cease its military actions, negotiations that continued until December 1941.

Richardson was respected as an expert on Japanese military tactics throughout the military and by civilian politicians. He expressed grave fears over headquartering the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, especially since Japan had a history of engaging in sneak attacks. He looked at the situation from a careful tactical standpoint. Pearl Harbor was a good natural harbor that had been under American control for decades. But Hawaii was more than two thousand miles away from mainland naval bases at San Francisco and San Diego, far from any emergency support, and unprepared for an attack. He brought his pointed criticisms of the situation to Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox and Admiral Harold Stark, the Chief of Naval Operations. Twice he went to Washington to explain his position in person, to no avail.

He pushed for increased air patrols and for bolstering the defenses of the facility. He coordinated with his army counterparts on war game scenarios to practice for a possible invasion, a practice begun by previous Pearl Harbor commanders. He was discouraged when army forces on the island were never able to repel a naval invasion.

Years after World War II, Richardson said that he never believed that a carrier-based attack on the base would happen. He had anticipated a more traditional naval invasion with battleships, destroyers, and landing troops. In 1940, however, the United States still had very few military resources to spare in spite of increasing preparations. In February 1941, Richardson was relieved of command in favor of Adm. Husband E. Kimmel.

Richardson was assigned to the Navy General Board, an advisory body within the Navy Department in Washington. Like the rest of the nation, he was shocked and horrified by the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He stepped down from the position in October 1942. He spent the remainder of the war working with the Navy Relief Society, a navy charity designed to help sailors and Marines and their families. He also worked as senior member of a special committee to reorganize Americas defenses.

After his formal retirement from active duty in 1947, he lived the rest of his life quietly in Washington, DC, occasionally writing on his naval experiences. In 1973, he released his memoirs, On the Treadmill to Pearl Harbor. He died at his home in 1974 at the age of 95.

Ken Bridges is a writer, historian and native Texan. He holds a doctorate from the University of North Texas. Bridges can be reached by email at drkenbridges@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Bridges: Adm. Richardson expressed early Pearl Harbor concerns
Deep fake of Bruce Willis in Russian advert

Bruce Willis's agent has denied reports that the film star has sold the rights to his face.

Last week, it was widely reported that Willis, in the first deal of its kind, had sold his face to a deepfake company called Deepcake.

However, a spokesperson for the actor told the BBC that he had "no partnership or agreement" with the company.

And a representative of Deepcake said only Willis had the rights to his face.

Willis announced his retirement from acting in March after being diagnosed with aphasia, a disorder that affects speech.

Deepfakes use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technology to create realistic videos - often of celebrities or politicians. For actors that can no longer act, the technology has the potential to be game-changing.

On 27 September, the Daily Mail that a deal had been struck between Willis and Deepcake.

"Two-time Emmy winner Bruce Willis can still appear in movies after selling his image rights to Deepcake," the story reads.

The story was picked up by the Telegraph and a series of other media outlets.

"Bruce Willis has become the first Hollywood star to sell his rights to allow a 'digital twin' of himself to be created for use on screen." said the Telegraph.

But that doesn't appear to be the case.

What is true is that a deepfake of Bruce Willis was used to create an advert for Megafon, a Russian telecoms company, last year.

Russian firm Deepcake used an authorized deepfake of the Bruce Willis in the commercial for telecoms company Megafon. The company uses an artificial neural network to impose Willis' image onto the face of a Russian actor pic.twitter.com/7bizoLsk2S  Reuters (@Reuters) September 22, 2021

The tech used in the advert was created by Deepcake, which describes itself as an AI company specializing in deepfakes.

Deepcake told the BBC it had worked closely with Willis' team on the advert.

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"What he definitely did is that he gave us his consent (and a lot of materials) to make his Digital Twin," they said.

The company says it has a unique library of high-resolution celebrities, influencers and historical figures.

On its website, Deepcake promotes its work with an apparent quote from Mr Willis: "I liked the precision of my character. It's a great opportunity for me to go back in time.

"The neural network was trained on content of Die Hard and Fifth Element, so my character is similar to the images of that time."

However, Willis's agent told the BBC, "Please know that Bruce has no partnership or agreement with this Deepcake company."

The BBC asked Willis's agent whether he had ever worked with Deepcake, or whether the quote used by the company was accurate.

The BBC has not yet received a response.

In a statement from Deepcake, the company said reports that it had bought the rights to Bruce Willis's face were inaccurate.

"The wording about rights is wrong Bruce couldn't sell anyone any rights, they are his by default," a representative for the company said.

The confusion highlights just how new this technology is - and the lack of clear rules around it.

AI replacement appears to be a growing trend. Darth Vader actor James Earl Jones has recently retired from playing the famous character, but his voice has carried on. Respeecher, another AI firm, has reportedly used archival materials and a proprietary algorithm to replicate the Vader vocals.

This summer, Disney released its latest Star Wars spinoff, Obi-Wan Kenobi. The show used Respeecher's technology to reproduce Vader's speech and even make him sound younger.

AI replacement, however, is controversial.

In April, Equity, the UK's performing arts workers union, launched the campaign, Stop AI Stealing The Show. Some are concerned AI deep fakes could take work away from actors.

There are also concerns that actors could lose control of their faces and voices.

You can follow Ben Derico and James Clayton on Twitter @ben_derico & @jamesclayton5
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP)  An exit poll in Bulgaria suggested Sunday that the center-right GERB party of ex-premier Boyko Borissov, a party blamed for presiding over years of corruption, will be the likely winner of Bulgarias parliamentary election.

The poll conducted by Gallup International showed the GERB party earning 24.6% support, apparently edging out the reformist We Continue the Change pro-Western party of former Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, which is expected to capture 18.9%. Still, the predicted percentage wont be enough for Borissovs party to form a one-party government, and the chances for a GERB-led coalition are slim.

The exit poll also predicted that eight parties could pass the 4% threshold to enter a fragmented parliament with populist and pro-Russia groups showing increased gains.

The European Union nations fourth election in 18 months was marked by a raging war nearby, political instability and economic hardships in the blocs poorest member. A low turnout reflected voter apathy.

Petkov conceded defeat late Sunday.

We lost the election, albeit by a small margin, and now GERB has the responsibility to form a coalition and govern the country, he said.

It could take days before the final official results are announced. If they confirm the exit poll, Borisov will be handed a mandate to form his fourth cabinet. It will be an uphill task for him to produce a stable governing coalition, however, since most political groups have in advance rejected any cooperation with his GERB party, which presided over years of corruption that hampered development.

The early election came after a fragile coalition led by Petkov lost a no-confidence vote in June. He claimed afterward that Moscow had used hybrid war tactics to bring down his government after it refused to pay gas bills in rubles and ordered an expulsion of Russian diplomats from Bulgaria.

The deputy chief of the European Council on Foreign Relations, Vessela Cherneva, said the predicted result could produce two types of coalitions: an anti-corruption coalition, in which GERB under Borissov would find no place, or a geopolitical coalition of the centrist parties, which would be possible only if Borissov resigns from leading his party.

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The scenario under which there is no coalition possible would undermine parliamentary democracy in Bulgaria and will further tilt the balance towards the pro-Russian President (Rumen) Radev, Cherneva said.

After casting his vote Sunday, Borissov told reporters that Bulgaria needs to clearly position itself on Russias war in Ukraine.

With this aggression, with this war with a clear aggressor in the face of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin  (I have) nothing against the Russian people  with this farce with the referendums, Bulgaria must be very clear, categorical, and precise about its place in the European Union and NATO, he said.

He said getting Bulgaria into Europes 19-nation shared currency eurozone should be the next governments most important task.

Petkov ran on promises to continue efforts to eradicate corruption, but a European energy crisis sparked by Russias war on Ukraine was the dominant economic theme for voters.

Many Bulgarians share pro-Russia sentiments, which provides fertile soil for aggressive Kremlin propaganda in the Balkan country.

The pro-Russia party Vazrazhdane, riding on those feelings, captured 10.2% of the vote, up from 4.9% in the previous election, the exit poll predicted.

Unlike the stance taken by the EU, which has fully condemned Russias war in Ukraine and slapped sanctions on Russia for it, Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov has urged full neutrality for Bulgaria in the war.
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP)  Burkina Faso's ousted coup leader Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba left the country for Togo Sunday two days after he himself was overthrown in a coup, while the new junta urged citizens not to loot or vandalize.

Damiba's departure was confirmed by two diplomats who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. It was not known whether Togo was his final destination.

Earlier Sunday, religious leaders who had mediated between the factions said that Damiba had offered his resignation as long as his security and other conditions were met. A junta representative later announced on state television that their leader, Capt. Ibrahim Traore, officially has been named head of state following the Friday coup that ousted Damiba.

Their power grab marked Burkina Faso's second military coup this year, deepening fears that the political chaos could divert attention from an Islamic insurgency whose violence has killed thousands and forced 2 million to flee their homes. It followed unrest in Ouagadougou, the capital, in which mobs on Saturday attacked the French embassy and other French-related sites, wrongly believing that they were sheltering Damiba.

Along with agreeing not to harm or prosecute him, Damiba also asked Traore and the new junta leadership to respect the commitments already made to the West African regional bloc ECOWAS. Damiba, who came to power in a coup last January, had recently reached an agreement to hold an election by 2024.

In a statement late Sunday, ECOWAS said it would be sending a team of mediators to Ouagadougou on Monday including former Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou.

The ECOWAS statement, signed by Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, noted that Damiba had resigned in order to avoid a violent confrontation and possible bloodshed."

Earlier in the day, the new junta leadership had called for an end to the unrest that engulfed Ouagadouou in wake of Friday night's coup.

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In a statement broadcast on state television, junta representative Capt. Kiswendsida Farouk Azaria Sorgho called on people to desist from any act of violence and vandalism" especially those against the French Embassy or the French military base.

Anti-French sentiment rose sharply after the new junta alleged that interim president Damiba was sheltering at a French military base following his ouster. France vehemently denied the allegation, but soon protesters with torches thronged the perimeter of the French Embassy in Ouagadougou.

Saturdays violence was condemned by the French Foreign Ministry, which denied any involvement in the rapidly developing events. French Institutes in Ouagadougou and the countrys second-largest city, Bobo-Dioulasso, had also been targeted and French citizens were urged to be very cautious.

The situation is very volatile in Burkina Faso, a French spokeswoman told The Associated Press on Sunday.

Damiba came to power in January promising to secure the country from jihadi violence. However, the situation only deteriorated as jihadis imposed blockades on towns and have intensified attacks. Last week, at least 11 soldiers were killed and 50 civilians went missing after a supply convoy was attacked by gunmen in Gaskinde commune in the Sahel. The group of officers led by Traore said Friday that Damiba had failed and was being removed.

To some in Burkina Fasos military, Damiba also was seen as too cozy with former colonizer France, which maintains a military presence in Africas Sahel region to help countries fight Islamic extremists.

Some who support the new coup leader, Traore, have called on Burkina Fasos government to seek Russian support instead. Outside the state broadcaster on Sunday, supporters of Traore were seen cheering and waving Russian flags.

In neighboring Mali, the coup leader has invited Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group to help with security, a move than has drawn global condemnation and accusations of human rights abuses.

Conflict analysts say Damiba was probably too optimistic about what he could achieve in the short term but that a change at the top didnt mean that the country's security situation would improve.

The problems are too profound and the crisis is deeply rooted, said Heni Nsaibia, a senior researcher at the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, adding that "militant groups will most likely continue to exploit" the country's political disarray.

___ Mednick reported from Barcelona. Associated Press writers Jeffrey Schaeffer in Paris and Krista Larson in Dakar, Senegal contributed.
Capt Ibrahim Traore says the entire country faces an emergency in every sector

Burkina Faso's ousted military ruler has gone to neighbouring Togo after rival officers seized power in a coup on Friday, Togo's government has said.

Togo had taken in Lt Col Paul-Henri Damiba for the sake of regional peace, Akodah Ayewouadan added.

New military ruler Capt Ibrahim Traore has urged cabinet ministers to "move faster" to tackle "urgent" problems.

An Islamist insurgency in Burkina Faso has worsened since Lt Col Damiba seized power in January.

On Sunday, religious and community leaders said he had formally resigned after Capt Traore agreed to meet his conditions.

In a recording widely shared on social media, Lt-Col Damiba said he wished Burkina Faso's new leader every success. It is not known if he was alone when it was made.

Capt Traore said Burkina Faso was facing an emergency in every sector,"from security to defence, to health, to social action, to infrastructure".

It was time for government to "abandon the unnecessary red tape", he added.

Capt Traore wants fast solutions to big problems, which some fear signals a turn towards Russia.

Russia and France are engaged in a battle for influence in several former French colonies in West and Central Africa.

At the weekend there were attacks on French institutions, after it was reported that Lt Col Damiba was sheltering at a French military base in the capital, Ouagadougou.

France's foreign ministry said they were the work of "hostile demonstrators" who had been "manipulated by a disinformation campaign against us".

Some in Ouagadougou chanted pro-Russian slogans and waved Russian flags as they greeted the new junta leader and his convoy on Sunday.

He regards former colonial power France as an ally of the man he ousted, and has spoken of his willingness to work with new partners to fight Islamist insurgents - and analysts believe that could mean hiring Russian mercenaries.

Russian military contractors are said to be active in neighbouring Mali, after French forces pulled out following a row with that country's military leaders. The Russians are accused by rights groups of committing abuses and massacres of civilians, which Russia has always denied.

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The head of the Russian mercenary Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has welcomed the takeover in Burkina Faso.

Meanwhile, the Russian government said on Monday it "would like the situation in Burkina Faso to normalise as soon possible".

Lt Col Paul-Henri Damiba toppled Burkina Faso's elected president in January

Burkina Faso controls as little as 60% of its territory, experts say, and Islamist violence is worsening.

The African Union has demanded the return of constitutional order by July 2023 at the latest, agreeing with the regional group Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) that the ousting of leader Lt Col Damiba was "unconstitutional".

But Ecowas has since praised "the various parties in Burkina Faso for agreeing to a peaceful settlement of their differences", as days of power struggles came to an end without bloodshed.

Lt Col Damiba formally resigned on Sunday in exchange for the new junta agreeing to respect seven conditions - including a guarantee of his personal and family security, an agreement to continue with efforts at national reconciliation and a continued respect for the guarantee of returning to civilian rule within two years.

The deposed colonel had himself ousted President Roch Kabore in January, saying that he had failed to deal with growing militant Islamist violence.

Many citizens in Burkina Faso have not felt safe for some time.

The Islamist insurgency broke out in the country in 2015, leaving thousands dead and forcing an estimated two million people from their homes.

This is Burkina Faso's ninth coup since independence from France in 1960.

Additional reporting by Farouk Chothia
sliced butter stick

Photography: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox

European butters are everywhere, but as you may have noticed, they tend to cost more than the sweet cream butter you're probably used to buying. Some varieties are only $1 more; others are almost twice the price.

One of the most coveted European butters is Le Beurre Bordier from France, which you'll struggle to find stateside, but can be purchased online for the pretty price of $14 for just 125g of butter (about one stick).

If you've ever wondered how and when to use European butter, or why it costs more, let us explain.

What Is European Butter?

It's a style of cultured butter that has been churned longer to achieve a higher butterfat content. Butter is mainly two things: water and fat. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), butter has to be at least 80% butter fat by law, but in Europe that number is slightly higher at 82%, hence the extra churning. Typically, European butter is also allowed to ferment, so it has a slightly tangy taste, but can also be made with added cultures to achieve the same lightly sour flavor.

It's not to be confused with Irish butter, which has also started cropping up in the grocery store. While European butter is most often sold unsalted and cultured, Irish butter is most often sold salted and uncultured. It's also has a high butterfat content of 82%, but is a vibrant yellow color thanks to grass-fed cows whose milk is tinted with beta carotene from lush Irish grasslands.

Is European Butter Better For Baking?

Before you go swapping out the butter in your fridge, you should know that European butters' higher fat content is not always what you want when baking.

European butter is ideal for laminating doughs, like croissants, where the higher fat and lower water content makes the butter more pliable and easier to sheet into thin layers. The 2% butterfat difference may not seem like much, but with something as precise as lamination, it can help define the layers.

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In other baking applications, subbing European butter for regular can lead to greasy and dense baked goods. European butter is often said to enhance the butter flavor in baked goods, but once blended into a dough or batter, that added flavor most often gets lost.

It can also negatively impact the texture of baked goods. For example, European butter can yield less flaky all-butter piecrusts as the water in butter is what creates steam, and steam is what creates flakes in the piecrust. So less water means fewer flakes.

What's The Best Way To Use European Butter?

On toast. You'll really get to taste the butter, enjoy it in its purest form, and make the most of the extra money spent.

Aside from toast, it's best used in places where butter is a star ingredient, and you'll really have the opportunity to taste it. When it comes to baking, if you're ambitious enough to try laminating at home, pick some up. Otherwise, you can stick with your favorite American brand.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Although Caleb Williams and No. 6 Southern California never trailed against Arizona State, the Trojans also couldn't pull away during a fairly average first half by their newly ambitious standards under coach Lincoln Riley.

It just wasn't quite us, Riley said. Wasn't quite the edge that we're used to playing with, and that we expect to play with.

Williams and the Trojans found their edge in the second half, and they used it to slice straight through the Sun Devils on the way to another big win.

Williams passed for 348 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another score, keeping USC unbeaten in Riley's first season with a 42-25 victory Saturday night.

Mario Williams, Malcolm Epps and Kyron Hudson caught TD passes from Caleb Williams, who returned to elite form after struggling through much of the Trojans' nail-biting 17-14 win at Oregon State last weekend. Travis Dye also rushed for 62 yards and two second-half touchdowns for USC (5-0, 3-0 Pac-12).

You come off a win like Oregon State, and it's almost like you feel like you're over the hump, and you're thinking, OK, we made it, Dye said. That's absolutely never the case. You're never at the point where you've made it. We had to realize that, and we did in the second half.

Caleb Williams led the way. The Oklahoma transfer marched the Trojans up and down the field against Arizona State for 485 total yards while demonstrating that his elusiveness, accuracy and playmaking acumen were all fully intact.

Some things just don't go your way, Caleb Williams said with a shrug about his comeback from last week. I went through the week how I normally go through the week. Did the same things. Some things go your way, some don't.

Emory Jones passed for 243 yards and Xazavian Valladay rushed for two touchdowns for the Sun Devils (1-4, 0-2), who gave an encouraging effort in their second game under interim head coach Shaun Aguano after the firing of Herm Edwards.

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Absolutely there is improvement, Aguano said. Im sitting here because Im not real happy about it, but I thought we could play and finish this game against them. We came in at halftime, we had the attention of those kids.

Valladay and Jones scored early TDs to keep the game close for nearly three quarters, but Arizona State's offense stalled on three straight drives while USC pulled away. The Sun Devils had minus-6 yards rushing in the second half.

Offensive side, they did their job," ASU safety Khoury Bethley said. They kept us in the game today. Defense, we didnt step up to the plate, though. ... Offense played like that, you think you should win the game. So defense, we're taking full responsibility for this one.

Jordan Addison had eight catches for 105 yards for the Trojans, who are off to their first 5-0 start since 2020  but their first in a full season since 2006, near the height of the Pete Carroll era.

USC's first three drives all ended in touchdowns, with Caleb Williams sneaking in for the first score. The quarterback also showed off his elusiveness while evading several near-sacks, and his across-the-body scoring pass to Mario Williams was an exceptional play.

But Arizona State was nearly as effective on offense, making three straight scoring drives longer than 50 yards to stay within 21-17 at halftime. Jones went 9 of 11 for 117 yards, while Valladay rushed for 57 yards and made a 29-yard TD reception.

USC's defense again struggled to get important stops, continuing a theme for a unit that didn't get the massive influx of elite transfer talent received by the offense. The Trojans also committed six penalties in the first half, including an offensive holding call that erased an 82-yard TD catch by Mario Williams.

Hudson scored his first career touchdown with 10:54 to play. Valladay replied with 6:16 left, but Addison recovered an onside kick before Dye put it away with several gritty runs leading up to his second TD with 3:46 to play.

FIRST BLEMISH

Caleb Williams committed USCs first turnover of the season on the opening drive of the second half, underthrowing Addison in the end zone for an interception by Timarcus Davis. The Trojans had been the only team left in the FBS without a turnover.

THE TAKEAWAY

Arizona St.: The Sun Devils might be in transition, but they clearly don't intend to write off the rest of this season, as they showed with a spirited effort against a Top-10 opponent. Jones and Valladay are big-time playmakers who could make ASU dangerous in the second half of the season.

USC: Caleb Williams is the engine driving the Trojans' powerhouse offense, and he was in elite, feisty form. If he stays healthy, USC has the potential and talent to outscore just about anybody.

The defense? It still isn't at the offense's level, but that won't matter in some games.

UP NEXT

Arizona St.: Hosts Washington on Saturday.

USC: Hosts Washington State on Saturday.

___

More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Police in Stockton have released this image of a person of interest in the fatal shootings. (Photo: Stockton Police Department)

Police in Stockton have released this image of a person of interest in the fatal shootings. (Photo: Stockton Police Department)

Five recent murders in Stockton, California, over the last three months are believed to be connected, authorities said Friday while announcing an $85,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest.

All five male victims, between the ages of 21 and 54, were fatally shot while walking alone in the evening or early morning hours. Four of the five victims were Hispanic, though Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden said theres no indication that its a hate crime.

The shootings, which McFadden said appear to involve an element of surprise, started on July 8 with the death of a 35-year-old man. The most recent killing was Tuesday and took the life of the oldest victim, 54.

All five men were fatally shot while walking alone in the evening or early morning hours, police said. (Photo: Stockton Police Department)

All five men were fatally shot while walking alone in the evening or early morning hours, police said. (Photo: Stockton Police Department)

We have a series of homicides that we believe are interconnected, McFadden said at a press conference. By definition, you could probably very well call this serial killings.

Police have released an image showing what they said is a person of interest in the killings, though authorities said it remains unclear how this person could be involved, if at all. Its also unclear whether there could be more than one person involved.

At this time we dont know if its a person, two or three. We just dont know, McFadden said.

He urged residents to stay alert and aware of their surroundings, especially if alone and its after dark.

Information about the killings can be submitted to 209-937-8167 or emailed to policetips@stocktonca.gov or shared anonymously at stocktoncrimestoppers.org.

The city of Stockton is offering a $75,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest, and Stockton Crime Stoppers is offering $10,000, totaling $85,000 in reward money.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...
Developer Rick Caruso, left, and Rep. Karen Bass greet each other after the Sept. 21 mayoral debate at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Rick Caruso has made significant progress in the race for mayor, closing a large part of the gap with Rep. Karen Bass since August, but the billionaire businessman still trails by double digits among the people who are likeliest to vote.

Those findings from the latest UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll, sponsored by The Times, highlight key dynamics as the mayoral race heads into its final weeks:

Bass, backed by most of the elected Democratic leadership in California, has a strong hold on her fellow partisans, who make up the bulk of the Los Angeles electorate. Caruso, backed by tens of millions of dollars from his personal fortune, has a path forward, but one that depends on getting potential supporters who are not frequent voters to show up for a mayoral election with few other major draws on the ballot.

Still, Caruso, whose ubiquitous visage recently returned to the region's airwaves, has gained ground from a month ago. Among all registered voters, he's now behind by just 3 percentage points, 34%-31%  within the poll's margin of error. That's down from a 12-point gap in August.

Among likely voters, however, Bass continues to lead by 15 points, 46%-31%, down from a 21-point lead a month ago.

Determining which voters are likely to turn out in an election is a complicated task for pollsters. The Berkeley poll, which was accurate in the June primary, defines likely voters as those who have a history of voting in recent elections and who indicated they were highly interested in voting this fall.

Those likely voters tend to be older, richer and whiter and are more likely to be registered Democrats and to identify as strongly liberal than the electorate as a whole.

"The actionable information in a poll is with likely voters because elections are decided by people who actually vote," said Bill Burton, a Democratic strategist and former aide to President Obama who worked on Councilman Joe Buscaino's mayoral campaign and is supporting Bass.

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The path forward for Caruso, the poll suggests and outside analysts concur, is to push up turnout among voters who so far appear less interested in the race.

That would include many Latino voters, whose engagement in the race so far lags behind other groups. Caruso and Bass are running close to even among Latino voters, while Bass has a large lead among Black voters  she's one of only two Black members of the Los Angeles congressional delegation  and among white voters.

Caruso has a well of potential support among voters who have cast ballots in at least some previous elections but whose level of interest in the race was too low for pollsters to deem them likely voters. Angelenos who voted in at least one previous election and said they were only moderately interested in voting favored Caruso over Bass 33%-14% with about half undecided. A similar margin held among respondents who indicated they had a low interest in voting.

Caruso brings several major assets to the effort to motivate those voters: This fall he is slated to spend at least $20 million on TV advertising, according to data from media tracking firm AdImpact. He has also invested heavily in a canvassing and door-knocking operation aimed at motivating less engaged voters. Those operations are firmly focused in communities that are predominantly Latino  like Boyle Heights and the east San Fernando Valley.

Working against him is a history of fairly low turnout in municipal elections and a lack of other compelling races on the ballot. Although there are several contested congressional elections in the region, none are in the city of Los Angeles, and most of the statewide races in California do not appear competitive.

"I don't think there's any reason for anybody to show up in this election who isn't organically already going to show up in this election. What I mean by that is if you're not always voting, you're not showing up," said Orange County pollster Adam Probolsky, who does extensive work in the city, including polls of the mayoral race and research for opponents of a property sales tax that will be on the November ballot. The proceeds of that proposed tax, which Caruso opposes and Bass hasn't taken a position on, would mostly fund the construction of housing for homeless and poor Angelenos.

Latino voters show a stark gap between those who are engaged in the race and those who are not. Bass leads 36%-29% and is viewed more favorably among Latino likely voters; with the broader pool of all registered Latino voters, Caruso leads 34%-25% and has a slightly higher favorability.

A similar phenomenon plays out in the populous San Fernando Valley, where Bass and Caruso are essentially tied, 41%-40%, among likely voters, but Caruso leads by a dozen points, 40%-28%, among registered voters. In August, registered voters in the Valley favored Caruso by just 2 points.

In addition to reminding people he's on the ballot and getting his supporters to vote, Caruso has begun to attack Bass relentlessly on the air and the web  for a scholarship she received to attend USC's school of social work and a speech she gave at a Scientology event more than a decade ago. Bass has hit back in advertising of her own, trying to tie Caruso to the college admissions bribery scandal, which occurred when he was on USC's board.

The current poll began surveying voters just as Caruso began his barrage of general election advertisements. That onslaught appears to have had an effect on Bass' image in at least some key parts of the city.

In August, 61% of registered voters on the Westside had a favorable view of Bass. That number has dropped to 43% in the current poll, with 27% saying they had an unfavorable view and 30% saying they had no opinion.

Across the city, Bass is viewed favorably by 53% of likely voters and 40% of registered voters. Just a quarter of voters in either category have an unfavorable view of her.

"The negative advertising must be having some effect there," said Berkeley IGS poll director Mark DiCamillo, who has been surveying California voters for decades.

"Whenever people are changing their minds about a candidate, it usually happens in two stages. It doesn't go from 'I like them' to 'I hate them.' It goes from 'I like them' to 'I'm not sure,' and that's where we are with the overall electorate  on the Westside anyways."

Despite the drop in favorability, the survey found that voters perceived Bass to be more honest, ethical and experienced than Caruso, while the businessman was thought to be more fiscally responsible.

Bass has focused on building her strength among Democrats and liberals  emphasizing her history as an advocate for abortion rights and characterizing her opponent as an interloper who only became a Democrat to run for mayor.

Caruso had been a Republican for much of his adult life. He says he switched parties because the GOP became too extreme. He insists he favors abortion rights and always has even though in the past he's financially supported antiabortion politicians, including Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican Senate leader.

Even with Caruso's $62-million outlay on this campaign and deep investments in turning out the vote, the composition and demographics of who shows up on election day or mails in ballots heavily favor Bass.

Among registered voters who are Democrats, Bass leads by about 25 percentage points, and among likely voters who are registered Democrats, she leads by nearly 40 points. This advantage among the city's largest voting bloc has been in place since the primary.

One issue that potentially could still shake up the race, however, is homelessness, said Probolsky. Anger over the problem might bring infrequent voters to the ballot box, he said.

The poll found that voters feel homelessness has an effect on their lives and believe the mayor is capable of doing something about the crisis. Among likely voters, 91% said that homelessness affects their life directly or indirectly, and 55% said that the mayor can have a major effect in solving the crisis. Another 30% said the mayor can play only a minor role in solving Los Angeles homelessness problem.

Bass has put forward a plan to bring 15,000 people indoors by trying to wring as much as possible out of the current system in order to expand interim and permanent housing.

That's a far smaller scale than Caruso envisions. He wants to build 30,000 interim housing units in his first year in office. To realize this expensive plan, he wants to build tiny houses for 15,000 people and temporarily place another 15,000 people in sleeping pods in existing structures, such as warehouses and empty buildings.

Caruso continues to speak out loudly about the issue and attempts to tie Bass to policy failures of previous administrations and the growing count.

For voters, "there's no reason for me to show up this election unless I'm passionate about always voting  with one caveat, and that is homelessness," Probolsky said.

"If that's all he talks about between now and [election day], he could possibly bring some of those people to actually show up."

The Berkeley IGS poll was conducted Sept. 22-26 among 1,688 Los Angeles registered voters, of whom 1,349 were deemed likely to vote in the November election. The sample was weighted to match census and voter registration benchmarks. Because of weighting, precise estimates of the margin of error are difficult, but the results are estimated to have a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points in either direction for the full registered voter sample and 4 points for the likely voter sample.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
SheKnows

Andie MacDowells daughter Rainey Qualley just took our breath away with her new modeling campaign. Oct 13, Qualley shared a series of photos from her new photoshoot with Versace, with the punny caption, Such a Socra-tease @versace #versacegrecagoddess. You can see the show-stopping photos here! In the first photo, we see Qualley resting on the []
In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, many Central Florida schools released updated information about when students will return to the classroom.

Eyewitness News is monitoring Central Florida school districts and will update information as it comes into our newsroom.

We put together the following county-by-county list.

Brevard County:

Scheduled weekend activities resumed on Saturday, Oct. 1, for Brevard County Public Schools.

The next normal day of school for students and teachers will be Monday, Oct. 3.

Brevard Public Schools will reopen on Saturday morning, October 1st, for scheduled weekend activities.

Students and staff will return to school on Monday, October 3rd. We hope everyone was able to get through the storm with limited damage. Please stay safe this weekend.  Brevard Schools (@BrevardSchools) September 30, 2022

Flagler County:

After an assessment of the damage caused by Hurricane Ian, Flagler Schools Superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt said classes for all students will resume on Monday, Oct. 3 on the regular schedule.

Neighborhoods that require alternate bus stops have been released to specific families.

Lake County:

The Lake County school district said it expects to resume normal school and district office operations on Monday, Oct. 3.

Marion County:

Marion County Public Schools expect to reopen on Monday, Oct. 3, during its normal operating hours. This will include all schools, departments and district offices.

Orange County:

Orange County Public Schools said they will not reopen Monday, Oct. 3 because of safety concerns and power outages.

Currently, there are 44 schools without power or partial power.

OCPS said they plan to reopen schools and resume normal operations on Tuesday, Oct. 4.

Because of flooding at Riverdale Elementary, students and staff will return to school on Thursday, Oct. 6, and be temporarily relocated to East River High School.

Story continues

Read: Riverdale Elementary floods after Hurricane Ian passes through Orange County

After consultation with Orange County officials, schools will NOT reopen Monday, Oct. 3 due to safety concerns and continued power outages at several schools. Our plan is to reopen schools and resume normal operations Tues., October 4.

Activities will resume sometime next week. pic.twitter.com/T1liwPPiyn  ocpsnews (@OCPSnews) October 1, 2022

Osceola County:

Osceola district public schools will remain closed through Monday, Oct. 3, and schools will reopen Tuesday, Oct. 4, for students and teachers.

Despite efforts to recover and reopen as quickly as possible, all Osceola public schools will remain closed on Monday (Oct. 3) to ensure safe learning environments for students. Schools will reopen on Tuesday (Oct 4). Make-up days will be determined, if required by the state. pic.twitter.com/qusl8yegOn  Osceola Schools (@Osceolaschools) September 30, 2022

Read: We came out on top: Melbourne baby born during Hurricane Ian

Seminole County:

Seminole County Schools said they plan to reopen schools for students and staff on Monday, Oct. 3. Absences for students whose families are struggling with power outages or flooding will be excused.

If bus stops are deemed to have unsafe routes, the transportation department team will notify impacted families on Sunday, Oct. 2.

Sumter County:

Sumter district schools will reopen Monday, Oct. 3 if it is safe to do so. Schedule updates will be posted here.

Volusia County:

Volusia County schools said they are scheduled to reopen on Wednesday, Oct. 5.

VCS SCHOOL REOPENING UPDATE - @volusiaschools are scheduled to reopen on Wednesday, October 5, 2022. pic.twitter.com/pvUeEwGOcS  Volusia County Schools (@volusiaschools) October 1, 2022

Read: Volusia County rebuilds, restores power after widespread damage from Hurricane Ian

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.
Plus, 15 years of the Rome Sustainable Food Project and her go-to restaurants in the Eternal City.

Altrospazio/Courtesy of American Academy in Rome Preparing ravioli at the Rome Sustainable Food Project.

One New York evening, Alice Waters found herself at a party with Adele Chatfield-Taylor, then president of the American Academy in Rome. The academy had hosted the likes of Maya Lin, Roy Lichtenstein, and Chang-rae Lee through its esteemed fellowship program  but, Chatfield-Taylor explained, the food wasnt quite as brilliant as the visiting luminaries.

Fifteen years later, the collaboration that resulted has grown into Waterss Rome Sustainable Food Project: part farm-restaurant, part culinary incubator, and one of the most innovative kitchens in the city. (Its exclusive reservations are certainly among the most coveted.) The network Waters and team have created with local farmers and purveyors, and the long list of chefs who have come through the Gianicolo campus, continue to spread the farm-to-table message well beyond the Academys walls.

T+L spoke to Waters, who visits Rome regularly from her home in California, about where food goes from here, and where travelers can taste Italys long tradition of local cuisine.

Bethany Mollenkof/The New York Times/Redux Chef Alice Waters has been a pioneer of the farm-to-table food movement.

Travel + Leisure: What drew you to Italy?

Alice Waters: "When I first visited Rome in the sixties, it was so hot I cooled off in the fountains. But I loved the culture from the start. I suppose the deeper love came when I met Carlo Petrini, the founder of Slow Food. It was in the early days of the movement, but I felt like a member already. Were so detached from that way of eating in the U.S., but the Italians  thank God for Carlo  still have a strong local tradition. Industrialization is everywhere, but there are many in Italy pushing back in a big way, with people across disciplines thinking about food."

What was your vision for your work in Rome?

"This was always about building a new educational model. It was once believed that food would be a distraction from academics, which was strange  what better place for exchanging ideas than at the table? It was completely intuitive. I brought Mona Talbott, who worked with me at Chez Panisse, to be the first head chef at RSFP. Chez Panisse had always had interns, and we continued that in Rome  teaching young cooks how to purchase food directly from farms. It began simply, just foraging around to find the right ingredients. One early find was a regenerative farmer, Giovanni Bernabei. We still get produce from him. His picture is hanging above the stove."

Story continues

Altrospazio/Courtesy of American Academy in Rome The campus of the American Academy in Rome, home of the RSFP.

How has the RSFP evolved over time?

"At the first lunch, back in 2007, we probably had a third of the fellows. Second day, everybody. There was an immediate energy, and its really changed the intellectual character of the academy, which is now bringing in scholars who are thinking about landscape and climate change. An institution like that should have the most advanced thinking about food systems. Weve collected that wealth of knowledge into a series of cookbooks. The most recent is Carne, but we also have Pasta, Verdure, Zuppe, Biscotti"

Where are your favorite spots to experience this kind of food in Rome?

"My favorite place to eat is Armando al Pantheon, a Slow Food restaurant right by the Pantheon. Other organic restaurants I love are Piatto Romano, in Testaccio. And in Ostiense, Trattoria Pennestri and Marigold, a cafe just down the street."



Riccardo Lopez/Courtesy of American Academy in Rome Nectarines growing in the Academys kitchen garden.

What has this work taught you?

"My nonprofit, the Edible Schoolyard, is based on the idea of school-supported agriculture. I always use the example of the Academy, and how quickly it won people over, to show what is possible. Weve been so indoctrinated to think its impossible to change our food system, but I know its not. And the great news, the beauty of it all, is that the best-tasting food is the food thats procured locally, in season. I call it a 'delicious revolution.'"



To dine at the Rome Sustainable Food Project, join the Friends of the Academy; from $250 for a dual membership.

A version of this story first appeared in the September 2022 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline "Growing Together."
CHICAGO  A man was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police officers in Chicago'sOld Town neighborhood Sunday morning, according to police.

Officers were investigating reports of an armed man in the 400 block of West Blackhawk Street shortly after 5 a.m. They encountered a man with a gun at the location and shots were fired, police said.

The man was shot and died at the scene. Police said they found a weapon nearby. One police officer went to the hospital for observation.

The Civilian Office for Police Accountability is investigating, while the officers involved are placed on routine administrative duties for 30 days.


MUMBAI (Reuters) - Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp on Sunday said it was "disappointed" with an Indian order that froze $682 million of its assets and would continue to protect its interests.

An Indian appellate authority on Friday confirmed an April order by India's federal financial crime fighting agency, the Enforcement Directorate, to seize 55.51 billion rupees, saying a probe found Xiaomi had made illegal remittances to foreign entities by passing them off as royalty payments.

The Chinese smart devices firm in a statement on Sunday said that over 84% of 55.51 billion Indian rupees seized by the Enforcement Directorate earlier this year was the royalty payment made to U.S. chipset company Qualcomm Group

"We will continue to use all means to protect the reputation and interests of the company and our stakeholders," it said.

The company said that Xiaomi India is an affiliate and one of the Xiaomi Group companies, which entered into a legal agreement with Qualcomm to license IP for manufacturing smartphones.

Both Xiaomi and Qualcomm believe that it is a legitimate commercial arrangement for Xiaomi India to pay Qualcomm royalty, the statement said.

With an 18% share each, Xiaomi and Samsung together lead the smartphone market in India, the world's second biggest after China, according to data from Counterpoint Research.

Many Chinese companies have struggled to do business in India due to political tensions following a border clash in 2020.

India has cited security concerns in banning more than 300 Chinese apps since then, including popular ones such TikTok, and also tightened rules for Chinese companies investing in India.

(Reporting by Rupam Jain; Editing by Sandra Maler)
The 0-4 Colorado Buffaloes are in search of their first road win since 2020 as they travel to face the Arizona Wildcats in Tucson on Saturday.

In less than one calendar year, the Buffs have gone from beating the Wildcats 34-0 last season to becoming nearly 20-point underdogs against the same opponent. How did that happen? Well, CUs offensive struggles have taken a step back while Arizona and its new quarterback Jayden de Laura have done quite the opposite.

The Buffs and Wildcats are set for some Pac-12 After Dark action on Saturday, and below is all the information you need to watch or stream the action.

Here's when you should tune in to see the game

Date: Saturday, Oct. 1

Time: 7:30 p.m. MT (6:30 p.m. PT)

TV Channel: Pac-12 Network

Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)

Colorado at Arizona injury report

Colorado

TE Brady Russell: Out (low-grade ankle sprain)

S Isaiah Lewis: Out

RB Alex Fontenot: Out (chest bruise)

WR Chase Sowell: Out

WR Chase Penry: Out

P Ashton Logan: Out (illness)

Arizona

RB Rayshon Luke: Out indefinitely (leg)

S Jaxen Turner: Doubtful (shoulder)

Players to watch

Colorado

QB Owen McCown is set to make his second career start

S Jeremy Mack totaled four tackles against UCLA and could see the field more with Isaiah Lewis likely out

WR Maurice Bell was McCowns most-targeted receiver last week

Arizona

RB Michael Wiley will likely be used heavily against Colorados struggling run defense

WR Jacob Cowing recorded 133 receiving yards and a touchdown against Cal

DE Jalen Harris won the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week in early September

Further reading

[lawrence-related id=11152,11120,11038,11031]

Story originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield), at lectern, recently unveiled what Republicans plan if they take control of the House. That prospect seems highly likely, given the political climate and the congressional map. (Alex Wong / Getty Images)

With election day now just over five weeks away, we peer into our crystal ball  which is foggier than a summer morning in San Francisco  and answer questions.

Lets get right to it. Will Republicans take control of Congress?

I have absolutely no clue.

So what good are you?

Thats something my bosses have been asking for years.

Seriously. Are things that uncertain?

Yes and no.

With the proviso that politics, like life, is full of surprises, it seems pretty certain Republicans will take control of the House for the first time since they lost the majority in 2018, in the last midterm election.

Defying polls and many, ahem, pundits, the GOP gained 14 House seats in 2020 even as President Trump lost the White House. (If you still insist on believing that election was stolen, you may want to quit reading here and go re-up your membership in the Flat Earth Society.)

Go on.

With that considerable head start, Republicans need only five seats to take back the House. The GOP is poised to pick up four seats just through the partisan drawing of congressional districts that followed the last census. So they're almost there.

Heck, Republicans could gain four seats in Florida alone, where Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed the handiwork of the GOP-run Legislature to push through a political map that's even more egregiously slanted in the party's favor.

Of course, Republicans are also defending a number of seats, including several in California. But it would take something close to a miracle for Democrats to hang onto the House.

What about the Senate?

That's far less clear.

The chamber is split 50-50, with Democrats enjoying nominal control thanks to Vice President Kamala Harris, who is on permanent standby to break ties. That's how President Biden has managed to pass a good deal of his agenda.

Yes, but what about the election?

For a time, it seemed Republicans would pick up three or more Senate seats, easily regaining the majority they lost in January 2021. (Two Georgia contests went into overtime after the November 2020 election, and Democrats won both runoffs.)

Story continues

But today the fight for control seems like a toss-up.

A pair of uber-Trumpy nominees, Blake Masters in Arizona and Don Bolduc in New Hampshire, may have removed those states, which backed Biden in 2020, from the competitive category for Republicans.

Democrats are also faring better than expected, for the moment anyway, in Republican-tilting Ohio and North Carolina.

So it all comes down to the Buckeye and Tar Heel states?

Probably not.

Control of the Senate will most likely be decided by four states: Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Biden carried each of those, but not by much.

In Nevada and Georgia, respectively, incumbents Catherine Cortez Masto and Raphael Warnock are defending Democratic-held seats, while Republican Ron Johnson is seeking his third term in Wisconsin. The Senate race in Pennsylvania is for an open seat held by retiring Republican Patrick J. Toomey.

Wisconsin and Pennsylvania are looking better for the GOP than they had been, as Republicans increasingly lean into the crime issue. So it could come down to Nevada and Georgia.

Well, at least we'll know one way or the other on Nov. 8, or soon after.

Not necessarily. If no candidate wins a majority in Georgia, there will be a Dec. 6 runoff. So there may be another month of campaigning before control of the Senate is known.

Oy. What do polls show?

Surveys suggest most of the key Senate races are exceedingly close. But bear in mind, this is a highly unusual midterm election, which means any forecasts should be taken with an extra dollop of caution.

Unusual how?

There are all sorts of never-before variables.

No one alive has ever seen anything like the Jan. 6 insurrection. The Supreme Court's June decision overturning the 50-year-old right to abortion is also without modern precedent, and has already reshaped the political landscape by energizing Democrats. Usually it's the party out of power in Washington that is better able to rally its supporters.

And then, not least, there's the congenitally attention-seeking Trump. He's kept himself brashly in the news like no other ex-president, drawing at least some of the focus away from Biden ahead of the midterms, which are typically a referendum on the incumbent and his policies.

All of that has boosted Democratic hopes that November will bring something more akin to a red wavelet than a tsunami. But there's still a considerable ways to go.

Isn't there a cliche that goes here?

The one about so-many-days being a lifetime in politics?

That's it!

Uh, pass.

Anything else worth noting?

There are 36 gubernatorial races. Most, however, are like California's, where Democrat Gavin Newsom is waltzing to reelection  which is to say they are unlikely to result in a partisan shift in power.

Two likely exceptions are Maryland and Massachusetts, blue states that seem destined to flip to Democrats after Republicans nominated Trump loyalists.

The best hopes for Republican gains appear to be in Kansas, Nevada and Wisconsin. In the meantime, an unusual three-way contest in Oregon has raised the prospect that the Democratic-leaning state could elect an independent as governor, or maybe even a Republican for the first time in 40 years.

So much of the focus has been on Congress.

True. And that overlooks the growing importance of state races, as policies on abortion, guns and other issues are coming more and more to depend on which party holds power at that level.

Significantly, you also have several states where election deniers are running for governor, including Arizona and Wisconsin  where Republicans Kari Lake and Tim Michels, respectively, could cause all sorts of trouble if they win, gaining sway over the 2024 election in those presidential battlegrounds.

At the same time, you have Trump foot soldiers running for secretary of state in several key states  among them Arizona, Michigan and Nevada  where they would directly control the election machinery in 2024, threatening further chicanery and chaos in service of the former president's Big Lie.

Scary!

It is. We could insert some crack here about the flat Earth, Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and other fictive things people believe in.

But it's no joke.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks Friday during a ceremony at the Kremlin to formally annex four regions of Ukraine. (Grigory Sysoyev / Kremlin Pool Photo via Associated Press)

After weeks of reverses, Russias army is still losing ground in the battlefields of Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putins response, characteristically, has been to escalate on other fronts.

Putin expanded the military draft, announcing a call-up of 300,000 reservists and prompting an exodus of Russian men to neighboring countries.

On Friday, he formally announced Russias annexation of four Ukrainian provinces, turning them  at least rhetorically  into Russian territory that he can never negotiate away.

Most chilling, Putin renewed threats that he is ready to use nuclear weapons if Ukraines troops try to take those provinces back.

In the event of a threat to the territorial integrity of our country  we will certainly make use of all weapon systems available to us, he said. This is not a bluff.

On that count, Putin may be telling the truth.

It isnt a bluff, Fiona Hill, who served on the National Security Council staff under President Trump, told me. Hes losing on the battlefield, so hes trying to intimidate Ukraine and the West into giving up.

If Putin faces the imminent prospect of losing the war, hes likely to use nuclear weapons before being defeated, warned Matthew Kroenig of the Atlantic Council, a former Pentagon strategist. This is probably the closest weve come to nuclear use since at least the 1980s.

The weapons Putin is brandishing arent the massive long-range missiles aimed at the United States in the Cold War balance of terror. The targets wouldnt be New York or Washington; that kind of strike would provoke an immediate U.S. nuclear response.

Instead, hes threatening to use some of the estimated 2,000 tactical nuclear weapons that Russia has stockpiled for battlefield use  smaller warheads, but potentially devastating. Some of those low-yield nukes are as powerful as the bomb the United States dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima in 1945, killing at least 70,000. Some are larger.

Strategists suggest that Putin may be considering several options: He could detonate a demonstration shot over the Black Sea or a remote rural area to grab the worlds attention.

Story continues

More likely, he could target large concentrations of Ukrainian troops in hopes of changing the military momentum on the ground.

Or he could attack Ukraines capital, Kyiv, in an attempt to decapitate the Ukrainian government  an act that could also kill tens of thousands of civilians.

In each case, his larger goal would presumably be the same: to shock Ukrainians, Europeans and Americans into standing down from the war and accepting his territorial demands.

To which the U.S. response has been straightforward: It wont work.

Any use of nuclear weapons will be met with catastrophic consequences for Russia, Jake Sullivan, President Bidens national security advisor, said last week. The United States will respond decisively  and we will continue to support Ukraine in its efforts to defend its country.

Sullivan refused to spell out publicly what those catastrophic consequences might be.

But other officials have long made an important point: The U.S. response to a Russian nuclear strike in Ukraine need not be nuclear in return.

Conventional strikes against Russian military targets using long-range missiles with precision-guided warheads could have equal military impact with fewer negative side effects.

U.S. or Ukrainian forces could use U.S.-supplied missiles to destroy the Russian bases that launched the nuclear attack, sink Russias Black Sea fleet or both.

A nonnuclear response could have several advantages. It would avoid putting the United States and Russia on a Cold War-style ladder of nuclear escalation. It could avoid allowing Putin to paint his war in Ukraine as a struggle against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. And it could help the U.S. and its allies rally global opposition to Russia as the only country to break the post-World War II taboo against the use of nuclear weapons.

It could also help the Biden administration preserve two goals that have sometimes been in tension: supplying Ukraine with enough weapons to defeat Russias invasion while seeking to avoid  or at least limit  direct combat between Russia and NATO.

We are doing everything we can to help the Ukrainians to defend themselves, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said last week. Were also determined that this war not expand.

Or, as Biden has put it more bluntly, Were trying to avoid World War III.

A Russian nuclear strike on Ukraine would inevitably bring World War III a step closer. The challenge for Biden is to persuade Putin that such an attack would be a losing proposition  and, if deterrence fails, to keep the conflict that follows from spiraling out of control.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A North Haven insulation contractor who pleaded guilty in 2020 to bid-rigging and fraud was sentenced this week to a year and a day in prison, and he and his company must pay more than $1 million in restitution, fines and fees, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The investigation of Thomas F. Langan, co-owner of Langan Insulation, was conducted by the DOJs Procurement Collusion Strike Force, a multi-agency initiative begun in 2019 to fight antitrust crimes and fraudulent schemes that impact government funding, the federal agency said in a statement.

According to the DOJ, from 2011 to 2018 Langan and his company conspired with other insulation contractors to rig bids and engage in fraud on construction contracts at universities, hospitals and other public and private clients in Connecticut.

Five other individuals and companies have pleaded guilty in the scheme. Those defendants are awaiting sentencing.

Langan Insulation LLC was sentenced to a $150,000 criminal fine. In addition, at the time of the guilty pleas Langan was ordered to pay a $20,000 criminal fine, $480,900 restitution to victims and a special assessment of $200. At that time, Langan Insulation also was ordered to pay $480,900 restitution to victims and a special assessment of $800.

Jonathan Kanter, assistant attorney general of DOJs Antitrust Division, said, in the statement, that the sentences handed down Wednesday at federal court in Bridgeport reflect the seriousness of offenses that subvert the competitive process and target public and private institutions.

David Sundberg, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI New Haven Field Office, said, also in the statement, It is imperative that the public we serve understand that the FBI and its law enforcement partners will pursue corporate executives that cheat and defraud financial systems designed to ensure fair business practices.

To report information on market allocation, price fixing, bid rigging and other anticompetitive conduct related to construction or infrastructure, contact the Procurement Collusion Strike Force at justice.gov/procurement-collusion-strike-force.

Susan Dunne can be reached at sdunne@courant.com.
(Reuters) - Credit Suisse executives spent the weekend reassuring large clients, counterparties and investors about its liquidity and capital position, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

A spokesman for Credit Suisse declined to comment on the report when contacted by Reuters.

Executives made the calls after spreads Credit Suisse credit default swaps (CDS), which offer protection against a company defaulting, rose sharply on Friday in an indication of investor concerns, the newspaper said.

Credit Suisse five-year credit default swaps (CDS) jumped 6 basis point to close to 247 bps on Friday, the highest level in at least 10 years, S&P Global Market Intelligence data showed.

Credit Suisse CDS began the year at 57 bps.

The Financial Times said that a Credit Suisse executive denied reports that the bank had formally approached investors about potentially raising more capital, insisting that it was trying to avoid such a move with its share price at record lows and higher borrowing costs due to rating downgrades.

The Swiss bank's chief executive Ulrich Koerner told staff in a memo seen by Reuters on Friday that it has solid capital and liquidity.

The bank also said last month it was pressing ahead with a review that includes potential divestitures and asset sales.

(Reporting by Mrinmay Dey in Bengaluru; additional reporting by Karin Strohecker and Elisa Martinuzzi in London; Editing by Nick Macfie and Alexander Smith)
The waters of the Missouri River are pooling once again behind the steel and concrete barrier that is Rainbow Dam.

In just a few days, the reservoir will be filled, and the shoreline, boat launch and sandbars upstream of Rainbow Dam will return to the familiar riverscape people have come to expect. However, for a few days last week, a new perspective on the Missouri River's course through Great Falls was revealed.

Prompted by the need for repairs, NorthWestern Energy of Montana lowered the level of the Missouri River behind Rainbow Dam by 11-feet so workers could access and replace the aging "flashboards" that line Rainbow Dam's upstream lip. On Wednesday, NorthWestern Energy granted the Great Falls Tribune a behind-the-scenes tour of the project to talk about its significance, the effect it had on the river and the impact it will have on future company operations.

According to Jerry Gray, superintendent of hydro operations and management for the Great Falls dams, the recently completed project was normal periodic maintenance on a design feature of the 112-year-old dam.

"We refer to this as a 'steel-and-flashboard dam,'" Gray said of Rainbow Dam. "The wooden boards are actually the water retaining feature of the dam. Behind the boards, there are steel I-beams that are carrying most of the load of the water, but it's the flashboards that are actually sealing the water in the reservoir. The boards span about 5-feet between steel I-beams, so they are carrying some load, but that gets transferred to the steel I-beams."

NorthWestern Energy personnel begin replacing flashboards along the face of Rainbow Dam.

Flashboards were a late-19th century and early 20th century technology incorporated into many smaller dams, which allowed dam managers to regulate the flow of water over a dam's spillway.

"Basically, the steel and flashboards section of Rainbow is a water retaining feature that can be removed to open up the whole face of the dam in the event of a flood," Gray explained.

Flashboards are also a feature of Black Eagle Dam and Ryan Dam on this section of the Missouri River, which were completed in 1926 and 1915, respectively. Cochrane Dam and Morony Dam, which were completed in 1958 and 1930, do not have flashboards, but instead incorporate much larger steel "waste gates" that can be opened remotely to release a large volume of water.

Story continues

During an extreme flood event the flashboards at Rainbow, Black Eagle and Ryan dams could be "tipped out" quickly to open the entire length of the spillways, something likely to occur only once every 100 years.

"The steel structure behind the flashboards can be removed during high water, so you still can open up this whole section of spillway," Gray said. "You'd lose the boards and the steel - some of it you could recover later - but if you had a total power failure and no automation you could still trip out Rainbow Dam's main spillway, and the ones at Black Eagle Dam and Ryan Dam."

The flashboards at Rainbow Dam were last replaced in 2004.

More: Yellowstone River changed after massive flood, but what happened to the trout?

Why replace them now?

Gray said they replace the boards at roughly a 20-year cycle because the seams between each board start leaking.

"Structurally, they'd probably be good for about twice as long, but they start leaking and we just change them out," he said.

"Usually what dictates the replacement of the boards is we're losing efficiency," he added, "so we're leaking water through the dam when we don't need to be. If I leak 100-cfs across the dam (about 750 gallons per second), that's almost a megawatt of power (roughly enough to power 650 homes a year). By replacing them, we can tighten up this section of the dam and make the powerhouse more efficient."

The flashboards that were replaced at Rainbow Dam last week were each 3-feet wide and 12-feet high, and were removed using a crane that moves along tracks fitted onto the top of the dam. This time around, the engineers at NorthWestern Energy designed a new grappling attachment for the crane that allowed maintenance personnel to use a larger 10-feet wide panel. According to Gray, the new, wider flashboard panels cut the replacement time to less than half of what it would have been.

"It normally takes two to three weeks to replace flashboards, and we've done it in four days," he said.

Gray added that NorthWestern Energy engineers may consider switching out the wooden flashboards for smaller metal panels at some point in the future. In the case of Rainbow Dam, the greater expense it would likely entail probably isn't warranted.

"At some of our dams, we've taken a portion of the flashboard section out and replaced it will smaller steel panels, so you can remove them for high water and reinstall them afterwards," he said. "Here at Rainbow, we don't have to remove flashboards at all. Even in a flood situation we would have to have over a 100-year flood scenario to worry about tripping flashboards."

That's attributable to two huge, inflatable rubber dams that were installed across portions of the Rainbow Dam's spillway during a redesign of the dam more than 30 years ago.

"In the 1980s and 1990s, they built this rubber dam section, which was pretty new technology back then," Gray explained. "It's an air-inflated bladder that attaches to the top concrete portion of the dam. When the reservoir's up, there's valves to let the air out to let the water spill out, and when we don't want it spilled there's blowers to blow them back up. They're quite handy.

"At some dams, we have to remove a few of the flashboards or panels that have been retrofitted," Gray continued. "Here, we have these two large rubber dams that can be deflated and will pass almost 30,000 cubic feet of water apiece. These boards will just sit for the next 20 years."

Gray said NorthWestern Energy typically draws down some section of the Missouri River every five to 10 years for dam maintenance.

"For some types of maintenance, you can bring divers in to do it, but divers are super expensive," he said. "You can remove flashboards underwater to a point, but you can't put them in very well."

Impact on the river

Drawing down the Missouri is a highly regulated process for which NorthWestern Energy must obtain a license first. The bed of the Missouri River along most of its course is owned by the State of Montana  for which NorthWestern Energy pays annual rents for the presence of its dams. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has oversight authority for dam construction and stream flow management.

"We report and have a license through FERC, and our draw down plans are pre-approved," Gray explained. "What dictates a draw down plan is specific to the dam, the reservoir and the river. It's a pretty lengthy permitting process that we go through."

Environmental concerns play a large role in the timing and speed the water is released from a reservoir. The draw down at Rainbow Dam took about two days, but it could have happened much faster.

A Missouri River mud flat revealed for the first time in six years.

"I could draw this reservoir down in about an hour if I wanted to, but you tend to scour a lot of sediment that's built up down the river," Gray said. "So we have a pre-approved draw down plan with FERC to do it very slowly so the sediment can kind of de-water along the banks, lets it settle and doesn't just get passed on downstream.

"A huge surge of sediment can be detrimental to fish and wildlife, and other organisms in the river," he added. "We have temporary hydrolabs that monitor the turbidity both here and further downstream. The goal when you're doing a draw down ... is for it not to be any worse than a typical spring runoff.

"It''ll spike to well over 100 ntu (national turbidity units)  sometimes 200 ntu on an average spring. A lot of that is the Sun River and the Greenfields Irrigation District. If you notice, that confluence is always a little bit muddy. We've seen numbers of maybe 20 ntu during this draw down, so pretty minimal compared to natural runoff."

That extra sediment load beneath the waters of the Rainbow Dam Reservoir was evident in the many silt bars that were revealed by the draw down.

"It's not totally natural, but it's a lot closer to natural," Gray observed. "If the dams were not here, you'd have those natural spring flood events that would wash a lot of that sediment downstream. When you build a dam and a reservoir, the velocity naturally goes down because there's a lot more area. The slower velocity tends to cause the sediment bars that you see.

"If the dam operator wants to remove an accumulation of sediment  work that's currently taking place at Cochrane Dam right now  tests are required to ensure the sediment does not contain high levels of heavy metals or other contaminants," he added. "Here, the sediment doesn't affect our operations, doesn't affect the wildlife or anything else like that. At some dams, it does."

A look back: Scattered showers, cooler temperatures help keep Montana wildfires under control

Even the old, discarded flashboards are getting repurposed. NorthWestern Energy is donating a large portion of them to a local community restoration project.

"We're going to repurpose them to help rebuild some bridges that were burned, out by Cascade during the fires last summer and fall," Gray explained. "This will be new bridge decking that is structurally just fine. It's a partnership that we've had because we do fish studies in that area. We partner with the landowners and Fish, Wildlife and Parks to maintain the road to get there."

Any of the old flashboards that remain after the bridge re-building projects are completed will be retained and repurposed for NorthWestern Energy's own purposes.

"They're really just sturdy, solid panels of wood," Gray said. "The outside is smelly and dirty, but really underneath it all, they're still a solid 3-by-12 board, so we have many projects that we'll keep them, cut them up and use. We don't ever just throw them out. We keep them for salvage."

Gray said they were set to refill the dam over the weekend and be at full pool sometime this week.

This article originally appeared on Great Falls Tribune: Draining of Missouri River near Rainbow Dam reveals how system works
Heres some solid life advice: Dont get into a sword-fight with Zorro, dont get in a gun-fight with John Wick and if Ernest Hemingway offers you a drink that he fixed himself, pass.

In 1932, at the age of 33, Hemingway took a short break from fiction to write a treatise on mortality and courage and the traditions of Spanish bullfighting called Death in the Afternoon. He was already, at that point, one of Americas most celebrated living authors, having written both The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms in his 20s. He was also becoming something of a celebrity, not just for his objectively fascinating life but for his ceaseless and spectacular capacity for drink and was therefore the natural choice when a couple mischievous literary types started asking famous authors for cocktail recipes, which the literary types aimed to string into an amusing little drinks book.

More from Robb Report

Their book, So Red the Nose, or Breath in the Afternoon, was published in 1935. It contains thirty cocktails from thirty authors, each named for one of the respective authors works, and each attended by an impudent, often lascivious caricature. The name itself is a drunken pun on So Red the Rose, a somber Civil War novel written the year before. It was, in other words, a big joke.

How deeply that joke was intended to go is an open question, which brings us to Ernest Hemingways recipe, which is right up front on page one: Pour 1 jigger of absinthe into a Champagne glass, he begins. Just as an editorial note, thats two full ounces of absinthe, a flamboyantly high proof spirit thought at the time to be hallucinogenic and/or mentally deranging, and which in 1935 had been illegal across most of the world for 20 years (but was still made in Spain, which is where he came across it). To this, Hemingway continues: Add iced Champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink three to five of these slowly. The cocktails name, aptly chosen: Death in the Afternoon.

Story continues

Its difficult to know what to do here. As far as cocktail recipes go, thats pretty straightforward. On the other hand, this still seems like a joke, doesnt it? Absinthe, even for the destitute and degenerate in the late 1800s, was always taken with water. Always. Hemingways cocktail here is to substitute water with Champagne, a concept Im usually for, but adding alcohol to a double-shot of absinthe is like strapping a grenade onto a bomb. Was his problem with absinthe that it was insufficiently strong? And then whats this instruction to drink three to five? Really?

Whether its a joke or not, Hemingways proportions, as with his namesake Daiquiri, are flatly unacceptable. The drink, however, is not without promise, once youve brought it back in from outer space. Hemingway prescribes absinthe with a bit of Champagne, but when you flip those ratiosChampagne with a bit of absinthethe cocktail can come into its own. Absinthe, when used in human quantities, is a spice, tingling through the mid-palate and then rising to offer bright green herbaceousness and a black licorice finish. Put together with sparkling wine, it is a round and satisfying drink, a fantastic way to punch-up some Prosecco you may not be in love with, and a way to commune with a long-dead famous author, no matter how tame a version he wouldve found it.

Is it still a Death in the Afternoon? Maybe not technically. It might just be a Nap in the Afternoon. But doesnt that sound better?

Death in the Afternoon

5.5 oz. Prosecco, chilled

0.25 oz. absinthe

Combine ingredients in a coupe or Champagne glass. Garnish with a lemon peel or nothing at all.

NOTES ON INGREDIENTS

Le Colture Fagher

Sparkling Wine: Hemingway specifically called for Champagne, not Prosecco, and likely wouldve insisted on it. Hemingway loved Champagne. That being said, we feel strongly that it is Champagnes brighter, fruitier cousin Prosecco that really makes this drink shine. Anything that goes through a secondary fermentation in the bottle, like Champagne or Cava, will have bready, yeasty complexity on the finish. This is usually desirabletry a French 75 with real Champagne to see how good that drink can bebut it directly clashes with the absinthe. Across our tests and all types of absinthe, Prosecco was the winner.

Absinthe: All absinthe will work, but if I had my pick, it would be the delicate blue La Clandestine, from Switzerland, which gives a soft floral fennel & anise note and doesnt chase away the charms of the wine itself. Also great is Kubler, which will offer a similar touch but a little deeper and more resounding, with a slight earthiness that I dont dislike here, but I like less than La Clandestine. But honestly, whatever absinthe youve got, that would work well here.

Other ingredients: Depending on the sweetness of your Prosecco you might want a tiny bit of simple syrup, but it would be a tiny bit, a half teaspoon or so, just to make the whole thing a bit friendlier. If after a few sips you find the tartness on the finish a bit abrasive, that bit of sugar will help.

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Click here to read the full article.
STORY: More than 320 were injured after police used tear gas to quell a pitch invasion, authorities said on Sunday, in one of the world's worst stadium disasters.

Mourners gathered outside the gates of the stadium to lay flowers for the victims. Later at night people burned candles in a vigil at a lion statue, the local club's symbol.

I was so grateful that I could get out of the stadium through the VIP gate, but I also saw many victims, it was unimaginable, 30-year-old survivor Choirul Muslimin said.

I don't know how to express through words.

Hundreds also attended a candle-lit vigil in the capital Jakarta on Sunday night, carrying placards that read "Indonesian soccer in mourning" and "stop police brutality."
Reuters Videos

STORY: "The situation in Ethiopia is spiraling out of control. Violence and destruction have reached alarming levels," Guterres told reporters. "Hostilities in the Tigray degrade region of Ethiopia must end now. There is no military solution."On Sunday (October 16), the African Union in a statement called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and the resumption of humanitarian services. On Monday, fighting continued as sources said Ethiopian government forces had captured one of the biggest cities in the northern region of Tigray."The United Nations is ready to support the African Union in every possible way to end this nightmare for the Ethiopian people." Guterres said.
NextShark

A 47-year-old Thai man is in critical condition after two Frenchmen assaulted him in an unprovoked attack caught on camera. According to Lakhana, Somkuan had said, That car is so beautiful, when will we get a car like this? They reportedly followed the Porsche to appreciate it for a bit longer before passing. The Porsche then allegedly began tailgating the couples motorbike and honked at them until they pulled to the side of the road in front of a grilled pork stall.
SAINT GEORGE, Utah (AP)  Jermiah Dobbins ran for 135 yards and three touchdowns and Abilene Christian beat Utah Tech 26-10 on Saturday night in the Western Athletic Conference opener for both teams.

Dobbins' scored from 5 and 12 yards in the third and fourth quarters, respectively, and each capped 64-yard drives. He then added a 10-yard touchdown run with 2:48 remaining.

Utah Tech (1-4, 0-1) missed a field goal and couldnt convert on fourth-and-14 from the 50 on its two previous series before Dobbins scored his third touchdown.

Maverick McIvor threw for 148 yards for Abilene Christian (4-1, 1-0).

Quali Conley had a 15-yard touchdown run that gave the Trailblazers a 10-3 lead with about six minutes left in the second quarter. Conley finished with 141 yards rushing on 20 carries. Victor Gabalis was 12-of-34 passing for 112 yards.

___

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The dog found an undamaged Russian UAV shot down by National Guard fighters near Kharkiv

After National Guardsmen used small arms to shoot down a Russian spy drone near the village of Hoptivka in the north of Kharkiv Oblast, the determined doggy tracked down the fallen machine, the press service of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry reported on the Telegram messenger app.

Read also: Ukrainian emergency service dogs do their part in securing the nation

When it was hit by gunfire from the ground, the operators of the drone lost control of the machine and, damaged, it floated to the ground after deploying its recovery parachute.

"In half an hour, the almost intact device was discovered by the service dog Zeus," the Interior Ministry said in its report, quoting a National Guardsman known by the alias Jaeger.

Read also: Ukrainian air defense downs Russian Forpost UAV over Odesa Oblast

The UAV will be repaired and transferred to the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the report said.



Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
If he is re-elected in 2024, Donald Trump is going to take revenge against his political antagonists, federal officials and even former allies like Florida governor Ron DeSantis, according to Mr Trumps niece Mary Trump.

On a Friday episode of her podcast The Mary Trump Show, Ms Trump interviewed New York University historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat , and the pair agreed that strongmen-style leaders like Mr Trump who find themselves in legal jeopardy will often continue to seek power to punish their enemies and avoid punishment themselves.

Ms Ben-Ghiat believes the former president will take special umbrage with Mr DeSantis, the most successful of the Republicans to parrot Mr Trumps style and false claims about the 2022 election, because the Florida governor has reaped all the political benefits without facing federal investigations and impeachment hearings.

He must be particularly upset with Mr Ron DeSantis who has learned all of his lessons as the most ruthless of the bunch, Professor Ben-Ghiat, author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present, said.

Hes flourishing and Trumps in limbo, which increases the odds that he has to run for office, because hes got to get back in, shut everything down, take revenge, she added. This is how strongmen are.

Mr Trump endorsed Mr DeSantis during his 2018 run for Florida governor, but the pairs relationship has soured as the former presidents protege has grown in national prominence and come to be seen as Mr Trumps only serious rival for the 2024 GOP presidential ticket.

In a forthcoming book from New York Times correspondent Maggie Haberman, Mr Trump reportedly complained that Mr DeSantis is fat, phony, and whiny. (Mr Trump has said the book is inaccurate.)

The former president has reportedly also fumed at Mr DeSantiss recent, highly controversial migrant flights moving asylum seekers from Texas to Marthas Vineyard, with Mr Trump, a staunch opponent of immigration, claiming the stunt was his idea .

Story continues

As early as 2021, Mr Trump was claiming somewhat tartly that he was responsible for Mr DeSantiss success.

Well, I dont know that he wants to run [in 2024], you know, I have a good relationship with Ron, Mr Trump told an interviewer . But I was very responsible for him getting elected, as you know.

The Florida governor, for his part, is also feeling the strain in his relationship with Donald Trump.

[DeSantis] calls him a TV personality and a moron who has no business running for president, a former staffer told Vanity Fair .

In a deeply reported profile of the Florida governor, those in his inner circle indicated Mr DeSantis would go for the jugular against Mr Trump in a hypothetical 2024 primary, though neither man has formalised their suspected bids for the White House.

DeSantis says the only way to beat Trump is to attack him head-on, a GOP source told the magazine. He says he would turn to Trump during a debate and say, Why didnt you fire Fauci? You said you would build the wall, but there is no wall. Why is that?
Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano speaks during a campaign rally at The Fuge on May 14, 2022 in Warminster, Pennsylvania. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Doug Mastriano, the GOP gubernatorial candidate for Pennsylvania, promised to ban pole dancing from schools.

He did not provide evidence of pole dancing being taught in any schools.

His comments play on a growing right-wing moral panic accusing teachers of sexualizing children.

Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano, who is the Republican candidate for governor, said he would ban pole dancing in schools if he was elected.

"On day one, the sexualization of our kids, pole dancing, and all this other crap that's going on will be forbidden in our schools," Mastriano says while on stage at an event, as seen in a video.

He also said he would ban "graphic, pornographic books that are in elementary schools" as well as critical race theory.

He did not provide evidence of pole dancing and pornographic books being taught in any schools.

The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) October 1, 2022

Mastriano also said that if elected, he would make sure "woke is broke" and ban "pronoun games" in elementary schools.

His comments play on a growing right-wing moral panic accusing teachers of sexualizing children by talking about gender identity and sexuality.

Schools have increasingly become the center of culture wars as Republicans have accused liberal teachers of grooming children.

Mastriano, who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, has previously voiced controversial views, including that women should be charged with murder for violating abortion bans.

He has also been working with a coalition of election-denying Trump loyalists who hope to influence future elections in battleground states, Nevada secretary of state candidate Jim Marchant previously told Insider.

He previously said that he prayed Congress would "rise up" on January 6 and "disregard" Pennsylvania's election results.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Republican state Senate candidate Mehmet Oz held a press conference in Pittsburgh on Friday.

Oz spoke with the media at the Wyndham Hotel in the citys downtown area.

According to our partners at TribLIVE.com, Oz spoke for around a half-hour.

A key talking point focused on the health of Ozs opponent, John Fetterman, who has spent the past several months recovering from a stroke. Oz released his medical records last week and has been calling for Fetterman to do the same.

Oz also spent time criticizing Fettermans views on crime and crime-related policies.

Oz showed support for natural gas drilling in the Western Pennsylvania area. The candidate listed the possible goal of having more pipelines to carry gas into the state.

Some time was also spent discussing Ozs background. Oz addressed his time as a heart surgeon and believes it could be an advantage for him in Pennsylvania.

My calling in life is medicine. And I am proud that I practiced medicine until I announced my candidacy for the Senate, Oz said. And I believe that kind of attitude gets a lot of Pennsylvanians to say you know what, lets give a guy who wants change, with a background thats different from the typical one a chance.

A key policy that was discussed focused on abortion. Fettermans campaign has made claims that Oz is anti-abortion and has the same views as Pennsylvania gubernatorial Doug Mastriano, who has supported the idea of abortion bans after six weeks into a pregnancy.

Oz responded by saying he is pro-abortion rights, and wants to focus on states having the right to choose their own abortion laws. He did not say if his views matched Mastrianos.

Sen. Pat Toomey joined Oz for the press conference.

We have 50 different states. I probably couldnt get elected to Senate in Vermont. Bernie Sanders cant get elected in Pennsylvania, Toomey said. John Fetterman aligns himself with the Bernie Sanders wing of the Democratic Party. That is who he is.  That is not a fit for Pennsylvania.

Story continues

John Fetterman held a rally in Pittsburgh the following day. Click here to read about Fettermans rally.

Oz and Fetterman will hold a debate on Tuesday, Oct. 25 on Channel 11.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

TRENDING NOW:

SKYLIGHTS 2022: Week 5 high school football scores Local school district seeing increased student engagement after cellphone bans Student loan forgiveness: Some borrowers no longer eligible for debt relief VIDEO: Washington County school bus driver arrested for possession of child pornography DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts
DURHAM, N.C. (AP)  Riley Leonard ran for two touchdowns and threw for another and Duke snapped a 13-game Atlantic Coast Conference losing streak in beating Virginia 38-17 on Saturday night.

Duke (4-1, 1-0 ACC) scored three touchdowns during an 11-minute span of the first half. The Blue Devils didnt win an ACC game last year as part of a conference drought that lasted nearly two full calendar years.

Excited to get ACC win No. 1, first-year coach Mike Elko said. But I just told (the players) the expectations around here are changing.

Leonard completed 18 of 24 passes for 129 yards and added 59 rushing yards. Jaylen Coleman picked up 97 rushing yards on 19 carries.

That was one of the most dominant O-line performances that Ive seen, Leonard said.

Dukes ground attack produced 248 yards. Elko said that alleviated pressure on Leonard

It wasnt going to be just about him, Elko said. We were going to have to run the ball. For us to play the game we wanted, we had to run the football and we did.

Brennan Armstrong threw for a touchdown and scrambled for a touchdown for Virginia (2-3, 0-2), which has lost all three road games this season and five in a row dating to last season.

Go back to work, Virginia coach Tony Elliott said. Thats what were going to do. We cant blame anybody else. You tip your hat to Duke, but we got to own what we just put on film.

The Blue Devils scored on their first possession of the second half when Leonard ran in from 1 yard out. They stretched the lead to 35-10 on Jaquez Moores 59-yard run in the first minute of the fourth quarter.

In the first half, Leonards 19-yard pass to Jalon Calhoun opened the scoring. Leonard ran 2 yards and Jordan Waters scored on a 1-yard plunge into the end zone to boost the lead to 21-0 with 10:25 to play in the second quarter.

Virginia got on the board with Armstrongs 11-yard pass to Perris Jones with 1:12 to go in the first half.

Duke snapped a seven-game losing streak in the series, avenging last years 48-0 loss.

Story continues

KEEP THE BALL

The Blue Devils had two takeaways from their defense without committing a turnover on offense even amid a game played in some rain.

For the season, Duke has been the recipient of 10 turnovers while giving the ball away just twice.

They coach me up to be a protect-the-ball-first quarterback, Leonard said.

Elko said Leonard has received the proper message to avoid turnovers.

I think hes scared to come (to) the sideline and see me if he does, Elko said.

PENALTY PROBLEMS

Virginia was assessed 87 yards on penalties on six infractions.

I was irate, Elliott said, pointing to a lack of discipline. If I continue to see it, Im just not going to play guys.

THE TAKEAWAY

Virginia: The Cavaliers are putting too much pressure on their defense given that theyve scored two first-half touchdowns in the last four games combined. By games end, they had just 295 yards of total offense.

Duke: This was another notable step for the Blue Devils, who eclipsed their 2021 win total. Duke found the right formula by having three players with more than 50 rushing yards and holding Virginia to less than 100 yards on the ground.

UP NEXT

Virginia: The Cavaliers host Louisville next Saturday.

Duke: The Blue Devils travel to play Georgia Tech next Saturday.

___

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Oct. 2A small electrical fire broke out at the Kapolei rail station this morning, more than a month after the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation announced its final round of testing.

A cable that monitored "stray current " from the third rail during testing caught fire on the guideway between the East Kapolei and West Oahu rail stations, HART executive director Lori Kahikina said in a press release.

The contractor, Hitachi Rail Honolulu, extinguished the fire before Honolulu Fire Department personnel arrived, Kahikina said in the statement.

Nine HFD units responded, the department said.

HART is investigating what might have caused the fire, and Hitachi Rail Honolulu will make any changes that the investigation finds necessary, Kahikina said in the statement.
Emily Ratajkowski attends the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscars party. John Shearer/Getty Images

Emily Ratajowski says the Netflix film "Blonde" fetishizes female pain and suffering.

The model and author took to TikTok to share her views on the new Marilyn Monroe biopic.

"It's yet another movie fetishizing female pain even in death," Ratakoski said.

Emily Ratajkowski joined a growing choir of critics of "Blonde," the new Marilyn Monroe biopic, after she said the film fetishized female pain and suffering.

The model and bestselling author uploaded a video on TikTok on Friday discussing her view on "Blonde," which dropped on Netflix on Wednesday. The black-and-white film was directed by Andrew Dominik and features Ana de Armas in the lead role, with other cast members including Adrien Brody and Bobby Cannavale.

Netflix describes "Blonde" as a fictional portrait of Monroe that "boldly reimagines the tumultuous private life of the Hollywood legend  and the price she paid for fame."

Ratajkowski started her TikTok, which has more than 1.3 million views as of Sunday, by saying she hadn't yet seen the movie but had "been hearing a lot."

"I'm not surprised to hear it's yet another movie fetishizing female pain even in death," said Ratajkowski, 31. "We do that in many, many different ways, but I want that to change."

@emrata So done with the fetishization of female pain and suffering. Bitch Era 2022  original sound - Emrata

She points toward what she said are historical examples of how society fetishizes female pain. "Look at Amy Winehouse, look at Britney Spears, look at the way we obsess over Diana's death," she added.

"You know what's kind of hard to fetishize? Anger," Ratajkowski said. "I'm going to be pissed off when I see this movie, I already know it. But it's nothing new, and yeah, I'm just going to get angry."

Ratajkowski isn't alone of her negative view of "Blonde," which has also sparked a backlash over its portrayal of abortion.

In 0ne scene de Armas, playing Monroe, appears to communicate verbally with an unborn fetus that asks her not to "hurt it" like she did last time  referencing an earlier abortion. "You won't hurt me this time, will you? Not do what you did, last time?" the fetus says in the movie.

Story continues

A Planned Parenthood representative directly called out the scene in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published Friday.

Carolyn Spruch told the outlet: "As film and TV shapes many people's understanding of sexual and reproductive health, it's critical these depictions accurately portray women's real decisions and experiences."

Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe in "Blonde." Netflix

"While abortion is safe, essential health care, anti-abortion zealots have long contributed to abortion stigma by using medically inaccurate descriptions of fetuses and pregnancy. Andrew Dominik's new film, 'Blonde', bolsters their message with a CGI-talking fetus, depicted to look like a fully formed baby," Spruch said. It was a shame the creators of "Blonde" chose to contribute to anti-abortion propaganda, she added.

Defending the scene, Dominik told The Wrap he thought the anti-choice criticism became bigger because the film was released three months after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a legal precedent from 1973 that made abortion legal across the US.

"I think sort of this desire to look at 'Blonde' through this Roe v. Wade lens is everybody else doing the same thing," the director told the outlet. "They've got a certain agenda where they feel like the freedoms of women are being compromised, and they look at 'Blonde' and they see a demon, but it's not really about that."

Dominik added: "I think it's very difficult for people to step outside of the stories they carry inside themselves and see things of their own volition."

Read the original article on Insider
An escaped inmate from Connecticut has been caught in Henry County at a family members home.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Police said 31-year-old Forenza Rakeem Murphy was at a Connecticut Department of Corrections halfway house in Bridgeport, CT when he left without permission and never came back.

Murphy who was serving time on a robbery charge was last seen at the halfway house on Aug. 8.

On Saturday around 4:15 p.m., the Henry County Sheriffs Office special investigation unit received a tip that Murphy was at a family members house in McDonough.

When they got to the home they located and arrested Murphy as he and his family were setting up for his birthday party.

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If you make your way into Henry County, were going to get on your trail and we wont stop until youre caught. It was a great collaborative effort with The Connecticut DOC that led to the apprehension of Murphy, Sheriff Reginald B. Scandrett told Channel 2 Action News.

Murphy is at the Henry County jail where he is expected to face additional charges.

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In his new position as reigning monarch of the U.K., King Charles III may be getting ready to change things up. According to a source at the Daily Mail, the royal has reportedly decided not to move to Buckingham Palace, a move that was previously reported as fact given the residences title as the monarchs []
The Walton County government announced it was fighting a fire on Alcovy Mountain on Thursday afternoon, and it took more than 24 hours to extinguish the fire.

Walton County Fire Rescue has extinguished 90% of the forest fire on Alcovy Mountain. They have fire control measures in place to prevent the spread of the fire. They continue to monitor the weather and the wind. Officials state the fire is under control and do not think it will spread further. We will continue to update the public if the situation changes, the county said in a post on Friday.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

The mountain in Walton county is four miles south of Monroe and has an elevation of more than 1,000 feet.

Walton County fire officials said they had crews stationed strategically around the perimeter to help contain the fire and prevent it from spreading.

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Georgia Forestry assisted with the containment of the fire.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
Embraer's next-generation E190-E2 and E195-E2 jets are the world's quietest aircraft.

The planes compete with the Airbus A220 family, boasting better performance and operating costs.

Despite its impressive economics, the E-2 family has lagged on orders due to its low range.

Brazilian planemaker Embraer is taking on Airbus and Boeing in building next-generation aircraft.

Embraer E195-E2 at the Farnborough International Airshow. Taylor Rains/Insider

The manufacturer's latest series of E-jets, including the E175-E2, the E190-E2, and the E195-E2, launched in 2013 at the Paris Air Show.

KLM Cityhopper E190-E2. Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock

The effort comes as airlines seek modern, more fuel-efficient planes that reduce costs, like Boeing's 737 MAX family and Airbus A320neo series aircraft.

Boeing 737 MAX 10. Taylor Rains/Insider

In 2016, the E190-E2 was the first variant in the new E-2 family to take flight. Norway's Widere Airlines later launched the plane's inaugural passenger flight in 2018.

Widere Airlines' first E190 E-2. Embraer

The larger E195-E2 flew with Brazilian carrier Azul Linhas Aereas for the first time in 2019. Other carriers, like Swiss-based Helvetic Airways and Nigeria-based Air Peace, also operate the jet.

Azul's first E195-E2. Embraer

Source: Embraer, Air Data News

However, production of the E175-E2, which is the smallest model, has temporarily paused due to "ongoing US mainline scope clause discussions with the pilot unions regarding the maximum take-off weight (MTOW) limitation for aircraft for up to 76 seats."

Illustration of Embraer's E175-E2. Embraer

Source: AirInsight Group

Despite the E175-E2's halt, Embraer is pushing forward with its E190/195-E2 aircraft, believing they offer the perfect combination of capacity and potential fuel savings that airline customers want.

Air Astana snow leopard E190-E2. Oleksandr Naumenko/Shutterstock

The E-2 jets have been designed to tackle the sub-150-passenger market, with the E-190-E2 carrying up to 114 people in a single-class configuration or up to 97 in three classes.

Embraer E190-E2 Tech Shark cabin. Taylor Rains/Insider

Source: Embraer

Meanwhile, the E195-E2 can carry up to 146 passengers in an all-economy layout or 120 in a three-class configuration.

Embraer E195-E2 cabin. Taylor Rains/Insider

Source: Embraer

The E-2 series directly competes with Airbus' popular A220 jet. The planemaker's smallest variant  the A220-100  can carry between 100 and 120 passengers in a two-class configuration

Story continues

SWISS A220-100. Conny Pokorny/Shutterstock

Source: Airbus

while the larger A220-300 can carry between 120 and 150 passengers in two classes.

Delta Air Lines

Source: Airbus

For airlines that want to squeeze in as many seats as possible, the A220 jets can carry up to 135 and 160 people, respectively, in an all-economy configuration.

Delta Air Lines

Source: Airbus

While Embraer hoped its new series of E-2 planes would be a hit with airlines, it has been underselling. As of July 2022, the manufacturer has only amassed about 270 orders for the E190/E195-E2.

Embraer E190-E2. CV Grinsven/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Source: Insider

The most recent order announcement was from Canadian carrier Porter Airlines, which announced its purchase for 20 E195-E2s at the Farnborough International Air Show 2022 in July, bringing its total orders to 50.

Porter Airlines Embraer E195-E2. Porter Airlines

Canadian airline Porter is betting big on Embraer's struggling E195-E2 jet, a rival of the more successful Airbus A220  see inside the single-aisle plane

On the other hand, the A220 family has garnered over 750 orders as of August 2022, with Delta Air Lines as the largest operator with 56 currently in service.

Delta Air Lines

Source: Airbus, Insider, Delta Air Lines

One main factor pushing airlines to choose the A220 over an E-2 plane is its range.

Taylor Rains/Insider

The A220-100 offers a range of up to 6,390 kilometers (3,970 miles), while the A220-300 offers a 6,297-kilometer (3,913 miles) range.

Breeze Airways' inaugural A220 taking off from Richmond. Breeze Airways

Source: Airbus

By comparison, the E190-E2 and E195-E2 jets offer a 5,278-kilometer (3,280 miles) range and a 4,815-kilometer (2,992 miles) range, respectively. Both A220 models beat out the E-2 jets by at least 1,000 kilometers (621 miles).

Embraer SAF flight. Embraer

Source: Embraer

The A220's range gives operators more flexibility on long-haul routes, like Breeze Airways, which has opted for the A220 for its transcontinental network.

Breeze Airways A220. Breeze Airways

I flew on Breeze's brand new Airbus A220 from Richmond to San Francisco in first class and it completely exceeded my expectations

However, Embraer argues its E-2 family can fly most of the routes that the A220 is flying now. But, this would require potentially removing seats, lowering the jet's capacity and possible earnings.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Source: Insider

This may have turned airlines like Breeze away from the E-2, but carriers like Porter, which already equips its Dash 8 planes with the world's lightest aircraft seat, may not have a problem pushing the jet to its limits.

Porter Airlines Dash 8 interior. Porter Airlines

Source: Porter Airlines

So far, only foreign airlines, like Brazilian carrier Azul and Dutch airline KLM Cityhopper have opted for the E-2 jet, with US carriers, including JetBlue Airways, Delta, and Breeze, preferring to invest in the A220.

Flying on a JetBlue Airways Airbus A220-300. Thomas Pallini/Insider

I flew on Breeze's new A220 jet from Las Vegas to Charleston in economy and it was nothing like flying on a typical low-cost carrier

Despite its lower range, the E-2 aircraft shines in terms of capacity, fuel savings, and noise. The family currently holds the title of the quietest single-aisle jets in production.

Helvetic E190-E2. Michael Derrer Fuchs/Shutterstock

I flew on the E190-E2 at the Farnborough International Air Show 2022 to see what passengers can expect and if the E-2 series lives up to expectations  take a look.

Flying on Embraer's E190-E2 Tech Shark aircraft. Taylor Rains/Insider

Wrapped in a unique "Tech Shark" livery and dubbed the "Profit Hunter," the E190-E2 proved to have a nice, modern cabin.

Flying on Embraer's E190-E2 Tech Shark aircraft. Taylor Rains/Insider

There was plenty of overhead bin space that could fit full-size carry-ons

Flying on Embraer's E190-E2 Tech Shark aircraft. Taylor Rains/Insider

and the lavatories were spacious.

Flying on Embraer's E190-E2 Tech Shark aircraft. Taylor Rains/Insider

The demonstrator jet was configured in a 2x2 all-economy configuration with 104 seats of varying pitches to show the different layouts that could be achieved.

Flying on Embraer's E190-E2 Tech Shark aircraft. Taylor Rains/Insider

The exit row on this particular jet offered 39 inches of pitch, while standard and extra-legroom seats offered between 29 and 34 inches.

Flying on Embraer's E190 -E2 Tech Shark aircraft. Taylor Rains/Insider

Meanwhile, the 2x2 configuration means no one will be stuck in the dreaded middle seat.

Embraer E190-E2 Tech Shark cabin. Taylor Rains/Insider

The A220, by comparison, is configured in a 2x3 layout, meaning a handful of passengers will get assigned the middle.

Delta Air Lines

Trying out the different seats, the ones with 29-30 inches of pitch were cramped, as expected. However, considering the plane will mostly fly short, regional routes, the minimal legroom shouldn't be too much of a burden.

Flying on Embraer's E190-E2 Tech Shark aircraft. Taylor Rains/Insider

But, if you find yourself flying on an E190-E2 in the future and want more space, opt for an extra-legroom seat, especially if you're tall. I'm only 5'3" and on the smaller side, so I fit in most airline seats.

Flying on Embraer's E190-E2 Tech Shark aircraft. Taylor Rains/Insider

The E-2 jets can also be equipped with a uniquely staggered first class seat made by Embraer, though it was not onboard the E190-E2 I flew on.

Embraer E195-E2 at the Farnborough International Airshow. Taylor Rains/Insider

A mockup of the seat was on display on the Embraers E195-E2 at the Farnborough air show. The seat was extremely spacious with 54 inches of pitch, and the staggered design gives window-seat passengers easier access to the aisle.

Embraer E195-E2 at the Farnborough International Airshow. Taylor Rains/Insider

However, the layout could allow travelers to look over each other's shoulder, reducing privacy, but Bordais told Insider that that has not been a complaint during testing.

Embraer E195-E2 at the Farnborough International Airshow. Taylor Rains/Insider

While the E190-E2 cabin was nice, it mirrored other regional planes I've been on, like the first-generation E-jets or the Bombardier CRJ700/900. So, I was not immediately wowed when I boarded.

American Airlines Embraer 175. Taylor Rains/Insider

I used to dread flying American, but the experiences on my last 2 flights has changed my mind. Here's why I won't shy away from booking the carrier again.

However, it was the aircraft's performance that stood out.

Flying on Embraer's E190-E2 Tech Shark aircraft. Taylor Rains/Insider

The takeoff from Farnborough Airport was extremely quiet, which was a nice change from the loud screeching I've experienced on older generation planes.

Flying on Embraer's E190-E2 Tech Shark aircraft. Taylor Rains/Insider

I could hear the conversations in front and behind me, which is not something I've noticed before.

Flying on Embraer's E190-E2 Tech Shark aircraft. Taylor Rains/Insider

According to Embraer, the E-2 jet's Pratt & Whitney GTF engines reduce its noise by 11% compared to the A220, which is also equipped with the same engine type.

Flying on Embraer's E190-E2 Tech Shark aircraft. Taylor Rains/Insider

Luis Carlos Affonso, Embraer's head of engineering and technology development, told Simple Flying that noise reduction also promotes efficiency. "Noise is energy," he said. "If you're making a noise, you're wasting energy. A quiet plane is an efficient plane."

Flying on Embraer's E190 -E2 Tech Shark aircraft. Taylor Rains/Insider

Source: Simple Flying

For example, Embraer has created covers for the E-2's landing gear during flight. This reduces noise, and, in turn, lowers fuel burn and overall operating costs.

Embraer E-2 landing gear covers. Embraer

Source: Insider

The wheels on prior models were exposed, increasing noise, according to the planemaker.

Embraer E-2 landing gear covers. Embraer

Source: Insider

The E-2's cockpit also got an upgrade, boasting four large high-definition display screens. This compares to the six screens on the first-generation E-jets.

Flying on Embraer's E190-E2 Tech Shark aircraft. Taylor Rains/Insider

The screens can display airport maps, charts, and other pertinent information to give pilots better situational awareness.

Flying on Embraer's E190-E2 Tech Shark aircraft. Taylor Rains/Insider

The screens are the primary difference between the old and new generation E-jets, meaning the E190/195-E2's flight deck is nearly identical to its predecessors.

A first-generation Embraer E175 cockpit. Taylor Rains/Insider

Similar cockpits allow airlines to save on pilot training because the type ratings are the same. Crews will just need to complete a "difference training" course, according to Bordais.

Flying on Embraer's E190 -E2 Tech Shark aircraft. Taylor Rains/Insider

Overall, my flight on the E195-E2 jet was a surprisingly calm and relaxing experience. The minimal noise made it easier to enjoy the ride, and the 2x2 configuration ensures passengers will avoid the middle seat.

Flying on Embraer's E190 -E2 Tech Shark aircraft. Taylor Rains/Insider

However, I see how its low range can be a dealbreaker for airlines, forcing them to choose the A220 or other competing jets. But the E-2's underrated performance and economics could attract more customers despite its rocky start.

Flying on Embraer's E190-E2 Tech Shark aircraft. Taylor Rains/Insider

Read the original article on Business Insider
Taylor Rains/Insider

Air New Zealand operates the world's 4th longest flight between New York and Auckland at over 8,800 miles.

The carrier uses a Boeing 787-9 with three classes, including business, premium economy, and regular economy.

I flew in the airline's unique economy Skycouch product to New York  here's what it was like.

Air New Zealand recently launched the world's new 4th longest flight, journeying 16 hours from Auckland to New York, and a whopping 17 and a half hours back.

ANZ's Boeing 787 in Auckland after the inaugural from New York. Taylor Rains/Insider

Air New Zealand will operate the 4th longest flight in the world when it launches the first-ever nonstop route between the US East Coast and the South Pacific nation

The country recently reopened its borders to tourists after over two years of strict COVID-19 restrictions, and travelers are eager to enjoy New Zealand's beautiful rolling hills and volcanoes.

Auckland Skyline from the top of Mt. Eden. Taylor Rains/Insider

I flew over on the inaugural flight to Auckland on Sept 17 in business class, which was a great experience.

Taylor Rains/Insider

I flew on the world's new 4th longest flight from New York to Auckland and Air New Zealand's business class made the over 17-hour journey easily bearable

The food was delicious and the Boeing 787-9s lay-flat bed was spacious and comfortable, making the over 17-hour journey pass quickly.

Taylor Rains/Insider

After a week of bleisure time  the popular term for business and leisure  in New Zealand, including exploring the famous Hobbiton movie set and going on a walking tour around the city, it was time to head home.

Sitting in front of a Hobbit home at the movie set in New Zealand. Taylor Rains/Insider

For my return flight, I booked the one-of-a-kind Skycouch offered in ANZ's economy class.

Air New Zealand

The 10 longest routes in the world flown by airlines, ranked by distance

Because the country is uniquely isolated in the South Pacific, the carrier flies a large network of long-haul flights. So, it has been coming up with outside-the-box products to make the journeys more bearable for passengers.

Air New Zealand

Many carriers, like Singapore Airlines and United Airlines, have focused on improving their premium economy product. These seats typically have more padding and a legrest, making sleep easier than in regular economy.

Story continues

United Airlines premium plus. Taylor Rains/Insider

However, ANZ has gone in a different direction. Instead, the carrier has the Skycouch, which is a row of three economy seats that convert into a bed that people can fully lie down on.

Taylor Rains/Insider

The Skycouch was introduced in 2011 to much fanfare and has since been adopted by other carriers, like Azul Brazilian Airlines and China Southern Airlines.

Azul Brazilian Airlines Skycouch. Azul Brazilian Airlines

ANZ also recently announced the addition of another lay-down economy product  the Skynest. Like the Skycouch, the bunk-beds will be for economy passengers.

Taylor Rains/Insider

I tried Air New Zealand's one-of-a-kind Skynest and found the cozy bunk bed to be a great sleep option for economy passengers

For those that book the Skycouch, the fee is added on top of the fare for the ticket. Solo passengers will typically pay a higher fee to book the Skycouch, but will not share with a stranger. Parties of three can bundle two Skycouches or one with an extra seat.

The bundle options for the Skycouch for three people on a February 2023 roundtrip flight. Air New Zealand

For example, a roundtrip flight from New York to Auckland in February 2023 in the Skycouch is $3,812 for one person. Premium economy on the same trip is $4,278, while business is $11,951.

When purchasing the ticket, the Skycouch is reserved per leg. From NY to Auckland, the price is $605, while the return price for the Skycouch is $1,320. Those costs are on top of the regular roundtrip fare of $1,887. Air New Zealand

Source: Air New Zealand

I've been excited to try ANZ's Skycouch since its launch over a decade ago, and I finally got to. Here's what my experience was like.

Taylor Rains/Insider

I arrived at Auckland International Airport at 3:15 for my 6:40 PM flight. To my surprise, there were no priority check-in options for Skycouch passengers, only for business class or premium economy.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Fortunately, passengers that do not have checked luggage can opt to check-in quickly on ANZ's mobile app, at the ticket counter, or at a kiosk.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Auckland had a large area with dozens of kiosks available in its international terminal, making it easy to get a boarding pass and head to security.

Taylor Rains/Insider

For those with checked luggage, Skycouch passengers will need to wait in the economy lanes to drop them off. The lines were short before my Saturday evening flight, but will likely get busier as New Zealand soon gets into its summer season, so budget extra time.

Taylor Rains/Insider

With my boarding pass and passport in hand, I passed security and walked to my gate. The process took about 30 minutes from curb to gate.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Unfortunately, we were delayed about 40 minutes due to a late inbound flight, an ANZ customer service agent told Insider. However, we made up time in the sky and still landed on schedule at 6:45 PM EST.

Taylor Rains/Insider

While I was in the Skycouch, it did not come with priority boarding. I was assigned row 38ABC, meaning I actually boarded in the last group because business class, premium economy, and rows 41-61 were boarded first.

Taylor Rains/Insider

My boarding pass indicated my seat was specifically 38C. If you're flying in the Skycouch solo or as a pair and see specific seats on your boarding pass, don't be confused, you still have the row to yourself.

My boarding pass also said "Skycouch" at the top. Taylor Rains/Insider

Once onboard the Boeing 787-9, I was quick to my seat as row 38 is right behind premium economy, which I was happy to bypass for an actual bed. In total, there are 13 Skycouch rows.

Air New Zealand's premium economy section. Taylor Rains/Insider

Source: SeatGuru

Approaching the row, I immediately noticed a few things. First, the headrests had signs saying "reserved" in big letters, likely to deter regular economy passengers from unknowingly moving to a Skycouch seat.

Taylor Rains/Insider

I also saw three sets of pillows and blankets, so I had plenty of linens to keep me comfortable. However, the pillows were a little flimsy.

Flying Air New Zealand's Skycouch. Taylor Rains/Insider

Fortunately, I was also provided with fluffier pillows and a mattress topper. Combining the topper, five pillows, and three blankets, I was perfectly set up for a warm and cozy ride. And, as someone who prefers sleeping with two pillows, I was thrilled.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Aside from all the extras that come with the Skycouch, the economy product itself had the regular bells and whistles of a standard seat, including a tray table

Taylor Rains/Insider

a seatback screen, which you could also order food and drinks from enroute

I could order select drinks and snacks via the seatback screen and the flight attendants brought it right to me. Taylor Rains/Insider

power outlets under the seat in front

Taylor Rains/Insider

USB ports in the seatback screen

Taylor Rains/Insider

an adjustable headrest

Taylor Rains/Insider

a window dimmer

Taylor Rains/Insider

headphones

These were great to have since I only have wireless headphones Taylor Rains/Insider

and plenty of legroom. At 5'3" and on the smaller side, I had plenty of space, and with 33 inches of pitch, even taller passengers should feel comfortable.

I had plenty of legroom to spare. Taylor Rains/Insider

Looking to my right, non-Skycouch rows have less legroom, which offer 31 inches of pitch, per SeatGuru.

Taylor Rains/Insider

The space is actually on par with competitors like American Airlines, though after trying the Skycouch, it's going to be hard to go back to a regular economy seat.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Source: SeatGuru

Shortly after takeoff, the flight attendant came by and gave me two special seatbelts, including a "cuddle belt" and an "adult loop belt."

Taylor Rains/Insider

The "cuddle belt" kept me strapped in during turbulence when laying down

Taylor Rains/Insider

while the "adult loop belt" acted as an extender so I could move around the couch when not sleeping instead of being locked in one seat.

Taylor Rains/Insider

While I was given the option to put the Skycouch up right after takeoff, I decided to wait until after the dinner service. I did prop the legrest up to get comfortable though.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Dinner options included chicken or lamb, and since I rarely see any other options except chicken on flights, I had to go with the lamb.

Taylor Rains/Insider

The meal also came with bamboo utensils and several sides, including potatoes, peas, cheese, rice wagers, a roll and butter, a salad, a small chocolate bar, and a brownie.

Taylor Rains/Insider

There were several drink options, like beer, wine, spirits, water, soda, coffee, tea, and juice. I opted for a beer and water and stowed it on the tray table next to me, which was another perk of having a row to myself.

Taylor Rains/Insider

I thought the lamb was tasty, and the sides were filling, though overall it was not the best food I've had in economy. I'd rate it as just fine and as expected for the cabin.

Taylor Rains/Insider

After dinner, I wanted to get some work done, so I decided to put the Skycouch up and get settled. There are two buttons in the armrest  one to prop the legrest and a second for the recline.

Taylor Rains/Insider

According to ANZ, the couch is 5'1" long and 29 inches wide. All of the armrests come up, meaning there were no obstructions.

There was an instruction card that explained how to work the Skycouch. Taylor Rains/Insider

Source: Air New Zealand

At just 5'3," the bed was perfect for me. I could stretch my legs fully corner-to-corner, and I didn't feel like a sardine crushed in a can. However, I can imagine two grown adults sharing the space could get cramped, which is why I guess they call it the cuddle belt.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Moreover, taller passengers would probably have to curl up pretty tight to keep their feet from extending into the aisle. One of the flight attendants told me that three adults or two adults with an older child have less of a lay-flat experience in the row.

Taylor Rains/Insider

The woman behind me actually had a young daughter and teenage son with her, but echoed the crew, saying they couldn't all lie down. But, she liked being able to sit criss-cross, though said she's okay not having the Skycouch on her return flight.

People can easily sit up criss-cross in the seats when the legrests are fully up. Taylor Rains/Insider

Despite the issues, the flight attendant said she's had almost 100% positive feedback from all customers who've booked the row. She told Insider she thinks the Skycouch is a good solution for passengers without adding too much extra work for the crew.

Taylor Rains/Insider

The seat is versatile though. You can choose to put any legrest up or down, meaning you could create one recliner, or make a smaller bed with two legrests up for a child or smaller adult to sleep. This allows one person to stay seated if they prefer.

Taylor Rains/Insider

I will note that before you go through the trouble of setting up the bed, make sure you get everything you need from under the seat out first. If the bed is up, they're hard to get to.

I stuck my shoes between the bed and the fuselage wall for easy access. Taylor Rains/Insider

Once the bed was set up, I put my computer on my lap and leaned against the fuselage wall. The setup was comfortable, and I was able to tap into the free inflight WiFi.

Taylor Rains/Insider

After getting some work done, I finally got ready to sleep. At first, I was a little worried the seats would be hard, but the mattress pad helped cushion the bed.

Taylor Rains/Insider

However, I found that I was only able to get comfortable by facing the seatback screens or laying on my back.

Taylor Rains/Insider

The bed was too short to lay on my stomach, and facing the other way was difficult because the row in front reclined, so I was leaning against a slant and that position was just not ideal for sleep.

The seats in front (which was also a Skycouch) reclined. Taylor Rains/Insider

Nevertheless, I can sleep on my back or side easily, so the Skycouch was overall very cozy and I slept about eight hours.

Flying Air New Zealand's Skycouch. Taylor Rains/Insider

My only other complaint is the slight lack of privacy. The middle rows could peer into my space, though it was dark, and the flight attendants instructed us to sleep with our heads towards to window, which helped.

Taylor Rains/Insider

About 2 hours before landing, the crew served breakfast. We were given an option of eggs, chicken sausage, and baked beans, or cinnamon hotcakes. Each came with fruit, a roll, and a drink.

Taylor Rains/Insider

As I'm not a fan of cinnamon, I went with the eggs, sausage, and beans, which were pretty good, though the eggs were just alright.

Taylor Rains/Insider

After breakfast, I headed to the lavatory, which was small but big enough for me to change clothes after the long journey. There was also a baby changing table and pretty wallpaper.

Taylor Rains/Insider

For landing, I had to put the Skycouch back in its regular position and say goodbye to what was the best long-haul economy sleep experience of my life.

I stuffed all the blankets and pillows under the seats for landing. Taylor Rains/Insider

While it's no business class, and you don't get the fancy meals or silverware, the Skycouch offers exactly what many passengers want and need on extremely long flights  a comfortable sleep.

I was well-rested after the flight. Taylor Rains/Insider

I'll admit the bed isn't perfect and could be a pain for stomach-sleepers, but I think the simple and comfortable row is a game-changer for long-haul travel. Though, it's really ideal for one or two people.

Taylor Rains/Insider

I would recommend the Skycouch to those willing to spend the extra buck as it's a great alternative to business, and honestly better than competing premium economy products I've flown on.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Read the original article on Business Insider
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP)  Grayson James threw touchdown passes on three straight possessions in the first half to guide Florida International to a 21-7 victory over New Mexico State on Saturday night.

James connected with Tyrese Chambers for a 4-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead for Florida International (2-2) after one quarter.

New Mexico State (1-5) knotted the score at 7 just 2:02 into the second quarter on Star Thomas' 2-yard touchdown run.

James answered on the Panthers' next possession with a 25-yard touchdown throw to Jalen Bracey and followed with a 60-yard scoring strike to Lexington Joseph with 6 minutes remaining before halftime. Neither team scored after that.

James completed 13 of 19 passes for 175 yards and ran for 43 yards on 18 carries for the Panthers.

___

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
A former Pennsylvania congressman was sentenced to over two years in jail for committing election fraud aimed at helping Democratic candidates.

"Protecting the legitimacy of elections is critical to ensuring the publics trust in the process," FBI Philadelphia Division Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire said in a press release last week. "Through his actions, Ozzie Myers pointedly disdained both the will of Philadelphia voters and the rule of law. Hes now a federal felon twice over, heading back behind bars, with time to consider the great consequence of free and fair elections."

Former Rep. Michael "Ozzie" Myers pleaded guilty to frequently stuffing ballots, conspiring to illegally vote in a federal election and deprive civil rights, voting records falsification, and bribery in favor of Democratic candidates, according to a Department of Justice press release. He carried out the schemes in Pennsylvania during the 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 elections, the DOJ said.

'NONPARTISAN' OHIO DEBATE COMMISSION RUN BY DEMOCRAT WITH HISTORY OF ANTI-REPUBLICAN RHETORIC, ACTIVISM

Michael Myers speaks to reporters at the Capitol after he was expelled from Congress by fellow House members for taking a bribe in the FBI ABSCAM case. Myers, was the first member to be expelled from the House in nearly 120 years. At left is his attorney Neil Jokelson. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images

Myers served in the U.S. House between 1976 and 1980 but was expelled from Congress for bribery and served three years in prison.

He will now serve 30 months in prison, a well as three years of supervised release, and he was fined a total of $100,000.

The DOJ accused Myers of bribing former Philadelphia election judge Domenick J. Demuro to stuff ballots for Democratic candidates, with Demuro pleading guilty to that crime in 2020. Myers was also involved in an election fraud scheme with former Philadelphia election judge Marie Beren, who pleaded guilty to that crime in 2021.

"Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy. If even one vote has been illegally cast or if the integrity of just one election official is compromised, it diminishes faith in process," U.S. Attorney Romero said in the release. "This defendant used his position, knowledge of the process, and connections to fix elections for his preferred candidates, which demonstrates a truly flagrant disregard for the laws which govern our elections. He will now spend 30 months in prison as penalty for his crimes."
Jimmy Carter, the oldest living former U.S. president, celebrated his 98th birthday on Saturday.

The Carter Center  which he and his wife, former first lady Rosalynn Carter, established in 1982  announced it would hold a weeklong virtual celebration for the former president.

"As the longest-living president in U.S. history, President Jimmy Carter has had a remarkable life of service that deserves worldwide celebration," said Paige Alexander, the center's chief executive officer. "Whether here in Georgia or in hard-to-reach regions around the world, millions of people have benefited from President Carter's commitment to making the world a better place."

Happy #98thBirthday Jimmy Carter! Born #OTD in 1924, President Carter is a peanut farmer turned politician & then worldwide humanitarian. A man of the people, he's dedicated his life to #humanrights & democracy. To celebrate, share a birthday message: https://t.co/kV0rOCcRT0 pic.twitter.com/FE4mt7rLu9  The Carter Center (@CarterCenter) October 1, 2022

Carter, who served as the 76th governor of Georgia before becoming the 39th president, has written 30 books, taught classes at the Maranatha Baptist Church of Plains, and volunteered with Habitat for Humanity since leaving the White House, according to the center.

In recent years, however, the former president has kept a low profile. He survived a cancer diagnosis in 2015 and underwent surgery to relieve pressure on his brain caused by a subdural hematoma back in 2019.

Story continues

Rosalynn Carter celebrated her 95th birthday back in August.

From 1999: Roger Welsch on a golf course in Nebraska's Sandhills

Los Angeles' Hollywood sign gets fresh paint job

Rising temperatures impact California tomato crops
Oct. 2For Nigerian natives living in Frederick County, Oct. 1  Nigerian Independence Day  is a chance to celebrate, connect, and share their culture and heritage with their children.

Nigerians in Frederick, a local nonprofit cultural organization, hosted its 13th Independence Day celebration on Saturday at the New Spire Arts Stages on West Patrick Street in Frederick.

Independence Day is joyous in Nigeria, but "it's a regular day in the U.S.," Yewande Oladeinde, the president of Nigerians in Frederick, said in an interview with the News-Post.

Bringing together Nigerian natives and their families who live in Frederick County, or nearby, was an opportunity to celebrate the way they would in Nigeria, Oladeinde said.

It was also a chance for Nigerian natives to teach their U.S.-born children  who may have never been to Nigeria  about the country's culture, dress and way of life.

The Independence Day celebration, held in a room tinted with green light for the Nigerian flag, included a presentation about Nigeria and the recital of a cultural poem with a talking drum. There also were speeches from local officials and a fashion show highlighting the traditional Nigerian outfits that many in attendance wore.

The event also featured a cake-cutting ceremony, a rendition of Nigeria's national anthem and a keynote speech from Lt. Col. Riliwan Ottun, deputy commander for administration at the Kirk U.S. Army Health Clinic at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.

The vibe became increasingly festive as the evening wore on.

The Harvest Olney Dance Group performed a traditional dance, which was followed by a cultural dance performance by Nigerians in Frederick children. The celebration concluded with a vote of thanks, a closing prayer and a dance party.

Nigeria, a country of more than 210 million, according to 2021 data from the World Bank, is in West Africa along the Gulf of Guinea. The country gained independence from British rule on Oct. 1, 1960.

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Yemi Fagbohun, 62, left his home in the port city of Lagos  the largest city in Nigeria  when he was 19 to attend Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York.

Fagbohun eventually moved to Frederick County to raise a family. He has lived near Camp David for the last 26 years, but it wasn't until a few years ago that he realized there was a vibrant Nigerian community in his county.

"I'd always thought of myself as one of two or three Nigerians in the area," said Fagbohun, a renowned local artist.

Fagbohun said that by embracing the Nigerian community, Frederick County has become a more diverse and more unified community.

"This is our home, too," Fagbohun said. "We feel welcome here."

Francis Mbamalu, 48, attended the Nigerians in Frederick celebration with his family for the first time on Saturday. He said the local Nigerian community has grown since 2012, when he moved with his family from Germantown to Frederick.

On top of coming together to remember Nigeria's independence, Mbamalu said, the event was a chance for professionals from an array of fields  including the arts, medicine, law and the military  to network and connect with one another.

"We help each other," he said.

Nigerians from beyond Frederick County attended the celebration, too.

Ade Adetayo, who lives in Virginia and has family locally, has been attending the Nigerians in Frederick Independence Day celebration for a few years.

She said the celebration encourages the children of Nigerian immigrants to be proud of their heritage, and it teaches them about their roots.

"I'm happy to see everyone, once a year," she said. "We are still remembering where we came from."

Follow Jack Hogan on Twitter: @jckhogan
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) on Sunday dodged a question on whether he would join former President Trump at a campaign rally in his state.

Responding to a question about a recent report that Trump might hold a rally in Georgia later this month, Kemp told Fox News Sunday host Shannon Bream that he was not focused on the former president.

Im not too worried about what the Atlanta Journal Constitution is speculating on. Theyve been no friend of mine, the Georgia governor said. Im focused to speaking [to] hard-working Georgians, making sure that they know I will continue to fight for them every single day.

Earlier this year, Kemp prevailed in his primary against a Trump-endorsed challenger. The former president sought to defeat Kemp because the governor certified the 2020 election for President Biden.

Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) and Republican challenger Herschel Walker, who is endorsed by Trump, are set for an Oct. 14 debate with Savannah, Ga., Nexstar affiliate WSAV.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported that Trump could hold his rally the next day, on Oct. 15.

When Bream asked again if he would campaign with Trump, Kemp declined to give a reply directly.

The governor, who is running for reelection and enjoys a wide lead in polling over his Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams, said he has asked all Republicans to unite and support our ticket but that he is focusing on President Bidens administration for the midterms.

The focus needs to be on this president, and what he has done that is hurting hard-working Georgians, Kemp told Bream on Sunday.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to constantly push forward the development of relations with Turkmenistan for the benefit of the two peoples, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a meeting with President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov here Thursday morning.

Xi said that since China and Turkmenistan established diplomatic relations 30 years ago, the two countries have enjoyed sustained, sound and steady growth of bilateral relations, and the strategic partnership has reached a high level.

China always views China-Turkmenistan relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, respects Turkmenistan's independently chosen development path that suits its own national conditions, and opposes any external interference in Turkmenistan's internal affairs and process of stability and development, Xi said, adding that China will continue to work with Turkmenistan to firmly support each other.

Xi emphasized the need for the two sides to increase the size and scale of natural gas cooperation and inject new impetus into the development and revitalization of the two countries.

He noted the need to accelerate cooperation in non-resource fields and to synergize the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with Turkmenistan's strategy to revive the Great Silk Road.

The two sides need to deliver on mutually setting up cultural centers as soon as possible to provide a new platform for people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries, Xi said.

The Chinese side is ready to set up a Luban workshop in Turkmenistan at an early date and continue to strengthen COVID-19 response cooperation with Turkmenistan, he said.

The Chinese side is ready to strengthen cooperation with the Turkmen side within the China+Central Asia (C+C5) Meeting mechanism, implement the Global Development Initiative and Global Security Initiative, enhance international coordination, uphold the converging interests of the developing countries, and contribute to world peace and development, said the Chinese president.

Berdimuhamedov wished the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) a full success and expressed his conviction that under the wise leadership of President Xi, the 20th CPC National Congress will draw a blueprint for China's future development and guide China toward more great achievements.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Turkmenistan and China 30 years ago, bilateral relations have developed smoothly and cooperation in various fields has been expanding, said the president.

Turkmenistan, Berdimuhamedov said, highly values its strategic partnership with China, and is ready to further deepen mutually beneficial cooperation with China in various fields including economy and trade, natural gas, cross-border transportation, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

Turkmenistan firmly supports the one-China principle and firmly supports China in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, the president said.

Turkmenistan supports a series of major initiatives put forward by China, which are conducive to maintaining international peace and security and achieving the sustainable development goals of the United Nations, he said.

Turkmenistan is ready to work with China to build stronger synergy between the BRI and Turkmenistan's strategy to revive the Great Silk Road, and closely cooperate with China within multilateral frameworks of the United Nations, the C+C5 Meeting mechanism and so on.

Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi, He Lifeng and other officials attended the event. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)
(Getty Images)

Republican Senator Marco Rubio defended his past votes against providing hurricane relief, as he has asked for federal money to provide aid to victims of Hurricane Ian in his home state of Florida.

CNNs Dana Bash asked Mr Rubio about a letter he sent to the Senate Appropriations Committee asking for disaster relief for resources for Florida after Hurricane Ian, but noted how he had previously voted against disaster relief in 2012 for victims of Hurricane Sandy, which hit the northeast of the US.

Hurricane Ian made landfall this week and has already devastated parts of Florida and the East Coast of the United States. Mr Rubio defended his past actions and said that he has always voted for hurricane and disaster relief.

What I didnt vote for in Sandy, because they had included things like a roof for a museum in Washington DC, for fisheries in Alaska, it had been loaded up with a bunch of things that had nothing to do with disaster relief, he said. I wouldn't ever put out there that we should go use a disaster relief package for Florida as a way to pay for all kinds of other things people want around the country.

In response, Ms Bash noted that the Sandy relief legislation included the repair for the roof of a museum because it had been damaged during the storm and it allocated money for fisheries in Alaska because of another disaster. In response, she asked if relief for Ian contained wasteful spending, that Mr Rubio would vote against it.

Ill fight against it having pork in it, he said. Thats the key. We shouldnt have that in there because it undermines the ability to come back and do this in the future.
Oct. 1HARLINGEN  Following the debate Friday with gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke in Edinburg, Gov. Greg Abbott headed south to Harlingen for a campaign stop on Saturday.

A small crowd of supporters gathered inside Frankie Flav'z Craft Burger House in Harlingen Saturday morning to hear from other Republican candidates from local and state races, at least before the governor's arrival for the Texans for Greg Abbott and Texas Victory Weekend of Action kickoff breakfast.

Abbott addressed the crowd for a few minutes about his policy positions, President Joe Biden and O'Rourke to cheers from the crowd.

"I'm going block walking. You're going block walking  we are all going block walking to turn Cameron County red," Abbott said to the crowd.

He then directed them outside for a group photo in front of an ambulance decorated with the face of O'Rourke.

The governor's campaign staff, who dubbed the event as a door-knocking, directed the media to the nearby East Karis Court Street, where he was expected to speak to a few residents. But reporters were given the wrong address and instead ended up outside Victoria Rafols' home  a longtime Republican from the Philippines.

Excited to see the governor, Rafols walked down the street to catch Abbott as he traveled in-between homes to speak to him and show her appreciation for what he has been doing in the state.

"God bless you. I've been praying for you," she told Abbott.

Abbott thanked her for her prayers and support.

A neighbor, Brenda Kruse, an Alabama resident who retired in Harlingen two years ago, was overjoyed to take a photo with the governor and her family during his visit to her home.

"You have got my vote," she assured him.

Another homeowner, Margaret Martinez, who moved to the area from Dallas, said it was a welcome surprise to see the governor on her doorstep. In the last week, when a group came to the street to let residents know the governor would be coming, she didn't quite believe it.

Story continues

"I can't believe this, because when they told me that the governor was going to be here, I said 'pft'. I've heard that story and nobody ever shows up," she said. "Look he showed up. I can't believe it."

------

To see more, view Brownsville Herald photojournalist Denise Cathey's full photo gallery here:
Don't despair. Thinning hair is common, but there are treatments that can help.

By Sally Wadyka

Feel like your hair is just less . . . there? Male and female pattern hair loss (androgenic alopecia) is incredibly common.

For instance, by age 50, half of white men see visible signs, as do about the same proportion of women over age 70. At any age, thinning hair can impact self-esteem and quality of life, says Antonella Tosti, MD, professor of dermatology at the University of Miami.

Genetics and hormones may affect hair health. Androgens are the main cause of baldness in both men and women, Tosti saysoccurring when the hair reacts abnormally to these hormones. In women, hair loss is also more common after menopause, when estrogen levels drop, she says. Your overall health and lifestyle are part of the equation, too.

Talk to Your Doctor

If youre concerned about thinning strands, the first step is to have a conversation with your doctor.

They can do tests such as checks of your iron levels, thyroid function, and other factors that can affect your hair health. A doctor can also assess whether any medications you take may be exacerbating your hair loss. So be prepared to share a list of your meds.

Consider OTC Treatments

Want to try a therapy to combat hair loss? There are effective treatments, but they are more effective at slowing or preventing hair loss than they are at regrowing hair, Tosti says.

One of the most effective at-home treatments is topical minoxidil. You can buy it over the counter in 2 and 5 percent concentrations for about $15 to $50 for a three-month supply. A review published in 2017 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that men using 5 percent minoxidil twice daily had an average increase of almost 15 hairs per square centimeter.

Low-level lasers, typically helmetlike caps worn for 30 minutes at a time, are another option, but they can cost hundreds and be time-consuming. There is strong evidence that they can grow hair if you use them three to four times a week, says Ronda S. Farah, MD, assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Story continues

You may also see supplementsoften containing biotinwith hair-regrowth claims. However, there is no evidence that biotin helps grow hair unless you have a deficiency, Farah says.

What a Dermatologist Can Do

If at-home treatments arent working, a dermatologist may recommend other options. Oral prescription medications (such as finasteride for men and spironolactone for women), for instance, could help most in people whose hormones are affecting hair loss.

Some dermatologists may prescribe minoxidil in oral form, instead of topical. We are using it at very low doses and seeing very positive results, Farah says.

Some may also suggest injections of platelet-rich plasma (PRP), an experimental treatment. Here, a doctor takes a sample of your blood, separates out the plasma, and injects this into your scalp. This is normally done in a series of treatments with the goal of stimulating new growth in the hair follicles. Some small studies have shown promise, but PRP injections can be quite pricey, costing in the hundreds for each (and not covered by insurance).

Make Your Hair Look Thicker

A clean, healthy scalp is essential for growing healthy hair, says Gina Rivera, a hairstylist based in San Diego. So when shampooing, massage your scalp to stimulate blood and oxygen flow to hair follicles (which they require for growth).

Avoid shampoos that contain sulfates, which can leave hair brittle and breakage-prone. If you have flakiness, consider using a shampoo that contains pyrithione zinc. It helps soothe the scalp and decrease yeast, which can affect hair growth, Farah says.

Strategic styling can also help: For men, its best to skip comb-overs and keep hair short. A buzz cut, for instance, balances out thicker and thinner areas. For women, a jaw-length bob helps maximize thickness. And for women with receding hairlines, try adding some face-framing layers or soft bangs to distract attention, Rivera says.

Editors Note: This article also appeared in the October 2022 issue of Consumer Reports On Health.





More from Consumer Reports:

Top pick tires for 2016

Best used cars for $25,000 and less

7 best mattresses for couples





Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright  2022, Consumer Reports, Inc.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla (AP)  Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson knew his players were down after a double-overtime loss to Clemson last week.

He also knew they had put it behind them by the time they took the field for another top-25 matchup with Florida State.

Sam Hartman threw for 234 yards and two touchdowns, Justice Ellison ran for 114 yards and a touchdown and No. 22 Wake Forest beat the No. 23 Seminoles 31-21 on Saturday.

That was a great, gutty, incredible team win, Clawson said. Last week was a soul crusher and I certainly had concerns with our ability to get them back. They just put in a great week of work and prepared, and came down here expecting to win.

Wake Forest (4-1, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) looked focused early, scoring touchdowns on three straight drives after an opening punt. The Demon Deacons ran for 171 yards, their most against an FBS opponent in 2022, while Hartman connected with eight receivers. A.T. Perry led the way with eight receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown.

The Demon Deacons also converted 7 of 11 third downs and 2 of 2 fourth downs in the first half as they grabbed a 21-7 halftime lead.

Thats huge, Hartman said. We take pride on that. We take pride on staying on schedule.

Jordan Travis connected with Mycah Pittman on touchdown receptions of 18 and six yards as the Seminoles opened both halves with TD drives. Travis completed 23 of 35 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns.

The Seminoles (4-1, 2-1) got within 28-21 with a 58-yard drive in the fourth quarter, which culminated in Travis 4-yard TD throw to Johnny Wilson and a two-point pass. But the Demon Deacons responded again with a long drive, ending in Matthew Dennis 27-yard field goal to give them a 31-21 lead with 2:55 left.

An Oregon transfer, Pittman had career bests with five receptions and 85 yards.

Florida States offense had its moments, but Travis fumble gave Wake a short field and set up a Demon Deacons touchdown. Another Seminoles drive set up Ryan Fitzgerald for a 29-yard field-goal attempt, which he missed. Florida State also started a drive at its 45 with the benefit of a long kickoff return but went three-and-out.

Story continues

Disappointed, Florida State coach Mike Norvell said. I thought our guys, especially there in the first half, really started almost pressing when we had a little bit of adversity that showed up, did a lot of uncharacteristic things, uncharacteristic mistakes showing up. Way too many penalties. Turnovers, balls were in jeopardy. You look at the third-down situations on both sides, they did a really good job in those critical down situations. I think they were 13 out of 21 of third and fourth downs.

THIRD-DOWN SUCCESS

Wake Forest had been converting just 41% of its third-down opportunities coming into the game, while FSUs third-down stop rate was 31.5%.

The Demon Deacons flipped the script and used those third-down conversions to build lengthy scoring drives. Wake had touchdown drives of 80, 90, 75 and 39 (a short field off the Travis fumble) and also a final 66-yard drive that took 6 1/2 minutes off the clock and resulted in Dennis 27-yard field goal with 2:55 to go.

CLIMBING ACC CHARTS

Hartman moved into fifth place on the ACC's career list with 10,462 passing yards.

TAKEAWAYS

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons put together touchdown drives of 80, 90 and 75 yards, with a final 71-yard drive that resulted in a field goal. Wake also converted 10 of 18 third downs for the game.

Florida State: The Seminoles could not overcome a season-high 11 penalties and a fumble by Travis, which set Wake up with a short field and resulted in a touchdown in the second quarter.

UP NEXT

Wake Forest: Hosts Army next Saturday.

Florida State: Travels to No. 10 North Carolina 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
An abandoned cabin at the Boston Mine ghost town. Monica Humphries/Insider

The Boston Mine formed in the late 1800s when gold was found near Mayflower Gulch, Colorado.

The gold was deemed impure, so settlers abandoned the mine and camp, leaving behind a ghost town.

Today, the land is protected  but $15 million to $50 million worth of gold might still be there.

Soaring mountains surround a cluster of abandoned buildings in Summit County, Colorado. Decaying today, the structures were once home to miners who dreamed of gold in the late 1800s, according to Backpacker.

The Boston Mine ghost town on the Mayflower Gulch Trail in Colorado. Monica Humphries/Insider

Source: Backpacker

The abandoned buildings make up the Boston Mine ghost town, which sits in the V-shaped valley of the Mayflower Gulch.

Two structures of the abandoned Boston Mine. Monica Humphries/Insider

In the late 1800s, miners were on the hunt for gold and silver across the West. A group discovered a vein of gold in the mountains surrounding the Mayflower Gulch and built mines, trams, homes, and a boarding house, according to Backpacker.

A portrait of gold miners in Telluride, Colorado, in 1880. (Boston miners not pictured.) Camerique/Getty Images

Source: Backpacker

But as reported in Backpacker, the gold they mined had impurities and wasn't profitable. The same source reports that miners abandoned the valley for more prosperous areas and left behind a ghost town.

Four abandoned buildings on the Mayflower Gulch trail. Monica Humphries/Insider

Source: Backpacker

Early one summer morning, I set out on Highway 91 heading toward Leadville, Colorado, to hike the Mayflower Gulch Trail and explore the abandoned buildings.

A map showing the Mayflower Gulch Trail's location. Monica Humphries/Insider

After an hour-and-a-half drive from Denver, I reached a parking lot. There, visitors have two options: They can park and hike to the abandoned Boston Mine or drive along an old wagon road to the ghost town's entrance.

From the entrance to the Mayflower Gulch trail, I could spot a handful of abandoned houses. Monica Humphries/Insider

Unsure whether my Subaru could handle the road's conditions, I opted to hike to the ghost town, which added an extra 3 miles to my 6-mile hike. The trail has a variety of routes, and the main ghost town is a short hike from the upper parking lot.

At the start of the trail, visitors have the choice to continue driving or start their hike. Monica Humphries/Insider

As I hiked up the wide, rocky path through spur and fir trees, I spotted my first sign of the region's mining past: a wooden cabin along the old wagon road. This would be the first of nine structures I saw scattered along the trail.

Story continues

The first sign of the ghost town on the Mayflower Gulch Trail. Monica Humphries/Insider

I peered inside the crumbling cabin and eyed what looked like a rusted oven, which would be decades old by this point, I thought.

The rusted oven inside the first cabin on the Mayflower Gulch Trail. Monica Humphries/Insider

Farther up the trail, I spotted more ruins. Slightly above eye level, there's an abandoned structure that was part of the old mining process, according to Summit Daily. Called an ore chute, this was used to move the heavy rock into wagons.

The wood structure was likely an old ore chute. Monica Humphries/Insider

Source: Summit Daily

Dotted along the mountains are mine entrances, and sure enough, behind the structure was an opening. Today, the areas are often fenced off and unstable, so I admired this one from a distance and continued along the path.

An arrow points to where miners would've entered the mine. Monica Humphries/Insider

After hiking a little more than a mile, I reached the largest portion of the ghost town. In the vast expanse, I could spot three buildings at the base of the grand mountains.

The entrance to the ghost town. Monica Humphries/Insider

Standing amid the ruins, I had a nearly 360-degree view of mountains. To the south, north, and east were mountains reaching nearly 14,000 feet above sea level. To the west was a vast valley and a trailing creek.

The view of Mayflower Gulch as a cloud passes over the sun. Monica Humphries/Insider

As for the abandoned buildings, there wasn't much left from the mining camp. The first building I approached was by far the largest.

The largest abandoned cabin in the ghost town. Monica Humphries/Insider

According to Backpacker, the Boston Mine camp had a boarding house, where unmarried miners would most likely have lived while working at the mine. This large building could've been that, and I imagined it'd be similar to hostels I've slept in  crowded and filled with just the necessities. Though, I had no way of knowing for sure.

A view of the Boston Mine ghost town. Monica Humphries/Insider

Source: Backpacker

According to Breckenridge History, the miners of Summit County walked from their homes to the mine each morning before 7 a.m. I was hiking on a sunny day, and I couldn't imagine trekking through the snow with a long day of work ahead.

A stereograph of a miner carrying equipment while walking across a shallow creek in Colorado in 1874. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

I continued along the trail and spotted more empty, eerie buildings. I peeked inside one, where I saw insulation that was peeling from the ceiling and floorboards that had chipped away over the years.

The interior of one of the abandoned buildings. Monica Humphries/Insider

Unsure whether there were any more abandoned buildings along the trail, I kept hiking. I was glad I did. In the distance, I spotted another cabin and a narrow, tall building.

Arrows pointing to another cabin and ore chute that are part of the ghost town. Monica Humphries/Insider

The tall structure was likely another part of the mine.

A view of the second ore chute I spotted at the abandoned Boston Mine. Monica Humphries/Insider

I've seen plenty of abandoned cabins dating to about the same time, but I've never seen anything like this before. The building was at least two stories tall, and I was impressed it was still standing all these years later.

A side view of the building along the Mayflower Gulch Trail. Monica Humphries/Insider

Read more: I hiked 8 miles to an eerie ghost town filled with crumbling homes and felt like I'd traveled back in time

From the building, a long cable stretched more than halfway up the mountain, which I imagine was part of the mining process. As I followed the cable, I spotted an entrance to another mine.

The arrow points to the entrance of the mine. Monica Humphries/Insider

According to Breckenridge History, these entrances would be used by workers who would enter the mine with their drill steels, hammers, and lunch, with their days illuminated only by candlelight. Miners would mine, muckers would shovel crushed rock into ore cars, and trammers would push the cars to the surface, the same source reported.

Miners working at Little Giant Mine in the Pike National Forest in Colorado in the early 1900s. (Boston Mine not pictured.) CORBIS/Corbis/Getty Images

Source: Breckenridge History

All around the narrow building I saw relics from the past. It made my morning feel more like a scavenger hunt than a hike.

A rusty relic along the trail. Monica Humphries/Insider

Along one sloping hill, I noticed dozens, if not hundreds, of rusting cans.

One area of the trail was filled with rusting cans. Monica Humphries/Insider

On another section of the trail, I spotted what appeared to be abandoned mining equipment with thick layers of rust.

A relic from the old mine along the Mayflower Gulch trail. Monica Humphries/Insider

I later learned that some of the equipment could've been more recent. According to Copper Colorado Condos, people returned to the area in the 1980s to try their luck again when the price of gold skyrocketed to $800 an ounce.

A part of the abandoned mining camp along the Mayflower Gulch Trail. Monica Humphries/Insider

Source: Copper Colorado Condos

The same source reports that the new residents stabilized the abandoned buildings and attempted to mine. But like the original miners, they were unsuccessful. They, too, left behind a ghost town.

A view through the window of one of the abandoned buildings. Monica Humphries/Insider

Source: Copper Colorado Condos

Today, the surrounding mountains still have deposits of gold, according to The Denver Post, and one expert estimated in 2009 that anywhere between $15 million and $50 million worth of gold may be tucked away in the mountains. But it would most likely need to go through an expensive refining process to be of any value, according to Britannica.

Stored in the mountains are thought to be millions of dollars' worth of gold. Monica Humphries/Insider

Source: The Denver Post, Britannica

But the treasure will remain buried deep in the rock. Today, the ghost town and its gold are protected by Summit County. In 2009, the county expanded the trail and purchased an additional 129 acres of adjacent land, which included the tall building and surrounding mountainous area, according to The Denver Post.

The Mayflower Gulch Trail. Monica Humphries/Insider

Source: The Denver Post

I wrapped up my hike by scarfing down a sandwich and admiring the abandoned buildings. While I didn't strike gold, I did gain a new appreciation for the miners and their ambition.

I ate a quick bite and admired the ghost town before hiking back to my car. Monica Humphries/Insider

Read the original article on Insider
Hundreds of women marched Saturday against femicide in Ecuador, which a gender violence NGO says has claimed more than 200 victims since the start of the year.

The country was rocked by the murder of lawyer Maria Belen Bernal, 34, last month, who disappeared after entering a police training facility in capital Quito where she had gone to visit her husband.

The incident sparked nationwide protests and police have named her husband, who is on the run, as the main suspect.

On Saturday, protesters held up placards that read "Look at me carefully because I could be the next" victim and chanted "We want to live".

Protests took place on the streets of the capital Quito as well as other parts of Ecuador following a call from social organizations to stand "united against the femicide state".

That slogan was also sprayed in front of the police headquarters in Quito, where protesters congregated to pelt the building with eggs and splatter red and yellow paint across its facade.

Bernal's body was found four days after she disappeared on a hill some five kilometers (three miles) from the Quito police training school.

A sign reading "Murderous police" was placed at the feet of officers dressed in riot gear and their shields were covered in paint.

President Guillermo Lasso has since ordered the dismissal of two generals and Interior Minister Patricio Carrillo.

There have been 206 femicides in Ecuador since the beginning of the year, according to an NGO that monitors gender violence.

The Attorney General's Office says that since 2014, 573 femicides have been committed, a crime punishable by up to 26 years in prison.

According to official statistics, 65 out of 100 women between 15 and 49 have experienced some form of violence in Ecuador.

sp/cn/elm/ssy/mtp
BILOXI, Miss.  Parachutes arent an option for the Air Force Reserves 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron Hurricane Hunters when they fly into storms like Hurricane Ian.

The Hurricane Hunters volunteer for their mission and fly directly through the eye of the hurricane  then turn and come through again at a different entry point  then turn and do it again.

A WC-130J Super Hercules aircraft assigned to the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron flies in the eye of Hurricane Ian Sept. 27, 2022. (Staff Sgt. Kristen Pittman/Air Force)

Some days, like when Hurricane Ike was intensifying over Cuba in September 2008, the ride isnt too bumpy. At that time in history, the Hurricane Hunters flights were the only U.S. military planes allowed in Cuban air space. As Ike intensified as Ian did on its way to Cuba, the Hurricane Hunters had a bumpy, gut-wrenching ride through Ikes eye as the storm aimed for Texas.

In the place of parachutes on the sturdy WC-130Js the Hurricane Hunters fly are life vests should the plane go down in a storm. Parachutes couldnt be deployed in the 100 mph and higher wind speeds they encounter as they fly through the hurricanes.

The sophisticated weather equipment on the planes help them avoid hot spots of severe weather and wind shear that could cause trouble. There arent seats beyond those for the basic crew of five: the pilot, co-pilot, navigator, flight meteorologist and weather reconnaissance loadmaster. The planes are outfitted with the latest technology to protect them as they fly day and night missions through the storm.

Hurricane Hunters help inject accuracy into storm predictions

Media and other observers who ride on one of their flights sit on plastic benches along the sides of the plane, with the center left open for any payload. The bathroom for the crew and passengers is readied behind a curtain once the plane is in the air.

The 53rd WRS, based at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, is unlike any other crew.

It is the only operational unit in the world flying weather reconnaissance on a routine basis, according to the Hurricane Hunters website.

Story continues

The mission of the air reserve technicians and Air Force Reservists is to collect information that will help forecasters track the storm and residents decide whether to stay home or evacuate, the website said.

Once the Hurricane Hunters reach the tropical system, they send dropsondes through a tube throughout the flight through the storm. These weather instruments continuously transmit the pressure in the storm, humidity, temperature, the wind direction and speed until the instruments, with a parachute, hit the sea. That information is used to calculate the track of a hurricane and where and when it might make landfall.

Scenes from todays flight into #HurricaneIan as it makes its way toward Florida  



Make sure youre paying attention to the forecast (@NHC_Atlantic) as well as heeding local advisories.#ReserveReady pic.twitter.com/BY9JA1elKI  Hurricane Hunters (@53rdWRS) September 27, 2022

The Hurricane Hunters are based in Biloxi, just a couple of blocks from the beach. They post their experiences and findings on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and recently took the public along on a flight through Hurricane Fiona.

In Biloxi the Hurricane Hunters are rock stars, honored with a display in 2008 at Hard Rock Biloxi and later with a Christmas ornament featuring their plane as it passes the Biloxi Lighthouse.

In 2005, the Hurricane Hunters kept flying their missions as Hurricane Katrina was headed directly toward the military base and their homes. While their families and neighbors evacuated, they were collecting information on what would be a deadly and costly storm.

Despite heavy damage to their home station caused by Hurricane Katrina, the unit continued its weather reconnaissance mission without missing a single tasking, their website says.
The death toll from Hurricane Ian climbed to 54 on Sunday, with 47 confirmed deaths in Florida, four in North Carolina and three in Cuba, the Associated Press reported.

The death toll from the category four hurricane that hit Florida on Wednesday is expected to rise as search-and-rescue operations continue and the water recedes. At its peak, 2.67 million people were without power, according to Axios, and nearly 850,000 people are still stranded without access to water, electricity or the internet, the AP reported.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis is working with billionaire Elon Musk to revive internet access for Floridians, DeSantis said in a press conference.

The majority of the deaths in Florida were caused by drowning, but some came from the storms aftereffects, including an elderly couple dying when the electricity shut off and they lost power to their oxygen machines.

Two out of the four people in North Carolina died from storm-related car accidents, Axios reported.

Were still actively in the search and rescue phase, trying to make sure were accounting for everybody that was in the storms path and that we go through every home to make sure that we dont leave anybody behind, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said on ABCs This Week on Sunday, according to the outlet.

President Joe Biden announced Sunday he would be traveling to Florida this week to visit families who were impacted by Ian.

Jill and I will travel this week to Puerto Rico and Florida to meet with families and local officials who have been affected by Hurricane Fiona and Hurricane Ian. We see what youre going through, and were with you.  President Biden (@POTUS) October 2, 2022

More than 2,300 people and 150 pets have been rescued by federal and state coordinated search and rescue teams, the White House said in a statement, adding that to date, 17 approved counties have been approved for Individual Assistance and Debris Removal as part of Bidens Expedited Major Disaster Declaration for Florida.

More from National Review
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Hurricane Orlene lost some punch, but remained a dangerous Category 3 storm on Sunday as it headed toward Mexico's northwest Pacific coast between the tourist towns of Mazatlan and San Blas.

After growing into a hurricane Saturday, Orlene quickly added power, peaking as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph) early Sunday, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. But winds slipped back to 115 mph (185 kph) by late Sunday.

The storm was moving over or near the Islas Marias, a former prison colony being developed as a tourist draw. The island is sparsely populated by government employees and buildings there are made of brick or concrete.

Orlene was forecast to hit Mexico's Pacific coast sometime Monday along a sparsely populated, lagoon-dotted stretch of mainland south of Mazatlan by late Monday.

By late Sunday, Orlene was centered about 80 miles (125 kilometers) west-northwest of Cabo Corrientes  a point of land that juts into the Pacific just south of Puerto Vallarta  and was headed north at 8 mph (13 kph) early Sunday.

A hurricane warning was in effect from San Blas to Mazatlan.

The government of Jalisco state, where Puerto Vallarta is located, suspended classes Monday in towns and cities along the coast.

The state civil defense office posted video of large waves crashing on a dock at Cabo Corrientes.

In Sinaloa, where Mazatlan is located, some emergency shelters were opened.

The center said the storm would likely begin weakening as its moved closer to land. But it was still projected to hit as a hurricane.

It could bring flood-inducing rainfall of up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) in some places, as well as coastal flooding and dangerous surf.

The ports of Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta were closed to ships and Mexico's navy announced that ports including Mazatlan, San Blas and Nuevo Vallarta were closed to small craft.

Mexico's National Water Commission said Orlene could cause mudslides, rising river and stream levels, and flooding in low-lying areas.

The hurricane center said hurricane-force winds extended out about 15 miles (30 kilometers) from the center and tropical storm-force winds out to 70 miles (110 kilometers).
The recent price decline of 7.8% in The Boeing Company's (NYSE:BA) stock may have disappointed insiders who bought US$1.1m worth of shares at an average price of US$209 in the past 12 months. Insiders invest with the hopes of seeing their money grow in value over time. However, as a result of recent losses, their initial investment is now only worth US$664k, which is not what they expected.

While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing.

Check out our latest analysis for Boeing

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Boeing

In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Independent Non-Executive Chairman Lawrence Kellner bought US$1.0m worth of shares at a price of US$209 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being US$121). It's very possible they regret the purchase, but it's more likely they are bullish about the company. We always take careful note of the price insiders pay when purchasing shares. It is generally more encouraging if they paid above the current price, as it suggests they saw value, even at higher levels.

Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid US$1.1m for 5.48k shares. But insiders sold 990.00 shares worth US$220k. Overall, Boeing insiders were net buyers during the last year. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Insider Ownership

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Boeing insiders own about US$51m worth of shares. That equates to 0.07% of the company. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

Story continues

What Might The Insider Transactions At Boeing Tell Us?

There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. Overall we don't see anything to make us think Boeing insiders are doubting the company, and they do own shares. While we like knowing what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. For example - Boeing has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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by Saud Abu Ramadan, Emad Drimly

GAZA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian reconciliation issue has once again come into the spotlight as senior officials of 14 Palestinian factions are meeting in Algeria on Sunday, hoping to end the more than 15 years of internal Palestinian division.

Over the last few days, Algeria held separate meetings with officials of Hamas, the ruling faction of the Gaza Strip, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement, to hear their vision for the success of reconciliation.

Still, neither side accepts the vision of the other.

Hamas, which has controlled Gaza since the summer of 2007, requires reform of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), while Fatah, whose leadership in the West Bank is accepted by the international community, insists on forming a national unity government that respects the conditions laid out by the international Quartet of the United Nations, the United States, the EU and Russia, which include condemning violence and recognizing Israel and the signed peace agreements.

During a meeting of the Fatah Central Committee held in Ramallah on Friday, Abbas confirmed that Fatah would respond to the reconciliation efforts made by Egypt and other Arab nations and work to make them a success in Palestinian reconciliation, official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

But he stressed that Palestinian reconciliation has to be based on the UN resolutions and the recognition of the PLO as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.

Fatah accused Israel "and some regional and international powers" of not wanting a Palestinian reconciliation or ending the internal division "because keeping this division serves their interest and obstructs the Palestinian efforts to end the occupation and establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital."

Munzer Hayek, Fatah spokesman in Gaza, told Xinhua that the movement had presented its vision for Palestinian reconciliation in Algeria, which starts with unifying the institutions of the Palestinian Authority before going to the issue of PLO.

The presence of the Fatah delegation in Algeria was preceded by the arrival of a Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas' Arab and Islamic Relations Office, along with Maher Salah and Hussam Badran, members of Hamas Political Bureau.

The Hamas delegation held a series of meetings with an Algerian team specialized in the Palestinian reconciliation issue.

Hazem Qassem, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, told Xinhua that Hamas presented an integrated vision of reconciliation in harmony with most Palestinian factions, hoping the Fatah delegation would have the same positive spirit toward ending the internal division.

Sunday's meeting comes as a culmination of the call of Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune during a meeting with Abbas in Algeria at the end of last year.

On Dec. 7, 2021, Tebboune announced that his country would host Palestinian factions to unify the Palestinian ranks. He decided to grant Palestine a financial contribution of 100 million U.S. dollars, which was welcomed by the Palestinians officially and publicly.

Palestinian analysts believe that the meeting in Algeria is a significant opportunity for the Palestinian factions to reach an agreement on a unified Palestinian reference to confront Israeli policies.

Hani al-Masri, a political analyst from Ramallah, told Xinhua that reconciliation and unification of various Palestinian factions "is a necessary step to confront the Israeli plans, which are becoming increasingly fierce and extreme in an attempt to liquidate the Palestinian cause."

In fact, what prevents a breakthrough in the Palestinian national unity over the past years "is the priority of individual and factional interests over the national interest," al-Masri said.

The Palestinians have been suffering from an internal division since the summer of 2007, when Hamas violently took control of the Gaza Strip from Abbas's security forces. Several agreements and understandings sponsored by Arab mediators have failed to achieve reconciliation and end the internal division. 
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP)  Shortly after polls closed in Bosnias general election on Sunday, the top international overseer of a 1995 peace agreement that ended the countrys inter-ethnic war in the 1990s announced that he was changing its electoral law.

Christian Schmidt, who holds the post of the international high representative in Bosnia, announced in a YouTube video that he was amending the law to ensure functionality and timely implementation of election results, assuring citizens that the changes will in no way affect the votes cast on Sunday.

It is crucial for destiny of this country that there will be no blockades, he said.

The changes will affect the size of the parliament of one of the countrys two highly independent administrative parts, shared between ethnic Croats and Bosniaks, and prevent blockades of the formation of its government.

Bosnians on Sunday elected representatives for different levels of government that are part of one of the worlds most complicated institutional set-ups. That structure was agreed upon in a U.S.-sponsored peace deal that ended the brutal 1992-95 war between the country's three main ethnic groups: Muslim Bosniaks, Orthodox Serbs and Catholic Croats.

The U.S.-brokered Dayton Agreement divided the country into two highly independent governing entities  one run by Serbs and the other shared by Bosniaks and Croats. The two have broad autonomy but are linked by shared national institutions. All countrywide actions require consensus from all three ethnic groups.

The agreement also gave broad powers to the high representative, including the ability to impose laws and to dismiss officials and civil servants who undermine the countrys fragile post-war ethnic balance.
Iran has granted a furlough to imprisoned Iranian-American Siamak Namazi for the first time in seven years, and lifted the travel ban on his elderly father, the U.N. secretary general and the familys lawyer said Saturday.

Iranian authorities gave Namazi a one-week, renewable furlough and he was reunited with his parents in Tehran, his lawyer Jared Genser told NBC News.

While these are critical first steps, we will not rest until the Namazis can all return to the United States and their long nightmare has finally come to an end, Genser said in a statement.

Siamak Namazi, a businessman who was arrested in 2015, is the longest-held Iranian-American prisoner in Iran. His father, Baquer Namazi, who worked for the United Nations before retiring, was also imprisoned and later released on a medical furlough, but he has remained under a travel ban.

The U.N., the U.S. government and human rights groups say the espionage charges against both of them are baseless and that his detention is a violation of international law. Three other Americans are held in Iran as well as at least one legal permanent resident.

The secretary-general is grateful that, following his appeals to the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, our former colleague Baquer Namazi has been permitted to leave Iran for medical treatment abroad, a spokesperson for U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a statement.

The secretary-general is also pleased to learn that Baquer Namazis son, Siamak Namazi, has been released from detention, the spokesperson added.

In a statement, the State Department expressed "appreciation to the U.S. allies and partners who have worked tirelessly to help the Namazis, including the UN Secretary-General, Switzerland, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and the United Kingdom."

"Our efforts are far from over. We remain committed and determined to securing the freedom of all Americans unjustly detained in Iran and elsewhere. They should be reunited with their loved ones as soon as possible."

Story continues

The move came as negotiations on reviving a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran have stalled, according to U.S. and European diplomats.

Families and advocates of Americans imprisoned in Iran have called on the Biden administration not to allow their loved ones to remain behind bars even if the nuclear talks collapse, urging the White House to negotiate to secure the Americans release.

Siamak Namazi recently issued an emotional appeal through his lawyer, saying the administration needed to do more to bring him and other Americans home.

Gambling the fate of U.S. hostages in Iran on the success of the nuclear talks is negligent & cruel. We must be freed first, & now! Namazi said in tweets posted by his lawyer.

Irans U.N. mission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
By Parisa Hafezi

DUBAI (Reuters) -Iranian security forces clashed with students at a prominent university in Tehran on Sunday, social and state media reported, in the latest sign of a deadly clampdown on nationwide protests that were ignited by the death in custody of a young woman.

The anti-government protests, which began at 22-year-old Mahsa Amini's funeral on Sept. 17 in the Kurdish town of Saqez, have spiralled into the biggest show of opposition to Iran's authorities in years, with many calling for the end of more than four decades of Islamic clerical rule.

Activist Twitter account 1500tasvir, which has around 160,000 followers, posted several videos showing Sharif University, traditionally a hotbed of dissent, surrounded by dozens of riot police.

One of the videos showed security forces firing teargas to drive the students off the campus and the sound of what appeared to be shooting at a distance could be heard.

Another video showed security forces chasing dozens of students trapped in the university's underground parking. The account said dozens of students had been arrested.

Iranian state media described "reports of clashes" at the university and said the country's science minister visited the campus to check on the situation.

Reuters could not independently verify the events at the university.

Students had been protesting at numerous universities on Sunday and demonstrations were held in several cities such as Tehran, Yazd, Kermanshah, Sanandaj, Shiraz and Mashhad, with participants chanting "independence, freedom, death to Khamenei," earlier social media posts showed.

The protests have not abated despite a growing death toll and the crackdown by security forces using tear gas, clubs, and in some cases, according to videos on social media and rights groups, live ammunition.

Iran Human Rights, a Norway-based group, in a statement said that "so far 133 people had been killed across Iran", including more than 40 people it said died in clashes last week in Zahedan, capital of the southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan province.

Story continues

Iranian authorities have not given a death toll, while saying many members of the security forces have been killed by "rioters and thugs backed by foreign foes". Last week state television said 41 had died, including members of the security forces.

Iran's utmost authority Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has not commented on the nationwide protests, which have spread to Iran's 31 provinces, with all layers of society, including ethnic and religious minorities, taking part.

Amini's death and the crackdown have drawn international criticism of Iran's rulers, who in turn accuse the United States and some European countries of exploiting the unrest to try to destabilise the Islamic Republic.

Iranian state media shared a video of pro-government students, who gathered at the Ferdowsi university in Mashhad, chanting "the Islamic Republic is our red line".

Earlier on Sunday, Iranian lawmakers chanted "thank you, police" during a parliament session, in a show of support for a crackdown on widespread anti-government protests.

DEATH IN COMA

Amini was arrested on Sept. 13 in Tehran for "unsuitable attire" by the morality police who enforce the Islamic Republic's strict dress code. She died three days later in hospital after falling into a coma.

The lawyer for Amini's family, Saleh Nikbakht, told the semi-official Etemadonline news website that "respectable doctors" believe she was hit in custody. Amini's autopsy report and other medical details have not been released, but her father said he saw bruises on her leg and that other women detained with her said she was beaten.

Iran's police authorities say Amini died of a heart attack and deny she was beaten to death in custody.

The country's hardline President Ebrahim Raisi has ordered an investigation into Amini's death. He said last week that a forensic report would be presented in "coming days".

Amnesty International on Friday reported that hundreds were injured and thousands have been arrested in the protests.

State media said at least 20 people were killed in the Zahedan clashes, blaming a separatist group from the Baluchi minority for starting a shootout in the city.

(Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)
JERUSALEM (AP)  Israel's prime minister on Sunday welcomed a U.S. proposal for setting the maritime border with Lebanon, saying the American plan for resolving a long-running dispute between the neighboring countries would lift Israel's economy and boost regional security.

Prime Minister Yair Lapid said the proposal was delivered over the weekend to both Israel and Lebanon. While he said it was still being studied, he said the plan would strengthen Israel's northern areas near the Lebanese border, allow Israel to produce additional natural gas and deliver new revenues to the national coffers.

This is a deal that strengthens Israels security and Israel's economy, Lapid told his Cabinet.

He also said Israel would not oppose the development of an additional Lebanese gas field straddling the maritime border, as long as Israel receives the share we deserve. He said this would weaken Lebanon's dependence on Iran, restrain the Hezbollah militant group and promote regional stability.

He said the deal was being reviewed by legal and defense officials before it is to be voted upon by the government. Israeli media said a vote could take place Thursday.

On Saturday, the proposal was also delivered to Lebanese leaders.

Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, under whom the negotiations began in 2020 and who is hoping to return to power in November elections, said he opposed the emerging deal and wouldn't be bound by it if reelected. Lapid, the country's caretaker premier, is hoping to fend off Netanyahu in the polls.

Lapid has no mandate to give sovereign territory and sovereign assets that belong to all of us to an enemy state, Netanyahu said.

Lebanon and Israel have been officially at war since Israels creation in 1948 and both countries claim some 860 square kilometers (330 square miles) of the Mediterranean Sea.

Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser for energy security at the U.S. State Department who has been mediating between the two neighbors, last visited Beirut in September, where he expressed optimism after meeting with Lebanons leaders.

Story continues

Lebanon's parliament speaker, Nabi Berri, said in an interview with the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper Saturday the proposal in principle meets the Lebanese demands.

Lebanon hopes to unleash offshore oil and gas production as it grapples with the worst economic crisis in its modern history, plunging three-quarters of its population into poverty.

A Lebanese official who attended the talks last month told The Associated Press that the proposal put forward by the U.S. envoy gives Lebanon the right to the Qana field, located partially in Israels domain. A part of it stretches deep into a disputed area. The official added that the main point now is how to draw the demarcation line in a way that stretches south of Qana. Lapid's comments appeared to be a reference to the emerging agreement over Qana.

Israel set up a gas rig at its designated location at the Karish field. Israel says the field is part of its U.N.-recognized exclusive economic zone, while Lebanon insists Karish is in a disputed area.

In July, the Israeli military shot down three unarmed drones belonging to Lebanons Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah flying over the Karish field. Hezbollahs leader has issued warnings to Israel over the maritime dispute, saying that any arm that reaches out to steal Lebanons wealth will be cut off.

The heavily armed group, which has fought several wars with Israel, has repeatedly said in the past that it would use its weapons to protect Lebanons economic rights. Hezbollah officials have however said they would endorse a deal reached between Lebanons government and Israel.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a speech Saturday echoed similar sentiments to Lebanons top political leaders about Hochsteins proposal, and reasserted that the Iran-backed party will back the Lebanese political leaderships position. God willing, if it reaches the desired and best result, it would be the result of national unity, cooperation, and solidarity, he said.
A $51.8 million warehouse building is approved for construction at the planned Imeson Park South on Zoo Parkway in Jacksonville.

A new expansive distribution warehouse is headed for Jacksonvilles Northside where industrial development continues to boom.

The warehouse owned by VTRE Development LLC will cover about 1 million square feet at 1511 Zoo Parkway, Unit 300. It will be part of the Imeson Park South industrial development, just a short distance from Imeson Park Boulevard where multiple industrial development warehouses and buildings have been erected in recent years.

The latest warehouse will be constructed of structural steel and cost $51.8 million to erect. The permits for the project were approved this month by the city's Building Inspections Division.

Evens General Contractors will handle the work.

In the Pipeline: Nemours is renovating fifth floor; JEA is finding a home for emergency operations center

More building permits: Morgan & Morgan plans to relocate from downtown Jacksonville's VyStar tower to Riverside Ave.

Meanwhile another industrial building will be going up a short distance from the warehouse.

A new industrial building with office, manufacturing and storage space is set to be built at 11865 Industry Drive not far from the Interstate 295 and Interstate 95 interchange, according to permits approved by Jacksonville inspectors.

The building will cover 39,800 square feet and cost about $8 million to erect for Control Southern. Ladson Construction Co. is the contractor.

The city, the largest by landmass in the country, has become a mecca for major warehouse accommodations, notably with the presence of JaxPort and distribution centers such as Amazon and Wayfair.

Car dealership to get building addition

Coggin Chevrolet at the Avenues is going to add a 44,601-square-foot addition to its location on Philips Highway in Jacksonville, according to city building permits.

The new two-story building will cost about $8.4 million to erect at 10880 Philips and include some additional renovations. The addition will allow for more service station work and repair services.

Story continues

RLH Construction LLC is the contractor that will handle the work.

Open for business: Car dealers in Jacksonville hope for sales demand as virus mandates lift

Additional building permits

524 Stockton St., new office building for Florida Mechanical Systems LLC., 49,665 square feet, $11 million. Auld & White Construction LLC.

100 Southside Blvd., new building and two accessory buildings for Circle K convenience store and gas station, about $2.2 million. W.H. Bass Inc.

3560 Spring Park Road, construction of new Wawa convenience store and gas station, $915,400. Triton Construction Group LLC.

9515 Crosshill Blvd., Unit 101, addition to Hobby Lobby at Oakleaf, 8,345 square feet, $800,000. Snyder General Construction Inc.

5751 N. Main St., Unit 118, and 3134 N. Canal St., new commercial buildings for two new Family Dollar stores, $766,780 combined. HJB Construction Inc. and Advanced Construction Services of Southwest Florida Inc.

World Wide Web: High-speed internet service coming to more of Northeast Florida, giving customers a choice

Restaurant news: Upscale Spanish wine bar, charcuterie market Bar Molino and The Swinerie open in San Marco

7628 103rd St., Unit 16, interior renovation for Planet Fitness gym, 6,275 square feet, $700,000. Benning Construction Co.

3047 Plymouth St., plumbing, heating, air condition, painting and flooring work for Tumblerz Gymnastics Center, 7,495 square feet, $342,221. Interior Buildouts Inc.

10025 San Jose Blvd., structural steel buildout for Capriottis S&S Sandwiches LLC, $332,000. Sierra Commercial Construction Inc.

1901 McQuade St., construction of pre-fabricated structural steel building for Jacksonville Pavers, 14,220 square feet, $300,000. Grayman Construction.

10690 Blvd., interior demolition and renovation of electronics and merchandise for Sams East Inc., $245,016. Rick Shipman Construction Inc.

13534 Beach Blvd., Unit 1, interior remodeling and some demolition for Verizon Wireless, $230,000. MDS Builders Inc.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville is hotbed for warehouse industry, including Imeson Park
It's a "sixpeat" for Joseph Hautman of Plymouth, Minnesota.

Hautman won the 2022 Federal Duck Stamp contest with his painting of tundra swans flying over a wetland. The art will be featured on the 2023-24 Federal Duck Stamp.

It's the sixth time Hautman has won the coveted wildlife art competition, a feat equaled only by his brother, Jim Hautman of Chaska, Minnesota.

And together with work by another brother, Robert Hautman of Delano, Minnesota, who has won three times, it further cemented the family's legacy in the field of waterfowl art.

Joseph Hautman's swan painting was selected Sept. 24 by a panel of judges in the annual contest run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The competition included 187 entries.

The judging was originally scheduled to be held in Bismarck, North Dakota, but due to coronavirus restrictions was shifted to USFWS headquarters in Falls Church, Virginia.

The proceedings were livestreamed.

Joseph Hautman of Plymouth, Minn. won the 2022 Federal Duck Stamp Contest with his painting of tundra swans flying over a wetland. The art will appear on the 2023-24 Federal Duck Stamp.

More: Wisconsin wolf population show a 14% decline, but state officials say that was to be expected

More: New surveys highlight broad public support for Recovering America's Wildlife Act

More: Outdoors calendar

Frank Mittelstadt of Beaver Dam placed second with his acrylic painting of tundra swans and Robert Hautman took third with his acrylic painting of an American wigeon.

The Federal Duck Stamp was established in 1934 to raise funds for the fledgling national wildlife refuge system and help preserve wetlands.

All waterfowl hunters age 16 and older are required to purchase and carry the stamp when hunting. Although hunters buy most of the stamps, some bird watchers, outdoor enthusiasts and philatelists also purchase them.

Since 1934 stamp sales have raised about $1.1 billion and conserved about 6 million acres of habitat for birds and other wildlife, according to the USFWS.

Benefits of the program extend to the general citizenry as properties purchased or protected by stamp revenues are open to the public for recreation.

Story continues

The USFWS touts the stamp program as an opportunity for all Americans to be "active conservationists." High quality wetlands provide habitat for myriad species, including threatened and endangered plants and animals, and also provide clean water, aid in flood control and reduce the effects of soil erosion and sedimentation. Additionally, they enhance outdoor recreation opportunities which can provide an economic incentive to local communities, according to USFWS.

Holders of a current Federal Duck Stamp receive free admission to any national wildlife refuge that charges an entry fee.

The stamp sells for $25 and raises approximately $40 million each year, according to the USFWS.

In late September the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission, chaired by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, approved the allocation of $105 million in grants through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act and funds from the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund. The fund is made up partly of Federal Duck Stamp dollars, to support the acquisition of lands from willing sellers for the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Martha Williams, USFWS director, said in a statement the duck stamp contest was one of her "very favorite events of the year."

I am always impressed with the caliber of the art submitted, and each and every entry reminds us of the beauty of the natural world the Duck Stamp is designed to protect," Williams said. "I encourage everyone to buy a Duck Stamp as it makes a real impact in conserving wetlands habitats for waterfowl and many other wildlife species.

Participants in the stamp contest can choose to create art featuring one of five waterfowl species. For the 2022 contest, the tundra (whistling) swan, mottled duck, American green-winged teal, American wigeon and Barrows goldeneye were eligible species.

On the 187 entries this year, 54 made it to the final round of judging.

The 2022 judges were: Sean Murtha, artist; Richard Houk, philatelist; Marshall Johnson, conservation partner; Paul Schmidt, conservation partner; and Christopher Nicolai, waterfowl biologist and conservation partner.

To view a gallery of all contest entries, visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Flicker page.

Federal Duck Stamps may be purchased at most post offices, many national wildlife refuges, sporting goods stores and other retailers or online.

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Next Federal Duck Stamp has tundra swan painting from Minnesota artist
Reports from the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office state that at approximately 12:55 a.m. Sunday, JSO Patrol Officers responded to the 1600 block of Wilcox Street in reference to assisting JFRD with a male lying in the street covered in blood.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

On arrival, an adult male was located suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. JFRD pronounced the male deceased on scene.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

The JSO Homicide Unit and Crime Scene Unit responded and are on scene conducting the investigation. JSO states that they currently do not know the circumstances surrounding the victims death, but are searching the area for witnesses and surveillance video.

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JSO is asking anyone with information related to the incident to please reach out by phone at 630-0500, by email at jsocrimetips@jaxsheriff.org, or though CrimeStoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Oct. 2Morgan County Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Howell on Friday told lawyers and defendants that it would be "a few days" before she makes a ruling on a motion to set bond for a capital murder defendant in an alleged murder-for-hire scheme in Hartselle in 2020.

Carl Cole, defense attorney for Aaron Carter Howard, 41, of Toney, made a motion that his client be released from Morgan County Jail on bail because the state has a weak case against his client, and it might be four years from the time of his arrest until a trial is held.

Prosecutors describe Howard as a "lookout" who was involved in the July 24, 2020, shooting death of Anthony Larry Sheppard, 41, at Sheppard's home in Hartselle.

According to Hartselle police, Jaclyn Elaine Skuce, 40, set up a fake Facebook account and used it to hire Logan McKinley Delp to kill Sheppard, the father of her child, for $30,000. Police say Delp was accompanied by Howard, Angela Stolz and Lajuhn Keith Smart Jr. when he went to Sheppard's Dawson Road home and shot him multiple times.

All of the defendants were indicted for capital murder, which carries a penalty of death or life without the possibility of parole.

At Friday's hearing on Howard's motion to set bond, an FBI agent investigating the case testified he received a postcard in April from the jailed Howard which he perceived as a "threat."

Special Agent Christopher Hendon, lead investigator, read the postcard in court. It said, "How do you live with yourself? Owing your life to a system Chewing you up and spitting you out. Have you heard that all the echoes from the past come to light as truth? Know the difference!"

It was signed "Pyro 1%er, WOSMC." In previous hearings since Howard's arrest in 2020, "Pyro" was established as a nickname Howard used.

Hendon testified that "1%ers" are a group of motorcycle enthusiasts who want others to believe they disobey the law. He said it originated from the 1960s when the American Motorcycle Association said 99% of motorcyclists are law-abiding citizens.

Story continues

Prosecutors said Howard was a member of the Wheels of Soul motorcycle club. Hendon testified a WOS jacket and vest were found among Howard's possessions during the investigation.

After the hearing, attended by all five co-defendants, Cole said, "I prefer that any of my clients not write a letter to an FBI agent or to law enforcement."

In support of his motion to set bond, Cole argued to Howell that it was established in an earlier preliminary hearing that his client "did not pull the trigger and was not at the crime scene" when Sheppard was killed. "There's no evidence my client was there," he said. "Skuce apparently didn't know who he was."

Cole said his client has lived in north Alabama most of his life and would live with his brother if he is released from jail. He asked the judge to consider home confinement or an ankle monitor for Howard.

"He likely won't be the first tried and it could be early 2024 or possibly 2025 before he is," Cole said. "If bond is not granted he will be sitting in there four or five years."

Assistant District Attorney Garrick Vickery argued Howard shouldn't be released on bail because the investigation showed he went with the co-defendants two times before the shooting to make sure they had the correct house.

"He was an integral part of (the murder). He was scoping the location, providing assistance, talking to the shooter beforehand about alibi witnesses," Vickery said after the hearing.

Howell said she would review the 87-page transcript of the preliminary hearing before making a ruling on Cole's request.

Attorneys for Delp, Skuce and Stolz asked the judge to consider about a dozen motions concerning pretrial discovery, jury selection and other matters.

Skuce and Smart have also filed motions to set bond. Howell scheduled hearings on those motions for Nov. 18.

 mike.wetzel@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2442. Twitter @DD_Wetzel.
Oct. 2State Rep. Matthew LoPresti was cleared of a driving under the influence of an intoxicant charge, nearly three months after being arrested on suspicion of the misdemeanor offense.

State Rep. Matthew LoPresti was cleared of a driving under the influence of an intoxicant charge, nearly three months after being arrested on suspicion of the misdemeanor offense.

A state District Court judge dismissed the case recently on grounds that police had no probable cause to arrest LoPresti in June after a police officer stopped to see if anything was wrong when the lawmaker stopped his car in a shoulder lane of Fort Weaver Road. He refused to take a field sobriety test.

LoPresti, who represents House District 41, which includes part of Ewa Beach, is running for reelection on Nov. 8 against Republican business owner David Alcos. The Democrat has served three terms in the House.

On June 16, LoPresti was in the shoulder lane with his vehicle hazard lights flashing when Honolulu police Sgt. Steven Chun pulled up to check on the situation. According to documents in the case, LoPresti had stopped because he and his wife in the passenger seat were having a disagreement.

Chun reported asking LoPresti if he was OK, and that LoPresti's vehicle rolled forward two times, once after Chun told LoPresti to stay where he was. LoPresti claimed in a court filing that Chun said the shoulder lane was a bike route and, therefore, LoPresti believed he was being instructed to move ahead.

After more interaction, Chun said he noticed LoPresti's eyes were "red, watery, and glassy " and that his breath smelled of alcohol, according to the officer's report.

Chun asked LoPresti multiple times if he would voluntarily participate in a field sobriety test, according to evidence filed in the case. In response, LoPresti asked why it was relevant, stated that he didn't do anything wrong, denied there was probable cause for a test, and ultimately refused the test until being placed under arrest.

Story continues

A little over three hours later, a blood test administered to LoPresti showed that he an alcohol content level of 0.139, which is above the 0.08 legal limit in Hawaii, according to court documents.

LoPresti's attorney, Alen Kaneshiro, contended in court that police lacked probable cause to arrest, draw blood from and charge his client.

Kaneshiro said in a written motion to dismiss the case that alcohol odor along with red and glassy eyes may amount to reasonable suspicion that a suspect was driving while impaired, but that such observations don't amount to probable cause for an arrest.

Kaneshiro also said that LoPresti's refusal to take the field sobriety test could not be treated as probable cause for arrest because LoPresti wasn't refusing the standard field sobriety test, or SFST, to avoid failure.

"The purported 'refusal' of the SFST was not a refusal, " Kaneshiro said in the filing. "Defendant was challenging (Chun's ) basis for stopping him and asking him to participate in an SFST ... ."

At a Sept. 2 hearing, District Court Judge Sherri-Ann Iha granted LoPresti's motion to dismiss the case and filed a written order Sept. 16.

LoPresti, an associate professor of philosophy and humanities at Hawaii Pacific University, did not respond to a request for comment.

Court records show LoPresti was arrested and convicted of drunken driving in 2001. He is the second state lawmaker to have a DUI case dismissed this year.

In January, Rep. Sharon Har (D, Kapolei-Makakilo ), had a case dismissed against her stemming from a 2021 arrest on suspicion of drunken driving after police found her headed the wrong way on South Beretania Street one evening a little after 10 p.m.

Har issued a public apology and said she was impaired because she had a beer with dinner and was taking prescription cough medication containing codeine to treat a respiratory illness.

Her attorney, Howard Luke, sought and won a permanent dismissal from state Judge Steven Hartley by contending that the charge against Har was invalid because a Dec. 10 Hawaii Supreme Court decision deemed criminal complaints to be defective if they don't follow a procedural law requiring a signed affidavit or official declaration from a complaining party.

Har, an attorney, has been in the Legislature for 17 years. She is running for reelection against Republican Diamond Garcia, the chief of staff to Rep. Gene Ward (R, Hawaii Kai-Kalama Valley ).
JERUSALEM, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Sunday welcomed a U.S.-brokered proposal for demarcating a maritime border with Lebanon, saying it could increase profits for both countries from natural gas production.

Lapid told his weekly cabinet meeting that Israel and Lebanon received the U.S. Energy Envoy Amos Hochstein's proposal for an agreement on a maritime line between the two countries over the weekend.

The dispute concerns an area of some 860 square km of the Mediterranean Sea.

He said the proposal is undergoing legal review, adding the approval of the deal would be decided in a cabinet vote and a first cabinet discussion was scheduled for Thursday.

"The proposal safeguards Israel's full security-diplomatic interests, as well as our economic interests," the Israeli leader said.

The U.S.-proposed deal grants Lebanon the rights to the Qana natural gas field, located partially in the disputed area, with Israel receiving some of the revenues, according to media reports.

"We do not oppose the development of an additional Lebanese gas field, from which we will receive the share we deserve," Lapid said.

"Such a field will weaken Lebanon's dependence on Iran, restrain Hezbollah and promote regional stability," he added.

Israel has been trying to reach such a deal "for over a decade," as an agreement between the two countries would "strengthen the security of the north," Lapid concluded.

However, former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a right-wing leader running against centrist Lapid heading an interim government ahead of the Nov. 1 elections, accused Lapid of avoiding bringing the deal for a vote in the parliament.

A day earlier, Lebanese President Michel Aoun said he had received Hochstein's proposal on the maritime border demarcation with Israel and was studying how to provide Lebanon's response "as soon as possible."

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, a powerful Lebanese Shiite party that had threatened to attack the rig of the disputed Karish gas field in the Mediterranean, described the proposal as "an important move."

Israel built a gas rig in the Karish field, which Israel claims is within its economic zone but Lebanon says in disputed waters. 
Security Cameras In Trains New York (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

A steamfitter was killed on a New York subway train in what appears to be a random act of violence.

Tommy Bailey, 43, was a union steamfitter riding home on the Brooklyn L train on Friday night when the incident occurred.

Mr Bailey's girlfriend and his friends told the New York Daily News that he was generally cool-headed and conflict averse.

Its just crazy, his girlfriend, Ivy Reddin, 36, told the paper. It was shocking. [Im] still trying to get it together. I would never think that would happen to him.

Mr Bailey leaves behind two teenaged children.

According to police, Mr Bailey was riding on the train when he and another rider got into a disagreement. A man described as wearing a grey sweatshirt and wearing gold teeth allegedly used a sharp object to slash Mr Bailey's neck once.

He was having a dispute with somebody  I dont know if they were mentally ill or whatever. Nowadays you cant even bump somebody because they will be ready to flip, Ms Reddin told the New York Daily News.

He was rushed to Brookdale Hospital, where he died from his injuries.

"I'm still trying to get through this, it's not even making any sense," Omari Barnett, one of Mr Bailey's friends, told NBC News. "It's just a dangerous world we're living in."

He said that his friend, Mr Bailey, "would try to avoid a confrontation before he gets into one."

This is the last thing that would happen to him, Mr Barnett said. He just goes to work. Hes not looking for trouble or getting into fights.

MTA Communications Director Tim Minton said the agency has identified "dozens of cameras that the NYPD believes may assist in the investigation" and that it would continue to cooperate with the NYPD.

No arrest has been made in the killing.

Though the number of subway murders has remained largely unchanged since last year, the number of major felonies has increased by nearly 50 per cent since 2021.
Actor Jenny Mollen is showing everyone just how important it is to take care of their health.

On Friday, Sept. 30, Mollen, 43, shared a video of herself getting a mammogram after Katie Couric reminded her that it was time for her appointment.

Im here to get my annual mammogram because Katie Couric texted me and told me it was time," Mollen said in a video that she shared on her Instagram story. "I am a month late. Im usually early, Im usually all over this s---, but this is like the scariest day of the year for me. I always freak out."

Mollen noted that her husband, Jason Biggs, drove her to her appointment like he always does. But since he tends to have a hard time finding parking, he normally stays in the car.

Once inside the doctor's office, Mollen took a video of herself getting her mammogram. After it was all over, she shared the results with her 431,000 followers on Instagram and it came back negative.

Instagram/Jenny Mollen

I made it, guys. Im done, Mollen said in another video posted on social media. I had my boobs smashed and then I also did the ultrasound because I have something called dense breasts, so I always do an ultrasound too. I would highly recommend an ultrasound."

Mollen also revealed that she has cysts in her breasts. However, her doctor told that she has nothing to worry about.

"He says, 'every other person has cysts,' so I guess that's also normal," she said while in her car.

After revealing earlier this week that she was being treated for breast cancer following her June diagnosis, Couric, 65, shared on Instagram how "proud" she was of Mollen for getting her breasts checked.

Love you @jennymollen , the former TODAY co-anchor wrote. SO proud of you for going to get checked! Xoxo #iscreenyouscreen.

In a personal essay posted on Sept. 28, Couric wrote, Please get your annual mammogram. I was six months late this time. I shudder to think what might have happened if I had put it off longer. But just as importantly, please find out if you need additional screening.

On July 14, Couric underwent a lumpectomy at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Though doctors said she could forego chemotherapy because the likelihood of her cancer returning is low, Couric still has to undergo radiation treatments. She began Sept. 7.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
The Washington Post journalist who was Jamal Khashoggis editor when he was killed four years ago Sunday said this years anniversary was particularly painful given recent developments, such as President Biden paying a visit to the crown price suspected of ordering Khoshoggis murder.

I live with the horror and injustice of his murder, and the callousness and impunity of our world leaders every day, wrote Karen Attiah, who is now a Washington Post columnist,

But this year has been particularly painful. The Biden administration has made its fist-bump peace with MBS. The Turks have shut down their investigation. Outlets like the Atlantic are writing both-sides apologia pieces for MBS, praising his reform, she added.

Biden drew sharp criticism when he fist-bumped Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his visit to oil-rich Saudi Arabia in July amid spiraling gas prices.

In late March, a Turkish prosecutor requested halting the trial in absentia of 26 suspects in Khoshoggis murder. That same month, the Atlantic published an in depth profile of bin Salman, interviewing the crown prince at his palace.

Attiah also noted the U.S. continues to sell arms to Riyadh, which is fueling a civil war in Yemen.

Four years after Jamals murder, U.S still sells billions of dollars in arms to the Saudi government  a regime which carries out mass executions, is still bombing Yemen, and sentences people to decades prison for  tweeting.

Attiah linked to a story about Salma al-Shehab, a university student sentenced to 34 years in prison in August over her twitter account, in which she followed and retweeted activists and dissidents.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday said the U.S. was mourning Khashoggis death and that well continue to stand with and support human rights defenders, journalists, and others to protect fundamental freedoms worldwide.

Story continues

Khashoggi, a U.S.-based journalist who wrote opinion pieces critical of Saudi Arabia, was brutally murdered in 2018 at a Saudi consulate in Turkey.

U.S. intelligence concluded that Khashoggis death was likely ordered by bin Salman, but Saudi Arabia denies the claim. The regime sentenced eight hitmen who they said orchestrated the attack to prison.

Turkeys move to end the trial of additional suspects came as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was set to meet with the Crown Prince to discuss trade and investment prospects.

I have appreciated all of you who continue to keep Jamals name and case alive, Attiah tweeted. I still have so much more to say about it all  and will do so in time.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
DAVID ROSE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Welcome to this weeks edition of Royalist, The Daily Beasts newsletter for all things royal and Royal Family. Subscribe here to get it in your inbox every Sunday.

Page turner

What is and what isnt in Prince Harrys memoir, and if and when the book will actually be published, continues to be royal mystery numero uno.

What is known so far: there is a memoir, it has apparently been finished, and previous reports have Harry wanting to rewrite sections of it, and possibly delay publication, in light of Queen Elizabeths death.

The Mystery of Prince Harrys Memoir Is Preventing Any Royal Reconciliation

But at the Palace, angst reigns over damaging revelations the book may containover King Charles parenting or other matters it is unknown.

A friend of the King told the Mail on Sunday: The question inside the Palace is: Can the book be stopped? It may be that even Harry cant stop it at this stage but the feeling at the very top is that theres no good that can come of airing grievances in public.

Lawyers to the Royal Family at the firm Harbottle and Lewis are expected to be on standby to read the book when it comes out, the paper adds.

What is also unknown is what Harrys roughly $40 million, three-title deal with publisher Penguin Random House allows him, or doesnt allow him, to do editorially when it comes to demanding and executing changes.

Meet the new Fab Four

No, this is not another Blues Brothers tribute act. The picture shows Queen Consort Camilla, King Charles, Prince William and Kate Middleton the night before Queen Elizabeths funeral just before they hosted the leaders of many nations at Buckingham Palace.

 Their Majesties The King and The Queen Consort with Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Wales.



Taken at Buckingham Palace on 18th September by @ChrisJack_Getty . pic.twitter.com/heUi1C5E15  The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) October 1, 2022

The Mail on Sunday christens the grouping the new Fab Foura reference to the royal nickname given to William, Kate, Harry and Meghan Markle when the four of them all got along, and were delivering giggly press conferences about the work they did together.

Story continues

Buckingham Palace released the picturewhich is also the first official picture of King Charles III with his Queen Consort, Camillalate Saturday night. Behind them is a portrait of King George III, the longest-reigning King in British history. His looming presence means that the picture contains three Princes of Wales.

A palace source told the Mail the picture was intended to record the historic moment privately for the family.

But then the picture was released to the wider world. So, obviously, whatever its original intent was, it being made publicly viewable surely underlines who King Charles considers to be the core of the family from now on.

Note who isnt in the picturenamely everyone else. The event at the palace may have been only for working royals, but there is a certain ruthless signposting in making this supposedly private image public about how Charles sees his slimmed-down monarchy going forward, and whos in and whos out.

King Charles: in search of a purpose

When British prime minister Liz Truss starkly forbid King Charles from attending, and speaking at, the Cop27 climate change summit in Egypt, it highlighted the major new tension in Charles life: can he really be the monarch that says nothing about the things he cares so passionately about.

The decision is likely to fuel tensions between the new prime minister and the new monarch, although a Downing Street source claimed the audience had been cordial and there had not been a row, the Sunday Times reports.

A senior royal source told the paper: It is no mystery that the King was invited to go there. He had to think very carefully about what steps to take for his first overseas tour, and he is not going to be attending Cop. The decision was made entirely in the spirit of being ever-mindful as King that he acts on government advice.

Where does that leave Charles exactly? If the queen famously never publicly expressed views, her son has spent a lifeuntil becoming kingof feeling free to do precisely that. In his first speech to the people as king after his mothers death, Charles said, My life will of course change as I take up my new responsibilities. It will no longer be possible for me to give so much of my time and energies to the to the charities and issues for which I care so deeply

A Palace source told the Mail on Sunday: His Majesty will build on the points he has expressed to the nation: now that the period of mourning is over, he will support diversity, promote community spirit and protect the space for those with faith and those without. He is mindful that, as King, his interests and passions will continue but that some of his previous commitments will now continue in the trusted hands of others.

Subscribe here to get all the latest royal news and gossip with Tom Sykes and Tim Teeman.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and their baby son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor meet Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his daughter Thandeka Tutu-Gxashe at the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation during their royal tour of South Africa on September 25, 2019 in Cape Town, South Africa. Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage

Charles still hasnt told Harry and Meghan about childrens titles

King Charles has yet to decide whether Archie and Lilibet, Prince Harry and Meghan Markles children, can use their prince and princess titles, heightening tensions between the palace and the Sussexes, the Sunday Times reports.

Harry and Meghan are understood to fear the King may strip Archie and Lilibet of their titles, after his reluctance immediately to recognize their elevated status after the Queens deaththe paper pointing out that while Prince William and Kate Middletons new titles of Prince and Princess of Wales were promptly updated on the royal family website, Archie and Lilibet remain listed as Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor.

A royal source told the Times: For [Buckingham Palace] not to make those changes suggests that something is off. Why not just change everything and do it in that moment?

A brief discussion that occurred between Harry and Charles after the queens death has left the matter unresolved. Harry is understood to have expressed his desire to let his children decide when they are older, and to have emphasized that would only be possible if they were allowed to retain their titles now. The conversation is understood to have ended unresolved, and to have left the Sussexes dismayed, the Times reports.

In the couples interview with Oprah Winfrey, when Oprah asked Meghan is she felt Archie was being treated differently around issues including his title because of his race, Meghan replied: In those months when I was pregnant, all around this same time, so we [had] the conversation of he wont be given security, hes not going to be given a title. And, also, concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when hes born.

Two charged over Andrew heckler assault

Two men, both aged 34, have been charged with the assault of a man who heckled Prince Andrew as he walked behind Queen Elizabeths coffin in Edinburgh last month, the National reports.

While the 22-year-old heckler was charged with a breach of the peace, the two men have been charged with allegedly assaulting him in the aftermathvideo footage of the moment showed the heckler being dragged to the ground as the procession along the Royal Mile continued to St. Giles Cathedral.

A Police Scotland spokesperson added: Two men, both aged 34, have been arrested and charged in connection with assault following an incident on the Royal Mile around 2.50 pm on Monday September 12, 2022. A report will be sent for the consideration of the Procurator Fiscal.

Prince Andrew, Duke of York, attends a commemoration service at Manchester Cathedral marking the 100th anniversary since the start of the Battle of the Somme. July 1, 2016 in Manchester, England. Christopher Furlong - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Security staff so terrified of Andrew they let intruder in

Windsor security staff were so scared of Prince Andrews temper they allegedly let a woman pretending to be his fiancee into the grounds of Royal Lodge without checking with him, according to the Mirror.

The incident occurred last November; the woman had claimed she had a dinner date with Andrew, and was allowed on to the grounds despite having no ID. She walked around for 40 minutes and even entered Royal Lodge itself before suspicions were raised and she was arrested on suspicion of burglary and later sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

Protection expert Philip Grindell told the Mirror that Andrew is a pain in the a**e and if you have ever worked with him, is an unpleasant character.

The security were terrified of asking him Is anyone turning up? Grindell told the paper. And because they did not want to upset him, no one asked and they assumed he must have an appointment and let her in. The security were terrified of asking him.

This week in royal history

A year ago today, the queen helped to plant a tree with then-Prince Charles, promoting a campaign urging people across the UK to plant a tree ahead of the Platinum Jubilee.

Unanswered questions

Does Liz Truss ordering King Charles not to attend Cop27and Charles agreeing to itmean Charles is absolutely sticking to his previously stated word that, as king, he will be silent on all those causes he once held dear? Or will occasion demand that at some point he says what he thinks?

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Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this story misstated the date the law was passed and whether proposed amendments were passed. In addition, a pull quote was misattributed.

More than a dozen bills focused on K-12 education were approved by the Arizona Legislature this year.

One of those bills was a ban on the use or reference of sexually explicit material without parental consent in Arizona schools. House Bill 2495, sponsored by Rep. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, was signed into law and effective as of Sept. 24.

The Arizona Republic broke down what you need to know about the most significant education laws from this year's legislative session.

Heres what you need to know about the book ban:

When does the book ban law come into effect? What does HB 2495 change?

House Bill 2495 was signed into law in July and is in effect.

The law requires schools to get parental approval to teach books or other material that make references to sex.

Hoffman said in March his motivation for the law is rooted in protecting children, not banning books.

We need them learning math, reading, writing and other incredibly important educational materials that will help prepare them for a vibrant and prosperous future, not worrying about sexually explicit material," he said in a Senate Education Committee meeting.

Education legislation: Many new K-12 school laws going into effect. Here's what you need to know

Marisol Garcia, a teacher and president of the Arizona Education Association, says the law's burden adds to an already long list of responsibilities for teachers, since the law does not include added funding to fulfill the mandate.

"The levels and levels of bureaucracy that is coming from a party of less bureaucracy, just seems very ironic, especially in Arizona," Garcia said.

She and her colleagues already involve the community in the education of youth.

"We always want schools where parents are involved. We want parents coming to school board meetings or parents at PTA meetings," Garcia said. "Parents have always had access to what we teach our curriculum. We have curriculum nights. We invite them. I've always had parents come to my classroom and be part of it."

Story continues

That involvement makes this law unnecessary, Garcia said. She is afraid it will drive teachers to leave the state, or even the profession.

Hoffman's Republican colleagues proposed amendments to the bill in May, making those exceptions for certain text to be taught without parental sign-off if the books are considered one of the following: "classical literature," "early American literature" or a book required to obtain college credit.

At the May Senate floor session, House Education Chair Michelle Udall introduced one of the amendments.

"No one here is advocating for porn in classrooms, we are advocating for the freedom to read and question," she said in a prior February session.

Those amendments were not passed.

What books will be banned?

We don't know that, yet.

The original bill's language does not list any specific titles, and is open and vague. School districts will interpret and act on this new set of rules.

However, during a March Senate Education Committee meeting, Hoffman cited the availability of materials that had drawings of male and female organs and "hundreds of reference materials provided to Arizona children directing them to resources like, and I'm quoting, dry humping saves lives, it's OK to have sex with a lot of people, how to view porn and other equally concerning topics."

Some districts, such as Paradise Valley Unified School District, have already had run-ins with which books to include in lessons. A principal at a high school was placed on leave due to complaints over a book, "So You've Been Publicly Shamed," that was assigned to an Advanced Placement English class.

This caused the district to make a statement regarding the book review process and create a list of approved literature.

Other districts will now have to come up with solutions rather quickly.

Garcia said there is a scramble to figure out whether teacher's lesson plans will need to change come Monday. This has educators asking what they can teach.

Gaelle Esposito is a lobbyist working on education policy. They agree with Garcia and see these newly passed rules to the public education system as the product of being in an election year. Esposito sympathizes with the rapidly changing environment teachers find themselves in.

"I do not fault the districts, they are doing what they can," Esposito said. "The problem here lies squarely on the shoulders of folks like Jake Hoffman, who have decided to play politics to try to score points to look like they're doing something when all they are doing is denying students the ability to have a rigorous education and putting educators and librarians in precarious positions for their own personal gain."

Who is Jake Hoffman?

Rep. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, speaks during debate of HB 2898, a K-12 education bill, during the House Appropriations Committee hearing at the Arizona Capitol in Phoenix on May 25, 2021.

Hoffman is a state representative who serves the 12th district, which includes Gilbert and Queen Creek, and leans heavily Republican.

Hoffman started a company called 1Ten Management in June 2021, corporate filings show. Previously, he had a company called Rally Forge.

He once served on the Queen Creek Town Council and in 2020, when he ran Rally Forge, his Twitter and Facebook accounts were suspended and banned.

'Troll farm': Candidate for Arizona Legislature suspended and banned from social media for violating platforms' guidelines

Hoffman runs several political production and consulting companies, and his firms were paid more than $2 million to produce pro-Lake and anti-Taylor Robson ads.

Hoffman was also among Republicans who falsely declared themselves Arizonas presidential electors and cast votes for Trump, sending documents memorializing the action to the U.S. Senate and the National Archives.

For subscribers: Who paid $2M to promote Kari Lake campaign? The source of donations remains unclear

Hoffman has not responded for comment on the law from The Republic.

Have a question you need answered? Reach the reporter at rromeroruiz@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @raphaeldelag.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona school book bans: What to know about House Bill 2495
A man holds the certificate of vote from Nevada during a joint session of Congress to certify the electoral vote at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 7, 2021. (Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images)

To the editor: The letter writer who cautions against abolishing the electoral college has it backward. Because of the electoral college and gerrymandering, we now have tyranny of the minority.

If we use the popular vote to determine elections, every voter has the same say, and the candidate with the majority of the votes wins. It doesnt matter how the population is distributed. The electoral college has allowed the loser of the popular vote to take office; the last time a Republican won the popular vote was in 2004.

As for the argument for preserving the Senate, each state having two senators has created a situation where Democrats represent some 40 million more voters than Republicans, even though that body is split 50-50. This gives voters in smaller states much greater say.

Finally, the writer says she should be able to carry a gun when protesting. Millions of people the world over manage to protest just fine without being armed, and the presence of such weapons increases the chance of violence and tragedy.

Dodi Palmer, Long Beach

..

To the editor: A letter writer believes that if the electoral college is abolished, "New York and California [will] effectively run the country."

I maintain that without the electoral college, candidates would aggressively campaign in heavily populated states, seeking the votes of millions or tens of millions of voters, rather than the votes of tens or hundreds of thousands of voters.

No, you should not "still be able to carry a gun without law enforcement taking it away," not with gun deaths in this country running at an unchecked pandemic rate. And if you're trying to hang onto an assault rifle, turn it in.

Finally, no, Wyoming should not "have the same representation in the U.S. Senate as California." Name another advanced democracy that allows something like this.

Frederick Glasser, Orange

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Virginia Thomas is seen at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Oxon Hill, Md., in 2017. (Susan Walsh / Associated Press)

To the editor: I don't care if conservative activist Virginia Thomas still sticks to the stolen election narrative and was in cahoots with some of the Jan. 6 rioters. ("Ginni Thomas reiterates false election claims to Jan. 6 panel," Sept. 29)

But what about her husband, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas? Can anyone believe that he is unprejudiced or unaware of his wife's actions and can remain impartial as a judge? A man with a huge chip on his shoulder  who, according to two of his own former clerks, said he wanted to use his position to make liberals' lives miserable?

This is someone whose confirmation to the court in 1991 was never cleared of the specter of sexual harassment, as alleged by a respectable and believable witness.

Ted Carmely, Sherman Oaks

..

To the editor: This person's name is Virginia Thomas. She is being investigated for her involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Needless to say, she is giving this serious matter her middle finger with a big grin on her face.

Yes, her loving husband adores her and may even agree with her. Let him call her by that endearing "Ginni."

But as long as you are reporting on her connection to Jan. 6, please don't make her sound cute.

Batia Atzmony, Tarzana

..

To the editor: What Thomas may not realize  or perhaps she does  is that democracy is like religion. It is fragile and it requires faith.

She continues to insist that the 2020 election was stolen, despite a total lack of evidence. If enough people believe her, whether or not it is true will be a moot point. People will lose faith in democracy and stop voting, creating a vaccum and chaos and a perfect opportunity for some strongman to fill the vacuum and suspend the rule of law in the name of "restoring order."

I doubt that Thomas' intention is to overthrow democracy in America. But if it happens, her intention will become a moot point.

Bart Braverman, Indio

..

To the editor: Maybe such things as truth tables and logical fallacies should be taught at earlier ages so voters can make and understand reasonable arguments.

Story continues

Democracy works, as does electing heads of state by popular vote, the way smart countries with real parliaments do. One doesn't have to be a U.S. Supreme Court justice to figure out that life doesnt begin instantaneously, for example, since everyone already knows it.

Unfortunately, we live in a country where outright lying can fool some of the people all the time, including voters.

Ronald Webster, Long Beach

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Liz Truss is trying to reduce the top rate of income tax, but faces a rebellion from inside the Tory party - Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

When Gordon Brown was turfed out of office in 2010, he left a time bomb in Downing Street which Liz Truss tried to defuse 12 years on, only for it to blow up in her face.

By daring to scrap the remnants of Mr Browns 50p income tax rate, the Prime Minister triggered a row with her own party that quickly became an existential threat to her fledgling administration.

Now, on the day of the Chancellors conference speech, Kwasi Kwarteng has been forced into the most humiliating of U-turns, announcing he will no longer reduce the top rate of income tax from 45p to 40p.

How Mr Brown must be chuckling to himself in his Scottish retreat. His tax hike for the wealthy, announced only weeks before he left office, was designed to cause problems for his successor David Cameron, but proved so toxic that it may well cost a Tory Chancellor his job more than a decade on and may have killed off any chance Ms Truss had of winning a general election.

The mood at Tory conference is bleak. There is an expectation that Mr Kwarteng will have to go, and virtually every conversation revolves around whether there is any way Ms Truss can now avoid defeat to Labour.

The latest polling suggests Sir Keir Starmer is on course for a landslide victory in 2024, with a 100-plus majority. The talk among Tory MPs is of limiting the damage so that as many of them as possible keep their seats, rather than of electoral victory. Scrapping the 45p tax cut might have helped.

Ms Trusss only chance of winning the next election is for her bold economic policies to prove a spectacular success, but time is against her and she knows that in 1997 Sir John Major had turned the economy around only for voters to punish him for Black Wednesday, which had happened a full five years earlier.

By introducing a controversial tax cut without any warning, and then swiftly abandoning it, Ms Truss and Mr Kwarteng have made themselves look incompetent, not just in the eyes of voters but in the eyes of many Tory MPs.

Story continues

The late-night decision to abandon the policy came after a growing band of Tory rebels had started to collaborate with Labour to force a climbdown on the decision to scrap the 45p top rate of tax, even if it meant voting with the opposition to inflict a Parliamentary defeat on Ms Truss.

Downing Street initially decided to delay the vote on scrapping the 45p rate until after Mr Kwartengs spending review, due on Nov 23, in an apparent concession to the rebels. Another way of viewing it was as a sign of panic.

The Government hoped it could use the next two months to make the argument for cutting the 45p rate to 40p, and that there would be good news in the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts that will accompany the November statement.

The danger was that the rebels would be able to use the extra time to organise themselves and to embolden more recruits. With just 36 Tory MPs now needed to overturn Ms Trusss working majority, the rebels were increasingly confident they would have the numbers to force an about-turn.

One rebel MP said on Sunday: I have spoken to more than 20 other Conservative MPs who are against this, and Ive spoken to Cabinet ministers who are angry they werent consulted and are very very unhappy about the whole thing.

There are also a couple of parliamentary private secretaries who say they will resign if she goes ahead with the 45p cut, even though they have just been appointed.

Bullying us isnt going to make any difference because we all think were going to lose our seats anyway under this Government.

The rebels expectation was that Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, would introduce an opposition day motion or an emergency debate on the tax cut, giving Tory rebels a chance to register their protest by voting with Labour. Hopefully they will get the message then, said the Tory rebel.

For 13 years under New Labour, a 40p top rate of tax was seen as the fair and sensible option, only for Mr Brown to increase it to 50p weeks before his general election defeat.

It was a remarkably successful gambit. The Tories have been trying  and failing  to reverse Mr Browns cynical tax rise ever since.

In March 2012, George Osborne cut the top rate from 50p to 45p. He was held back from restoring the 40p rate by the handbrake of Liberal Democrat coalition partners. He argued that the 50p tax band had only raised 1 billion of the 3 billion it was forecast to raise, and said it was damaging the countrys competitiveness.

The OBR predicted that the move would cost 100 million and that restoring the 40p top rate would cost 500 million. In fact, tax receipts from top-rate payers went up the next year by 8 billion  partly because they had delayed declaring income, but also because it made Britain a more attractive place for wealthy people to earn their living.

No Conservative prime minister has dared to restore the top rate of tax to New Labours 40p, leaving the UK with a top rate that is higher than the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average.

Only three G20 countries have a higher top rate. In the US, the top rate is 37p, while Singapore has a 22p top rate. Both countries are direct rivals for jobs in banking and services, which are vital to the UK economy.

Truss supporters argue that cutting the top rate of tax would increase tax receipts by encouraging growth. They have an impressive ally in the form of Arthur Laffer, inventor of the famous Laffer curve, which describes the way revenue increases as taxes are lowered, before decreasing if they are lowered too much.

He told The Sunday Times newspaper: In six months to a year, youll see the economy come roaring back. What your Prime Minister and Chancellor are doing is the right thing, right away.

Mr Laffer said Ms Truss and Mr Kwarteng had done a better job than Ronald Reagan did when he implemented Reaganomics, as the former US president delayed tax cuts. Mr Laffer regards that as a mistake.

Mr Laffer added: The Truss plan would be much better if accompanied by spending cuts, but it will work without them.

If these policies are allowed to stick, youre going to see a new era of incredible growth, incredible prosperity and great finances. Good medicine cures sick people, not healthy people. I would argue that Britain today has not been healthy for the last several years.

Few, if any, Tories disagreed with the principle of cutting the top rate of income tax  but they were incensed at the idea that the tax cut could be funded by increased borrowing, and by what they saw as a tin-eared decision to choose a cost of living crisis as the moment to announce tax cuts that indisputably benefit the richest the most.

Its just mad politics, said one Tory rebel.

Michael Gove, hardly a rookie when it comes to plotting, made it clear that he would be in the vanguard when the rebellion joined battle  telling Choppers Politics Live that abolishing the 45p rate was wrong and that the decision should be reversed. He said the Prime Minister was betting too much on tax cuts.

Ms Truss insisted on Sunday the 45p cut would go ahead, yet she was reluctant to take ownership of the policy when she appeared on the BBCs Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. She said the Cabinet had not been consulted on the move, adding: It was a decision the Chancellor made.

It was the first time she had tried to distance herself from the policy that was threatening to split the party, and hours later it was gone.

After Ms Truss set off Mr Browns time bomb, it is likely to be a generation before any leader dares to attempt such a politically delicate move again.
Now that the storm has passed, many agencies and organizations across Georgia are rallying to help with the recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Ian.

The American Red Cross has set up dozens of shelters across Florida and South Carolina.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Channel 2s Elizabeth Rawlins spoke to one of those volunteers via Zoom Saturday evening. Susan Everitt is the executive director of the American Red Cross in Augusta.

Im down in the Daytona Beach area, which got hit pretty hard, said Everitt.

Everitt is among at least 50 volunteers who deployed from Georgia. Shes helping run a shelter currently housing more than 300 people whose homes were flooded.

TRENDING STORIES:

They got a lot of flooding, lots of trees down, streets are closed. Its very hard to get around, said Everitt.

Meanwhile, members of Georgias Air National Guard have been called in to help with search and rescue operations in parts of Florida.

Power crews from Marietta Power have also deployed to parts of South Carolina.

We feel the recovery will take months, not just weeks or days, said Everitt.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

IN OTHER NEWS:
JERUSALEM, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- An Israeli man was lightly wounded on Sunday morning in a shooting attack carried out by Palestinians near a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

The injured man, 40, was hit in the back by a bullet when driving a taxi along Route 555 between the Palestinian town of Bayt Furik and the Jewish settlement of Elon Moreh, before managing to reach a nearby army base for medical treatment, according to the IDF.

A bus driver reportedly said the windscreen of his vehicle was hit by a bullet in the same area. But no injury was reported on the bus.

Israeli security forces closed the road after the incident and began searching the area for the gunmen, said Israeli media.

An armed Palestinian faction claimed in a statement responsibility for the shooting. Some members of the group were previously affiliated with Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade armed group and the Gaza-based Palestinian Islamic Jihad. 
Insiders seem to have made the most of their holdings by selling US$13m worth of Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) stock at an average sell price of US$433 during the past year. After the stock price dropped 6.5% last week, the company's market value declined by US$7.1b, but insiders were able to mitigate their losses.

While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.

Check out our latest analysis for Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the Chief Operating Officer, Frank St. John, sold US$3.5m worth of shares at a price of US$438 per share. While we don't usually like to see insider selling, it's more concerning if the sales take place at a lower price. The silver lining is that this sell-down took place above the latest price (US$386). So it is hard to draw any strong conclusion from it.

Over the last year we saw more insider selling of Lockheed Martin shares, than buying. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Insiders At Lockheed Martin Have Sold Stock Recently

Over the last three months, we've seen notably more insider selling, than insider buying, at Lockheed Martin. In that time, insider Gregory Ulmer dumped US$2.9m worth of shares. Meanwhile insider John Donovan bought US$250k worth. The share price has moved a bit recently, but it's hard to argue that the selling is a positive.

Insider Ownership

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. It appears that Lockheed Martin insiders own 0.06% of the company, worth about US$64m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

Story continues

So What Do The Lockheed Martin Insider Transactions Indicate?

Unfortunately, there has been more insider selling of Lockheed Martin stock, than buying, in the last three months. Zooming out, the longer term picture doesn't give us much comfort. Insider ownership isn't particularly high, so this analysis makes us cautious about the company. So we'd only buy after careful consideration. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Lockheed Martin. Case in point: We've spotted 3 warning signs for Lockheed Martin you should be aware of.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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PROVIDENCE  Dr. Daniel Harrop, a longtime Rhode Island Republican activist who ran unsuccessful campaigns for Providence mayor and the General Assembly, died Sept. 29. He was 68.

The Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity, the conservative think tank of which Harrop was founding chairman, gave no cause of death but said his passing was unexpected.

"Dr. Harrop lived a quiet and unassuming, but enormously influential life," Mike Stenhouse, CEO of the center, said in a statement. "His civic, religious, charitable, and professional accomplishments are among the greatest our state has ever seen. He was a mentor and friend to me and I am proud to have formed our Center under his tutelage. May God rest his good and holy soul."

Election news: Ads roll out as abortion politics take center stage in RI races for governor, Congress

Daniel Harrop in October 2014, during his third and final run for Providence mayor. He died Thursday at age 68.

RI GOP officials pay tribute to 'good and faithful servant'

In a statement, Sue Cienki, chairwoman of the Rhode Island Republican Party, described Harrop as a "beloved friend, brother and husband."

"Dan was a founder and supporter of many conservative causes," she said in a statement. "Dan was a good and faithful servant. May he RIP."

Allan Fung, the former Cranston mayor and Republican candidate for the 2nd District seat in Congress, said Harrop was a dear friend who was very close to his wife, state Rep. Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung, who represents Cranston.

From dinners at the Boat House to political trips a many, his quick wit, his ability to find the silver lining in any situation, and that mischievous twinkle in his eye always made him one of the best to share an evening beside, they said in a joint statement. His generosity to the Catholic Church was endless, as was his faith in God. We both believe he got a standing ovation at the pearly gates, and we salute him with a tear in our eyes from down below.

More news: Journal to co-host forums for governor, congressional candidates

A onetime finance chairman of the state Republican Party and head of the Providence GOP, Harrop ran three times for the mayors office in Providence, twice against David Cicilline, in 2006 and again in 2010, before he dropped out to launch a bid for General Assembly.

Story continues

2014 race for Providence mayor: 'The guy better than Cianci won.'

His most high-profile race was his final push to become mayor, in 2014, when he faced Vincent A. Buddy Cianci Jr. and Jorge Elorza. Harrop made headlines for not only donating to Democrat Elorza, who went on to win the race, but also voting for him.

Harrop, who garnered only 2% of the vote, said he was trying to prevent Cianci, a prominent former mayor and twice-convicted felon who was running as an independent, from taking charge of City Hall once again.

I was never going to be mayor, Harrop said afterward. It turned out the best guy won. Well, I was the best guy, but the right guy won. Well, the guy better than Cianci won."

Republican Daniel Harrop, right, squares off against independent Vincent A. "Buddy" Cianci, left, and Democrat Jorge Elorza during a debate in the 2014 race for Providence mayor.

Election 2022 Update: McKee, Kalus at odds over special legislative session to suspend electricity bill tax

A West Warwick native, Harrop came to Providence as an undergraduate student at Brown University in 1972 and never left. He got three degrees from the school and lived in the city while working as either a practicing psychiatrist or administrator at hospitals in Rhode Island and Massachusetts for decades. He also held faculty positions at Brown and at Harvard University, according to the Center for Freedom & Prosperity.

Along with his bids for the mayors office, Harrop also ran for state representative in an East Side district, against Edith Ajello in 2002, 2004 and, after dropping his bid for mayor, in 2010. He lost all three times.

Harrop trailed badly throughout his mayoral campaign in 2014. He readily acknowledged that he had no chance of winning. But he believed it was important to represent the Republican Party.

Providence Journal columnist Mark Patinkin described him this way during the race: I've never met an endorsed candidate for a big office having so much fun while being clobbered in the polls.

When Patinkin asked Harrop how he wanted to be remembered, Harrop said he hoped people would follow his example and get involved in politics.

That's the only way things get better," Harrop said.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Longtime Rhode Island Republican activist Daniel Harrop dies
Carlos Hermida has started to sell mushrooms after building up his hemp dispensary over four years. Carlos Hermida

A hemp dispensary in Florida has started selling "magic" mushrooms that are technically legal.

Chillum sells mushrooms containing Amanita muscaria, rather than the outlawed psilocybin.

Owner Carlos Hermida told Insider he's prepared for a regulatory crackdown, but wants to expand.

A hemp dispensary in Florida has started selling psychedelic mushrooms as it pushes legal boundaries.

Chillum, founded in Tampa in 2018 by Carlos Hermida, introduced "magic" mushrooms to his dispensary last month. But Hermida has taken another route to bypassing strict laws, based on a curious legal precedent he hopes will catch on.

Hermida tends to refer to his mushrooms without calling them "magic"  a term typically associated with psilocybin, the psychedelic substance in traditional "magic" mushrooms.

Psilocybin is illegal in the US and classed as a Schedule 1 drug by the Department of Justice, alongside heroin and LSD, which it says have "a high potential for abuse and serve no legitimate medical purpose in the United States."

Instead, Hermida says he has found something of a loophole by selling Amanita muscaria mushrooms that don't contain psilocybin, making them legal by federal law. The distinctive red and white mushroom is legal in every state except for Louisiana, per Third Wave.

Hermida argued that drugs are only banned "when they become a problem," suggesting Amanita muscaria's lack of uptake has shielded it from regulation.

The mushroom is typically used for its psychedelic qualities, but it's also poisonous. A National Library of Medicine review found one patient fell into a coma after accidentally ingesting the mushroom, while Hermida accepts they could cause vomiting and diarrhea if ingested raw.

Hermida says he cooks and treats the mushrooms, which he imports from Lithuania, to reduce their toxicity.

Chillum now sells the strain in capsules, gummies and powders. There are also mycology growth kits that could theoretically allow a customer to make their own psilocybin, though Hermida asks buyers to sign a form saying they won't do so.

Story continues

Hermida fought to legalize medicinal marijuana in Florida, and built his business on loosening restrictions. He says he hasn't noticed a big jump in traffic since adding mushrooms to his product line, but neither is there a typical buyer for the products.

"I've had old men and women come in, I've had people in business suits come in, I've had 20 to 23-year-olds come in wanting to have a good trip," Hermida told Insider.

Hermida has begun calling his store a mushroom dispensary. Carlos Hermida

Hoping for progress

As recreational marijuana use becomes widely accessible in more states, advocates like Hermida are now pushing for psychedelics to be more accessible, at least for medical purposes.

He says he is making preparations for any lifting of laws banning psilocybin, while he plans to set up more branches of Chillum.

Hermida's experiment at Chillum is the latest in a line of North American dispensaries pushing back against drug laws in the hope of reform.

A report by CBC found magic mushroom dispensaries were openly operating in Vancouver, Canada, as police chose not to clamp down on everyday use in favor of chasing opioid traffickers.

But Hermida, who told Insider he hired a lawyer and contacted law enforcement to warn them about the new products, is also bracing for a legislative reaction if his experiment proves popular  particularly in a state where recreational use of marijuana is still outlawed.

"I could see some pushback, yeah," Hermida said. "But I'm an activist and that's what I'm here for. So if somebody pushes back I'm gonna push further, you know? And if they make it illegal, we'll stop selling and start advocating to legalize."

Read the original article on Business Insider
From left to right, a Greek F-16M, an Italian A-200, a US F-15E, and a Greek F-4E over the Acropolis during Exercise Iniochos 22 on April 5. US Navy/Lt. Kathryn "Glitta" Mathis

The US and other militaries held major aviation and special-operations drills in Greece this spring.

The exercises were held amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, an attack that upended Europe's security.

The drills show how the US and NATO are investing in access and influence in southeastern Europe.

Tensions in Europe with Russia have remained high since Moscow launched its unprovoked attack on Ukraine in February, but Russian influence is still strong in some parts of the continent.

Countries in the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean region have always had a delicate relationship with Moscow, partly because of shared kinship, as in Serbia and Bulgaria, and partly because of shared religion, as in Greece.

The Balkans has been steadily moving away from Moscow, however. Several countries there have joined NATO in recent years, including North Macedonia, the alliance's newest member.

As Russian tanks were advancing on Kyiv earlier this year, to the south the US and other countries were taking part in two large-scale exercises, involving dozens of aircraft and hundreds of special operators, in Greece.

Those major air combat and special-ops drills show how the US and its partners are trying to lock down an important part of Europe amid increasing competition with Russia.

Iniochos and Orion 22

A Greek pararescue member descends from an AW-139 helicopter during Iniochos 22 on April 5. US Air Force/Staff Sgt. Alexandra M. Longfellow

Iniochos is fast becoming one of the largest and most important air exercises in the region, with air forces from Europe and the Middle East joining other NATO militaries for the annual event.

Iniochos 22, which began in late March, involved dozens of aircraft from 10 countries, including Israeli F-16Is, Italian A-200As, French Rafale F3, US F-15Es and F/A-18s, and Greek F-16Cs, F-4Es, and Mirage 2000-5BGs. The US also flew MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles.

This year's iteration of the Greece-hosted exercise also included drills on several different mission sets, including offensive counter-air operations, air defense, airborne reconnaissance, combat search and rescue, time-sensitive target missions, high-value airborne asset missions, and counter surface-force operations.

Story continues

A US Green Beret dives from a Greek C-130 on March 30 during an operation to prepare for Exercise Orion. US Army/Sgt. Hannah Hawkins

As Iniochos 22 was wrapping up in early April, more than 1,000 pilots, maintainers, and special operators from six countries were coming together in Greece for Orion 22 to conduct realistic joint special-operations exercises.

US Navy SEALs, Army Green Berets, Navy Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen, Air Force Combat Controllers, and Air Force Pararescuemen participated in the exercise.

"It is so impressive to see the way in which the Hellenic Armed Forces has been able to deepen its partnership with the US Special Forces Community, including the SEALS and Army Operators who are here today as part of this exercise," the US ambassador to Greece at the time, Geoffrey Pyatt, said following the exercise.

Commandos from the US, Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Israel, and France trained for air, sea, and land operations in 22 locations across Greece. The operators were supported by 32 fighter-jet sorties and 64 helicopter missions as a part of drills simulating close air support.

Special-operations troops from Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Greece, Israel, and the US during Exercise Orion 22 on April 7. US Army/Sgt. Hannah Hawkins

Iniochos and Orion 22 also took place amid rising tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other Turkish leaders have directed harsh rhetoric against Greece and Cyprus, including a veiled threat to invade Greece, with which Turkey has longstanding disputes.

The rising tensions between NATO members on the alliance's important southeastern flank come at a time when leaders on both sides of the Atlantic have sought unity in the face of the Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Security partner of choice

SOCEUR commander Maj. Gen. David Tabor, left, and Pyatt, right, with Greek military leaders during Exercise Orion 22 on April 7. US Army/Sgt. Hannah Hawkins

Pyatt, who stood down as ambassador this spring and is nominated for another US State Department post, also said after Orion 22 that Greece is "a security partner of choice" in the Eastern Mediterranean, Black Sea, and Balkan regions.

In recent years, the US has upgraded its security alliance with Greece. In 2018, the US military's European Command decided to prioritize the military partnership with Greece, recognizing it as one of NATO's key members.

Greece has benefited considerably from the upgraded military alliance with the US. In just a few years, the Greek military has received Mark V Special Operations Craft, OH-58 Kiowa light attack and reconnaissance helicopters, M1117 Guardian armored security vehicles. US troops have also been a more visible presence in Greece.

"I am very confident that that partnership is going to continue to accelerate and deepen into the future because it rests on the basis of shared interests but also our shared democratic values," Pyatt said this spring.

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate. He is working toward a master's degree in strategy and cybersecurity at the Johns Hopkins' School of Advanced International Studies.

Read the original article on Business Insider
More than half of Americans in a new poll said they are worried that the midterm elections will result in government gridlock.

An Axios-Ipsos poll released on Saturday found that 53 percent were concerned about the potential for divided government and gridlock after Novembers election. The poll defines divided government as divided control of Congress  with one party holding the House and another holding the Senate.

For Democrats, whose party currently controls both chambers of Congress, this is a slightly more pressing concern. Sixty-four percent of Democrats said they were worried about divided government and gridlock, compared to 51 percent of Republicans and 44 percent of Independents, according to the poll.

However, nearly half of Americans are also concerned about unified control of Congress, with 49 percent saying they would be worried if Democrats maintained both chambers and 46 percent saying they would be worried if Republicans held both.

With just under 40 days left until the midterm elections, the race for control of Congress remains tight. The upcoming elections initially favored Republican candidates, but polling has showed Democrats surging in recent months.

A Yahoo News-YouGov poll released on Friday showed Democrats leading Republicans by 4 points in the generic congressional ballot. However, some Democrats have cautioned against putting too much faith in the polls, after being burned in 2016 and 2020.

The Axios-Ipsos poll was conducted on Sept. 23-26 with 1,008 adults and had a credibility interval of 3.8 percent.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Fresno Police are investigating a shooting that sent a man to the hospital early Sunday morning.

Few details were immediately available, but police said a man was taken in a vehicle to the hospital just after midnight with one gunshot wound to the lower body, Lt. Ignacio Ruiz said.

The man in his early 20s is listed in critical condition.

Police dont know where the shooting took place, but detectives are investigating and are waiting to interview the victim. The suspect description was not immediately known.

Anyone with information is asked police at 559-621-7000.
Defender of Azovstal from Ternopil, senior sergeant of the 36th brigade Mykhailo Dianov, returned from Russian captivity

Dianov was among those who were held by the occupiers in the prison in Olenivka in the occupied part of Donetsk region. In an interview with UK broadcaster Sky News, Dianov described the prison as a concentration camp.

He said the Russians brutally treated the prisoners from Azovstal  they stripped, beat, scotch-taped and humiliated them. The invaders also tortured the Ukrainian defenders with hunger.

Read also: Ukraines border guards in poor physical, psychological condition after Russian captivity

"They treated us like animals, Dianov said. It was impossible to eat. We were given 30 seconds to eat. You had to eat everything you could in 30 seconds. The bread was deliberately very stale - the boys who had their teeth knocked out did not have time to eat. It was just 30 seconds and then you had to stop. Then you had to immediately get up and run. It was like that all the time," recalls Dianov.

The soldier also said that some prisoners were thrown into solitary confinement and tortured for picking up a berry from the ground and eating it. They were beaten with sticks, electrocuted, and had needles stuck under their nails.

"Believe me, after a month of food deprivation, when you close your eyes, you forget about your family, about the country, about everything. All you think about is food, he says.

Moreover, the occupiers had stuffed the prison with many times more people than it was designed to hold. Instead of 150 in the block, there were 800. Due to constantly being in an incredible crowd, Dianov developed problems with his legs  now he has difficulty walking.

Read also: Who was swapped and why: Ukraines largest prisoner swap of the war

Four months of Russian captivity have changed him beyond recognition. The soldier has lost 40 kilos of weight, and his health had deteriorated significantly.

The fact that the Russians barely provided the wounded prisoners with the necessary medical care also caused irreparable damage. At the time of his capture, Dianov's right arm was broken. The occupiers performed the surgery only using the pliers and without anesthesia. During his stay in captivity, due to the lack of medical care, the bone had grown back together in a semicircle.

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Now he needs to gain back 20 kilos before he can have corrective surgery on his arm. But improving his mental state, most likely, will take much longer.

"Everyone is injured. I consider myself a mentally strong person, but many things have lost their value to me," says Dianov.

Read also: Azov fighters who survived Olenivka among those returning home in latest prisoner swap

On Sept. 21, Ukraine returned 215 of its defenders from Russian captivity, 108 of whom were Azov fighters. Others included border guards, policemen, marines, and national guardsmen.

Most of the prisoners were returned at the border with Russia in Chernihiv region. Five commanders from Azovstal were exchanged in Turkey, where they will remain until the end of the war under the personal guarantees of protection and security of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Read also: Ukrainian defenders return from Russian captivity  photo report

In addition to the Ukrainian soldiers, ten foreigners who fought for the Ukrainian army were released. Among them were those who were illegally sentenced to death by the DNR terrorist group. They were released in Saudi Arabia.

Five commanders of the Azovstal garrison were exchanged for 55 Russian soldiers. In exchange for the rest, Ukraine gave Russia Viktor Medvedchuk, a member of Ukrainian Parliament, currently suspected of treason  whose childrens godfather just happens to be Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
We feel now is a pretty good time to analyse Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc.'s (NYSE:DO) business as it appears the company may be on the cusp of a considerable accomplishment. Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc. provides contract drilling services to the energy industry worldwide. With the latest financial year loss of US$2.1b and a trailing-twelve-month loss of US$186m, the US$672m market-cap company alleviated its loss by moving closer towards its target of breakeven. The most pressing concern for investors is Diamond Offshore Drilling's path to profitability  when will it breakeven? In this article, we will touch on the expectations for the company's growth and when analysts expect it to become profitable.

View our latest analysis for Diamond Offshore Drilling

Diamond Offshore Drilling is bordering on breakeven, according to the 2 American Energy Services analysts. They expect the company to post a final loss in 2022, before turning a profit of US$12m in 2023. Therefore, the company is expected to breakeven just over a year from today. How fast will the company have to grow each year in order to reach the breakeven point by 2023? Working backwards from analyst estimates, it turns out that they expect the company to grow 112% year-on-year, on average, which signals high confidence from analysts. If this rate turns out to be too aggressive, the company may become profitable much later than analysts predict.

Underlying developments driving Diamond Offshore Drilling's growth isnt the focus of this broad overview, however, keep in mind that generally energy companies, depending on the stage of operation and resource produced, have irregular periods of cash flow. This means that a high growth rate is not unusual, especially if the company is currently in an investment period.

Before we wrap up, theres one issue worth mentioning. Diamond Offshore Drilling currently has a relatively high level of debt. Generally, the rule of thumb is debt shouldnt exceed 40% of your equity, which in Diamond Offshore Drilling's case is 42%. A higher level of debt requires more stringent capital management which increases the risk in investing in the loss-making company.

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Next Steps:

There are key fundamentals of Diamond Offshore Drilling which are not covered in this article, but we must stress again that this is merely a basic overview. For a more comprehensive look at Diamond Offshore Drilling, take a look at Diamond Offshore Drilling's company page on Simply Wall St. We've also compiled a list of relevant aspects you should further examine:

Valuation: What is Diamond Offshore Drilling worth today? Has the future growth potential already been factored into the price? The intrinsic value infographic in our free research report helps visualize whether Diamond Offshore Drilling is currently mispriced by the market. Management Team: An experienced management team on the helm increases our confidence in the business  take a look at who sits on Diamond Offshore Drillings board and the CEOs background. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks 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.

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Amid lingering power outages and ongoing cleanup efforts after Hurricane Ian, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch has extended the state of local emergency in the city another week.

The order, signed Saturday night, states that the city experienced sustained winds of up to 60 mph and gusts up to 77 mph during the storm and about 4 inches of rain on already-saturated ground.

Downed trees, broken limbs and damaged structures are still being tended to, the order said.

Those impacts continue to pose an immediate danger to the public health, safety and welfare that requires emergency action, it said.

The extension through Sunday, Oct. 9, continues the invocation of emergency powers, including continuing special collection of debris and allowing the mayor to waive enforcement of city codes or rules that would delay necessary storm-related repair. It also prohibits price-gouging.

  

Tampa Bay Times Hurricane Ian coverage

HOW TO HELP: Where to donate or volunteer to help Hurricane Ian victims.

FEMA: Floridians hurt by Ian can now apply for FEMA assistance. Heres how.

THE STORM HAS PASSED: Now what? Safety tips for returning home.

POST-STORM QUESTIONS: After Hurricane Ian, how to get help with fallen trees, food, damaged shelter.

WEATHER EFFECTS: Hurricane Ian was supposed to slam Tampa Bay head on. What happened?

WHAT TO DO IF HURRICANE DAMAGES YOUR HOME: Stay calm, then call your insurance company.

SCHOOLS: Will schools reopen quickly after Hurricane Ian passes? It depends.

MORE STORM COVERAGE: Get ready and stay informed at tampabay.com/hurricane.
Mila Kunis sat down with Willie Geist on Sunday TODAY to talk about the reboot of "That '70s Show" which has doing something she said she'd most likely never do again  star alongside her husband, Ashton Kutcher.

On "That '90s Show," Kunis and Kutcher, whose characters dated on the original show but didn't end up together, appear as a married couple. Kunis, reprising the role Jackie Burkhart, told Geist she was intimidated to do her scene with Kutcher, who again plays Michael Kelso.

"We're going to do one scene together ... playing a married couple in it ... I've never been more nervous in my life," the actor said, laughing.

When pressed for more details by Willie, Kunis said her hesitation comes from the familiarity she and Kutcher have after more than seven years of marriage.

"It was so weird to look at him and not be like, Why are you doing that funny face? Or for him not to look at me and be like, Why are you acting so... Theres a part of you that, after being together, and you can call BS on someone," she explained.

Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist - Season 36 (Nathan Congleton / NBC/NBCU Photo Bank)

In addition to struggling to keep a straight face, Kunis said that just being on the iconic set again was disorienting.

Its trippy, because we were in the same house, and it takes place in the same basement, but were old and married and have children," Kunis said. "It was like being in Twilight Zone. It was very, very weird.

Kunis said in a previous Sunday Sitdown with Willie in 2018 that she likely wouldn't act with Kutcher again. The pair, who met on the show in 1998 and began dating in 2012 before tying the knot in 2015, only changed their minds after discussing the reboot.

Honestly, there was a little hesitation, she said. From one of us. I will not say which one."

In addition to their careers as actors and humanitarians, Kutcher and Kunis share two children: daughter Wyatt, 8, and son Dimitri, 5. During the pandemic, Kunis told Geist that she and the family were able to get away for a while on a long RV trip, made easier by the fact that they were wearing masks.

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"We did a massive road trip over the summer and the only reason we could have done it the way that we did it was because my husband and I were able to just wear masks when we went to all the National Park monuments and things," she explained.

"I dont know if we could have done it without a mask," she continued. "It was great."

Up next on Kunis' plate is the new Netflix drama "Luckiest Girl Alive." The film, based on the 2015 bestselling mystery novel by Jessica Knoll, stars Kunis as Ani Fanelli, a young woman living in New York City and leading a seemingly perfect, Instagram-worthy life. In the script, also by Jessica Knoll, she's forced to confront horrifying events from her teenage years.

Kunis said that she enjoyed the twists and turns of the script and the fact that she gets to play a character who takes on different identities.

"Thats a little bit of the fun cat and mouse game that she plays within herself," she said of the character. "Like, 'Which one of these is the real me?'"

When asked by Geist if she enjoyed playing a character who faces so much trauma, Kunis said that if she's being honest, the answer is no. She said that while she looks at acting as "playing pretend," that sometimes the work can be exhausting.

"But, that being said, I can separate the two pretty well," she said of acting and real life. "So as hard as it is, Im not in a ditch. Im not in a mine. Its not that hard."

"Luckiest Girl Alive" will debut on Netflix October 7.

Related:

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
TEHRAN, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- At least five security troops were killed in Friday's "terrorist" attack in southeastern Iran, the official IRNA news agency reported Sunday, citing a statement by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

In addition, 32 members of IRGC and Basij voluntary were injured in the incident in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, according to the IRGC statement.

So far, eight suspects in the attack have been arrested, according to Mehdi Shamsabadi, prosecutor general of Sistan and Baluchestan Province.

Semi-official Fars news agency reported on Saturday that Abdul-Majid Rigi and Yaser Shah Bakhsh, two members of the "Jaish al-Zulm" separatist group linked with al-Qaeda, were killed in clashes with Iranian military forces during the incident in the provincial capital of Zahedan.

On Friday, rioters raided the police station in the guise of prayers, "throwing stones and flammable materials, and shooting" in an attempt to seize a police station, Provincial Governor Hossein Modarres Khiabani said, adding the perpetrators also set fire to other public property and vandalized banks and government centers.

According to the local reports, at least 19 people were killed and scores injured in the attack. 
ISLAMABAD (AP)  A Pakistani soldier serving as a U.N. peacekeeper in the Democratic Republic of Congo was killed in a militant attack in the country's volatile east, the military said.

A group of six militants reached the United Nations' permanent operation base in the district of Minembwe, ostensibly to surrender their weapons as part of a U.N. initiative. But the group's leader started firing indiscriminately, Pakistan's military said in a statement late Saturday.

A Pakistani soldier serving as a guard at the weapons surrender point was shot in the head, the statement said. Pakistani peacekeepers responded to the fire immediately, it said, without offering details.

The badly wounded soldier, identified only as 35-year-old Babar, was rushed to the nearest Pakistani army medical unit but he later died.

The U.N. identified the gunmen in Friday's attack as suspected Twirwaneho combatants. The Pakistani military said they were linked to the Banyamulenge, a Tutsi community in the eastern province of South Kivu.

Pakistan is part of a U.N. peacekeeping force of more than 16,000 troops and police called the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in The Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO). It began in July 2010 and is aimed at protecting civilians, deterring armed groups and helping build state institutions and services.
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP)  Offensive opportunities were there for the taking by No. 17 Texas A&M. Mississippi States defense was also there to deny the Aggies at almost every turn.

The Bulldogs forced A&M into four turnovers, including three inside the red zone, and took advantage in a 42-24 victory on Saturday.

Decamerion Richardson scooped up Emmanuel Forbes critical third-quarter field goal block and returned it 50 yards for the touchdown to give the Bulldogs a 21-3 lead. The Aggies (3-2, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) got no closer than 11 as MSUs defense denied A&M inside the 20 all game long with big plays.

Weve been practicing all week and when I got my chance, I just took advantage of it and blocked it, Forbes said. It was a real big momentum change. The offense had just got a turnover and we had to pick them up and we did that.

I saw (Richardson) pick it up and I just wanted to go have fun with him in the end zone. Id do anything to help my brother out.

The first takeaway came early in the second quarter when Devon Achane fumbled on the 6. MSU responded with a 94-yard, 11-play drive ending with Will Rogers 5-yard touchdown pass to Rufus Harvey.

Leading 14-0 just before halftime, the Bulldogs' defense came through again as Nathaniel Watson forced Aggies quarterback Max Johnson to fumble in the red zone. Forbes blocked field goal in the third quarter put an exclamation point on the game for MSU and their first SEC West win.

The biggest thing was we just played together. Early on we played too close to the vest and as we opened up, we had more success, MSU coach Mike Leach said. They had a tough time teeing off on one thing. A&M is tough.

They have some really good players and some of the top recruits in the country. The biggest thing is doing your job and I thought we were.

The Bulldogs (4-1, 1-1) had another efficient day offensively with 473 yards, 329 of those from Rogers on 31-of-45 passing with three touchdowns. RaRa Thomas had five catches for 134 yards and a score and MSU rushed for 144 yards on 24 carries.

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Meanwhile, the Aggies were frustrated on offense. Johnson was 18 of 25 passing for 201 yards and a touchdown before leaving in the fourth quarter with a hand injury. MSU sacked Johnson four times and posted six tackles for loss, led by 1.5 sacks by backup linebacker JP Purvis.

Mississippi State played a good football game and is deserving to win, A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said. We had critical errors in all three phases. We didnt play well enough. We had opportunities to make it, but we didnt get off the field on defense, we didnt hit those red zone chances on offense and had the blocked kick. We have to clean up those mistakes and get better.

Forbes then made two interceptions late in the fourth quarter and capped the game with a 33-yard pick-six. Fellow cornerback Richardson had nine tackles to lead MSU and got his touchdown on the blocked kick.

The win for Leach moved him to 9-4 lifetime over the Aggies between Texas Tech and MSU. The Bulldogs have won five of the last seven in the series and Leach now has six wins over ranked opponents in his three years in Starkville, moving above .500 at MSU overall for the first time since arriving in 2020.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Texas A&M is likely out of the rankings with a second loss. Mississippi State could be close to getting in.

THE TAKEAWAY

Texas A&M continues a lackluster start to the year, which has included a home loss to Appalachian State and now on the road to the Bulldogs. Jimbo Fishers offense has taken a lot of the criticism early, and Saturday is likely to spark more as the Aggies struggled again.

Mississippi State was on the verge of the Top 25 when the Bulldogs went to Baton Rouge against LSU but missed a chance for the win. After consecutive wins including a victory over the ranked Aggies, MSU is once again a team to watch in a crowded SEC West.

UP NEXT

Texas A&M visits No. 2 Alabama on Saturday.

Mississippi State hosts No. 20 Arkansas on 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://apnews.com/cfbtop25
(Reuters) - Moderna Inc has refused to hand over to China the core intellectual property behind the development of its COVID-19 vaccine, leading to a collapse in negotiations on its sale there, the Financial Times reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based pharmaceutical company turned down Chinas request to hand over the recipe for its mRNA vaccine because of commercial and safety concerns, the newspaper said, citing people involved in negotiations that took place between 2020 and 2021, adding that the vaccine maker is still eager to sell the product to China.

The company had given up on its previous efforts to access the Chinese market because of Chinas demand that it hand over the technology as a prerequisite for selling in the country, the report said.

Moderna did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

China has not approved any foreign COVID-19 vaccines and relies on several domestically developed shots.

In September, Moderna Chief Medical Officer Paul Burton had said the company was keen to collaborate with China on supplying its mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines to the country.

"We would certainly be very eager to collaborate with China if they felt that there was a need for a vaccine there," Burton had told a media briefing for reporters in Asia. "Currently, there is no activity going on, but we'd be very open to it."

(Reporting by Rhea Binoy in Bengaluru; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
Defense attorney Paul Ksicinski doesnt need to watch Netflixs "Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" to understand the lasting trauma the serial killer has caused.

His former client, Tracy Edwards, escaped Dahmer's Milwaukee, Wisconsin home on the night of July 22, 1991. He flagged down a passing patrol car on the street. A pair of handcuffs hung from one of Edwards wrists as he told officers Dahmer had tried to kill him. A subsequent investigation led police to an apartment full of preserved human heads, body parts and photographs of mutilated men. Police said Dahmer confessed to killing 17 people since 1978.

At the time, Edwards was hailed a hero for helping police capture the "Milwaukee Cannibal." His story is chronicled in the first episode of the Ryan Murphy-helmed streaming series which stars Evan Peters as Dahmer. But Ksicinski told Fox News Digital that Edwards life took a downward spiral following the horrifying encounter.

"The way that Ive characterized it, in a nutshell, is that the incident with Dahmer made Tracy into Humpty Dumpty  he was never able to put the pieces back together in his life," Ksicinski explained. "At times, he may have appeared or even sounded like, for a lack of a better term, normal. But he was not. He could never get his life together again after that. He abused drugs and drank alcohol excessively. He had no home. He just drifted from place to place. It destroyed his life. I dont know how or what he could have done to put things back together again."

JEFFREY DAHMER WITNESS SAYS SHE SAW 'A STREAK OF EVIL' WHILE TRYING TO RESCUE VICTIM FROM GRISLY FATE: DOC

Tracy Edwards (left) never recovered after escaping from serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer (right). Milwaukee Police Department/Getty Images

During Dahmers 1992 trial, Edwards described how Dahmer "was listening to my heart" at knife point.

"At that point, he told me he was going to eat my heart," Edwards told the court.

Dahmer would prey on his victims at bars or bus stops, luring them with promises of beer or money in exchange for posing for nude photographs, The New York Times reported. After drugging their drinks, he would strangle and stab his victims while they were unconscious. He stored their remains and consumed part of the arm of at least one man, the outlet shared. For weeks, neighbors smelled a foul odor and even heard screams coming from Dahmers apartment. His victims ranged in age from 14 to 33.

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Dahmer was convicted of 15 killings in Wisconsin. According to prosecutors, there wasnt enough evidence to charge him with the 16th slaying. He also pleaded guilty to the Ohio murder of a hitchhiker in 1978. The 34-year-old was serving 15 consecutive life terms in 1994 when he was bludgeoned to death by fellow inmate Christopher Scarver.

KATY PERRY AND KESHA GET SLAMMED FOR JEFFREY DAHMER REFERENCES IN SONGS AMID 'MONSTER' RELEASE ON NETFLIX

Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer, known as the Milwaukee Cannibal, was an American serial killer and sex offender who committed the rape, murder and dismemberment of 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991. Many of his later murders involved necrophilia, cannibalism and the preservation of body parts. Dahmer was sentenced to 15 terms of life imprisonment on February 15, 1992. Photo by Curt Borgwardt/Sygma via Getty Images

Edwards publicity from the case attracted the attention of police in his native Tupelo, Mississippi. He had been indicted for sexual battery involving a 14-year-old girl. He was extradited to face charges there. Over the years, he racked up more charges, including theft, property damage, bail jumping and drug possession, among others. According to reports, he has been homeless since at least 2002.

In 2011, Edwards was arrested after he was accused of throwing a man to his death off a Milwaukee bridge. Thats when Ksicinski met him.

"We always took the position that he did not throw anyone over," said Ksicinski. "This was, in fact, a friend of his. They were all homeless, and they were, unfortunately, abusing alcohol. He was trying to pull him back off the bridge. The people who had seen it didnt really have, in our viewpoint, the best ability to see what had happened."

Ksicinski said that Edwards still appeared haunted by his encounter with Dahmer.

HOMICIDE HUNTER' STAR JOE KENDA RECALLS EXTREME MURDER OF SOLDIER: WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR HERE, DRACULA?

"He called Dahmer the devil," Ksicinski explained. "I eventually came to determine he never sought any kind of psychological or psychiatric treatment for what happened to him. Instead, he chose to self-medicate with alcohol and drugs on the street. He didnt go into treatment because that would cause him to have to remember what happened. But he spoke of what happened to him. He described smelling death when he entered Dahmers apartment, how Dahmer put his head on his chest, so he can hear his heartbeat. He described how Dahmer said, Im going to have to eat your heart."

"I was dumbfounded," Ksicinski admitted. "Its one thing to hear about these details during the trial, but the way that Tracy described it, I was just amazed. At first, I went, Come on, youre exaggerating to make yourself look good. But you could see how much he was affected by it."

Ksicinski claimed that Edwards always "took responsibility for the things hes done in the past."

Edwards was initially charged with homicide but pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of aiding a felon. He was sentenced to a year and a half behind bars. The last time Ksicinski saw Edwards was in 2015. His current whereabouts are unknown.

IDAHO WOMAN RECALLS ESCAPING SERIAL KILLER JOSEPH DUNCAN IN DOC: HOW LONG AM I GOING TO BE ALIVE?

This fenced-off vacant lot is the former the site of the apartment building where serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer resided and mutilated his victims. Photo by Steve Kagan/Getty Images

"Tracy didnt ask to be a victim of Dahmers," said Ksicinski. "And he was just so averse to wanting to remember what happened to him or even talk about it. There was a civil litigation involving some of the victims' families. He never took part in that. My personal belief is he didnt because hed have to remember what happened."

"Post-traumatic stress disorder is real," he continued. "Its not something thats manufactured. People suffer incredibly traumatic events, and its different for every person in terms of how they handle it. You dont know what that person has gone through or how theyre coping. And it might help to know that before passing judgment."
NextShark

A Chinese woman thought she was the victim of racism after receiving a letter from her alma mater addressed to a Ms. Ching Chong, but was shocked and relieved to learn the truth. Former University of Queensland student Sierra Chen took to the Facebook group UQ Stalkerspace, which is described as a platform for discourse about University of Queensland campus life, to share the letter she received from the university and to see if anyone could help her contact the addressee to verify whether the letter was sent maliciously. In her post, Chen said the contents of the letter were not unusual, but the name listed as the recipient concerned her, as ChingChong is a racial discrimination word against [sic] Chinese.
Residents at the Good Samaritan Village in Kissimmee are being forced to leave. Osceola County leaders said there is too much flooding in Shingle Creek for them to stay.

Residents are trying to salvage what they can.

Jennifer and Jerrod Albright live near Shingle Creek and have watched as Shingle Creek has inched closer and closer to their home.

The family said theyve held out for as long as possible.

WATCH: Crews use airboats to rescue stranded residents in Kissimmee

They had the National Guard yesterday going up and down the street, trying to evacuate people, asking people to leave, and its just our time to go now, said Jerrod Albright.

Friends and family are helping them pack up their valuables.

Were going to get out everything that we can, but chances are that within the next six to eight hours, based on what weve been measuring, with the water coming up, that itll be in our living room, Jerrod Albright said.

He said a parking lot with his friends was the best meetup point for a group of people helping to pack his belongings.

Read: WATCH: Drone video shows extensive flooding around large hospital in Kissimmee

Because theres so much water in his neighborhood now, its hard to access and only heavy-duty vehicles can safely make it through the floodwaters.

The creek has now taken over the familys yard and has covered everything from the picnic tables to their childrens playground.

Its very overwhelming, Jennifer Albright said. Where do you start?

Osceola County said water receding in Orange County flows south toward them and into Shingle Creek.

Read: Hurricane Ian: Video shows rough seas washing away part of Daytona Beach Sunglow Pier

Obviously, dont run sprinklers, Jennifer Albright said. Dont do anything like that, because were getting all your water.

As the family prepares to pack up their home, they have a message for the community.

Just say a prayer that it stops, Jennifer Albright said. We just really need the water to stop coming in.

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The Albrights said as tough as their situation is, they know neighbors who have already completely lost their homes.

Jennifer Albright said that as soon as they finish packing and are safe, they will be back at it, helping other people affected by the flooding.

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.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Sunday declined to commit to whether Ukraines application to join the alliance will be fast-tracked, saying its bid to join needs to be taken by consensus.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced last week that his country will file an expedited application to join NATO.

During an appearance on NBCs Meet The Press, moderator Chuck Todd asked the NATO chief whether the alliance would fast-track Ukraines application. about the alliances open-door policy to allow countries to join the alliance.

NATO has an open-door policy and every nation, including of course also Ukraine, has the right to choose its own path, including what kind of security arrangements it wants to be a part of, Stoltenberg told Todd. At the same time, any decision on membership has to be taken by consensus. All thirty allies have to agree to make such a decision.

Stoltenberg said the main focus of the alliance is continuing to support Ukraine in fighting back against Russia.

They need more support. They need continued support, Stoltenberg said. And thats the message I conveyed to President Zelensky when I spoke to him a few days ago. And thats the message from NATO leaders and again, not least from the United States, which really makes a difference and matters when we see the war going on in Ukraine.

NATO rapidly moved to admit Finland and Sweden into alliance earlier this year after they submitted applications amid fears of Russian aggression.

Ukraine made a push to join NATO early in its war with Russia, but Zelensky conceded in March that its accession was unlikely. The Ukrainian presidents latest appeal comes after a series of military victories that have allowed Kyiv to retake territories previously occupied by Russia.

In his presidential statement on Friday, Zelensky said that Ukraine and NATO have been de facto allies throughout the war.

We are de facto allies. This has already been achieved. De facto, we have already completed our path to NATO. De facto, we have already proven interoperability with the Alliances standards, they are real for Ukraine  real on the battlefield and in all aspects of our interaction, Zelensky said in his statement.

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We trust each other, we help each other and we protect each other. This is what the Alliance is. De facto.



Zelenskys remarks came after Russian President Vladimir Putin officially moved on Friday to annex regions of eastern Ukraine, an illegal move condemned by Kyiv and its allies.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Photo Illustration by Erin O'Flynn/The Daily Beast/Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The widespread media attention to recent events at Berkeley Law are stunningly misleading and inaccurate.

An opinion column in the Jewish Journal, which is titled, Berkeley Develops Jewish-Free Zones, paints a grossly misleading picture of what happened at Berkeley Law.

To state it plainly: There is no Jewish-Free Zone at Berkeley Law or on the UC-Berkeley campus. The Law Schools rules are clear that no speaker can be excluded for being Jewish or for holding particular views. I know of no instance where this has been violated.

Allow me to explain the controversy that sparked this misguided furor.

U.K.s Crackdown on Anti-Royal Protests Makes U.S. Free Speech Look Good

At the beginning of the school year in late August, a student group at Berkeley Law, Law Students for Justice in Palestine (LSJP), asked other student groups to adopt a by-law condemning Israel. LSJP called for the student groups to pledge not to invite speakers who supported Israels apartheid policies, to support the Boycott, Divest, Sanction movement, and to participate in training about the plight of Palestinians.

As the dean, I quickly responded with a letter to all student organizations strongly objecting to this.

My letter said, It is troubling to broadly exclude a particular viewpoint from being expressed. Indeed, taken literally, this would mean that I could not be invited to speak because I support the existence of Israel, though I condemn many of its policies. Chancellor Carol Christ has also spoken about how the boycott, divest, and sanction movement poses a direct and serious threat to the academic freedom of our students and faculty, as well as the unfettered exchange of ideas and perspectives on our campus, including debate and discourse regarding conflicts in the Middle East.

I followed this up with a message to the entire Law School community: The First Amendment does not allow us to exclude any viewpoints and I believe that it is crucial that universities be places where all ideas can be voiced and discussed. In addition, the Law School has an all-comers policy, which means that every student group must allow any student to join and all student group organized events must be open to all students.

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The issue quickly faded at the Law School.

A handful of student organizationsfewer than 10 out of over 100initially adopted the by-law. But the rest rejected it or ignored it. Some that quickly accepted it are now reconsidering that. Most importantly, no group has violated the Law Schools policy and excluded a speaker on account of being Jewish or holding particular views about Israel. Such conduct, of course, would be subject to sanctions.

At this stage, all some student groups have done is express their strong disagreement with Israels policies. That is their First Amendment right. I find their statement offensive, but they have the right to say it. To punish these student groups, or students, for their speech would clearly violate the Constitution.

Ironically, most students and faculty in the Law School were unaware of this controversy or paid little attention to it. After the first couple of weeks of the semester, it was virtually never mentioned. But some media outlets have brought it worldwide attention.

I am convinced it is because they have a narrative they want to tell about higher education generallyand Berkeley, in particularbeing antisemitic. They wanted to use this incident to fit their narrative, even though the facts simply dont support the story they want to tell.

There is no doubt that the on-going crisis in the Middle East understandably generates deep feelings on all sides. Some of our students and faculty are strongly critical of Israels policies and are concerned about the plight of the Palestinians. Some ardently defend Israels actions. And others hold a myriad of views. This is true at Berkeley Law, on the Berkeley campus, and at every university.

Georgetowns Got a Serious Free-Speech Problem

What is the proper role of the university? To be a place where all ideas and views are discussed.

At my Law School, the Law Students for Justice in Palestine bring in speakers and hold programs to express their views. At the same time, the Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies holds many programs. Just last week, Knesset Member Yossi Shain spent a week on the Berkeley campus and spoke of his recent book, as well as meeting with students and faculty.

But this is not the story the media wants to tell. It is frustrating and sad that their version has no relationship to reality.

Freedom of speech, dissent, and debate is alive and well at Berkeley. And there is no Jewish-Free Zone at Berkeley Law or on the Berkeley campus. Period.

Erwin Chemerinsky is the Dean and Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley School of Law.

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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he expects President Vladimir Putin to continue to suggest he might use nuclear weapons in Russia's war with Ukraine  and that it is possible he could actually do so.

"There are no checks on Mr. Putin," Austin said in a CNN interview that aired Sunday morning. "Just as he made the irresponsible decision to invade Ukraine, you know, he could make another decision. But I don't see anything right now that would lead me to believe he has made such a decision."

In recent days, Putin raised the stakes of the war by holding votes in support of annexation in parts of Ukraine that Russia has occupied, and then annexing those four regions despite an international outcry against his actions. Russia can now claim that Ukraine is invading Russian territory if it tries to regain that land. Putin said Friday he would consider the use of "all available means" in defense of his nation.

Speaking Sunday on "Fareed Zakaria GPS," Austin said: "It's an illegal claim. It's an irresponsible statement ... this nuclear saber-rattling is not the kind of thing we would expect to hear from leaders of large countries with capability."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has promised a very tough response to Russian annexations. On Friday night he said: We must liberate our entire land."

Austin said Zelenskyy's forces have fought very well and he expects them to continue to attempt to regain conquered land.

"I think the Ukrainians have amazed the world in terms of their ability to fight back, their ability to exercise initiative, their commitment to the defense of their democracy," he told Zakaria, "and that willingness to fight has rallied the international community in an effort to help provide them the security assistance so that they can continue to fight."

Regardless of what Putin does next, Austin said the United States will not abandon Ukraine.

"We will continue to support Ukrainians, as you heard our president say, for as long as it takes," Austin said.
Five Oath Keepers are facing trial for seditious conspiracy starting on Monday.

Founder Stewart Rhodes will argue he believed Trump would invoke the Insurrection Act on January 6.

Rhodes' defense strategy is highly unusual, said his lawyers.

Oath Keepers founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes' lawyers plan to argue that he shouldn't be convicted over charges relating to the Capitol riot as he was waiting for orders from then-President Donald Trump, which never came, the Associated Press reports.

Rhodes, who has been charged with seditious conspiracy, plans to take the stand to argue that he believed Trump was going to invoke the Insurrection Act and call up a militia to support him to stop the certification of Biden's victory, his lawyers said, per AP.

Rhodes is one of five members of the far-right group that will stand trial over seditious conspiracy. Opening statements for the trial are due to begin on Monday.

The Oath Keepers face the most serious charges in a prosecution stemming from the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and Rhodes' defense strategy is unusual.

"This is an incredibly complicated defense of theory, and I don't think that it's ever played out in this fashion in American jurisprudence," James Lee Bright, one of Rhodes' attorneys, told AP.

The Oath Keepers leader faces up to 20 years in a prison cell if found guilty

US President Donald Trump speaks to supporters from The Ellipse near the White House on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

The Insurrection Act is a law empowering the president to employ the military to suppress civil disorder.

The seditious conspiracy charge alleges not just a violation of the law but an attack on American democracy itself, legal experts said.

For the Justice Department, the trial comes with particularly high stakes. While its 20-year maximum prison sentence is equal to or even lesser than many other federal crimes, the seditious conspiracy charge carries a legal and symbolic significance  alleging not just a violation of the law but an attack on American democracy itself, legal experts said, wrote Insider's C. Ryan Barber.

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Rhodes' lawyers will have to prove that his actions were not seditious as he was acting in anticipation of what he believed would become lawful.

"What the government contends was a conspiracy to oppose United States laws was actually lobbying and preparation for the president to utilize a United States law to take lawful action," Rhodes' lawyers, Bright and Phillip Linder, said in a court filing, according to The Guardian.

Bright said that Rhodes, a Yale Law School graduate, understands the risks of testifying but wants to "speak his piece," according to AP.

Prosecutors accuse the Oath Keepers of involvement in a scheme to stop the certification of Joe Biden's victory.

Members of the group amassed weapons and prepared so-called "quick reaction force" teams at a hotel near Washington, DC, prosecutors said.

Rhodes did not break into the Capitol himself on January 6 but entered restricted grounds outside the building, prosecutors have said.

The trial is expected to last between four to six weeks, The New York Times reported.

Read the original article on Business Insider
JERUSALEM, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Israel announced on Sunday that a high-level dialogue forum with the European Union (EU) will be renewed in Brussels on Monday after a decade-long freeze.

Prime Minister Yair Lapid will head the Israeli delegation for the first meeting of the renewed EU-Israel Association Council dialogue, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

On the European side, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell as well as foreign ministers of EU member countries will participate.

The discussions would focus on issues including trade, climate change, energy, culture, science and technology, according to a statement issued by the Council of the EU on Thursday.

The talks would also engage in "the respect for human rights and democratic principles, freedom of religion as well as the fight against antisemitism," the Council statement said.

The convening of the Association Council, the highest forum steering Israel-EU relations in science, economy, energy, environment, and other issues, "will enable Israel to continue developing its relations with the EU for the benefit of the citizens of Israel," the Israeli ministry noted.

It will be the 12th meeting of the EU-Israel Association Council, after the last one in 2012.

The dialogue forum has been frozen for a decade amid Israel's continuous expansion of the settlement in the occupied West Bank despite the EU opposition.

In September, Borrell "warmly" welcomed Lapid's support for the two-state solution with the Palestinians expressed in his address to the UN General Assembly. 
A federal judge sided with the state of Georgia in a lawsuit filed by a group associated with Democrat Stacey Abrams challenging the constitutionality of its election practices.

"Although Georgias election system is not perfect, the challenged practices violate neither the constitution nor the VRA," U.S. District Judge Steve Jones, an Obama appointee, wrote, referring to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He detailed his reasoning in a 288-page order siding against Abrams Fair Fight Georgia group in a lawsuit filed four years ago alleging voter suppression and racial discrimination after she narrowly lost to the states current Republican Gov. Brian Kemp.

Kemp, who was Georgia Secretary of State when the lawsuit was filed, applauded the ruling as a victory against an attempt by Abrams to weaponize the legal system for political gain.

"Judge Jones ruling exposes this legal effort for what it really is: a tool wielded by a politician hoping to wrongfully weaponize the legal system to further her own political goals," Kemp said in a statement.

GEORGIA VOTING SHATTERING TURNOUT RECORDS AFTER MSNBC, CNN, OTHERS RAN WITH 'JIM CROW' ACCUSATIONS

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams speaks to the media during a press conference at the Israel Baptist Church as voters head to the polls during the Georgia primary on May 24, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

"While the Courts actions are not the preferred outcome, the conduct of this trial and preceding cases and legislative actions represent a hard-won victory for voters who endured long lines, burdensome date of birth requirements and exact match laws that disproportionately impact Black and Brown voters," Abrams said in a statement.

Abrams Fair Fight Action organization filed the lawsuit along with Care in Action, a nonprofit that advocates for domestic workers. Several churches later joined as plaintiffs. It was originally extremely broad and called for a significant overhaul of Georgias election system. By the time it got to trial, the scope had narrowed significantly after some allegations were resolved by changes in state law and others were dismissed by the court.

GEORGIA ELECTION LAW PROVISION BLASTED BY DEMOCRATS ALLOWED TO STAND FOR MIDTERMS AMID LEGAL CHALLENGES

Story continues

Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp speaks during his primary night election party at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame on May 24, 2022, in Atlanta, Georgia. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Georgia officials have created a landscape where its "harder to register, harder to stay registered and ultimately harder to vote," Allegra Lawrence-Hardy, an attorney for Fair Fight and the other plaintiffs, said during her closing argument in late June. The barriers to voting arent caused by inevitable human errors but instead result from "choices designed to keep certain people from voting," she said.

"This is a voting rights case that resulted in wins and losses for all parties over the course of the litigation and culminated in what is believed to have been the longest voting rights bench trial in the history of the Northern District of Georgia," Jones wrote.

In a press release, Georgias Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger called the ruling a "win for all Georgia election officials who dedicate their lives to safe, secure and accessible elections."

WASHINGTON POST ADMITS 'VOTING IS SURGING IN GEORGIA' DESPITE PREVIOUS REPORTS, CLAIMS ABOUT VOTER SUPPRESSION

People use voting machines to fill out their ballots as they vote in the Georgia primary at the Metropolitan Library on May 24, 2022, in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

"Stolen election and voter suppression claims by Stacey Abrams were nothing but poll-tested rhetoric not supported by facts and evidence," the statement added.

The ruling comes as a lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice last year alleging discrimination continues to make its way through court. Both the DOJ and Biden White House declined to provide an update on that case last week when contacted by Fox News Digital.

Biden has referred to the Georgia voting system as "Jim Crow in the 21st Century."

Raffensperger's office told Fox News Digital that 1.9 million eligible voters participated in the 2022 primary contest compared to 1.2 million in 2018, despite the DOJ's allegation of voter suppression, and African-American turnout was 22% higher than any other primary election except for the 2020 presidential primary.

Kemp and Abrams are set to square off in a rematch for Georgia governor next month in a race that Fox News polling shows Kemp leads by seven points.

The Associated Press contributed to this report


KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO  SUNDAY, 2 OCTOBER 2022, 20:52

A serviceman of the so-called "Luhansk Peoples Republic" (LPR) and the local resident, who had him hidden, were exposed in the liberated territory of Kharkiv Oblast.

Source: Serhiy Bolvinov, head of the investigative department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Kharkiv Oblast, on Facebook

Quote: "During actions in the liberated territories, the police received information that a resident of the village of Chkalivske had allowed the so-called "military serviceman of the LPR" [to stay at] his home and [wear some] clothes so as to hide".

The LPR soldier has been detained; a case has been opened against both of them."

Details: Serhiy Pasechnyk, the pro-Russian fighter born in 1968, was notified of suspicion under Part 2 of Art. 260 of Ukraines Criminal Code, which entails imprisonment of between three and eight years.

Serhiy Budanov, a 60-years-old resident of the village of Chkalivske, is threatened with criminal liability under Article 111-1 Part 4, which is punished with a fine or a ban from engaging in certain activities.

"I remind everyone that hiding Russian servicemen or bandits from temporarily occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts is a criminal act. [This is] collaborative activity," Bolvinov noted.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Become our patron, support our work!
Students walk on the MIT campus in Cambridge, Mass. The flow of Chinese students to the U.S. is declining. (Associated Press)

Would you train your workers and then squeeze them out by creating a hostile environment? Would you drive out these workers so they can go work for a competitor? The answer is obviously no. Yet this is whats happening now in the U.S., with a rising number of U.S.-trained Chinese scientists leaving this country.

In 2021 alone, 1,400 U.S.-trained scientists have left their corporate positions or relinquished tenured positions at top-tier American universities such as Harvard, MIT and Princeton. This trend has grown since former President Trump promoted anti-China rhetoric during his term. To make things worse, many of these Chinese scientists are returning to China to compete against the United States.

At the same time, the flow of Chinese students to the U.S. is declining. During the first six months in 2022, the U.S. issued 31,055 academic visas to Chinese nationals, down from 64,261 for the same period in 2019. Chinese students make up 16% of all U.S. students in STEM fields, and a significant percentage of STEM workers in the U.S. are of Chinese descent, which means this problem could affect STEM fields for years into the future.

The departure of U.S.-trained Chinese scientists and the reduced numbers of Chinese students could hinder the plan to revitalize domestic semiconductor manufacturing and electric vehicle manufacturing. These trends will also weaken the ability of the U.S. to compete with China in science and technology, especially when China is already leading in several key scientific metrics such as the number of patents and the number of papers published.

Why would these U.S.-trained Chinese scientists give up their secure and prestigious positions in this country? Why do Chinese students seek their higher education elsewhere?

First, mistrust and the hunt for spies among Chinese Americans have long been present in U.S. history. And the distrust of China has soared since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump stoked suspicion and fear about China, and President Biden received bipartisan support to view China as a strategic competitor . 

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Under the Trump administration, the Department of Justice launched a program called the China Initiative in 2018 that was intended to counter theft of U.S. secrets and technology. Many scientists of Chinese descent have been falsely accused of spying for China, and many of them have been interrogated by FBI agents.

For example, Gang Chen, a professor at MIT, had federal charges against him dismissed after undergoing a lengthy espionage investigation. These cases have had a profound effect on Asian American academics, especially those of Chinese descent. Even though the China Initiative program ended this year after intense public outcry, fear and the perception of the U.S. being a hostile environment continues.

Second, putting political risk aside, many Asian Americans, despite having a strong presence in corporate America, are virtually absent in the executive suites and feel least included at the workplace. In fact, Asian American workers are the least likely group to be promoted to management  even less likely than Black and Latino workers.

Asian American professionals and scientists, including Chinese Americans, are often portrayed as well-educated, hardworking, successful. Yet they remain underrepresented in leadership roles and are regularly left out of discussions about discrimination in the workplace . In fact, Asians are often excluded in diversity and inclusion plans entirely.

This climate makes many Chinese scientists and professionals feel pessimistic about their prospects in the United States. They may, however, be more optimistic about China when Chinese universities and companies are offering them senior positions with attractive benefits.

Finally, many people of Chinese descent feel they have been made scapegoats for the spread of the coronavirus. This negative sentiment has triggered a staggering increase of hate crimes against Asians  by 339% in 2021. The murder of Shaoxiong Zheng, a Chinese student, near the University of Chicagos campus in broad daylight in 2021 sent a shock wave through Chinese students in the United States. Heightened safety concerns over hate crimes against Asians have nudged more Chinese scholars to leave and discouraged Chinese students from coming to the U.S.

The dynamic causing Chinese scientists to leave now, in some ways, recalls the dreadful case of Qian Xuesen, the MIT-trained rocket scientist and co-founder of Caltechs Jet Propulsion Lab. He was accused of being a communist sympathizer, and placed under house arrest for five years before being deported to China in 1955. There was no evidence that he was a spy. Upon returning to China, Qian helped China to develop its first nuclear weapon. Former Navy Secretary Dan Kimball later lamented that the treatment of Qian was the stupidest thing this country ever did.

Regardless of current tensions between the U.S. and China, the long-term public interest surely lies with promoting policies that would help retain the best U.S.-trained scientists in this country.

Christopher S. Tang is a University Distinguished Professor and Edward W. Carter chair in business administration at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Women and children rushed to board trains March 4 as the sounds of battle drew closer to Irpin, Ukraine. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

As Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to suffer humiliating battlefield defeats, his growing desperation may lead him to conclude that Russian-backed terrorist attacks against Western countries are a legitimate response. Attacks could be directed toward European military targets, NATO-related facilities or even civilians. Russias conduct in Ukraine, Syria and Chechnya has demonstrated that for Putin, nothing is beyond the pale.

As Russias ill-fated war in Ukraine continues to sputter, there are serious concerns over how Putin might respond. To deflect from how the war is affecting Russian citizens  Putin recently called for the mobilization of 300,000 civilians  Moscow has tried to frame the conflict as being between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, not Russia and Ukraine.

Because NATO countries have been supplying Ukraines military with weaponry and training its soldiers, the Kremlin has engaged in nuclear saber-rattling against them, raising concerns that Russia could use a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine. But the more likely scenario, and one several rungs down on the escalation ladder, would be direct attacks on Western soil. Russia might seek to conduct acts of sabotage against NATO supply lines in Poland or Romania.

Postings last week on the Telegram channel operated by Rusich, a neo-Nazi mercenary cadre, put out a call for pro-Russian partisans already on European soil who are willing to block the transfer of NATO personnel and equipment, hold local demonstrations and actions against the war with the Russian Federation or solve other problems.

Rusich is closely aligned with the Wagner Group, a Russian private military contractor that has been accused of committing war crimes in Ukraine, the Middle East and Africa. The appeal for individuals to take action in Europe has been translated into English, German and Polish  and could attract pro-Russian Westerners to engage in acts of terrorism in their home countries.

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In March, the former national intelligence officer for Europe, Christopher Chivvis, suggested that Russia might use Wagner operatives to launch attacks on NATO territory.

It certainly would not be the first time Moscow was brazen enough to use terrorism on European soil.

Russia has been accused of killing Alexander Litvinenko, an intelligence officer who defected to the United Kingdom, with poison in 2006. Russia has also been implicated in the use of a military-grade nerve agent in a 2018 attempt to poison Sergei Skripal, a former Russian military intelligence officer, and his daughter in Salisbury, England; an Englishwoman who came into contact with what is thought to be the same nerve agent died as a result. In 2019, Russia allegedly deployed an assassin to Germany, where he murdered a former Chechen separatist commander on a Berlin street, shooting him in the head twice with a handgun equipped with a silencer.

Both the Czech Republic and Bulgaria have expelled Russian diplomats after accusing Russian intelligence officers of bombing weapons depots and ammunition dumps in their countries, actions that resulted in the deaths of civilians.

Experts on terrorism designations, including Jason M. Blazakis, a former director of the U.S. State Departments Counterterrorism Finance and Designations Office, have made a strong case that Russia already qualifies as a state sponsor of terrorism, although the Biden administration has so far refused to take the step of labeling it as one.

Another major consequence of Putins disastrous invasion of Ukraine is more long-term. With citizens now fleeing Russia in droves to avoid being conscripted and used as cannon fodder, countries in the surrounding region are preparing for an influx of foreigners. Coupled with Ukrainians who have been forced to flee Russias indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas, countries across Europe will once again be forced to grapple with domestic tensions that arise from migration.

So far, the wave of migrants from Ukraine and Russia are receiving a friendlier welcome than those who immigrated to Europe from the Middle East and Africa in 2015, when 1.3 million asylum seekers sought refuge. But when large numbers of foreigners arrive in countries, it inevitably leads to political instability, questions of identity and ethnic, religious and socioeconomic tensions.

Historically, such situations lead to a rise in populism, nativism and xenophobia, which far-right political parties use as leverage in the polls. Ironically, those fleeing to third-party countries are doing so to escape Russian atrocities, yet their arrival in new lands will likely give a boost to the same political parties that receive support from Russia. The fringes of these political movements go on to serve as the foot soldiers of the far right, and include neo-Nazis, white supremacists and a range of other ideologically motivated violent extremists. High-profile attacks against migrants and refugees have been carried out by far-right extremists over the past several years in Italy, Sweden, Hungary and elsewhere in Europe.

Russian-backed terrorism may not be relegated only to Europe.

Since the United States is the primary supplier of high-tech weaponry to Ukrainian forces, it seems plausible that Putin could attempt to target U.S. embassies in Europe, carry out cyberattacks against U.S. government networks or, in the most drastic scenario, execute an attack on U.S. soil. Moscow could also step up efforts to promote disinformation among U.S. populations, meddle in the November midterms and continue to amplify divisive issues  race relations, abortion, vaccines  that could result in violent extremism.

Even with the increased risk of blowback, the West simply cannot make decisions about the Ukraine-Russia conflict based on the vague threats Putin makes. NATO leaders need to make clear that acts of terrorism on Western soil traced back to the Kremlin will lead to greater U.S. and European involvement in Ukraine  not less.

Colin P. Clarke is the director of research at the Soufan Group and a senior research fellow at the Soufan Center.





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Conversation

The collective memory of school desegregation is of anger and division, like in this photo of 15-year-old Elizabeth Eckford walking away from a crowd outside a high school in Little Rock, Ark. Bettmann via Getty Images Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question youd like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. What did white children have to say about their all-white schools integrating?  Julia M.N., age 11, New York City In 1954, the
The Air Force Thunderbirds do their thing Saturday at the Pacific Airshow in Huntington Beach. Those are Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

Huntington Beach hosted the Pacific Airshow this weekend, featuring incredible stunt performances, precision parachute drops, vintage military aircraft and even an experimental flying car.

The show is along the beach from Newland Street to the pier. Three million people are expected to attend over three days.

U.S. Navy Leap Frogs perform parachute jumping. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

A U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet on a vertical climb. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

Air show spectators on the beach. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

Opener BlackFly, an electric personal air vehicle capable of vertical take-off and landing. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

A Grumman Albatross seaplane skims the surface. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

A child plays on the beach as a U.S. Army UH60 Blackhawk helicopter looms over the waves. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, consisting of Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Planet Fitness is opening more than 80 locations in Florida and Georgia for anyone impacted by Hurricane Ian to use their locations free of charge.

The franchise is letting those affected by the storm use its shower facilities, fitness equipment, massage chairs, electrical outlets and more.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

According to a news release, Planet Fitness is committed to helping the communities it serves, including offering showers and gym benefits to those displaced in areas of Florida and Georgia from hurricane Ian.

Planet Fitness does not offer towel service or shampoo, and guests must be older than 13 years old to use fitness equipment.

Read: Central Florida counties provide updates for trash collection after Hurricane Ian

The gym locations will be free until Oct. 9, the company said.

Read: Orlando city officials ask residents to limit water usage following sewer issues

Here is the list of locations in Central Florida:

Osceola County

St. Cloud - 4020 13th St

Flagler County

Palm Coast (Hwy 100) - 5615 State Hwy 100 E Unit 100

Palm Coast (Old Kings Commons) - 7 Old Kings Rd N, Units 20-32

Marion County

Ocala - 3233 SE Maricamp Rd, Unit 500

Ocala (SW) - 2800 SW 24th Ave

Polk County

Lakeland (North) - 6208 US Hwy 98

Lakeland (South) - 4315 S Florida Ave

Volusia County

Daytona Beach - 1423 S Nova Rd

Deland - 111 E International Speedway Blvd

Orange City - 860 Saxon Blvd

Lake County

Clermont - 2620 US Hwy 27 South

Eustis -2830 S Bay St

Leesburg - 735 N 14th St

Brevard County

Cocoa - 6221 N Hwy 1

Melbourne - 840 N Apollo Blvd

Rockledge - 1802 US Hwy 1

Satellite Beach - 1024 Highway A1A

Palm Bay - 160 Malabar Rd

Seminole County

Altamonte Springs - 280 S State Rd 434

Lake Mary - 3005 W Lake Mary Blvd

Winter Springs - 300 E Florida 434

Casselberry -204 Sausalito Blvd

Oviedo - 19 Alafaya Woods Blvd

Orange County

Apopka - 1569 W Orange Blossom Trail

Kissimmee - 3107 W Vine St

Orlando (Metro West) - 5920 Metropolis Way

Orlando (Dr Phillips) - 8956 Turkey Lake Rd, Ste 1000

Story continues

Orlando (Holden) - 4526 S Orange Blossom Trail

Orlando (Metro West) - 5920 Metropolis Way

Orlando (Fashion Square) - 3203 E Colonial Dr

Read: Heres when Central Florida schools expect to reopen after Hurricane Ian

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.
An investigation is underway in Millbury after a man was found dead inside a home at 303 Millbury Ave.

Police were called to the home around 3 p.m. Saturday. According to Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early, another man inside the house called 911.

Early said the man who called police was hurt and was taken to UMass Memorial Hospital. He said that man is now being charged with aggravated assault and battery.

Early said the man who called the police and the man who was killed knew each other, but he would not elaborate on their relationship.

We dont have cause or manner of death, Early said. The man who was at the back of the house did have some injuries, I cant get into how he got them. We are so early in this investigation, were going to let the professionals do their work, they do a great job, and well go wherever the evidence takes us.

A woman who has lived next door to the home for 70 years told Boston 25 News she was shocked by what had happened.

Its very, very scary, said Betty Elliott, of Millbury. There was quite a family with kids and everything. I just knew the people to wave and say hi and thats it.

Investigators were waiting on a warrant to be able to search the house.

I want to relay to the citizens of Millbury that this is an isolated incident and there is no danger to the public, said Millbury Police Chief Brian Lewis. The investigation is ongoing.

JUST IN: @worcesterdas Office tells me the suspect will appear in court for arraignment today @boston25 https://t.co/XtIgQRB5pq  Julianne Lima (@JulianneLimaTV) October 3, 2022

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Michael Frasier has so far spent six years in state prison because North Charleston police conducted an illegal search that turned up cocaine.

That was the upshot of a S.C. Supreme Court unanimous decision this week that held that North Charleston police came up with flimsy reasons to prolong an ordinary traffic stop for a broken brake light and ultimately use it to search the car Frasier was riding in in 2013.

The discovery of the cocaine was the result of an illegal seizure, the 11-page opinion said.

Police didnt meet the legal standard of having a reasonable suspicion that Frasier was carrying drugs and that additional drugs were in the car in which he was a passenger, the high court ruled.

Reasonable suspicion must be more than a hunch, and thats all that police had, justices wrote.

Instead, police relied on reasons susceptible to multiple interpretations, such as Frasier looked around to clear the area when he came out of a bus station before getting into a car that was picking him up, the opinion said. Police at his trial testified that by looking around, Frasier was possibly a drug criminal scouting for police.

But during a March Supreme Court oral arguments on the case, that kind of logic didnt impress the justices.

Clearing the area. Im not sure what that means, said Associate Justice John Kittredge. I teach my children to clear the area every time they approach a parking lot, every time they get ready to park, get out of a car, go in a restaurant, go out of a restaurant. Clear the area  (that means) know your surroundings. Why does clearing the area give rise to reasonable suspicion of drug activity?

State appellate defender Kathrine Hudgins, who defended Fraiser, responded, Im afraid I cannot answer that question, Justice Kittredge.

How soon Frasier gets out of prison depends on whether S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilsons office decides to petition the high court for a rehearing.

If the petition is turned down, the attorney general could still petition the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the matter, Hudgins said in an interview.

Story continues

The Attorney Generals office had no immediate response about what its next step might be.

Meanwhile, Frasier, 51, is serving a 25-year, no-parole prison sentence for drug trafficking and is not scheduled to be released until 2037.

Justices outline why they overturned stop

In its decision, the high court said that North Charleston plainclothes police detectives said they initially became suspicious when, while monitoring people at a North Charleston bus station, they saw Frasier exit the station and look left and right before getting into a car driven by a friend.

The bus station was in an area frequented by drug traffickers, police said, and the bus had come in from New York.

Officers characterized Frasiers looking left and right as clearing the area for threats, including law enforcement, which they deemed suspicious, the high court wrote.

Due to that behavior, and the fact that they noted the vehicle had a non-working brake light, the detectives asked a uniformed patrol unit to pull the car over.

It was a legal stop because the brake light was in fact out, and the detectives also told the officer who pulled Frasiers car over that the passengers conduct was suspicious.

However, the officers never informed (the patrolman) of the specific conduct that raised their suspicion, such as Frasiers scanning the parking lot, the Supreme Court wrote.

The case was also noteworthy because justices wrote they were adopting a more strict standard of reasonable suspicion for police searches and seizures, a standard set down by the U.S. Supreme Court in a 1996 case.

We take this opportunity to refine our standard of review to better align with the federal standard, which has been adopted in nearly every state, justices wrote.

In the past, justices noted, they had been bound by prior South Carolina Supreme Court rulings that gave great weight to police using any evidence to justify a search and seizure.

But with the dawn of the technological age, appellate courts are no longer dependent on the trial court ... the most obvious example is the advent of body and dashcam footage, wrote the justices.

They said they reviewed the North Charleston police dashcam footage of the Frasier traffic stop, and the tapes did not support officers claims that they had reasonable suspicion to do the search.

There (must) be an objective, specific basis for suspecting the person stopped of criminal activity, justices wrote.

The Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution gives people the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures.

The states case was argued by assistant attorney general Mark Farthing.
OUAGADOUGOU, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Burkina Faso's self-declared military leader Captain Ibrahim Traore said Sunday that the situation was under control after he announced the eviction of President Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba late Friday.

"We would like to inform the population that the situation is under control and that things are gradually returning to order," said Traore on the public television RTB.

He urged the population to freely go about their business and to refrain from any act of violence and vandalism, especially those that target the French embassy and the French military base which reportedly had sheltered President Paul-Henri Damiba who was planning a counter-offensive. France denied that the base had hosted Damiba after his ouster on Friday.

On Saturday evening, in a message on the Facebook page of the Presidency, Damiba called on Captain Traore to come to his senses in order to avoid a fratricidal war. The whereabouts of Damiba, however, remain unknown.

Gunshots were heard in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso's capital on Friday morning, and access to the presidential palace, the public television, and certain strategic points in the city were blocked by soldiers. Captain Ibrahim Traore announced later on Friday evening that the country's president Damiba was evicted.

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat on Friday condemned the latest violence in the West African country and called upon the Burkina Faso military to immediately and totally refrain from any acts of violence or threats to the civilian population, civil liberties, and human rights and ensure strict compliance with the electoral deadline for the restoration of constitutional order by July 1, 2024, at the latest.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday also expressed deep concern over the situation in Burkina Faso following a coup that ousted President Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba. The secretary-general "strongly condemns any attempt to seize power by the force of arms and calls on all actors to refrain from violence and seek dialogue," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres, in a statement.

Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba came to power after former Burkinabe President Roch Marc Christian Kabore was overthrown in a coup on Jan. 24. Damiba was sworn in as the new president of Burkina Faso on Feb. 16. 
By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Francis for the first time directly begged Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the "spiral of violence and death" in Ukraine, saying on Sunday that the crisis was risking a nuclear escalation with uncontrollable global consequences.

In an address dedicated to Ukraine and made to thousands of people in St. Peter's Square, Francis also condemned Putin's latest annexation of parts of Ukraine as being against international law. He urged Putin to think of his own people in the event of an escalation.

One Vatican official said the impassioned address was so sombre it was reminiscent of a radio peace appeal by Pope John XXIII in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

It was the first time Francis, who has often condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the death and destruction it has caused, had made such a direct personal appeal to Putin.

Saying he was haunted by "rivers of blood and tears that have been spilled in these months," Francis also called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to be open to any "serious peace proposal".

He was making an urgent appeal "in the name of God" for an end to the conflict and said it was "absurd" that the world was risking a nuclear conflict.

"My appeal goes above all to the president of the Russian Federation, begging him to stop this spiral of violence and death, even out of love for his own people," Francis said.

"On the other side, pained by the enormous suffering of the Ukrainian population following the aggression it suffered, I address an equally hopeful appeal to the president of Ukraine to be open to a serious peace proposal," he said.

Francis later tweeted both the appeals to the two leaders in Russian and Ukrainian.

Speaking two days after Putin proclaimed the annexation of nearly a fifth of Ukraine and placed the regions under Russia's nuclear umbrella, Francis also emphasised all countries' right to "sovereign and territorial integrity".

Story continues

Kyiv and its Western allies have condemned Putin's annexations as illegal, and Zelenskiy has said his forces will continue their fight to recapture all Ukrainian territory occupied by Russian forces.

Ukraine on Sunday claimed full control of the eastern logistics hub of Lyman, Kyiv's most significant battlefield gain in weeks.

"I strongly deplore the grave situation that has been created in the last few days, with more actions that are contrary to the principles of international law," he said in a clear reference to the annexation.

"This, in fact, increases the risk of an nuclear escalation to the point of fearing uncontrollable and catastrophic consequences on a global level," he said.

In a reference to ethnic Russians living in Ukraine, Francis said it was also necessary to respect "the rights of minorities and (their) legitimate worries".

Francis said it was "anguishing" that the world was learning about Ukrainian geography through names of places such as Bucha, Irpin, Mariupol, Izium, Zaporizhzhia and other places where people had suffered "indescribable suffering and fear".

(Reporting by Philip PullellaEditing by Gareth Jones and Raissa Kasolowsky)
As season 14 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta comes to an end, many are already speculating about season 15 and who will be part of the main cast. Fans have desperately wanted some of the OGs to return  namely Porsha Williams, Nene Leakes, and Phaedra Parks. But as production is underway for the next season, insiders say there are no plans to bring Williams back.

Williams exited after Season 13 amid her controversial engagement to the estranged husband of her former co-star. But Andy Cohen has since said that her exit is more of a break.

But as production is underway for the next season, insiders say there are no plans to bring Williams back.

The entire cast from season 14 is said to be returning, with a new addition.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Author  (@porsha4real)

Despite fans' pleas, Williams will not be on the show in season 14.

Love B. Scott reports that Wiliams is not in talks with producers, and she hasnt been approached by them. Newcomer Janell Stephens, owner of Camille Rose Hair Care, is rumored to join the show.

Williams recently filmed the third installment of the Housewives mashup Ultimate Girls Trip. Cast members from Salt Lake City and Potomac are also featured on the show.
KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO  SUNDAY, 2 OCTOBER 2022, 17:35

A powerful explosion rang out in the centre of Russian-occupied Sevastopol.

Source: [Radio Liberty project] Krym.Realii; Telegram channels; Mikhail Razvozhayev, the so-called "Governor of Sevastopol", on Telegram

Details: A correspondent of Krym.Realii said that a powerful explosion was heard at about 15:00.

According to local Telegram channels, the explosion took place on General Ostryakov Avenue near the Moskovskiy shopping centre.

Mikhail Razvozhayev, the protege of the occupiers and the "governor of Sevastopol", explained the explosion as a lightning strike.

Quote from Razvozhayev: "There was an explosion in the office building next to the Moskovskiy shopping centre (in the former building of the convenience store). The building is not connected to the gas supply system. According to the early assumption of the rescue workers, lightning struck the roof. As a result, the window glass broke in some rooms. There was no fire; no one was injured. The Ministry of Emergencies is currently working at the scene."

Previously:

On 1 October, explosions were heard and black smoke was visible near Belbek airfield in occupied Sevastopol. The occupiers claimed that a plane had caught fire.



Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
The French dont remember much about 19th century President Felix Faure, according to historian Sarah Horowitz. But they do remember how he died. He breathed his last during a winter tryst in 1899 with a woman named Marguerite-Jeanne Steinheil, whod later be known as the Red Widow.

Despite her nickname, the woman who went by Meg probably didnt intend to kill her lover. However, Horowitz writes in her new nonfiction book, The Red Widow: The Scandal That Shook Paris and the Woman Behind it All (Sourcebooks, $26.99), This is a book about a woman who lied her entire life.

So, who really knows what happened?

And who really knows if, a little after the presidents demise, she was the one who killed her husband and mother? Someone did one night while Meg was very loosely tied to her bed.

Oddly, each of her toes was individually tied to the bedpost.

So Horowitz cant definitively say who committed the murders, but after spending years combing through primary source materials and getting to know Meg, she has her opinions.

I dont actually think she murdered her husband and mother. I think she knows who did it, Horowitz says by phone from Virginia, where shes a history professor at Washington and Lee University.

Meg was a middle-class woman whose era severely limited her options, yet she managed to outsmart her station in life. Despite her marriage to an untalented, struggling artist she felt no love for, Meg hatched a plan to access Paris social stratosphere and triumphed.

She reached those upper limits through a form of sex work that sidestepped being a prostitute or a courtesan. Meg was, after all, a married woman with ambition and handled her affairs with extreme care.

Prostitution was legal at that time, and workers registered with the police and submitted to regular examinations, though they often did jail time anyway. Horowitz writes that because men were thought to need regular sexual outlets, prostitutes protected society from male desire gone amok. Subsequently, societys view of the women was that they were a revolting but indispensable element of urban life.

Story continues

Not the kind of employment that would win Meg admittance into the circles of power she strove toward; that route was out.

Proper courtesans, on the other hand  playthings of the rich and powerful whom she very much wanted to associate with  were shunned by those not directly involved with them. That wouldnt get her where she wanted to go either.

Megs solution was genius; she used her biggest disadvantage to her advantage.

Her household income was that of a hacks; no one wanted to buy her husbands paintings.

So Meg spread the word to prominent men that if theyd buy her husbands work, shed toss in a sexual interaction. Some were one-night stands, others turned into lasting friendships, or lasting business deals between Meg and the many men who accepted her offer.

Technically shes not trading sex for money. Shes making connections. Shes furthering her husbands career. And, shes having affairs with her new connections, which is much, much more socially acceptable at the time than direct exchanges of sex for money, Horowitz explains.

The Red Widow: The Scandal That Shook Paris and the Woman Behind it All

Horowitz, an academic, had originally intended The Red Widow to be a scholarly work like her first book, Friendship and Politics in Post-Revolutionary France. She thought an academic approach would be best because shed uncovered meaty information about womens roles in society as well as material she could use to theorize about crime and class of that time period.

Her friends disagreed. They said the book needed to be for a broader audience, because the tale was just too juicy.

Its a story where there are absurd lies, costumes, dramatic reveals and cliffhangers. And the woman at the center, shes really  to use the slang of our day  messy. She may have poisoned a friend; she blackmails her ex-lovers widow; she has an affair with one of her cousins to get back at her family members, Horowitz says.

Horowitz thinks the best-known modern story thats slightly similar is Anna Delveys, as portrayed in the series Inventing Anna.

Basically, (Anna) pretends shes rich, that her father is some mega-rich guy, Horowitz says. People loan her money thinking shes good for it. She enters New York high society as a result.

Meg lied, too, and her lies served two main purposes: to appear more famous than she was and to appear more respectable.

A kind of respectable society lady, Horowitz adds, as opposed to someone who trades sex for money.

But lies permeated Horowitzs other sources as well, making the narrative tricky to craft. The police archives of the double murder and any newspaper coverage of Meg proved as unreliable as her memoir.

A courtroom drawing from the French press: Margeurite Steinheil explains herself in court.

Leading up to the murder trial, Meg was behind bars, and the police first worked to make her seem as innocent as possible, probably because of her involvement with the men at the highest levels of leadership.

However, as more about her exploits leaked to the press and fewer of her lovers had immunity or anonymity, the police flipped the narrative in an attempt to distance themselves and make her look as guilty as possible.

As for the press, Paris had 79 daily newspapers at the time, so reporters and editors competed fiercely to publish the most exciting pieces of information they could gather  whether they were entirely true or not.

Horowitz would find three or more accounts of one event with no sure way of knowing for sure which was the true one.

Ultimately, she says, she took two approaches: I wanted to let readers judge for themselves what they thought was most plausible. In other cases, I chose what I thought was the most plausible version.

In each case, Horowitz leaves readers with plenty to wonder about, both in Megs story as well as how it relates to our own time, much of it related to sexuality and its expression.

Horowitz was in college when the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal unfolded and says that media coverage created dangerous messaging for young women about their bodies  Monica Lewinskys body size was criticized  and pegged the blame more on the young intern than the person often referred to as the most powerful person in the world, the president of the United States.

Similarly, coverage of Megs scandal sent messages to the women of the time as well, much of which had to do with the idea that a womans sexuality was a source of shame and something to hide.

Theres still so many double standards about men versus women and whos entitled to have sex, Horowitz says. I think the way that we mock people for their sexuality, thats still something that strikes me as very similar.

All the same, it may very well be the case that a president who dies during a tryst like Felix Faure, or one who was once embroiled in a sex scandal like Bill Clinton, will go down in history not for his political work, but for his mistress.

Anne Kniggendorf is a writer and editor for the Kansas City Public Library and is the author of Secret Kansas City and Kansas City Scavenger. Follow her @AnneKniggendorf.

Join the club

The Kansas City Star partners with the Kansas City Public Library to present a book-of-the-moment selection every six to eight weeks. We invite the community to read along. Kaite Mediatore Stover, the librarys director of readers services, will lead a discussion of Sarah Horowitzs The Red Widow later this fall. Email Stover at kaitestover@kclibrary.org for details on joining in.

An excerpt

In this moment when decades of misbehavior among the rich and powerful suddenly became visible, working-class frustration bubbled up. Workers spoke indignantly about how politicians had been running state-run prostitution schemes. Peddlers roamed the streets singing bitterly to Meg that there is a lot more vice in your world/Than in that of the worker who is dying of hunger. The poor had long been told that their social superiors were also their moral betters. But if Meg slept her way to the top of society, if elites could be dishonest and licentious, if they could condone or even commit murder, it was clear that these lessons were just myths meant to prop up an inegalitarian social structure.

 A union for domestic servants sought to use the scandal to open an inquiry into what it termed the life of corruption and crime among the bourgeoisie in general. Servants were members of the working class who often knew when the seamy reality of their employers lives didnt match their claims to propriety. Now, when the secrets of many at the top of the social hierarchy were pouring out, the union hoped that more revelations would bring down not just particular individuals, but that entire hierarchy.
NATO

We firmly stand behind the 2008 Bucharest NATO Summit decision concerning Ukraines future membership, the statement says.

Read also: Scholz told Putin before invasion Ukraine wouldnt join NATO within 30 years

We support Ukraine in its defence against Russias invasion, demand that Russia immediately withdraw from all the occupied territories, and encourage all allies to substantially increase their military aid to Ukraine.

The presidents said they cannot stay silent in the face of a blatant violation of international law by the Russian Federation.

We reiterate our support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, reads the statement.

We do not recognize and will never recognize Russian attempts to annex any Ukrainian territory.

Read also: Ukraines application for NATO membership will reach Brussels soon, says Stefanishyna

The statement was signed by:

President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda;

President of the Czech Republic Milos Zeman;

President of the Republic of Estonia Alar Karis;

President of the Republic of Latvia Egils Levits;

President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda;

President of the Republic of North Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski;

President of Montenegro Milo ukanovic;

President of Romania Klaus Iohannis;

President of the Slovak Republic Zuzana Caputova.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Sept. 30 that his country would apply for NATO membership on an expedited basis. The document was signed by the president, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, and Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk.

According to Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the head of the Presidents Office to Ukraine, Ukraine held consultations with NATO before filing its request to join the alliance on an expedited basis.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg responded to Ukraines request during a briefing on Sept. 30. He said that the doors of NATO remain open to all democratic countries of Europe. Stoltenberg affirmed that the alliance supports Ukraines right to choose its own ways and means to security guarantees.

Story continues

Read also: Presidents Office presents recommendations on security guarantees for Ukraine

However, Stoltenberg also noted that the decision on membership must ultimately be approved by all 30 members of the alliance. According to him, NATO is now focused on giving Ukraine direct support and help it needs to defend itself: This is now the main direction and the primary focus of the NATO allies, he said.

Canada and the Baltic states immediately backed Ukraines NATO membership application. Germany also supports Ukraines bid to join NATO, but also said a unanimous decision was needed.

In the meantime, the White House said that it was not the right time for Ukraines admission to the alliance.

U.S. news outlet Politico reported that Ukraines announcement caught U.S. President Joe Bidens administration off guard.

Ukraine set its course towards membership of the European Union and NATO through amendments made to its Constitution made on Feb. 21, 2019. The primary motivations for the amendments were Russias aggression and its occupation of Crimea and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in 2014.

Read also: NATO agrees to step up military aid to Ukraine

Ukraine requested that it be granted the NATO Membership Action Plan back in 2008, but it, along with Georgia, was refused.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
A large crowd gathered on the Boston Common Saturday afternoon, calling for justice after a 22-year-old woman was killed in Iran for allegedly wearing her hijab incorrectly.

The protest on the Boston Common was just one of an increasing number across the United States and the world in recent weeks as outrage over the death of Masha Amini while in the hands of Iranian police has grown.

The protestors screamed phrases such as Say Her Name! and lifted posters displaying her image high into the air.

We are here to support our citizens in Iran, one protestor told Boston 25. To support the Z-generation in Iran who are now killed in the streets. My generation owes them. Hopefully this totalitarian regime will go.

According to the Associated Press, 14 protestors have died and over a thousand have been arrested since the demonstrations began on September 17.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
AFP

Former US president Donald Trump complained about the Justice Department's criminal investigation into the handling of classified documents recovered from his Florida estate, claiming during a rally that several of his predecessors personally took files to unsecured locations. This is inaccurate; the records of the presidents Trump named were transported and sorted in secure temporary facilities by the federal agency responsible for preserving government documents -- not the politicians themselv
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov on Saturday urged Moscow to consider deploying low-yield nuclear weapons in Ukraine after Russian forces retreated from the city of Lyman.

In a post shared on Telegram, Kadyrov said he believes "more drastic measures should be taken, right up to the declaration of martial law in the border areas and the use of low-yield nuclear weapons."

Kadyrov is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who appointed him to govern restive Chechnya in 2007.

The comments came after Russia lost its stronghold of Lyman in eastern Ukraine following a massive offensive from Ukraine.

UKRAINE WAR: RUSSIA WITHDRAWS TROOPS FROM LYMAN, STRATEGIC TOWN IN REGION PUTIN ANNEXED

(file photo) Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov on Saturday urged Moscow to consider deploying a low-yield nuclear weapon in Ukraine after Russian forces retreated from the city of Lyman. Photo by Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)

Russia has the largest atomic arsenal in the world, including low-yield tactical nuclear weapons designed for use against opposing armies.

Other top Putin allies, including former president Dmitry Medvedev, have floated the idea that Russia may need to use nuclear weapons, but Kadyrov's suggestion was the most explicit.

Putin said last week he was not bluffing when he vowed to use "all available means" to defend Russia's "territorial integrity." The U.S. has said it would respond decisively to any use of nuclear weapons and has threatened "catastrophic consequences" if Moscow were to deploy the weapons.

The Ukrainian flag waves in a residential area heavily damaged in the village of Dolyna in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine after the withdrawal of Russian troops on September 24, 2022. Many houses and St. George's Monastery were destroyed in the Russian attacks. Ukraine said on Saturday that its soldiers were entering the city of Lyman in the eastern region of Donetsk, which Russia had annexed a day earlier. (Photo by Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Photo by Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

RUSSIA ACCUSED OF KIDNAPPING HEAD OF UKRAINE NUCLEAR PLANT

Kadyrov has been a vocal supporter of the war against Ukraine, with Chechen forces forming part of the vanguard of the Russian army in the region.

The Chechen leader said in his post that Colonel-General Alexander Lapin, commander of the Russian forces fighting at Lyman, was a "mediocrity." Kadyrov suggested the commander should be demoted to private and have his medals taken away.

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"Due to a lack of elementary military logistics, today we have abandoned several settlements and a large piece of territory," Kadyrov said.

Kadyrov said he had warned Valery Gerasimov, chief of Russia's general staff, about the possibility of a defeat at Lyman two weeks ago but that Gerasimov had dismissed the idea.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Vladimir Putin ally and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov encouraged Russia to use nuclear weapons on Ukraine Saturday, saying Moscow needs to take more drastic measures after being defeated in Lyman.

Kadyrov, who was appointed to govern the Russian republic of Chechnya in 2007, made the comments on Telegram after Putin announced Russia would be annexing four regions of Ukraine.

Use every opportunity and every weapon to defend OUR territory. Donetsk is still being shelled. Residents of the joined 4 territories want to be protected, Kadyrov said.

Russian troops retreated from the strategic Donetsk city of Lyman a day after Putin announced the annexation of Donbas. The Russian defense ministry claimed the retreat was due to Ukraine using NATO intelligence and Western arms, but Ukrainian forces said they had completely encircled the Russian soldiers.

NEW: Animation showing Ukraines success in regaining territory since September 1 as it continues its push further east, after retaking the crucial transport hub of Lyman yesterday. Read @maxseddons and @MehulAtLarges excellent piecehttps://t.co/1PMOh13Hjh#gistribe #dataviz pic.twitter.com/C8h3pUjmRG  Steven Bernard (@sdbernard) October 2, 2022

Kadyrov criticized the Russian army leadership in Lyman, saying they did not have the proper communication and ammunition, and that Russias defeat was due to army nepotism.

More drastic measures should be taken, up to the declaration of martial law in the border areas and the use of low-yield nuclear weapons, Kadyrov added, saying, it is not necessary to take every decision with an eye on the Western American community.

Story continues

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has also mentioned Russias capability of using nuclear weapons on Ukraine if necessary, and said NATO would not directly interfere in the conflict even in this scenario, according to Reuters.

The demagogues across the ocean and in Europe are not going to die in a nuclear apocalypse, Medvedev added.

The U.S. has not outlined specifically how the U.S. would respond in the face of a nuclear attack on Ukraine, with National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan saying, we do not presently see indications about the imminent use of nuclear weapons, and that the U.S. has communicated the consequences to Russia.

I have said before that we have had the opportunity to communicate directly to Russia a range of consequences for the use of nuclear weapons and the kinds of actions the United States would take. I have also said before that we are not going to telegraph these things publicly, Sullivan said.

More from National Review
Putin has at least three doubles

He made the claim during an interview with Ukrainian TV host Natalia Moseichuk.

Read also: Interview with Ukraines military intelligence chief Budanov

According to Budanov, there are experts in Ukrainian intelligence who know this issue well.

Personally, I am no Putin expert, lets put it this way, said Budanov. But as for me, I can certainly personally discern three doubles right away. How many there really are  all it takes is just to dig deeper into the matter.

Read also: Will Ukraine invasion condemn Putin to place among Russias worst rulers?

He also noted that the Russian Federation had many officials who had wanted to stop the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as they were aware of what the consequences would be.

But, as you know, all decisions are taken exclusively by one man, Budanov said.

Read also: What Russia and Putin's power are built on  NV interview with UK writer Peter Pomerantsev

And he was only given information that they wanted him to see.



Besides, certain internal Kremlin showdowns took place, which had a strong influence on the final decision (to attack and invade Ukraine).



Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
WASHINGTON  Even as he prepared to illegally annex Ukrainian territory, Russian President Vladimir Putin sounded a note of exceptional grievance at a Kremlin ceremony on Friday. An observer might have thought that here was a man who was on the cusp of accepting final defeat, letting loose with all of his complaints one last time before accepting surrender. Victories, after all, tend to occasion at least a little jubilation.

"The dictatorship of the Western elites targets all societies," Putin said. "This is a challenge to all. This complete renunciation of what it means to be human, the overthrow of faith and traditional values, and the suppression of freedom are coming to resemble a 'religion in reverse'  pure Satanism."

His embittered tirade against the West came at a time of acute turmoil in Russia and deepening desperation for its armed forces. On the battlefield, the Ukrainian army, bolstered by Western aid, recently routed Russian forces in a stinging counteroffensive in the very regions Putin has usurped. Lacking sufficient volunteer and mercenary soldiers, the Kremlin pressed 300,000 men into active service, triggering nationwide protests and leading to a mass exodus into neighboring countries. Russian partners like China and India are edging away from the Kremlin, while fears that an increasingly isolated Putin is serious about using nuclear force are rising.

In Sevastopol, Crimea, people watch a large screen as President Vladimir Putin speaks after a ceremony in the Kremlin to sign the treaties annexing four regions of Ukraine to Russia. (AP Photo)

All of this, according to Putin, is the fault of the United States and its European allies, whom he accuses of trying to fulfill a long-standing project to weaken Russia  a project in which Ukraine is, in this cynical vision of the global order, nothing more than a pawn.

Putin seems desperate to blame the West for everything, which isn't unexpected, but the intensity of the sentiment makes you wonder what lengths they will go as a result, Ben Friedman, a policy expert at the security think tank Defense Priorities, told Yahoo News. Annexing territory Russia seems likely to have trouble holding, and hinting about nukes to defend it smacks of desperation and should make all reasonable people nervous.

Story continues

Putins complaints were legion. In his speech from the Kremlin, he quickly shifted from the annexation of the four regions (Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson) to a litany of historical and cultural complaints that had seemingly had nothing to do with the proceedings at hand  but also gave an indication of the ideological battle Putin is waging, an existential contest against Western powers he believes are intent on destroying Russia.

Among other things, he denounced transgender rights, the Allied aerial assault on German cities during World War II, slavery, the opium trade, neoliberal capitalism, the American elite, secular society and a Western media that he described as essentially mimicking the work of Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels.

Even veteran observers were stunned by the 37-minute tirade. One of the craziest speeches Putin has ever made, one Russia expert, Christo Grozev, mused on Twitter, adding a profane term for bat droppings for emphasis.

In this handout photo taken from video released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, Russian recruiters stand prior to their military training at the Patriot Park outside in Moscow. (Via AP)

Putin offered a grandiose vision of Western crimes that seemed to ignore a number of inconvenient facts, perhaps foremost among them that the very ceremony over which he was presiding involved the illegal seizure of Ukrainian territory in an aggressive war launched under the flimsiest of pretenses.

As that war continues to fare poorly for Russia, Putin has cast the conflict in stark, religious terms, almost relishing in the apocalyptic vision he has outlined. That vision, however, cannot obscure reality. Persistent protests against the partial mobilization" of veterans and reservists are clear evidence that a Russian public that had been promised a quick, painless engagement in Ukraine is starting to lose patience with casualties, sanctions and international condemnation.

During his speech on Friday, Putin noted  as he has before  that the United States remains the only nation to have deployed nuclear weapons in war.

And they created a precedent, Putin warned ominously.

Many experts continue to believe that even as Putin threatens nuclear war, he knows that such an escalation would prove disastrous for his own regime. Such threats may be as much for his own citizens as for Western leaders who have vowed to defend Ukraine.

I think it is Russias deep insecurity coming out as paranoia, says Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon, a Russia scholar. These antics also help him to sell the Western encirclement lie to the Russian general public, as the Kremlin experiences unrest because of the mobilization call. It has hints of Stalinist-era myths of capitalist encirclement that led to increased repressions within the USSR.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the signing ceremony formally annexing four Ukrainian regions at the Grand Kremlin Palace. (Getty Images)

But some of Putins most ardent supporters cheer his rhetorical assaults on the West, which they hope are more than just the posturing of a faltering autocrat. This is a fundamental declaration of war against the modern West and modern world in general, the pan-Slavic philosopher Alexander Dugin, who has been nicknamed Putins brain, wrote on Telegram.

Top clerics in the Russian Orthodox Church have also justified the Ukrainian invasion, earning condemnation from religious leaders in the West.

In a lengthy briefing on Thursday, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, was asked by Yahoo News about the prevailing assessment in Washington that Russias invasion of Ukraine has become a hopeless quagmire.

Washington needs to believe in God, Zakharova said in response, because it is impossible to commit so much lawlessness while simply relying only on your own exceptionalism. There are somewhat higher forces.

God was also invoked at a Red Square rally in Moscow to support the annexation of Ukrainian territory. It would be right to call it a holy war, Ivan Okhlobystin, an actor and defrocked former Orthodox priest, told cheering masses.

Ordinary Russians may be confused by such rhetoric, which clashes starkly with Kremlin assurances that nothing more than a special operation has been taking place in Ukraine. And while Kremlin-friendly propagandists freely muse about nuclear annihilation, ordinary Russians could face punishment for simply acknowledging the obvious reality that the conflict is indeed a war.

A Ukrainian flag waves in a heavily damaged residential area in the village of Dolyna in the Donetsk after the withdrawal of Russian troops on Sept. 24. (Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Putins ceremonial annexation can hardly disguise Russias tenuous control over territory in eastern Ukraine  control it seems to relinquish on a nearly daily basis. Even as Putin threatened the West and invoked Russias might, Ukrainian forces soon retook the city of Lyman, which is in one of the regions Russia has annexed.

Putin is not fighting against Ukraine or even against NATO. He's fighting against reality, a former Putin speechwriter, Abbas Gallyamov, wrote on Facebook after the speech.

The explosions that damaged the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines last week seemed to provide Putin with another reason to escalate the conflict beyond Eastern Europe and to lob a fresh round of accusations against the West, which the Kremlin says masterminded the attack.

NATO leaders have said they believe the pipelines  which extend from Russia to Germany  were sabotaged by Russia, both to punish an energy-hungry Europe and to further the Kremlins deepening and delusive aura of victimhood. Though the lines werent running, the leaks spewed hundreds of thousands tons of methane gas, which flowed into the Baltic Sea.

It was a deliberate act of sabotage, President Biden argued. And now the Russians are pumping out disinformation and lies.

Bubbles of methane gas leak into the Baltic Sea from Nord Stream, as photographed from a Swedish Coast Guard aircraft on Wednesday. (Swedish Coast Guard via AP)

In her briefing last week, Zakharova seized on a tweet by the former Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski, in which he thanked the U.S. for destroying the pipeline. What more proof do you need? Zakharova wondered when Yahoo News pressed her for evidence of American involvement. What else is necessary?

The White House strongly disputed Zakharovas allegations. This is ridiculous, National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson told Yahoo News. We all know Russia has a long history of spreading disinformation and is doing it again here.

Biden also dismissed such claims. When things calm down, he said, were going to send the divers down to find out exactly what happened. We dont know that yet, exactly. But just dont listen to what Putins saying. What hes saying we know is not true.

The protests against Putins war suggest that he has failed to convince many Russians. The bored faces of high-ranking Kremlin officials at the annexation ceremony made much the same point. But with none of his top advisers willing to acknowledge reality, Russia will remain trapped in Putins fictions.
NYIRAGONGO, Congo (AP)  The last thing Pasika Bagerimana remembers before her sons died were their cries of hunger. But the 25-year-old mother had nothing to feed them.

'Mom, I need to eat. Can you give me food?' they pleaded with her. Daniel, 2, and Bonane, 5, died just weeks apart in July after fleeing violence in their village in eastern Congo between M23 rebels and government forces.

Bagerimana worries her remaining two children might be next. Hunger is killing people, she says, seated in a cramped room she now shares with dozens of other displaced people.

Hunger is soaring across parts of Congos war-torn North Kivu province where the fighting between M23 rebels and government soldiers has been raging since November, according to aid workers, civilians and health workers.

Despite being the most fertile region in eastern Congo, nearly 260,000 people are facing extreme food insecurity in Nyiragongo and Rutshuru territories, according to an internal draft assessment by aid groups seen by The Associated Press.

Nyiragongo has the highest prevalence of hunger in the province and Rutshuru, where the fighting is concentrated also remains a concern," the report said.

Congo is the No. 1 country in the world in need of food assistance, according to an unpublished draft food security report by aid agencies and the government seen by the AP. At least 26 million people  more than a quarter of the population  acutely face food insecurity in large part because of violence. Economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine are also making things worse.

Only 10% of those targeted by aid groups this year received the full recommended food assistance because of a lack of funds and security concerns restricting access. Humanitarians warn that if the fighting continues, millions of people could face severe hunger.

The situation was already dire and this conflict is just adding another layer and making everything worse, said Marc Sekpon, head of Congos food security coordination body, a group of international aid agencies focused on food security strategy and intervention.

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The majority of people in these territories either grow what they eat or get their food from the market," he said. The increase of food prices in the province and their reduced access to agricultural production seriously jeopardizes their ability to get food.

During trips to three towns in Rutshuru and Nyiragongo in September, where nearly 200,000 people have been displaced, people told the AP how violence had forced them from their farms, leaving recently harvested food behind to rot.

Civilians said they had no land to cultivate, and they couldnt earn enough money in town to buy food. Out of nearly 3,000 displaced families in Nyiragongo, 450 had received help, said Florence Biyoyiki the deputy president of a makeshift displacement site.

Health staff at the main hospital in Nyiragongo said the number of severely malnourished children nearly tripled between April to July  17 to 49. A 2-year-old boy died from malnutrition in July, said Marc Lukando, a nurse at the clinic.

The hospital has nothing to feed malnourished children, he says. And when it is able to provide families with nutritional supplements, parents sometimes sell it and use the money to feed the whole family instead of giving it to their children, he said.

While the M23 rebels had been largely dormant for nearly a decade, theyve resurfaced demonstrating increased firepower and seizing chunks of territory and have been accused by rights groups and communities of killing civilians. One person living under M23 who didn't want to be named for fear of his safety, told the AP that the group forces residents to pay a $5 tax each time they want to access their fields. M23 fighters recently told villagers they needed to bring the group bags of beans or be evicted, he said.

Still, some people are so desperate for food they are risking their lives to return to towns under rebel control.

Chantale Dusabe fled her village in June after husband was killed by a bomb that exploded in their compound. She returned days later in spite of the risk, but has been too terrified to go back.

I knew M23 was there, but the children were hungry, said Dusabe, who managed to retrieve some bananas.

In a written statement to the AP, the M23 political spokesman, Lawrence Kanyuka, said people are allowed to move freely and that the accusations of human rights abuses were baseless.

The government is planning a counteroffensive to retake approximately 30% of territory thats been captured by M23, said Luc Albert Bakole, the territorial administrator for Rutshuru.

"We must do our best to take back all the territory under the enemys control, so that our people can return home and resume their lives normally, he said.

But while the government struggles to regain ground, people are starving. Doctors Without Borders said its seen a 50% increase in the admission of severely malnourished children in the hospital in Rutshuru town between January and July this year compared with the same period last year.

In August, Rahabu Maombi brought her malnourished daughter to Rutshuru hospital after the 22-year-old mother fled fighting in a nearby village. Since being displaced, the family eats only once a day, she said.

Cradling her 18-month-old as she feeds from a tube in her nose, Maombi says she cant stop worrying that her daughter might die.

If there was no war, my baby wouldnt be in this situation, she said. This war has destroyed so many things in our lives."
Moscow's withdrawal from Lyman represents a "significant political setback" and drew public criticism in Russia because the city is in Donetsk Oblast, a top-priority Ukraine region Russia is attempting to "liberate," the British Defense Ministry said in its latest war assessment.

In a Sunday video address, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Ukraine had regained full control of Lyman, which Russia had used as a transport and logistics hub.

"Thank you to our militaries, our warriors," he said.

Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of the southern Russian republic of Chechnya, wrote on Telegram that Russian military leader Colonel-General Alexander Lapin should be fired after Saturday's retreat.

"It is not necessary to make every decision with an eye on the Western, American community," Kadyrov said in Telegram post. "Yesterday, the parade in Izium, today the flag in Lyman, and tomorrow what? Everything would be fine if it wasn't so bad."

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin who leads mercenaries fighting for Russia in the war, suggested Russia send some leaders "barefoot with machine guns to the front."

RUSSIAN TROOPS FORCED TO RETREAT: Russia abandons annexed city as Ukraine pushes forward

Latest developments:

After Zelenskyy's announcement, a video posted online showed one Ukrainian soldier saying that Kyiv's forces had begun to target the city of Kreminna, just across the border in Luhansk in eastern Ukraine. Russian military correspondents also acknowledged Ukrainian attacks targeting Kreminna.

The Ukrainian military said it shot down eight of Russia's Iranian-built drones, seven tanks and an ammunition warehouse on Sunday.

German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht pledged delivery of 16 wheeled armored howitzers produced in Slovakia to Ukraine next year. They will be produced in Slovakia and financed jointly with Denmark, Norway and Germany.

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The Russian retreat from northeast Ukraine in recent weeks has revealed evidence of widespread, routine torture of both civilians and soldiers, notably in the strategic city of Izium, an Associated Press investigation has found.

Ukrainian servicemen sit on a T-80 tank they claimed had been captured from the Russian army in Bakhmut, Ukraine, on Sunday.

Ukraine military boss grateful for American support

Ukraine Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, commander in chief of his nation's armed forces, said he discussed his weaponry needs Sunday with Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. The call came days after Congress voted to provide $12 billion to Ukraine. U.S. weaponry has been key to success Ukraine's military has gained over the past month.

"I am sincerely grateful to the entire American people and its leaders for the consistent and unwavering support of Ukraine in this hard time," Zaluzhnyi said on Telegram.

Zelenskyy's hometown draws Russian drone strikes

The hometown of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was attacked by suicide drones Sunday as Russia struck back against the effective Ukrainian counteroffensive that has pushed its troops back from thousands of miles of land they had occupied for months.

The southern town of Krivyi Rih came under Russian attack by a suicide drone that destroyed two stories of a school early Sunday, said Valentyn Reznichenko, governor of Ukraines Dnipropetrovsk region. The Ukrainian air force said Sunday that it shot down five Iranian-made drones overnight but that two others made it through air defenses.

The attack came one day after Ukrainian troops forced Russian troops to withdraw from Lyman, a strategic Donbas region city located in one of four areas incorporated by Russia on Friday.

"Russia staged a farce in Donbas," Zelenskyy said Sunday. "And now Ukrainian flags are flying there."

NATO leader issues warnings on pipeline sabotage, nuclear war

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Sunday that damage to two Nord Stream gas pipelines appears to be sabotage and that "any deliberate attack on critical NATO infrastructure will be met with a firm and united response from NATO."

Stoltenberg, speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press," also described nuclear war rhetoric from President Vladimir Putin as dangerous and reckless  but nothing new.

"That doesn't change the fact that this is dangerous," Stoltenberg said. "That's also a reason why we have so clearly conveyed to President Putin that any use of nuclear weapons will have severe consequences for Russia ... (and) totally change the nature of the conflict."

Pope Francis urges Putin to halt 'spiral of violence and death'

Pope Francis on Sunday appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin for a cease-fire, imploring him to stop this spiral of violence and death in Ukraine and denouncing the absurd risks of nuclear war. Francis uttered his strongest plea yet about the 7-month-old "horror. The pope, speaking to a Sunday crowd at St. Peter's Square. also called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to be open to serious peace proposals.

How the war is going in Ukraine has become so grave, devastating and threatening that it sparks great worry, Francis said.

9 EU countries issue statement in support of EU membership for Ukraine

Leaders of nine Eastern European nations released a statement Sunday reiterating support for Ukraine membership in the European Union and saying they will "never" recognize Russia's claim to four regions of the invaded country.

"We support Ukraine in its defense against Russian invasion, we demand that Russia immediately withdraw its troops from all occupied territories, and we call on all members of the Alliance to significantly increase military assistance to Ukraine," said the statement signed by Poland, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania and Slovakia. "All those who commit crimes of aggression must be held accountable and brought to justice."

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine updates: Moscow's retreat draws angry criticism in Russia
Suffering military defeats in Ukraine, Russia lashes out at civilian infrastructure (illustrative photo)

Read also: Director General of Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant is abducted by invaders, whereabouts unknown

He said the enemy had attacked the Ukrainian-held regional center and its surroundings early in the morning, with industrial infrastructure being destroyed as a result of the attacks. There were no reports of casualties.

Read also: Russian attack on civilian convoy in Zaporizhzhya kills 23 civilians, wounds 28

According to preliminary information, the Russians used four S-300 air defense missiles to carry out the attack. Russia has in recent months been repurposing these surface-to-air missiles for attacks on ground targets, amid speculation that Moscow may be running short on stocks of high precision missiles. Western sanctions mean Russia may be having difficulties in sourcing components for its more modern ballistic and cruise missiles from abroad.

Meanwhile, the Russian invasion force in Ukraine continues to lose ground: Ukraine liberated the key city of Lyman in Donetsk Oblast on Oct. 1, just a day after Russian dictator Vladimir Putin declared Donetsk Oblast to be part of Russia. The international community has rejected his claims to have annex Donetsk and three other regions of Ukraine  Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson.

Read also: Zelenskyy, Erdogan discuss situation at Zaporizhzhya NPP, sham referendums in occupied territories

Ukrainian officials have warned that as Russia suffers defeats on the battlefield, it may strike out at civilian infrastructure in Ukraine in retaliation.

The invader is suffering losses on the front, the only way he can respond is to destroy civilian objects, Starukh said.

The enemy is doomed.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Amid Russias false annexation claims, Ukraine takes back more territory from invaders

Read also: Turkey condemns Russia's illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory

Another week of our war for our independence is coming to an end, the president said. A week that the enemy really wanted to make especially hard for us, but ended up making it really hard only for themselves, for Russia itself.

Read also: US slaps new sanctions on Russia for annexation of Ukrainian territories

Zelenskyy noted that while Russia held its pseudo-referendums in the occupied territories and the meeting of collaborators with the Kremlin dictator Putin in Moscow, a Ukrainian counter-offensive and the retreat of the invaders was taking place in Donetsk Oblast. At the same time, the world community has condemned Russias sham referendums and false annexation claims.

But the main thing now is the resistance of the Ukrainians, the defense and movement towards the liberation of the entire Ukrainian territory, Zelenskyy said.

Read also: SBU prepares charges against nine more individuals thought to have organized sham referendums

President Zelenskyy also confirmed that the Ukrainian flag had been raised in the city of Lyman in Donetsk Oblast, but said there was still fighting ongoing there.

The president also said that this week there more Ukrainian flags were raised in the Donbas, and in another week there would be even more.

Russias Ministry of Defense later announced the retreat of its troops from Lyman, calling it a "withdrawal to more advantageous lines."

Read also: Russian "referenda" in occupied parts of Ukraine have no legal value, UN Secretary-General says

Ukraine also confirmed the liberation of five settlements near Lyman: Yampil, Novoselivka, Shandryholove, Drobysheve and Stavky. About 5,000 invaders were said to be surrounded in Lyman.

From Sept. 23-27, Russia staged sham referendums in the occupied parts of Ukraine. The majority of Western countries have declared that the results of the sham referendums will not be recognized.

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin on Sept 30. signed "agreements" on the annexation Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine with the leaders of the "L/DPR" terrorist organizations and collaborators in Kherson and Zaporizhzhya oblasts.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Russia is already pulling the mobilized to the south of Ukraine

According to Humeniuk, the Ukrainian side is keeping all transport arteries in the region under its fire control. And although the Russians are trying to repair them or use alternative means, such as boats, barges, ferries, pontoons, in fact, they are unable to properly supply their forces.

She said the invaders cannot provide their units with even the most basic things, i.e. drinking water, body armor or ammunition.

Read also: Seven Russian tanks with newly mobilized troops deployed to Lyman, says General Staff

Under such circumstances, the Russian military has neither the strength, nor the reserves, nor the motivation to conduct offensive actions, she said.

However, the concentration of forces on the right bank (of the Dnipro River) is still quite powerful and large, Humeniuk said.

Theyre carrying out maneuvers with these forces, depending on the areas in which our troops are taking active measures. Thats why we once again emphasize the need to observe informational silence so as not to inform the enemy about our intentions and the implementation of our plans.

Read also: Russian military leadership dissatisfied with Putins tactics, CNN says

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin early on Sept. 21 declared a partial mobilization in Russia and his readiness to use nuclear weapons in the event of a threat to the territorial integrity of Russia.

Later Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that 300,000 reservists would be called up during the partial mobilization.

Read also: Expert: How many Russians can be mobilized, and why most wont be combat-ready

However, according to Russian opposition media, classified mobilization plans envisage sending one million Russians or more to war against Ukraine.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Kamikaze drone attacks civil infrastructure facility in one of citys central districts

Read also: More Russian missiles strike hit Kryvyi Rih, damaging critical infrastructure

A kamikaze drone attack on a civil infrastructure facility in one of the citys central districts, he said.

Read also: Russia strikes dam near Kryvyi Rih, Hodges warns of Russian dissolution, and atrocities discovered in Kharkiv

Dont write or post anything on social networks. The consequences are being dealt with.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces shot down a Shahed-136 UAV near the town of Kupyansk in Kharkiv Oblast for the first time on Sept. 13.

Read also: SBU detains Russian agent who targeted kamikaze drone strikes in Odesa

The United States on Sept. 8 imposed sanctions on an Iranian company it accused of coordinating military flights to transport Iranian drones to Russia and three other companies it said were involved in the production of Iranian drones.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stripped the Iranian Ambassador of his accreditation due to the use of Iranian drones by the Russian troops, and the number of diplomatic staff of the Iranian Embassy in Kyiv will be significantly reduced.

Read also: US confirms Iranian drone transfer to Russia

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said it regretted the deterioration of relations with Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials have warned that in light of the military defeats Russias invasion force in Ukraine is suffering, Moscow might switch to attacking more civilian infrastructure in retaliation.

As Ukraine approaches winter, heating and electricity generation infrastructure may become more frequent targets of Russian missile attacks.

Read also: Ukrainian army repels enemy attacks near three settlements, Russia sends cadets to war  General Staff

Ukraine has liberated more than 10,000 square kilometers of its territory from Russian occupation over the last month, with a successful lightning counter-offensive in Kharkiv Oblast in early September taking back a huge area of territory in only a few days.

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Meanwhile, Ukraine continues an offensive in Kherson Obalast in the south of the country, where thousands of Russian troops are concentrated in an area of the oblast on the west bank of the River Dnipro.

Ukraine has put out of action the main river crossings in the region  two road bridges and a rail bridge  preventing the pr

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
            

But everything was so bad with the referendum that the Rashists (Russian fascists) could not even bribe our citizens, the Yellow Ribbon resistance movement said in a post on the Telegram messenger on Oct. 2

The amount offered was UAH 6,000.

Read also: How the "referendum" in the "LPR" actually looked like - eyewitness reports

The groups claims cannot be verified. However, there were numerous reports of vote rigging, coercion and other violations during the voting period of the sham referendums that Russia set up in parts of four occupied regions of Ukraine.

Members of the resistance movement said they were proud of all Ukrainians in the temporarily occupied territories who had boycotted the sham referendum.

The Russian invaders staged sham referendums in the temporarily occupied parts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya oblasts from Sept. 23 to Sept. 27.

Russian propagandists claimed that over or nearly 90% of the population in Ukraines occupied territories had voted for annexation by Russia.

Read also: Russia presents pre-determined results of annexation referendum

Numbers of 98.42% were given for Luhansk Oblast, 93.11% for Zaporizhzhya Oblast, 87.05% for Kherson Oblast, and 99.23% for Donetsk Oblast. In many of the regions, people boycotted the vote, and large numbers of people were not present, having evacuated to government-controlled parts of the country.

The international community does not recognize the results of the sham voting.

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin later signed a decree on the recognition of Kherson and Zaporizhzhya oblasts as independent territories.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
This story was produced by NBC News Elizabeth Chuck as part of the 2022 National Fellowship at the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism.

The end of universal free school meals has left a growing number of families in a financial quandary: unable to keep up with school lunch payments, yet unable to qualify for free or reduced-price meals.

A flood of families have applied for a price break now that school meals cost money for the first time since the early days of the pandemic, and sky-high prices of other essentials constrict parents budgets. Many families are within $100 of the modest limit for qualifying for free or reduced-price meals, according to school nutrition directors.

Ive cried with a lot of families, said Angie Richey, nutrition services supervisor of Roseville Area Schools in Minnesota. I had to tell one family of six that they were $33 over.

A dozen school nutrition directors  from districts large and small, urban and rural, wealthy and low-income  told NBC News they have had to reject applications from a mother whose insulin price rose significantly; a father who lost his job during the pandemic and has found only part-time work since; and a mother of five whose only income is disability payments because she has cancer, among others.

The Biden administration last week announced a years-long goal of making universal school meals permanent. But it still requires the approval of a divided Congress, and advocates are pushing for immediate action.

The White House strategy starts by expanding access to free meals to 9 million children by 2032. While anti-hunger experts lauded the proposal, they also said many families could not wait for help.

These changes toward expanding access to all students need to happen as soon as possible, said Lori Adkins, president of the School Nutrition Association, a trade organization representing 50,000 school nutrition employees. Some kids are coming to school with no food from home and no money.

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Discussions about the cost of lunch are now commonplace in school cafeterias, said Anji Branch, child nutrition director at Gooding School District in Idaho, who also leads the Idaho School Nutrition Association.

Ive never had as many students say, Oh, I cant eat, I dont have money, Branch said, adding that students still receive lunch even if they cannot pay. As children, they shouldnt have to be bothered by that.

In Clarion, Pennsylvania, high school senior Marshall Troese has a hard time justifying the $2.55 price of a school lunch because he knows his familys budget is tight. Their car broke down before they found out school would be charging for meals again, and Marshall, 17, said he sometimes skips lunch so he isnt adding to the burden.

Theres a point where you get used to being hungry, he said. On days that he doesnt eat lunch, he uses change he finds around his house and purchases a small bag of chips from a nearby gas station convenience store after school instead.

Image: Side by side collage of Marshall Troese outside the convenience store and Marshall with the change in his coin jar. (Jared Wickerham for NBC News)

He tries to ignore his hunger at school on those days.

I will be honest, Marshall said, Sometimes it does get a bit distracting in class.

Who qualifies for free lunch now?

With universal school meals over as of June, the threshold for qualifying for discounted meals has now returned to pre-pandemic rules in most of the country: at or below 130% of the federal poverty level and between 130% and 185% of the federal poverty level for reduced-price meals. This school year, a family of four earning $36,075 or less is eligible for free meals, and a family of four earning $51,338 or less is eligible for reduced-price meals.

The price of school meals varies across the country. According to the Agriculture Departments most recent data available, which is from the 2016-2017 school year, school lunch costs an average of $2.57.

For a family with two kids, that would mean lunch would cost $5.14 a day, or $925.20 for a 180-day school year. For a family with an income of $52,000, it becomes a significant expense  especially given that Moodys Analytics has found that the cost of basic necessities is up $460 per month compared with a year ago.

Many had expected meals to be free for another school year, but Congress did not extend the waiver, with Republicans reportedly opposed because of the approximately $11 billion price tag.

Nonetheless, a majority of Americans are in favor of universal school meals: 63% of voters support legislation that would make free school meals permanently available to all students, according to the anti-hunger group Food Research & Action Center.

Those in favor acknowledge that it requires hefty funding but say it should be a priority.

Our kids getting fed should not be political, said Billie Veach, nutrition director at Adel DeSoto Minburn Community School District in Iowa and the School Nutrition Association of Iowa president.

Stopgap measures for those who cannot pay

If students cannot pay for school lunch, that doesnt mean they are denied food.

In recent years, most districts eliminated lunch-shaming policies and feed children the same meal as everyone else, then contact their parents to alert them to unpaid meal balances. The kindness comes at a cost: Some districts have seen their meal debt balloon.

Heather Plain, child nutrition director at Bonneville Joint School District No. 93 in Idaho, said her district incurred more than $6,000 in meal debt within the first week of school. Part of the problem was not everyone knew school meals cost money again. The district has received 3,200 applications so far for free and reduced-price meals among its more than 13,000 students.

Plain said she found it frustrating to need to do paperwork again after two years of being able to serve free meals without it.

It really becomes exclusionary, she said.

Getting families to fill out paperwork is not always easy. Many are busy and some worry about sharing private information, said Krista Hamilton-Neal, nutrition services director of Stillwater Public Schools in Oklahoma.

My great fear is that somebody is not applying because it is going to cause a problem with their citizenship status, she said, even though immigration status does not affect eligibility and applicants cannot be deported based on the form.

For Haleyville City Schools in Alabama, where the number of students who qualify for free and reduced meals is 71%, meal debt hovers around $75, said Emma Anne Hallman, child nutrition director and president-elect of the Alabama School Nutrition Association. This is in large part thanks to donors in the community who volunteer to pay off meal debt  something that often happens in other districts too, but that is not sustainable or scalable.

All 12 nutrition directors who spoke to NBC News said the ideal solution would be bringing universal school meals back immediately.

They ride the bus for free. They get their books for free, Plain said. Lets just feed our kids. Weve proven that we can do it.

With universal meals over on the federal level, states step in

While most places have returned to paid meals, five states continue to offer universal school meals. Others offer free breakfast for all students.

Jennifer, a New Hampshire mom of a fourth grader who asked to be identified by first name only to protect her childs privacy, said she wishes her state was among those that had taken action. On disability because she can no longer work due to an autoimmune condition, she was shocked to see that her disability payments plus child support from her recent divorce disqualified her daughter for free or reduced-price lunch.

Her daughter prefers school lunch, but its more cost-effective to pack a lunch from home, which is typically a sunflower butter and jelly sandwich, applesauce and a Go-Gurt yogurt tube.

While anti-hunger advocates say their goal is securing nationwide universal school meals, they have proposed compromises. One is raising the threshold for who qualifies for free and reduced-price meals nationwide, a change that could be especially helpful for applicants in places with a higher cost of living, something that application does not take into account.

Image: Marshall Troese walks the route from his school to the University Korner gas station on in Clarion, Pa. (Jared Wickerham for NBC News)

Another is eliminating the reduced-price category so kids receive a free meal instead  something that was proposed for this school year but ultimately cut from legislation that extended other child nutrition waivers.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., pushed for the return of the reduced-price category. A spokesperson for Paul said in an email, Spending money we dont have causes inflation that disproportionately hurts low-income families.

Families are already hurting, especially if they are on the cusp of qualifying, said Lori Danella, director of nutrition services for Lees Summit R-7 School District in Missouri.

I wish there was some way to help when those families just dont quite make it, she said. Ive shed more tears this year than I have in my 24 years of food service.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
The battle for control of the Senate increasingly is coming down to four key states: Nevada and Georgia, where two Democrats are seeking to hold on; and Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, where Republicans are trying to hold on to one open seat and save a vulnerable incumbent.

The four states are not the only competitive contests, but they are seen as the focal points for both parties and the races mostly likely to see a shift in power.

Incumbent Democrats are pulling away in Colorado, New Hampshire and even Arizona, which at the beginning of the cycle was seen as a potential gain for the GOP.

Republicans, for their part, are confident theyll win in Ohio and North Carolina.

That would leave each party with 48 seats, and would mean the race for the Senate majority would come down to a final four.

Its up for grabs at this point, Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), the No. 2 Democrat, told The Hill. Every race were in the margin of error, which means the next six weeks can easily decide it.

Republicans think they have a decent chance of winning the Senate majority despite a difficult map in which they are defending more seats.

Republicans go 3 and 1, and thats the ballgame, said one GOP operative involved in midterm races.

In Nevada, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) launched her latest offensive against former state Attorney General Adam Laxalt (R) on Thursday, accusing him of pushing the big lie about election fraud and the 2020 election.

Adding to her lines of attack, Laxalt told NBC News last week that the FBI has become far too political. The remark came after an event where he criticized Cortez Masto for not sufficiently backing law enforcement during the 2020 riots following George Floyds death.

In Georgia, Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) has struggled to pull away from GOP nominee Herschel Walker. According to two recent polls however, the incumbent Democrat has hit the 50 percent threshold that has outsized importance in the swing state. If no candidate reaches that figure on Nov. 8, the top two vote-getters, presumably Warnock and Walker, will face off in a runoff on Dec. 6.

Story continues

Anybody who tells you they know whats going to happen in Georgia and Nevada is lying, one Democratic operative involved in midterm contests told The Hill.

In Pennsylvania, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) has generally held a significant lead in polls over Republican Mehmet Oz, even as Fetterman recovered from a stroke suffered shortly before his primary win.

However, the script has flipped in recent weeks as Oz and GOP outside groups have consistently targeted the former Braddock, Pa., mayor as soft on crime, a message that has helped move Republican voters into Ozs column.

The average voter wants to go to the grocery store and not pay more for their goods, and they want to walk down the street and feel safe, the GOP operative said. Thats it. Its not any more complex than that. In Washington, D.C., were experts at making things more complicated than they are.

According to a recent Fox News poll, Fetterman leads with 48 percent to 44 percent for Oz, but the wind is clearly blowing in Ozs direction.

The 4-point margin is down from 11 points in Fox Newss previous poll in July. The more recent survey also shows that 83 percent of Republicans are backing Oz compared to 73 percent of those polled in July.

Democrats, however, maintain they are pleased with how things are shaping up.

Its tightening up as it was preordained to do. Its going to take everything we have to win, but its absolutely positively doable, said T.J. Rooney, a Pennsylvania-based Democratic strategist who previously served as chairman of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. Were going to have to scratch and claw for every vote.  [Fettermans] getting the kitchen sink thrown at him.

A poll released last week by Emerson College and The Hill also shows a 2-point Fetterman lead, putting the race within the margin of error.

Despite the tightening polls, the Cook Political Report still lists the race as lean Democratic.

Cook lists the Nevada and Georgia races as toss-ups along with the Wisconsin race, where Sen. Ron Johnson (R) is in a tight fight with Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (D).

Unlike the other three races, though, Johnson finally seems to have broken through polling wise in recent weeks after a wave of massive spending rolled through the Badger State.

According to AdImpact, an ad tracking firm, Republicans spent the second most in Wisconsin from Sept. 5-26, trailing only Georgia.

The incumbent Republicans standing is a far cry from six years ago when much of the political world expected him to lose a rematch to former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) to the point that the Senate Leadership Fund, which is backed by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), didnt spend on the race. That victory for Johnson has stuck in the mind of Democrats ever since.

Oh, I think everyones very much aware of it, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) told The Hill on Thursday. Nobodys counting their chickens before they hatch.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
NASA's Artemis 1 rocket -- waiting to blast off on a delayed mission to the Moon -- will be rolled back into its storage hangar Monday night, the space agency said, as Florida braces for Hurricane Ian.

The move, to protect the rocket from strong winds and heavy rain forecast for the Kennedy Space Center, will cause further setbacks for the uncrewed Moon mission, which was scheduled to launch last month and has already been pushed back three times.

"After reviewing the forecast for Ian, we will roll our Artemis I vehicle back to the Vehicle Assembly Building tonight," NASA official Jim Free tweeted. "It was the right and necessary decision to keep our people and hardware safe."

The decision was "based on the latest weather predictions associated with Hurricane Ian, after additional data gathered overnight did not show improving expected conditions," the space agency said in a blog.

The operation to move the 98-meter (320-foot) rocket, which is sitting on its launch pad, is set to begin around 11:00 pm (0300 GMT) Monday night, NASA said.

It will be ferried along on a rolling platform moving slowly to avoid damaging the rocket with vibrations.

Hurricane Ian, which was situated as a Category 1 hurricane southwest of Cuba on Monday, is expected to strengthen as it heads toward Florida through the Gulf of Mexico.

NASA had waited until the last minute to decide whether to shelter Artemis I in the hope of being able to schedule a take-off attempt just after the storm passed.

There will now be no opportunity for blast-off within the current launch window, which runs until October 4, and NASA has not indicated when another launch might be attempted.

The next window runs from October 17 to 31, and again from November 12 to 27 -- both with some exceptions.

The storage decision represents only the latest setback for Artemis 1, after previous launch attempts were canceled due to the hurricane and a fuel leak.

This latest Moon mission comes 50 years after the final flight of the Apollo program, with Artemis 1 set to show whether the Orion capsule, situated on top of the rocket, is safe to transport humans back to the Moon's surface.

la/caw/bgs
A small plane crashed into a Minnesota home around midnight Saturday, killing all three people on board and narrowly sparing two residents of the home, who were uninjured, a local official told NBC News.

The Cessna 172 crashed into the second floor of the home in Hermantown, about 16 miles west of Duluth, before it landed in the backyard, according to information released by the city.

The deceased were identified Sunday as Alyssa Schmidt, 32, of St. Paul; her brother, Matthew Schmidt, 31, of Burnsville, a city just south of Minneapolis; and pilot Tyler Fretland, 32, also of Burnsville, according to a statement from Hermantown city officials.

Joe Wicklund, the communications director for Hermantown, told NBC News that the plane "just barely" missed the two residents of the home, who Wicklund said were on the second floor.

All three passengers on board a Cessna 172 airplane were killed when it hit the second floor of a house in Hermantown, Minn., near Duluth (KBJR)

Video shows a hole in the middle of the front of the roof, debris scattered on the grass around the home and what appears to be at least half of the rear part of the house destroyed.

Officials staffing the control tower at Duluth International Airport notified Hermantown police just before midnight on Saturday that they believed a small airplane had crashed after it left their radar when it was a mile to a mile and a half south of the airport, the town said. Police and fire department officials found the wreckage.

The Duluth News Tribune reported that the homeowners, Jason and Crystal Hoffman, have lived there for seven years after having moved from Worthington, Minnesota, near the border of Iowa.

Im still not sure what to think," Jason Hoffman told the Tribune on Sunday morning. "It doesnt seem real at all. Were just lucky. The loss of life is heartbreaking. At the same time were grateful for making it through this."

Hoffman told the newspaper he remembered "waking up to a very loud explosion and my wife screaming."

"The first thing I thought was that the furnace exploded," he added.

After Hoffman stumbled through the dark to retrieve a flashlight, the newspaper reported, he saw an airplane wheel next to his bed and realized there had been a crash.

Story continues

The couple found their cat unharmed in the basement, the News Tribune reported, and they eventually left the home when the dust became too much to bear, despite neighbors' warnings to stay inside, as there were live power lines around the home.

The Hoffmans could not immediately be reached for comment.

Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating, Wicklund said, adding that the cause of the crash has not yet been determined.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Saturday Night Live will welcome Irish actor Brendan Gleeson as its next host.

The Braveheart star is set to grace the SNL stage on 8 October, joined by Willow Smith as the evenings musical guest.

Gleesons hosting debut comes before the theatrical release of his forthcoming film, The Banshees of Inisheri, on 21 October.

That night, Willow Smith will make her first SNL appearance to perform records from her newest album, COPINGMECHANISM, which releases the day before, on 7 October.

The following week, on 15 October, Megan Thee Stallion will be on double duty as both the host and the musical guest in support of her latest album, Traumazine.

see you next week! pic.twitter.com/52CSL9YObh  Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) September 20, 2022

The comedy sketch show made its season 48 premiere on 1 October on NBC and welcomed actor Miles Teller as the emcee and Kendrick Lamar as the musical guest.

SNLs new season follows a recent cast shakeup, with the exit of Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson, and Kate McKinnon at the end of its season 47 finale and the departure of Alex Moffat, Melissa Villasenor, and Aristotle Athari earlier this month.

On 19 September, Chris Redd also announced his farewell.

Emmys host Kenan Thompson will be returning for the upcoming season alongside stars Heidi Gardner, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, James Austin, Punkie Johnson, Bowen Yang, Michael Che, Colin Jost, Ego Nwodim, Sarah Sherman, and Cecily Strong.

Saturday Night Live will air on NBC and stream on Peacock at 11:30pm ET and 8:30pm PT on 8 October.
NBC

Starting with one of its worst cold open sketches in recent memory, Saturday Night Live limped through the first half hour of its 48th season. Then Chloe Finemans Nicole Kidman showed up to save the day.

In a pre-taped parody of Kidmans infamous AMC commercial, Fineman nailed Kidmans semi-Australian accent and bizarre hand gestures as she extolled the power of the movies and how heartbreak feels good in a place like this.

With Kenan Thompson as the one moviegoer not taken in by Kidmans enthusiasm, the sketch continued to escalate as the cult of Kidman stood up one by one to salute her message of cinema devotion.

Heartbreak feels good in a place like this, they repeated over and over again as Kidman grew more powerful, her eyes glowing with power and her body levitating from her seat. Our heroes feel like the best part of us and our stories feel perfect and powerful, she intoned, because HERE THEY ARE!

SNL Kicks Off Rebuilding Year With Disastrous Cold Open Sketch

What the fuck just happened? Thompson replied.

If Kate McKinnons departure means more screen time for Fineman, then maybe this new season wont be so terrible after all.

For more, listen and subscribe to The Last Laugh podcast.

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.
A man was arrested for shooting at several vehicles passing by, from his porch.

On Oct. 1 at approximately 12:40 AM, the Memphis Police Department (MPD) responded to an aggravated assault call at a home on Rockwood Avenue.

When officers arrived, a man told them while parked and inside his white 2016 Chevrolet Silverado, a man, later identified as Kwando Poe, shot at the Silverado, police said.

The man also said he heard multiple shots, and saw Poe shoot at another vehicle going down the street.

The man got out of the car and walked up to Poe, when Poe said to him, They be speeding here, according to an affidavit.

The drivers side frame was struck with bullets and damaged.

MPD arrived at the scene, and patted down Poe, revealing a black holster and an empty magazine.

During the investigation, MPD also saw 9mm shell casings on the porch, on the street, and a black handgun on the couch in plain view inside the house, court documents showed.

Kwando Poe was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and a convicted felon in possession of a handgun.

Kwando Poe has a court date on Oct. 3.

Download the FOX13 Memphis app to receive alerts from breaking news in your neighborhood.

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(Bloomberg) -- Brazilian stocks have outperformed global peers this year, and some investors say more gains are likely in store as neither of the two candidates vying for the presidency in the first round of voting Sunday is expected to jeopardize the countrys fiscal accounts in the short term.

Most Read from Bloomberg

But the consensus on the outlook for Latin Americas largest equities market tends to stop there as the two leading candidates -- former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from the Workers Party and incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro -- have different views on several issues, ranging from the privatization of state-controlled companies to the focus on a transition to more sustainable energy sources.

While Lula has been more vocal about using state-run companies to help boost the economy, Bolsonaro intends to keep pushing forward with a privatization program he started during his first term and possibly include oil giant Petroleo Brasileiro SA.

Polls published before ballots opened on Sunday mostly gave Lula a lead, with some pollsters signaling he could receive enough votes to support an outright win in the first round. A runoff is slated for Oct. 30 if needed.

A representative for the Lula campaign declined to comment. A representative for the Bolsonaro campaign didnt respond to a written request seeking comment.

Bolsonaro or Lula: Brazilians Decide Who Deserves Another Chance

Brazils Ibovespa Index is up 7.9% in dollar terms this year compared with a 25% drop in the US S&P 500 Index. Valuations still look historically attractive, investors said. Brazil is cheap said Greg Lesko, a portfolio manager at Deltec Asset Management in New York.

Story continues

Heres what to watch for ahead of the vote:

Homebuilders

Efforts to shore up Brazils low-income housing segment should continue regardless of political outcomes, Citigroup Inc. analysts including Andre Mazini wrote in a note earlier this month. That means builders with a focus on low income housing, such as MRV Engenharia e Participacoes SA and Direcional Engenharia SA, could see renewed interest. Another boost to the sector could come from an expected end to Brazils tightening cycle. Brazils central bank left its benchmark Selic rate unchanged at its September meeting after a 1,175 basis-point jumbo hike.

State-run companies

While Lula has signaled that Petrobras could embark on a fresh cycle of investments in lower-return assets such as refineries, Bolsonaro said in August that his economic team had the green light to propose and plan a potential sale. The government controls Petrobras with a 50% stake in common shares of the $76 billion company.

I dont think Petrobras is worth zero under a Lula government, and investors are aware his comeback is unlikely to represent a return for those Dilma years, said Leonardo Rufino, a portfolio manager at Mantaro Capital in Rio de Janeiro. But a higher level of political interference is expected.

Consumer Discretionary

Veteran emerging-market investor Mark Mobius said probably therell be a step-up in consumer spending under Lula. The former President signaled that in addition to maintaining the current social program that pays 600 reais ($111) in cash handouts to low-income Brazilian families he would boost the amount by 150 reais per child under age six. Earlier this month, Bolsonaro too indicated that he intended to increase outlays made through his flagship Auxilio Brasil program by 200 reais to 800 reais a month to those who get a job while receiving the handouts.

Watch out to mall operators such as BR Malls Participacoes SA. Discount retailers and some companies that cater to low-income consumers, including Magazine Luiza SA, MercadoLibre Inc., Lojas Renner SA, could potentially benefit from higher consumer expenditures as a result of the stimulus programs, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. equity strategist Emy Shayo.

Education

Shares of for-profit education companies such as Anima Holding SA and Cogna Educacao have rebounded recently as Lula said hell boost the governments education program, known as Fies, by granting fresh loans to students. Banco BTG Pactual SA analysts warned investors on betting against education companies.

Commodity exporters

If traders sense a more interventionist macro policy under Lula that raises the pressure on the Brazilian real, they might pile into the worlds second-largest iron-ore producer, Vale SA, and pulp maker Suzano SA, which get a considerable part of their revenue in US dollars.

ESG

Lula has signaled the transition to green energy should be a key pillar of his economic program. This might lure some investors who got spooked by Bolsonaros fiery rhetoric on topics ranging from the Amazon rain forest to the Covid-19 pandemic. That means companies such as waste management firm Ambipar Participacoes e Empreendimentos SA could perform well, and more broadly, that large-cap stocks might benefit from increased inflows.

A Lula administration is perceived to be comparatively more committed to an ESG agenda, which could eventually pay foreign policy dividends, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. economist Alberto Ramos wrote in a note.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2022 Bloomberg L.P.
"Is suicide a biological or social issue?" asked Dr. Paul Nestadt, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. "That's a false dichotomy. It is both." (Angelica Alzona / For The Times)

One





Three years after her husband took his life, Sara Scribner wants to talk. She knows it wont be easy, but the time is right. Suicide and mental illness have long been the subject of whisper campaigns and conjecture, but the pandemic, she believes, has changed that.

Scotts suicide has been the background noise every minute of my life, she said, but whenever I bring up his name in conversation, people get uncomfortable.

In the age of COVID, however, the language of loss and vulnerability has become familiar, and expressions of grief, worry  even fear  are more easily shared.

Talking is a means of letting in some light, but it is also devastating, she said.

Scott Timberg was one of approximately 47,500 Americans who took their lives in 2019. The number decreased slightly in 2020, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is still looking at data for 2021, but over the last 20 years, the trend has been steadily upward.

Understanding why is a mystery. Theories range from untreated mental illness to symptoms of despair: unemployment, addiction, Americas slowly unraveling social structure. Although older white men like Timberg, who was 50, remain most vulnerable, recent increases among young Black people and Native Americans are notable and alarming.

Beyond demographics, though, what each life holds in common is a desire to end a pain so great that for one brief and terrible moment no alternative exists other than dying.

The absolute agony of what leads up to the decision to kill yourself is incomprehensible for most people, said psychologist Kay Redfield Jamison, whose suicide attempt informed her 1999 book Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide. Very few people with terminal cancer commit suicide.

Like the thousands of suicides that occur each year, Timbergs death was unique. Yet the distress that he lived with  untreated depression, financial insecurity, physical pain, isolation  is the signature of the suicidal impulse. Experienced separately, they might not have led to his death, but in unison, they overcame him.

Story continues

Such a death may not be preventable, but understanding what led to his offers hope for others.

Two

How is suicide prevented?

Shame was once considered the best deterrent. Clergy called it a sin. Public burials were forbidden, and those who attempted it were imprisoned. Not until the mid-20th century was its cause and prevention considered worthy of scientific study.

Pioneers in the field delved into its social and psychological roots. They trained clinicians, opened crisis centers and developed community-based interventions, but their efforts were soon marginalized by the promise of pharmacological treatments for depression. Today these divisions are less pronounced.

Is suicide a biological or social issue? asked Dr. Paul Nestadt, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Thats a false dichotomy. It is both.

Treating depression, he said, is just as important as restricting access to guns. Tackling the opioid epidemic is as important as treating eating disorders, and as much as mental health professionals champion the use of antidepressants, they also call for increasing mental health insurance coverage, teaching parenting skills and strengthening economic supports.

No one approach holds the answer, said the late Edwin Shneidman, who helped organize the first crisis phone line in Los Angeles in 1958. He viewed psychological pain  what he called "psychache"  as the primary impulse. Two questions, he argued, are central to easing it.

Where do you hurt, and how may I help you?

Nothing so simple to ask is so difficult to answer.

Three

When Timberg moved to Los Angeles in 1997 from the East Coast, he discovered a city that matched his boundless appetite for arts and culture, whether he was browsing bins at Rhino Records, lingering over a Bill Viola show at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art or, as he once wrote, "rushing to discover every film noir location or Beatles haunt or lingering bit of vernacular architecture."

The now-defunct alt weekly New Times LA hired him as an editor, and in 2002, he became a staff writer at The Times (where we were colleagues). He co-edited an anthology of writings celebrating the region, fell in love and married Scribner. Their son, Ian, was born in 2006, and for a brief period Timberg seemed happy.

Yet he was blindsided and suddenly adrift when budget cuts forced The Times to lay him off along with nearly 50 other newsroom employees. He freelanced for a fraction of his former salary. The family lost their house, and in 2012 he started writing Culture Crash: The Killing of the Creative Class, his take on the recessions brutal effect upon artists, musicians and writers like himself.

The book was well-received, but the hope that it would lead to a full-time job in journalism or at a university never materialized. In 2015, he and Scribner moved to Athens, Ga., where Timberg could write without feeling the financial pressure of living in a city as expensive as Los Angeles. But he hated it, Scribner recalled, and fell into a deep depression.

(Angelica Alzona / For the Times)

He was always trying to understand the world, she said, and not being able to get a job didnt compute when everyone was telling him how smart he was. It didnt make sense.

They returned to Los Angeles a year later, eventually leasing a home near the Harbor and Santa Monica freeways. His moods became more volatile, and Scribner became convinced that he was experiencing bipolar disorder.

Yet Timberg was never diagnosed. He disdained therapy.

He thought he was smarter than the average psychiatrist, said his brother Craig, and he probably was.

Four

For those struggling with their emotions, the reasons for not seeking help are numerous.

Nothing is wrong. I can handle this myself. No one can help me.

But despair is blind to itself, and in a culture too proud to admit weakness and too embarrassed to admit need, asking for help is like speaking a foreign language.

Rugged individualism has served Americans well, said psychologist Thomas Joiner, author of Why People Die by Suicide, but it is also brutal and isolating. It is that dark side that undermines peoples ability to connect and open up.

Yet Joiner believes the culture is changing. He equates suicide prevention efforts today to cancer prevention in the 1950s. That corner wasnt turned overnight, he said, but eventually it was.

But the messaging isnt as easy as wear sunscreen or dont smoke, and public health agencies take a broad approach in making the case for living.

When the White Mountain Apache tribe in Arizona established its suicide prevention task force in 2001, it required first responders to document and report individuals expressing suicidal behaviors.

Additional protocols included school-based training and screening and intervention in the emergency room, and they resulted in an almost 40% drop in suicide rates among its youth between 2006 and 2012, according to a study published six years ago.

Another program, developed by the Massachusetts nonprofit Zero Suicide Institute, provides intervention training and consultation for healthcare professionals. Of those who try to kill themselves, an estimated 40% saw a healthcare provider within a week of the attempt.

When one mental health center in Indiana adopted Zero Suicide training for its staff, it reported a 70% reduction in suicide deaths from 2014 to 2018.

How the pandemic will change these numbers is an ongoing question, but the outcome from these programs is promising.

You cant prevent every suicide, said Joan Asarnow, a professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at UCLA, but organizing the healthcare system in such a way that you have leadership around suicide prevention is a big step forward.

Five

Im not doing well, Timberg said one autumn night in 2019.

Scribner had seen the red flags. He had lost weight, complained of stomach pain and wasnt sleeping well. He wondered if he had become a burden on the family.

Are you feeling suicidal? she had to ask.

He said no.

They agreed that he needed to see someone. They contacted their healthcare provider and were given a list of therapists. Some weren't taking new patients. Some had waiting lists that were three weeks long. Some accepted patients only on an out-of-pocket basis. Their efforts ended in frustration.

One December afternoon, Scribner tried to reach Timberg at home, and there was no answer. He always had his phone. She texted and called  nothing  and she feared the worst.

(Angelica Alzona / For the Times)

Getting home that night, she told Ian to wait as she went through the house. Timberg was nowhere. She went to the police, filed a missing persons report and called Craig, who lives in Washington, D.C.

Hes vanished, she said.

After nearly eight hours off the grid, he showed up on the front porch and explained that he had had a panic attack and needed some air. He had gone for a walk, and said he went downtown but gave no other details.

Scribner wondered why he was being so coy.

The next day she persuaded him to see an urgent care physician for his anxiety and persistent stomachache. During his examination, he completed a mental health survey (Do you feel helpless?) and graded himself right down the middle.

Scribner had to correct him, but Timbergs charm in the company of the doctor hid how he really felt.

Six

A story often shared among suicide researchers concerns a note left by a young man who jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge and survived.

In an interview, he spoke of his ambivalence standing at the railing, bargaining with the universe: If someone had smiled and said, Are you OK? I know I would have begged them to help me.

His words suggest that suicide is less a decision than a reaction driven by a momentary impulse. The numbers prove this. According to a 2009 study of 82 individuals who survived their suicide attempt, 48% made their attempt less than 10 minutes after first thinking conclusively about taking their life.

If you make an assumption that suicide is a mistake and recognize that it is impulsive, then you have an opportunity to help, said Nestadt, who cites legislation passed in the United Kingdom in 1998 that reduced suicides by requiring painkillers like aspirin and Tylenol to be sold in blister packs and in limited quantities. A similar decline in the suicide rate occurred decades earlier when natural gas replaced coal gas in kitchen ovens.

Addressing lethal means cuts the Gordian knot, he said. His research has shown that suicide rates drop after gun control legislation is passed.

Take guns out of the hands of the suicidal and you can change the course of someones life, he said. They will survive. There will still be suffering, but that suffering can be addressed and treated."

Seven

After Timbergs disappearance, Craig visited with the family for a few days. The brothers had long conversations. Timberg admitted that he was anxious and worried but not suicidal.

Craig was skeptical. He made an appointment for Timberg to see a psychiatrist the following week, and when Craig said goodbye to the family, he felt they had weathered the crisis.

I love you, Timberg said to his brother, who was leaving for the airport. Craig paused. He had rarely heard Timberg say those words.

The next day, with Scribner at work and Ian at school, Timberg went to Trader Joes and bought a bag of tangerines. He was on Twitter reacting to the announcement that Showtime had picked up novelist Michael Chabons The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay.

Absolutely great news, he wrote.

(Angelica Alzona / For the Times)

Then he disappeared again.

When Scribner came home and found the house empty a second time, she felt more confused and scared than ever before. When she heard steps on the front porch, she wondered against her fear if he had returned.

Through the diamond-shaped window, she saw a woman she didnt recognize.

Are you Scott Timbergs wife? the officer asked.

Timberg had jumped to his death from a pedestrian bridge downtown.

Eight

Three years later, Scribner is still trying to understand what happened. She is writing a book and isnt about to say that time heals. The initial pain has quieted down. Whats left is heaviness, confusion, unease.

The problem with suicide, she said, is that the killer of your loved one is your loved one. Who do you get mad at for that?

She wishes the physicians had spent more time with Timberg and had read his symptoms more carefully, but even then she doesnt know what they could have done. He never would have agreed to be hospitalized.

Craig knows his brother was a hard case, wanting to get better but incapable of accepting help. Scott didnt want to die, he said. Scott wanted to be at peace, but he was a man on fire and jumped into a pool to put out the flames. I dont see that as a choice.

In a 2015 essay for Los Angeles Magazine, Timberg wrote, Its human nature to try to make meaning out of life, to build narrative shapes out of events and images. That may be, in the end, what creativity is about.

If the meaning of his life eluded him, perhaps he thought the answer lay in his dying. Yet Scribner wonders.

Who knows what he was thinking? she said. Can we ever understand that? Can we ever understand a brain that goes haywire?

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, seek help from a professional and call 9-8-8.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The first celebrity has been eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing.

An eventful live show on Saturday (1 October) saw all 15 stars hit the dance floor with their professional partners for the second time.

Molly Rainford and Carlos Gu emerged at the top spot with a total of 65 points  a combination of their scores from this week and last.

Meanwhile, Tony Adams and Katya Jones found themselves at the bottom with only 37 points.

The judges scores were added with the results of the viewers votes to decide the lowest scoring two couples facing the dance off.

Sunday nights (2 October) results show saw Kaye Adams and her partner Kai Widdrington become the first couple to depart the dancefloor this season.

It was Kaye and Kai went head-to-head against Matt Goss and Nadiya Bychkova in the dance-off.

Both couples performed their routines again, with Kaye performing the Charleston and Matt performing the samba.

After both couples danced for a second time, the four judges decided who they wanted to save.

Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, and Anton Du Beke all voted to save Matt and Madiya.

(BBC/Ray Burmiston)

While it was sure that Kaye and Kai would be going home given Matt and Nadiya had already received three votes, Shirley Ballas said she would have voted to save Kaye and Kai instead.

When asked if she agreed with the other judges, Shirley said: I didnt, I thought due to a little better quality, I would have saved Kaye and Kai.

Following Kayes elimination from the programme, you can find an updated leaderboard here.

(BBC/Guy Levy)

Speaking to co-host Tess Daly after the results were announced, Kaye said that it was the right result.

Kaye added that Kai has been so brilliant and that she had a hell of a lot of fun during her brief time on the show.

Meanwhile, Kai called his celebrity partner a trooper.

I know that your girls and your other half are proud of you, but the most important thing is that you should be proud of yourself, because you are a superstar, he said.

The remaining 14 couples will hit the dancefloor next week in a Movie Week special on Saturday 8 October at 6.30pm. A results show will follow on Sunday 9 October at 7.20pm.

You can find the 10 best Movie Week dances, ranked here.
The recent National Assessment of Educational Progress results brought news that educators and families alike were dreading: Math and reading scores for 9-year-olds dropped to levels unseen for decades during the pandemic. Notably, average long-term math performance fell for the first time ever, and reading scores had the most significant drop in 30 years.

This may feel like cause for panic. But theres one big reason for hope: Educators know more about improving teaching and learning than ever before. Rigorous research on emerging models of teacher development shows positive results for students hit hardest by COVID-19. And with billions of dollars in federal relief funding at their disposal, school system administrators and state leaders have the resources to take bold action.

No paywall. No pop-up ads. Keep The 74 free for everyone with a generous donation.

Focusing on core instruction matters. School systems including the District of Columbia Public Schools and Chicago Public Schools made historic gains over the past decade because of innovative investments in instruction. But most districts have yet to take on similarly bold, structural efforts, retaining a status quo that works only for the few.

Related: Long-Term NAEP Scores for 13-Year-Olds Drop for First Time Since Testing Began in 1970s  A Matter for National Concern, Experts Say

Heres the challenge: Researchers assert that a high-quality curriculum can increase teaching quality, but less than half of educators report that their principal encourages them to use the recommended or required curriculum. Teachers also need ongoing professional development that helps them use quality materials. Only 1 in 3 teachers find their current options to be useful.

As a result, students spend the equivalent of six months per school year on assignments that are not appropriate for their grade. In 2018, TNTP found students in classrooms with mostly Black and Hispanic students were 3.6 times less likely to receive grade-appropriate lessons than those in classrooms with mostly white students. A majority of public school students now identify as children of color for the first time in U.S. history, meaning that most of these 9-year-olds will not be prepared for the world when they graduate in 2030  unless their schools change course.

Story continues

Related: Williams: I Lived  and Transcended  the Opportunity Myth. But for Students in National Study, Its Much Harder

So whats the solution? States and districts can take a few bold actions right now to turn research into practice. First, they can get better materials into the hands of educators. High-quality instructional materials have never been more available, affordable or adaptable. At least 13 states have created mandates, supports and strong incentives for districts to implement quality curricula. More should follow their lead.

While curricula have not historically reflected the experiences of students of color in meaningful ways, curriculum reviewers are meeting this challenge with tools for addressing diverse needs and incorporating students interests while designers catch up. Districts like Chicago Public Schools have even created their own standards-based materials to uniquely reflect their community.

Next, ensure that the support educators receive helps them excel at what and how they are teaching students. Recent research by the Rand Corp. in Chicago and Leading Educators in three cities shows that when teachers have frequent, well-structured time to work with colleagues on grade-appropriate instruction, their students make significantly bigger gains in test scores relative to those in other schools. Teachers who received this support in Chicago were able to significantly improve student achievement by more than the estimated learning loss from COVID. And students in D.C., Greater New Orleans and Greater Kansas City made an average 8.5 percentage point increase in math proficiency and a 5.3-point increase in English language arts proficiency. Over four years, these gains represent a 28% and 17% change, respectively.

Finally, gradually invest in the other conditions necessary for teachers to keep improving over time. These include a defined vision for excellent instruction, shared ownership for improvement across teams of teachers, curriculum and assessments that directly meet state expectations, and weekly collaboration time for teachers working in the same subject areas. Many schools add new initiatives and teaching methods for educators to incorporate in their classrooms, such as project-based learning and social and emotional support, without showing them how to combine these strategies into cohesive lessons. That can lead teachers to make false choices between goals like offering academic rigor and incorporating students interests rather than seeing those aims as reinforcing each other. Setting a shared, focused vision takes time, but it pays off.

Structural reform on the scale this moment demands is not easy. Even in places where there is strong will, union contracts, staffing shortages and state-level policy barriers limit how much change is possible. But schools must do right by the students and families who are counting on them. At this consequential time when there is little consensus on what schools should do next, education leaders must focus on how to prepare students for a changing world and help their teachers practice what they teach. Teachers make the future, but they cannot do it alone.
Phoenix police.

A man was taken into custody on suspicion of stealing a Phoenix Police Department patrol car on Saturday and fleeing with a rifle from the vehicle, which he dropped while escaping, said police.

Phoenix police were investigating an aggravated assault in the area north of 35th Avenue and Indian School Road on Saturday morning when they say a man, unrelated to the investigation, "broke the window out of the patrol car and left the area."

Police say the man, who was identified as 20-year-old Isaiah Orozco, fled the scene in the patrol car and was located running from the vehicle when police took him into custody.

Officers found a patrol rifle that Orozco had dumped as he fled, authorities said.

Police have not released which charges Orozco faced.

Reach breaking news reporter 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: Man breaks into and steals police car and rifle in Phoenix
Symone Sanders-Townsend, the former spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris, said on Sunday that President Bidens gaffe on late Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) was unfortunate.

Biden was delivering a speech last week at the White House conference on hunger when he recognized the lawmakers who helped make the event a reality, saying Wheres Jackie? in reference to the Walorski, who died last month in a car crash.

The White House refused to admit that Biden had made a mistake, with White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre saying repeatedly that Walorski was top of mind for Biden during the event.

During a roundtable discussion on NBCs Meet The Press, moderator Chuck Todd asked Sanders-Townsend, now an MSNBC host, how she would have handled the slip-up.

Look, Karine Jean-Pierre has a very tough job. And I think she goes out there every single day. And a number of people could not do what she does every day, Sanders-Townsend said.

Look, I think its very clear that the president had a slip of the tongue, obviously. And Im sure he is extremely apologetic to the family of the congresswoman if he caused them anymore trauma or agony.

Biden signed a bill on Friday honoring Walorski, with her husband, mother, brother and staff in attendance.

Sanders-Townsend said its time to move on from the error.

No one  I mean, I think everyone understands that the president unfortunately uniquely understands how the family is feeling, and Im sure he made that very clear to them when they came to the White House on Friday. I think just to acknowledge it, he had a slip of the tongue, Sanders-Townsend added.

Move on. Its unfortunate. Again, life is here. He understands and empathized. I think thats whats most important here. And I think Karine did try to do that.

The new bill will name the Veterans Affairs clinic in Mishawaka, Ind., as the Jackie Walorski VA Clinic.

Walorski, who had served in Congress since 2013, was killed alongside two of her staffers in a car accident in August.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Joe Dobson was in the seaside resort of Playa del Carmen when he eat a burrito that contained sesame. (Stock image: Getty)

A teenager died of an allergic reaction after eating a burrito containing sesame while travelling in Mexico, despite checking repeatedly with the restaurant before he ate it.

Joe Dobson, 19, was with friends in the seaside resort of Playa del Carmen when they visited a restaurant on 1 November last year, an inquest heard.

The teenager, who was allergic to sesame, eggs, milk and peanuts, ordered a vegetarian burrito but asked staff multiple times in Spanish and English whether there was any sesame in the food.

His friends told the inquest that after just three bites, he knew he had eaten sesame but restaurant staff didn't seem concerned about his allergy and wouldn't call an ambulance.

The teen had left his EpiPen at their apartment but by the time they got back and used it it was too late. He fell unconscious and died later in hospital.

The inquest was heard at South London Coroner's Court in Davis House in Croydon. (Google Maps)

In a statement read out by the coroner at South London Coroner's Court in Croydon, Dobson's friend Harriet Preston described how she was visiting him while he was working in Mexico and was aware of his medical condition.

After a day on the beach, she said they decided to eat at a fusion restaurant he had been to before.

She said: "Joe ordered a vegetarian burrito and said no sesame and used the Spanish word.

"After ordering, there was communication between them to ensure there was no sesame in his meal.

"When the food arrived, it was sent back as Joe believed it contained sesame."

Read more: Tory MP admits government's priorities are 'odd' amid backlash over benefit cuts to fund tax reduction for rich

She said he tried to tell staff in basic English that if he ate sesame he would die but when the meal arrived for the second time and he examined it and tasted it, he knew it had sesame in it.

"He went over to the bar staff, they were in denial. He could feel it in his throat. He said he needed an ambulance but the staff were reluctant.

"The staff did not treat our situation like what it was. There was no basic first aid or knowledge."

Story continues

Another friend's statement similarly described how Dobson had explained his allergies but realised something was wrong when he tasted his meal.

The inquest heard that staff urged the teen to drink a honey and lemon liquid, which he did.

The friend's statement said: "He did not have his EpiPen on him. He was becoming more urgent in his requests, had the honey drink.

"He went to the apartment to get his EpiPen. He ran to the taxi and the driver was very casual, walking slowly to the door. He did not understand the severity at all.

"This escalated by the time we got to the apartment. Joe went straight to the lifts. He fell over.

"I ran upstairs to get the pens, got them and ran back down. Joe had managed to crawl into the lift and come up to our floor so I dragged him out of the lift and got the pens out but the pens did not help him."

The 19-year-old, from London, became increasingly unable to breathe and lost consciousness.

He was taken to a local hospital, but doctors were unable to revive him and he died that evening, the inquest heard.

Coroner Mark Taylor said: "It seems very clear to me that Joe did all he reasonably could have done to warn the restaurant not to serve him food containing sesame and even checked himself.

"And it is very clear to me that it was the sesame in the food served by the restaurant that caused the allergic reaction.

"Joe acted unwittingly in eating the food with sesame which caused the fatal reaction. This should not have happened and to someone like Joe of his age."
Photo Illustration by Erin O'Flynn/The Daily Beast/Getty

The COVID-19 pandemic isnt over. In fact, it shows signs of lingering for, well, a long time.

But even as politicians and health authorities struggle with how, if at all, to keep addressing the current pandemic, scientists are already anticipating the next one. Theyre scouring the planet for animal viruses that, like SARS-CoV-2, could leap to the human population and cause serious disease on a global scale.

They just found one. And its nasty.

In 2020, a team of Russian scientists collected a few horseshoe bats in Sochi National Park in southern Russia. The Russians identified, in those bats, a new virus they called Khosta-2. Behaviorally, the virus seemed to have a lot in common with SARS-CoV-2.

Two years later, a separate teamincluding scientists from Washington State University and Tulane Universitytested Khosta-2 along with another newly-discovered Russian bat virus, hoping to determine whether theyre capable of infecting people. And, if so, whether our antibodies stand any chance of stopping them.

Dreaded Side Effect Rears Its Ugly Head in Latest COVID Variant

The initial results, which the team described in a new peer-reviewed study that appeared last week in the science journal PLOS Pathogens, are worrying. The second bat virus didnt seem all that infectious. But Khosta-2, on the other hand, took a liking to human cells.

We tested how well the spike proteins from these bat viruses infect human cells under different conditions, the scientists wrote. We found that the spike from the virus Khosta-2 could infect [the] cells, similar to human pathogens using the same entry mechanisms.

Equally troubling, Khosta-2 proved resistant to neutralization by serum from individuals who had been vaccinated for SARS-CoV-2. In other words, our bodies defenses against COVID-19 might not protect us from a hypothetical disease caused by Khosta-2.

The implications are clear. Wed need better antibodies to beat Khosta-2. Our findings highlight the urgent need to continue development of new, and broader-protecting  vaccines, the scientists behind the new study wrote.

Story continues

Like SARS-CoV-2 and the hundreds of other so-called sarbecoviruses, Khosta-2 uses that spike-shaped protein on its surface to grab onto and infect a hosts cells. But the vast majority of sarbecoviruses can only infect the species that are their usual hosts. Bats, typically.

What makes Khosta-2 special is that, like SARS-CoV-2, it can also infect peoplein lab conditions, at least. What makes Khosta-2 particularly scary is that it appears to shrug off the antibodies that currently work against SARS-CoV-2. Again, in lab conditions.

Theres a lot of uncertainty here. The Tulane-Washington State University team didnt try to infect actual human beings with Khosta-2. To test infection, they exposed the Russian bat virus to human cell cultures. To test our potential for immunity, they exposed the virus to COVID antibodies. We can only test what we can test, Michael Letko, a Washington State University virologist and one of the studys authors, told The Daily Beast.

But the immunity test in particular wasnt necessarily representative of how our immune systems actually worksomething the studys authors readily admit. The immune response in an individual will be multi-faceted, encompassing innate and adaptive responses and cell-mediated immunity, Letko said. We only looked at antibody neutralization in this study.

So dont panic quite yet. There are a lot of animal viruses, many of which are closely related to SARS-CoV-2 or at least use some of the same biological mechanisms to infect their hosts. Most have never infected a human beingand might not even be able to do so in real-world conditions outside of a lab.

With further study, Khosta-2 could end up as a scientific red herring. A virus that looks a lot scarier than it actually is. We have a hard time predicting accurately which ones will actually crack the code to become efficient human pathogens, James Lawler, an infectious disease expert at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, told The Daily Beast.

But theres no denying that, as the human population expands and chops down more and more forests for farms and cities, its coming into close contact with more and more exotic animal species. Each encounter is an opportunity for an animal virus to infect peoplea process scientists call zoonosis.

Generally, we might be able to say zoonosis risk is increasing for many types of viruses, Letko said. Consider the recent history of infectious diseases in the human population. SARS-CoV-2 is just the latest animal virus to leap to people, after the bird flu virus, SARS-CoV-1, MERS and others.

Theres every reason to fear the pandemic after COVID-19. Maybe Khosta-2 will be the virus that gets us next. Maybe itll be some other pathogen. The more that we disrupt ecosystems and allow new mixing of species and viruses, the more we spin natures roulette wheel, Lawler said. We need to keep our eyes openand prepare.

This Could Be the Only Way to Beat COVID for Good

The most useful thing we can do, besides stop chopping down the forests where bats and their viruses live, is develop vaccines that work against a wide range of similar pathogens. There are several universal coronavirus vaccines in development that scientists hope will work against current and future variants of SARS-CoV-2.

The same pan-coronavirus vaccines might also work against sarbecoronaviruses such as Khosta-2, Letko said. We cant say for sure until we test them. But as COVID funding withers, intensive testing could slip farther and farther into the future.

And if these universal vaccines dont work against Khosta-2, we might need entirely new vax formulations, ones that are even more widely effective. Barton Haynes, an immunologist with Duke Universitys Human Vaccine Institute who is developing a new pan-coronavirus vaccine, told The Daily Beast the likeliest outcome would be a mix of separate jabs that, taken together, could offer broad protection against a whole host of sarbecoronaviruses.

In that case, we might have a race on our hands. Can we develop these brand-new vaccines faster than some new sarbecoronaviruswhether Khosta-2 or some as-yet-undiscovered cousingoes zoonotic and makes the leap to the human species? And can we get enough people to actually get the vaccines in time?

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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PATRICK PLEUL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Tesla produced 365,923 vehicles and delivered 343,830 in Q3, the company announced Sunday.

While the deliveries mark a new record for the company, they still fell short of estimates.

The company cited the challenge of securing "vehicle transportation capacity ... at a reasonable cost during these peak logistics weeks."

Tesla's latest delivery numbers are in, and they're a mixed bag.

The company produced 365,923 vehicles and delivered 343,830 in the third quarter of this year, it announced Sunday.

The deliveries set a new record for the company and are up from 310,048 in the first quarter; 254,695 in the second quarter; and 241,300 in Q3 of last year. Still, deliveries fell short of the consensus of analysts' estimates, which was closer to 360,000.

The company cited logistical challenges as a reason for the discrepancy, noting there was an increase in cars in transit at the end of the quarter that will be delivered after arriving at their destination.

"Historically, our delivery volumes have skewed towards the end of each quarter due to regional batch building of cars," Tesla said in a press release. "As our production volumes continue to grow, it is becoming increasingly challenging to secure vehicle transportation capacity and at a reasonable cost during these peak logistics weeks."

According to the company, Tesla's production numbers are up from 305,407 in the first quarter; 258,580 in the second quarter; and 237,823 in Q3 of last year.

Of the vehicles produced in Tesla's most recent quarter, 19,935 were Model S and Model X, and 345,988 were the cheaper Model 3 and Model Y. As for deliveries, 18,672 were Model S and X and 325,158 were Model 3 and Y.

In the past two quarters, Tesla cited supply chain issues made worse by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as well as a shutdown of its Shanghai factory amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in the city, as factors hampering production and delivery.

Tesla will post its financial results for Q3 on October 19.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A tumultuous week had an uneventful finish on Saturday. After last weeks overtime loss, the Texas Longhorns responded in a big way defeating West Virginia, 38-20.

The Texas defense looked nothing like the defense that showed up in Lubbock last week. The Longhorns showed tight coverage, got to the quarterback and got off the field on third and fourth downs.

Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski mixed in zone coverage some in the first half but waited until the Longhorns had built a lead to play zone consistently. After taking a 35-14 lead, Texas allowed West Virginia to knock itself out with long, clock-eating drives.

Offensively, Hudson Card led multiple scoring drives relying mostly on Xavier Worthy and JaTavion Sanders as primary targets. Card put the ball in harms way a few times, but Texas receivers intervened to make spectacular plays.

Card completed 21 of 27 passes for 303 yards. He finished the day with three touchdowns. Xavier Worthy led all receivers with 7 catches for 119 receiving yards.

Bijan Robinson crossed the century mark on the final drive, finishing with 21 rushes for 101 yards and a touchdown.

Steve Sarkisian will have the challenge of keeping players humble heading into Red River following their impressive showing. Sarkisian will welcome that challenge as Texas improves to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in conference play.

Story originally appeared on Longhorns Wire
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

A 12-year-old Texas girl who shot her father and then herself in a murder plot with a friend has died, officials said on Wednesday.

The girl died from a self-inflicted "gunshot wound of head" on September 22, two days after the shooting, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiners Office.

She and her friend had plotted for weeks to murder their families and pets, the Parker County Sheriffs Office said. The girl was planning to leave the city of Weatherford after killing her dad and drive to Lufka to pick up her friend. The two then planned to flee together to Georgia.

TEXAS GIRL, 12, SHOOTS FATHER, SELF AFTER PLOTTING WITH FRIEND TO MURDER FAMILIES: SHERIFF

But the girl's friend never went through with the plan, according to the sheriff's office.

Deputies had responded to a shooting at a home in Weatherford on September 20 at around 11:30 p.m.

2 TEXAS BROTHER ARRESTED FOR SHOOTING AT A GROUP OF MIGRANTS, KILLING 1, INJURING ANOTHER

The girl was found lying in the street with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head and a handgun lying beneath her. Her father was found inside the home with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. They were both flown to the hospital.

The girl appeared to have shot her father and fled the scene before shooting herself, according to investigators.

Police said the girl's father was recently released from the hospital and is expected to recover.

The friend was charged with conspiracy to commit murder. She was taken into custody last week.
The following is a transcript of an interview with Fort Myers, Florida, Mayor Kevin Anderson that aired on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022.

MARGARET BRENNAN: We turn now to Kevin Anderson, the mayor of Fort Myers, Florida. Mr. Mayor, the county that you are in was hit very hard. And we know county residents weren't told to evacuate until Tuesday morning, a day after the neighboring counties. Do you think that was enough forewarning for your residents?

MAYOR KEVIN ANDERSON: Well, you know, Margaret warnings for hurricane season start in June. And so there's a degree of personal responsibility here. I think the county acted appropriately. The thing is that a certain percentage of people will not heed the warnings regardless.

MARGARET BRENNAN: And some of them lost their lives as a result. I want to ask you about the governor's efforts to you I know he was visiting the area, what do you know about when the water and electricity will be fully functioning?

MAYOR ANDERSON: Now I can only speak to Fort Myers, which is about 15 miles north of the beach, and the island, the barrier islands, we already have electricity slowly returning, as well as water service. We have crews that are working 16 hours a day, they will work seven days a week until we get everything restored.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Senator Scott and the FEMA Administrator just spoke about the need to potentially change building codes because of just the incredible devastation that you've seen. Is that the prime issue you've seen with impact? Is it the buildings aren't up to snuff? Or is it that there's just incredibly different weather patterns.

MAYOR ANDERSON: So our- most of our damage was right along the river, and it was caused by flooding. I was in one of the worst hit areas yesterday in the east side of town. You can see the newer houses are intact, and they're fine. But the older homes which were built lower, and not up to the current codes, they suffered more damage. So having solid good building codes is a key to this issue.

Story continues

MARGARET BRENNAN: And is that one of the changes you'd like to see or do you need to have some tough conversations about pulling back from building near the water at all?

MAYOR ANDERSON: No, we have good building codes. As they said the newer homes they withstood the storm. So as people tear down and build new, they'll be subjected to the newer, tougher building codes. And in future storms, they should be able to weather it a lot better.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, we will be watching that recovery. Mr. Mayor, we wish you the best of luck. And we'll be tracking this story. We'll be right back.

Remembering legendary CBS News White House correspondent Bill Plante

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McMaster says Russian army in Ukraine is facing a "moral collapse"
The following is a transcript of an interview with Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida that aired on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022.

MARGARET BRENNAN: We go now to Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott who joins us from Naples. Good morning to you, Senator.

SEN. RICK SCOTT: Good morning, it's really tough down here, it's unbelievable loss of life. And we still have people that they hope are alive that they're still trying to rescue. So please pray for each one of those.

MARGARET BRENNAN: We will and I know that when you were governor of Florida, there were four hurricanes on your watch. Governor DeSantis has said what is happening now is biblical? How would you describe the impact?

SEN. SCOTT: Well, the storm surge was unbelievable, you know, the worst, the worst storm surge we had with Irma was down in the Keys. And it just, it was nine foot. It just sucks everything in and out of a one story house. And then we had as you know, Mexico beach with Michael, my last year. But, you know, in Lee County, they're talking about, they might have had 18 foot of storm surge at Sanibel. And you look at, you know, 12-15 foot of storm surge of Fort Myers Beach and Pine Island, I mean, that's hard to survive, you have to be pretty, you have to get up pretty high and your structure has to survive. We unfortunately, some of it's older construction. And so we lost a lot of a lot, a lot of buildings.

MARGARET BRENNAN: The President said that he may need more money from Congress to help with the response. And I know you and Senator Rubio have talked about more emergency relief being needed. If you're calling for an emergency, supplemental does it need to be paid for -- offset?

SEN. SCOTT: Well, I've supported disaster relief. And look, everything you do, you'd love it for to be paid for. But you know, we have we have committed made, we've made commitments, and we're going to help our our families, our businesses, our states and local governments, and as federal government, we need to do our job. Now. We got to watch how we spend our money. So always try to figure out how you pay for things. But I'm very supportive of FEMA. My experience with FEMA and I was governor is they did their job. They were a good partner. They're not a lead agency. There a Support Agency, and they acted like that when I was governor.

Story continues

MARGARET BRENNAN: But the disaster modeling firms have, you know, scale of damage here from 30 billion up to 100 billion. How much money is it that you think you need to go ask Congress for?

SEN. SCOTT: We're gonna find out hopefully, most most things are covered by insurance. That's what that's what you hope. Now Florida has been has had a problem the last few years with their property insurance market. So hopefully, the insurance companies will be able to, to cover a lot of that.

MARGARET BRENNAN: But not flooding?

SEN. SCOTT: But you'll see the way the way this has worked in while I was governor. Yeah, absolutely. Right. And so that's one of the issues. Florida has been a significant donor state to flooding. Unfortunately, there's many people that don't have flood insurance, either because they didn't know they need to buy flood insurance, or because it got too expensive. So we've got to have insurance products, that work that people can afford. And that's what they got to try to continue to build the private flood insurance market. And I was governor to try to make sure people can get flood insurance and can afford flood insurance. Because you're right, a lot of it's not covered. If it's not, it's not covered by normal policy. It's covered by a flood insurance policy. And I was up in in Kissimmee yesterday, and there was some flood up there. And they weren't in a floodplain, nobody was told get flood insurance, and they had about probably a foot of water in their homes, and they were just completely shocked.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, I mean, is the bottom line here, though, Senator, that some of the communities have been so hard to hit that you need to take a second look here, I mean, maybe some of them should not be rebuilt, because of the risk level from extreme weather.

SEN. SCOTT: What I think you have to look at, look at should you build in places, I believe these places are places where people want to live their beautiful places. So what you really have to do is you have to say, 'I'm going to build but I'm going to do it safely.' After Andrew in 1992, the state completely changed its building codes, which is dramatically reduce the risk of damage. While I was governor, we improved our building codes. And I think after this, we're going to learn that we're gonna you know, have to improve our continue to improve our building codes

MARGARET BRENNAN: Senator, before I let you go, I do have a bigger picture question because you know, disasters are a time when people can come together. And our country is so incredibly divided. I know you know that. Over this weekend, we heard some pretty disturbing rhetoric from the former president who tweeted that Senator McConnell has a death wish. He said some racist things about his wife, the former Cabinet Secretary Elaine Chao. Last night at his rally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene made a false claim that Democrats want Republicans dead, and they have quote, already started the killings. Given the level of security threat right now. Would you rebuke those comments?

SEN. SCOTT: But I think what we got to do is we got to bring everybody together. I'd also say that would vice versa. Harris said yesterday that our day before yesterday that, you know if you if you have a different skin color, you're going to get relief.

MARGARET BRENNAN: That's not what the vice president said. She talked about equity and the problem within FEMA. But I'm specifically talking about Marjorie Taylor Greene.

SEN. SCOTT: No, no, no. Wait, wait, Margaret. Margaret, let's make sure. FEMA has to be colorblind. FEMA has to provide support to everybody. Now, I here's what I here's what I'll tell you, I believe that we've got to do -- President Trump has talked about this unbelievable spending that's causing inflation hurting the poorest families. I grew up in a poor family. I watched him play should hurt my mom. We've gotten a house, watch how we spend this money. I know, you're talking about.

MARGARET BRENNAN: I know sir. You're talking about substance, and I would love to talk to you about that. But what I quoted you as a phrase saying McConnell has a death wish. He said racist things about Elaine Chao. And then they have already started the killings. I mean, that's not a policy dispute, Senator, the language is what I'm talking about. Isn't that dangerous?

SEN. SCOTT: I think we all have to figure out how do we start bringing people together and have a common goal to give every American the opportunity to get a great job their kids to have an education, they believe they can be anything and make sure everybody lives in a safe committee. That's what I do every day. And I've tried to bring people together to do that.

MARGARET BRENNAN: And you would agree that that language doesn't bring people together?

SEN. SCOTT: I believe that what I believe what the President Trump was talking about is the fact that we can't keep spending money. We are -- We're going to hurt our poorest families the most with this reckless Democrats spending and we cannot we got to stop it. We can't cave into their spending.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay. That's not what the former president said. And Coco Chow was the phrase he used to refer to a former Cabinet Secretary Elaine Chao.

SEN. SCOTT: He look -- he likes for you know, he gives people nicknames. I'm sure he has a nickname for me. Alright. So you can ask him what he means by his nicknames, what I what what I want to make sure I hit what I can do. I can try my best to bring people together and I'm gonna try to bring people together.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, but I know, Senator, you know that Democrats have not already started the killings of Republicans as Marjorie Taylor Greene has said.

SEN. SCOTT: I didn't see what she said. But it's also not helpful what the Vice President says when she when she thinks that famous gonna treat people differently based on their skin color.

MARGARET BRENNAN: We will have the female administrator on the program to talk about equity. But already started the killings really stood out to me. So I wanted to make sure you responded to that comment. We'll leave it there. Thank you and good luck.

SEN. SCOTT: I didn't hear it, We need to bring people together. Please play pray for our state.

Tracy: Scientists increasingly believe climate change is making hurricanes stronger and more destructive

Mayor of hard-hit Fort Myers says county acted "appropriately" in evacuation orders

FEMA administrator says "our focus right now is supporting the people of Florida" after Ian
Former President Donald Trump praised Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, for telling the Jan. 6 committee that she believes the 2020 election was stolen.

"She didn't wait and sit around and say, well, let me give you a different answer than what I've been saying for the last two years," Trump said at a rally in Michigan on Saturday, referring to Thomas.

"She didn't wilt under pressure, she said what she thought, she said what she believed in," Trump continued.

Many state and public officials investigated the elections and found no evidence that it was stolen, including Trump's former Attorney General William Barr.

In an email to supporters Saturday, Trump congratulated Thomas for "having the courage of her convictions," and criticized the Democrats who he said were ruining the country.

Former President Donald Trump speaks during a Save America rally on Oct. 1, 2022, in Warren, Michigan.

Ginni Thomas: Ginni Thomas claims 2020 election was stolen in meeting with House Jan. 6 committee

"The Election was Rigged and Stolen, and everyone knows it  especially the Radical Left Democrats who are destroying our country," Trump continued in the email from his Save America PAC.

Thomas' lawyer Mark Paoletta issued a statement Thursday that said Thomas stood by her opinion that the election was stolen. He also said she "condemned the violence," that took place in the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Thomas, who testified to the committee Thursday, had urged former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to fight the election results in a series of text messages after the election.

In one of the text messages to Meadows, Thomas called Biden's victory "the greatest Heist of our History" on Nov. 10, 2020, according to The Washington Post.

Thomas also asked legislators in Arizona and Wisconsin to overturn the election results in their states.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump cheers on Ginni Thomas at rally over her false election claims
By Phil Stewart

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday cheered Ukraine's capture of the key bastion of Lyman from Russia in eastern Ukraine, saying it was an encouraging battlefield success that would create new dilemmas for Russia's military.

"Absolutely, it's significant. We're very encouraged by what we're seeing right now," Austin told reporters at a news conference in Hawaii.

Russia had used Lyman as a logistics and transport hub for its operations in the north of the Donetsk region. Its capture is Ukraine's biggest battlefield gain since a lightning counteroffensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region last month.

Austin noted that Lyman was positioned across supply lines that Russia has used to push its troops and materiel down to the south and to the west, as the Kremlin presses its more than seven-month-long invasion of Ukraine.

"And without those routes, it will be more difficult. So it presents a sort of a dilemma for the Russians going forward," Austin said.

"And we think the Ukrainians have done great work to get there and to begin to occupy the city."

Ukraine's recent successes have infuriated Putin allies such as Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russia's southern Chechnya region, who called for "more drastic measures" - to include the use of low-yield nuclear weapons.

The capture came just a day after Putin proclaimed the annexation of four Ukrainian regions - including Donetsk, where Lyman is located - and placed them under Russia's nuclear umbrella. The proclamation of Russian rule over 15% of Ukraine was roundly rejected by Ukraine and Western countries as illegal.

Austin did not say whether he thought Ukraine's capture of Lyman might prompt Russian escalation, although U.S. officials have widely denounced Russia's nuclear rhetoric in recent days.

"What it means in terms of potential escalation, I won't speculate on that. But what it does mean for the battlefield is that the Ukrainians continue to make progress," Austin said.

"They continue to present problems to the Russians that they'll have to resolve. And again, we all have to be encouraged by what we're seeing."

(Reporting by Phil Stewart; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
By Alistair Smout

BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) - The prospects for the Northern Ireland protocol seem to be improving as the United Kingdom tries to renegotiate part of the Brexit deal with the European Union and re-establish the province's devolved assembly, a British minister said on Sunday.

The event at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, central England, saw a softening in tone from some former hardliners in the dispute with the EU, matching a shift from the foreign minister James Cleverly, who is leading talks.

"I understand the complications and maybe we could have understood them a bit better, sooner. But now the mood music certainly seems to be changing and I very much hope that we get some solutions," said Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris.

"Let's hope we can put the protocol to bed, get the assembly going, and then everyone can move forward in a peaceful and prosperous Northern Ireland."

Both Britain and the EU agreed to the Northern Ireland protocol as a way to avoid reinstating border controls between the British-run province of Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland after Britain left the EU, seen as key to protecting peace on the island.

Heaton-Harris said that the protocol wasn't written to complicate trade between Northern Ireland and Britain, but it had done, and needed to be renegotiated so that unionists would rejoin the devolved Stormont executive.

He added that "discussions reopened with gusto" on the protocol in a call with Cleverly and EU negotiator Maros Sefcovic last week.

Heaton-Harris once co-chaired the European Research Group (ERG) with Steve Baker, a self-styled "hard man of Brexit". Baker organised lawmaker rebellions against Theresa May's deal, pushing for a harder form of Brexit.

Baker said that having acted with "ferocious determination" to get Britain out of the EU, he regretted how that might have damaged relations with the bloc.

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"It's with humility that I want to accept and acknowledge that I and others did not always behave in a way which encouraged Ireland and the European Union to trust us," Baker said, adding that both had legitimate interests that Britain was willing to respect.

"I'm sorry about that, because relations with Ireland are not where they should be, and we all need to work extremely hard to improve them."

(Reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)
Ukraines liberation of Lyman may be start of de-occupation of Luhansk Oblast, Hayday says

According to the governor, the situation for the Russian invaders at the front in this area is tense.

He called the liberation of Lyman one of the greatest victories of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on par with the counter-offensive in Kharkiv Oblast.

Read also: Kharkiv Oblast is free, Kherson is next, and Zaporizhzhia NPP completely shuts down

The situation is tense for the invaders, Hayday said.

Things are exploding all the time. There were explosions yesterday as well. People are being taken out. The invaders are telling the locals that they are here for a short time. All projects, even small repairs, have been canceled, they (the Russians) have completely stopped everything. Documentation and things are also being taken away. I think Luhansk Oblast will be happy to say goodbye to this evil.

Read also: Zelenskyy announces "good news" from front line in near future

The liberation of Lyman in Donetsk Oblast by Ukraine was officially announced on Oct. 1.

Russias Defense Ministry in turn said its troops in Lyman had been redeployed, calling it a withdrawal to more favorable defensive lines.

Read also: Almost all Russian troops in Lyman successfully redeployed to body bags or captivity, Ukraine says

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Ukraine said it had retaken full control of a key eastern city on Sunday, handing the Kremlin another stinging setback just days after Russian President Vladimir Putin proclaimed that the area would belong to his country forever.

The recapture of Lyman represents a symbolic and strategic victory for Kyiv, which vowed its forces would push deeper into occupied territory after forcing Moscow's military into its latest bloody and humiliating retreat. Western officials and observers said Russias loss of a logistics hub key to the supply of forces in the south and east was a significant development that could pave the way for more.

"Lyman is cleared fully," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced early Sunday, hours after Russia's Defense Ministry said it was withdrawing its troops to more favorable defensive positions after facing likely encirclement.

Over the past week, the number of Ukrainian flags in Donbas has increased. There will be even more in a weeks time, Zelenskyy said on Saturday in an evening address.

Lyman is in the Donetsk region, which together with neighboring Luhansk makes up Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland of the Donbas. Putin illegally claimed the areas, as well as the partially occupied southern regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, at a grand Kremlin ceremony on Friday that drew global condemnation.

His military's fragile grip on that supposedly annexed territory and Moscow's increasing nuclear threats have stoked fears of escalation beyond Putin's move to call up military reservists.

A Ukrainian tank on the way to Siversk in the Donetsk region on Oct. 1, 2022. (Inna Varenytsia / AP)

Putin under pressure

The setback comes at a delicate time for Putin domestically.

While his annexation ceremony was accompanied by patriotic rallies and bullish talk of victory, the Russian leader stoked unease and an exodus of men fearing conscription after he called up hundreds of thousands to join the fight.

A new poll released Thursday by the independent Levada Center found that a growing number of Russians said they did not believe the Kremlin's "special military operation" was proceeding successfully. It also found that more than half of the 1600 respondents felt anxious or angry about the partial mobilization.

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The loss of Lyman marks the biggest battlefield shift since a lightning Ukrainian counteroffensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region last month that turned the tide of the seven-month conflict.

It sparked a new wave of criticism from pro-military voices online that illustrated the way in which Ukraine's military was now driving the war's direction despite the Kremlin's high-profile efforts to regain the initiative.

Infuriated Putin allies such as Ramzan Kadyrov who leads the southern region of Chechnya, demanded a change of strategy in the wake of Saturday's retreat. He called for more drastic measures, that could even include "the use of low-yield nuclear weapons"  the most explicit call for such an escalation from a top official.

Ive never seen a country annex territory they didnt even control, Phillips OBrien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, told NBC News. You say this is forever Russia one day and the next day you lose a significant city in it.

It just shows how weak the annexation really was, OBrien added.

Strategic importance

The Russian retreat this weekend was not just a bad look for Putin but a costly blow to his military.

The force of Kremlin troops defending Lyman when Ukraine threatened to surround it "probably experienced heavy casualties as it withdrew along the only road out of the town still in Russian hands," said Britains Defense Ministry in its latest update.

Lyman commands a key road crossing over the Siversky Donets River, behind which Russia has been attempting to consolidate its defenses, the ministry added.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the city, which has been used as a logistics and railway hub by Kremlin in the Donetsk region, was a key supply hub to push troops and weaponry to the front lines.

And without those routes, it will be more difficult. So it presents a sort of a dilemma for the Russians going forward, Austin told a news conference in Hawaii on Saturday.

Ukraine's military was already seeking to press farther east and has been pressuring Russian defenses in the south for months.

The Kremlin is trying to mobilize a lot of troops to stop them now, but it looks like theyre going to be really poorly trained troops, said OBrien.

The battle for Lyman displayed not just Russian weakness but smart Ukrainian strategy that could be crucial going forward, analysts said.

In contrast to last month's rapid gains in the northeast, where Ukrainian troops swept through thin Russian lines, Lyman was won by methodically moving to encircle thousands of opposing troops.

"It shows you how theyre going to be taking on Russian formations going forward," said OBrien.

Ukrainian forces have repeatedly pounded bridges and supply sites behind Russian lines and with Lyman lost, the Kremlin could face more difficulty transporting supplies and troops. It also means more Russian targets will now be in sight of the long-range rockets supplied by Kyiv's Western allies, threatening to further loosen Moscow's grip on that territory ahead of the winter.

If the Russians were fighting intelligently, theyd probably pull back relatively soon, O'Brien said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
ROMAN PETRENKO  SUNDAY, 2 OCTOBER 2022, 09:19

After an attack by Ukrainian Armed Forces in Zolote in Luhansk Oblast on 1 October, Russian casualties are estimated to be 60 soldiers, as reported by Serhii Haidai, Head of the Oblast Military Administration.

Source: Haidai on Telegram

Quote from Haidai: "As a result of fire damage to a Russian target in the Zolote area, the Russians lost about sixty personnel killed and wounded, as well as four units of military equipment.

In total, Ukrainian missile and artillery units struck 8 command posts and 10 areas where Russian military personnel, weapons and equipment were concentrated on 1 October.

In addition, 3 ammunition storage and 2 S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems fell within the strike zone."

Details: According to Haidai, on 1 October, the Ukrainian Air Force conducted 29 air strikes on the Russian occupiers.

It was confirmed that the Russian strong point, 22 areas of concentration of weapons and military equipment, as well as 6 enemy anti-aircraft missile systems were hit.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!






ROMAN PETRENKO  SUNDAY, 2 OCTOBER 2022, 08:37

The Ukrainian Air Force has reported that five out of seven Iranian-made Shahed-136 suicide drones were brought down on the night of 12 October.

Source: Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Telegram

Details: Russian occupying forces deployed seven Shahed-136 suicide drones to attack Mykolaiv Oblast on the night of 12 October.

An anti-aircraft missile unit of the Odesa Brigade and the Kherson Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, both under Air Force Command Pivden (South), shot down and destroyed five out of seven Shahed-136 drones.

Previously: Russian forces used a suicide drone to attack the city of Kryvyi Rih (Dnipropetrovsk Oblast) on the night of 12 October, hitting the building of a local shchool.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!






Photo: GettyImages

Photo: GettyImages



IHOR PYLYPIV  SUNDAY, 2 OCTOBER 2022, 16:58

At its next meeting, the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian Parliament) will review the nationalisation of Russian assets in Ukraine under a special procedure.

Source: Roksolana Pidlasa, the Deputy Head of the Parliamentary Committee for Economic Development, cited by the Verkhovna Rada on Telegram

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine made a list of more than 900 facilities that belong directly to Russia as a state.

Pidlasa states that such renowned enterprises as Enerhomashspetsstal machine plant in Kramatorsk, 92% of which belong to an offshore Cyprus company, is controlled by Rosatom [Russias state-run company that runs all nuclear power plants in this country]. Additionally, 100 percent of shares of BROCARD, the well-known chain of stores, belong to an offshore company, which, in turn, is controlled by Russias Industry Ministry.

The Ukrainian official added that forcible nationalisation of these facilities will be conducted under a special procedure.

Background:

On 30 September, the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine introduced new sanctions package against individuals and entities involved in waging an aggressive war against Ukraine, and those who support Putins regime.

The State Security and Defence Council of Ukraine made a list of prominent individual and legal persons of Russia subject to sanctions; there are "thousands of names and thousands of companies on it". Ekonomichna Pravda reports that Mykhailo Fridman, the co-owner of Alpha Group [Russian financial and investment consortium], is among those on the list.



Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
State phone company car hits landmine near television town in heavily mined Ukrainian region

Read also: Russians shell Kharkiv, striking university, Sumy Oblast also under attack

The head of the Sumy Regional MilitaryCivil Administration Dmytro Zhyvytsky reported the incident on his channel in the Telegram messenger app.

Read also: Russian shelling hits Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy oblasts overnight

Zhyvytsky said the vehicle hit the mine as it pulled over to the roadside beside a television tower.

There were four people inside the vehicle. One person died on the spot from injuries sustained in the blast, while the three others were rushed to the hospital.

Read also: Russia fires 50 shells at Ukraines Sumy and Chernihiv oblasts from its own territory

Police are working at the site of the explosion at the moment, and the circumstances of the incident are being established.

Okhtyrka district remains one of the most mined territories in Sumy Oblast, Zhyvytsky wrote.

Read also: SBU uncovers Russian agent in Sumy Oblast

In addition, Zhyvytsky said that late at night on Oct. 1, Russian invaders shelled the Middle Buda community of Shostka district with artillery.

Russian invasion forces retreated from Sumy Oblast early in March after the initial Russian attempt to capture Ukraines capital Kyiv was defeated. However, Russians forces still regularly shell towns in the oblast from the neighboring Russian oblasts of Kursk and Belgorod.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
University of Idaho campus entry sign. Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The University of Idaho advised employees not to counsel or advise students on abortion.

A 2021 state law prevents publically funded institutions, like public universities, from promoting abortion.

The memo also said university employees cannot give birth control to students under state law.

The University of Idaho issued an emailed warning to employees not to promote or provide abortion to students amid the state's near-total ban on the procedure.

"During all times that university employees are performing their jobs, the law prohibits them from" promoting, providing, or counseling in favor of abortion, or contracting with abortion providers, the university's general counsel warned in a lengthy email, according to the Idaho Capital Sun.

The 2021 state law specifically targets institutions that receive state funding, like public universities, and violators may face misdemeanor or felony charges in addition to being fired and barred from state employment, the outlet reported.

"This is a challenging law for many and has real ramifications for individuals in that it calls for individual criminal prosecution," university spokesperson Jodi Walker said, per the Capital Sun.

Walker said the university supports its students, staff, and their "academic freedom" but must "work within the laws set out by our state," according to the Capital Sun.

"Employees engaging in their course of work in a manner that favors abortion could be deemed as promoting abortion. While abortion can be discussed as a policy issue in the classroom, we highly recommend employees in charge of the classroom remain neutral or risk violating this law," Walker said, per the Capital Sun.

The state's trigger ban on abortions, which went into effect in August, outlaws the procedure after conception, except in cases in which a pregnant person's life is in danger or in cases of rape or incest (that were reported to police), according to The Washington Post.

The university's memo, which noted that the "language of this statute is not a model of clarity," stated that university employees cannot give birth control to students.

"Since violation is considered a felony, we are advising a conservative approach here, that the university not provide standard birth control itself," the memo said, per the Capital Sun.

Read the original article on Insider
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday dodged questions about whether the U.S. would defend Taiwan against an invasion from China.

In accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act, you know, we were committed to helping Taiwan develop the capability to defend itself and that work has gone on over time, Austin told CNNs Fareed Zakaria on GPS.

President Biden last month in a 60 Minutes interview said the U.S. military would take action to defend Taiwan against an unprecedented attack, a position that takes a step further than the U.S. is obligated under current policy.

The 1979 policy committed the U.S. to helping provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, but didnt commit troops. Bidens recent interviews, though, have suggested that the U.S. would intervene in a potential invasion from China, which claims the self-governed island as its own.

Pressed on the discrepancy, Austin said the American military is always prepared to protect our interests and live up to our commitments but didnt confirm whether the U.S. was specifically prepared to intervene in a China-Taiwan spat.

I think the president was clear in providing his answers as he responded to a hypothetical question, but, again, we continue to work to make sure that we have the right capabilities in the right places to ensure that we help our allies maintain a free and open Indo Pacific, Austin said.

Tensions further heightened earlier this year when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) added Taiwan to her congressional delegation tour of Asia. China was vocal about its upset over the visit and appeared to retaliate against the island.

The defense secretary on Sunday said he didnt see an imminent invasion on the horizon, but noted that China appears to be trying to establish a new normal by increasing its presence in the air space and waters around the Taiwan Strait.

The U.S. has maintained a stance of strategic ambiguity with regard to China and Taiwan, maintaining the Taiwan Relations Act but also accepting the One China policy, under which Taiwan isnt recognized as a state separate from China.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday met in Istanbul with the Turkish presidents chief adviser to discuss ongoing efforts to add Finland and Sweden to NATO, according to a White House statement.

Sullivan talked with Ibrahim Kalin, the spokesperson and chief adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, about the ongoing war in Ukraine and international efforts to aid the country against Russian attacks.

According to a White House statement, Turkey condemned Russias moves last week to annex occupied Ukrainian territory, and the two officials discussed progress on NATO accession for Finland and Sweden.

Finland and Sweden both applied to join NATO in the wake of Russias invasion of Ukraine, following a shift in public opinion in favor of joining the military alliance in the face of Russian aggression.

But Turkey initially pushed back against the potential additions. A NATO member, Turkey has maintained what Erdogan called a balanced foreign policy with regard to Russia and Ukraine.

Although Turkey agreed to lift its veto of Finland and Swedens accession in June, Ankara has since said the countries are not fulfilling their end of the deal to ensure mutual security.

As of late September, just two countries are yet to ratify the NATO expansion: Turkey and Hungary, according to a tracker from the Atlantic Council.

A unanimous vote from all 30 countries in the NATO alliance is needed to advance Finland and Sweden to membership.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan told a top Ukrainian official on Sunday that any individual or entity who supports Russias annexation of regions in eastern and southern Ukraine will face severe consequences.

Sullivan met Andriy Yermak, head of the office of Ukraines president, in Istanbul on Sunday, according to a statement from the White House, two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the annexation of four regions in eastern and southern Ukraine.

Mr. Sullivan underscored the United States steadfast support for Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity. He conveyed that the United States and its allies and partners will not be deterred by Russias flagrant violations of international law, including the United Nations Charter, and will impose severe costs on any individual, entity, or country that provides support to Russias purported annexation, the statement said.

Russias annexation came eight months into the war and was announced despite Ukraine making significant gains in some of the territories Russia now claims. The U.S. has said it will never recognize any of the areas as being Russian territory, and Ukraine has looked to use the declaration to rally international support to defeat Russia.

The White House added that Sullivan and Yermak also discussed the ongoing situation at Ukraines Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which remains occupied by Russian forces, and United Nations-brokered efforts to export food from Ukraines ports.

Mr. Sullivan emphasized the United States is committed to supporting the Ukrainian people as they defend their sovereignty and democracy, including via the $12 billion in additional assistance that President Biden recently signed into law, the statement added.

In response to Russias annexation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced last week that his country will file an expedited application to join NATO, arguing that it is already a de facto ally of countries in the alliance.

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We are de facto allies. This has already been achieved. De facto, we have already completed our path to NATO, Zelensky said in his statement. We trust each other, we help each other and we protect each other. This is what the Alliance is. De facto.

However, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Sunday declined to commit to fast-tracking Ukraines application to join the alliance, saying that any decision on membership has to be taken by consensus.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
WASHINGTON  In a rare softening of hostile relations, Venezuela has freed seven imprisoned Americans in exchange for the United States releasing two nephews of President Nicolas Maduros wife who had been jailed for years on drug smuggling conspiracy convictions, the White House said Saturday.

The swap of the Americans, including five oil executives held for nearly five years, follows months of back channel diplomacy by Washingtons top hostage negotiator and other U.S. officials  secretive talks with a major oil producer that took on greater urgency after sanctions on Russia put pressure on global energy prices.

The deal amounts to an unusual gesture of goodwill by Maduro as the socialist leader looks to rebuild relations with the U.S. after vanquishing most of his domestic opponents.

I cant believe it, Cristina Vadell, the daughter of Tomeu Vadell, one of the freed Americans, said when contacted by The Associated Press on Saturday. Holding back tears of joy on her 31st birthday, she said: This is the best birthday present ever. Im just so happy.

A senior Biden administration official said the U.S. and Venezuela had explored a range of options, but that it became clear that one particular step  the release of the two Maduro family members  was essential in getting a deal done. The official said the deal required a painful decision but the administration's willingness to make it showed its commitment to bringing home American citizens held abroad.

The administration in the last six months has struck similar deals with Russia and more recently the Taliban. But the official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the administration, said it remains extraordinarily rare that a choice like this is made.

The transfer took place Saturday in an unspecified country between the U.S. and Venezuela after the men in the deal arrived from their respective locations in separate planes, the Biden administration said.

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These individuals will soon be reunited with their families and back in the arms of their loved ones where they belong, President Joe Biden said in a statement. Today, after years of being wrongfully detained in Venezuela, we are bringing home the seven men, whom the president cited by name. We celebrate that seven families will be whole once more.

Maduros government said in a statement that it was releasing the American citizens as a humanitarian gesture. It praised the diplomacy that resulted in the freeing of the two unjustly imprisoned Venezuelans imprisoned in the United States and said it hopes for the preservation of peace and harmony with all the nations of our region and the world.

Those freed include five employees of Houston-based Citgo  Vadell, Jose Luis Zambrano, Alirio Zambrano, Jorge Toledo and Jose Pereira  who were lured to Venezuela right before Thanksgiving in 2017 to attend a meeting at the headquarters of the company's parent, state-run-oil giant PDVSA. Once there, they were hauled away by masked security agents who busted into a Caracas conference room.

Also released was Matthew Heath, a former U.S. Marine corporal from Tennessee who was arrested in 2020 at a roadblock in Venezuela on what the State Department has called specious weapons charges, and Florida man, Osman Khan, who was arrested in January.

The United States freed Franqui Flores and his cousin Efrain Campo, nephews of First Combatant Cilia Flores, as Maduro has called his wife. The men were arrested in Haiti in a Drug Enforcement Administration sting in 2015 and immediately taken to New York to face trial. They were convicted the following year of conspiring to smuggle cocaine into the U.S., a highly charged case that cast a hard look at U.S. accusations of drug trafficking at the highest levels of Maduros administration.

Both men were granted clemency by Biden before the release.

The Biden administration has been under pressure to do more to bring home the roughly 60 Americans it believes are held hostage abroad or wrongfully detained by hostile foreign governments. While much of the focus is on Russia, where the U.S. has so far tried unsuccessfully to secure the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American, Paul Whelan, Venezuela has been holding the largest contingent of Americans suspected of being used as bargaining chips.

At least four other Americans remain detained in Venezuela, including two former Green Berets involved in a slapdash attempt to oust Maduro in 2019, and two men who, like Khan, were detained for allegedly entering the country illegally from neighboring Colombia.

To all the families who are still suffering and separated from their loved ones who are wrongfully detained  know that we remain dedicated to securing their release, Biden said in his statement.

The administration also pointed to an executive order from this summer that sought to impose new costs on countries that jail Americans without proper cause, as well a new warning indicator designed to caution U.S. citizens against traveling to countries  like Venezuela  that have a pattern of wrongful detentions.

The administration did not release another prisoner long sought by Maduro: Alex Saab, an insider businessman who Venezuela considers a diplomat and U.S. prosecutors a corrupt regime enabler. Saab fought extradition from Cape Verde, where he was arrested last year during a stopover en route to Iran, and is now awaiting trial in Miami federal court on charges of siphoning off millions in state contracts.

The oil executives were convicted of embezzlement last year in a trial marred by delays and irregularities. They were sentenced to between eight years and 13 years in prison for a never-executed proposal to refinance billions in the oil companys bonds. Maduro at the time accused them of treason, and Venezuelas supreme court upheld their long sentences earlier this year.

The men have all pleaded not guilty and the State Department has regarded them  and the two other Americans freed on Saturday  as wrongfully detained.

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: 7 jailed Americans released by Venezuela; US frees 2 prisoners
San Francisco has renamed a street for Vicha Ratanapakdee, an 84-year-old Thai immigrant whose death in an unprovoked attack in 2021 brought attention to anti-Asian hate.

City officials unveiled the new change at the weekend, changing Sonora Lane to Vicha Ratanapakdee Lane.

It is my hope, our hope that the Vicha Ratanapakdee Way reminds future generations that violence against our Asian community, especially the elders, has no more place in our society, Ratanapakdees daughter Monthanus told CNN . We want everyone to come together, gather together and inspire leaders to stop Asian hate.

In January of 2021, a man ran across the street in the Anza Vista neighbourhood and brutally shoved Ratanapakdee to the ground. The 84-year-old, who had immigrated to the US years before to help care for his grandsons, never regained consciousness after the attack.

A 19-year-old has been charged with murder and elder abuse for the attack, and has pleaded not guilty. Family members and activists criticised San Francisco officials like former District Attorney Chesa Boudin for not prosecuting the attack as a hate crime, and for the more than a year between the violent confrontation and court proceedings.

"Five hundred days" was the rallying cry in SF from family and friends of 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee, or "Grandpa Vicha," whose was killed in January 2021. The suspect, 19-year-old Antoine Watson, was in court Tuesday. https://t.co/KoJULuHcyU pic.twitter.com/oVlkWwJPdS  NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) June 14, 2022

According to research from Pe w, a majority of Asian-Americans in the US feel violence against them is getting worse, with more than a third changing their daily routine to avoid potential threats.

Attacks against AAPI Americans were up 339 per cent last year compared with 2020, according to a study by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism , part of an overall 11 per cent increase in suspected hate crimes across the country.

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Those targeted varied from city to city, with Black Americans still the most targeted group in most cities, while in places like New York, Jewish people reported the most incidents, and in Chicago crimes against gay men topped the list of suspected hate incidents.

John C Yang, president of civil rights group Asian Americans Advancing Justice, said at the time the data underscored the need for solidarity across different groups in the US to root out identity-based hatred.
WASHINGTON  For the first time since the Cuban missile crisis in October 1962, top government leaders in Moscow are making explicit nuclear threats and officials in Washington are gaming out scenarios should President Vladimir Putin decide to use a tactical nuclear weapon to make up for the failings of Russian troops in Ukraine.

In a speech Friday, Putin raised the prospect anew, calling the United States and NATO enemies seeking Russias collapse and declaring again that he would use all available means to defend Russian territory  which he has now declared includes four provinces of eastern Ukraine.

Putin reminded the world of President Harry S. Trumans decision to drop atomic weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, 77 years ago, adding, By the way, they created a precedent. On Saturday, the strongman leader of the southern Russian republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, said Putin should consider using low-yield nuclear weapons in Ukraine, becoming the first prominent Russian official to openly call for such a strike.

Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times

Senior U.S. officials say they think the chances that Putin would employ a nuclear weapon remain low. They say they have seen no evidence that he is moving any of his nuclear assets, and a recent Pentagon analysis suggests the military benefits would be few. And the cost for Putin  in a furious international response, perhaps even from the Chinese, whose support he needs most  could be tremendous.

But they are far more worried about the possibility now than they were at the beginning of the Ukraine conflict in February. After a series of humiliating retreats, astoundingly high casualty rates and a deeply unpopular move to draft young Russian men into service, Putin clearly sees the threat of his nuclear arsenal as a way to instill fear, and perhaps to recover some respect for Russias power.

Most important, he may see the threat of unleashing part of his stockpile of roughly 2,000 so-called tactical nuclear weapons as a way to extort concessions that he has been unable to win on the battlefield. Such weapons involve much smaller, less-powerful warheads than those used in intercontinental missiles, which can destroy whole cities. Some tactical nuclear warheads are small enough to fit in individual artillery rounds, although they can still devastate and irradiate a few blocks, or a single military base.

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Some Russian military analysts have suggested exploding a tactical weapon over a remote place like the Black Sea as a demonstration, or perhaps actually using one against a Ukrainian base.

This is not a bluff, Putin said last month, a reminder that making first use of nuclear weapons is an integral part of Russian military strategy. Last weekend, President Joe Bidens national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, responded that any nuclear weapon use would result in catastrophic consequences for Russia, adding that in private communications with Moscow, the United States had spelled out how America and the world would react.

Such threats and counterthreats, seemingly right out of the worst moments of the Cold War, are exactly the kind that most Americans and Russians thought ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union.

For a quarter-century, both sides celebrated a reduction in their strategic weapons, the intercontinental ballistic missiles that can reach across oceans. Congress spent billions of dollars in the 1990s on programs that paid for dismantling old Soviet warheads and blending them down into fuel for nuclear power plants. For years, American homes were lit, in part, with the remnants of city-busting bombs. When nuclear threats were made, it was mostly by aspiring atomic powers, like North Korea, which has not yet demonstrated that its weapons can reach American shores.

But in the past seven months, that has changed.

In issuing his warning to Russia last week, Sullivan declined to describe the playbook of U.S. or NATO responses, knowing that one key to Cold War deterrence was some degree of ambiguity.

But in background conversations, a range of officials suggested that if Russia detonated a tactical nuclear weapon on Ukrainian soil, the options included unplugging Russia from the world economy or some kind of military response  although one that would most likely be delivered by the Ukrainians with Western-provided, conventional weapons.

For their part, Russian analysts and officials see the specter of nuclear conflict as giving a distinct advantage to their side.

Because the outcome of the war in Ukraine is of existential significance to the Kremlin, but not to the White House, they say, Russian officials seem to believe they would have the advantage in the test of wills that nuclear brinkmanship represents.

Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president and the hawkish vice chair of Putins Security Council, laid out that thesis this past week in a post on the Telegram social network. If Russia were forced to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine, he argued, it was unlikely that NATO would intervene militarily because of the risk that a direct attack on Russia could lead to all-out nuclear war.

Overseas and European demagogues are not going to perish in a nuclear apocalypse, he wrote. Therefore, they will swallow the use of any weapon in the current conflict.

As the full extent of Ukraines gains in its September counteroffensive became apparent, the Biden administration intensified its study of the steps that Putin might take to reverse the perception that the Russian army was losing the war. Administration officials quickly saw some of their predictions come true, as Putin announced a mobilization of military reserves despite the dissent it provoked.

Now, with the annexation of Ukrainian territory, worry is rising in Washington. Should Ukraine be able to build on its success, and Putin face humiliating defeat, U.S. officials are concerned he might quickly push through the remaining steps and consider the use of a nuclear weapon.

And with Russian forces retreating from the strategic railroad hub of Lyman  in territory annexed by Moscow on Friday  Russia continues to lose ground in eastern Ukraine.

Putin clearly sees Russias nuclear arsenal as the foundation of what remains of Russias great power status.

He has trumpeted its world-destroying potential in his state-of-the-nation speeches and has insisted that in the event of a nuclear war, we would go to paradise as martyrs, while they would simply perish.

The revelation of the Ukraine conflict  that Russias conventional forces were poorly trained, unimaginative and ill-equipped  has made Putin all the more dependent on his unconventional weapons, an inherently unstable balance of forces.

Were in a situation in which superiority in resources and conventional weaponry is on the side of the West, said Vasily Kashin, who specializes in military and political issues at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow. Russias power is based on its nuclear arsenal.

The problem for Putin is how to wring real-world advantage from the destructive force of Russias nuclear warheads without actually using them. To some degree, he has been successful. Bidens reluctance to put U.S. or NATO troops into direct combat roles, or to provide Ukraine with weapons that could strike deep inside Russia, is rooted in concern about nuclear escalation.

But Putin also faces constraints. His threat to use nuclear weapons must seem credible, and the repeated incantation of nuclear threats can undermine their effectiveness. The threat may be more effective than actually using a weapon because the cost to Russia of breaking a 77-year taboo could be astronomically high. Most experts think he would reach for them only if Russia  or Putin himself  felt an existential threat.

The chance that Putin would strike out of the blue seems very low, said Graham T. Allison, the author of a seminal 1971 book about the Cuban missile crisis, Essence of Decision. But as Kennedy said back then, the plausible scenario is if a leader is forced to choose between a catastrophic humiliation and a roll of the dice that might yield success.

Allison suspects Putin will not face that choice unless Ukraine succeeds in pushing Russia out of the areas Putin annexed Friday.

For that reason, the next few weeks could prove a particularly dangerous time, a range of U.S. and European officials agree. But Putin is not likely to use a nuclear weapon immediately. His initial steps, according to the officials, would probably involve a sabotage campaign in Europe, attacking Ukraines energy infrastructure or targeting senior officials in Kyiv, Ukraines capital. Some officials wonder if the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines may have been a first step  although it is not clear Russia was behind that sabotage.

But by escalating his nuclear threats in combination with the annexation, Putin appears to have two goals in mind. One is to scare the United States and NATO from direct intervention in Ukraine. The second is to force the West to back off supporting Ukraine at all, or to perhaps force the Ukrainians to the negotiating table in a disadvantageous position.

In Russia, the airwaves are filled with threats that constantly refer to Moscows nuclear options.

In a recent state television interview, foreign policy analyst Dmitri Trenin said that Russia needed to convince Washington that escalation could lead to nuclear strikes against the American mainland.

The American strategy of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia is based on the belief that Russia will not use nuclear weapons: Either it will be afraid, or it will consider that the destruction of civilization is still too high a price for maintaining its position, Trenin said. And here, in my opinion, lies a potentially fatal miscalculation for all of humanity.

But the threshold at which Putin would resort to nuclear weapons  or how he would use them  is far from clear. Another analyst, Ivan Timofeev, said in a phone interview that he believed that Putin would use them only in the event of direct NATO intervention in Ukraine.

Using them against Ukrainian forces in the context of the current war would bring limited military advantage while deepening Russias international isolation, he said.

I dont see the possibility that China or India or any other country friendly to Russia would support such a decision, said Timofeev, the program director for the Russian International Affairs Council, a research organization close to the Russian government. If you look at interests pragmatically and rationally, this scenario is not beneficial to Russia.

Kashin, the Higher School of Economics professor, said that his analysis of recent statements by Russian officials led him to conclude that Putins annexation Friday was a signal that further major gains by Ukraine could lead to nuclear use.

These territories will not be given up, Kashin said.

Putins veiled threats about using nuclear weapons have suggested he has also given thought to large-scale, game-changing strikes. He said last year that anyone threatening Russias core interests would face an asymmetric, swift and tough response. And in June, he was vague when asked how he would respond if Ukraine and the West crossed certain red lines in the war.

But Putin warned that Russia could target decision-making centers, a broad term that analysts have interpreted as major government buildings and other military and political hubs.

With regard to the red lines, he said, let me keep this to myself because on our part, it will include fairly tough actions targeted at the decision-making centers.

 2022 The New York Times Company
Millions of Americans across the Plains and Midwest are seeing a dramatic change as temperatures have plunged by 30 degrees in many areas.

The FOX Forecast Center says the chilly temperatures will also push into the Northeast over the weekend, reminding people that winter is right around the corner. The dramatic temperature change is all due to a potent cold front sweeping across the region.

"We've been talking all week long about the fact that this was going to be a big temperature swing," FOX Weather Meteorologist Jason Frazer said. "So, hopefully, you had a chance to take out that coat because you are definitely going to need it."

HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER ON TV

Freeze Warnings were in effect Friday morning throughout the Dakotas and northern Nebraska. People in these areas woke up to temperatures as cold as the mid-20s.

More than 17 million Americans could see their first widespread freeze of the year Saturday morning from the Midwest to the Ohio Valley and even parts of the Northeast, particularly north and west of the Interstate 95 corridor.

HERE'S WHEN TO EXPECT THE FIRST FREEZE OF THE SEASON

Some lake-effect snow showers are even possible Friday in the upper Great Lakes region, and while many people may be thinking it's still a little early for the risk of snow, it's not uncommon for that region to see its first snow in October .

In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the first snow showers of the 2022-23 season have been occurring at the National Weather Service office in Marquette since Thursday evening.

In an average year, areas of the Midwest and Plains from Michigan and northern Ohio into the Dakotas, northern Kansas and the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles can see their first snow before the end of October.

WHEN CAN YOU EXPECT THE FIRST SNOW OF THE SEASON?

It's a much different story in the West, where well-above-average temperatures are favored into the middle of October. In fact, earlier this week, Seattle experienced a three-day stretch with high temperatures of 75 degrees or warmer  a first for the month of October.

Story continues

Below-average temperatures will extend from the Plains to western New York on Friday as highs struggle to get out of the 50s to near 60 degrees.

While unlikely, it's not out of the question that the first 30s could appear Sunday morning as far east as the Interstate 95 corridor, but these temperatures are most likely across the Ohio Valley.

Highs will struggle to get out of the 50s this weekend in the Northeast, even with minimal clouds and plenty of sun, thanks to the influence of a strong high-pressure system that will build in behind the cold front.

These cooler temperatures will be so widespread that more than 175 million Americans, or roughly half of the country, are forecast to see below-average highs on Saturday.

Computer forecast models are indicating this cooler pattern will stick around into next week along the East Coast, and the FOX Forecast Center expects highs to remain below average, especially across the mid-Atlantic states.
There's no doubt that money can be made by owning shares of unprofitable businesses. For example, biotech and mining exploration companies often lose money for years before finding success with a new treatment or mineral discovery. But while history lauds those rare successes, those that fail are often forgotten; who remembers Pets.com?

Given this risk, we thought we'd take a look at whether Alligator Energy (ASX:AGE) shareholders should be worried about its cash burn. For the purposes of this article, cash burn is the annual rate at which an unprofitable company spends cash to fund its growth; its negative free cash flow. The first step is to compare its cash burn with its cash reserves, to give us its 'cash runway'.

View our latest analysis for Alligator Energy

Does Alligator Energy Have A Long Cash Runway?

You can calculate a company's cash runway by dividing the amount of cash it has by the rate at which it is spending that cash. In June 2022, Alligator Energy had AU$27m in cash, and was debt-free. In the last year, its cash burn was AU$4.6m. So it had a cash runway of about 5.9 years from June 2022. Even though this is but one measure of the company's cash burn, the thought of such a long cash runway warms our bellies in a comforting way. However, if we extrapolate the company's recent cash burn trend, then it would have a longer cash run way. Depicted below, you can see how its cash holdings have changed over time.

How Is Alligator Energy's Cash Burn Changing Over Time?

While Alligator Energy did record statutory revenue of AU$32k over the last year, it didn't have any revenue from operations. To us, that makes it a pre-revenue company, so we'll look to its cash burn trajectory as an assessment of its cash burn situation. Its cash burn positively exploded in the last year, up 225%. That kind of sharp increase in spending may pay off, but is generally considered quite risky. Admittedly, we're a bit cautious of Alligator Energy due to its lack of significant operating revenues. We prefer most of the stocks on this list of stocks that analysts expect to grow.

How Hard Would It Be For Alligator Energy To Raise More Cash For Growth?

While Alligator Energy does have a solid cash runway, its cash burn trajectory may have some shareholders thinking ahead to when the company may need to raise more cash. Issuing new shares, or taking on debt, are the most common ways for a listed company to raise more money for its business. One of the main advantages held by publicly listed companies is that they can sell shares to investors to raise cash and fund growth. By comparing a company's annual cash burn to its total market capitalisation, we can estimate roughly how many shares it would have to issue in order to run the company for another year (at the same burn rate).

Since it has a market capitalisation of AU$185m, Alligator Energy's AU$4.6m in cash burn equates to about 2.5% of its market value. So it could almost certainly just borrow a little to fund another year's growth, or else easily raise the cash by issuing a few shares.

So, Should We Worry About Alligator Energy's Cash Burn?

It may already be apparent to you that we're relatively comfortable with the way Alligator Energy is burning through its cash. For example, we think its cash runway suggests that the company is on a good path. While we must concede that its increasing cash burn is a bit worrying, the other factors mentioned in this article provide great comfort when it comes to the cash burn. Looking at all the measures in this article, together, we're not worried about its rate of cash burn; the company seems well on top of its medium-term spending needs. Separately, we looked at different risks affecting the company and spotted 4 warning signs for Alligator Energy (of which 1 shouldn't be ignored!) you should know about.

If you would prefer to check out another company with better fundamentals, then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt or this list of stocks which are all forecast to grow.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine's presidential office, in Istanbul on Sunday and pledged Washington's steadfast support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the White House said.

The two discussed the situation at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant and Ukraine's continued work with the United Nations to export food to the world, Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the White House's National Security Council, said in a statement.

Yermak spoke of the meeting on Telegram, where he said he valued the military support from the United States and said the two sides discussed further security assistance.

Yermak said he noted "the Kremlin's decision to recognise the referendums carried out in the temporarily occupied regions requires an immediate and appropriate reaction from the world community."

(Reporting by Rami Ayyub; Editing by Sandra Maler and Daniel Wallis)
gavel

A Willcox man was sentenced to more than 25 months in prison for threatening the life of a Social Security judge, according to a press release from the Arizona District Attorney's Office.

The press release stated that Jeffery Daniel Gladney, 55, left multiple messages on the voicemail of his attorney's office threatening to assault and kill the United States Social Security Administration Law judge assigned to his case during the early summer of 2020.

In the voicemails, Gladney demanded his benefits to be approved immediately and instructed the legal assistant to relay his messages to the judge, according to the press release.

Gladney was sentenced on Monday by United States District Judge John C. Hinderaker to serve more than 25 months in prison, the press release said. Gladney had previously pleaded guilty to charges of threatening to assault a federal employee on June 29, 2022.

The press release said that the Federal Protective Service of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security conducted the investigation and the prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam D. Rossi.

Reach breaking news reporter Vic Verbalaitis at vverbalaitis@gannett.com or on Twitter @VicVerb.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona man threatens Social Security judge; sentenced to 25 months
The heads of three health care unions sent a letter to the state Department of Public Health, claiming portions of Windham Hospital are closed and implying that nurses are being punished for going on strike.

By keeping units closed and census low at Windham, it allows Hartford HealthCare to cancel nurses shifts after those nurses went on a two-day unfair labor practice strike, said the letter.

At the same time, nurses at Backus [Hospital in Norwich] are being forced to work mandatory overtime with unsafe staffing ratios as the census surges. This harms nurses and patients alike, the letter claims.

The letter is signed by Sherri Dayton, president of Backus Federation of Nurses; Andrea Riley, president of Windham Federation of Professional Nurses; and Heather Howlett, president of WCMH United Employees. They are represented by the umbrella AFT union.

The letter is addressed to Barbara Cass, a registered nurse and the chief of the DPHs Health Care Quality & Safety Branch.

About 100 unionized Windham nurses went on strike for two days, Sept. 22 and 23, after working without a contract since December. They went back to work afterward.

Libby Marino, senior communications specialist at Windham Hospital, emailed a statement to The Courant:

Windham Hospital is aware of this complaint from the AFT union. These allegations are simply not true. Beds are available at the hospital, as well as the staff to care for patients. As always, protocols are in place to ensure that our patients get the right care, at the right time and at the right place. Safety is a core value for us at Windham Hospital, and its our top priority at all times.

DPH spokesman Chris Boyle, in a text, wrote The Department of Public Health is reviewing the concerns that union representatives have presented. Please note that throughout the nursing strike, the Department of Public Health deployed monitors from the Facility Licensing and Investigations Section to to ensure continuity of quality and safe patient care.

Story continues

The union leaders letter claims that one week after the strike ended, only one floor of the hospital is open.

The union presidents wrote that the lack of space at Windham is affecting nurses at Backus and the Plainfield Backus Emergency Care Center. Both Backus facilities also are in the Hartford HealthCare system.

Backus emergency departments usually admit some of its patients to Windham Hospital. Now patients are being held at Backus, and the EDs are overflowing. On September 27, there were seventy patients for thirty-three beds at the Norwich ED and twenty patients for twelve beds at the Plainfield ED, the letter states.

Riley, reached by phone on Saturday, said they need to give us a definitive reason why these units are closed.

What is going on? Why is this happening? Is this a retaliatory effort? she said. Our sister hospitals 30 minutes down the road are holding people in the ER. We have the nurses. We have the beds. We can take them. Why cant we do that? Weve never had an answer.

She said the nurses are concerned that demand at the hospital will increase soon with the arrival of flu and pneumonia season.

Susan Dunne can be reached at sdunne@courant.com.
At approximately 12:54 a.m., troopers from the New Hampshire State Police Troop A responded to a report of a crash on Interstate 95 involving a single car that had struck the Taylor River Bridge and landed in the water below.

HAMPTON  In the early morning hours of Saturday, Oct. 1, emergency crews were called for a single car accident that landed a woman and her car in the Taylor River.

At approximately 12:54 a.m., troopers from the New Hampshire State Police Troop A responded to a report of a crash on Interstate 95 involving a single car that had struck the Taylor River Bridge and landed in the water below.

On arrival, troopers located a 2015 Honda Pilot heavily damaged lying on its side and partially submerged in the river. They determined the Honda was traveling southbound when the car left the roadway and traveled into the median for an unknown reason.

More: Big development: 164 condos, restaurant pitched for Route 1 site in Hampton Falls

The car traveled through the median before striking the bridge and going airborne. The collision caused the vehicle to roll and land in on its passenger side.

The driver was extricated and transported to Portsmouth Regional Hospital for non-life threatening injuries. Police said she may have been saved from more serious injury because she was wearing her seatbelt at the time of the accident.

Three travel lanes of Interstate 95 traffic were closed for approximately two hours.

Troopers at the scene were assisted by Hampton Police, Seabrook Police, Hampton Fire, Seabrook Fire, New Hampshire Department of Transportation, and New England Truck Center.

On arrival, troopers located a 2015 Honda Pilot heavily damaged lying on its side and partially submerged in the river. They determined the Honda was traveling southbound when the car left the roadway and traveled into the median for an unknown reason.

All aspects of the crash remain under investigation by State Police.

State Police are requesting that anyone who may have witnessed the crash or the vehicle prior to the crash, contact the investigating trooper, Trooper Stephen Galvin by email at Stephen.M.Galvin@dos.nh.gov.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Woman hurt after car lands in river after veering off Route 95, Hampton, NH
Thousands of people marched in Paris on Sunday to condemn Iran's Islamic leadership in a giant show of solidarity with the protests that erupted there after the death in custody of young Mahsa Amini.

Following major rallies in key diaspora cities including Los Angeles and Toronto over the weekend, a vast stream of people walked from the French capital's traditional protest hub of Place de la Republique to Place de la Nation.

"Join the first feminist revolution!" and "Mahsa Amini -- your name has made the tyranny of the ayatollahs shake!" were among the slogans carried by the protesters as they braved sometimes pouring rain.

They chanted "death to the Islamic republic!", "death to the dictator", as well as "Woman. Life. Freedom", the three words that have become the main slogan of the protests in Iran.

They also sang along to "Baraye" ("For") which Iranian songwriter Shervin Hajipour put together using Twitter postings about the protests.

The song became a huge viral hit on Instagram, moving many to tears, but Hajipour has now been arrested in a symbol of the vehemence of the crackdown against the protests in Iran.

Despite that crackdown, which according to the Iran Human Rights (IHR) group has left 92 dead and severe cuts to the internet, protests are continuing daily in Iran.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Sunday again accused Iran's "enemies" of "conspiring" against the state and said their attempts had "failed", as the country's largest anti-government protests since 2019 showed no signs of abating.

The groundswell of popular unrest began after Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd arrested by the morality police for infringing Iran's strict dress code for women, was declared dead in custody on September 16.

- 'Iran has become one big prison' -

"For once, it is the women who have risen up and are being joined by the men. This is really the time to try to change things," said Guilda Torabi, a student of Iranian origin in Paris.

Story continues

"They go out to protest, but they get killed. We are lucky to be able to demonstrate and fight for them. So we will keep on coming," she said.

Toura Dana, a French-Iranian engineer, added: "Now we have become the voice of the Iranian people who are cut off. Now Iran has become one big prison."

Prominent figures of the French left -- including Socialist leader Olivier Faure, prominent Greens figure Sandrine Rousseau and far-left MEP Manon Aubry -- addressed the crowd.

But their speeches, especially Rousseau's, were marked by loud boos from many present, with the Iranian diaspora known globally for its diversity of political opinion.

Also present was French graphic book author Marjane Satrapi whose classic "Persepolis" tells the story of a girl growing up in post-revolutionary Iran and dealing with the obligatory hijab.

Protesters voiced anger that French President Emmanuel Macron had met Iranian counterpart Raisi in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly shortly after the death of Amini.

"The French government flirts with the mullahs while the mullahs kill women," read one slogan above an image of Macron shaking hands with Raisi.

sjw-imm/pvh
Hertz is facing dozens of claims in a lawsuit over wrongful arrests. Cindy Ord/Getty Images

A Hertz customer was arrested after being accused of stealing a rental car, a lawsuit stated.

Antwanette Hill is one of hundreds of people suing Hertz for wrongful arrests over "stolen" cars.

A father and his daughter faced armed police after the company reported their rental car as stolen.

A Hertz customer was accused of stealing a rental car despite booking and paying for the vehicle in an incident that has led to her being arrested a total of four times and being held in custody for days at a time, a lawsuit stated.

Antwanette Hill used her status as a platinum member of the Hertz Gold Club loyalty program to book and collect a car without checking in with a staff member at Atlanta airport in October 2018, according to the lawsuit filed in July and seen by Insider. She had rented at least 20 times with Hertz before then.

As she got in the car, an employee came up to her claiming she was stealing it. Hill told him she was a platinum member and to look for her reservation, but instead he called police who then arrested her.

Hill was arrested three more times between 2019 and 2021 for failure to appear in court over the incident because she was not notified about the court dates, according to the lawsuit, and spent about nine days in jail on each occasion. Her case is still pending; Hertz has declined to dismiss the case.

Hill was pregnant at the time of the fourth arrest in May 2021 and suffered a miscarriage while in jail. She was hospitalized for three days.

The lawsuit stated that "the loss of her child will haunt her for the rest of her life," and that she was struggling to find work as an optician due to the pending charges.

Hill is one of dozens of people participating in the class action against Hertz claiming they were wrongfully arrested due to false theft reports.

The lawsuit states that Hertz reported cars as stolen even when they had been legally rented or simply because they could not be located due to poor record keeping: "Hertz knows that its tracking and inventory control is broken, but reports the cars as stolen anyway."

Story continues

A lawyer involved with the class action, Francis Alexander Malofiy, said that Hertz failed to retract theft claims to avoid damaging its relationship with police.

A separate lawsuit filed in late September and seen by Insider focused on cars being reported as stolen before being given to customers. Malofiy is also involved with that legal action.

In one incident, Nicholas Wright and his 13-year-old daughter were swarmed by armed police 30 minutes after collecting an SUV in Savannah, Georgia, when a Hertz agent reported them for theft.

A Hertz manager arrived at the scene with a replacement car after Wright showed officers his rental agreement. His daughter is seeking therapy for the incident, the lawsuit stated.

"No company in America, no company in the world, uses the police as a taxpayer-funded repo service," Malofiy told Insider.

Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr acknowledged false arrests by the company in an interview with CNBC in March, reversing years of denials by the company, but said policies had been put in place to stop them happening.

Hertz filed for bankruptcy protection in May 2020. But Malofiy said the lawsuits showed arrests had continued after the company emerged from that process in July last year.

"What [Scherr] is saying is false, and he needs to be held accountable," Malofiy said.

A Hertz spokesperson told Insider in an emailed statement: "Hertz cares deeply about our customers, and we successfully provide rental vehicles for tens of millions of travelers each year.

"Where our customers have been negatively affected, we are committed to doing what is right by our customers. At the same time, we will protect and defend against false claims intended to cause our company harm."

If you have been affected by similar issues with Hertz, get in touch at rhogg@insider.com

Read the original article on Business Insider
Guinea pigs are being abandoned at many animal shelters. Getty Images

New York City Council members have backed a bill that would ban sales of guinea pigs.

Shelters have been inundated with pets bought during the pandemic that are now unwanted.

One shelter spent $20,000 on a guinea pig tower to store more, The New York Times reported.



New York City could ban pet stores from selling guinea because so many have been abandoned at animal shelters.

Sales of guinea pigs shot up at the height of the pandemic lockdown as people turned to buying pets to combat loneliness. But now animal shelters are struggling with the sheer number of guinea pigs being ditched.

New York's city council has proposed a bill that would ban stores from selling guinea pigs. A majority of council members have signed the bill introduced in February, but a hearing is yet to be scheduled.

Animal shelters have taken in about 600 guinea pigs this year  more than double the total for the whole of 2019, The City reported.

"COVID came and everybody was like, 'let's get a guinea pig because we're inside and we don't want to go outside,'" Juli Cialone, who runs the Rock n' Rescue shelter in Westchester, told The City.

"People just think they're cute and fluffy, [but] they scoot and they don't want to be touched. The challenge is people end up getting bored with them," she added.



One frustrated shelter founder begged a local farm store to stop selling chicks and ducklings as the number he has taken in his coops were now full, The New York Times reported.



"They think the pandemic is over, and they don't want to devote time to taking care of them anymore," Bill Crain told the newspaper.

Animal Care Centres of New York City, a shelter, told The Times that it had to buy a guinea pig tower at a cost of $20,000 to accommodate all its furry rodents.

The shelter's spokesperson, Katy Hansen, said many of its guinea pigs were less than three years old, meaning they were bought during the pandemic.

Guinea pigs are available at retailers including Petco and PetSmart for about $50 and are often impulse purchases, Hansen told The City.

Story continues

Animal Care Centers  (@NYCACC) September 28, 2022

Read the original article on Business Insider
In his new memoir "Stay True" (Doubleday), New Yorker writer Hua Hsu recalls his teen years as a time of overcoming great distances  both generational and global  one page at a time.

When I was a teenager, my father moved from our home in California to Taiwan for work. My mother and I stayed behind in the U.S. So, my family bought a pair of fax machines.

In theory, this was so my father could help me with my math homework. It was the early '90s and faxing was cheaper than long-distance calling, and more efficient. There were no awkward silences.

I was starting high school, and everything, like my grades and extracurricular activities, suddenly seemed consequential. Like many immigrants, my parents had faith in math  you couldn't discriminate against the right answer.

"I feel sorry that I cannot be around all the time to support you whenever you need."

I could always fax my father a question in the evening and expect an answer by the time I woke up. My homework requests were usually marked "Urgent."

/ Credit: Hua Hsu

He replied with equations and proofs  and comments he thought would interest me.

"This year's World Series was very exciting, wasn't it?"

/ Credit: Hua Hsu

We were like two strangers trading small talk at a hardware store.

"That's the dilemma of life: you have to find meaning, but by the same time, you have to accept the reality. What do you think?"

Through these makeshift dispatches, he tried so hard to parent, and relate. When Kurt Cobain, the lead singer of Nirvana, took his own life in 1994, my father wrote:

"We have to have emotion. That differentiate human being with machine, robot. But we also need to know how to control it."

/ Credit: Doubleday

But I was a teenager. It was the heyday of alternative culture, and I was desperate to be different  from my parents, and from everyone else around me. My father's faxes helped me grasp challenging mathematical concepts. Yet, there were questions neither he nor my mom could help me navigate.

"What I want to say is that we have to have ideal thinking to change the world to be better."

Story continues

Just as he was reacclimating himself to Taiwan, a place he had left decades prior, I was trying to find my way in the suburbs of Silicon Valley.

We managed to stay connected. But I was an American child, and I was restless, and I was searching for my people.

For more info:

"Stay True: A Memoir" by Hua Hsu (Doubleday), in Hardcover, Large Print Trade Paperback, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and IndieboundFollow Hua Hsu on Twitter and Instagram

Story produced by Mary Raffalli. Editor: George Pozderec.

Open: This is "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Oct. 2

Nature: Sanibel Island

New Yorker writer Hua Hsu on connecting family via fax
(Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday that Ukraine's forces have liberated the small settlements of Arkhanhelske and Myrolyubivka in the Kherson region.

Zelenskiy mentioned the two settlements when thanking in his nightly address specific units of Ukrainian forces for distinguishing themselves on the frontline.

Reuters was not able to immediately verify the reports.

Earlier in his address Zelenskiy said, without providing detail, that the success of Ukraine's forces is not limited to Lyman in the Donetsk region.

(Reporting by Oleksandr Kozhukhar; Writing in Melbourne by Lidia Kelly; editing by Diane Craft)
During his visit to Turkey, Andrii Yermak met with the managers of the Baykar company

Yermak also met with company heads Haluk and Selcuk Bayraktar. The sides discussed current and future cooperation projects, in particular regarding the production of UAVs on the territory of Ukraine.

Read also: Bayraktar drone manufacturer affirms commitment to Ukraine

The creation of a training center and a plant of the Baykar company on the territory of our country, as well as the joint production of promising aviation engines, will be the key element of enhancing the strategic partnership between Ukraine and Turkey, the Ukrainian official said.

In addition, pursuant to the instructions of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Yermak awarded Chairman of the Board of Directors and CTO of the Baykar company Selcuk Bayraktar with the Order of Merit, III degree.

We continue to enhance the defense capability of our state in close cooperation with our strategic partner  Turkey, Yermak added.

Read also: Kremlin threatens to destroy any future Bayraktar plant in Ukraine

Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Vasyl Bodnar said in August that the Baykar company had already bought a land plot in Ukraine and intends to implement the plant project by the end of the year.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Barnabus Chiponza, How Beautiful Is Night (1945)

A lost treasure trove of paintings from the 1940s are being exhibited in Zimbabwe for the first time in 70 years.

The exhibition features the works of students at Cyrene Mission near Bulawayo, including the one above by Barnabus Chiponza, entitled How Beautiful Is Night.

It was the first mission school to offer art as a subject to young black students at a time when the country was divided along racial lines under colonial rule.

Untitled artwork by Moses Johuma

The paintings toured Europe and the US from 1947 until 1953 and were then lost in storage at a church in London. In 1978 they were discovered and later bought by a private collector in the UK.

Now Zimbabweans are able to see The Stars Are Bright exhibition for themselves at the National Gallery in the capital, Harare.

Tree Flowers by William Nyati

Students were encouraged to paint through their own eyes, rather than to imitate European art, and to connect with their landscapes and reimagine local myths and Biblical narratives as they saw them.

It was a revolutionary concept at the time - when the country was called Southern Rhodesia, after British colonialist Cecil Rhodes, and was under the control of a white minority, with laws that discriminated against black people.

"These pictures speak of hope, they speak of life, they even speak of the future," said Voti Thebe, an expert in Cyrene Mission art.

"This was 40 years before the country's independence, and there was no segregation at Cyrene Mission."

The Death of Ananias & Sapphira by Samuel Songo

The students were encouraged to fill the whole canvas with broad brushwork and translate Western Christian themes into distinctive African imagery.

The painting above by Samuel Songo interprets the Bible story of Ananias and Saphira - a couple who died after lying to God when they claimed to have given all the money from the sale of some land to the church, when they had kept some of it for themselves.

Samuel Songo and Canon Paterson

Scottish clergyman Canon Ned Paterson established the Mission School at Cyrene in 1939.

He had studied art in London thanks to an army scholarship - and went on to include art in the curriculum at Cyrene from its inception.

Story continues

Many of the students had disabilities - above Paterson is pictured with Songo, a quadriplegic who went on to teach art for many years.

The Stars Are Bright

Cyrene Mission went on to produce many black artists, scholars, teachers and practitioners.

Students outside at the Cyrene Mission in Zimbabwe - archive shot

These included Adomech Moyo, who became the first African teacher of occupational therapy in southern Africa.

While William Mariwi became a highly praised artist of religious iconography and Richard Rachidi the first qualified black art teacher in his home country, Malawi.

Livingstone Sango painting the chapel murals at Cyrene Mission in the 1940s

Livingstone Sango, seen above painting a mural at Cyrene Mission in the 1940s, became a prominent taxidermist with the National Museum in Bulawayo.

Cyrene Mission Chapel in 2022

The chapel at Cyrene Mission near Bulawayo is still open, but undergoing some restoration.

Broadcaster Leander Kandiero, the son of artist Caxton Kandiero, said it was amazing to see the exhibition and explained how Cyrene Mission changed his father's life when he started there aged nine.

"He would get into trouble with his teacher because he liked to draw rather than write, so his parents sent him to Cyrene Mission, and he learnt taxidermy there as well as painting."

Murals at the Cyrene Mission Chapel, 2022

The outside wall of the chapel has images of black angels. "It's a very special place to go, you could spend the whole day there admiring the creativity of those young artists," said Mr Thebe.

Murals above the altar at the Cyrene Mission Chapel, 2022

Inside, above the altar, is a mural of a black Jesus - something that would have been considered hugely controversial by the white community in the 1940s.

Murals above the altar at the Cyrene Mission Chapel, 2022

To the right of the altar is Simon of Cyrene, who carried the cross of Jesus in the Biblical account.

"The works speak about Jesus, but through an African eye, and it's amazing art," said Kandiero.

The Lonely Man by Ananias Mjuru

Former student Stanley Musa Nyahwa once said: "Ned taught us to accept ourselves as we are, and other people as they are.

"He showed he was convinced on the value of human life. He had an air of reverence for the value of human life which made him, for us, a man apart."

Rhodesian Landscape by John Balopi

The painting above, by John Balopi, shows the Matobo Hills, a World Heritage Site near Bulawayo.

"Where people found hope and inspiration is what really stands out for me," said Kirsty Coventry, Zimbabwe's minister of art, at the exhibition's opening.

"While we have our different views and opinions and different ways of doing things, this shows that we have a uniqueness as Zimbabweans to make this country better."

Story of My Life by Basil Mazibuko

The exhibition runs until 31 October.

Images subject to copyright. The Stars Are Bright works photographed by Debbie Sears
City leaders and community members gathered at Point of Honor on Thursday to celebrate the wins of economic development and tourism and talked about whats to come in the future.

Marjette Upshur, director for the Office of Economic Development and Tourism (OEDT), said the collective focus in the Office of Economic Development and Tourism is to lead business retention, expansion and attraction efforts including tourism assets, entrepreneurship and marketing and promotion for the city.

OEDT released its annual report Thursday, which features a look at some of its work over the last year as well as economic development trends and data the city is seeing.

Highlights include the population increase in the city over the last five years. Lynchburgs population grew by 2,620 to 80,970 over the last five years  a 3.6% increase  and is projected to grow by 4,068 over the next five years for a 5% increase.

Additionally, domestic tourism to the city has recovered 120% from July 2019, and spending in local businesses such as lodging, shopping and dining has risen above pre-pandemic levels. The city also permitted special events in fiscal year 2022 creating $1.5 million in business sales.

Job openings are at a record high in the city of Lynchburg, Upshur said, with 5,222 total active job openings, but the citys labor participation rate is just 52.3%. Nursing is the number one in-demand skill.

More than 6,000 people work in the citys manufacturing sector  22% more than the national average. Upshur said manufacturing is changing and the sector has lost 460 jobs since 2016.

In 2018, OEDT released its 2019-2023 Blueprint for Opportunity, a strategic action plan focused on five key priorities: growing existing businesses, engaging anchor institutions, filling workforce pipelines, enhancing the quality of place and communicating Lynchburgs story to the world.

In 2020, the world changed, and we immediately reached out to all of you to determine what was most important in this difficult time, Upshur said Thursday. You all responded that you wanted clear and consistent communication from the city, support for local placemaking businesses that make LYH the authentic, vibrant city it is and position LYH for business investment and talent attraction. In early 2021, we incorporated this feedback and published the Blueprint Reset for Resilience. And last fall, we launched LYH Loves You  a campaign that is strategic and directed and inclusive to tell the world and sometimes remind ourselves that LYH has something for everyone. Whether you run a small business, employ hundreds of our citizens, visit for a weekend or call LYH home.

Anna Bentson, assistant director for OEDT said economic development is only as powerful as the story it tells, especially during a time when communities are battling head-to-head for talent and investment.

We worked with our stakeholders and a steering committee to launch LYH Loves You  a bold message of inclusivity that leverages the states iconic messaging and works to instill pride in a city leading into the future, she said.

The concept behind the campaign revolves around the citizens, businesses and organizations of Lynchburg and their stories, the business owners, the citizens who work every day to reveal the character of the city, inclusive nature of its people and outsized ambitions.

Bentson spoke on tourism, saying it drives spending in food and beverage, lodging, transportation, retail and recreation.

Tourism jobs in Lynchburg comprised 3,245 of local employment and $18.9 million in state and local tax revenues. As a result of efforts in fiscal year 2022, the city secured 60 groups and events across sports, meetings and conferences and group travel sectors to bring in an estimated economic impact of $10.94 million.

OEDT assists property owners in the assessment of sites and redevelopment planning to see greater employment opportunities and reduce environmental threat, she said.

Were a very old and built city, she said. And I really want to say that Lynchburg has come through the pandemic as weve come through recessions. We have really, really come through this strong, but the truth is, there are going to be businesses that make other decisions and all of that is part of the cycle and the process. So we want to make sure that if somebody makes a decision to relocate, to consolidate, we have something standing ready to put in their place.

New Deputy City Manager Greg Patrick said it is the citys responsibility to create an environment in which citizens can succeed and thrive.

But it is up to you guys to develop your businesses and create a culture where you attract talent to the city of Lynchburg, he said. And it is up to you to really develop the city into what it is right now. Lynchburg is a city of incredible momentum. It is a great place to be. It is a place where we can share success together. And because of all of your hard work, its enabled the city to attract a great folks and really thrive and succeed. Lets work together to make Lynchburg the best destination for talent and business in the state of Virginia.
A nonprofit that gathers food for those in need is gearing up for its busiest time of the year, and it's looking for more volunteers.

The Society of St. Andrew began in 1978, when two United Methodist ministers, Ken Horne and Ray Buchanan, were looking for a simpler way of living and were trying to model a lifestyle of Christian responsibility for the land.

Out of this period of prayer, a plan for an intentional Christian community dedicated to helping resolve the problem of world hunger was developed.

According to the organizations website, from 1979 to 1982, the Horne and Buchanan families shared all things in common as they modeled a simple lifestyle that rejected consumerism. They grew their own vegetables and raised sheep, chickens, and rabbits. At the same time, Horne and Buchanan led workshops on responsible lifestyles and hunger issues.

In the early 1980s, the nonprofit started its Potato and Produce Project, which encouraged farmers to donate their leftovers that otherwise would have ended up in the landfill. Since then, more than 800 million pounds of food have been distributed to Americas hungry.

Gleaning basically means leftovers are collected, said Sarah Ramey, Big Island-based gleaning director at the Society of St. Andrew, but those leftovers are still nourishing and nutritious.

Sometimes we get produce that maybe there's not a market for, or we might have some apples that a farmer can't sell for some reason or another. Sometimes the fruit is damaged; it might have a small mark on it or a little scar. But it's just within the skin, so it doesn't affect the fruit, so it's still very good.

In 1985, the Society of St. Andrew launched Harvest of Hope, a gleaning and study camp for youth.

Ramey said these are weekend and weeklong events that invite students to study hunger.

They study food waste and they do some gleaning and are able to donate that to hunger relief agencies, she said.

As more and more people became exposed to gleaning, they wanted to introduce it to their own churches. As a result, the Gleaning Network was established in Virginia in 1988.

Ramey said this work continues today with the help of hunger agency relief partners such as the Lynchburg Daily Bread, The Salvation Army and Gate Ministries.

The Society of St. Andrew brings people together to harvest and share healthy food, reduce food waste, and build caring communities by offering nourishment to hungry neighbors.

Though it has locations in Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Indiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida, the organization is headquartered locally in Big Island on Sweet Hollow Road and has a staff of 13 people.

Last year, the nonprofit collected more than 2 million pounds of food with the help of 5,000 volunteers nationwide.

Ramey said the nonprofit relies mostly on volunteers to glean throughout the year, but the busiest time is during the fall in which apples, corn, winter squash and turnips are collected to be donated.

In the spring, volunteers glean strawberries, cherries, peaches, nectarines, watermelons and microgreens. The nonprofit partners with both the Lynchburg Community Market and the Forest Farmers Market to glean leftovers after both markets have ended on Saturdays.

Volunteers work frequently at Johnsons Orchard in Bedford County to glean apples every weekend until the end of October.

And sometimes whats gleaned on a given day is on somebody's plate by the evening meal, Ramey said.

Danny Johnson, owner of Johnsons Orchard, said the farm has partnered with Society of St. Andrew since the 1970s and invites volunteers to go out into the orchard and pick up apples that have fallen to the ground. Depending on the year, volunteers are able to gather between 20% and 30% of the crop.

He said its been a great partnership because before the nonprofit came, the apples would just lay on the ground and go to waste.

We spend a lot of money of bringing that crop in and its a shame ... it kills me to let it go to waste, Johnson said. Id rather see it go to the hungry. I see a lot of people who are hungry and theres more people going hungry all the time and they need to be fed and thats what Society of St. Andrew does is feed them.
A showdown is coming between Donald Trump and the Force of the Rule of Law.

On one side, the American system of justice is closing in on Trump from all sides, uncovering a widespread pattern of crimes committed by Trump:

the state of New York with its civil suit over Trumps years-long financial cheating;

the Department of Justice, and the District Attorney of Fulton County Georgia, exposing a series of Trumps crimes attempting to overturn a legitimate election;

and the DOJs investigation of Trumps theft of highly sensitive national security documents.

Any attentive citizen  not willfully blind  has witnessed abundant evidence of Trumps almost habitual criminality, including crimes threatening the American constitutional order and endangering American national security.

The law would hold anyone else whod done what Trump has done accountable.

But Trump  never one to accept defeat  is also moving toward the showdown, openly threatening violence against the forces of the Rule of Law as they move to hold him accountable under the law.

As the Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol showed  as well as that recent QAnon rally in Ohio, with Trump and a crowd with arms upraised in what everyone shuddered to recognize as reminiscent of a Nazi salute  Trumps threat of violence cannot be dismissed.

Some, taking that threat seriously, suggest that perhaps the prosecution of Trump is not worth the risk of such civil strife.

Yielding to such intimidation, however, would be a historic blunder.

For many, the desire to see Trump held accountable grows out of their understandable frustration over Trumps getting away with so much for so long. And indeed, Trump has shown a brilliance amounting to genius at maneuvering on the wrong side of the law, the Constitution, and simple norms of human decency and not only surviving, but rising in status and power. (Genius  because probably no one else could have gotten away with all Trump did as president.)

To be sure, the sight of such impunity is deeply offensive. But the fundamental stakes in this showdown are much bigger than Trump.

Whats at stake is a most basic part of the constitutional system that defines America  the principle that No one is above the law.

A confluence of circumstances are here more profoundly threatening that principle than ever in our history:

The case of Trump, a former president, is in the brightest of spotlights;

Overwhelming evidence of Trumps criminality has been shown to the whole nation;

And Trump is so blatantly attempting to defeat the Rule of Law.

Were Trump to prevail in this showdown, therefore, a crucial part of Americas historic self-definition would be lost.

Yes, Trump and his supporters might violently attack the Forces of the Rule of Law. But these are precisely the kinds of stakes  the protection of the fundamental elements of our constitutional order  that Americans have always been willing to fight, and endure sacrifices, to protect. (We fought both world wars in the name of such principles.)

And this showdown  over whether Trump will be compelled to submit to the Rule of Law  must be understood as part of a broader and deeper conflict in todays America: the battle to preserve American democracy against an unprecedented assault by the forces of fascism.

Seen as part of that larger battle, this confrontation  over whether Trump will be held accountable  is clearly one from which the Forces of the Rule of Law should not shrink: it offers an ideal battlefield, a winner whether the peace is maintained or not.

If the Trump side maintains the peace as Trump is indicted, prosecuted, and likely sentenced, the Forces of the Rule of Law will have strengthened that vital American principle  that No one is above the law.

If the army Trump is openly raising does choose violence, that too will be a winner in that wider struggle of lawful democracy against lawless fascism. A winner because Americans do not like political violence, and any political cause that resorts to violence discredits itself in their eyes.

The great majority of Americans, rejecting the side of violence, will turn to the Forces of the Rule of Law to protect their security and our social order. And in America, what the great majority rejects (which would be the lawless, fascistic force) loses power, and what they support (which would be the democratic force of the Rule of Law) is given the power to steer the nation forward.

Moreover, if a battle must be fought not just with law but also with violence, this is an opportune moment for American democracy, when command over the states instruments of force (the FBI, the military) are in the hands of the Forces of the Rule of Law.

It is regrettable that upholding the Rule of Law might entail such sacrifices. (One recalls the casualties of the Oklahoma City bombing in the 1990s and of the Insurrection of Jan. 6.)

But American democracy is under threat on multiple battlefields. And the facts, the basic principles, and the strategic circumstances make this showdown as good an opportunity as one can expect for the pro-democracy side for that battle to prevail and safeguard our precious heritage as Americans.
This week, the New York City Council approved plans for Hallets North, a three-tower residential development that will create 1,340 apartments in Queens. Located in Astoria, the Hallets North development site comprises an assemblage of lots along 26th Avenue between Third and Fourth Streets.

The waterfront development site is currently occupied by several vacant warehouses.

The towers will also include 335 affordable units, an expanded waterfront esplanade along the East River, retail businesses, community facility spaces, and parking for more than 500 vehicles. The towers will top out at 23, 31, and 34 stories tall.

The community facilities will be managed by Urban Upbound and Zone 126, which will provide vocational training and other career services. The New York City Housing Authority Astoria Houses tenant association will also receive $1 million for programmatic and capital investment.

We can only tackle the affordable housing crisis by making New York City a City of Yes, and approving this project is a significant step in the right direction, said mayor Adams. The solution to our housing shortage is simple: building more housing, and this project will create thousands of homes, including hundreds with restricted rents.

Plans for the development, led by Astoria Owners LLC with Studio V Architecture, were filed with the Department of City Planning in 2021 and began the required environmental review and public impact study in March. Last week, the City Council voted in favor of the proposal 43-1 following an announcement from Astoria councilwoman Tiffany Caban that she would vote to approve a rezoning application filed by the developer to facilitate construction of the project.

Brooklyn Councilman Charles Barron was the only council member to vote against the project.

New Yorkers in every community are standing up and saying, We want to be a part of the solution, and the Halletts North project is another big win for affordability in our city, said deputy mayor for economic and workforce development, Maria Torres-Springer. I thank speaker Adams, council member Caban, and everyone who voted to make these new homes a reality.

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Eighth-graders from Kirn Middle School were out helping in the community Thursday and Friday mornings.

Whether it was shoveling mulch, reading to younger students, cleaning a street or cleaning doggy dishes, the students put in an hour of service at nine different sites over the two days around Council Bluffs.

Its part of a semester-long Community Project class that all eighth-graders take as part of the International Baccalaureate program, according to Deb Masker, IB coordinator. Half take it each semester, so there are seven class sections of 20 to 25 students.

This is a tremendous opportunity for our students to interact with the community and develop an understanding of what it means to be of service, she said.

They also learned about different service agencies and what they do, Masker said.

Bart Witte teaches one section of the class, along with his eighth-grade science classes.

We tell them their time is the most valuable thing they have  so once they realize that, they can do something with it, he said.

On Friday, his students were moving and raking mulch for the landscaping along the First Avenue Trail for the Council Bluffs Parks & Recreation Department. Other students read to first-graders at College View Elementary School, cleaned a playground and indoor play area at Micah House, cleaned animal crates and washed laundry at Midlands Humane Society or helped sort and arrange items at the New Visions Homeless Services warehouse.

This weeks projects were one-day jobs, but the students also work individually or in pairs to design and complete a larger community project over the rest of the semester, Masker said.

The students identify a need in the community, and they can choose direct action, indirect action or advocacy to somehow benefit that particular need, she said.

The projects involve research, communication, collaboration and organizational skills, among others, Masker said. Along the way, students keep a journal of their reflections about the project.

They identify IB traits they think they exhibit, she said.

Past projects have included creating a closet for needy students at the school, raising money and purchasing blankets for cancer patients and donating them to Wings of Hope, working at a family fair for FAMILY Inc. and advocating for children and working with students who are still learning English.

Near the end of the semester, students prepare displays and give presentations to people from the community  who are the ones who evaluate the projects. Masker hopes to recruit 30 or more citizens to help with evaluations this semester.
A secretive group of large energy users  which could include social media data centers, food processors, manufacturing plants and cryptocurrency mining sites  said they should be able to buy electricity on the open market rather than from Iowa utilities.

The Iowa Economic Alliance released results of a poll Thursday showing 64% of Iowans support competition among utilities, rather than a territory-based system where customers just have one provider choice. But under an Alliance proposal, only large energy users would be able to choose their provider by purchasing electricity through a market like the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), which manages generation and transmission of high-voltage electricity across 15 states including Iowa.

These large users would agree to pay the costs of stranding a utility so small energy users  like individuals  would not see their rates increase, R.G. Schwarm, executive director of the Iowa Economic Alliance, said Thursday.

In our proposal there would be a plan to mitigate that cost, he told The Gazette. That amount would hold harmless other customers.

Chaz Allen, executive director of the Iowa Utility Association, which represents investor-owned utilities including MidAmerican Energy and Alliant Energy, said a proposal like this would ultimately put more of the costs on smaller customers nonetheless.

We dont believe they will have the best interest of Iowans with this proposal, Allen said Thursday. Anytime you take the big user off the network, the costs put into that have to be borne by other customers.

Allen said he tried to listen into the news conference Thursday, but was not allowed to join the virtual meeting.

We dont know who the Iowa Economic Alliance is or who they represent, he said, adding Schwarm and lobbyists representing the group all work for Des Moines law firm BrownWinick, which represents Big Tech firms, like Facebook, Google and Microsoft.

One of the groups lobbyists registered with the Iowa Legislature is Paige Thorson, Gov. Kim Reynoldss deputy chief of staff until September 2021.

Schwarm would not say Thursday which firms are part of the Alliance, but said the coalition includes large retail, manufacturing, agriculture and technology.

The Alliance, which became a registered nonprofit in 2021, is based in Des Moines, has assets of $224,000 and lists its subject area as business promotion, according to Guidestar.org.

The Alliance hired top pollster J. Ann Selzer to poll 807 Iowa adults in September 2021 and again last month about whether they favor competition in utility service. Selzer gave an overview of the results in a virtual news conference Thursday, but the detailed results were not provided to reporters.

Schwarm said electricity bills have been rising, which causes a big impact for a large energy users.

The Alliance provided information showing how the cost to provide electricity to the State Capitol Complex in Des Moines has increased since fiscal 2007, while energy use there generally has declined.

Energy prices and energy loss continue to be one of the most determinant factors for a lot of businesses, Schwarm said at the news conference. This might be a tool to develop and retain and recruit businesses if they have a different landscape of energy use.

Schwarm said the proposal does not call for deregulation and would not change energy transmission. The Iowa Utilities Board still would have regulatory oversight of the process, he said.

The group said it will continue to meet with stakeholders and participate in the Iowa Economic Development Authoritys working group to explore energy-related policy.
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Morocco has lifted the health restrictions, namely the PCR test or vaccine pass, to enter the kingdom.

The National Airports Office (ONDA) announced that PCR and vaccine pass are no longer mandatory to enter Moroccos territory.

Passengers will only need to duly complete a health form to hand over to authorities upon arrival in Morocco, ONDA said.

The decision comes as the number of COVID-19 cases in Morocco is constantly decreasing and as the number of active cases is at its lowest level with only 118 cases.

Despite this situation, Morocco extended on Thursday the state of health emergency until October 31, 2022, to continue to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of measures taken by public authorities to stem the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The state of health emergency, in force since March 2020 and that was scheduled to expire on September 30, seeks to preserve the progress made by Morocco in fighting the pandemic and minimize the danger related to the virus variants.
Moroccos embassy in Ouagadougou established a cell to monitor the situation in Burkina Faso in the aftermath of the recent coup detat.

The embassy said in a statement that the cell seeks to stay updated and reassured about the situation of the Moroccan community settled in the country.

The embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco is closely following the situation in Burkina Faso and the events taking place there since Friday, the statement said.

The statement called on Moroccan citizens to remain home and observe all vigilance, stressing that the cell is currently tracking all updates in the country.

Morocco also set up an emergency phone number (+22606418080) for Moroccans seeking to learn about updates.

On Friday, military officers ousted Henri Sandaogo Damiba and replaced him at the head of the country by Captain Ibrahim Traore. Damiba has been accused of focusing on politics more than on addressing the security challenges facing the country.

The recent coup came eight months after a similar action from Damiba against Roch Marc Kabore in January.

Moroccos national carrier Royal Air Maroc announced the cancellation of flights to and from Ouagadougou amid the political crisis in the country on October 1 and 2. Future trips might also be cancelled depending on the evolution of the situation, RAM said.
A package of items meant to position city-owned land south of Interstate 80 for housing will be introduced but wont be acted upon at Tuesdays North Platte City Council meeting.

Public hearings on the four items will be held, as advertised in legal notices, toward the end of the 5:30 p.m. meeting in the City Hall council chamber, 211 W. Third St.

But Mayor Brandon Kelliher said Friday that council votes will be delayed for at least two weeks given some new information presented about the citys history with the 95.3-acre tract south of West Walker Road and east of Buffalo Bill Avenue.

Planning Commission members Sept. 26 endorsed proposals to rezone the tract, annex it and two bordering parcels and declare a broader area including the to-be-annexed properties eligible for tax increment financing.

The panels votes, however, followed statements by two veteran North Platte medical professionals that the citys Walker tract  at least informally tagged for parks and recreation purposes since 1983  can be used for only those purposes.

As reported by The Telegraph Saturday, Drs. Delane Wycoff and Charles Boettcher were part of an eight-person group that essentially swapped most of that land to the city in exchange for 10 acres of former Centennial Park land south of Great Plains Health.

The Azria Health Centennial Park nursing home has stood since 1988 on those 10 acres along West Leota Street.

Because Centennial Park was bought with federal funds in the 1960s, the doctors say, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission officials required in 1983 that the city exclusively devote the Walker tract to parks purposes.

The City Council in 1988 approved buying that tracts northern 11.1 acres in a similar land swap that extended West Francis Street across the north edge of Centennial Park.

Council members then passed a resolution saying those acres closest to Walker could only be used for parks purposes. Neither that condition nor any other one referring to parks appears on the citys ownership deeds for either the 1983 or 1988 deals.

In putting off action Tuesday beyond the public hearings, we are waiting until we can put all the legal facts on the table, Kelliher said.

The evenings lengthy agenda also includes a resolution to finalize 2022-23 property tax requests for the city and the North Platte Airport Authority. State law requires them to be set together.

Council members, who approved the rest of the citys new budget Sept. 8, will be asked to seek $7.65 million for the city and $1.31 million for the airport.

The citys property tax rate for the fiscal year that started Saturday would drop from 44.2 cents to 43.9 cents per $100 of taxable value. The Airport Authoritys rate would rise from 6.8 cents per $100 in 2021-22 to 7.5 cents per $100 in the new fiscal year.

Action on the citys property tax resolution will wrap up 2022 budget-setting action for the eight local governments serving North Platte. Lincoln County commissioners must ratify 2022-23 tax rates across the county by Oct. 20.

In other action Tuesday, council members will:

Hold public hearings and vote on a trio of actions meant to clear the way for a storage facility on 4.99 acres southwest of the intersection of West Front Street and Lakeview Boulevard.

The Planning Commission Sept. 26 voted 6-1 to recommend the council amend the citys land-use map and rezone the site to I-1 light industrial. The panel also backed a related subdivision plat.

Some residents near Front and Lakeview have objected to the planned storage facility, saying all the land south of the intersection should be reserved for future housing. The Union Pacific Railroad owns the land north of Front.

Decide whether to authorize Kelliher to sign a resolution supporting an airport-related state constitutional amendment on the Nov. 8 general election ballot.

Proposed Amendment No. 1, sent to the ballot by the Legislature, would let local governments operating airports spend money to develop regularly scheduled commercial passenger service.

Hold second-round debate on an ordinance allowing Sunday alcohol sales during the same 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. period as the rest of the week. The council gave the measure 5-3 first-round approval Sept. 20.

Take a third and final vote on an ordinance vacating two alleys at 1218 N. Ash St., north of Zeller Motor Co. at 505 Rodeo Road.

Consider, as part of a nine-item consent agenda, an annual agreement with Lincoln County for mutual law enforcement aid to replace a similar agreement in force since 2006.

Consent agenda items are typically adopted with a single council vote unless a member seeks separate votes on one or more items.

Decide, again as part of the consent agenda, whether to appoint Joe Staroska to the Community Redevelopment Authority.

He would finish the term of longtime CRA member Rob Stefka, who was the five-member panels vice chairman when he recently resigned.
The impoverished tiny South American country of Guyana has emerged as one of the continents top oil producers and is poised to become a leading global energy exporter. Since 2015 an Exxon Mobil-led consortium has made a swathe of high-quality oil discoveries in offshore Guyana in the 6.6-million-acre Stabroek Block, with the latest announced in July 2022. It is estimated those finds have uncovered nearly 11 billion barrels of recoverable oil resources in the Stabroek Block with further oil discoveries to come.

Exxon, the operator who owns 45% of the block with Hess holding 30% and CNOOC the remaining 25%, is developing the Stabroek Block at a lightning pace. The Liza oilfield, located in the southeast of the block, is currently pumping around 360,000 barrels of crude oil per day from two floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels; Liza Destiny and Liza Unity. The petroleum pumped from the Liza field is light and sweet, with an API gravity of 32 degrees and 0.58% sulfur content. That makes it easier and cheaper to extract as well as refine. This means Liza-grade crude oil is cheaper and easier to produce as well as refine into high-quality fuels, giving it a lower carbon footprint compared to heavier sourer grades, particularly those produced in neighboring Venezuela.

As a result, the oil discovered and produced in offshore Guyana is particularly attractive to global energy companies, which are under considerable pressure to significantly reduce emissions and decarbonize their operations. Industry low costs, as reflected by offshore Guyanas forecast average breakeven price of $35 per barrel, make the deeply impoverished country one of the lowest cost and hence most profitable jurisdictions in Latin America. These factors have seen offshore Guyana emerge as what industry insiders are calling the worlds most exciting oil frontier. That is driving even greater investment inflows into Guyanas hydrocarbon sector from foreign energy companies.

In November 2020, at a time when Brent was selling for around $45 per barrel, Exxon announced it was prioritizing Guyana, along with the Permian Basin and Brazil, for capital spending because of the jurisdictions considerable potential. Exxons ongoing exploitation of the Stabroek Block will play a vital role in the companys plans to aggressively decarbonize its operations after being heavily criticized for ignoring the perils of climate change. In 2021, Exxon announced that it intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its upstream operations by between 40% and 50% by 2030, which will in part occur because of the energy supermajors commitment to end flaring.

These reasons see Exxon pressing ahead with developing the Stabroek Block and exploration activities in other blocks where it holds a stake in offshore Guyana. During 2021 the energy supermajor announced it intends to spend $20 billion to $25 billion on capital expenditures between 2022 and 2027, with 60% of that investment directed to Guyana, Brazil, the Permian and its LNG as well as chemical businesses. The 220,000 barrel per day Payara project is currently under development with it approximately five months ahead of schedule and slated to commence production before the end of 2023. Exxon is also advancing the Yellowtail project, which is forecast to come online during 2025 with a capacity of 250,000 barrels per day. The completion of Payara and Yellowtail will see Stabroek Block producing at least 810,000 barrels per day by the end of 2025, potentially even more.

Industry analysts estimate that Guyana will be pumping at least one million barrels of crude oil daily by 2027, while some believe that figure could be higher, reaching 1.2 million barrels. When that occurs, Guyana will overtake Colombia to become the third largest oil producer in Latin America and the Caribbean. Recent discoveries in the basin, along with estimates of their hydrocarbon potential, point to the combined recoverable oil resources of offshore Guyana and Suriname being more than 18 billion barrels of oil equivalent. That number is significantly higher than the mean 13.6 billion barrels of undiscovered oil resources estimated by the U.S. Geological Survey in 2012.

Guyanas recoverable oil resources will keep growing as further discoveries occur. In June 2022, Exxon spudded the Banjo-1 wildcat well in the Stabroek Block and as of early September 2022 drilling activity was continuing. The energy supermajor also started drilling the Sailfin-1 well in the Stabroek Block during September 2022, making it the ninth wildcat well so far this year. Further wells are planned with Exxon holding a large inventory of prospective drilling targets in offshore Guyana. That latest exploration activity comes on the back of the integrated energy company announcing two oil discoveries in the Stabroek Block during July 2022, at the Seabob and Kiru-Kiru wells.

These developments point to Guyana becoming not only a major oil producer and exporter but that it has the potential to amass significant oil reserves. There is even speculation, based on the current rate of drilling success, that eventually Guyanas oil reserves could overtake Brazils, seeing it possess the second largest oil reserves in Latin America and the Caribbean behind Venezuela. Exxon and its partners in the Stabroek Block are ideally placed to profit from Guyanas rapidly expanding offshore oil boom.

By Matthew Smith for Oilprice.com

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Right now, oil stocks are looking attractive by some metrics.

Some investors have started to see oil and gas stocks as income investment stocks rather than boom-and-bust cyclical stocks.

Record cash flows and profits of the past two quarters have prompted many oil and gas firms to boost dividends or pay special variable dividends.

Some investors have started to see oil and gas stocks as income investment stocks rather than boom-and-bust cyclical stocks, as many others still believe. Record cash flows and profits of the past two quarters have prompted many oil and gas firms to boost dividends or pay special variable dividends, as is the case with U.S. shale producers. Many more expanded and increased their share buyback programs. The record profits and the cash flow bonanza could lay the foundations for more stable dividend payouts to shareholders, some investors believe. But others continue to see the industry as a cyclical business that slashes dividends when oil prices plunge.

The question for all investors going forward will be whether the industry will continue to keep disciplined spending and use more of its cash flows to reward shareholders. Oil firms have pledged this much over the past two quarters, looking to attract investors and pay current shareholders who have stuck with their stocks through thick and thin over the past few years. But what will oil companies do during the next bust? Will they be able to keep the current policy of rewarding shareholders more? Or will they resort  once again  to slashing or suspending dividends, as they did in the two major oil price busts of the past decade?

The industry has seen a permanent transition to almost a high-yield, income space, Morningstar analyst David Meats told Bloomberg while noting that the almost income-investment profile of oil stocks is unlikely to persist. The current high dividend yields could be seen as a risk premium for investors for the cyclical nature of the stocks, Meats said. Related: OPEC+ Output Cut Looks Increasingly Likely As Producers Narrow Down Options



Right now, oil stocks are looking attractive by some metrics. Analysts say that energy stocks are much cheaper than other sectors based on forward-year price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios.

Year to date, the energy sector has been the top-performing sector in the S&P 500 index, according to market data compiled by Yardeni Research.

The energy sector in the S&P 500 had gained 31.9% year to date to September 29. In comparison, S&P 500 is down 23.6%, and all other sectors have also lost ground since January.

Equity strategists, portfolio managers, and retail investors have grown increasingly bullish on energy stocks, the latest Bloomberg MLIV Pulse survey carried out in early September shows.

The poll of 814 respondentsincluding retail and portfolio investors, risk managers, buy-side and sell-side traders, equity strategists, and economistsshowed that two-thirds of all respondents intended to increase their exposure to energy-related stocks and bonds over the next six months.

Moreover, nearly halfor 44%of respondents say the current price of oil doesnt adequately reflect actual supply and demand.

Stocks could remain attractive in the medium term, too, some analysts say.

With the average company approaching debt free status by early 2023 their ability to increase shareholder returns in the form of dividends and buybacks may be much greater, Eric Nuttall, Senior Portfolio Manager at Ninepoint Partners, said this week.

Even with the rally earlier this year, energy stocks remained inexpensive and failed to even moderately embed an oil price above $100, Nuttall added.

Stacey Morris, head of energy research at VettaFi, commented in mid-September on the observation that energy stocks and oil happily decouple.

Oil prices typically dictate the direction of energy stocks, but thankfully for energy investors, that has not been the case over the last several weeks. Oil prices have seen three straight months of price declines and are down more than 30% from their relative high in June, but one may not realize that by looking at energy stock performance, Morris said.

And she asked the million-dollar question: Are investors finally looking past the volatility in oil prices to the actual merits of energy companies and the way they are returning cash to investors?

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Waves of magnetic excitation sweep through nickel oxide material whether its in superconducting mode or not. It's another clue to how unconventional superconductors carry electric current with no loss.

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory scientists embedded elementary particles called muons into a many-layered nickel oxide superconductor to learn more about its magnetic properties. They discovered that waves of flip-flopping electron spins create magnetic excitations that sweep through the nickel layer of the compound whether its superconducting or not. This is in sharp contrast to what happens in the best-known family of unconventional superconductors, the cuprates, and offers another valuable clue to how these materials can carry electric current with no loss.

Electrons find each other repulsive, its just that their negative charges repel each other. So getting them to pair up and travel together, like they do in superconducting materials, requires a little nudge.

In old-school superconductors, which were discovered in 1911 and conduct electric current with no resistance, but only at extremely cold temperatures, the nudge comes from vibrations in the materials atomic lattice.

But in later, unconventional superconductors, which are especially exciting because of their potential to operate at close to room temperature for things like zero-loss power transmission. Although no one knows for sure what the nudge is, researchers think it might involve stripes of electric charge, waves of flip-flopping electron spins that create magnetic excitations, or some combination of things.

In the hope of learning more by looking at the problem from a slightly different angle, researchers at Stanford University and the Department of Energys SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory synthesized another unconventional superconductor family  the nickel oxides, or nickelates. Since then, theyve spent three years investigating the nickelates properties and comparing them to one of the most famous unconventional superconductors, the copper oxides or cuprates.

In a paper published in Nature Physics, the team reported a significant difference: Unlike in the cuprates, the magnetic fields in nickelates are always on.

Magnetism: Friend or foe?

Nickelates, the scientists explained, are intrinsically magnetic, as if each nickel atom were clutching a tiny magnet. This is true whether the nickelate is in its non-superconducting, or normal, state or in a superconducting state where electrons have paired up and formed a sort of quantum soup that can host intertwining phases of quantum matter. Cuprates, on the other hand, are not magnetic in their superconducting state.

Jennifer Fowlie, a postdoctoral researcher at SLACs Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences (SIMES) who led the experiments said, This study looked at fundamental properties of the nickelates compared to the cuprates, and what that can tell us about unconventional superconductors in general.

She noted that some researchers think magnetism and superconductivity compete with each other in this type of system, while others think you cant have superconductivity unless magnetism is close by.

While our results dont settle that question, they do highlight where more work should probably be done, Fowlie said. And they mark the first time that magnetism has been examined in both the superconducting and the normal state of nickelates.

Harold Hwang, a professor at SLAC and Stanford and director of SIMES, commented, This is another important piece of the puzzle that the research community is putting together as we work to frame the properties and phenomena at the heart of these exciting materials.

Enter the muon

Few things come easy in this field of research, and studying the nickelates has been harder than most.

While theorists predicted more than 20 years ago that their chemical similarity to the cuprates made it likely that they could host superconductivity, nickelates are so difficult to make that it took years of trying before the SLAC and Stanford team succeeded.

Even then, they could only make thin films of the material  not the thicker chunks needed to explore its properties with common techniques. Hwang noted that number of research groups around the world have been working on easier ways to synthesize nickelates in any form.

So the research team turned to a more exotic method, called low-energy muon spin rotation/relaxation, that can measure the magnetic properties of thin films and is available only at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Switzerland.

Muons are fundamental charged particles that are similar to electrons, but 207 times more massive. They stick around for just 2.2 millionths of a second before decaying. Positively charged muons, which are often preferred for experiments like these, decay into a positron, a neutrino and an antineutrino. Like their electron cousins, they spin like tops and change the direction of their spin in response to magnetic fields. But they can feel those fields only in their immediate surroundings  up to about one nanometer, or a billionth of a meter, away.

At PSI, scientists use a beam of muons to embed the little particles in the material they want to study. When the muons decay, the positrons they produce fly off in the direction the muon is spinning. By tracing the positrons back to their origins, researchers can see which way the muons were pointing when they winked out of existence and thus determine the materials overall magnetic properties.

Finding a workaround

The SLAC team applied to do experiments with the PSI system in 2020, but then the pandemic made it impossible to travel in or out of Switzerland. Fortunately, Fowlie was a postdoc at the University of Geneva at the time and already planning to come to SLAC to work in Hwangs group. So she started the first round of experiments in Switzerland with a team led by Andreas Suter, a senior scientist at PSI and an expert in extracting information about superconductivity and magnetism from muon decay data.

After arriving at SLAC May 2021, Fowlie immediately started making various types of nickelate compounds the team wanted to test in their second round of experiments. When travel restrictions ended, the team was finally able to go back to Switzerland to finish the study.

The unique experimental setup at PSI allows scientists to embed muons at precise depths in the nickelate materials. From this, they were able to determine what was going on in each super-thin layer of various nickelate compounds with slightly different chemical compositions. They discovered that only the layers that contained nickel atoms were magnetic.

Interest in the nickelates is very high around the world, Hwang said. Half a dozen research groups have published their own ways of synthesizing nickelates and are working on improving the quality of the samples they study, and a huge number of theorists are trying to come up with insights to guide the research in productive directions.

Hwang said, We are trying to do what we can with the resources we have as a research community, but theres still a lot more we can learn and do.

***

The superconductor hunt is one of the best stories in energy. Back in 1911 the discovery was astonishing and now its about exotically making wholly new materials. The operating temperatures have come way up and the general interest is improving, which increases the funding going into the hunt.

This research result is important, especially because it breaks the research communitys natural tendency for tunnel vision, that human nature where everyone charges in the same direction thinking essentially about the same way.

By Brian Westenhaus via New Energy and Fuel

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
I come from a family of storytellers. I grew up listening to stories of my familys arrival in this country  How they survived, thrived, and many other tales of what happened to them along the way. These stories fascinated me as a kid. I pored over pictures, putting stories together with faces and imagining what life was like for them. Early in my career as a librarian with the Rhode Island Historical Society Library, I researched other peoples family stories, and this was when the genealogy bug really bit! I was hooked on the puzzles and wanted to learn more.

Delving into family puzzles has become much easier over the years. Television shows like, Who Do You Think You Are? and Finding Your Roots recount family histories of celebrities and accentuate some of the research that goes into developing a family tree. Accessing historical records and special collections is now a simple internet search, and DNA testing services designed to help trace family origins continue to grow their customer bases.

If youre new to this kind of research, now is the perfect time to get started. October is Family History Month  a time to increase awareness around and encourage people to explore their family history and learn more about their ancestors. There are a number of available resources to help researchers at all levels, many of which are easily accessible with your library card.

Omaha Public Library is a great place for you learn about your familys story. Get started at omahalibrary.org/genealogy-local-history. Find Omaha World-Herald digital archives from 1878 through 1983; The Omaha Star digital archive from 1938 through 2011; and MyHeritage, a database of global genealogy resources. Find and view high-definition, color fire insurance maps, real estate atlases, plat books, and other historical maps showing building structures, building construction details, property ownership, property uses, and other useful information using FIMo. Ancestry Library Edition is accessible at all Omaha Public Library branches. Additionally, Genealogy and Local History Librarian Martha Grenzeback recommends familysearch.org, a free site that includes many digitized original records to help begin your search.

Omaha Public Library offers a variety of virtual programs to help family historians learn more about the research tools available and to help tackle research roadblocks. On Oct. 20, contributing editor for Family Tree Magazine, Rick Crume, will compare popular genealogy software options and share how to synchronize family tree information across different platforms. Register for this program by calling your local branch or at omahalibrary.org.

On Oct. 3, the librarys new Genealogy Room will open at 3020 S. 84th St., which is also the new home of the Library Administration Building. Here, researchers will have access to the Nebraska reference collection (closed stacks), government documents dating back to the 1800s; and microfilms and microfiches, including local newspapers and other periodicals, local history records, and census records. Our staff will happily help you to navigate the family research process and advise best practices for getting the answers you seek. Genealogy Room hours are Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. We look forward to helping you piece your family puzzle together soon.
APIA, Samoa (AP)  When and if an island nation fully submerges due to rising seas, what happens to the nationalities of its citizens?

This and other related questions are being considered by island nations advocating for changes to international law as climate change threatens their existence.

Climate change induced sea level rise is a defining issue for many Pacific Island states and like most climate change issues, Pacific Island states have been at the forefront of challenging international law to develop in a way which is equitable and just, said Fleur Ramsay, head of litigation and climate lead of the Pasifika Program at the Australia-based Environmental Defenders Office.

During a recent with The Associated Press, Ramsay noted the shortcomings in the development of international law. For example, under international law, there are discussions of nomadic tribes making claims over lands they have historically passed over. However, rights over historical ocean passages have not yet been explored for citizens of island nations.

If you ask our people to move, there is no way we would voluntarily leave," said Eseta Vusamu, who is currently working in Samoa but from a village on the island of Ovalau, Fiji. There are graves there, these are our ancestral lands.

Vusamu's village, Tokou, along with many coastal communities in Fiji, were hard hit during Cyclone Winston in 2016, which led to the relocation of over 3,000 villagers from the coastal areas.

There is already evidence of loss of islands. Between 1947 and 2014, six smaller islands in the Pacific archipelago of the Solomon Islands completely vanished, according to a paper published in Environment Research Letters in 2016. The study identified the complete loss of reef islands and other islands that were experiencing severe shoreline recession, leading to the relocation of some communities. And in its report earlier this year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world's top body of climate scientists, noted risks to coastal areas and ecosystems due to submergence and flooding through sea level rise and increased height of waves.

The issue of protecting sovereignty is a constant topic of discussion for many Pacific Islands leaders. The maritime and resource entitlements that islands stand to lose in the face of land loss were part of talks during the Pacific Small Island Developing States meetings this week in Apia, Samoa. The meetings came on the heels of last week's U.N. General Assembly meetings, in which Pacific Island leaders pushed for changes that would protect island nations as they lose territory to erosion and rising sea levels.

Leaders of Tuvalu, the Marshall Islands and Kiribati called on the international community to help island nations in several ways: preserve the sovereignty of Pacific island countries facing an existential threat of sea rise, finance adaptation programs and support an initiative, the Rising Nations Heritage Project, to be a repository for the cultural heritage of island nations.

Tuvalu Prime Minister Kausea Natano said that Pacific Island nations had done very little to contribute to global warming  he said less than 0.03% of the worlds total emissions  but yet could be destroyed by the consequences of a warming planet and rising seas.

In this century, several Pacific Island nations will lose considerable territory to rising seal level with some becoming completely uninhabitable, said Natano.

We need a global settlement that guarantees nation states such as Tuvalu a permanent existence beyond the inhabitable lifetime of our atoll homes, he said.

During his address last week, Vanuatu President Nikenike Vurobaravu called on the International Court of Justice to begin considering climate change.

Vanuatu has been pushing for a non-binding advisory opinion from the Netherlands-based court to clarify how existing international laws can be applied to strengthen action on climate change and protect people and the environment. The advisory opinion, if successful, would address obligations of states under international law to protect the rights of present and future generations against the adverse effects of climate change.

Earlier this year, the Pacific Islands Forum, the regional body of 18 Pacific island member countries and territories, took matters into their own hands, declaring that their maritime boundaries, which are determined by the size of their land masses under the U.N. Convention on Law of the Sea, will be fixed irrespective of changes to the size or shape of the islands in the future. This approach is contentious under international law due to competing interests between nations over the high seas.

In a report by a study group in August 2022, established under the International Law Commission to address sea-level rise in international law, alternatives were proposed to protect the statehood of nations that may lose their territories. Proposals included assuming a presumption of continuity of statehood and maintaining some form of international legal personality without a territory, similar to the Holy See and the Sovereign Order of Malta.

We all are very much aware that our very existence is dependent on our fortitude, our tenacity, our resilience and only through genuine partnership can results be achieved, said Sefanaia Nawadra, director general of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program, during this week's meetings in Samoa.

Associated Press reporter Pia Sarkar in New York contributed to this report.

Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about APs climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden on Thursday told visiting leaders from more than a dozen Pacific Island countries that the U.S. was committed to bolstering its presence in their region and becoming a more collaborative partner as they face the existential threat of climate change.

The president addressed the leaders who gathered in Washington for a summit as the White House looks to improve relations in the Pacific amid growing U.S. concern about Chinas growing military and economic influence.

A great deal of history of our world is going to be written in the Indo-Pacific over the coming years and decades, Biden said at the start of a meeting with island leaders at the State Department. And the Pacific Islands are a critical voice in shaping the future, and thats why my administration has made it a priority to strengthen our partnership with your countries.

Biden delivered his remarks as his administration unveiled its Pacific strategy, an outline of the White House's plan to assist the region's leaders on pressing issues like climate change, maritime security and protecting the area from overfishing. The administration also pledged that the U.S. would add $810 million in new aid for Pacific Island nations over the next decade, including $130 million on efforts to stymie the impacts of climate change.

Were seeing the consequences of climate change around the world very vividly, including in the United States right now, and I know your nations feel it acutely, Biden said.

Leaders from Fiji, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, the Cook Islands, French Polynesia and New Caledonia are attending the two-day summit that Secretary of State Antony Blinken kicked off Wednesday. Vanuatu and Nauru sent representatives, and Australia, New Zealand and the secretary-general of the Pacific Island Forum sent observers, according to the White House. The president hosted leaders for a dinner Thursday evening at the White House.

The summit comes amid worrying signs to the U.S. that Beijing has grown its influence in the region. Earlier this year, the Solomon Islands signed a new security pact with Beijing, and ahead of the summit signaled it would be hesitant to sign any end-of-summit statement critical of China.

The Marshall Islands this month suspended talks to renew its security partnership with the U.S., citing the longstanding impact of U.S. nuclear testing in the area some 70 years ago.

A joint declaration issued at the end of the summit included a nod to those concerns. It stated that the U.S. was "committed to addressing the Republic of the Marshall Islands ongoing environmental, public health concerns, and other welfare concerns and to the safe removal and disposal of unexploded ordnance.

Among the new initiatives the White House announced are plans to ask Congress to appropriate $600 million over 10 years to support economic development, promote climate resilience efforts for Pacific fisheries and more. The administration says it will also establish a regional mission of the U.S. Agency for International Development in Suva, Fiji. The White House also reiterated previously announced plans to open embassies in the Solomon Islands, Tonga and Kiribati.

The White House also announced plans to recognize the Cook Islands and Niue as sovereign states, after "appropriate consultations." The U.S. currently recognizes the islands as self-governing territories.

Meg Keen, the director of the Pacific Islands program for the Australia-based Lowy Institute, said the recognition means the Cook Islands and Niue would be eligible for some of the U.S. funding announced by Biden on Thursday.

The 16-page document notes heightened geopolitical competition impacts for the Pacific Island countries that also directly affect the United States.

Increasingly those impacts include pressure and economic coercion by the Peoples Republic of China, which risks undermining the peace, prosperity, and security of the region, and by extension, of the United States, the strategy document says. "These challenges demand renewed U.S. engagement across the full Pacific Islands region."

Among the broad strategy aims laid out by the Biden administration in the document are expanding the number of U.S. diplomatic missions from six to nine across the Pacific and completing work to renew strategic partnership agreements with the Pacific Island nations of Palau, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands that are set to soon expire. The strategy also calls for increasing the presence in the region of the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Pentagon.

White House officials acknowledge that U.S. inattentiveness toward the region since the end of the Cold War has left an opening for Beijing to exert its influence.

Plans for the summit were announced earlier this month, just days after the Solomon Islands called on the U.S. and Britain not to send naval vessels to the South Pacific nation until approval processes are overhauled. The Solomons in April signed a new security pact with China.

Ahead of the summit, the Solomon Islands signaled it was unlikely to sign on to an end-of-summit joint statement, according to a diplomat familiar with summit planning. The diplomat, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the resistance was driven in part by the Solomon Islands tightening relationship with Beijing.

But in the end, the Solomon Islands signed on to the joint declaration. The statement instead included calls for bolstering the Pacific economy, tackling climate change, maintaining peace and security across the Pacific, and more, but avoided any direct mention of China.

Besides their meeting with Biden, island leaders met Thursday with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.



Associated Press writers Nick Perry in Wellington, New Zealand, and Kevin Freking in Washington contributed to this report.
Modern, techy buildings are getting to be the norm in Sarpy County.

Tech giants like Meta, Google and Amazon have made it so.

Now theres another cool new building to add to the list: an elementary school.

With a marching band, cheerleaders and a choir, the Springfield Platteview Community Schools celebrated the opening of the new $21.6 million Springfield Elementary School on Friday. The district also celebrated completion of a $6.9 million addition and improvements to the districts Westmont Elementary School.

Situated on a hilltop along Springfields Main Street, the new two-story Springfield Elementary School  with a sleek black-brick and wheat color scheme  rises above the adjacent homes.

It replaced the smaller, outdated school of the same name, built in 1964 and located a few blocks away.

The new one at 940 Main St. is bigger and modern, and is likely a sign of things to come.

Our district and community is growing, Superintendent Ryan Saunders told a crowd gathered inside the new school for the event. And the 2020 bond, this building, the remodel of Westmont and our upcoming projects are just the start of really great things to come for our district.

The district, which is huge in land area (92 square miles) but small in enrollment (about 1,200 kids) has just two elementary schools.

But its easy to imagine there will be more coming fairly soon.

Heavy equipment has been chewing up farm ground just north of the district along Nebraska Highway 370 between Bellevue and Gretna. When that land is eaten up, the next stop south is the Springfield Platteview district.

Were just seeing the very beginning of growth right now, said Cori Swanson, school board president. But I would say were in a really exciting spot because we positioned ourselves to be able to handle it.

The new school is built on 10 acres in the Springfield Pines housing development.

Voters passed a bond referendum in 2020 to replace the old school and add on to Westmont Elementary School.

Ribbons were cut at both schools Friday, and the public had a chance to tour both.

Swanson said the biggest growth in the district has been businesses along the Highway 50 corridor.

In recent years, Google and Meta, formerly Facebook, have purchased hundreds of acres along the highway for the construction of sprawling data centers. Both companies earlier this year announced planned expansions of their existing facilities in Sarpy County. Amazon also is in the process of solidifying a foothold in the county, with a 700,000-square-foot distribution center slated to open in 2024 at the corner of Nebraska Highways 370 and 50.

Swanson said housing developments are coming, made possible by the construction of sanitary sewers that will open up southern Sarpy County to more housing.

I dont believe theres anything platted yet, but theres several of them that are close, Swanson said.

Kaela Heneger, principal at the new school, said enrollment is currently 348 kids, with a capacity around 450 if youre filling everything as full as possible.

Preschool through third grade students are on the main floor. Fourth through sixth are on the second floor.

The new building is set up to accommodate three classes at each grade level.

The 73,950-square-foot building has high ceilings and big windows. Lots of natural light pours in.

Its good for your mood, its good for learning, its good for thinking, she said.

Each grade level has a pod where they have a community collaboration space, she said, and there are breakout rooms within the pod.

The building has more space for specialists, such as the reading and math interventionists and counselors, she said.

While the old school building houses a lot of fond memories, and the new school will continue some of its traditions, the old school wasnt wired for todays technology, Heneger said.

The new building has the technology and the space so teachers can make use of it, she said.

Meta provided the district with a $170,000 grant to furnish the elementary schools with 75 new Boxlight interactive LCD flat panels.

The panels, about the size of a big-screen TV, are essentially oversized touch-screen computers. During the celebration at the new school, students demonstrated how they worked.

The panels are already in use at the schools, enhancing class instruction, officials said.
An estimated 1,300 people took part in Omaha's first annual Race for the Cure on Oct. 2, 1994, which began at Cancer Survivors Park near 105th and Pacific Streets.

Racers and lollygaggers of all ages and genders covered 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) or participated in a one-mile family fun walk.

The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is the worlds largest run/walk series that raises funds for breast health education, as well as breast cancer prevention, advocacy and treatment. In Nebraska, the Race for the Cure was the primary fundraiser held each October during national Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Early detection through self-examination and mammography remain the best ways for women to survive breast cancer and enjoy a high quality life.

Since 1994, Susan G. Komen Great Plains has granted more than $8 million for education, diagnosis, treatment and support programs that serve uninsured or underinsured people, with about 75% of the proceeds going toward programming in Nebraska.

While one goal is to raise money, the race continues to be a way to pay tribute to loved ones who have died of the disease and to offer positive reinforcement to cancer survivors.

The race is an important way to honor the "survivors and thrivers" for the sacrifice and resilience they have shown in overcoming this deadly disease. At the finish line, survivors are rewarded with pink roses.

Beginning in 1996, race organizers asked physicians who treated breast cancer patients such as obstetricians, oncologists and radiologists to make a $500 donation. Then the doctors' patients were notified confidentially and invited to join the race. That helped to increase the number of survivors who participate.

Omaha's Race for the Cure got a new look and name in 2019. Now located at Baxter Arena, the event is called the More Than Pink Walk and shifts the focus from the walk portion of the event to highlight activities inside the arena designed to showcase Komen's core values: research, care, community and action.
Before Midwest Chingona Fest came to life, the event was just an idea between two friends wanting to help support other Hispanic and Latina women and small-business owners in the Omaha area.

The result was a lively Saturday afternoon event at Stinson Park with music performances, several food and drinks options and dozens of small-business owners selling clothing, art and more.

The event was co-founded by Fabiola Lomeli and Julia Carrillo, two local small-business owners. Lomeli said Carrillo, who owns a brand called Chingona, approached her about creating the event. Lomeli said she had previous experience organizing events, so she felt confident they could bring it to life.

Many of the vendors at the event were Latina women. Lomeli said she and Carrillo wanted to especially give Hispanic and Latina small-business owners a chance to shine.

We wanted to have something just to bring the community together, something to support Latina women and just celebrate our Hispanic culture, she said.

Chingona, a Spanish term, previously carried negative connotations, but some Latina women have reclaimed it in recent years. Carrillo said to her it means an empowered woman who helps other women.

The event also included a Chingona contest, where a committee chose from women nominated by the public in areas including health care worker, teacher and overall community leader, Lomeli said.

Attendees at the event, according to Lomeli, said they were glad to have something representing Hispanic and Latino culture, and specifically focused on the female perspective.

People have come up to us and theyre thanking us for putting on something like this, Lomeli said. It makes me feel really good knowing that were the first people to do it.

Taidet Perez, owner of Arte Mi Mexico, was at the event selling brightly colored handbags and hair accessories. Perez said she sources her products from Mexico and likes to sell items that represent Hispanic and Latino culture, so she appreciated the focus of the event.

This is pretty much putting us in the spotlight, she said. I love it. When they came up with the idea for this type of event I was so excited.

Jair Rodriguez, a local artist and muralist, was doing a live painting session at the festival and said he enjoyed the atmosphere the event provided. Rodriguez said he was working on a piece representing the adelitas, female soldiers from the Mexican Revolution that he feels are often misrepresented.

Im just painting them how they really were  fighting alongside their male counterparts in the war, he said. I thought it would be a little homage to them.

Carrillo said it was exciting to see everyone out at the event Saturday, and she and Lomeli hope to grow the event in future years.

Seeing all the people come together and everybodys smiling and having a good time, its a beautiful thing, Carrillo said.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)  Hurricane Ian, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the U.S., swamped southwest Florida on Wednesday, turning streets into rivers, knocking out power to 2 million people and threatening catastrophic damage further inland.

A coastal sheriff's office reported that it was getting many calls from people trapped in flooded homes. Desperate people posted to Facebook and other social sites, pleading for rescue for themselves or loved ones. Some video showed debris-covered water sloshing toward homes eaves.

The storm surge flooded a hospital's lower level emergency room in Port Charlotte, while fierce winds tore part of its fourth floor roof from its intensive care unit, according to a doctor who works there.

Water gushed down from above onto the ICU, forcing staff to evacuate the hospitals sickest patients  some of whom were on ventilators  to other floors, said Dr. Birgit Bodine of HCA Florida Fawcett Hospital. Staff members used towels and plastic bins to try to mop up the sodden mess.

The medium-sized hospital spans four floors, but patients were forced into just two because of the damage. Bodine planned to spend the night at the hospital in case people injured from the storm arrive there needing help.

The ambulances may be coming soon and we dont know where to put them in the hospital at this point because were doubled and tripled up, she said. As long as our patients do OK and nobody ends up dying or having a bad outcome, thats what matters.

The hurricane's center made landfall near Cayo Costa, a barrier island just west of heavily populated Fort Myers. As it approached, water drained from Tampa Bay.

Mark Pritchett stepped outside his home in Venice around the time the hurricane churned ashore from the Gulf of Mexico, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) to the south. He called it terrifying.

I literally couldnt stand against the wind, Pritchett wrote in a text message. Rain shooting like needles. My street is a river. Limbs and trees down. And the worst is yet to come.

A boat carrying Cuban migrants sank Wednesday in the stormy weather in waters east of Key West. The U.S. Coast Guard initiated a search and rescue mission for 23 people and managed to find three survivors about two miles (three kilometers) south of the island chain, officials said. Four other Cubans swan to Stock Island, just east of Key West, the U.S. Border Patrol said. Air crews continued to search for possibly 20 remaining migrants.

The Category 4 storm slammed the coast with 150 mph (241 kph) winds and pushed a wall of storm surge accumulated during its slow march over the Gulf. More than 2 million Florida homes and businesses were without electricity, according to PowerOutage.us. Nearly every home and business in three counties was without power.

The storm previously tore into Cuba, killing two people and bringing down the country's electrical grid.

About 2.5 million people were ordered to evacuate southwest Florida before Ian hit, but by law no one could be forced to flee.

News anchors at Fort Myers television station WINK had to abandon their usual desk and continue storm coverage from another location in their newsroom because water was pushing into their building near the Caloosahatchee River.

Though expected to weaken to a tropical storm as it marches inland at about 9 mph (14 kph), Ian's hurricane force winds were likely to be felt well into central Florida. In the hours since landfall, top sustained winds had gradually dropped to 90 mph (150 kph), making it a Category 1 hurricane crossing the peninsula. Still, storm surges as high as 6 feet (2 meters) were expected on the opposite side of the state, in northeast Florida.

Sheriff Bull Prummell of Charlotte County, just north of Fort Myers, announced a curfew between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. for life-saving purposes, saying violators may face second-degree misdemeanor charges.

I am enacting this curfew as a means of protecting the people and property of Charlotte County Prummell said.

Jackson Boone left his home near the Gulf coast and hunkered down at his law office in Venice with employees and their pets. Boone at one point opened a door to howling wind and rain flying sideways.

Were seeing tree damage, horizontal rain, very high wind, Boone said by phone. We have a 50-plus-year-old oak tree that has toppled over.

In Naples, the first floor of a fire station was inundated with about 3 feet (1 meter) of water and firefighters worked to salvage gear from a firetruck stuck outside the garage in even deeper water, a video posted by the Naples Fire Department showed. Naples is in Collier County, where the sheriffs department reported on Facebook that it was getting a significant number of calls of people trapped by water in their homes" and that it would prioritize reaching people reporting life threatening medical emergencies in deep water.

Ian's strength at landfall tied it for the fifth-strongest hurricane when measured by wind speed to strike the U.S. Among the other storms was Hurricane Charley, which hit nearly the same spot on Florida's coast in August 2004, killing 10 people and inflicting $14 billion in damage.

Ian made landfall more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Tampa and St. Petersburg, sparing the densely populated Tampa Bay area from its first direct hit by a major hurricane since 1921.

Flash floods were possible all across Florida. Hazards include the polluted leftovers of Floridas phosphate fertilizer mining industry, more than 1 billion tons of slightly radioactive waste contained in enormous ponds that could overflow in heavy rains.

The federal government sent 300 ambulances with medical teams and was ready to truck in 3.7 million meals and 3.5 million liters of water once the storm passes.

Well be there to help you clean up and rebuild, to help Florida get moving again, President Joe Biden said Wednesday. And well be there every step of the way. Thats my absolute commitment to the people of the state of Florida.

The governors of Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina all preemptively declared states of emergency. Forecasters predicted Ian will turn toward those states as a tropical storm, likely dumping more flooding rains into the weekend, after crossing Florida.
Ranked choice voting is gaining ground across America. In August, Alaska ran its first election using the method, joining Maine, New York City and many smaller communities.

Rank choice is a voting method grounded in common sense with a time-proven track record. It empowers individual voters to send a clearer message about whom they want to represent them. It helps elevate the candidates who are genuinely most popular with the public. Study after study shows ranking choices does not confuse voters, who find it easy to use.

In the system we are used to, sometimes called first past the post, you vote for one candidate, and whoever gets the most votes wins. That works fine most of the time. But it can mean a not-very-popular candidate who garners, say, 35% of the vote can slip through against a crowded field of opponents.

Other problems come with the traditional election method, such as the opening it can create for spoiler candidates. Further, first-past-the-post elections tend to pressure supporters of less popular candidates to refrain from voting for the person they truly believe is best and instead support one of the front-runners so as not to throw away their vote.

Sure, you could address some of these problems by holding a runoff, but those are a big hassle: you have to reserve the polling places again and call back the volunteers, voters need to make time and the candidates need to resume campaigning. After all the fuss, turnout in a runoff often plunges. The bottom line is that most places dont use runoffs and instead put up with the problems of first-past-the-post.

Instant runoff voting, as the simplest form of ranked choice voting is called, helps fix these problems with minimal delay and expense. Heres how it works:

Like now, you start by marking your first choice on the ballot. After that, youre free to rank the other candidates as your second choice, third choice and so on  as many ranks as there are candidates. Your lower choices never count against your higher: only if your first choice, Ava, gets knocked out of contention will your vote for her get moved over to your second choice, Ben.

New York City voters gladly embraced ranked choice voting in its first-time run, with majorities of all demographic groups using the option to rank multiple candidates. Voters said they found it easy to use, and they wanted the city to go on using it in future elections.

In the Democratic primary, which in New York is tantamount to a general election, ranked choice voting encouraged inclusive campaigning: many candidates actively pitched for secondary preferences from voters whose first choice was a rival. Negative personal swipes were less evident  why risk alienating a rival camp when you might need them to rank you second or third?

In the end, Eric Adams  seen as a moderate by Gotham standards  prevailed narrowly and now serves as mayor.

In the recent Alaska House special election, Mary Peltola, a Democrat with strong crossover appeal, prevailed in a three-way contest over Republicans Sarah Palin and Nick Begich. Peltola would have won outright without ranking and would probably have beaten former GOP vice presidential candidate Palin in a straight head-to-head contest, too.

For Palin, the best hope would have been to ask Begich voters for their second-choice votes. Instead, she denounced the new setup and asked voters not to rank candidates at all. That sealed her fate. (Incidentally, Alaska and New York City were slow to tabulate votes, but for distinctive local reasons. The method is consistent with fast tabulation.)

Because cities such as San Francisco and Minneapolis use it, Americans sometimes peg ranked choice voting as a progressive notion. But right-leaning parties have done quite well in Australia and Ireland, both of which have used ranked choice voting for a century (and are among the worlds most stable democracies). In August, Canadas Conservatives used ranked-choice to pick Pierre Poilievre to fight the next election against Justin Trudeaus Liberal Party.

In Virginia, the GOP scored a standout win after using ranked choice voting to pick Glenn Youngkin as its candidate for governor in 2011. Had Georgia used ranked choice voting rather than standard runoff in its 2020 Senate elections, it is likely GOP incumbent David Perdue would have garnered enough Libertarian second choices to prevail, and the Senate would be Republican-controlled today.

Existing establishments in both political parties tend to lead the opposition to ranked choice voting. Some have suggested trying it out first for nonpartisan races and party primaries. But its wrong to hold a good idea down. Ranked choice voting deserves a wider tryout.
Ranked choice voting has been in vogue across the nation, with many cities and some states changing their elections to incorporate it.

Alaska recently used it for the first time to elect someone to its at-large congressional district. But while the new system has gained traction in some places, including Maine and New York City, it has met resistance in others, such as Massachusetts and Missouri. And for good reason: Its being pushed with promises it cant keep.

Proponents of ranked choice voting suggest it's a solution to our current elections -- which, as one advocacy organization put it, deprive voters of meaningful choices, ... advance candidates who lack broad support and leave voters feeling like our voices are not heard.

Those promises are falling flat. The Alaska results, for instance, call into question just how broad the support of winners in ranked choice elections is going to be. The winner of that states election was Mary Peltola, a Democrat who was ranked as the first choice of just 39.7% of voters. Subsequent rounds eliminated her competition and transferred votes until Peltola had a lead of 51.5% of remaining ballots. But its not clear that counts as a majority of support except in an unhelpful, word-game sense of the term.

And the worse news for the ranked choice paradigm is how those Alaska runoff rounds proceeded. Of the three major candidates, the first one eliminated was the Republican widely considered to be politically in between Peltola and former Gov. Sarah Palin.

The ranked choice idea is that candidates are supposed to win by appealing to lots of voters. But ranked choice works by eliminating candidates with the fewest first-place votes in each round. Imagine a personally affable moderate and good communicator with a compromise platform, but who isnt hardline on any blocs key issue. He or she could be the second choice on every single voters ballot  and be eliminated immediately.

Thats not what happened in Alaska. But it is the general pattern, and it wont be surprising to see it replicated elsewhere moving forward.

Some proponents have tried to adapt their arguments and make the case that, despite Alaskas eccentric result, ranked choice will still be beneficial because it will change who winners are [incentivized] to represent.

But thats not anything new. In the days of Obamacare, when Republican Scott Brown won a U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts in 2010, he legislated and campaigned for all Bay Staters. And two years later, he earned substantially more support than Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney did on the same 2012 ballot.

Brown did lose his seat in 2012 to Democrat Elizabeth Warren. But a few years later, Brown's fate didn't stop Democrat Doug Jones from winning a U.S. Senate seat in conservative Alabama and then working tirelessly all across his state like someone, in the words of statistics blog FiveThirtyEight, who thinks hes supposed to be here.

Zooming out, the real issue is that any way of summarizing an electorates preferences is going to leave something to be desired. This was illustrated powerfully by the mathematician John Allen Paulos back in the 1990s. He presented a hypothetical election where one candidate won under our usual plurality system, a different candidate won under ranked choice, and a third won under a runoff between the top two vote-getters. Yet some other candidate was preferred by a majority of voters to any of those three.

There isnt a right way of electing someone to office. There are just different ways. And when comparing systems, we need to be careful to distinguish whats a shortcoming of a particular system versus whats just a part of the environment.

Many Americans feel their voices arent being heard because public opinion in this country is deeply divided. Significant percentages of Americans disagree with each other on topics including the environment, abortion, foreign policy, immigration and gun control.

Under such circumstances, very few people are going to see their ideal policies become law, so they will understandably feel like their voices arent heard. That underlies a lot of political divisions, and ranked choice voting isnt going to change any of that.

Shifting from one electoral system to another isn't worth the energy, cost and potential chaos -- especially when that shift is being pitched as a cure-all that it isnt.
BLOOMINGTON  For three decades, Bloomington public works' water division has worked to keep farm runoff out of the city's drinking water.

It's a challenge that accompanies being located in a rich agricultural area. Nitrates and phosphorous come from fertilizers that farmers use as standard industrial practice.

But while the nutrients do appear naturally in aquatic ecosystems, an overabundance of them leads to pollution, environmental issues and health problems for humans. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rules set a maximum limit of 10 milligrams of nitrates per one liter of water.

Illinois has worked for years on a strategy to reduce the nutrients in its waterways, part of an overall effort by states bordering the Mississippi River to control pollution that has led to a "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico.

"Nitrates are really a concern for small children," said Joseph Darter, who is the property manager for the water division. He manages both the watershed areas for Lake Bloomington and Evergreen Lake, which amount to nearly 70,000 acres.

Together, the two water sources supply water to all Bloomington residents and about half of the population outside of the city in McLean County. The city relies on both lakes for drinking water throughout the year, alternating between the two, Darter said.

'Bang for your buck'

Nitrogen that is not absorbed by crops in the watershed area is washed away by rain and travels into the lakes' tributary systems: Six Mile Creek and Money Creek.

Since the 1990s, Darter said, the city has been innovating new ways to keep nitrates and phosphorous out of the reservoirs.

Among the efforts, the city has worked with the McLean County Soil & Water Conservation District and private landowners to install tributary wetlands that can "denitrify" the water, Darter said.

These wetlands look like an "S" shape from above thanks to two dirt structures, called berms, that slow the waterflow from the controlled entrance point, near the farm, and the exit into the tributary.

They are typically enjoined with a large patch of prairie that contains grasses and wildflowers, which absorb the extra nitrogen, and another patch of prairie called a "saturated buffer," Darter said.

He said the wetlands have led to a nearly 50% reduction in nitrates in the drinking water before being processed at any plant.

"All of this, the wetland, the wildflowers, it's all designed to slow the flow of water and to capture as much runoff from the farm fields as possible," he said.

"What you would like to see throughout the watershed, are things like this," Darter said.

But getting to this point, the city had to perform a lot of practical research, he said. This takes place at a site just south of Lake Bloomington called Hoffman Farms.

Nearly 30 years ago, Darter said, the city portioned a large plot of farmland into six sections and installed several water collection sites, then wetlands, then more water collection sites.

This way, they could measure different fertilizing methods and check that against crop yield and runoff into the lake.

Darter said that, over decades of research, they have determined the most successful time to fertilize to meet all goals.

"Spring application is best," he said. "... We found that doing it in the spring doesn't reduce their (crop) yield, but it reduces the amount of nitrates coming through."

Because of this research, the city has installed several wetlands around the reservoirs and plans for another next year, Darter said, if the EPA approves it.

"Out of 70,000 acres, if we put 10 of these in, it's not going to be a lot of acreage. You get a lot of bang for your buck with a small impact," he said.

Limiting erosion

Besides nitrogen, Darter said phosphorous is another major concern for lakes all across Illinois.

He said phosphorous comes from sediment eroding into the reservoir.

"We do have a lot of areas in the watershed that are highly erodible soils," Darter said.

He said, "We put these giant reaches of great big rock along the shoreline, and that stops the erosions and that stops the phosphorous release in both lakes."

This helps keep the phosphorous levels "quite low," he said.

"We've figured it out that 50% of the erosion within the lake is coming from 12% of the shoreline," Darter said.

Every year, the city budgets about $200,000 for more rock, which Darter said comes from a quarry near LaSalle, to be put along the shoreline.

"A typical year would be about 150 semi-loads of this big rock," he said.

Every year, with the help of contractors, the city installs nearly 1,800 feet of rock along the shore.

"We're going to try to finish up Lake Bloomington next summer," Darter said, then they will move on to Evergreen Lake.

Darter said one future project he is working on is helping farmers convert to cover crops.

Planted after the normal harvest, cover crops help absorb leftover nitrogen and keep soil from eroding, he said. But the process is not currently cost effective.

"This is a relatively new practice," he said, "It's just a matter of getting people adjusted to the new ideas and the new ways of doing things."
GRIDLEY  Eighty years after he died and was seemingly cursed to an unmarked, mass grave in a faraway land, John L. Ferguson is finally home.

Merle Ferguson was just 11 years old when John, his older brother, left Flanagan to join the U.S. Army Air Forces as a bombardier in 1940.

"I wrote him when he was in the service," Merle, now 93, said.

John died Dec. 10, 1942, in Cabanatuan POW camp, Philippines, and was buried in common grave 917. He was 20 years old.

After 82 years apart, Merle welcomed his brother home as his remains were laid to rest in Gridley Cemetery on Saturday.

It was bright, quiet and sunny.

The wind whispered through hundreds, if not thousands, of American flags along a tranquil stretch of road leading north from Gridley.

Family, active duty, veterans and community members crowded around a baby blue tent where the surviving Ferguson family members sat near the family plot at Gridley Cemetery, a small wooden box and a wreath in front of them.

Private First Class John L. Ferguson received full active duty honors including a 21-gun salute, "Taps," bagpipes and a ceremonial American flag presented to his family.

Merle's father, John Sr., died in 1934, and John Jr. was the oldest child.

"He would have been a father figure," Merle said after his brother's ashes, escorted by a full U.S. Army detail and hundreds of onlookers, were placed on the family plot.

Major Jason Southard, who conducted the funeral, said in prepared remarks: "It is today we have sought to recognize one particular hero, this actual hero. Let us not fade the life, the actions and the legacy of Private First Class Ferguson to the mere collective pages of history."

The Ferguson family gathered from around the country to attend the ceremony.

Bill Ferguson, one of Merle's three sons, said, "Thank you to pretty much everyone who made this happen. It is beyond what we expected."

Pfc. Ferguson's remains were flown in from Hawaii and took several stops before reaching Chicago on Thursday.

From Chicago, they were escorted by two motorcycle groups, Rolling Thunder and Illinois Patriot Guard, to Pontiac, where they were cremated.

Bill said his uncle's remains were recognized, celebrated and honored at each stop along their journey.

He said American Airlines sent him a video of one such ceremony.

"I'm sitting there, eating a turkey sandwich," Bill said, "and I have tears rolling down my face."

Southard said, "This is an absolute honor  why I'm a chaplain."

He said it was the highest honor to pay tribute to a man who gave "the last full measure of devotion ... that didn't come home to those parades."
CHICAGO  A hundred days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, abortions for out-of-state patients have surged in Illinois, as many Midwestern and Southern states have banned or severely restricted terminating a pregnancy.

Before the historic reversal of federal reproductive rights, Planned Parenthood of Illinois used to schedule dozens of abortion patients from other states each month. Now hundreds of patients are crossing state lines monthly to terminate a pregnancy in Illinois, the agency said.

Our overall out-of-state abortion volume is 10 times what it was historically, said Kristen Schultz, chief strategy and operations officer at Planned Parenthood of Illinois. The need ramped up in Illinois and it has stayed consistently high.

Roughly a dozen states nationwide  predominantly in the Midwest and South  have outlawed terminating a pregnancy in nearly all cases, leaving about 80 million people without access to abortion services, according to the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights. Several other states have also passed earlier gestational restrictions, curbing access to abortion later in pregnancy.

Illinois is in an incredibly critical position in terms of the Midwest, said Elisabeth Smith, director of state policy and advocacy for the Center for Reproductive Rights. All of the states that Illinois shares a border with have either no abortion access or more limited access.

The high courts June 24 ruling ended federal abortion protections, leaving the matter of abortion rights to be determined by individual states. Terminating a pregnancy remains legal in Illinois, which has strong reproductive rights protections amid the generally restrictive Midwest.

Illinois Right to Life Executive Director Amy Gehrke called the rising number of out-of-state patients tragic, noting that terminating a pregnancy is always deadly to preborn children.

I believe those on both sides of the abortion debate have been surprised by just how fast the abortion numbers in Illinois have skyrocketed, she said.

Three months after the fall of Roe, here are six things to know about the shifting reproductive rights landscape in Illinois, the Midwest and nation.

1. More abortion patients are crossing state lines to terminate a pregnancy in Illinois than ever before. Before Roe was overturned, Planned Parenthood of Illinois on average scheduled about 100 out-of-state abortion patients every month. The first week after the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 landmark case, nearly 750 patients from other states scheduled appointments to terminate a pregnancy, the agency said.

In the last couple of months, weve seen a really dramatic increase in our out-of-state-abortion patients, Schultz said.

In January, two southern Illinois abortion providers opened the Regional Logistics Center, a designated call center where case managers help traveling patients with transportation, lodging, child care and other needs. The center received 648 calls from patients in May, the month before Roe was reversed. In August, the number of calls more than tripled to 1,937, said Julie Lynn, spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, which covers southern Illinois.

2. The number of states that patients are traveling from has also increased. Under Roe, Planned Parenthood of Illinois typically saw abortion patients from 10 or 15 states in addition to Illinois each month, Schultz said.

Since Roe fell, weve seen abortion patients from 28 states outside of Illinois, she said.

Many of those patients have been coming from Wisconsin and Ohio, Schultz said.

But were also seeing more patients than ever from Tennessee and Missouri, and even faraway places like Texas and Alabama, Louisiana Mississippi and Florida, she said. Its emotionally taxing both for the patient and for the staff that are supporting them. They are coming to us and calling us with fear and anxiety and financial needs and logistic needs that are unique to every single patient. Theres more than we expected and its deeper than we expected.

3. In southern Illinois, patients have to wait longer to schedule an abortion appointment. Before June 24, when abortion was still legal nationwide, a patient could schedule an abortion appointment in three or four days at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Fairview Heights, near the border of Missouri. In July, the clinic said abortion appointments were taking three weeks or more to schedule.

Now wait times are generally between two-and-a-half to three weeks, Lynn said. Earlier in September, the clinic expanded its hours on weekdays to help accommodate the influx in patients and keep wait times down, she added.

Wait times havent significantly increased throughout the rest of the state, though it might take a few extra days to schedule an appointment, according to Planned Parenthood of Illinois, which has 17 clinics statewide, predominantly in the Chicago area.

4. Abortion was briefly banned in Indiana but is now legal again. In August, Indiana became the first state to pass a near-total ban on abortion after the reversal of Roe. All seven of the states clinics had to cease providing abortion services in mid-September.

But a week later, a county judge granted a preliminary injunction temporarily blocking the ban, which abortion clinic operators argued violates the state constitution.

Antonio Marchi, executive director of Right to Life Michiana, said he hopes the states abortion ban will prevail.

As abortion clinics in the state work to resume operations, we will continue to reach out, educate and advocate for vulnerable mothers and their pre-born children, he said. This is not the first setback we have experienced in the courts, so the challenges are not surprising. The pro-life movement has always been in it for the long haul.

Indiana clinics were permitted to resume offering abortions, but some providers said it can be difficult to suspend services and then quickly restore them amid so much legal uncertainty.

Officials at Whole Womans Health of South Bend said the clinic is planning to provide abortions again in the near future.

Of course, this landscape of legal back-and-forth leads to disruption in patient care and uncertainty for our staff, said Amy Hagstrom Miller, president and CEO of Whole Womans Health. That is exactly what is intended by the politicians who pass bans like this one.

5. New abortion clinics are coming to Illinois. Choices Center for Reproductive Health plans to open a clinic in Carbondale in October, adding a third option for abortion services in southern Illinois.

Choices, which is based in Memphis, had to stop performing abortions in Tennessee when a state ban went into effect in August.

Our new Carbondale clinic will allow us to continue to provide essential abortion care for folks in our communities, Choices said on its website. A three-hour drive from Memphis and Nashville and a stop on the Amtrak line, this facility will be the southernmost abortion provider in Illinois, a lifeline for people in the Southeast who need an abortion.

A Wisconsin physician over the summer bought two Rockford buildings, with plans to turn the sites into abortion clinics. Providers in Wisconsin suspended abortion services as of June 24, due to an 1849 state law that prohibits terminating a pregnancy. The statute had not been enforced for decades due to Roe, but remained on the books. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul and Gov. Tony Evers have challenged the state abortion ban, calling it archaic.

Planned Parenthood of Illinois also added space and expanded services at its Champaign Health Center, the agency announced recently. The central Illinois provider now offers in-clinic procedures as well as medication abortions. Building renovations added 5,000 square feet to the health center, which includes more procedure rooms, waiting rooms, ultrasound rooms, a recovery room and a lab.

6. Nationwide, about 50 clinics have ceased performing abortions, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights. Some of these clinics have closed, some have moved to states where abortion is legal, and others have stayed open and continued to offer other health services but no longer provide abortions.

Weve known for a long time that once a clinic closes, its really difficult to reopen and resume services, Smith said.
The thing about being shot multiple times by a gunman, confides Paul Davis, is that its not like its always portrayed.

On TV and in the movies, he says, you see the person being shot moving toward the shooter. But it doesnt happen that way in real life. I just went down ... in terrible pain.

A short time later, he learned his wife, Julie, also had been shot.

Sadly, tragically, horrifically, she didnt make it back up.

Think your life is creating stress? Think your day is bad? Think youve got some issues?

Move over and meet or re-meet Paul Davis, who in his 64 years you might also be familiar.

For almost 20 years, he was one of those voices of WJBC radio, the iconic voice of McLean County.

For many years, a big racing fan himself, he was a popular track announcer at several Illinois dirt speedways, including Farmer City and Fairbury.

For a time, he sold cars and helped manage advertising at Lynn Chevrolet Buick in Pontiac.

While at Illinois State University (crammed four years of college into seven and graduated in 1983), he worked at a popular Normal restaurant, Golden West, and spun records weekends at Smugglers Inn, a trendy eastside nightspot.

Then, since about the start of the 21st century, things began to turn.

His life, says Alan Sender, a former WJBC news guy himself, is like something youd see in a TV or movie.

And, boy, what you didnt hear on air or off track.

In April 2000, Paul Davis had three brain-stem strokes, thanks to a vertebral artery dissection. Translated, thats three clots from the back of the neck to the brain.

They left him partially paralyzed  permanently on the left side of his diaphragm  and for a time, with 24-hour-a-day hiccups. Those caused his stomach juices to irritate his esophagus.

Other internal-organ processes were slowed that spawned clots in the legs, balance issues and then also diabetes.

In 2001, he then had a widow maker heart attack.

It didnt make his wife, Julie, a widow, but it did tax the couple, a hardworking, God-loving pair with a daughter, Katey, who is autistic, and son Ryan, who was a 26-week, 1-pound, 14-ounce preemie born with severe cerebral palsy.

To this very day, in fact, while now 25 years old, Ryan  a happy, cheerful, young man, says Paul, who helps educate all who meet him about loving and accepting folks with disabilities  is not able to walk or talk and needs ongoing assistance.

Each afternoon from 1:30 to 2:30, as an example, I take about an hour to change and feed Ryan, says Paul.

By 2002, his own mobility fully diminished, Paul Davis himself qualified for disability, of which he and family continue to rely.

Then came Aug. 30, 2021.

Coming home from a trip to the bank, Paul Davis pulled into his homes driveway in the Landing Estates Mobile Home Park in north Normal to see commotion.

A neighbor screamed, HES GOT A GUN! GET AWAY!

But Paul, as he tells it, was worried about his wife and children.

So he got out.

BAM. BAM.

He was hit twice  one bullet on each side, in each arm  by a man from the neighborhood who on this afternoon was also out wandering with a gun.

Moments earlier, unknowingly to Davis, more shots had rung out.

At least one hit his wife, Julie, then 59, one of two who perished in a scene that neighbors described as a war zone.

Two others, besides Davis, were wounded by gunfire.

The gunman himself was eventually downed by police in what investigators later reported as fully justified.

That was, says Paul, no question, the worst day in our families lives and easily the worst day in my own life.

Then he adds:

But God has provided so many blessings. So many people have come forward since then. Julie and I  we shared the good times and bad times. We deeply shared a faith that teaches us to bring our troubles in prayer to our all-powerful God and trust him and his salvation plan.

It sounds out of touch in today's growing non-religious world, but its true.

It is in the Bible, of course  as a Davis friend points out  that a man named Job was a good and prosperous family man, until suddenly beset by horrendous disasters that took away all that hed held dear  and yet, day after day, he persevered, through adversity, with resilience, strength and devotion.

About the obstacles in Paul Davis onward way  it appears they, too, have made him stronger and even more of an inspiration for all the rest of us.
I am supporting Chuck Erickson for re-election to the county board. As a friend and constituent of Chuck, I know he has a heart for service. I know one thing Chuck is proud of was his father's service in WWII. His father was one of the first soldiers to land on the shore at Omaha Beach on D-Day on June 6, 1944. In memory of his father, he went on four Land of Lincoln Honor flights where he accompanied a WWII veteran on trip to Washington, D.C. He has also served as a big brother in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program.

Chuck understands courage and service go together. He led the fight in McLean County to stay open responsibly in 2020 during COVID. He had the courage to lead while others watched. He has led the fight to keep the tax rate for McLean County government steady while serving on the board. He gets it is our money. Chuck supports responsible government spending.

At a time when its often difficult to trust elected officials, Ive never doubted Chucks motives and his commitment to serving his constituents with honesty and integrity. He is even willing to fight for his values and principles at great personal cost, because he feels its his sworn duty. He was a friend long before he became active in politics, but Im extremely proud and grateful for my friends service for a county he loves and believes is worth fighting for. Please join me in voting for my friend, Chuck Erickson, for re-election to the McLean County Board.

Robert McBeath, Bloomington
Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister of Education, has hailed the Komenda College of Education (KOMENCO) in the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem district of the Central Region for its enormous contribution to education and national development.



He also charged them to continue to raise assertive, confident and competent teachers for development.



I have not seen any institution that has raised more greatness than you have done.



Dr Adutwum gave the commendation when he joined the Management of the College to launch its 75th Anniversary Celebrations in Accra.



The anniversary, scheduled to take place in March 2023, was on the theme: Promoting Sustainable National Development: The Contribution of Komenda College of Education in 75 Years.



Dr Adutwum said: We're also looking forward that you maintain your position as the orientation that over the years you are noted for, raising teachers that are assertive themselves, they're very confident of themselves, they are very competent themselves to pass on the competencies that we rcquire in our 21st century to our prospective learners.



The Education Minister said the school, for the past 74 years, had become home for the training of some of the best brains in the education and business fraternity who continued to hold high the plans for the country and continue to make strong contributions in the country and beyond.



He commended the Methodist Church for being a pillar of transformation and of great support and partner to the Ministry of Education and, for that matter, government.



While also commending the current Management of the College for the great transformational activities they were undertaking, he charged them to continue to raise assertive, confident and competent teachers needed by the modern world.



I'm very, very hopeful that KOMENCO is going to shine more and more as the home that becomes the hope for the young child, the young student, the young female, for the young man who wants to make a difference in the life of someone, who wants to become a doctor, who wants to be a lawyer, who wants to be an engineer, who wants to be a professor at the beginning of their journey with that aspiration coming on, that beautiful girl, to know that a bright career lies ahead of them, he said.



Established in 1948 as all-male school, the College is now a mixed institution, having admitted its first female students in 1952.



Commencing with 40 all male students in 1948, KOMENCO currently has a student population of 1,896.



Out of this, 1,076 are males and 820 females.



Reverend Kwasi Nkum Wilson, the Principal of KOMENCO, said the College had achieved a lot in its 75 years of existence and contributed massively to the development of education in the country.



Explaining some of the changes that had taken place under his tenure, Rev Wilson said, since 2019, there had been a great shift in education, where much emphasis had been on demonstrative teaching and learning.



Rev Wilson said, despite the financial vulnerability of the College, it had been able to support staff and policies governing its activities with continuous staff training.



There has been a continuous workshop for Staff A, B and Junior Staff as well as student leadership of the College, he added.



He disclosed that the College has had a breakthrough from a deficit of GH 611,448.73 to a surplus of GH 429,655.58 and witnessed massive infrastructure development such as the completion of a Two-Storey ladys block, renovation of the Store sand Offices for the College Heads of Department, furnishing of Vocational/Technical Unit with sewing machines, commercial burners and ovens, cylinders, washing machines, among others.



The Most Rev. Dr. Paul Kwabena Boafo, the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, Ghana, urged all stakeholders to assist the College to propel it to a higher pedestal.





Source: GNA









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The Chief of Defence Staff, Vice Admiral Seth Amoama, has urged officers of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) to be cautious, accountable and incorporate cybersecurity best practices into their everyday lives and their cyber habits while online.



He said the cyberspace, for some time now, was fraught with threats of hacking, data leakages, social engineering schemes and cyber fraud.



The number of cybersecurity incidents, he said, had drastically grown in the recent past and the GAF had not been spared.



Vice Admiral Amoama, therefore, said it had become imperative for the officers to enrich their knowledge in Cybersecurity to ensure forces data was safe from attacks from both internal and external bad actors.



He made the call in Accra yesterday during the launch of this years GAF Cybersecurity Awareness Month.



The event was held on the theme Regulating Cybersecurity: A Public-Private Sector Collaborative Approach.



Cybersecurity Awareness Month



Ghana is one of the countries in the world that observe the month of October as National Cybersecurity Awareness Month.



The month-long event seeks to intensify the capacity building and awareness creation efforts on cybersecurity, cybercrime, and educate citizens on the importance of good cyber hygiene and cyber best practices.



This years occasion will comprise workshops, lectures, demonstrations and training sessions on essentials of cybersecurity and the implications of the use of the social media by all ranks within the GAF.



Weakest link



The CDS said new technology and system would incorporate cybersecurity to guarantee and ensure system integrity, resilience and robustness.



However, he said research had established that the user, which is the human element, was the weakest link in computer security.



He said people were known to be more vulnerable than computers and smart devices. Sequel to that, Vice Admiral Amoama said the issues of data protection, security of information, misuse of social media platforms, secret recording of confidential or sensitive events and their subsequent leakages to the media had become great concern to the military high command.



To this end, I urge All Ranks to desist from unprofessional acts that seeks to tarnish the image of our noble profession.



I have also directed that regular reminders of extracts on communications and information systems policy and cybersecurity titbits be published in the unit routine orders to guide all ranks on the use of the internet and social media engagements, the CDS said.



Ghanas cybersecurity development



On his part, the acting Director General of the National Cybersecurity Authority, Dr. Albert Antwi-Boasiako said Ghanas cybersecurity development was rated at 32.6 per cent according to the Global Cybersecurity Index in 2017.



As at the end of 2020, he said the countrys readiness level was rated at 86.69 per cent, thus, becoming the third highest ranked country in Africa after Tanzania and Mauritius and the 43rd ranked country in the world.



He said authority, therefore, recognised the contribution of the GAF to that development and hoped to build upon that success through the work of the Joint Cybersecurity Committee which had three senior officers of the GAF representing.

Source: graphic.com.gh









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The intended exercise to block all unregistered SIM cards effective Saturday, October 1, 2022, has been put on hold.



This is to allow the Ministry of Communication and Digitalisation to examine the roadmap for the intended exercise.



A reliable source close to the SIM registration process has told Graphic Online that a new date and the modalities will be communicated early next week but added that the punitive measures as seen earlier in September will be implemented again.



The NCA, Friday morning, met with all telcos to finalise the modalities and they expressed their readiness to go ahead with the exercise to block the unregistered SIMs as per the expiration of the deadline Friday, September 30, 2022.



Meanwhile, it said those who have done stage one (linked their Ghana Cards to their SIM cards via *404#) will have up to end of year [2022] to complete stage two of their registration.



Again, those who have not registered their SIMs at all will be blocked from receiving calls, making calls, using data services, among other things.



It said such subscribers will however have access to initiate *404# to start their registration, and also be able to receive their unique codes via SMS.



It said for Telesol, Busy and Surfline which are grouped under Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) providers, subscribers started registration late so they will be given additional time to complete registration of their customers.



It reiterated that the industry regulator has submitted its roadmap post deadline to the policy maker, the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation, for a final greenlight to implement.



Graphic Online can confirm that the sector Minister is currently leading a Ghana delegation to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) plenipotentiary conference in Bucharest, Romania where Ghana is seeking to retain her seat on the ITU Council.

Source: graphic.com.gh









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The Overlord of Dagbon, Ya-Naa Abubakari Mahama II, has praised the competence, diligence and humility of the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, describing him as a man bound for greatness.



Speaking at the Gbewaa Palace, Yendi on Sunday 2nd October 2022, the Ya-Naa highlighted the many interventions facilitated by Dr Bawumia across a broad sphere of national life since he became Vice President of the Republic, which have resulted in the betterment of the lives of the people of not just northern Ghana, but the nation as a whole.



Mr Vice President, your achievements cannot be mentioned without outlining your zealous contribution to couple the efforts of the President to resolve the protracted Dagbon crisis. Today, we have peace in Dagbon as we expected and we owe it an obligation to appreciate your efforts in realising this feat. Dagbon is grateful to you, Alhaji Dr. Bawumia.



Your exceptional humility is worth emulating and makes us proud of you for that. You have not departed from the training your elders gave you.



Again, since your occupation of the second most important political seat in Ghana, you have shown sterling performance with your sacrifice and hard work which has achieved so much for mother Ghana.



Remarkably you have discharged and keep discharging your duties with great tolerance even when your opponents come after you and this proves your competence and how focused you are.



Alluding to Dr Bawumias continued promotion of religious tolerance and acceptance, Ya-Naa Abubakari Mahama stated:



Your quest to harmonize the religious diversity of our country is also commendable. As a Muslim, you hold on to your faith at all times while you find it no harm to be amongst Christians and this speaks loudly about nothing but, the necessity of peace and tolerance amongst ourselves even when we disagree with each other.



The Overlord of Dagbon again commended Vice President Bawumia for his and the NPP government under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addos determination to bridge the development gap between the north and the south through various interventions, including the setting up of a special purpose vehicle for the development of the north.



Through your efforts, our region has seen the construction of its first interchange. This is a promise you made and as expected of you, you have delivered. Under you as a Vice President, you have also supported the President to make our region and all the four other regions in our part of the country beneficiaries of the national cake through social interventions.



Today, we can boast of countless infrastructure from roads, markets, factories, hospitals, schools, water and sanitation projects among others. All these were achieved through the Northern Development Authority which you were instrumental in its formulation.



Wishing the Vice President travel mercies as he begins a tour of northern Ghana, Ya- Naa Abubakari Mahama II urged Dr Bawumia to remain focused on delivering for the people of Ghana, who are keenly observing his contribution to national development and will make their voices heard at the right time.



Your keen interest in seeing the North develop will always be remembered. I, as your father, will like you to continue to be a loyal servant of Ghana and the people of the five northern regions.



Your reward is on the way because you are bound for greatness, my son, he declared.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Police investigation has established that Christopher Ekow Quansah Clarke, the Mankessim Akwakrom Tufuhene and Pastor Michael Darko involved in the murder of 25-year-old Georgina Asor Botchwey, have confessed to killing three other persons.



The murder of Asor Botchwey makes it four, the number of persons Nana Clarke and his accomplice have allegedly killed.



The witness said the accused persons first took the team to the house of the Tufuhene at Mankessim and Akwakrom near Mankessim, where they carried out their criminal activities.



The police thoroughly searched the rooms and took vital documents and information for further investigation.



Again, in Mankessim, the two took the police team to a location where a male teacher was allegedly invited by them and was shot and killed instantly and his toes cut.



The police were also taken to a location in the Ekumfi District where they allegedly shot and killed a female trader and buried her under a bridge in the Ekumfi District.



The team also visited a location at Batanya in the Abura-Asebu-Kwamakese District, where they allegedly killed a young lady from Kumasi.



The two pretended to be travel agents and prepared a travelling document for her to travel to Holland.



The two allegedly told the police that they met the lady at Batanyaa on the Cape Coast-Assin Fosu Highway and killed her.



The family of the deceased, who was at the mortuary in Cape Coast on Thursday afternoon, identified the body of their relative.



Meanwhile, a crack team of police personnel from the Central Regional Command were also led by the accused persons to arrest a 26-year-old mason in Mankessim, in connection with the alleged murder.



Report says the third suspect, identified as one Abbey, the in-law of Quansah has been arrested.



According to the sources, Quansah confessed to having hired the husband of one Esi Akyere to dig the pit in his houses at Mankessim.



Following the revelation, the police swiftly moved to the community and with the backing of the chiefs arrested Abbey, who initially denied the act but later admitted to digging the pit for GH50.



According to Abbey, who is also one of the leaders of the Youth Volunteer Group in the community, the Tufohen paid him the agreed amount in instalments of GH20 and GH30 respectively after the work.



Baffled by the revelation of the suspect, the sources said, the chiefs assembled all the members of the Youth Volunteer Group and impressed on them to confess if they were complicit in the murder case, but they all denied any knowledge of it.



The sources also said police personnel had been stationed at the deserted family house of the Tufuhene where two dugout holes were found in two obscure and dirty separate rooms while it had also intensified patrols.



Earlier, Nana Akwa III, the Chief of Akwakrom, at a press conference, called for the arrest and inquiry into the activities of a fetish priest in the community and one Kwesi Gyan, the Abiradze Ebusuapayin of the Tufuhene who could not be tracked since the news broke out.



We are appealing to the police to interrogate his fetish priest in the community who the Tufohen liked so much and took cover prior to his arrest, Nana Akwa pleaded.



Nana Akwa, who is also a legal practitioner, wondered how the Tufohen dug the craters containing numerous bottles and dead materials without the knowledge of the Ebusuapanyin.



Since the arrest of the Tufohen, all attempts to reach his Ebusuapanyin, who was always in the community, have not been successful. There is no way anyone can dig out two pits in two separate rooms in a family house without the knowledge of the Ebusuapanyin. This is incomprehensible.



More so, prior to the arrest of the Tufohen, his Ebusuapanyin was billed to meet the Chief and elders on some teething community issues, but he cannot be found. And why is he not answering our calls, the Chief revealed



Court



District Court II in Cape Coast has remanded the self-styled Pastor and Tufuhene of Ekwamkrom into police custody to reappear before the court on 4th October 2022.



The two accused persons, Michael Darko alias Nana 1, a self-styled Pastor and Christopher Ekow Clarke, Tufuhene of Akwakrom, a suburb of Mankessim in the Central region were arrested at their various hideouts for allegedly kidnapping, murdering and burying a student nurse.



Georgina Asor Botchwey  The Student nurse

The two have confessed to murdering the victim, Georgina Asor Botchway, for money rituals.



Georgina Asor Botchway, 22, went missing over a week ago and notices were shared in the hope of finding her.



The two accused persons were arrested at their various hideouts following a Police investigation.



According to the report, during Police interrogation, suspect Michael Darko, who is the alleged boyfriend of the senior sister of the deceased victim and was last seen with her, led Police to the location where they had buried her after the murder.



Her body was later exhumed by police at the home of the chief, Nana Clarke in Mankessim, where they were led by the pastor. Republiconline





Source: Daily Guide









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Dr. Mrs. Beatrice Wiafe Addai, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Breast Care International (BCI), has urged Ghanaians to shun misconstrued thoughts about breast cancer being spiritual and seek early care to save lives.



She said higher cases of the deadly disease, which had no known causes, were being reported worldwide and explained that it is not only Ghanaian women who develop breast cancer so forget about peoples opinions and myths on it having spiritual links, the disease has no connection with spirituality.



According to her, cancers were the number one killer disease among women, calling on the people to stop hiding in their rooms, wasting time at prayer camps and unapproved treatment centers to tackle breast cancer head-on.



Every year more than 2000 Ghanaian women die from breast cancer out of the 4000 diagnosis.



This represents close to 50 percent of women dying needlessly from this disease.



She was speaking at the 10th Edition of BCI Ghana Walk for the Cure at Tepa in Ahafo-Ano North Municipal Municipality.



This years walk through the principal streets of Tepa attracted thousands of prominent personalities, students, and other individuals.



It was themed Breast Cancer Wont Rest, So Why Should We.



Dr. Wiafe Addai, who is also the CEO of Peace and Love Hospitals indicated that breast cancer does not stay in the breast alone, it spreads to other organs including lungs, brain, liver, and bone if not treated early, adding that the best thing to do was to adopt secondary prevention - early detection and prompt action.



The deadly nature of breast cancers was why the BCI and the Peace and Love Hospitals have waged a war against the ailment in Ghana and the African sub-region.



She appealed for support from stakeholders to create awareness and education to conquer as well as reduce the number of people dying from the curable disease.



Nana Adusei Atwenewaa Ampem I, Tepamanhene, who hosted the programme said the health of the people was paramount and issues of breast cancer should be taken seriously, citing the devastating consequences of the disease.



He said the government should have further discourse and roll out programmes to assist the BCI in reducing breast cancer deaths.



The Tepamanhene pledged to allocate land for BCI to build a breast care facility in the area to help women seek early treatment and promote their well-being.



Madam Martina Appiah-Nyantakyi, Municipal Chief Executive, Ahafo-Ano North, reiterated that the consequences of the disease were dire, and called for women to seek early treatment to save lives.

Source: GNA









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Pressure group OccupyGhana says it's not enough to just direct Akonta Mining Limited to halt operations in the Tano Nimiri Forest in the Western Region.



According to a statement from OccupyGhana "while congratulating you on this step, we would be taken aback if that was all you did. If the company is engaged in the activities that you have alleged, then it is committing an offence that is punishable by fines and prison terms between 15 and 25 years".



Read the full statement below



30 September 2022



The Minister

Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources

Accra



Attention: Samuel Abu Jinapor, MP



Re: Minister Directs Forestry Commission to Halt Akonta Mining Limiteds Operations in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve



Just two days ago, on 28 September 2022, we wrote an open letter to the President to ensure that the law, namely the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as amended, is enforced without fear and favour and irrespective of whose ox is gored. Today, we have seen a Press Release from your Ministry, stating that you have directed the Forestry Commission to halt the mining operations of a company called Akonta Mining Limited in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve. You state that the basis for this directive is that the said company is undertaking the mining operations without a mining lease (we have attached a copy of your Press Release to this letter, for ease of reference.)



While congratulating you on this step, we would be taken aback if that was all you did. If the company is engaged in the activities that you have alleged, then it is committing an offence that is punishable by fines and prison terms between 15 and 25 years. Specifically, section 99(2)(a) of Act 703 provides that:



A person who, without a licence granted by the Minister, undertakes a mining operation contrary to a provision of this Act,  commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of not less than ten thousand penalty units and not more than fifteen thousand penalty units and to a term of imprisonment of not less than fifteen years and not more than twenty-five years.



The companys directors and officers would also be culpable because under section 107(1)(a) of Act 703,



Where an offence is committed under this Act or under Regulations made under this Act by a body of persons, in the case of a body corporate , each director or an officer of the body shall also be considered to have committed the offence.



We therefore demand that you forthwith refer the facts and evidence in your possession that show that the said mining company is undertaking mining operations in breach of the Act, to the police and the Attorney-General for further investigations and prosecution of the company and its directors and officers.



We are copying the Attorney-General, Inspector-General of Police, Minerals Commission, and Forestry Commission on this letter and demanding that they take immediate steps to enforce the law.



Yours in the service of God and Country





OccupyGhana



Attorney-General & Minister of Justice

Office of the Attorney-General & Ministry of Justice

Accra



The Inspector-General of Police

Police Headquarters

Accra



The Chief Executive

Minerals Commission

Accra



The Chief Executive

Forestry Commission

Accra





Source: Peacefmonline.com









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There are many secret societies in Ghana and the world at large. These groups, mostly called the brotherhood hold meetings in private and nothing or little information about the group is known to the general public.



This is because their information is deemed confidential to members of the society.



One of the most talked-about secret society groups in Ghana is the Freemason.



Most prominent people in the country including former president John Agyekum Kufuor, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Ghanaian historian, Henry Martey Newman, Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Ekumfi, Effutu MP, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, are members of Freemason.



Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin has disclosed how he was initiated into the brotherhood; Freemason - years after his identity with this group took many Ghanaians by surprise.



He noted that a former national chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), the late Harona Esseku was the one who led him to join the freemason.



The Effutu MP added that Harona Esseku ensured that he rose through the ranks to hold a good position in the brotherhood.



Disclosing this in a tribute to the late Harona Esseku on Saturday, October 1, 2022, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin said, "He [Esseku] taught me the fine details of being a politician with an enviable code. He also showed me the doors to masonry and led my young hands into its hallowed chambers."



"Indeed, he laboured day and night to teach me that all squares and perpendiculars are perfect points to know a brother. He did not end there. He ensured that I immersed myself in the brotherhood and rose quickly through the ranks, on merit, to take a seat in the "East," he added.



Harona Esseku died on August 3, 2022, at age 88.



About Harona Esseku:



The late Harona Esseku's political career started in 1968 when he was elected by the Awutu's, Effutu's, Gomoa's and Agona's to represent them in the constituent assembly during the drafting of the constitution of the second republic.



Harona Esseku became a founding member of the Progress Party in 1969 and served as Minister for Transport and Communications in the government of Prime Minister Kofi Abrefa Busia as the youngest Cabinet Minister at the age of 35.



He was also a member of the Second Republican Parliament as representative for the Awutu-Effutu-Senya Constituency.



At the onset of the third republic, he became a founding member of the Popular Front Party (PFP) and later a member of the steering committee of the party.

Mr Esseku was also, a founding member of the New Patriotic Party following Ghana's return to democratic rule in 1992.



He later served as National Chairman of the Party from 2001 to 2005.

Mr. Esseku's long years of distinguished service to his country, earned him the Order of the Star of Ghana in 2007, the highest national award conferred by the Government of Ghana in acknowledgement of the unsurpassed contributions of an individual to the country.



In April 2016, the Member of Parliament for Effutu in the Central region, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, revealed that he is a member of the fraternal society, Freemasons.



According to him, the teachings and values of the organisation do not conflict with his catholic principles and upbringing.



Speaking to Bola Ray on Starr Chat, the outspoken legislator said Freemasonry teaches its followers about God and the principles of life.



Freemasonry consists of fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local fraternities of stonemasons, which from the end of the fourteenth century regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities and clients. The basic, local organisational unit of Freemasonry is the Lodge.

Source: facebook/ghanaweb









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Veteran Nollywood actor, Pete Edochie and his wife, Josephine, have celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary.



The event to mark the 53rd anniversary took place at the Base Landmark Event Centre, Enugu on Saturday, October 1, 2022.



The event was graced by Enugu State Goverenor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, the deputy governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Barr. Ifeanyi Ossai, and other dignitaries.



Taking to his official Instagram account, the legendary actor thanked his children for giving them the biggest party of their lifetime.



"53 years of Marital Bliss with my Queen, Chief Barrister Mrs Josephine Edochie.

Thanks to my Children for hosting us to the biggest party of our lifetime, yes Our LIFE because we are ONE," he wrote.



"In celebration of our 53yrs of marriage and Life in Goodness and in Good Health. These past 53yrs, God blessed us with six biological children (among all the inherited ones and numerous grand-children) 5 gentlemen and a beautiful adorable lady, Leo; Adam; Linc; Jean; Yul; Eva, respectively. Thank you all for celebrating with us. Daalu nu"









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The Chief Executive Officer of Engineers & Planners Ghana Limited, Mr. Ibrahim Mahama has been conferred EMY AFRICA, MAN OF THE YEAR at this years Exclusive Men Of the Year awards held on Saturday, October 1, 2022.



Powered by Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, the special ceremony took place at the Grand Arena of Accra International Conference Centre.



Mr. Ibrahim Mahama was awarded and specially recognized for his contribution to the growth and development of private sector businesses in Ghana and Africa.



The EMY Africa awards, celebrate Leaders, Young Achievers, Community Builders to Captains of Industries across the continent. The Awards ceremony has fast become established as one of the biggest gatherings of influential and business leaders.



Presenting the award to Mr. Mahama, the Board Chairman of Guinness Ghana Breweries Limited, Dr Felix E. Addo, acknowledged the immense contribution Mr. Mahama has made and continues to make to the economic development of Ghana.



The award was also in recognition of his philanthropic activities.



Dr. Addo said Mr. Ibrahim Mahama companies are economic powerhouse in Ghana and beyond.



Speaking through the Technical Director of E&P, Mr. Majeed Abudu, Mr. Mahama said it is fulfilling that ones contribution to the development of the country is recognized. He said, more is being done to empower the teeming youth through job creation and mentorship. He thanked Ghanaians for accepting Dzata Cement since the company started operations last year.



Mr. Mahama is the founder of Engineers and Planners an indigenous A-Class mining and construction company with an enviable record of working for multi-national companies both in Ghana and outside the shores of Ghana.



He is also the owner of Asutsuare Poultry farm, one of the largest poultry establishments in Ghana.



His latest venture is in the production of Portland cement, with the establishment of Ghanas first wholly owned cement producing company Dzata Cement.



The plant has a capacity to produce 2.6 million tonnes of Portland cement in year.



#IbrahimMahama #EngineersAndPlanners #EMY22 #DzataCement

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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(From left to right) Japanese actor Hayato Isomura, Japanese director and screenwriter Chie Hayakawa and Filipino actress Stefanie Arianne pose as they arrive for the screening of Plan 75 at the 75th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 20, 2022. (Photo by Patricia de Melo Moreira/AFP via Getty Images)

The studio behind "Heneral Luna" and "Im Drunk, I Love You" is set to bring "Plan 75" to Philippine theaters. And Filipina-Japanese actress Stefanie Arianne is completely over the moon now that Philippine audiences can watch the Japanese dystopian drama.

Its such an important film that represents us Filipinos on the international scene. I am thankful to everyone who made this premiere in the Philippines possible, she told Yahoo Philippines.

Written and directed by Chie Hayakawa, Plan 75 is set in a world where senior citizens are encouraged to undergo euthanasia for $1,000. The film details the moral and social implications of the titular Plan 75 through the eyes of overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Maria (Arianne in her Cannes debut), unemployed motel maid Michi (Chieko Baisho), and pragmatic program agent Himori (Hayato Isomurai).

When asked what Philippine viewers can expect from the movie, Arianne advised them to pack your tissues. According to her, Plan 75 highlights the contrast between Filipino and Japanese culture when it comes to taking care of the elderly.

Additionally, its also a window to the lives of OFWs. It shows their hardships and sacrifices for their loved ones back home. The movie also highlights how tight-knit and welcoming our community is even if youre not blood-related.

TBA Studios bagged the distribution rights for the film. Their Executive Vice President and General Manager Daphne Chiu said in a press release that its truly an honor for us to be able to bring this beautiful film to the Philippines. Its a quiet and understated film, but with a big poignant message that we hope could reach a lot of people.

In the same press release, Hayakawa, who based the film in his segment in the 2018 anthology film "Ten Years Japan", was delighted at the update. According to him, he is truly grateful to all the Filipino cast members and producers and those who believe in and support this film.

Story continues

Plan 75 joins TBA Studios recent slew of international films that they have distributed locally. These films include the A24-produced sci-fi comedy-drama "Everything, Everywhere, All at Once", and soon this year, the Swedish black comedy "Triangle of Sadness". The latter won the Palme dOr in the 2022 Cannes Film Festival (where Plan 75 competed under the "Un Certain Regard" category and won the Camera dOr special mention prize).

Both Plan 75 and Triangle of Sadness featured an actress of Filipino blood, with Dolly de Leon also co-starring in the latter film.

While TBA Studios is yet to share how, when, and where audiences can watch Plan 75, Arianne hoped local viewers would be able to appreciate the film just as much as I do.

Don't forget to pack your tissues and stay hydrated! Maraming salamat po at ingat po kayo! (Thank you so much and take care everybody!)"

Reuben Pio Martinez is a news writer who covers stories on various communities and scientific matters. He regularly tunes in to local happenings. The views expressed are his own.

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An example of a formalin-fixed New Zealand grayling, caught in the Clutha River (1874). Credit: Otago Museum CC BY 4.0, Author provided

In 1923, Te Rangi Hiroa (Sir Peter Buck) documented the last confirmed capture of a special fishthe upokororo or New Zealand grayling.

More than two decades later, the upokororo received full governmental protection, but it was too late. No further sightings were ever confirmed. In 1986, the upokororo was officially listed as extinct.

The upokororo disappeared so quickly that it's mostly unknown to Western science. But almost a century after the last living upokororo was seen, we are now using ancient DNA to finally provide some answers.

Our research reveals the upokororo's ancient origins, going back 15 to 23 million years, and a link to its Australian cousins.

From fertilizer to phantom

Historical accounts show the upokororo was once very common in rivers across the country. In the 1800s, cartloads were caught and traded for use as fertilizer and food.

But then it disappeared, likely as a result of a combination of factorspollution, overfishing, disease and predation by introduced trout.

Despite its abundance in the past, only a small handful of preserved upokororo still exist in museums today. This is one reason we know so little about this curious fish.

A second reason is that many of these specimens have been treated with formaldehyde, a chemical that preserves the form of the fish but plays havoc with their DNA.

Fishy frontiers

The DNA in specimens "fixed" with chemicals like formaldehyde gets broken up into small pieces and stuck together. Over time, the DNA becomes more and more damaged.

This is a big challenge for researchers who want to study species like the upokororo and a major reason why extinct fish are understudied compared to other extinct species.

Fortunately, new methods have recently been developed that help to isolate and analyze small damaged fragments of DNA. This means genetic analysis of many "wet preserved" specimens like those of the upokororo is now possible for the first time.

Such genetic information can provide new insights into the origin and identity of extinct species.

Whakapapa of the upokororo

Based on the general appearance of the upokororo, scientists have usually considered it to be a close relative of the Australian grayling. The Australian grayling is part of a family of fish that includes Stokell's smelt and the New Zealand smelt, which are both still found in rivers across Aotearoa.

New DNA data confirmed the Australian grayling is the closest living relative of the upokororo, but only a distant cousin at best. Genetic comparisons showed the common ancestor of the two species lived more than 15 million years ago.

An ancient origin for the upokororo agrees well with the discovery of fossil grayling ear bones in lake sediments from Saint Bathans in Central Otago.

Genetic and fossil data together suggest the ancestors of the upokororo arrived in Aotearoa following the birth of the Alpine Fault. Before that time, present-day Aotearoa was mostly beneath the ocean, during the height of the Oligocene "drowning" 27 to 22 million years ago.

While baby upokororo could live in salt water, adults needed brackish or fresh water. The emergence of Aotearoa from beneath the waves would have created new habitats for the upokororo.

Back from the brink?

Some scientists have previously put forward a controversial idea. Could the Australian grayling be released into rivers in New Zealand to fill the ecological gap left by the extinction of the upokororo?

That probably wouldn't be a good plan. Millions of years of independent evolution mean the niches filled by the Australian grayling and upokororo were likely very different.

If we can't replace the upokororo, is it possible that they're still out there somewhere in a remote waterway, waiting to be re-discovered? It wouldn't be unprecedented. Takahe were thought to be extinct before a small population was re-discovered in the Murchison Mountains in 1948.

Genetic data provide a new tool in the search for survivors. Environmental DNA in water samples from remote catchments can now be compared routinely to known DNA from the upokororo. Perhaps one day this will lead to a positive match that indicates the location of survivors.

Fish populations are in sharp decline globally. Lessons learned from past extinctions, like that of the upokororo, can help us preserve fish species for future generations. Hopefully we can heed the lessons from the past.

Explore further Mystery of extinct New Zealand fish unraveled

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Sex offender is headed to prison

HAMPTON  A Hampton man has been sentenced in Washington County Court to 1 to 3 years in state prison for failure to comply with requirements of being on the sex offender registry.

Kody L. Dean was arrested on May 3 after an investigation was conducted by the Washington County Sheriffs Office and New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

Dean had had multiple email accounts that were not registered with the Sex Offender Registry, according to police.

 Post-Star staff report
WARRENSBURG  The smell of fried dough filled the air, while shoppers on the sidewalks moved from tent to tent eyeing their next purchase. Cars were bumper to bumper in the northbound and southbound lanes on Main Street in Warrensburg, as the Worlds Largest Garage Sale returned Friday.

Veteran participant Scott Brueder was suggesting ways to beat the traffic as he packed up for the night just before sunset.

I tell people you might be better off going up to Exit 24 and coming around the other way. Just trying to get into town the other way, you will be sitting in traffic awhile, he said.

Brueder said he has taken years off in between, but he first started coming to the garage sale in the early 90s.

Its one of the best places to sell things. I go to a couple shows like this and I always make out the best here, he said.

The event welcomes over 500 vendors including artisan crafters, homemade fudge makers and people just trying to sell their old stuff.

Several porches and front lawns on Main Street were covered with tables of items for sale or small pieces of furniture, while others offer parking for a small fee or vendor space still available for rent.

Shoppers also popped in for a bite to eat at the various eateries and stores along the way.

The event brings in tourists from all over to shop and walk the streets of the small town as summer turns to fall, but Gina Mintzer, executive director of the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce, said things never really settled down in the area.

It looks like a strong fall season (is) already underway. It didnt really end from the summer because of car show and balloon festival and now the garage sale, Mintzer said on Friday.

Back in full force has been the theme for a lot of events in the region this year, which Mintzer said has brought a lot of visitors back to the area who did not come during the height of the pandemic.

Our Canadian friends have begun to come back, she said. They werent here last year or for the last couple years.

Mintzer said fall activities are everywhere this year.

Things are happening in Chestertown and Brant Lake and up at Gore Mountain and everywhere  around the whole region, she said on Friday. All the fall things we were accustomed to pre-COVID are back in full force.

Shes been telling callers that ask about the fall foliage the leaves havent been painted yet.

Thats the number one call weve gotten lately. People want to know about the colors, but thats something we cannot control, Mintzer said.

Despite the late development of reds, yellows and oranges in the Adirondacks, Mintzer said weddings and celebrations of weddings that were small due to the pandemic are happening everywhere in Lake George, except on the parasails.

She noted the Special Olympic Games coming to downtown Glens Falls this month would bring a lot of visitors to the area  both spectators and participants.

That is going to be a big deal this year, she said. Last year, there were still restrictions on the number of teams that could come, so now there will be more athletes and their families here than ever.

The fall season also brings opportunities for development as many businesses close their doors for the winter months.

There is construction happening everywhere  from the old Tubby Tubes building being demolished to build a new one to Schermerhorn already demolishing Water Slide World for his future apartments, Mintzer said.
LAKE GEORGE  The Lake George Association has appointed Lake George native and former LGA intern Monika LaPlante to the newly created position of managing program director.

LaPlante will oversee and coordinate the day-to-day development, implementation and management of the LGAs science-to-solutions programs, according to an LGA news release.

She will report to LGA President Eric Siy and work closely with the organizations science, technical and education teams.

With masters degrees in biology and computer science, experience as an environmental project manager, and a lifelong love of Lake George, she is ideally positioned to serve in this key leadership role as we build a new generation of science- and technology-guided programs to tackle compounding threats and deliver lasting water quality protection, Siy said in a statement.

As a senior at Lake George High School in 2008, LaPlante was awarded an LGA scholarship, and she told her family and friends she would have a career with the LGA one day, according to the release.

Her interest in protecting her hometown lake grew even stronger during college, as she spent three summers with the LGAs Lake Stewardship Program, inspecting boats for invasive species, and two summers as a research assistant with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institutes Darrin Fresh Water Institute in Bolton Landing.

LaPlante called the job truly a dream come true.

Of priority for LaPlante is the growth of the LGAs new Lake Protector Program, which uses an array of data to educate, equip and empower property owners across the Lake George watershed to take direct actions to reduce the impacts of stormwater, wastewater and other water-quality threats, according to the release.

The Lake Protector Program is integral to new programming to curb the formation of harmful algal blooms and to stem the spread of the hemlock woolly adelgid invasive insect, LGA officials said.

LaPlante will also coordinate the LGAs collaboration with RPI and IBM Research on The Jefferson Project environmental research program, which gathers and analyzes physical, chemical and biological data from across the watershed to identify and monitor water quality threats.

In working with The Jefferson Project, LaPlante will be reunited with her former RPI research adviser, Kevin Rose, an associate professor in freshwater ecology who serves as acting director of the project.

LaPlante joins the LGA after five years as data manager at Archbold Biological Station, a not-for-profit research station in Floridas Everglades dedicated to long-term ecological research. In that role, she oversaw all of the data gathered by the station, including water quality and weather data from sensors around central Florida.

LaPlante holds a bachelors degree in environmental science from Northeastern University, a masters in computer science from Pace University and a masters in biology from RPI. She is an avid scuba diver and volunteers with the Saratoga County Animal Shelter, for which she has fostered more than 80 animals.
The Washington County Planning Agency decided Tuesday that a proposed 20-megawatt solar energy project in Greenwich is a matter of local concern and returned it to the towns planning board.

White Creek Supervisor Jim Griffith, chairman of the agency, said many people have voiced concerns about staring at solar fields instead of agricultural land, and the state Department of Agriculture and Markets and Department of Environmental Conservation want to protect fertile farmland.

But he said he also heard repeatedly from farmers, Dont tell us what to do with our land. If farmers want to install photovoltaic facilities on their land, thats their right, he said. The hope is that they make the solar panels high enough so they can still use the land for grazing and other farming.

The Bald Mountain Solar project, proposed by Boralex, would install solar panels on 140 acres now being used for corn or hay. The land is west of County Road 77 (Bald Mountain Road), north of Thomson Road and bisected by a National Grid transmission line. If the project receives all approvals, construction could start later this year or early next year and the project would go into service in late 2023.

Boralex is a Canadian company that develops, builds, owns and operates renewable energy facilities in North America, France, and the U.K. It operates seven hydropower plants in New York State, including four in this area.

The Bald Mountain project has generated significant controversy in the town of Greenwich.

The agency also reviewed a solar project proposed at 7849 State Route 22, near its intersection with County Road 31 in Hebron. The developer is Norbut Solar LLC, a solar developer in Rochester. According to its website, it focuses on lands that have been over-farmed, underutilized, distressed or abandoned.

The 20-megawatt project would put 86 acres of solar panels on 176 acres with four adjacent, contiguous sites. All the land is a single parcel and agricultural or wooded. Access would be from state Route 22 to the west and County Route 31 to the northwest. The developer is seeking a major subdivision.

The agency ruled that it has no jurisdiction at this stage. The developer will have to return to the planning agency for approval of road access.
ATLANTIC CITY  Voters here will decide Nov. 8 whether they want to move to nonpartisan elections in a city where the Democratic Party strongly dominates.

The resort would follow other local shore towns like Ventnor, Margate, Longport and Ocean City in holding nonpartisan elections in May, with candidates running as individuals with no indication of party affiliation.

There are pros and cons to the move, said John Froonjian, executive director of the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University.

Nonpartisan elections can seem appealing, especially these days when the two parties are always in conflict and the country seems so polarized, Froonjian said. On a municipal level you can make the argument that ideology takes a back seat to the governments ability to provide services. Theres not a Democratic or Republican way to pick up the trash.

Nonpartisan elections eliminate the need for primary elections, Froonjian said, where candidates on the more extreme ends of the spectrum often get the nomination, rather than more moderate candidates.

But there are negatives to giving up the partisan approach, Froonjian said.

The flip side is that the primaries act as a filter to weed out candidates that are clearly not qualified, he said.

Partisan elections good for diversity, Small supporters say ATLANTIC CITY  Partisan elections and a strong Democratic Party have resulted in diversity 

Without a primary contest, sometimes factors not related to a candidates qualifications determine the outcome.

Often a nonpartisan election becomes a personality contest, or the one with the most name recognition triumphs, Froonjian said.

And turnout can be extremely low, because it is an extra election held out of synch with primaries and general elections.

According to a report in the New Jersey Globe, only 16.6% of all voters in the 11 municipalities with May 10 municipal elections voted this year.

In Newark, only 11.1% of voters participated to determine the race for mayor and four ward council seats, according to the Globe.

Thats about the turnout rate for primary elections, where only the most active voters participate. Atlantic Countys turnout in the June primary was just 11%, and the statewide turnout 12%, compared with 39% for Atlantic County and 40% for state in the 2021 general election, which included the gubernatorial race and was a low turnout for a general election historically.

In 2020 the general election, which included the presidential and congressional races, saw about a 70% turnout rate in both the county and state.

Support grows on Atlantic City council for nonpartisan elections, vexing mayor ATLANTIC CITY  Mayor Marty Small Sr. continues to adamantly oppose moving the city back to 

Taking it out of the general election makes it really a small-scale election, more akin to a school board election than the general, Froonjian said. In lower turnout, weird things can happen. It doesnt take a lot of votes either way to swing an election.

Turnout doesnt have to be low in nonpartisan towns, however.

In Ocean City, 4,274 votes were cast in May in the municipal election that included a mayoral race. That means about 44% of the 9,633 registered voters in Ocean City participated.

Supporters of the change in Atlantic City, including four of nine City Council members, say the goal is to make it easier for ordinary people to get involved in government, compared to the situation now with partisan elections. Currently the Democratic municipal committee determines which candidates to support, and critics say that favors connected people too much.

Opponents, including Mayor Marty Small Sr. and the other five council members, say it adds the cost of another election to the city budget, and will result in lower turnout for both nonpartisan elections and for primary and general elections for county, state and federal offices.

Those opposed also caution that the Democratic Party has done a good job of making sure diverse candidates are supported, and a nonpartisan system would risk losing that diversity.

Partisan elections also allow local candidates to run on the party line or under well-known national and state candidates, Froonjian said.

November referendum will decide if Atlantic City moves to nonpartisan elections ATLANTIC CITY  City Council declined to vote to move to a nonpartisan form of government at

Sometimes a well-known local candidate can even help county and state candidates with low name recognition, he said.

It helps both ways up and down (the ballot), Froonjian said.

Partisan elections also allow voters to easily identify which candidate is most in line with their thinking, Froonjian said.

Especially at the local level, voters may not have the time or inclination to research candidates on their own or explore what positions they hold, Froonjian said. Its a shortcut for people to endorse the party they prefer without having to get in the weeds of political positions.

And nonpartisan elections dont eliminate polarization and party participation, he said.

It can become nonpartisan in name only, or they break into factions or cliques based on local issues, Froonjian said. Candidates even run as a team.

If approved on Election Day, the change is likely to benefit Republicans and a faction of Democrats who are pushing back against the Small administration, Froonjian said.

Atlantic City mayor calls proposed election changes a GOP ploy ATLANTIC CITY  Mayor Marty Small Sr. is calling a plan to move back to non-partisan electio

Smalls supporters recently wrested control of the municipal Democratic Committee from political operative and Small political enemy Craig Callaway, a former council president who went to prison on bribery charge in the 2000s.

Callaway helped collect hundreds of the more than 2,000 signatures the group compiled to get the question on the ballot.

Generally what happens in (places) dominated by one-party rule, the opposition party never gets any traction but rifts develop within the majority party and factions develop, Froonjian said. The opposition party poses no real threat, but factions within the dominant party do.

There is only so much power to go around, and only so many positions to award, so those left out become opponents.

Whoever is in control now probably stands to potentially lose the most, Froonjian said.
SPRINGFIELD  Gov. J.B. Pritzker is considering changes to the SAFE-T Act criminal justice reform to clarify provisions related to the end of cash bail in Illinois, while his Republican challenger, state Sen. Darren Bailey, continues to push for a full repeal.

Pritzker has frequently stated he believes cash bail must end in favor of a system that prioritizes an accused persons risk of reoffending or fleeing prosecution, and the SAFE-T Act does so. But nearly all the states prosecutors have warned that the system replacing the current pretrial detention language is too limiting for judges.

Inaccurate claims surrounding the SAFE-T Act have been rampant, with Bailey stating Friday he believed the intent of it was to let people who are being held in lieu of bail out of jail once it takes effect. Nothing in the law says that will happen, although an Illinois Supreme Court task force has encouraged lawmakers to clarify language regarding what happens Jan. 1.

And so there are proposals that have been made to make clarifications in the law to make sure that people understand very well that, no, this law does not create non-detainable offenses. And that, no, people are not going to be let out of jail on Jan. 1  thats not what the law does, Pritzker said.

The governor stopped short of endorsing a bill that would make changes to the SAFE-T Act that was filed last week by Champaign Democrat Scott Bennett, a former prosecutor. But he said it contains simple to understand clarifying language. Bennetts bill, among other things, would clarify that the end of cash bail applies to those arrested after Jan. 1, 2023.

I haven't gone through every provision that he has proposed, but I know that Senator Bennett, who was a prosecutor, a Democrat from Champaign and Vermillion counties, is somebody who is very careful in the way he approaches issues like this and I'm always open to working with people who are rational and reasonable in their proposals, he said.

But lawmakers arent scheduled to return to the Capitol until Nov. 15, a week after Election Day.

Bailey, a farmer from downstate Xenia, said hed like to see the governor call a special session ahead of the election to consider SAFE-T Act changes. But he hasnt proposed any in bill form, and he said hed favor a full repeal. He pointed to several endorsements from law enforcement groups.

So if I were governor right now, and if I were sitting here and people across this state were as concerned as they are about their safety, Id call a special session right now . Bailey said. It's an election year, Gov. Pritzker. You've got a perfect opportunity to have a little political ploy here. Call session back in and let's talk and let's come up with solutions.

The candidates shared their thoughts Friday on those and other issues during a virtual forum organized by the Illinois Associated Press Media Editors. Questioners included representatives of Shaw Media, the Daily Herald in Arlington Heights, the Springfield State Journal-Register and Capitol News Illinois.

A full video of the candidate forum, which also included discussion of township governments and other topics, can be viewed here.

* * *

UNEMPLOYMENT DEBT: Gov. Pritzker announced a plan Tuesday to reduce a $1.8 billion Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund deficit by $450 million through an infusion of unemployment-related revenues.

The trust fund is the pool of money paid into by employers to provide a social safety net for unemployed individuals. The employers insurance premiums are essentially collected via payroll tax.

The deficit figure represents money Illinois must repay to the federal government. It was borrowed under Title XII of the Social Security Act so the state could continue to pay unemployment claims amid the COVID-19 pandemic and is accruing interest at a rate of 1.59% annually.

While that balance exceeded $4.5 billion as the unemployment rate reached 16% at the height of the pandemic, lawmakers in March dedicated $2.7 billion in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to pay down the deficit to the balance of roughly $1.8 billion.

The $450 million announced Tuesday will bring the deficit below $1.4 billion.

Pritzker said Tuesday at a news conference in Chicago that the move was made possible by low unemployment rates that drove up UI trust fund balance. Last week, the state announced unemployment rates were down from one year ago in all 14 metro areas, ranging from 3.8% in the Moline and Rock Island area to 6.8% around Decatur.

Pritzker said he expects the move to save the state about $10 million in interest costs.

Pritzker said business and labor interests continue to negotiate a solution for reducing the deficit further. But theyre approaching a Nov. 10 deadline after which federal tax hikes would take effect if the balance isnt erased by that date. Lawmakers are not scheduled to return to the Capitol until Nov. 15.

The process is spelled out in the Federal Unemployment Tax Act, or FUTA.

Federal law requires an employer to pay a FUTA tax on an employees first $7,000 of wages at a rate of 6%. But it also offers businesses a 5.4% tax credit, putting the effective rate at 0.6%.

If a state has a negative balance in the trust fund on Jan. 1 for two consecutive years  as Illinois has had  it has until Nov. 10 of the second year to retire that deficit, or the federal government will start clawing back 0.3% of the FUTA tax credit from employers each year until the deficit is gone.

A spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Employment Security said in March that the 0.3% tax credit reduction would apply to businesses for the 2022 tax year if a balance remains in place on Nov. 10.

As of Tuesday, Illinois was one of five states and the U.S. Virgin Islands that had an outstanding trust fund balance, according to the U.S. Treasury. Other states included California at $17.8 billion, New York at $7.9 billion, Connecticut at $97 million, Colorado at $33 million and the Virgin Islands at $96 million.

* * *

ERA LAWSUIT: Attorneys for the state of Illinois joined their colleagues in Nevada and Virginia Wednesday in asking a federal appellate court to declare that the Equal Rights Amendment has been legally ratified as the 28th amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

I have a daughter who intends to practice law, and the Constitution she will pledge to protect should fully protect her as well, Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in a statement released after the oral arguments. Until the United States Constitution reflects our societys commitment to not go backward, none of us should stop fighting for equality.

Illinois Solicitor General Jane Notz argued the states case before the appellate court.

In 1972, the amendment cleared both chambers of Congress by two-thirds majorities and was sent to the states for ratification.

The proposed amendment reads: Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.

At issue in the case is a clause in the original resolution that said it would become valid when ratified by three-fourths of the states within seven years from the date of its submission by the Congress.

Thirty-eight states are needed for ratification of an amendment, but when the deadline lapsed in 1979, only 35 states had ratified the amendment, and six of those had taken subsequent votes to rescind their endorsement.

In 2017, Nevada became the first state to ratify the amendment after the deadline. Illinois followed suit in 2018 and Virginia voted to ratify the amendment in 2020, making it the 38th state to vote for ratification.

Shortly after the Virginia vote, Illinois and Nevada joined Virginia in filing a lawsuit seeking an order for National Archivist David Ferriero to publish and certify the amendment as part of the U.S. Constitution.

But a federal judged ruled against them in March 2021.

Illinois and Nevada appealed that ruling. Virginia did not take part in the appeal.

In the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, Illinois and Nevada argued that the process of ratifying constitutional amendments is spelled out in Article V of the Constitution, which says nothing about Congress having authority to set deadlines for ratification. They also argued that the Constitution is silent on whether states can rescind their ratification of an amendment.

Ferriero was joined by five states opposing the amendment  Alabama, Louisiana, Nebraska, South Dakota and Tennessee  in arguing that the ERA had not been duly ratified.

They argued that Congress does have a right to set deadlines for ratification and, in fact, has used a seven-year deadline several times, beginning with the 18th amendment that established prohibition, which was ratified in 1919.

They also argued that states have a right to rescind their ratification if a proposed amendment does not achieve the three-fourths threshold within a reasonable period of time.

Finally, they also argued that the ERA is about creating a federal constitutional backstop for abortion rights.

* * *

CNI EXPANSION: Capitol News Illinois will significantly expand its operations as it enters the fifth year of operations in 2023 because of a significant grant from the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.

The McCormick Foundation has announced a three-year, $2 million investment in CNI, a nonprofit news organization that provides daily coverage of state government and is operated by the Illinois Press Foundation.

The CNI grant is one of four being announced by the McCormick Foundation, which is also investing in Block Club Chicago, Injustice Watch and Northwestern Universitys Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. The four grants total $7.5 million over three years. The grants complement the McCormick Foundations investment in the Illinois Solutions Partnership, formed with the Better Government Association and announced in 2021.

The McCormick Foundation has granted CNI $700,000 over its first four years of operations. McCormick said the increased investment in CNI will help a promising outlet scale to meet the need for greater scrutiny in Springfield.

Jeff Rogers, the executive director of the Illinois Press Foundation and editor of CNI, said the McCormick investment will be used to expand the news services print reporting operations, launch a broadcast news operation in 2023, and hire a development director that will be tasked with growing and diversifying revenue streams to support continued editorial growth and impact.

Other CNI initiatives planned in the coming months and years with the McCormick investment include adding print reporters outside of the Springfield area; continuing to grow the broadcast newsroom; and hiring a photographer/videographer, a web/digital developer, an events coordinator, and a college internships coordinator. News literacy and civics initiatives are also planned, as is an expanded effort to provide analytical reporting and commentary.

CNI operates solely on grants and donations. It does not charge a subscription for access to its coverage or a fee to publish its stories. The McCormick Foundation and Illinois Press Foundation have been the major donors to CNI during its nearly four years of operation.

In recent weeks, CNI has also received financial commitments from the Illinois Broadcasters Association and the Southern Illinois Editorial Association that will aid in the news services expansion efforts. More details on those investments will be made soon.
ZION  A holy miracle happened in Zion 115 years ago. Or so millions of Ahmadi Muslims around the world believe.

The Ahmadis view this small-sized city, 40 miles north of Chicago on the shores of Lake Michigan, as a place of special religious significance for their global messianic faith. Their reverence for the community began more than a century ago  with fighting words, a prayer duel and a prophecy.

Zion was founded in 1900 as a Christian theocracy by John Alexander Dowie, an evangelical and early Pentecostal preacher who drew thousands to the city with his faith healing ministry. The Ahmadis believe their founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, defended the faith from Dowie's verbal attacks against Islam, and defeated him in a sensational face-off armed only with prayers.

Most current residents may not have an inkling of that high-stakes holy fight of a bygone era. But, for the Ahmadis, it is one that has created an eternal bond with the city of Zion.

This weekend, thousands of Ahmadi Muslims from around the world have congregated in the city to celebrate that century-old miracle and a significant milestone in the life of Zion and of their faith: The building of the city's first mosque.



Dowie was born in Scotland in 1847. His family immigrated in 1860 to Australia, where he was ordained and became pastor of a Congregational church.

Dowie left Australia in 1888 for the United States, where he grew in popularity with his healing ministry. Stories of Dowie's miracles abound, including one about Sadie Cody, a niece of Buffalo Bill Cody, a celebrity known for his Wild West Show, who said her spinal tumor was healed by Dowie's prayers.

With money accumulated from the faithful, Dowie bought 6,000 acres of land in Lake County, Illinois, hoping to establish a Christian utopia. Dowie's laws forbade gambling, theaters, circuses, alcohol and tobacco. He also banned swearing, spitting, dancing, pork, oysters and tan-colored shoes. Whistling on Sunday was punishable by jail time.

The massive 8,000-seat Shiloh Tabernacle, built in 1900, became Zion's religious center. It was there that Dowie appeared with his flowing white beard, robed in the brightly embroidered garments of an Old Testament high priest, and declared himself "Elijah the Restorer."

While he welcomed Black people and immigrants into Zion, Dowie had harsh words for politicians, medical doctors and Muslims, which he expressed in his journal.

In 1902, Dowie wrote: "This is my job to gather people from the East and West, North and South and inhabit Christians in this Zion City as well as other cities until the day comes when the Mohammedan religion is totally wiped out of this world. Oh God show us the day."

___

In his palms on a recent September day, Tahir Ahmed Soofi cradled a crumbling, yellow newspaper from the 1900s bearing Dowie's image.

"Dowie is a part of our history, too," said Soofi, president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community's Zion chapter, as he arranged these relics in glass displays that will become part of the new mosque's museum. The community has named this mosque Fath-e-Azeem, which means "a great victory" in Arabic.

The $4 million building, with a large prayer hall and plush carpeting, will replace their older, retrofitted center less than two miles away, which has been the community's home since 1983.

As he got the new space ready for the Oct. 1 inauguration, Soofi recounted the tale passed down to generations of Ahmadis. When Ahmad, the religion's founder who lived in Qadian, India, heard about Dowie's angry proclamations against Muslims, he urged him to stop, Soofi said.

Ahmadis believe that their founder, who was born in 1835, was the promised reformer the Prophet Muhammed predicted and the metaphorical second coming of Jesus Christ.

Soofi said when Dowie ignored Ahmad's pleas, in 1902, he challenged Zion's founder to a "prayer duel."

In The New York Times and other U.S. publications at the time, this challenge was built up as a battle between two messiahs  to ascertain who was the true prophet and which was the true religion. Ahmad asserted in writing that, "whoever is the liar may perish first."

Dowie refused to acknowledge Ahmad's challenge and scoffed at his statements that Jesus was human, survived the crucifixion and lived out the rest of his life in Kashmir. He shot back writing: "Do you think that I should answer such gnats and flies?"

In the following years, Dowie's fortunes began to fade. In 1905, one of his top lieutenants, Wilbur Voliva, took over leadership of the church after Dowie was accused of extravagance and misusing investments. Dowie's health suffered thereafter. He died in 1907 after a paralytic stroke, at age 60.

While Ahmad died a year after Dowie passed, at age 73, his followers saw Dowie's downfall and death as a great victory for their founder and faith.

For Ahmadis worldwide, the result of this prayer duel reaffirmed the truth of their messiah's claims, said Amjad Mahmood Khan, U.S. spokesperson for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. It's a story Ahmadi children grow up hearing at home and in their mosques worldwide.

"Whether you talk to an Ahmadi in Miami, Maine, South Dakota or Seattle, they will know this story and what a great victory it was," Khan said, adding that it doesn't mean they exult in Dowie's demise. "It's the triumph of what Islam stands for in the face of false allegations, and it's about the victory of prayer over prejudice."

-

"Welcome to Shiloh House."

Kathy Goodwin, who volunteers every week at the 1902 Swiss-inspired chalet that Dowie built at 1300 Shiloh Boulevard, greets visitors with these words before she takes them around the 25-room mansion. Dowie spent $90,000 (about $3 million in today's dollars) to build it and $50,000 more to furnish it.

He brought fixtures from Europe, including a porcelain bath. The house had running water, electricity and phones, a rarity in that time.

Goodwin tells visitors about her family's connection to Dowie. Her grandfather, a master carpenter from Switzerland, and his German wife went to hear Dowie speak in Chicago. Then and there, they decided to follow the preacher to Zion. Goodwin's grandfather was chief carpenter for Shiloh House and her father, the last of 15 children, ran around the mansion as a child while his dad helped build it.

The house has numerous images of Dowie  painted, photographed and woven with lace. Dowie, who was 5-foot-2, had carpenters craft custom wooden step stools so he could reach the top shelves of his bookcases. The house even has on one wall, two framed pieces crafted with Dowie's hair by his barber. One shows the Dowie's greeting "Peace to thee" and another is a depiction of the Bible.

Goodwin is proud of Dowie's legacy and wants it preserved.

"He believed in love, kindness, helping people," she said. "I honestly believe people were healed here."

She also believes Dowie, in his later years, "got carried away" and "did things with money he shouldn't have."

"But he paid for it," she said. "I'm here because I want his story to stay alive."

Goodwin also yearns to go back to a time when she was a little girl and the city played chimes at 9 in the morning and 9 at night.

"People stopped wherever they were and prayed," she said. "I'm sorry it's not like that any more."

Mike McDowell's great grandparents moved to Zion in 1905 from North Dakota because his great grandmother believed Dowie cured her whooping cough. McDowell sits on the board of the Zion Historical Society, which maintains Shiloh House. He is also a city commissioner and pastor at Christ Community Church, the remnant of Dowie's original congregation.

McDowell says his congregation now identifies as evangelical and doesn't adhere to Dowie's teachings. But he credits the founder for innovative municipal planning.

"He came up with the idea of subdividing the community and making it self-sufficient," McDowell said. "He created the city's park system requiring every housing subdivision to have green spaces."

McDowell said Dowie's downfall began when "he started believing his own press and thought of himself more highly than he ought to have."

He agrees what Dowie said about Muslims and Ahmed was "inflammatory," but doesn't believe the founder accepted Ahmad's prayer duel.

"Both men had visions of grandeur about themselves," McDowell said, "which probably weren't appropriate."

McDowell is happy to see the new mosque and lauds the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community for their many service projects in town, particularly food giveaways that were valuable to many during the pandemic.

-

Just as McDowell's and Goodwin's ancestors moved to Zion following Dowie's healing powers, Tayyib Rashid moved with his family to the area last year from Seattle when plans for the new mosque came to fruition.

"You can't have a Zion mosque anywhere else," he said, adding that he feels a deep connection to the prayer duel and prophecy. "Dowie had all the means and resources. (Ahmad) had God on his side."

For community member Suriyya Latif, the new mosque reflects the Ahmadi community's motto, which is painted in giant letters on the wall of their community center: "Love for all, hatred for none."

"People pull up to the parking lot and take selfies with that sign," she said.

The prayer duel, she said, is not an archaic tale, but a current manifestation of the community's motto. Latif, who has toured the Shiloh House, wishes Dowie could have seen what his faith had in common with Islam.

Dowie banned pork and alcohol in Zion, which are also commands in Islam. Even Dowie's greeting "Peace to thee" is synonymous with the Muslim greeting "Salam alaikum."

The Ahmadis have struggled to gain acceptance even among mainstream Muslims, adding to the significance of establishing the mosque in Zion, said national spokesperson Khan. Pakistan's parliament declared Ahmadis non-Muslims in 1974.

Khan said the global Ahmadiyya community's current leader and caliph, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, is in Zion to inaugurate the new mosque this weekend  a momentous occasion for U.S. Ahmadis. Ahmad was forced into exile from Pakistan after his election in 2003 and resides in London.

-

Over the years, Zion's Ahmadiyya community has been buttressed by women who have assumed leadership roles, as well as African Americans who have accepted the faith in large numbers. About half of the community in Zion is African American.

Ahmadi women raised nearly half of the $4 million needed for the new mosque, said Dhiya Tahira Bakr, national president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community's women's auxiliary. Bakr, who is African American, converted to Islam nearly four decades ago. Transcending culture and language barriers has not been difficult because their faith has bound Ahmadis of all backgrounds together, she said.

"I didn't grow up drinking chai or eating spicy food, but I enjoy it now," Bakr said. "When you talk to one another, you forget about all that because you are bonding with the heart."

The prayer duel and Dowie's demise opened up a path in Zion for the Ahmadiyya Muslims to build on that foundation by serving the community, she said.

"We knock on doors and let people know that they don't have to be afraid of us because we are Muslim or Black or Asian or whatever," Bakr said. "It's important we do this work for our children so we can dispel all these stereotypes."

Mayor Billy McKinney's family moved to Zion in 1962, as the civil rights movement was gathering momentum. For Black families, racially integrated Zion was an oasis in a nation where segregation was the norm, he said. The mayor believes a community partnership has emerged from this century-old feud.

Like many Zion residents, McKinney had not heard about the prayer duel and was initially surprised to learn about Dowie's hostility toward Muslims.

He says now is the time to move forward in unity.

"History is history and I could take issue with anyone from the past if I wanted to," McKinney said. "I'm about looking forward."

The mayor will present Ahmad, the fifth successor to the sect's founder who challenged Dowie, with a key to the city as a symbol of trust and friendship.

The Ahmadis are moving forward with the construction of their minaret, which they expect will be completed next year. The minaret is a global symbol of Islam and the faith's call to prayer five times a day.

It would be a stark contrast from Dowie's vision of a Christian utopia.

"The founding fathers of Zion are probably rolling in their graves," said David Padfield, minister of Church of Christ, a non-denominational congregation around the corner from the mosque. "They didn't even want our church here."

Padfield, who supports the Ahmadiyya community, says it was the founders' intolerance and exclusion of other faiths that "made it difficult for them to function."

Soon, towering 70 feet above the ground, the mosque's minaret will be the tallest structure in the city that Dowie built.
The Bitterroot Health Medical Staff Scholarship is a one-time scholarship in the amount of $4,000, for Ravalli County high school graduates pursuing studies in the medical field. This award was established by Dr. John P. Moreland, internist with Bitterroot Health Daly Hospital (formerly, Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital).

This years the scholarship has been given to John Edwards, Stevensville High School graduate and current UM Skaggs School of Pharmacy student. Skaggs School of Pharmacy is the only Pharmacy School in Montana, offering a notoriously rigorous program with extensive and varied clinical and inter-professional experiences in and outside the classroom. Students are involved early in clinical practices and outreach across the state throughout their studies. Edwards is the Treasurer of Rho Chi Honors Society for the School of Pharmacy which involves fundraising efforts and free tutoring for student in the pharmacy program.

For me, getting this scholarship means that I can worry a little less about my loans and focus more on learning everything I can to become a great pharmacist, Edwards said.

Edwards joined the Bitterroot Health Med Staff quarterly meeting at the end of August, to be honored for receiving the scholarship.

We recognize that building a healthier community is more than just healthcare. Its about finding multiple ways to keep our community healthy and thriving. Medical studies take a lot of time, dedication, financial commitment, and were honored to be able to support medical students like John with our scholarship, said Dr. Weinberger, Chief Medical Officer, Bitterroot Health.

Bitterroot Health and our medical staff congratulate John, and look forward to his bright future in the field of pharmaceutical sciences.

The fact that I am receiving this from my local community means a lot to me because it shows that they are reinvesting into their local population. I hope to graduate soon and become part of a local community that is like Hamilton, Edwards said.
Affordable housing is a hot topic in western Montana, but in a county where the per capita median income is just over $30,000 a year, what actually qualifies as affordable housing for people who live and work in the Bitterroot Valley?

I always hear affordable housing, and yes, we need affordable housing but what is affordable housing? Hamilton City Councilor Kristi Bielski, Ward 1 asked. Some of these developers are like, Oh, this is affordable, it's $400,000. That's not affordable for me, I couldn't buy that. So when we talk about this, I just feel like we don't really know what that means for the average person.

According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, affordable housing is defined as housing that costs the occupant no more than 30% of gross income, including utilities. According to the most recent information available on census.gov, the median income for a household in Ravalli County is $55,090, and $31,545 for an individual. And while some workers have seen modest wage gains as the labor market has tightened, the median home sale price in Ravalli County rose 120% between 2019 and June of 2022 from $309,000 to $682,500, according to the to the Missoula Organization of Realtors.

Hamilton's Committee of the Whole met on Tuesday with community members concerned about affordable housing and homelessness in the Bitterroot Valley.

The affordable housing situation is, to me, divided up into various segments, Councilor Darwin Ernst of Ward 3 said. One is getting housing for people that don't have a house at all, and then providing housing for our workforce. Some of those might also be rental opportunities, but some of might be home ownership at an affordable price below market.

The lack of affordable housing is also hurts the local business community, according to Robert Child of Real Property Management in Hamilton.

"Weve been contacted by most of the leaders for the major employers in town, saying, Hey, look, we're forced to get into housing because this housing shortage is impacting our mission, Child said. "We're extending offers for employment and people are turning them down, because they can't find housing  so the major employers are having a pretty serious impact on mission."

He added it was important to look at growth projections to address the issue of workforce growth versus housing starts and warned that housing availability could become even more of an issue in the future as local businesses look to expand.

Bitter Root Health says they have 115 vacancies right now that they're trying to hire," Child said. "They're building in Stevensville, they're building in Darby, they're going crazy. And several of the other big employers really have high growth projections as well. And so if you factor in the number of jobs that are coming into the valley, just by virtue of the major employers  that excludes people that can work remotely, so they want to move here, people that are retiring that are moving here, and everything else  I think there's a pretty serious misalignment, and to me, that just means our crisis that we have now is going to get worse. And that really concerns me.

Ernst also discussed the benefits of a community land trust (CLT) and how the CLT model could be used to help keep housing affordable over time, so that an investment made today could also benefit a homebuyer down the road. CLTs generally involve a nonprofit organization governed by a board that holds land on behalf of the community. Houses are built upon that community land and sold to the public at a lower cost because buyers are only purchasing the house and not the land the home is built on. The land trust can also then regulate the future sale price of the home, limiting how much the price can rise per year.

It makes it 20-25% more affordable because the borrower or the buyer of that home isn't going out there and getting a mortgage on the house and the land, Ernst said. "They're just getting a mortgage on a home. It further helps to be a sustainable, affordable option because the resale of that home is held back by the community land trust."

One of the biggest challenges to the CLT model is obtaining land to build on. Lori Freeman of Trust Montana joined the meeting via Zoom to discuss the different ways CLTs acquire land, citing donation as the most common way. She also discussed Community Development Block Grant programs and other federal funds that are available. And she talked about how subsidies that go into houses built on land that is owned by a land trust stays with that home.

The subsidy that goes into the first home stays with that home, so that home can really benefit those low- and moderate-income people in perpetuity or forever, Freeman said. When they resell the home, they do get some equity out of that home purchase, but the next homebuyer also gets the benefit of that subsidy and the price stays low.

It's really a transition out of the rental market for those people who can't afford market rate homes, she added. They do earn some equity, and many of those homeowners then can use that equity to actually purchase a market rate home down the line. So it's a great opportunity.

Hamilton Mayor Dominic Farrenkopf spoke to the need for multiple housing availability options in the valley.

We have to look at a variety of things, Farrenkopf said. "We do have to look at those apartment complexes. We do have to look at those single family homes and multifamily housing, all that different density."

He talked about regulatory changes the city made in 2021 to help make building affordable housing easier. He also discussed the need to bring in parties from across the county to partner on the issue.

"I think we need to include all local governments in the valley, as well as housing, mortgage agencies, housing organizations, state agencies, developers, real estate banks, anyone operating housing and in any scale, he said. In the end, I think the current housing crisis has the greatest impact on the communitys lower income populations, but the crunch is felt across all demographics and income spectrums. We need a range of housing options including both affordable and market rate."

Reporting by David Erickson contributed to this story.
BRIDGER - A cargo train derailed late Friday night outside of Bridger, and dozens of crew members have been onsite around the clock clearing the debris.

The cars that went off the tracks were carrying gasoline, animal fat and plywood. Although neither of the two people onboard the train were harmed, an estimated 31,000 gallons of gasoline spilled from damaged cars.

We train for (derailments) all the time, but this is my first response to one, said Clark's Fork Rural Fire & Rescue Assistant Chief Dillon Thomas, going into his 13th hour at the scene.

A local resident reported the derailment at around 11:30 on Friday. The BNSF train was heading east, and 15 of its approximately 115 cars went off the rails about a half-mile east of Bridger. Two of the derailed cars were carrying gasoline, and started leaking after the impact.

HAZMAT personnel with BNSF worked to prevent contamination of the surrounding farmland. Evacuation warnings were issued to residents in the surrounding area, Thomas told the Gazette.

While BNSF crews are clearing the derailed cars, multiple local agencies will remain at the scene, said Maggie Karas with Carbon County Disaster and Emergency Services. Those agencies include Clarks Fork Rural Fire, Bridger firefighters and police officers, along with members of the Carbon County Sheriffs Office.

In the estimation of the amount of gasoline spilled by the derailment, Karas said one 30,000-gallon tank had emptied completely. A second damaged tank leaked about 1,000 gallons before BNSF workers repaired the tank. As of Saturday afternoon, there was no information available of the possible contamination of groundwater or the area's irrigation systems.

Carbon County Commissioner Scott Miller, whose district includes Bridger, lauded the efforts of BNSF and local first responders in a statement emailed to the Gazette. Some residents who woke up Saturday morning to a train derailment had also experienced the historic floods earlier this summer that tore through several Carbon County towns, he said.

Ben Wilemon with BNSF said in a email estimated the track would be reopened by Sunday afternoon.

"Our crews are in the process of removing the derailed cars. When cars are removed and remediation of the site is complete, crews perform grading for the track and install track panels. The current estimate for the track to reopen is Sunday afternoon. The cause of the derailment is under investigation," Wilemon said.

South River Road at the intersection of Rushwater Road was expected to remain closed through Saturday night.
The candidates running for Montanas new western U.S. House seat repeatedly called their opponent a liar during a forum held Saturday evening in Bozeman.

It marked the second time in three days that Democrat Monica Tranel and Republican Ryan Zinke squared off, this time without John Lamb, the Libertarian who did not meet criteria to attend the event organized and moderated by Montana Television Network.

Zinke is the former Secretary of the Interior and served as Montanas congressman before. Tranel is a lawyer from Missoula and a former Olympian.

During the forum held in a TV studio, Tranel at one point said Zinke was like Alice in Wonderland, you never have a day without saying at least three lies before 10 a.m.

Zinke repeatedly fired back on the label of liar during the hour-long format.

As a man of integrity, it's difficult to have an election and have your family and your kids listen to the lies about you, Zinke said.

With a little over five weeks until Election Day, the tone and rhetoric of campaign advertising has heated up and one of the candidates spats over truthfulness came in response to a question about a TV spot paid for by Zinkes campaign. The ad says Tranel worked as a private attorney on an appeal to the state Supreme Court filed by a man convicted of child sexual abuse.

The segment says Tranel worked to get the man out of prison to roam our neighborhood streets. Tranel said shes asked Zinke to take down the spot.

Ryans ad is dishonest. Its a lie, Tranel said.

Tranel said the underlying trial resulting in the mans conviction was not fair and that he did not have effective counsel. She said her work on the case was about ensuring he had due process.

It had nothing to do with the underlying charges. It had to do with a trial itself. We claimed it wasn't fair, Tranel said. There was no set of circumstances where the person in question would have been released to roam the neighborhood streets free.

In the 2011 filing, Tranel and another lawyer wrote that the man's ineffective representation meant there should be a reversal of his conviction and a new trial. The Supreme Court did not find the man had an ineffective lawyer and upheld the district courts ruling.

In the forum, Zinke said that while he agreed everyone deserves fair legal representation, In Montana, we throw child rapists that are guilty  we throw them in jail. We don't elect lawyers who defend them and want to release 'em.

The forum kicked off with a question about the 18 federal investigations into Zinke while he was Secretary of the Interior during the Trump administration.

That again drew accusations of lying, with Zinke saying Tranel has misrepresented the outcome of those inquiries by running ads saying he lied to investigators.

I don't lie, but neither am I going to be intimidated or bullied by biased investigators from the very department that I was trying to change, Zinke said.

Prosecutors have declined to pursue criminal charges and Zinke has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. A report into a Whitefish project found he didnt comply with ethical obligations and duty of candor. The Inspector General, a Trump appointee, reviewing the casino dealings found Zinke "made statements to ... investors with the overall intent to mislead them."

Zinke said he was not interviewed in the investigation into his actions around the Whitefish project.

How do you lack candor when you weren't interviewed? And oh, by the way, the same person that said lack of candor was a political hack, Zinke said.

Tranel again said Zinke wasnt being truthful.

Those investigations say themselves that he lied to criminal investigators, Tranel said. And the fact that he says he wasn't interviewed, that's a lie right there.

In February, NPR reported that lawyers representing Zinke, his wife and the Whitefish project developers declined interviews, so the report included emails obtained via subpoena and text messages.

Zinke accused Tranel of lying again.

You know, Monica, lies seem to come from your mouth, because I was not interviewed on the Whitefish project, Zinke said.  ... The investigation never says lie.  Let's be clear. I'm a (U.S. Navy) SEAL. I don't lie, but I'm not going to be intimidated or bullied by biased investigators.

Abortion was another place the candidates said their opponents mislead on their stances.

Tranel said she supports a persons right to decide if, when and how they become a parent, and in the last two forums also framed the issue as one of privacy. She said that some state attorneys general have already started seeking location data from cell phones to track people seeking abortions.

If they can come after you for searching about abortion, they can come after you for searching about guns, for hunting and even about what book you want to read, Tranel said.

Zinke has said hes pro-life, but that he does not support an all-out ban on abortion because of his concerns over dire circumstances such as cases of rape, incest or if the life of a pregnant person is at risk.

Where the candidates said their opponents were misconstruing things was in how they characterized each others views. Zinke has called Tranels stance barbaric, saying that shed support abortion to take a child's life moments before birth.

Tranel objected. Doctors in Montana say abortions performed at the end of pregnancies are done so when the fetus is not viable and the life of the pregnant person is at risk.

What's barbaric is for you to take this moment of incredible heartbreak at the end of a pregnancy and parents who choose that do (so) in very extreme, heartbreaking circumstances, for you to use that as a political pawn to justify taking away our privacy and our freedom to make choices about when we become a parent? That's barbaric, Tranel said.

Tranel has called into question Zinkes disagreement with a full abortion ban, saying he has not disavowed GOP platforms that support it and that hed be voting with Republicans in Congress on the matter.

Once again, you lie about my position and you lie to women about it, Zinke said.   I'm pro-life, and I wish life was perfect. And I wish there was never a reason for young woman to have an abortion or had that difficult decision. But I am not for banning (abortions) and that for some Republicans, that's a hard pill to swallow, Zinke said.

The election is Nov. 8.

 The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Monica Tranel is a big government nanny state Socialist who wants to interfere in all our lives. Her own words prove this fact. Government funding is what she proposed to many questions on topics asked by the Montana Free Press Sept. 01. Healthcare is an example.

Healthcare question: The cost of health care is a concern for many Montana families. What federal action would you support to improve the U.S. healthcare system?

Tranel's answer: Congress must fund, support and promote enrollment in the ACA. We must expand Medicaid. Anyone who is interested in enrolling in Medicare should have that option! Even with private health insurance!

We already fund the ACA and Medicaid! Forbes describes them as "failing!" Why throw good money after bad? Further, Montanans have paid into Medicare for years to have it available when they turn 65. But she will let just anyone enroll in Medicare? Does that include illegals? If citizens can afford private health insurance, why would they want to come on Medicare which is limited? It gets cut all the time by congress. Waits are long for doctors and procedures!

Tranel is the perfect example of a politician who has no ideas other than to throw wasted tax dollars into an already failed system. We dont need her brand of socialism in Congress: Protect our healthcare from Tranel!

Vote for sanity not socialism. Elect Ryan Zinke for Congress.

Helen Sabin, Corvallis
QUESTION: Ive just been promoted to a management level job, but I have never managed anyone before. Do you have any tips for how I can be an effective manager?

ANSWER: Congratulations on the promotion. Its a big step. Youll want to make sure that you help the people you manage maximize their performance. This can be a challenge because effectively managing people is difficult and no one is born knowing how to do it. Fortunately, it can be learned. We suggest the following four steps that are simple, but time tested:

1Set appropriate goals  Goal setting is essential. It helps employees to prioritize their activities and focus their efforts. When setting goals with employees, it is critical that they be WHY SMART goals (Written, Harmonious, Yours, Specific, Measurable, Action oriented, Realistically high, Time and resource bound). The goals must also be meaningful to the employee. There should be sufficient rewards for goal achievement and consequences for failure. This will ensure that achieving the goal will rise to the top of the employees To Do list.

Near the end of his life, H.L. Hunt, the self-made oil billionaire, was asked to name the requirements for success. He answered, There are only two real requirements for success in life. The first requirement is deciding exactly what you want (setting goals). Most people never get to that point. The second requirement is determining the price that will have to be paid to get it and then resolving to pay that price.

2Develop a plan to achieve the goals  After setting goals with the employee, put together a plan to achieve them. To accomplish a goal, the employee will need to commit to a set of actions. A goal without an action plan is just a dream. Its not real, and its not likely to happen. Its equally important to agree on a date, and possibly a time, by when the employee will complete each action step. This will create the urgency necessary to get the work done in a timely manner.

3Empower the employee  To maximize the probability that your employees achieve their goals, you must empower them. Empowering employees means three things. First, you must properly train your workers to do the tasks necessary to achieve their goals. Second, you will need to motivate your people. There should be rewards for success and consequences for failure. Finally, you should remove roadblocks that are within the companys control. Following these steps will result in your employees more consistently achieving their goals.

4Assess performance and make adjustments  Once the three steps above are complete, you have to assess performance and make any necessary changes. Were not talking about annual performance evaluations. A formal write-up may happen only once a year, but effective management requires assessing performance much more frequently.

For employees who are new to the organization or learning a new task, you may need to assess performance daily or perhaps even more frequently. Employees who have demonstrated competence may require only weekly, biweekly or even monthly meetings to discuss performance.

Managing people is difficult. Its not an exact science, and there is no magic wand that will ensure you always get it right. In fact, you wont always get it right. Even outstanding managers make mistakes.

The good news is that managing people well is a learned skill. With work, you can improve your capability in this area. Doing so will take a concerted effort on your part, but if your career is going to thrive, your skills as a manager will be of paramount importance.
Sitting in a folding chair outside the Hippodrome on Saturday, King Solomon Samuel Shepherd said he was eager to be first in line to see the legendary hip hop artist Grandmaster Flash and feel young again.

Though the pioneering DJ had been scheduled to headline the 2nd Street Festival in Richmond this weekend, his performance was moved to the historic venue after anticipated severe weather from Hurricane Ian led organizers to cancel the annual event.

Samuel Shepherd, 66, said he was disappointed the festival was canceled but was nonetheless excited to see one of his favorite artists from back in the day at the same venue where he had won a talent contest singing when he was 5 years old.

Its not often you get to see music that takes you back to your youth. And at this age Im trying to grab everything I can to get me back, he said. I cant physically go back, but mentally I can.

The 2nd Street Festival celebrates the rich culture of the historic Jackson Ward neighborhood and the Black community, businesses and culture that shaped its legacy as the Harlem of the South.

Its tremendously important for people who have lived and seen the transformation of this community, Samuel Shepherd said.

Venture Richmond, the nonprofit that hosts the annual event, announced Thursday it would cancel this years edition as Ian headed north toward Virginia.

This years scheduled headliner, Grandmaster Flash, was expected to be a huge draw for the event. Born Joseph Saddler, Flash is recognized as one of the original innovators of hip-hop and DJing from the late 1970s, developing several techniques that are still used today, such as record scratching and punch phrasing.

The Message, the 1982 single by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, is considered by many one of the most enduring classic hip-hop songs  along with Rappers Delight by the Sugar Hill Gang  helping elevate the New York City subculture to mainstream audiences around the globe four decades ago.

Concertgoers arrived early at the Hippodrome on 2nd Street on Saturday knowing that it would be a popular show as entry was free. The festival usually draws about 25,000 visitors. The venue has a capacity for about 550 people.

Samuel Shepherd said he and his wife, who were first in line, arrived nearly two hours before the doors opened at 4:30 p.m.

Latif Khaliq, 54, who was standing not far behind them, said he was also sad to see the festival canceled this year but was excited to see Grandmaster Flash for the first time since seeing him at the Richmond Coliseum 40 years ago.

It was a good time then  not like today, he said. Everybody would want to party and get along. ... Your parents could drop you off at the Coliseum with four or five of your friends, and you could have a good time. You wouldnt have to worry about somebody not showing up or something happening to them.

Khaliq said he also felt that Flash performing Saturday perfectly matches the spirit of the 2nd Street Festival, as it has become an annual tradition where old neighbors reunite and celebrate the memory of their community.

When I see a familiar face, Im joyful, he said. It brings joy to me.
The Virginia Beach SPCA has taken in eight dogs that were evacuated from Floridas shelters ahead of Hurricane Ian.

Five adult dogs and three puppies were brought to the shelter Friday morning, hours before the storm made its second U.S. landfall in South Carolina as a Category 1 hurricane.

The pups were evaluated by veterinary staff and spent the day settling in, the shelter said in a Facebook post.

The four adult dogs all have a lot of energy and seem really happy, said Mandi Kowaleski, spokesperson for the Virginia Beach SPCA. The mama and the puppies seemed to settle in very well yesterday  they had a long journey, but I think theyre pretty resilient.

The BISSELL Pet Foundation coordinated efforts to get animals out of harms way, and the Charleston Animal Society transported them to Virginia.

Kowaleski said the animals will be available for adoption in the coming days.
A fast-growing pizza maker is rolling out plans to expand into the Roanoke Valley.

Marcos Pizza, which has about 30 Virginia locations including in Lynchburg and Charlottesville, aims to open seven new outlets in the Roanoke-Lynchburg market over the next two-and-a-half years, according to an announcement made in mid-September.

Franchisees Brandon Hudson and Damion Mason, whove opened five Marcos in the past five years, described Roanoke as an untapped market for the pizzeria.

Most Marcos locations in the commonwealth, including those run by Hudson and Mason, are clustered around Richmond, Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia. The sole location presently in Lynchburg opened in 2017.

In the time since then, Ohio-headquartered Marcos has seen its nationwide footprint jump from 700 stores to over 1,100 today.

Hudson and Mason, who are both business partners and 20-year friends, said as theyve chased their dreams of being entrepreneurs, theyve found the secret sauce is finding a trusted partner that has the same appetite for growth as they do.

While weve had strong performance with our existing Marcos locations, the brands recent nationwide, record-breaking sales and development success speaks for itself, and it has created a heightened potential for the multi-unit franchise opportunity, Mason said in an announcement of the Roanoke Valley plans.

Marcos is aiming to become one of the top five pizza brands in the country. Its national sales recently broke the $1 billion mark, company officials said.

Marcos restaurants offer dine-in, carryout and delivery service. The final details and sites of the seven new Virginia locations expected are still being finalized, said a spokeswoman. Hudson and Mason hope to open the first one by the end of this year.
Casey Brozovsky went the big box pharmacy route for years.

The promise of convenience was king for the mother of an energetic toddler whos also an entrepreneur running her own business, and whos in treatment for hypertension and a mild form of heart failure that requires a regimen of prescriptions.

But often, she said, she found the convenient chain that she went to wasnt always so convenient. Shed arrive to learn the store had been able to fill only part of her order and shed need to make a return trip. Shed find it difficult to get the attention of the busy pharmacist  who was handling a hefty number of prescriptions each day  to ask a question.

Twice, she was given someone elses medication and only realized it once she got home. Overall, she said, convenience wasnt the word that sprang to mind for her experience.

If I had to sum it up, I think the word would be stressful, she said.

So when she learned that pharmacist James Pate  whose family also runs a small dairy farm in Franklin Co. with a herd share that Brozovsky takes part in  was opening up his own shop, she was interested.

Then, she said, she learned the small business could also save her money.

It surprised me, in a good way, she said, adding her household of three, which includes her husband, has been saving about $100 on every 90 days of their medications.

It really helps, she said. That could be gas or food or new shoes for my daughter. It all adds up.

We jumped on board as soon as they opened up.

Fair Way Pharmacy, which opened its doors in July, operates on the cost-plus pricing model recently championed by billionaire investor Mark Cuban, who launched an online pharmacy centered on the concept.

The idea emphasizes transparency and the elimination of industry middlemen who control prices in a traditional model, said Pate, whos been a pharmacist for 15 years.

Its an opportunity to step out of that game, and not have to financially support all those middlemen, he said. ... No hidden fees. Nothing is hidden. Its a way of passing along a fair price to the customer.

Under cost-plus, a pharmacy charges patients the same wholesale cost that it paid for its medications, plus a small markup that is applies to all orders evenly  in the case of Fair Way Pharmacy, its a flat fee of $12 per prescription fill with memberships available for patients getting multiple medications that drops that down to a $5 fee.

Its an approach that eschews the black box that is most healthcare pricing today, supporters say. Insurance companies, pharmacy benefit managers and others all play a part in directing prices at most retail pharmacies but often little is understood about their methods or their own cut of the revenues and rebates.

Cost-plus pharmacies, which are still small in number but gaining attention, sidestep that system. They dont accept insurance, which allows them to keep the freedom to set their own pricing, and their prices can turn out to be more affordable.

In June, a study carried out by researchers at Boston-based Brigham and Womens Hospital found that Medicare could have saved money on 77 of 89 drugs analyzed if it were to purchase from Mark Cubans operation.

In August, an Ohio pharmacist who started a cost-plus arm that operates next door to his traditional pharmacy, allowing him to price compare for patients and direct them to the cheapest option, told NBC News that cost-plus turns out to be the better pick for about 25% of his customers and that number is growing.

Its a discovery that can shock patients, said Pates wife, Summer, who said shes seen it among those who inquire at the new Roanoke pharmacy.

One whose price quote came back cheaper asked how it was possible that he could pay less without using his insurance, she recalled.

Its a mindset, Summer Pate said, adding it isnt one people need to be beholden to though. ... Because James doesnt accept insurance, there is no overriding power over him, theres no one telling him what he can sell these medications for.

The potential for savings will vary by patient depending on their insurance plans and deductibles. The cost-plus model also has its limits. Most significantly, its not yet viable for more costly, name brand drugs.

Generic brands, which comprise 90% of the drugs taken by Americans, are solely what is stocked by Fair Way and other cost-plus operations. In news interviews, Cuban said hes working to find a way to start adding name brands  which one analysis found make up 10% of all prescriptions taken but 79% of overall prescription spending  into the models formula.

Fair Way wont be the most cost-effective option for all patients, Pate readily acknowledged. But, he said, its yielded savings for many whove come through its door.

The prices here, I would be happy for anyone to compare them with any price offered at another pharmacy, he said, adding because of Fair Ways straightforward pricing system, hes able to offer price quotes over the phone.

I want them to be able to compare it, he said. Because were here to try to help people. Im not here to make huge profits. I have my dispensing fee, and thats a flat rate. Im just here to try to help people save money on their prescriptions.

In general, there are so many opportunities for people to save on generic prescriptions at a cost-plus model, that I think its worthwhile for someone to at least call us up for a price comparison.

Pate, who trained to be a pharmacist at Midwestern University in Glendale, Arizona, said prior to opening Fair Way he spent the past 12 years working for a federally qualified community health center in Franklin County, where he and his wife, a county native, settled to raise their family.

The community health centers mission included programs to help the uninsured and underinsured, populations that would otherwise struggle with the growing cost of healthcare, work that Pate said he felt called to because of his Christian faith.

I feel that He is calling me to do what I can to help other people around me, Pate said. Im not here just to live for myself but to try to help others.

In launching Fair Way, which Pate said he started researching and planning for last year, he added he also hoped to forge a path that would make independent, locally owned pharmacies more viable. The ranks of local drugstores have been shrinking nationwide. The Roanoke Valley lost two longtime pharmacies earlier this year when their respective owners retired.

Brozovsky said the appeal of using an independent drugstore with a local pharmacist who knew her was part of what spurred her to try Fair Way. Shes always been a patient who likes to ask questions of her providers.

When she emails Pate with a concern, she said, he messages her back swiftly. Its very thorough and answers my questions, and hes happy that I asked a question, she said.

Fair Way, located off 23rd Street Southwest near Towers Shopping Center, occupies a modest storefront in what was originally a brick home, since converted into commercial space.

Pate said he and his family are steadily filling out the reception area that greets customers, and adding their own touches as they go. His daughters strung together a gallery of greeting cards available for sale. Quilts loomed by their neighbors in Franklin County fill the shelves next to the Ibuprofen, cough syrup and other over-the-counter offerings.

His wife, Summer, offers pick-up service for their farms herd share members in part of the space, greeting them when they come by to pick up orders of milk or other items.

Standing behind the pharmacy counter, James Pate said it was a place that he felt lucky to have been able to start and to share with others.

Theres a momentum, he said of the cost-plus model, adding he only anticipates the demand for more transparent pricing in medicine to grow.

For me, I highly value the integrity and the honesty that is found in transparency, he said. In this business model, there is nothing to hide  Im sharing exactly what it costs for me to purchase generic medications. Ill tell the customer that amount, and Ill tell them exactly how much profit Im going to make on the prescription.

I think thats very necessary, Pate said, especially in the pharmaceutical world. Necessary but hard to find.
If you spend an afternoon in Fincastle, walking along its hilly downtown streets past the county courthouses, chances are youll spot a prosecutor and her poodle.

Gillian Deegan moved to Botetourt County in 2004 to take a job as an assistant commonwealths attorney. Shes called the county home since, and shes made no plans to leave the locality.

I love it here. I really do, Deegan, now a deputy commonwealths attorney, said in a recent interview. This is home. This is where my people are. I think a lot of people dont find that. And when you find it, you dont leave.

Deegan has a national reputation as an animal welfare prosecutor. She has always loved animals and has lots of pets at home. The newest addition to her family is a standard poodle, named Seamus.

The pup has been working with Deegan in Botetourt Countys General District and Circuit courts as an emotional support animal for victims and witnesses.

The state legislature, several years ago, codified being able to use dogs in the courtroom, Deegan said. The court is not a fun place. Its very stressful. Ive always been an attorney who has wanted to give more to victims and witnesses to make the experience a little less painful. With my love of animals and my passion for the underdogs and the shelter dogs, I really wanted to do it with a shelter dog.

Deegan found Seamus on the Angels of Assisi website this spring. The independent, nonprofit animal welfare organization serves southwest Virginia and West Virginia.

They had just pulled him from the Regional Center for Animal Care protection, Deegan said. On the first meeting, he was just phenomenal. He wasnt overly exuberant, but he wasnt at all shy. He came right up. He wanted to be petted. And I thought, if theres ever going to be a dog, hes going to be it. Hes going to be the one that can do it. And hence, we started our journey.

Seamus is not yet certified to sit on the stand alongside witnesses, but Deegan said shes already seen the poodle make a difference in the courthouse.

The difference he has made with some of the child victims has been just within seconds. You can see the body language change. Theyll start talking, Deegan said. You can just see it when he comes in, and he looks at you with those eyes. And hes just like, Pet me. Its really phenomenal to watch it when it happens. It really is.

Before Deegan worked in Botetourt County, she had a private law practice in Salem, where she did worked a lot of guardian ad litem cases, representing a childs best interest.

I had a bloodhound and Great Pyrenees at the time. They werent trained as therapy dogs, but I used them, Deegan said. I found, especially with the big dogs, if a little kid can just kind of wrap their arms around them, theyll talk to the dog. Theyll tell the dog everything. And I can sit over here and just write it down.

While Deegan prosecutes a variety of criminal cases in Botetourt Countys courts, she is most passionate about the cases in which you have victims that cant speak for themselves, including animal welfare cases.

The more you learn about animal welfare cases, the more you figure out that its also closely tied to the way humans treat humans, as well, Deegan said. Oftentimes, the mistreatment of animals is the first step into the escalation of violence in humans. Ive always felt like it was important to take these cases seriously, to handle them seriously and hopefully get people off that path.

Deegan was raised in Salem and attended Roanoke College, where her father was a professor. She had an interest in being a police officer and believed that spending time in the U.S. Army Reserve would be good training.

I got out of college, went in the reserves, did all my active duty training for that, and came out of that and got hired by the Roanoke County Sheriffs Office, Deegan said.

During her time in the sheriffs office, the county organized its police department, and Deegan transitioned into a job on the countys police force as a uniformed patrol officer.

After that it was probation and parole, Deegan said. I worked as a probation and parole officer in Roanoke city for two years. And then it was law school.

After three years studying law in North Carolina, Deegan returned to the Roanoke Valley.

When I was waiting to see if I was going to pass the bar exam or not, I took a job working in a vet clinic cleaning kennels, Deegan said. I ended up doing that for 10 years.

Once she passed the bar exam, Deegan opened her private practice for five years.

I did that, but I still worked at the vet clinic, because I really loved that, Deegan said. I started working a little bit as a vet assistant. I would hang out a lot, just watching and learning.

That knowledge helps Deegan as she prosecutes animal welfare cases now.

I know just enough to make myself dangerous, she said.

In 2004, Deegan landed her first job in Botetourt County. In February, shell celebrate 19 years in the commonwealths attorneys office.

When Deegan first started prosecuting animal welfare cases, it seemed like all of a sudden Botetourt was a hotbed of animal cruelty, but shes since found that its everywhere.

Deegan said educating communities about how to properly care for animals can make historical differences.

The really cool thing with being in Botetourt for as long as I have been is you can see the generations, Deegan said. So much of animal cruelty is severe neglect, because people dont have the resources. They dont know any better. Growing up, if their dog had fleas, their daddy put motor oil on it. And you have to educate people that thats not the way you do it.

Deegan said shes happiest when she hears peoples habits changing.

I am seeing, generationally in Botetourt, people whose granddaddies and daddies I charged and convicted, Deegan said. Botetourt is a small community. And I hear, So-in-so just took his hunting dog to the vet. And Im like, Really? Victory.

Deegans office started an unofficial partnership with Angels of Assisi in 2009 that helps facilitate that education for owners and care for seized or neglected animals.

They had the same vision that we do, which is not everybody is bad. And just because you cant afford heartworm medication this month doesnt mean you shouldnt be allowed to have an animal, Deegan said. Animals bring so much to peoples lives.

Sometimes instead of seizing animals or charging their caretakers with neglect, Deegan and Angels of Assisi work with those caretakers to make sure they have the right resources.

And it has worked so well, Deegan said. In the almost 19 years Ive been out here, to just be able to watch that difference has made me feel like Ive done my job, Ive done something good and Ive contributed to whats happening in this community, making it better going forward.

Deegan said she wouldnt be able to commit so much time to animal welfare cases without the support of her boss, Commonwealths Attorney John Alexander.

A couple of years ago, Nottoway County called and wanted me to come up and help with a big case up there. And he was like, Pack your bags. Youre out of here, Deegan said. Hes the best ever.

Deegan said Alexander supports her work with Seamus, too. One morning, Alexander greeted the poodle before greeting Deegan.

He sees Seamus and he says, Hey, buddy, how are you? And then  Ill never forget  he said, Thank you so much for coming to work today, Deegan said. Hes just been phenomenal. When I have to take Seamus out for a walk, he considers that part of the job.

Two years ago, Alexander endorsed Deegan for a judges seat on a juvenile and domestic bench in the Alleghany Highlands. But, Deegan said, it fell on deaf ears.

Judicial appointments are so political. And I am so not political, Deegan said. As long as Im doing my job here, Im not going anywhere. Let me do my job, and let me do it competently. Im still very much interested, but I dont think I have the political clout to ever get there.

In addition to her work in Botetourt County, Deegan serves on the National Animal Cruelty Advisory Committee under the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys.

We meet once a year up in D.C. and talk about the national trends, what were seeing, how to combat whatever were seeing, Deegan said. Once a year, we have a big animal cruelty conference that encompasses forensic veterinarians, law enforcement, animal control, and prosecutors. And we move it around the country. Last year, we were down in Baton Rouge. This December, we will be in Nashville.

Deegan also teaches classes through the Commonwealths Attorney Service Council.

That is an organization that sets up the training for all the prosecutors across the state, Deegan said. I serve on their curriculum committee. We meet once a year up in Richmond to plan three conferences for the next year.

The prosecutor also occasionally serves as a consultant on animal welfare cases across the country. She said one day shell walk out of the courtroom and never look back. But she doesnt have plans to retire yet.

After years of doing this, my dream job would be to get in a kayak early in the morning, paddle out into the middle of the lake and count birds and never have to talk to anybody, Deegan said. I can go in four years, but well see.
Virginia Techs College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Entomology and Virginia Cooperative Extension are hosting five bug-centric events this fall in five Virginia locales: Montgomery County, Pulaski County and Radford, as well as Henrico County and Virginia Beach.

One of Virginia Techs largest science outreach events of the year, Hokie BugFest, returns for a 12th year on Saturday, Oct. 8, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Squires Student Center in Blacksburg. (A special pre-opening from 9 to 10 a.m. is reserved for people with mobility or other special needs.)

We are thrilled to be back in person after two years of online programming during the pandemic, said festival organizer and Department of Entomology faculty member Daniel Frank.

This years event boasts more than 30 exhibitors, including Virginia Tech labs, area museums, community groups and industry experts. Visitors will enjoy hands-on activities, working bee hives, a bug library, 3D insects and plenty of live arthropods including scorpions, blue death feigning beetles, tarantulas, millipedes, hissing cockroaches and more.

Virginia Tech bug festivals are free community events that invite visitors and school children to learn about science through the fascinating and important world of entomology. Topics range from pollinators and urban pests to aquatic insects and forensic entomology. University and community experts will be on hand to answer questions and share their own excitement about bugs.

Our goals are to inspire the next generation of scientists and showcase the importance of insects worldwide, said Frank. And what better vehicle to evoke curiosity than the vibrant, often alien-looking, extreme world of bugs.

In Pulaski County and Radford, third- and fourth-graders had a chance to take part in an in-school Hokie BugFest from Sept. 8-29. Hokie BugFest on the Go visited 42 classes and more than 700 students and 50 teachers or administrators at six schools in these NRV localities.

Hokie BugFest On the Go is a traveling field trip program that brings BugFest from Virginia Tech into the classroom. For one hour, small groups learn all about entomology, meet live arthropods from the Hokie BugZoo, and work with graduate students and university faculty and staff. All participants receive activity booklets to help reinforce concepts after the event.

For those who cannot attend an event in-person, Virtual Hokie BugFest will offer an online bug-world from October through May 2023. Visit hokiebugfest.org to view videos, photo galleries, downloadable activities and fun facts about bugs.

Created in 2020 to keep festivalgoers safe during the pandemic, Virtual Hokie BugFest reached more than 10,000 unique viewers in 2020 and 2021, and this success has kept it going in 2022.

Along with this years programs in Henrico County and Virginia Beach, Hokie bug festivals showcase Virginia Techs motto of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences commitment to science education and outreach statewide.

Virginia Tech Hokie bug festivals are sponsored by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences through Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech Pesticide Programs, as well as many community partners.

- Submitted by James Mason, Virginia Tech
CHRISTIANSBURG  Montgomery County Public Schools officials are looking to make more progress soon on the talks about district employees and unionizing.

The county school board is slated to have a closed meeting with an attorney to discuss a resolution on collective bargaining during the week of Oct. 10.

The board discussed at its most recent meeting the status of the districts talks on the topic, a process public employees can now undertake following the states enactment of a law in 2020.

The school board earlier this year passed a measure that authorized its superintendent, chair, vice chair and legal counsel to develop a draft collective bargaining resolution in collaboration with employee organizations who are so interested for the school boards consideration.

The measure was described as just one of several steps in the process to ultimately allow teachers and staff to unionize. MCPS officials clarified that the vote at the time didnt allow collective bargaining, but instead gave the district the green light to begin working on a proposal that would be brought back to the board for consideration.

The unionization proposal has received a great deal of support from county teachers, many of whom over the past several months have spoken about how it would ensure the placement of conditions to help with workload management and planning.

Collective bargaining, however, hasnt quite gained unanimous support outside the schools as several in the community, particularly members of the Montgomery County GOP, have argued that it could lead to forced tax hikes in the future due to the need to fund contractually mandated pay requirements.

Teachers, including members of the Montgomery County Education Association, have countered those arguments by saying pay bumps have been a regular component of the annual budget discussions over the years and that the issue wouldnt really change with collective bargaining in place.

School board Chairwoman Sue Kass told her colleagues that they need to finalize their thoughts on the resolution before then meeting with the MCEA  and possibly other employee organizations  to go over the measure.

After that, the board will begin the process needed to eventually put the measure up for approval. That process involves a public hearing, among other steps, school division spokeswoman Brenda Drake said.

The MCEA also has its own draft collective bargaining resolution. Drake, however, said she cant speak on whether the measure the board is working on is based on the one proposed by the MCEA.

Some board members, however, have raised concerns about whether theyre moving too quickly on the issue.

Board member Mark Cherbaka spoke about some of the confusion that came up earlier in the year when his colleagues discussed the matter.

When the board did approve letting district staff start work on a proposal, there was some confusion among some of the elected officials about whether the decision would allow collective bargaining  several county school officials at the time clarified that the vote wouldnt do that and that several more steps would need to be cleared separately.

Cherbaka said during the most recent talk that he disagrees that theyre close on the resolution, at all. He said there are many parts of the measure theyve been working on he wouldnt support.

If you have to do your homework the night before, and youre rushing it out, youre still rushing it out, Cherbaka said.

School board member Marti Graham said its important to get the initial steps right. She pointed out that the board wont have the option to remove certain things from an agreement once collective bargaining is in place.

Its not something thats quick and easy, she said. This is brand new for the state of Virginia. Theres not a playbook.

School board member Penny Franklin, an advocate of collective bargaining, said she cant say if the district is rushing the process, something she added needs to move forward.

Its time to give the respect we need and act on this, she said. It is not as complicated as everyone wants to make this.
As a continuation of the Clothe a Child Program and the School Supplies Program, Oliver Lewis, MCPS Administrator of Family Engagement and a Kiwanis member, and Kiwanian Ernie Wade presented $550 Walmart gift cards to three Montgomery County Schools.

Receiving the cards were: Principal of CHS, Gene Jones; School Counselor of Montgomery Central, Ann Lawson; and Principal of Belview Elementary School, Chris Hewitt.

These two programs were started several years ago at all the Christiansburg schools to serve those in need, and are ongoing programs. Once the schools use up the funds on the cards, they let the Kiwanis Club know and the cards are replaced. The Kiwanis Club of Christiansburg funds the cards for $500 and Walmart adds $50.

Funding for service projects such as these is generated by fundraising events which include the Kiwanis Wilderness Trail Festival, held the third Saturday of September each year.

Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world, one child and one community at a time. The Kiwanis Club of Christiansburg has provided service to our local community since its charter was granted in 1949.

- Submitted by Ernie Wade
This article was republished with permission from CalMatters. You can read more of their coverage of California state government on CalMatters.org.
Miss Rodeo Texas Bobbie Loran presents the American flag at the start of the Guadalupe County PRCA Rodeo just before the singing of the national anthem on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021 in the Seguin Events Center - Rodeo Arena.
Issues like lack of proper faculty and basic facilities are also said to be the reasons for low enrollment in government colleges.  Representational Image/DC

Kothagudem: The fall in student enrollment rate in government degree colleges is a worry among lecturers in Bhadradri-Kothagudem colleges.

The unethical tactics being followed by private college managements to woo students and the starting of residential colleges running degree courses are cited to be the reasons. All these colleges are located in the agency areas.

The lecturers of government colleges had even visited the houses of students to get them join their colleges, but the enrollment rate is not impressive. In the government degree college in Yellandu, only 81 students joined various courses against 300 seats. There are two private degree colleges with more than 300 students.

N Pradeep, lecturer in a private college, said, Private colleges used to lure students in the agency areas by paying a premium amount by way of scholarships to the students. This is a blow to government colleges.

The TRS government introduced residential colleges for SCs, BCs and STs three years ago. Three of these colleges are offering degree courses. Degree first-year courses have commenced in these colleges. Those who completed intermediate courses in these residential schools used to join the degree courses there.

There were 300 seats in the government degree college in Manuguru. Only 161 seats were filled against 300 seats. The Kothagudem degree college, located in an urban area, is experiencing the same.

Shockingly, only 140 students against a capacity of 300 joined various courses in Kothagudem.

About 248 students, against 420 seats, joined the government degree college in Paloncha. In the government degree college in Bhadrachalam, the enrollment for the present academic year was only 430 against 720 seats.

N Srinivas, a lecturer in the government college in Manuguru, said, Many students opted out of engineering after intermediate. The parents are showing interest in joining their kids in private colleges in cities rather than in government colleges in the agency areas.

Issues like lack of proper faculty and basic facilities are also said to be the reasons for low enrollment in government colleges. Another problem is most adivasi students are dropping out of their studies after completing intermediate with the confidence they would get a job with the government.
 "The Lost Right to Jury Trial in 'All' Criminal Prosecutions" | Main | "State Constitutionalism and the Crisis of Excessive Punishment" 

October 2, 2022

Weekend round-up of stories from incarceration nation

Another busy week means another weekend effort to catch up with this round-up of links to a number of stories and commentaries concerning prison realities that caught my eye in recent days:

From the AP, "Alabama prisons reduce meals, nix visits amid inmate strike"

From Forbes, "First Appearance By Bureau Of Prisons Director Falls Shorts On Facts"

From The Guardian, "Whats Prison For? Concise diagnosis of a huge American problem"

From The Guardian, "Slavery by any name is wrong: the push to end forced labor in prisons"

From the Marshall Project, "What an Alabama Prisoners Strike Tells Us About Prison Labor"

From NBC News, "Biden pledged to end solitary confinement. Federal prisons are increasing its use."

From the New York Times, "Justice Dept. to Seek Stiffer Sentences in Prisoner Abuse Cases"

From NPR, "What it's like serving a life sentence in prison with no chance of release"

From Scientific American, "Dementia in Prison Is Turning into an Epidemic: The U.S. Penal System Is Badly Unprepared"

From the Washington Post, "Theyre in federal prison, and theyre done staying quiet"

October 2, 2022 at 10:14 AM | Permalink

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The remains of dozens of Indigenous Maori and Moriori people were officially received at New Zealand's national museum in Wellington on Sunday, completing a repatriation process from Austria, where the bones have resided for more than 130 years.

The repatriation "powhiri", or welcoming ceremony, in bitterly cold, wet conditions at Te Papa concluded when the remains of about 64 Maori and Moriori -- the Indigenous people of mainland New Zealand and the Chatham Islands -- were taken to the museum's Rongomaraeroa Marae, a sacred resting place.

The event completed a six-day journey for the remains, which left from the Natural History Museum in Vienna.

Records show that most of the bones, including skulls, were collected by Austrian taxidermist and grave robber Andreas Reischek, who spent 12 years in New Zealand until 1889.

The remains were housed for decades in Austria's capital after being "stolen with no regard" from New Zealand's "iwi" (tribes), officials from the two countries agreed.

Reischek's diaries outlined how he looted graves without permission from several locations, including the Chatham Islands.

William "Pou" Temara, chairman of Te Papa's Repatriation Advisory Panel, said the repatriation -- the largest from Austria to New Zealand -- was significant.

"It is always a spiritual relief and privilege to welcome back our ancestors who have been victims of such wrongdoing. Culturally we know that they are weeping with joy now that they have returned to Aotearoa (New Zealand) where at last they will rest in peace."

Te Papa's acting head of repatriation Te Arikirangi Mamaku-Ironside praised the assistance of colleagues in Austria in concluding 77 years of negotiations between the countries.

"The Natural History Museum, Vienna has made a profound commitment to right the wrongs of the past, and approached this work with a spirit of openness and reconciliation," said Temara, before adding that a government-funded repatriation programme has numerous ongoing projects to pursue.

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"While we've seen an increase in conversations about repatriating human remains, there is still a lot of work to do to bring all our ancestors home."

The remains will reside at Te Papa while iwi are consulted to determine a final resting place.

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Around two thousand Japanese racing fans made their annual pilgrimage to Longchamp racecourse on Sunday hoping one of their four runners will finally crack the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at the 18th attempt.

Widely regarded as Europe's greatest race the quartet is a record entry for Japan in the Arc -- there are a maximum 20 runners in all -- which has seen them finish second on several occasions.

Titleholder and Japan Derby winner Do Deuce are their best hopes of making history with Deep Bond, who finished a tailed off last in 2021, and veteran Stay Foolish their other runners.

Their colours were posted up on four doors near the grandstands with good luck messages written on them by Japanese turfistes.

Stay Foolish's rider Christophe Lemaire has won multiple Japanese jockey titles since moving there in 2015 after a successful spell in France and he understands Japan's passion for the race.

"To win an Arc would be the Holy Grail knowing what it represents for the Japanese," he said.

How the expected 30,000 spectators react should Christophe Soumillon win on Vadeni may have French racing authority France Galop crossing their fingers it is not whistles and boos.

The 41-year-old Belgian ace is due to start a 60 day ban in a fortnight after elbowing rival Rossa Ryan at Saint Cloud on Friday resulting in him falling.

Neither France Galop nor David Redvers, a co-owner of a horse Soumillon rides later on Sunday, are happy he refused to stand down for the most high profile racing weekend in France.

Under French racing rules a ban comes into force a fortnight after the punishment is handed out.

Soumillon rides French Derby winner Vadeni for his employer the Aga Khan -- the jockey's two previous wins on Dalakhani (2003) and Zarkava (2008) were for him -- and his daughter Princess Zahra made plain on Saturday their dismay with his actions.

"Obviously it was an unconscionable and an unthinkable thing to happen and to do. It was very difficult to watch," she said.

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"We talked about it (the incident) of course but it was too close to racing this weekend to do anything."

- 'Fire flickering' -

Frankie Dettori is another riding legend who has had his ups and downs this season but the exuberant Italian has a peach of a ride as he seeks a record-extending seventh Arc win on last year's winner Torquator Tasso.

The 2021 champion -- one of two German runners in the race -- has a disadvantageous outside draw (18 of 20) but Dettori is not put off by that having guided Golden Horn to victory in 2015 from 14.

Torquator Tasso, an 80-1 outsider last year, would become the ninth to win the race twice and the eighth to win it back to back.

"We pulled off a miracle from a wide draw and trip on Golden Horn back in 2015 - I'll never forget that one!" the 51-year-old told his Sporting Index blog.

He won't mind the hustle and bustle at all, he stays well, is streetwise and handles testing conditions if the rain comes.

"He's been second in a King George with some top-class horses in behind too, so there's no issues with his form this season.

The likely favourite is Luxembourg -- he beat Vadeni and another French runner Onesto in the Irish Champion Stakes last month -- and would give trainer Aidan O'Brien his third winner in the race.

The people's favourite, though, or at least for the thousands of English racing fans who will be present will be tough as teak Alpinista.

She owes her popularity not just to her five successive Group One victories but also her trainer renowned raconteur 74-year-old Mark Prescott.

A trainer for 53 years -- he was the youngest to hold a licence when he began -- he says there is no doubt she is the best mare in the world.

"If Alpinista wins it will keep the fire flickering a little longer," he told the Guardian.

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Here are 10 of the best Mediterranean cruises to take in 2022 and 2023.

White Rain/Courtesy of Viking Cruises

The Mediterranean Sea touches 22 nations and borders more than 28,000 miles of coastline, according to the Europe Environment Agency. From the Greek Islands to Egypt, Croatia to Morocco, and Slovenia to Spain, the rugged coastlines dip into the crystalline waters, providing a connection point to some of the most intriguing destinations on the planet. But, rather than traversing these destinations by car, train, or plane, visitors can see and do more by taking to the water for a Mediterranean cruise.

From seeing historical monuments to experiencing local cuisine, shopping in some of the most luxurious places on Earth, and visiting awe-inspiring beaches, cruising provides stellar connections to Mediterranean countries. These cruises also cater to every type of traveler  from multigenerational families to solo travelers with options for adults only and all ages. Here are 10 of the best Mediterranean cruises to check out for your next vacation.

Related: 11 Luxury Cruise Lines That Offer Stunning Suites, Fine Dining, and Exceptional Itineraries

<strong>Seabourn </strong>

Michel Verdure/Courtesy of Seabourn Cruise Line

Seabourn cruises are made for those who enjoy a touch of luxury. The cruise line offers all-inclusive options, making it easy to relax onboard and just enjoy the ride. Seabourn also offers various lengths and destinations for its cruises, including seven, 10, 14, and 21-day options, so everyone can find the one right for them.



Trip to Try: 7-day Classic Greek Isles and Ephesus

The week-long trip on the Seabourn Encore offers a glimpse at a few of Greeces best islands. Departing from Athens, the journey stops in Patmos, Agios, Mykonos, and Skiathos but also sprinkles in a few Turkish delights, including Kusadasi and Bozcaada, before disembarking in Istanbul. Excursions include guided tours of historical sites like the Grotto of St. John in Patmos and wine tastings in Bozcaada.



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<strong>Viking Cruises </strong>

White Rain/Courtesy of Viking Cruises

Those looking for an adults-only option will find exactly what they need with Viking Cruises. The company is strictly for guests ages 18 and up, providing a more mature cruising environment. The company stops in dozens of ports, making finding a cruise that fits your travel desires a snap. And the cruise line offers free shore excursions to enable all guests to experience the ports to their fullest.



Trip to Try: Mediterranean and Adriatic Sojourn

Spend 22 days with Viking on the Mediterranean and Adriatic Sojourn. The trip takes guests to seven countries, including Spain, Greece, Montenegro, Croatia, Italy, Monaco, and France, with stops in both major and smaller ports. Those looking to enhance the journey can book with inclusive value, which adds one complimentary shore excursion, free Wi-Fi, beer, wine, and soft drinks, visits to UNESCO sites, and more to allow for more time spent traveling and less time worrying about pricing. Guests can also book pre- and post-trip stays in ports of call if they arent ready to go home after three weeks on the water.



<strong>Azamara </strong>

Azamara is a luxurious option, but its not just about glitz and glamour on this line. The cruise line also emphasizes hyper-local experiences to allow its passengers to dive deep into the history, food, culture, and life of its ports of call, even if theyre there just for a day. The cruise line offers a variety of destinations and cruise lengths, including 10, 12, and 15-night voyages, some of which include overnight stays in the ports so guests can get the full scope of a destination.



Trip to Try: 15-night Pharaoh Kings and Emperors

Make your way through five counties (Italy, Egypt, Israel, Cyprus, and Greece) on this more than two-week adventure. The voyage highlights destinations ruled by famed pharaohs, kings, and emperors and emphasizes the regions spectacular history. Shore excursion options include exploring the ruins of Pompeii, seeing the biblical destinations of Nazareth and Galilee, and simply soaking in the ambiance of Capri for an entire day.



<strong>Oceania </strong>

Want personalized service at every turn? Book an Oceania cruise. The cruise line prides itself on its low guest-to-crew member ratio, ensuring your every need is easily met. The company offers plentiful options when it comes to Mediterranean sailings, including seven, 14, 21, and even 38-day cruises for those who cant get enough. With this cruise company, youre almost spoiled with choice, making it hard to pick just one itinerary. So maybe, think about it as this years trip, then the next, then the next, and on and on forever, because there are just so many options available.



Trip to Try: Monte Carlo to Athens

The 10-day trip takes sailors through ultra-luxe ports, including visits to Monte Carlo, Saint-Tropez, Florence, Rome, Valletta, Rhodes, and Athens. From the old villages to the glittering casinos, the shore excursions with this journey abound. Though theres plenty to do onboard too, including wine tastings, guest lectures, and fun-filled trivia nights with fellow guests.



<strong>Celebrity Cruises</strong>

Bernard Biger, Chantiers de l'Atlantique/Courtesy of Celebrity Cruises

Travelers vacationing with the entire family  from grandma to kids  should check out Celebrity Cruises. The cruise line offers more options for everyone onboard (think kids club to casinos), as well as varied shore excursions and affordable pricing options to make it a more viable trip for larger groups.



Trip to Try: Best of Italy and Croatia

The nine-night trip takes guests to seven ports through Italy and Croatia, providing varied terrain and plentiful shore excursion options. Visit beautiful seaside towns like Portofino, explore the Venetian canals, and enjoy the ship's amenities during days at sea.



<strong>Silversea</strong>

Silversea is tailor-made for those who like to cruise with fewer passengers onboard. The line offers ships with between 51 to 364 suites, meaning they max out at far fewer passengers than its larger counterparts, which enables more personalized service and higher-end amenities. It also offers all-inclusive packages to reduce the stressors that often come with pay-as-you-go travel.



Trip to Try: Athens to Venice

This 22-day trip tracks its way through 20 ports via five countries, including Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, and Turkey. Walk the cobblestone streets on the Greek Islands, see the colorful coastline in Marmaris, admire the glittering lights from the homes that snake their way up Lovcen Mountain, and more. Onboard, dine in one of the ships eight restaurants, take a dip in the top deck pool, or lounge in a common space to regale your fellow guests about the days adventure.



<strong>Holland America</strong>

Michel Verdure/Courtesy of Holland America Line

Holland America doesnt have the wide-ranging options like other cruise lines on this list, however, the sailings it does offer are top-notch. Holland America also offers a varied pricing list to allow people to choose the right price point for them, with rooms ranging from interior staterooms that come with 151 square feet to over-the-top suites with 712 square feet to stretch out in.



Trip to Try: 12-day Adriatic Dream

For 12 glorious days, you can set sail through the Mediterranean with Holland America. The trip includes stops in Italy (including Venice, Sicily, Amalfi, and Rome), Greece (including Katakolon, Souda, and Mykonos), Albania, and Malta (including Valletta and Mgarr). When not exploring at port, make sure to take advantage of the ships luxurious spa, which comes with the bonus of the soft rocking of the waves to lull you into tranquility.



<strong>Princess Cruises</strong>

Danny Lehman/Courtesy of Princess Cruises

Princess Cruises is yet another on the list that may not have a massive selection of Mediterranean options, but it more than makes up for it with stellar excursions, plentiful onboard entertainment, kids and teen offerings, and the fact that it now has The Princess Luxury Beds onboard. The cruise line created the beds in a special collaboration with a sleep expert to ensure every guest leaves feeling fully recharged.



Trip to Try: 14-day Mediterranean and Israel

The two-week trip stops in 10 different ports in Italy, Greece, Israel, and Cyprus. It offers dozens of shore excursions to take part in, including historical tours, vineyard tours and wine tastings, local market visits, and so much more. Room options range from interior staterooms to massive premium suites with 119-foot balconies so you can let the fresh ocean breeze in.



<strong>Cunard Line</strong>

Classic, elegant, and forever in style, Cunard Line is the cruise to choose if chicness is your top priority. Its boats are decked out in luxurious styling, including the Queen Elizabeth, which makes its way through the Med with art deco decor, plush sundeck furnishings, and high-end dining experiences included.



Trip to Try: Western Mediterranean

Take the seven-night journey on Cunards Western Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona to Mallorca, Corsica, Rome, and Naples. Visit the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, shop and eat your way through Rome, walk in the footsteps of Napoleon Bonaparte in Corsica, and so much more.



<strong>Royal Caribbean </strong>

Courtesy of Royal Caribbean International

Royal Caribbean is the line to choose for those traveling in groups with varied interests and age levels. Think, the kids who want to play all day, the adults who want to lounge by the pool, the friend who wants to explore a citys history through tours, or the friend who wants to stay up all night enjoying the onboard entertainment. And, best of all, its one of the few in the Med to offer options for those who are short on time or want to tack on a quick sailing to a longer trip.



Trip to Try: 3-night Cyprus Cruise

Spend three perfect days sailing from Haifa, Israel to Limassol, Cyprus, and back again. The quick cruise is the perfect way to get on the water if you just want to spend a weekend at sea on an otherwise land-bound trip. Check out a few shore excursions, or go it alone, knowing you have the perfect place to call home, even for a few days, each night.
SIOUX CITY -- Susan Grau has been selected to serve as a student support specialist on the Western Iowa Tech campus in Sioux City as part of a new initiative that increases access to four-year degrees at the University of Northern Iowa.

Grau will provide personalized support to adult and placebound students from their time at WITCC through completion of their UNI degree online.

The partnership between UNI and WITCC is part of the larger UNI at Iowa Community Colleges (UNI@IACC) initiative which offers a pathway for Iowans who hold an associates degree from any Iowa community college to pursue a bachelors degree in several high-demand areas: managing business and organizations, management: business administration, criminal justice, elementary education, human services, technology management (BA) and the Bachelor of Liberal Studies.

Grau has served in a number of capacities at WITCC since 2009. Since 2015, she has served as an admissions advisor/transfer specialist, in addition to instructing a workplace communications course.

Grau holds an associates degree in business management from WITCC and earned a bachelors degree in business management from Bellevue University.
Meetings and events

The monthly Carmelite Board Meeting will be held Monday, Oct. 3, at the Carmelite Monastery, 2901 S. Cecelia Street with Mass at 7 a.m. Refreshments will be served at 8:30 a.m., rosary at 9 a.m., and prayers with the Sisters at 9:15 a.m. The business meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m. Honorary members are always welcome.

Loess Hills Chapter, OES meeting Thursday, Oct. 13 at 7:30 p.m. Membership Dinner at 6 p.m. RSVP Sue Berry at 712-898-7585 by Oct 3, 2022. Honor Past Matrons and Past Patrons and 25 & 50 year members. Morningside Masonic Temple, 4110 Morningside Ave. Iowa Grand Chapter, October 21-23, 2022. Cedar Rapids Marriott, 1200 Collins Road NE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Lions Club meetings are first and third Mondays of each month, excluding holidays, at 12 p.m. at Active Generations located at 313 Cook St Sioux City. If interested in a strong service club helping sight and hearing impaired individuals we are the people to join with.

Bruguier's Cabin Tours, the second Sunday of the month from June to October, from 2 to 4 p.m. Special group tours can be arranged by calling 712-490-6506.

Dakota County Historical Society meets at 7:30 p.m. on third Thursday of the month, Dakota City Library. Contact Dennis Reinert at 712-253-1609 for more information.

Top O' Morning Toastmasters Club, Mondays, noon to 1 p.m. Contact LeAnn Blankenburg, 712-870-1120, for meeting information.

The Siouxland Ostomy Support Group, find us on Facebook. For more information and meeting times contact Dick Lindblom at 712-251-2453.

Southside "South Bottoms" former residents, 6 p.m. potluck, second Wednesday of the month at Goodwill Industries cafeteria, 3100 Fourth St. Gert, 258-2227.

Siouxland Metal Detecting and Archeology Club, 6:30 p.m., first Tuesday of the month in the Gleeson Room at 4510 Buckwalter Drive. Visitors welcome. Ray Turner, 712-899-2114.

American Legion Post 64, 7 p.m. last Thursday of the month at 4021 Floyd Blvd. 712-258-3986.

Marine Corps League, 6 p.m. second Tuesday of the month at Elks Club on TriView Ave. All marines welcome. For more information, call Cathy Moreno, 712-899-8441.

Sioux City Chapter of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), 7 p.m. fourth Tuesday of the month at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 1421 Geneva St. 712-203-2052.

Sioux City Duplicate Bridge Club, 12:30 p.m. Mondays (open); at the Senior Center. Mary 605-670-9613.

Siouxland Fly-Fishing Club, 10 a.m. last Saturday of the month at the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center on Hwy 12. All interested in fly fishing; beginners welcome. Monthly programs provided. For more information, call Bob Gillespie, 712-251-9463, or Diana, 402-987-3945.

Siouxland Coin Club, 7 p.m. first Tuesday of each month at First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, 1915 Nebraska St. Bob, 255-4829.

The Siouxland Pride Alliance, peer support group, 5:30 p.m. Fridays; Youth Pride group, 1:30 p.m. second Sunday of the month; potluck, 5:30 p.m. third Sunday of the month. First Unitarian Church, 2508 Jackson. Call 712-223-0931

Siouxland Samplers Quilt Guild, 7 p.m. second Monday of the month at the Redeemer Lutheran Church, 3204 S. Lakeport St, door #2. Visitors and new members welcome.

Siouxland Sewing Guild, 6:30-8 p.m. first Thursday of the month at South Sioux Public Library, 2121 Dakota Ave., South Sioux City. For anyone interested in sewing. Denise, 402-922-1822.

Sooland RC Modelers, 7 p.m. second Thursday of the month at Morningside Lutheran Church. Non-profit club that flies remote control aircraft. Anyone interested in RC is welcome.

Retired Educators, 10:30 a.m. third Tuesday of the month, at the Redeemer Lutheran Church, 3204 S. Lakeport St., door #6.

Mid-Step Services for Handicapped, meal at 5 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month, at the Redeemer Lutheran Church, 3204 S. Lakeport St., door #6.

Confirmation Instruction and Midweek Lessons, 5 p.m. on Wednesdays, at the Redeemer Lutheran Church, 3204 S. Lakeport St., door #6. Open to all kids 5 years old through 8th grade.

Primetime (Potluck), 12 p.m., second Thursday of each month, at Whitfield United Methodist Church, 1319 W 5th. For more information call 252-3261 Tuesday-Thursdays, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

Abundant Life Fellowship, 809 S. Alice St., in Sioux City will distribute food boxes after their 11 a.m. Sunday services. For additional information contact Pastor Bob at 605-205-0718 or Donna at 605-205-0719.
PARIS (AP)  A giant, glowing crystal rock upon a sand-colored carpet evoked a glamorous alien planet for Hermes champagne-sipping VIP guests.

Earthen hues like browns, reds and yellows -- colors long-associated with the heritage brand -- were used at Saturdays show to create Nadege Vanhee-Cybulskis utilitarian, low-key yet luxuriant universe for spring.

Elsewhere, Ukraines top fashion designers used the platform of Paris Fashion Week to promote their war-battered industry.

Here are some highlights of the days spring-summer 2023 collections in Paris:

HERMES SUBTLE STRINGS

It was a Vanhee-Cybulski minimalist take on the 80s.

The lone pulsating crystal that glowed color from the center of the runway established the collections key idea: Simplicity is powerful.

As the show took off, the odd utilitarian features -- such as toggles and the strange, perplexing box platform shoes that stomped throughout -- were used with subtlety but aplomb.

It gave a sporty and outer-space feel to the collections stylish, almost empty, restraint -- a mood that now defines the talented 44-year-old French designers repertoire.

Tan suede tunic minidresses sported beautiful, braided leather hems -- showcased without jewelry on a makeup-less model. While, exposed midriffs latticed with cords and toggles came on otherwise unfussy slim silhouettes.

UKRAINES GOOD SIX DESIGNERS SHOW UNITED FRONT

Last season in Paris, the Ukrainian designers trade fair event took place just two days before Russias invasion amid stories of some artists fleeing the country so rapidly they had only their children and their collection in hand.

This season sees no improvement back home for the industry: Its been battered by increased financial strains as designers try hard to maintain employed staff despite little money, a decrease in demand and ravished supply chains.

A collective of these designer-survivors is showing in Paris beginning Saturday until Oct.6.

Jen Sidary, the collectives head, said in my 30 years of working in the fashion industry, I have never witnessed the resilience of a country and its people as they began to focus on keeping their businesses alive, days into the war, from bomb shelters to designing new collections amidst constant air raid sirens.

The six making up the Paris Fashion Week event -- Frolov, Kachorovska, Chereshnivska, Litkovska, My Sleeping Gypsy and Oliz -- are showcasing unisex apparel, footwear and scarves. Its a bid to keep their ravaged industry alive, and form of resistance against the Russian bombs decimating their homeland.

Many of their colleagues back home in Ukraine have had to repurpose their operations to help the war effort, relocating within the country, according to Sidary.

The courage of the Ukraine fashion industry has drawn international attention.

USAID Project Manager Natalia Petrova spoke of the remarkable resilience, commitment and awareness of Ukrainian businesses since Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Disruptions on the domestic market caused by decrease in demand by population and broken supply chains, are pushing companies to explore export opportunities to diversify their sales, she added.

ANDREAS KRONTHALER FOR VIVIENNE WESTWOOD

Kink mated with art in the typically quirky fare from Kronthaler -- a staple show where a fashion surprise is all but expected.

With his usual encyclopedic flair, Kronthaler wove an aesthetic from yesteryear -- medieval and renaissance nobles and peasants  into his drape-heavy silhouettes. Guests almost felt like they were at the theater.

Juliette sleeves mixed with black Renaissance tarbuds, decorated collars and even one wacky but stylish blue loose tuxedo look that could have been worn by the Bard himself. Of course, Kronthaler accessorized it anachronistically with pale blue striped rugby socks. Added to the creative cauldron were chunky Glam Rock boots and a Highlands kilt style with white trimming at the male models nether regions, making it look like they might have gotten a front bite.

The opening image of Irina Shayk, often voted among the most beautiful models in the world, in a shiny black bustier and silver-ring earrings riffing off S&M will surely be one picture few quickly forget.

ELIE SAAB REVISITS THE '60s

The late 1960s got a facelift on Saturday in a collection that featured babydoll dresses, miniskirts, psychedelia, crop-tops and jabot collars -- but never lost that floaty, contemporary Saab touch.

The first look from Saab at his Paris fashion show fused a 1960s angelic-white crop top and a maxi skirt with an ethnic look, thanks to a construction of interlocking motifs. This fusion of different eras continued throughout the show, which sent out 68 items.

Lace detailing was a big theme and became the front of a baggy pale tracksuit top. In an anachronism that defined this Saab spring aesthetic, it was worn alongside a sheer 1990s tulle skirt. It had a great swag and could have very well been seen at a music festival in that decade.

Flashes of Barbie pink and citrus contrasted with psychedelic stripes on column silhouettes, sometimes making it feel like Saab was trying to put too much in the mix. The collection was ultimately hard to pin down.

AKRIS TURNS 100

The art-infused Swiss fashion house of Akris was on fine form Saturday turning out a resplendent show full of hip, wearable clothes.

Its sad but true that often on the Paris runway the higher the level of artistry, the less the level of wearability  so designer Albert Kriemlers spring show was a breath of fresh air.

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the brand, the 74 designs ironically never felt so youthful.

Pearly gowns with ruffled collars, large oversize gold buttons on coats, and shimmering lace defined the aesthetic, which had a sort of East London kick.

Then came the art-inspired fare  a hallmark of the age-old house  with white graphic etchings on tulle skirts, or all over a black floppy boho gown.
SIOUX CITY  Police Det. Mike Sitzman recalls administering Narcan, a nasal spray that can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose, on two different occasions.

With illicitly manufactured fentanyl spurring a nationwide overdose epidemic, more law enforcement agencies are equipping their officers with Narcan.

Sitzman vividly remembers that call that came into dispatch as a criminal trespass or burglary at a vacant downtown Sioux City business. When he arrived at the scene, he said he and other officers found multiple people who appeared to be under the influence of drugs and alcohol. As they continued to search the building, they stumbled upon a woman who was passed out in a first-floor closet.

"We tried waking her up. She was not coming to," Sitzman said. "I called for uniform officers who were still en route to bring in Narcan. We administered one dose. It did not appear to have any effect on her."

A minute or two later, Sitzman said they gave the woman a second dose and she began to wake up.

Deadly overdoses rise

Drug overdose deaths are on the rise in Iowa, increasing 34% over the last two years. The Iowa Department of Public Health recorded 470 overdose deaths in 2021, up from 350 in 2019. Most of the deaths were due to opioids. In 2021, fentanyl was implicated in 83% of the state's 258 opioid deaths.

There are two types of fentanyl: pharmaceutical fentanyl and illicitly manufactured fentanyl. The latter is being mixed with other drugs, such as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine, and pressed into pills that resemble prescription opioids.

These counterfeit pills are often light-blue and marked with "30" in an effort to imitate oxycodone. However, last month, the Drug Enforcement Administration warned the public about brightly-colored or "rainbow" fentanyl. DEA Administrator Anne Milgram called the fentanyl pills and powder "a deliberate effort by drug traffickers to drive addiction amongst kids and young adults."

Sioux City Police Chief Rex Mueller expressed dire concerns about illicit fentanyl at a March Sioux City Rotary Club meeting, telling those in attendance that the drug is flowing into Sioux City at "alarming rates" and that it's "guaranteed" that more people in the community will die of fentanyl overdoses. Like other opioids, fentanyl depresses the central nervous system and respiratory function, which can lead to death.

Rachel Wurth, assistant medical director for Rosecrance Jackson Centers, said people are using illicit fentanyl any way they can get it into their bodies, including snorting and injecting it. She said some patients seeking treatment in Sioux City are now even identifying fentanyl as their drug of choice.

"For the first time this year, we had a referral of someone who was on a Narcan drip. She actually had to be on a drip in the hospital because she did try one of the blue 30s," she said.

Mueller discussed the ongoing fentanyl crisis with U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and other law enforcement officials in Primghar on Monday.

"The flow of deadly illegal drugs across our borders created a public health crisis and a national security emergency. Iowa law enforcement is dedicated to working with our elected officials to stem these deadly drugs and ensure the safety of Iowans," he said during the routable discussion.

How do I know if someone is overdosing? If someone takes more opioids than their body can handle, they can pass out, stop breathing and die. A person who is experiencing an overdose may have the following symptoms:  Slow breathing (less than 1 breath every 5 seconds) or no breathing  Vomiting  A pale and clammy face  Blue lips, fingernails or toenails  Slow, erratic or no pulse  Snoring or gurgling noises while asleep or nodding out  No response when you yell the person's name or rub the middle of their chest with your knuckles Call 911 as soon as possible for a person suspected of an opioid-related overdose with respiratory depression or unresponsiveness and initiate rescue breathing. Iowa pharmacists are allowed to dispense naloxone, which is sold under the brand name Narcan, to individuals at risk of an opioid-related overdose and people who could be in a position to assist them. If Narcan is available, deliver one spray into one nostril. If there is no response after 2-3 minutes, or if the victim relapses back into respiratory depression or unresponsiveness before emergency assistance arrives, repeat with the second nasal spray device in the opposite nostril. If intramuscular naloxone with Evzio auto-injector is available, place it against the person's outer thigh through their clothing, press firmly and hold in place for 5 seconds. Repeat with the second auto-injector if no response after 3 minutes, or if the victim relapses back into respiratory depression or unresponsiveness before emergency assistance arrives. Source: Iowa Department of Public Health

High potency

The Sioux City Police Department tallied five confirmed fentanyl overdose deaths in 2021 and two so far in 2022. Another death this year is suspected of being caused by a fentanyl overdose.

According to the department, 16 or 17 non-fatal overdoses in 2022 could be related to fentanyl. The department must send any substance thought to be fentanyl to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Crime Laboratory for testing.

Sioux City Police Det. Paul Yaneff said the drug is so deadly that investigators have to wear additional latex gloves and N95 masks when handling a substance that they suspect could be fentanyl.

"Any little residue that touches your skin could kill you instantly. It's very crucial that you have the protective gear when you handle this stuff," he said.

Linda Kalin, executive director of the Sioux City-based Iowa Poison Control Center, stressed that illicit fentanyl is not the same fentanyl that's in a patch prescribed by an ER physician.

"We don't know who made it, as opposed to the drug companies' fentanyl that is not in an illicit market," she said. "Can medical fentanyl be abused? Yes. But, that's not commonly what we're seeing."

Kalin said illicit fentanyl, which doesn't rely on the opium poppy for production, was originally used as an adulterant in heroin. Now, she said it's taking the place of heroin. She said drug traffickers like the synthetic opioid because of its high potency. They can make a greater amount of product more easily at a reduced cost and rake in higher profits.

"Those counterfeit pills are in Iowa; and they resemble Percocet or Oxycodone. They resemble alprazolam or Xanax -- other prescription drugs. That's very alarming," she said.

The Iowa Poison Control Center (IPCC) recorded 24 human fentanyl exposure calls from January to August. In 2021, the IPCC tallied 35 of those calls, a 191% increase from 2020, when 12 calls were recorded.

Since people are not required to call poison control centers after every exposure, the data only captures a portion of the fentanyl exposures that are occurring.

According to the IPCC, hospitals are unable to test for new and novel drugs that are being abused, such as synthetic opioids. When providers become comfortable managing patients who have taken the drug, they stop calling poison control centers.

Brenda Iliff, vice president of clinical services for Rosecrance Jackson Centers, said illicit fentanyl is "extremely addictive" and 100 times more potent than morphine. Even after a person has received life-saving Narcan, Iliff said they could die from a fentanyl overdose, since the drug is still in their system.

"People say, 'I feel fine. I'm not going to the hospital,' and 15 minutes later or an hour later..." she said, trailing off. "They overdose. They die."

Jim Haden, Sioux City Fire Rescue EMS director, said his department doesn't really track drug overdoses by substance, since its main objective is treating overdose symptoms, rather than identifying a drug and its origin. However, he said there isn't enough Narcan in town to deal with "the really serious cases" involving fentanyl or carfentanil, an opioid analgesic 100 times more potent than fentanyl.

Carfentanil, which is used in veterinary medicine to anesthetize elephants and other large animals, is also present in illicit U.S. drug markets, according to the DEA.

"Not only does someone need the initial dose of Narcan, but they could potentially have to be on Narcan drips in the hospital for quite some time," Haden said. "The biggest risk is not knowing what you're taking, where it came from and what they might have cut it with."

Cases jump

Since he became a detective in 2020, Yaneff said he has seen cases involving illicit fentanyl "accelerate" in the metro.

Yaneff said one of those cases involved an individual using marijuana that was laced with fentanyl, while another person died from a fentanyl overdose after purchasing what was thought to be cocaine.

"We're starting to see more and more of it and hear of it," said Yaneff, who said the drug is predominately coming across the U.S.-Mexico border. "It's not solely people buying the actual fentanyl. The problem is it's accidentally being laced or having it being laced with additional drugs."

At around 2:30 p.m. on May 4, "officers did a delivery of what was supposed to be 1.5 pounds of fentanyl laced pills" to a residence in the 900 block of 20th Street, according to documents filed in Woodbury County District Court.

Officers then executed a search warrant on the residence and found Karom Bol, 19, in possession of the "delivered items," along with a separate quantity of fentanyl. The fentanyl was in two bags, with an estimated 40 pills in each bag.

Sioux City police found 18 pills believed to be laced with fentanyl in a purse in the bedroom of 32-year-old Katrina Barnes and 17 grams of marijuana, as they investigated the June 9 shooting death of Dolorean Wade, which Barnes is charged with. A criminal complaint describes the blue pills as showing a "M" and, on the reserve side, a "30."

Wurth said people buying pills off the street can be "tricked pretty easy," thinking they're getting legitimate prescription drugs. Fentanyl test strips have been shown to be effective at detecting the presence of fentanyl in drug samples, but Wurth said some states classify the strips as drug paraphernalia.

Fentanyl test strips are illegal in Iowa and South Dakota. Since Nebraska doesn't include fentanyl test strips or testing kits in its definition of drug paraphernalia, the materials are allowed, according to the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association, a nonprofit that conducts legal and legislative research and analysis.

Wurth said those struggling with fentanyl addiction shouldn't be afraid to reach out for help. Treatment at Rosecrance Jackson Centers begins with stabilizing the patient and helping them through the withdrawal process, which Wurth described as "very, very uncomfortable."

"We stabilize. We detox. And, then, we start exploring through therapy what's going on and how to think, feel and react differently," she said. "The gold standard for treatment with opiate use disorder includes medication-assisted therapy. We use Suboxone and Vivitrol."

Wurth said some people remain on medication-assisted treatment for the rest of their lives. Currently, she said Rosecrance Jackson Centers has roughly 150 patients on Suboxone, one of the main medications used to treat opioid addiction.

"What can be scary to come to us is that we're going to say you can't have anything. We're going to meet you where you're at, so don't be afraid to reach out if you're struggling," she said.
Rapidly intensifying Category 3 Hurricane Orlene is approaching western Mexico, where it's expected to cause life-threatening flooding, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The hurricane, packing maximum sustained winds of 115 mph was churning north at 5 mph Sunday morning, about 205 miles south of Las Islas Marias, Mexico, the center said.

Orlene is projected to reach the coast of mainland Mexico Monday or Monday night, making landfall just south of Mazatlan, Sinaloa, where life-threatening flash flooding is a concern, according to Mexico's CONAGUA Agency.

Hurricane conditions are expected by Sunday night in Islas Marias, with tropical storm conditions beginning late Sunday.

Orlene's wind speed increased by 35 mph within a 12-hour period, forecasters said.

"Some additional strengthening is forecast through this morning, followed by weakening beginning later today and continuing until landfall," the hurricane center said early Sunday.

The storm is expected produce heavy downpours, which could lead to life-threatening flash flooding and landslides in western Mexico. Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit and Sinaloa could see nearly six inches of rain Sunday into Monday.

Strong winds between 37 and 43 mph and waves heights of 2 to 4 meters are also a threat.

A hurricane warning is in effect for Las Islas Marias and the coast of mainland Mexico from San Blas to Mazatlan. A hurricane watch is in effect for the coast of mainland Mexico from Playa Perula to San Blas and from Mazatlan to Bahia Tempehuaya, including the city of Puerto Vallarta.

A tropical storm warning is in effect for the coast of mainland Mexico from Playa Perula to San Blas. A tropical storm watch is in effect for the coast of mainland Mexico from Manzanillo to Playa Perula.

Residents in the hurricane's path are being advised to take extreme precautions due to the potential for life-threatening flooding, wind and dangerous rip currents.

Orlene is barreling towards Mexico just weeks after Hurricane Kay made landfall in Mexico, along the west coast of the central Baja California Peninsula, as a Category 1 hurricane.

The-CNN-Wire

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HKSAR gov't holds flag-raising ceremony, reception to mark 73rd founding anniversary of PRC

Xinhua) 10:33, October 02, 2022

A flag-raising ceremony is held at the Golden Bauhinia Square by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in Hong Kong, south China, Oct. 1, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

HONG KONG, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The government of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Saturday held a flag-raising ceremony and a reception to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC).

The flag-raising ceremony was held at the Golden Bauhinia Square Saturday morning. As China's national flag and the flag of the HKSAR were hoisted, helicopters of the Government Flying Service flew over Victoria Harbor to display a large national flag and flag of the HKSAR. A fireboat replied with a water salute.

Following the ceremony, a grand reception was hosted by the HKSAR government in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center.

In his speech at the reception, HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee said it is clearly evident that the Chinese people blazed a trail to a flourishing future with strong determination, wisdom, and strength, and their tremendous efforts have made possible China's remarkable achievements in the form of rapid economic growth, long-term stability and prosperity.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland, with remarkable achievements attained over the last quarter century, Lee said, noting that Hong Kong always has the motherland's strong backing in matters ranging from opening up opportunities to overcoming difficulties.

"I have full confidence in the future of Hong Kong, and so should you," he said. "Because Hong Kong has the irreplaceably distinct advantages of enjoying the strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world."

Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Leung Chun-ying, officials with the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, the Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the HKSAR, and the Hong Kong Garrison of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and prominent figures from all walks of life in Hong Kong attended the flag-raising ceremony and the reception.

Photo taken on Oct. 1, 2022 shows a reception celebrating the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC), in Hong Kong, south China. The government of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Saturday held a flag-raising ceremony and a reception to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the PRC. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

A flag-raising ceremony is held at the Golden Bauhinia Square by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in Hong Kong, south China, Oct. 1, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

(Web editor: Zhao Tong, Bianji)
Rajkot: A plastic water bottle was thrown in the direction of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at a Garba event in Gujarat's Rajkot city, but the object did not hit him and passed over his head, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders said on Sunday.

A video grab of the incident, which took place on Saturday night during Kejriwal's visit to the Navratri event, showed the bottle thrown towards AAP national convener Kejriwal from behind as he walked waving at the participants.

The Delhi CM was accompanied by security officials and senior party leaders as he walked through the crowd of revellers.

AAP's media coordinator Sukanraj said, "The bottle was thrown from some distance. It passed over Kejriwal's head. It appears the bottle was thrown at Kejriwal, but we cannot say for certain that this was the case. There was no need to approach the police."

Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann are on a two-day visit to Gujarat from Saturday, ahead of the Assembly polls in the state due later this year.

Mann also took part in a Garba event at another venue in the city.

The two CMs stayed in Rajkot during the night after holding rallies at Gandhidham in Kutch district and Junagadh on Saturday.

They will jointly address two rallies in Surendranagar city and Khedbrahma town of Sabarkantha on Sunday.
Judah Samet survived two unthinkable tragedies: imprisonment in a Nazi concentration camp and the 2018 massacre at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue. But still he held onto his faith in humanity -- and made a point of sharing what he'd witnessed.

Samet died on Tuesday of complications from stomach cancer, according to his family. He was 84.

"I have the right to believe that the world is a rotten place, but I don't," he said in a 2019 interview with the USC Shoah Foundation, which shared a video of his remarks and praised Samet's "tireless efforts to document the past and secure a better future."

"He went through his life with an unrelenting optimism and just saw the good in everybody and every situation," said his daughter, Elizabeth H. Samet.

Surviving both the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where more than 50,000 people died, and the Tree of Life shooting, where 11 people were gunned down in the deadliest attack on Jews in American history, was a responsibility Samet took seriously.

"I was supposed to be dead at 6 and a half . ... So why did I survive everything? I believe I survived to tell the story to as many people (as possible)," Samet told the Shoah Foundation.

For much of his life, Samet avoided speaking about what had happened to him and his family during the Holocaust. Click to read more about him.
A young woman climbs to the top of a car in the middle of Mashhad, a conservative Iranian city famed for its Islamic shrines. She takes off her headscarf and starts chanting, "Death to the dictator!" Protesters nearby join in and cars honk in support.

For many Iranian women, it's an image that would have been unthinkable just a decade ago, said Fatemeh Shams, who grew up in Mashhad.

"When you see Mashhad women coming to the streets and burning their veils publicly, this is really a revolutionary change. Iranian women are putting an end to a veiled society and the compulsory veil," she said.

Iran has seen multiple eruptions of protests over the past years, many of them fueled by anger over economic difficulties. But the new wave is showing fury against something at the heart of the identity of Iran's cleric-led state: the compulsory veil.

Iran's Islamic Republic requires women to cover up in public, including wearing a "hijab" or headscarf that is supposed to completely hide the hair. Many Iranian women, especially in major cities, have long played a game of cat-and-mouse with authorities, with younger generations wearing loose scarves and outfits that push the boundaries of conservative dress.

That game can end in tragedy. A 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, was arrested by morality police in the capital Tehran and died in custody. Her death has sparked nearly two weeks of widespread unrest that has reached across Iran's provinces and brought students, middle-class professionals and working-class men and women into the streets.

Iranian state TV has suggested that at least 41 protesters and police have been killed. An Associated Press count of official statements by authorities tallied at least 13 dead, with more than 1,400 demonstrators arrested.

A young woman in Tehran, who said she has continually participated in the past week's protests in the capital city, said the violent response of security forces had largely reduced the size of demonstrations.

"People still are coming to the streets to find one meter of space to shout their rage but they are immediately and violently chased, beaten and taken into custody, so they try to mobilize in four- to five-person groups and once they find an opportunity they run together and start to demonstrate," she said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"The most important protest they (Iranian women) are doing right now is taking off their scarves and burning them," she added. "This is a women's movement first of all, and men are supporting them in the backline."

A writer and rights activist since her student days at Tehran University, Shams participated in the mass anti-government protests of 2009 before having to flee Iran.

But this time is different, she said.

Waves of violent repression against protests in the past 13 years "have disillusioned the traditional classes of society" that once were the backbone of the Islamic Republic, said Shams, who now lives in the United States.

The fact that there have been protests in conservative cities like Mashhad or Qom  the historic center of Iran's clergy  is unprecedented, she said.

"Every morning I wake up and I think, is this actually happening? Women making bonfires with veils?"

Modern Iranian history has been full of unexpected twists and turns.

Iranian women who grew up before the overthrow of the monarchy in 1979 remember a country where women were largely free to choose how they dressed.

People of all stripes, from leftists to religious hardliners, participated in the revolution that toppled the shah. But in the end, it was Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and his followers who ended up seizing power and creating a Shiite cleric-led Islamic state.

On March 7, 1979, Khomeini announced that all women must wear hijab. The very next day  International Women's Day  tens of thousands of unveiled women marched in protest.

"It was really the first counter-revolutionary movement," said Susan Maybud, who participated in those marches and was then working as a news assistant with the foreign press. "It wasn't just about the hijab, because we knew what was next, taking away women's rights." She didn't even own a hijab at the time, she recalled.

"What you're seeing today is not something that just happened. There's been a long history of women protesting and defying authority" in Iran.

"History and recent events in Iran leave us in no doubt. Women's desire to be free to choose could not be strangled or silenced," explained Farzaneh Milani, an Iranian scholar and professor at the University of Virginia's gender studies department.

Iranian society has struggled with allowing women the right to choose their own dress and veiling since the mid-19th century, when the poet and religious scholar Tahereh dramatically appeared unveiled before a congregation of men in 1848, Milani said. A few years after her unveiling, public authorities executed Tahereh.

A century or more ago, strict veiling was largely limited to Iran's upper classes. Most women were in rural areas and worked, "so hijab wasn't exactly possible" for them, said Esha Momeni, an Iranian activist and scholar affiliated with UCLA's Gender Studies Department.

Many women wore a "roosari" or casual headscarf that was "part of traditional clothing rather than having a very religious meaning to it."

Throughout the late 19th century, women were front-and-center in street protests, she said. In Iran's first democratic uprising of 1905, many towns and cities formed local women's rights committees.

This was followed by a period of top-down secularizing reforms under the military officer-turned-king Reza Shah, who banned the wearing of the veil in public in the 1930s.

During the Islamic Revolution, women's hijab became an important political symbol of the country "entering this new Islamic era," Momeni said. Growing up in Tehran, she remembers "living between two worlds" where family and friends didn't wear the veil at private gatherings but feared harassment or arrest by police or pro-government militias in public.

In 2008, Momeni was arrested and kept in solitary confinement for a month at Tehran's notorious Evin Prison, after working on a documentary about women activists and the 1 Million Signatures Campaign that aimed to reform discriminatory laws against women. She was later released and joined the 2009 "Green Movement" protests.

Like Shams, she sees today's wave of protests as shaking the foundations of the Islamic Republic.

"People are done with the hope of internal reform. People not wanting hijab is a sign of them wanting the system to change fundamentally," Momeni said.

The 2009 protests were led by Iran's "reformist" movement which called for a gradual opening-up of Iranian society. But none of Iran's political parties  even the most progressive, reformist-led ones  supported abolishing the compulsory veil.

Shams, who grew up in relatively religious family and sometimes wore hijab, recounted how during the 2009 protests, she renounced the headscarf publicly. She found herself under attack by pro-government media, but also shunned by figures in the reform movement  and by her then-husband's family.

"The major reason for our divorce was compulsory hijab," she said.

As Iran has been besieged by U.S. sanctions and several waves of protests fueled by economic grievances, the leadership has grown insular and uncompromising.

In the 2021 presidential election, all serious contenders were disqualified to allow Ebrahim Raisi, a protege of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, to take the presidency despite record low voter turnout.

The death of Mahsa Amini, who hailed from a relatively impoverished Kurdish area, has galvanized anger over forms of ethnic and social  as well as gender  discrimination, Shams said.

From Tehran's universities to far-flung Kurdish towns, men and women protesters have chanted, "Whoever kills our sister, we will kill them."

Shams says Iran's rulers have backed themselves into a corner, where they fear yielding on the veil could endanger the 44-year-old Islamic Republic.

"There is no way back, at this point. If the Islamic Republic wants to stay in power, they have to abolish compulsory veiling, but in order to do that they have to transform their political ideology," she said. "And the Islamic government is not ready for that change."

___
Fentanyl killed 22-month-old. Thats todays lead headline in the Dispatch-Argus and Quad-City Times.

The article sets out the police affidavit, which alleges that the childs mother and father did knowingly use and sell controlled substances at/from their residence, which would create substantial risk to the well-being and physical safety of the victim, who was their 22-month-old son.  As a result of this risk, the victim was pronounced deceased, which the cause of death was later discovered as an acute drug (fentanyl) intoxication."

But was the fentanyl involved supplied by the Mexican drug cartels? Whats the likelihood?

Perhaps we will find out if one of the cases actually goes to trial.

On at least two prior occasions in my op-eds, I have tried to raise the hue and cry as to the deadly dangers of fentanyl. On August 7, 2022, I wrote,

Provisional data from CDCs National Center for Health Statistics indicate:  fentanyl  accounted for 71,238 deaths in 2021 .

The US Customs and Border Patrol website tells us that the eight South Texas ports of entry, during the year beginning Oct. 1, 2020 and ending Sept. 30, 2021, saw a 1,066% increase in fentanyl seized, and a 98% increase in cocaine seized.

[N]early 4 times as many Americans are being killed by fentanyl as are being murdered by guns.

Earlier, on March 17, 2022, I cited a proclamation made by President Biden showing his total awareness of the problem.

"I find that international drug trafficking  including the ... global sale and widespread distribution ... of extremely potent drugs such as fentanyl ... constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy and economy of the United States."

So, what exactly is President Biden doing to stop the international drug trafficking (by the Mexican drug cartels) from creating this extraordinary threat to the national security by their widespread distribution of fentanyl?

What exactly is Mr. Biden doing to prevent 71,238 Americans from dying of fentanyl poisoning?

Specify any serious efforts Mr. Biden has made to close the border?

Instead, President Joe Biden blithely trips about the country, ranting that "Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans are a threat to the very soul of this country," and raving that "Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our Republic." Not to mention, labeling a vaguely segment of Trump voters as semi-nazis.

And as he gallivants from town to town, thousands of American men, women and children are dying from fentanyl poisoning.

And while he reads from his teleprompter, the Mexican drug cartels are becoming ungodly wealthy and overwhelmingly powerful, as they daily seize control of more and more towns and regions in Mexico.

And why? Mr. Biden has made a crass political decision to keep the border open to illegal immigration, betting that those who cross illegally, and who are showered with taxpayer dollars, will be an ever-grateful and reliable Democrat voting block to assure the Democratic Party a permanent hold on political power.

President Biden turns a blind eye to the fact that in 2021 Mexican cartel drugs have accounted for 71,238 fentanyl, 32,856 meth, and 24,538 cocaine deaths. He turns a blind eye to the fact that through the first nine months of 2022, 750 migrants have died trying to cross the border illegally. And he turns a blind eye to the danger of the drug cartels that daily grow richer and more powerful, and to the fact that they are daily destroying the Mexican state.

We have a President, who rather than protecting the American people from the widespread distribution ... of extremely potent drugs, such as fentanyl, acts as enabler-in-chief for the

poisoning of the American people and their children.

Joe Bidens approval rating wallows in the 30s with likely American voters. His Democrat pollsters are polling the wrong people. They should poll the drug cartels. Mr. Bidens approval rating might well exceed 100%!
The midterm election is coming up on Nov. 8. Since the conclusion of the 2020 presidential election, the national midterms have been a constant source of interest. By this point in time, candidates for U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives have frequently been in the news. The Iowa gubernatorial candidates are traveling the state. Even the Iowa House and Senate candidates are clogging our mailboxes, inboxes and phones. The county candidates are our friends and neighbors, so we know something about them, too.

There are five races on the ballot this year that receive significantly less public attention, but are very important. The winners of these five down ballot races for Iowas attorney general, state treasurer, secretary of state, state auditor and secretary of agriculture will have considerable power over the management of state government and state finances. It is worth your time to acquaint yourself with them and what they do so you can make an informed vote in November that does not stop with the top of the ballot.

Of the five races, the attorney generals race may be the most contested. This race pits Democratic incumbent Tom Miller -- the countrys longest serving attorney general -- against Republican Brenna Bird, a Guthrie County attorney. Miller has regularly cruised to re-election since first being elected to office in 1978. But this year is different. Recently, Iowa has become increasingly red and Bird is well-known, has been running a catchy TV ad (unheard of in these types of races) and, for all practical purposes, both candidates had an equal amount of campaign cash on hand at the end of the last reporting period in July.

A similar scenario is playing out in the race for state treasurerthe office that pays the states bills, manages its investments and allows you to save for college in a 529 savings plan. Democratic incumbent Mike Fitzgerald, who was first elected to this office in 1982, has faced relatively easy re-election campaigns since that time. But his opponent this year is Republican Roby Smith, a state senator from Davenport. Smith served as chair of the Senate State Government Committee and has significantly more cash on hand than Fitzgerald.

Anyone who votes in an election, owns a small business or serves as a notary public is familiar with the Iowa Secretary of States Office. The current Secretary of State is Paul Pate, a Republican from Cedar Rapids. He served in this office in the 1990s and then returned to the office in 2014. His opponent is Linn County Auditor Joel Miller. The fighting issue in this race is election integrity.

A bright spot for the Democrats is State Auditor Rob Sand. A well-funded Des Moines attorney, Sand defeated the Republican incumbent in 2018. He is seeking a second term and his opponent is Republican Todd Halbur of Ankeny. The state auditor is responsible for auditing the finances of state and local government bodies including school districts.

The secretary of agriculture is responsible for administering a host of ag programs as well as making sure that measuring devices like gasoline pumps are accurate. Republican Mike Naig, with Northwest Iowa farming roots, is the incumbent running for a second term. He is challenged by Democrat John Norwood of Des Moines, who is a soil and water commissioner in Polk County.

These are important positions that impact all of us. Please take the opportunity to learn about these offices and races. In 2018, the last time these offices were on the ballot, several thousand fewer votes were cast in Woodbury County for the down ballot races than for those at the top of the ballot. It is important we all become informed voters and make a difference.

Suzan Stewart is a retired corporate attorney. During the 40 years she has lived in Sioux City, she has been involved in a variety of local and state volunteer activities, including serving as chair of the Woodbury County Republican Party. She and her husband, Dr. Bob Stewart, are the parents of four children and have five grandchildren.
Our advice columnists have heard it all over the years. Each Sunday, we dive into the Dear Prudie archives and share a selection of classic letters with our readers. Join Slate Plus for even more advice columns.

Dear Prudence,

You know how some people are fine, absolutely unobjectionable, but you just dont click with them? You dont dislike them, but you dont much like them eitheryou just dont think about them much at all. Thats how Ive always felt about my sister-in-law, Janice. She was kind of dull and a bit smug, but my brother loved her. I passed her the gravy at Thanksgiving and was glad I didnt have to spend the rest of the year with her. Well, now Im in love with her, and while its not directly connected, her marriage to my brother is in trouble. (For the record, I doubt that Janice is my soulmate. Were badly suited, whereas she and my brother are usually a power team-up. Its just a whole bunch of stuff at once, and then the pandemic, thats heightened everything. But I feel like shes my soulmate.)

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I had a really bad car accident a few years ago, lost my job, got dumped, and developed a drinking problem. When I hit rock bottom, my family was there for me, but it was Janice who stepped up the most, who let me cry on her shoulder, who drove me to my physio appointments. So now, lonely, desperate for affection, and still all banged up, I am in love. And it looks like my brother and Janice are going through something. Theres a terrible part of me, maybe 5 percent, that wants to take advantage of it. But the rest of me wants to be a good friend, a good in-law, and a good brother. Im not sure how to navigate this without making things weird, damaging my family relationships, or possibly taking advantage of the situation to get what I want. Should I tell Janice how I feel and then distance myself? Distance myself and just look like Im ungrateful for all her help? Pretend to be disinterested and just play the role of good brother-in-law?

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The first thing to do is refocus on the support you can draw from sources that arent your brothers wife, not because you need to start ignoring her as a matter of principle, but because you need more than one person you can rely on for help. That might mean asking others to drive you to your appointments, looking for 12-step recovery meetings (or non-12-step alternatives), crying on a rotating cast of shoulders, and seeking out ways to help others when you can.

Its not my place to tell you whether you are or arent in love with Janice. Perhaps more importantly, love can sometimes be accompanied by self-interest, or neediness, or dislike, even contempt. But you seem fairly aware that your newfound love for Janice didnt arise from reevaluating those qualities of her you dislike or a desire to care for her the way your brother does, so much as an overwhelming sense of gratitude for her care and attention in your moment of crisis. That doesnt make a strong foundation for a committed romantic relationship.

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Prioritizing non-Janice emotional outlets will make it easier to find ways to step back from her (possible) marital crisis without suddenly going cold and ignoring all of her calls. Dont punish her for being kind to you by withdrawing, or by burdening her with an unexpected announcement that youre kind of in love with her, even though you still sort of dont like her, and dont think you two are suited for each other anyway. (Im reminded of Mr. Darcys first ill-fated proposal to Elizabeth Bennet:  I might as well inquire, replied she, why with so evident a desire of offending and insulting me, you chose to tell me that you liked me against your will, against your reason, and even against your character? ) Trust that she has friends and family of her own she can turn to for advice and counsel who are better-suited than her husbands brother to help her with whatever problems she may be facing in her marriage. Ask yourself if part of your desire to stir the pot comes from any resentment toward the rest of your family for not stepping up the way Janice did when you hit rock bottom, and find a therapist if you still cant shake that 5 percent of you that wants to see if you can get an affair going. Danny M. Lavery

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From: Help! I Think Im in Love With My Brothers Wife. (Aug. 8, 2020)

Dear Prudence,

I didnt have a father when I was growing up due to my being the result of a long-term affair. Finally, when I became a teenager I met my half siblings and their mother. They have all accepted me, and I am grateful for our relationships, which have continued even though my father died a few years ago. At the same time, I always held a grudge against my mom for doing something so immoral, even though she was always there for me. My mom told me what she did was wrong but that you cant help whom you love. I am now a single woman in my 20s. I work for a great company and have a good work ethic and positive morals. Yet for the past three months I have been having an affair with a married co-worker. This is so wrong, but the connection we have is so much more than I have ever dreamed of experiencing. I feel disgusted with myself and cry constantly about the situation. Still, I cant bring myself to stop seeing him. He tells me he loves me and contemplates leaving his wife. (They have no children.) I love him but could never live with myself if I broke up their marriage, especially after the heartache I endured as a child. Please help me do the right thing before its too late.

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Because you are the child of infidelity does not mean you are condemned to repeat it, unless, in the face of your own epic, forbidden love, you now say, I guess my mother wasnt such a hussy after all. Its true that you just cant help whom you love. Your mother was right that we all can be slaves to our emotions, though she was wrong to decree that theres nothing you can do except indulge them. But thats exactly how you sound. You want this man, but you couldnt bear to actually have him. You have never experienced such soul-stirring connection, yet you weep with disgust. Theres nothing I can say that will make the situation less painfulits up to you to conclude that as thrilling as all the sex, conversation, and subterfuge has been, youre going to stop. Its as simple as declaring, Youre married and Im not going to see you anymore. Try shifting your focus to the practical: You have launched a promising career; its not going to be enhanced by having an affair with a married co-worker. Because of your mothers choices, you grew up longing for a man you couldnt have. Consider talking about this with a counselor so that you dont spend your life searching for more of the same. Emily Yoffe

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From: Help! I Hate Beards, but My Husband Refuses To Shave. (Dec. 29, 2011)

Dear Prudence,

I have been dating a terrific guy, Jason, for about five months now (were both dudes, if it matters). Hes everything Ive been looking for but theres a problem: He has an Xtube page up. I introduced him to my friend Bob, who is an avid watcher of online porn. Bob later told me about the page and sent me the link to it. (I made Bob promise not to tell anyone; hes a great friend and Im not worried about him spreading the word.) Basically its nine videos of Jason masturbating with his face showing in a few of them. I was mortified seeing the videos and cried privately. I dont know what to do. This is the best relationship Ive been in in years. Jason is attentive and caring and is interested in taking our union further, but I dont know if I can ever trust him. Im not interested in having a boyfriend whose naughty bits are on display for the whole world to see! If it matters he apparently hasnt logged on or uploaded any new videos to his porn page in over a year. What should I do?

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Im not sure why you feel like you cant trust him. What about his having masturbated in front of a camera a few years ago has rendered him untrustworthy? I can understand feeling uncomfortable, certainly, and wondering whether you two are compatible in terms of how you view privacy, but trustworthiness doesnt seem to be an issue here. Theres nothing untrustworthy about jerking off for an audience. If you think you can have a conversation with Jason about this (without accusing him of hiding something from you or of being an untrustworthy person), then tell him what you found, ask him if hed be comfortable removing the videos, and have a serious conversation about what you both think about privacy. On the other hand, if you honestly dont believe you can date someone who has ever had an Xtube page, no matter what the circumstances, then do Jason a favor and end your relationship before it gets serious. D.L.

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From: Help! My Boyfriend Uploaded Videos of Himself to a Porn Site. (March 29, 2016)

Dear Prudence,

I asked my husband to take our ailing rat to the veterinarian to be euthanized last Thursday. The rat was almost 2 years old and had a tumor on its mouth, but it was still a friendly animal that was so gentle. When I came home from work, he said he had taken care of it. It turns out he froze the rat in our deep freeze. I have been crying and grieving over this all weekend. We are barely speaking. He loves animals and didnt think this would hurt the rat. He later apologized to me via text message. I am heartbroken. I am trying to be forgiving, but this is so awful that I dont even feel like I can reach out to friends to discuss it. How do I get past this?

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I can understand your giving the very cold shoulder to a husband who decides to save on a vet bill by sticking an ailing pet in the freezer. It would be impossible to respond to such awful news with sangfroid. (The fact that most people consider your dear late pet to be a kind of vermin to be exterminated is irrelevant.) Please tell me the rat has now been properly dealt withId hate to think of your visiting mother going to the deep freeze to retrieve a lasagna and  lets not think about it. Your husband has apologized via text, so now you have to let the man speak to you. Lets hope hes abjectly remorseful and doesnt try to make excuses for gross animal cruelty. I agree this is just not something that lends itself to hashing out with friends. Ideally, your husband can convince you it was a dreadful anomaly. And maybe you get over this by getting a new rat (shudder) together. E.Y.

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From: Help! My Husband Put Our Dying Pet Rat in the Freezer. (Sept. 9, 2015)

More Advice From Dear Prudence

Last year, I lent my brother an expensive piece of photography equipment. After a few months, his wife sold it on eBay; I didnt find out about it until I asked for it back for a project. He apologized and said it was an accident (she thought the equipment was his). He offered to buy a replacement, but I said there was no need. Fast forward a year later, my brother asked me to borrow another piece of equipment.
Khiara Bridges remembers the exact moment she lost faith in the Supreme Court. At first, at the start of Donald Trumps presidency, Bridgesa professor who now teaches at UCBerkeley School of Lawheld out hope that the court might be this great protector of individual civil liberties right when we desperately needed it to be. Then came 2018. That June, the justices issued Trump v. Hawaii, which upheld the presidents entry ban for citizens of eight countries, six of them Muslim-majority. Suddenly, Bridges told me, she realized, The court is not going to save us. It is going to let Trump do whatever he wants to do. And its going to help him get away with it.

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Four years later, the justices completely shattered whatever remaining optimism Bridges could muster about the court by overruling Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization. When the decision came down on June 24, she got a migraine for the first time in a decade. The image of the court as a majestic guardian of liberty was, she concluded, a complete lie. And it wasnt just about her own personal feelings, either: Now she had to teach her students about the work of an institution that made her sick to contemplate.

Bridges is not alone. At law schools across the country, thousands of professors of constitutional law are currently facing a court that, in their view, has let the mask of neutrality fall off completely. Six conservative justices are steering the court head-on into the most controversial debates of the day and consistently siding with the Republican Party. Increasingly, the conservative majority does not even bother to provide any reasoning for its decisions, exploiting the shadow docket to overhaul the law without a word of explanation. The crisis reached its zenith between September 2021 and June 2022, when the Supreme Court let Texas impose its vigilante abortion ban through the shadow docket, then abolished a 50-year-old right to bodily autonomy by overruling Roe v. Wade. Now law professors are faced with a quandary: Howand whyshould you teach law to students while the Supreme Court openly changes the meaning of the Constitution to align with the GOP?

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A version of this question has long dogged the profession, which has fought over the distinction between law and politics for about as long as it has existed. For decades, however, the court has handed enough victories to both sides of the political spectrum that it has avoided a full-on academic revolt against its legitimacy. That dynamic changed when Trump appointed Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett to replace far less conservative predecessors and created a Republican-appointed supermajority, a coalition further aided by the appointment of Neil Gorsuch to a seat that should have been filled by Barack Obama. The cascade of far-right rulings in 2022 confirmed that the new court is eager to shred long-held precedents it deems too liberal as quickly as possible. The pace and scale of this revolution is requiring law professors to adapt on several levelsintellectually, pedagogically, and emotionally.

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For law professors, these rulings have unsettled the foundational premises of our professional lives, she said.

Like Bridges, Serena Mayeri, a professor at University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, traces her recent disillusionment to Trump v. Hawaii. The fact that Kavanaughs predecessor, Justice Anthony Kennedy, sided with Trump left me deeply shaken, Mayeri said. It was weeks before I could bring myself to read the opinions in full.

Shortly thereafter, Kennedy announced his retirement, further rattling Mayeri. Ive always considered myself a deeply patriotic person, she said. My family comes from Eastern Europe and Iran; on both sides I have relatives who took refuge in the U.S. and taught me to see America as a beacon of hope, however flawed our attempts to live up to our ideals. Mayeri was crossing the border into Canada when the Hawaii decision came down, and she suddenly felt she did not want to return. For the first time in my life, I didnt want to go home to my own country, a country I barely recognized.

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Mayeris outlook did not improve as the court took a wrecking ball to her areas of expertise, especially reproductive rights. That doesnt mean she is seriously considering quitting academia. There have certainly been moments over the past few years when anything other than direct political action felt like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, she said. But being a law professor is an incredible privilege, and I love almost every minute of it.

In the classroom, Mayeri will try to teach decisions like Dobbs in broader contexts, such as the alarming global erosion of democracy and the convergence of anti-democratic forces that enable the court to thwart majority will. For law professors, these rulings have unsettled the foundational premises of our professional lives, she told me.

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If this all sounds a little overstated, consider one example of how disruptive the courts sprint to the right has been. Perhaps the most famous facet of legal education is the bar exam, which almost every prospective lawyer must take to practice law. The exam does not incorporate the Supreme Courts most recent decisions; those taking the exam in 2022 were not tested on 2022 rulings. That means exam takers must pretend U.S. law was static over the previous year, or risk answering questions incorrectlyby asserting, for instance, that abortion access and Miranda warnings are still a constitutional right. The more the law shifts in any given year, the more confusing the test. By next year, however, the 2022 term will be incorporated into the exam. Consider what this means for a student who took Constitutional Law in their first year of law school: The rights they learned are affirmed under the Constitution are no longer protected by the time theyre entering the field.

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Bar examiners, like law professors, need stability to test students knowledge. But this Supreme Courts conservative majority has disclaimed stability as a virtue of the law. It is upending the ground rules that guided so many generations through law school.

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Its hard to think about your own professionthe things you were taught, the things you believed inabruptly coming to an end in rapid succession.

The Supreme Court has had turbulent and alarming periods in its history before. But since the 1950s, the legal academy has told a particular story about American law, one with clear heroes and villains. The Supreme Court was the hero, vindicating the Constitutions grand guarantees of liberty and equality for all, abolishing segregation while guarding against authoritarianism. It was the great bastion of freedom, the protector of democracy, the champion of civil liberties, the pure and high-minded manifestation of our nations noblest values. Now, it is reshaping into an antagonist of many of those values, facilitating democratic backsliding while rolling back long-settled rights.

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The problem, its worth emphasizing, is not that the Supreme Court is issuing decisions with which left-leaning professors disagree. Its that the court seems to be reaching many of these conclusions in defiance of centuries of standards, rejecting precedent and moderation in favor of aggressive, partisan-tinged motivated reasoning. Plenty of progressive professors have long viewed the court with skepticism, and many professors, right- and left-leaning, have criticized the reasoning behind certain opinions for decades. But its only in recent yearswith the manipulation of the justice selection process combined with clear, results-oriented cynicism in decisionsthat the problem has seemed so acute that they feel it affects their ability to teach constitutional law.

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Its hard to think about your own professionthe things you were taught, the things you believed inabruptly coming to an end in rapid succession, said Tiffany Jeffers, a professor at Georgetown University Law Center. Its hard to ask a law professor to dismantle all the training they had. Its a difficult, emotional, psychological transformation process. Its not easy to upend your lifes work and not trust the Supreme Court.

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Jeffers told me that after the flurry of hard-right rulings this June, many professors had their own personal grieving period. But they quickly turned toward grappling with how we teach our students to understand the Supreme Courts reactionary turn. Im not changing what I teach, she said. I am restructuring how I challenge students to think about the law, how its a biased set of historical norms based on the past that people in positions of power have had influence over.

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Despite the shock and grief of this term, Jeffers has not questioned her decision to become a law professor after serving as a prosecutor for 10 years. She believes her new position actually gives her more reach. There is power in being a lawyer, she said. If students arent trained to use that power for goodwell, thats why we are where we are now.

To conservative ears, this statement may smack of liberal bias. After all, a triumph of the conservative legal movement (including many conservative professors) has been to cast law as perfectly neutral, to make believe that it does not reflect subjective value judgments of those who write and interpret it. The mere idea of using law for good is suspect, as is a professors classroom criticism of certain Supreme Court decisions.

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In reality, much of the legal academy does have a biasit just isnt of the liberal or conservative variety. Instead, law professors tend to have a profound trust in institutions, and process, and specifically the institution of the federal judiciary. This faith can limit the terms of the debatein many ways, it already has. Many professors who personally lean left also cherish the courts and are aghast to see them exploited to promote a political agenda. Indeed, many of the professors I spoke to for this article would not connect their personal political leanings to their reverence for the court. Or at least they wouldnt have until recently.

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Every professor has to decide how much of their aversion toward the current court they are willing to reveal in class. The professors interviewed for this piece reported that, by and large, students on the right did not object to in-class editorializing. There seem to be two reasons: First, these professors took pains to teach each case down the middle before offering their own views, and even then, they always allow for pushback through class discussion. Second, many offer their own views only in elective classes for 2Ls and 3Ls, playing it by the book when teaching 1Ls (who dont get to pick their classes). Bridges told me she assumes students in her electives are interested in her personal viewsand if they arent, they can drop the course.

Plenty of legal academics, no matter how they lean politically, try to refrain from introducing their beliefs into the classroom teaching at all. For these professors, Dobbs v. Whole Womens Health is something of an ultimate test of straight-faced detachment at the lectern. Dobbs overturned a half-century of precedent and ended the right established in Roe v. Wade. Jolynn Childers Dellinger, a professor at Duke Law School, teaches privacy law. For her entire career, that included Roe v. Wade. Now, shell have to teach whatever comes next. Like many professors, she intends to overhaul her classes to accommodate the new decisions. Professors often tweak their syllabuses each semester, but this year, the flood of precedent-busting decisions has forced many to reconstruct theirs from the ground up. This fall, instead of teaching her students about Americans right to privacy, Dellinger will teach them about how the government could monitor and punish Americans who attempt to access reproductive health care despite the new laws.

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But this terms rulings pushed her to reconsider more than her syllabus.

I have always perceived of the law as a tool for justice, Dellinger said, and my faith that the law is being used toward that end has definitely been shaken by this Supreme Court. It is honestly hard to know what to say to students entering this profession at this time as we witness the Supreme Court upending constitutional principles and stripping an entire class of people of fundamental rights without so much as a minimal effort to acknowledge the consequent harms.

Not all progressive constitutional law professors are in the same boat. Eric Segall, a professor at Georgia State College of Law, told me that he lost faith in the Supreme Court long ago. Segall subscribes to legal realism, which rejects the notion that courts apply pure logic, free of prejudices, to reason out every legal dispute. It recognizes that politics plays an undeniable role at a Supreme Court that is shaped by partisan elections. And it rejects a vision of the law as some majestic set of neutral principles that can be applied evenhandedly, without regard to political pressure and public opinion.

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Like many professors, she intends to overhaul her classes to accommodate the new decisions.

For progressive legal realists, this term felt like a bleak confirmation of their worldview. David Cohen, a professor at Drexel Kline School of Law, said he didnt expect SCOTUS to do anything other than be the political branch of government that it is. He has long taught students that doctrine and precedent matter less than the justices ideologies, values, politics, and biases. Cohen added that what this version of the court is doing is not really any different than past courts; its just more conservative.

Expounding legal realism in the classroom requires a delicate balance: Professors have an obligation to teach blackletter law, doctrine, precedent. But that also happens to be everything that the current Supreme Court is upending. A professor must say what the court claims its doing, then explain what it is actually doing, which is often something completely different. This technique can disillusion students, leading them to ask why theyre bothering to learn rules that can change at any moment.

Even law professors who maintained confidence that the Supreme Court would rise above politics are reconsidering their view after this term. I have generally, up until now, resisted the cynicism of the new legal realists that the Supreme Court isnt a court, its just a policy council, said Steve Sanders, a professor at Maurer School of Law. I want my students to believe that legal argumentation, precedent, facts, and doctrine matter. In the aftermath of this term, though, its becoming increasingly difficult to deny that major constitutional decisions are almost purely about politics.

This realization compelled Sanders to reconsider aspects of his teaching style. I think one of my strengths as a teacher has been that students, both conservative and progressive, see me as an honest broker who rarely injects his own opinions into teaching, he said. But there comes a point when you cant have integrity as a teacher and teach these cases honestly without noting their serious flaws. Dobbs, for instance, is screamingly, unapologetically activist. It gives no respect to settled societal expectations, reliance interests, or the meaning of the Constitution as its been lived through the lives of actual people for the past 50 years. And it brought him to his breaking point.

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But what, in the end, can a professor do when confronted with a decision that fills him with disgust? Emotionally, I can rant about it, Sanders said. Intellectually, my job is to lead and empower students to discover and assess for themselves whether or not the opinions are persuasive and honest.

Its difficult to overstate the impact of Dobbs on law professors who maintained reverence or respect for the Supreme Court, even if it was only a little. Mary Ziegler, a professor at UCDavis School of Law, did not have high hopes for the decision. As a legal historian, she never took a gauzy view of the court as a hero of history; her defining moment in law school came when she read Buck v. Bellan odious 1927 decision upholding mandatory sterilization of the feeble-mindedand thought, Thats not the majesty of the law. (She has a knack for understatement.)

Ziegler is perhaps the nations foremost expert on the history of abortion rights in the United States, so she saw Dobbs coming well in advance. Yet when the decision was finally handed down, she told me, I felt horrible. The way Alito wrote the opinion felt like such a complete slap in the face. It felt disrespectful, insulting, indifferent to the views of a lot of people, almost mocking. For me, that made it a lot worse. I imagine there are a fair number of women who experienced it that way.

Ziegler will likely teach this insulting decision for the rest of her career. But even though these professors may be depressed or repulsed by the courts conservative revolution, paradoxically, they all feel lucky that they can teach it. Much of this positive attitude is driven by their admiration and respect for students, whopretty much everyone agreedface rougher sledding than they do. Students confront a legal system in a crisis of legitimacy led by an extreme and arrogant court. Still, they must slog on, most gathering substantial debt as they go, pretending that law is something different from politics, a higher realm of reason and rationality where the best arguments prevail.

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Somehow, its going better than you might expect. Multiple professors told me that our faltering, captured judiciary has not paralyzed their students. Rather, it has made them more skeptical of the courts from Day One, more attuned to the political and social forces that have always propelled judges toward particular outcomes. Not many of Bridges students, for instance, are as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as she was in her first year.

In my own conversations with law students, Ive noticed this shift, too: It feels like every year, a larger percentage of the incoming class arrives with deep suspicion of the Supreme Court and other sacred cows of the legal profession. Every professor I spoke with for this article stressed that they do not merely tell students what to think; as Ziegler put it, I want to leave space for students to figure it out and not tell them I have all the answers, because I dont. Instead, they are experimenting with more candor about their own views and creating room for productive debate that, at the end of the day, really is a core component of a good legal education.

If left-leaning law professors do not quit en masse or embrace torpid nihilism, it will be because their students give them a reason to keep returning to the classroom. For those reaching the end of their career, though, the idea of rejiggering established syllabuses to teach the work product of this court may be too much to bear. My father, Nat Stern, retired from a 41-year career at Florida State University College of Law in May. He loved his job, and his students voted him professor of the year so many times that he stopped counting. I was surprised when he announced that he would step down from teaching at 67, a relatively young age within the academy. When I asked him why he decided to retire, he told me that he had no desire to explain the Supreme Courts conservative revolution as the product of law and reason rather than politics and power.

For the bulk of my career, he said, Ive felt I could fairly explain rulings and opinions that I dont endorse because they rested on coherent and plausibleif to me unconvincinggrounds. In recent years, though, Ive increasingly struggled to present new holdings as the product of dispassionate legal reasoning rather than personal agendas. I used to think my dad would keep teaching forever. Im sure his students did, too. And maybe he would, in a different world, one where Republicans did not ruthlessly manipulate the courts membership to achieve their policy goals. In this world, though, faced with a conservative supermajority on the Supreme Court for years to come, retirement was not a tough call.

Ive immensely enjoyed my career as an instructor of constitutional law, he told me, reflecting on four decades of joy in the classroom. But the direction of the court gives me no incentive to extend it.

Law professors who remain years away from retirement do not have this escape hatch. They are already back in the classroom, bracing for another brutal term of precedent-smashing rulings. Its not all bad: The students give them hope, keeping them afloat in darker moments, as Mayeri put it. Students have clued in to whats going on, yet they persist in their legal education because they believe theres still a real chance for change. Theres inspiration in that.

In a recent class, Bridges candidly discussed the enormous challenges facing the legal profession today. The students were angry and fearful, yet they readily offered ideas to help tackle current crises head-on. I always leave class feeling great, Bridges said. Its like therapy.
Siege facility to draw attention to Trnava's old walls.

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The new city attraction, a life-size replica of a siege device, was presented near the walls in Trnava this September.

The historical reconstruction of the siege facility aims to popularise and make the city fortification more attractive to tourists and residents of Trnava.

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"We would like to bring more visibility to the city walls of Trnava, among the best-preserved fortification systems in Europe," said Alexander Prostinak, acting director of the Regional Tourism Organisation (OOCR) Trnava Tourism, as quoted by the TASR newswire. "This is a device called a trebuchet, which in the Middle Ages served as a stone thrower and which used counterweights."

With Trnava region travel guide in hand, youre sure to find that Little Rome is larger than life and ready to welcome you with open arms (and mead)!

A drawing was made on the basis of craft-historical research, with a length of eight meters, width and height of five meters. "The device is not fully functional for safety reasons, but our effort is to make it as true to the period as possible," added Prostinak.

The catapult is located on a green area on Hlboka Street by the north-eastern tower of the city walls.

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Spectacular Slovakia travel guides
Works of Slovak, Hungarian, and Romanian artists will also be auctioned online.

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The Bratislava-based SOGA art auction company is holding an online auction this week to help children suffering severe illnesses.

Alongside the Bator Tabor Foundation, which runs a range of activities for seriously ill children, the SOGA Auction House is presenting a charity art auction to raise funds supporting children and their families.

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"Thanks to the raised funds, the children will be able to attend camps, our GO! hospital programme, and the school programme helping to smoothen children's return to school after a long treatment," the foundation stated.

The organisation helps children and their families from four countries  Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, and Poland. Besides activities for children, the foundation offers emotional support as well, for example, to families who have suffered the loss of a child.

Art for kids

The exhibition of the auctioned works, with free admission, is available between 10:00 and 18:00 until October 5 on SOGA's premises at Medena 16 in Bratislava.

The exhibition features works by artists like Jana Zelibska, Andrej Dubravsky, Milan Adamciak, Milan Pasteka, Katarina Janeckova Walshe, Erik Binder, Roman Ondak, Erik Sille, Rudolf Sikora, Julius Koller, Stano Filko, Zofia Dubova, Dorota Sadovska, Jana Zatvarnicka, and others.

The activities the foundation provides are free of charge for children, families and schools. The auction annually helps to financially back the cause. This year, a collection of contemporary art carefully curated from works by Slovak, Hungarian and even Romanian artists is serving as the motivation to both support the foundation and obtain something memorable.

All auctioned works were hand-picked according to the recommendations of artists, and an advisory board consisting of art historians and curators Nina Gazovicova, Alexandra Kusa, Krisztina Hunya and Julius Barczi.

The auction will be in-person as well as online. The live auction for registered members starts on October 6, at 20:00. The online auction starts on September 27 at 21:00 with the deadline on October 4, at 21:00, at www.soga.sk.

Range of activities

All the earnings from the auction will fund a range of activities under the foundations patronage. Bator Tabor organises summer camps full of activities for seriously ill children, as well as spring and fall weekend camps for entire families.

The foundations GO! Programme concentrates on sick children unable to attend summer camps but who still want to be involved. If their stage of illness restricts them from joining the camp, they can enjoy the hour of fun the foundation brings to hospitals.

To stay connected with one other, an online programme allows children to join the fun from the comfort of their homes.

Changing perspective

The foundation sees an important role in education. A programme consists of activities dedicated to schools - reintegrating sick children among their classmates as they return to school, the report states.

Research suggests that due to our modern culture and dependence on technology, todays kids demonstrate 40 percent lower empathy compared to kids of previous decades. We are worried about this alarming trend, and not only because it makes the reintegration of sick children more difficult, explains Erna Kindli, the CEO of the Bator Tabor Foundation.

Developing childrens general empathy, tolerance and collaboration skills helps both sides to respect one another and socialise without prejudice, Kindli adds.
https://sputniknews.com/20221002/average-gas-injection-into-eu-storage-facilities-drops-by-30-in-september-operator-1101428207.html

Average Gas Injection Into EU Storage Facilities Drops by 30% in September: Operator

Average Gas Injection Into EU Storage Facilities Drops by 30% in September: Operator

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Gas injection rate into the European underground gas storage facilities (UGS) has dropped by nearly 30% to 0.25 percentage points per day in... 02.10.2022, Sputnik International

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energy crisis in europe

eu

gas

reserves

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European UGS are filled by 87.83%, containing 95.3 billion cubic meters of gas, with the total capacity estimated at 110 billion cubic meters, an energy expert at Russian company Vygon Consulting, Ivan Timonin, told Sputnik on Sunday.The analyst also said that the current gas reserves would be enough to cover only 40% of the bloc's energy demand as the European Union usually consumes about 250 billion cubic meters of gas in autumn-winter period. At the same time, the European Commission said this summer that gas storage facilities account for 25-30% of all gas consumed in Europe in winter.In 2021, about 75 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) were delivered to the European countries. The volume of LNG supply is expected to increase by 1.5 times to 120 million tonnes in 2022 given the current dynamics, Timonin added.The average rates of gas injection into the European UGS in May amounted to 0.45 percentage points, in June to 0.37 percentage points, in July to 0.36 percentage points, and in August to 0.37 percentage points.The heating season in Europe is due to start in mid-October, although last year it was pushed until November. At the same time, gas deliveries from Russia remain limited given that the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 offshore pipelines in the Baltic Sea were damaged by explosions and rendered inoperative earlier this week. The Swedish and Danish authorities said they discovered gas leaks caused by undersea explosions, with the consensus being that the incident was a result of sabotage.Meanwhile, Ukraine keeps rejecting gas transit through the Sokhranevka entry point. Sudzha remains the only station pumping Russian gas to Europe via Ukraine.

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https://sputniknews.com/20221002/biden-to-visit-florida-puerto-rico-affected-by-hurricanes-next-week-press-secretary-1101431842.html

Biden to Visit Florida, Puerto Rico Affected by Hurricanes Next Week: Press Secretary

Biden to Visit Florida, Puerto Rico Affected by Hurricanes Next Week: Press Secretary

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden and his spouse Jill will travel to southeasternmost US state of Florida and Puerto Rico next week when Hurricane... 02.10.2022, Sputnik International

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americas

us

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joe biden

florida

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"On Monday, October 3, the President and the First Lady will travel to Puerto Rico. On Wednesday, October 5, the President and the First Lady will travel to Florida," Jean-Pierre tweeted.Hurricane Ian made landfall in the US state of South Carolina on Friday, after causing major destruction in Florida on Wednesday and Thursday. It was then downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone and moved into south-central Virginia on Saturday. Ian claimed the lives of 77 people in Florida and North Carolina, according to US media reports. Massive power outages have occurred both in Cuba and in the United States as a result of Ian's impact.Hurricane Fiona swept Puerto Rico on September 18, causing a power outage across the entire territory of the island. The hurricane was accompanied by record rainfall in some regions. Biden has promised a major boost of federal aid to the Caribbean island.

https://sputniknews.com/20221002/death-toll-from-hurricane-ian-surpasses-70-across-florida-north-carolina-1101425115.html

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One could see the women and young girls singing the traditional Bathukamma songs at a few places and many of them dancing to DJ numbers. (DC)

ADILABAD: A Gujarati song, Gajike Rime... angur ka lal... Ame Gujarati leri lala... Gujarati ne bhol bala' that praises leaders from the state like Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani is the toast of Bathukamma celebrations here.

There is a significant Gujarati population in the erstwhile Adilabad and Nizamabad districts. Gujarati and even North Indian celebrations have become part of the traditional Bathukamma. It is at its peak this year understandably because Assembly elections are round the corner and politicians are being organising many events.

One could see the women and young girls singing the traditional Bathukamma songs at a few places and many of them dancing to DJ numbers. They were playing Bathukamma to popular garba songs like Pankhida...Ho Pankida.

Vijaya, a housewife from Adilabad, said a lot of changes have taken place in the style of playing Bathukamma. Girls are showing interest in dandiya (kolatam) Bathukamma during the Navaratrulu. Unlike the elders, todays youngsters are unable to sing traditional Bathukamma songs, said Vijaya.

She said that during the Telangana agitation, books on traditional Bathukamma songs were distributed to women while some Telugu magazines also published those songs so that women could sing them during Bathukamma Navaratrulu.
https://sputniknews.com/20221002/blood-test-for-fungi-in-tumors-could-offer-new-method-of-cancer-detection-eye-opening-study-shows-1101432232.html

Blood Test For Fungi in Tumors Could Offer New Method of Cancer Detection, 'Eye-Opening Study Shows

Blood Test For Fungi in Tumors Could Offer New Method of Cancer Detection, 'Eye-Opening Study Shows

Until now, there has been limited research on fungi in tumors, with scientists assuming that their occurrence was rare in cancerous tissue. 02.10.2022, Sputnik International

2022-10-02T09:48+0000

2022-10-02T09:48+0000

2022-10-02T10:23+0000

science & tech

fungus

cancer

tumor

science

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Screening blood samples for telltale signs of fungus in the human body may offer a brand-new method for early detection of cancer, according to new peer-reviewed research. Israeli scientists joined forces with colleagues in the US to study tumors from 17,000 cancer patients to determine the type and amount of fungi that live in cancerous tissue. Limited research in the past suggested that the presence of fungi in tumors was rare.However, a study, published in the journal Cell, revealed that many tumors contain swarms of fungi. Furthermore, as the fungus sheds DNA into blood, it offers a new method to detect cancer at an early stage and, accordingly, shape the best treatment.Tel Aviv University and Sheba Medical Center also contributed to the study, entitled 'Pan-cancer analyses reveal cancer-type-specific fungal ecologies and bacteriome interactions'.Screening AtlasThe Weizmann-California team created an atlas outlining which fungi characterize 35 different types of tumor, so as to help the new screening method.Furthermore, the scientists are hopeful that beyond simply flagging the existence of cancer, such tests could also indicate the location of the tumor in the body.As part of their analysis, the team of scientists found many correlations between fungi and cancer survival chances. For example, they determined that when breast cancer patients had a specific fungus present in their tumors, Malassezia globosa, this presented heightened chances of survival.The recent study on patterns of bacteria in tumors will probably prompt more research into the fungi-cancer relationships, according to the Weizmann Institute's Professor Yitzhak Pilpel.Fungal activity is a new and emerging hallmark of cancer, emphasized Professor Ravid Straussman, another cancer specialist at the Weizmann Institute, adding:These findings should drive us to better explore the potential effects of tumor fungi and to re-examine almost everything we know about cancer through a microbiome lens'."

https://sputniknews.com/20220726/heres-how-eating-green-bananas-might-protect-you-from-some-forms-of-cancer-1097819932.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20221002/bolsonaro-v-lula-who-are-the-top-contenders-in-brazils-presidential-election--1101424610.html

Bolsonaro v. Lula: Who Are the Top Contenders in Brazils Presidential Election?

Bolsonaro v. Lula: Who Are the Top Contenders in Brazils Presidential Election?

Brazilians are headed to the polls Sunday to vote in whats turned out to be a very closely watched election this year as right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro... 02.10.2022, Sputnik International

2022-10-02T12:00+0000

2022-10-02T12:00+0000

2022-10-02T12:00+0000

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election

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Its a politically heightened moment for the nation, with prices for food, fuel, and other essentials at record highs after a poor crop season. Though the election is being contested by 11 candidates, only two stand out as having a chance at the runoff, which will be held on October 30 if none of the presidential candidates reach 50% of the votes.Jair BolsonaroAn army captain who came into politics in the late 1980s with the Christian Democratic Party, Bolsonaro made his way through the partys ranks up until his 2018 presidential campaign, which he won in a runoff against leftist Fernando Haddad with 55% of the vote.At the time, violent crime in Brazil was rising and the economy was recovering from a recession. Bolsonaro got a lot of attention for making statements claiming to be pro-torture and imploring police to shoot to kill. His supporters saw him as being anti-system, and as a bastion against corruption, which was rampant.Bolsonaro campaigned against da Silva, who was in jail at the time, until he was (illegally) barred from the election.Since 2018, Bolsonaro has drawn criticism for failing to improve living standards in Brazil and for sexist and racist comments. Seen as the Trump of the Tropics, Bolsonaro appears unlikely to be a candidate who loses gracefully as there have already been talks of election fraud.However, many Brazilians appear to appreciate Bolsonaros defense of the private sector, his conservative social values, and his support for the Christian faith, which is emblemized in his slogan: Brazil above all, God above everyone.Bolsonaro has painted a picture of himself as the only one who can safeguard the Christian faith, shoring up a crucial evangelical vote, with pastors warning their followers on facebook and in pulpits that da Silva poses a risk to Christian churches  a claim da Silva denies.Despite backing from his supporters, Bolsonaros presidential term has been riddled with issues including the Amazon rainforests worst deforestation in 15 years. Thousands have also protested his failure to address the COVID-19 pandemic, which killed more than 680,000 Brazilians  the second highest death toll in the world.Luiz Inacio Lula da SilvaDa Silva, who became president in 2003 and served two terms until 2010, is currently ahead in the polls, but the question is whether he can win the first round of votes  which would require him clinch more than 50% of the ballots  or if the election will go to a runoff.Considered Brazils first working-class president, and a former metal worker and union leader, da Silvas presidential reign coincided with a booming economy. When he left office in 2010, he did so with an 83% approval rating.Da Silva runs on a platform aimed at taxing the rich, introducing policy for land reform, raising the minimum wage, and fighting deforestation of the Amazon rainforest.In 2017, da Silva was entangled in a large corruption investigation called Operation Carwash, which led to a money laundering conviction and 12-year prison sentence, though he only served 18 months. The Brazilian Supreme Court later annulled his conviction. Throughout the ordeal, da Silva maintained his innocence, claiming the charges had been politically motivated.Incidentally, the judge who convicted da Silva on corruption charges in 2018 was a candidate during the 2022 election cycle; however, it was ultimately called off in March.The former Brazilian president was seen on Twitter Saturday urging citizens of Brazil to turn out for Sundays vote "so that we can rebuild a country with a better future, international protagonism and dear to all."If Lula wins, he will join a growing progressive group of Latin American presidents that includes Alberto Fernandez in Argentina (2019), Luis Arce in Bolivia (2020), Pedro Castillo in Peru (2021), Gabriel Boric in Chile (2021), Xiomara Castro in Honduras (2022), and recently Gustavo Petro, the first left-leaning president in Colombias history, who took office on August 7.

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https://sputniknews.com/20221002/burkina-fasos-new-military-leaders-say-situation-under-control-1101442380.html

Burkina Fasos New Military Leaders Say Situation 'Under Control'

Burkina Fasos New Military Leaders Say Situation 'Under Control'

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Army officers who recently seized power in Burkina Faso and toppled former leader Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba said on Sunday that... 02.10.2022, Sputnik International

2022-10-02T14:34+0000

2022-10-02T14:34+0000

2022-10-02T14:34+0000

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Earlier in the day, media reported that protesters started a fire outside the French embassy in the Burkinabe capital, Ouagadougou, on Saturday evening. Paris condemned the attack and urged Burkina Faso to ensure the security of French diplomats. Protests continued in several districts of Ouagadougou over the Saturday night, and a military helicopter was flying overhead. In Bobo-Dioulasso, the country's second-largest city, a fire was set up near the French Institute.The military group urged the population to remain calm and "refrain from any acts of violence or vandalism" against the French embassy or military base.On Friday night, media in Burkina Faso reported that Damiba, the leader of an interim government who himself came to power through a coup in January, was ousted by a group of military led by Capt. Ibrahim Traore in what is already the second military takeover in the country in eight months. Traore's group suspended the constitution and closed the borders.The French foreign ministry has denied the country's involvement in the events taking place in Burkina Faso amid allegations that the deposed leader sought refuge at a French military base.

https://sputniknews.com/20220930/burkina-faso-military-leader-deposed-constitution--transitional-charter-suspended---army-captain-1101395939.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20221002/ex-regional-rivals-ethiopia-somalia-ink-cooperation-pact-ask-un-to-lift-arms-embargo-on-mogadishu-1101433975.html

Ex-Regional Rivals Ethiopia, Somalia Ink Cooperation Pact, Ask UN to Lift Arms Embargo on Mogadishu

Ex-Regional Rivals Ethiopia, Somalia Ink Cooperation Pact, Ask UN to Lift Arms Embargo on Mogadishu

Relations between the neighbors on the Horn of Africa have been complicated by decades of military confrontation caused by the legacy of European colonialism... 02.10.2022, Sputnik International

2022-10-02T11:23+0000

2022-10-02T11:23+0000

2022-10-02T11:28+0000

africa

somalia

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agreement

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Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud have signed a ten-point cooperation agreement aimed at strengthening bilateral ties.The communique, issued Friday after the conclusion of Mohamuds two-day visit to Addis Ababa, included a pledge to nurture and strengthen the longstanding bilateral ties and relationships between the two countries and peoples based on respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of both countries.The 1992 embargo, imposed after the US-backed Somali government of Mohamed Siad Barre crumbled and the country became a failed state, was aimed at preventing military equipment from being sold to Somali warlords. But it has remained in place for decades afterward, barring a few exceptions, even after a Transitional Federal Government was created in 2004, and after an internationally recognized federal government of Somalia was established in 2012.The leaders also emphasized the importance of expanding cooperation in the areas of trade, economy and infrastructure as well as communications in addition to the well-established political and security collaborations.The meeting between Ahmed and Mohamud was the first since Mohamuds election in May. The two leaders agreed to continue regular talks and to collaborate at regional venues to promote common interests.The cordial relations enjoyed between Ethiopia and Somalia today became possible despite decades of conflict in the 20th century stemming from the legacy of Italian and British colonialism and quarrels over the Ogaden  a region of eastern Ethiopia consisting predominantly of ethnic Somalis. Tensions spilled over into several rounds of guerilla warfare and state-to-state warfare in the 1960s and 1970s. In the late 1970s, the United States took advantage of tensions between Ethiopia and Somalias socialist governments over the Ogaden to back Mogadishus push to conquer the region and create a greater Somalia. The USSR and Cuba backed Ethiopia, which led to the collapse of the Somali offensive. Lopsided militarization of the country and the disorganization and demoralization of the Somali army helped spark a civil conflict in Somalia in the late 1980s which ultimately led to the collapse of the central government in 1992.Ethiopian-Somali relations gradually began to be restored in the mid-2000s, with Addis Ababa  itself rebuilding from conflicts which began with the collapse of the Derg government in the early 90s, assisting its neighbor along with the UN in rebuilding a central government.* A terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries.

https://sputniknews.com/20221002/somaliland-presidents-term-extended-as-result-of-parliamentary-vote-1101428004.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20221002/ex-trump-pentagon-aide-names-likely-culprits-behind-nord-stream-sabotage-1101436595.html

Ex-Trump Pentagon Aide Names Likely Culprits Behind Nord Stream Sabotage

Ex-Trump Pentagon Aide Names Likely Culprits Behind Nord Stream Sabotage

The massive pipelines, designed to deliver up to 110 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia to Germany across the Baltic Sea every year were sabotaged... 02.10.2022, Sputnik International

2022-10-02T12:29+0000

2022-10-02T12:29+0000

2022-10-02T12:29+0000

nord stream sabotage

nord stream pipeline

douglas macgregor

us

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olaf scholz

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The United States and Britain are the primary suspects in the sabotage attacks against Nord Stream 1 and 2 based on a cost-benefit analysis, former Trump Pentagon advisor Douglas Macgregor believes.Lets use the process of elimination. Would the Russians destroy their own pipeline? 40 percent of Russian gross national product or gross domestic product consists of foreign currency that comes into the country to purchase natural gas, oil, coal and so forth. So the Russians did not do this. The notion that they did I think is absurd, Macgregor said, speaking to syndicated columnist Judge Napolitano on the Judging Freedom podcast.Germany, the pipelines primary European beneficiary, is also extremely unlikely to have sabotaged the infrastructure, Macgregor said, pointing to Berlins economic interest in the pipelines, and dependence on Nord Stream for the countrys energy security.Who else might be involved? Well the Poles apparently seem to be very enthusiastic about it. As you know the [former] Polish foreign minister said Thank You United States of America for doing this, Macgregor added, referring to Radoslaw Sikorskis now-deleted tweet about the incident.On Wednesday, sources told the Wall Street Journal that Danish officials at a NATO meeting had calculated that the force of more than 500 kg of TNT had been detected in each of the explosions disrupting the Nord Stream pipelines, which led to the release of massive methane bubbles on the surface of the Baltic Sea.Macgregor suggested that the sabotage attack on the Russian gas pipelines may have ultimately been perpetrated after Berlin, the economic and military gorilla in the room when it comes to the EU and NATO, began to give the impression that they were no longer going to go along with this proxy war in Ukraine.Macgregor believes that the German government may eventually collapse due to the energy crisis, and suggested that the Ukrainian security crisis has also placed NATO itself on a slippery path to potential disintegration in the long run.'Unprecedented Act of State Terrorism'The Kremlin characterized the sabotage of the Nord Stream network as an unprecedented act of state terrorism. In an address to the nation on Friday dedicated to the entry of four new regions into the Russian Federation, President Vladimir Putin accused the Anglo-Saxons of sabotaging the pipelines to destroy Europes energy infrastructure. It is clear to everyone who stands to gain. Those who benefit are responsible, of course, Putin said.Also on Friday, Russian Foreign Intelligence Service chief Sergei Naryshkin told reporters that Moscow has materials that point to the Western footprint in organizing and carrying out the sabotage.Officials in Denmark, Sweden and Germany have not ruled out deliberate disruption, and NATO has paid lip service to supporting investigations underway to determine the origin of the damage.A Pentagon spokesman refused to answer a question by Sputnik about the suspected presence of US military helicopters in areas off Denmarks Bornholm Island where the gas leaks occurred prior to the incidents.Meanwhile, Western officials and media have claimed that Russia sabotaged its own pipelines. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed speculation to that effect last week, saying the West's claims were "quite predictable," and that it was "predictably stupid and absurd to express such hypotheses."

https://sputniknews.com/20220916/thanks-but-no-tanks-bundestag-lawmaker-reveals-why-berlin-isnt-sending-heavy-armor-to-ukraine-1100851172.html

https://sputniknews.com/20220930/russian-foreign-intel-nord-stream-blasts-are-intl-terrorist-act-with-west-hiding-the-culprits-1101364494.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20221002/french-embassy-fires-tear-gas-at-protesters-in-burkina-faso-1101432706.html

WATCH Burkina Faso Protesters Set Fire to Barriers Outside French Embassy in Ouagadougou

WATCH Burkina Faso Protesters Set Fire to Barriers Outside French Embassy in Ouagadougou

A second military coup in a year took place in Burkina Faso on Friday. The country's new leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore, promised to tackle national security... 02.10.2022, Sputnik International

2022-10-02T14:49+0000

2022-10-02T14:49+0000

2022-10-02T15:02+0000

africa

africa

burkina faso

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france

protests

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Videos have been doing the rounds on social media, showing protesters setting barriers outside the French Embassy in capital Ouagadougou on fire amid unrest that was sparked by the coup earlier this week. According to AFP journalist, tear gas volleys were fired from the French Embassy in Ouagadougou at protesters who gathered near the building on Sunday after the new military government in charge of the country accused Paris of sheltering the deposed former leader. The toppled president, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, is believed to have taken refuge in the French base at Kamboinsin in order to plan a counter-offensive to stir up trouble in our defense and security forces, the ruling army officers said in a statement read out on national television.Earlier, the French foreign ministry has denied any involvement in the crisis, denying accusations of sheltering the deposed leader in a French military base.Coup leader Ibrahim Traore said in an interview to Burkina Fasos Radio Omega that he has no intention to harm Damiba. On Friday, Burkina Faso's local media reported that Lt. Col. Dambia, the leader of interim government which came to power via a coup in January, was overthrown by a group of military officers led by Traore.The captain explained in a statement on national television that the coup was organized due to Damibas alleged failures in the fight against extremists whom he had promised to get rid of at the beginning of his reign. Traore also vowed that all fighting forces [would] refocus on the security issue and the restoration of the integrity of our territory.The people of Burkina Faso have repeatedly protested the presence of the French forces in the African country.In July 2022, anti-French protests arose in Ouagadougou. The protests were held under the slogans Down with the [EU], France's accomplice", "No to cooperation agreements with France", "France is imperialist, tyrant, parasitic, out", according to AfricaNews.In March, Burkinabe went to the streets of the capital, demanding that Burkina Faso authorities end military cooperation with France in favor of Russian support in tackling the country's security problems. Protesters were waving Russian flags, per reports.The demonstrators chastised France as "our colonizer," adding that it is "plundering our wealth" and also "creating terrorism by supplying arms to the terrorists [...] who are fighting our soldiers on the front line".Another participant of the protest reportedly said that Russia was the one "country in the whole world" that "worked positively to remove the terrorist hydra in Syria, Venezuela, Central African Republic and neighboring Mali."Anti-French Sentiment in AfricaA series of anti-French protests swept through other African countries as well.On September 18, 2022 demonstrators in Niger marched through the streets of the country's capital, Niamey, in protest against French troops who had recently been relocated to the country after their withdrawal from Mali in August. The protestors were holding banners saying Criminal French Army - Get Out and The colonial army of Barkhane must go". Many held Russian flags. On May 15, 2022, students in Chad protested against the presence of French troops in the country, blaming Paris in stealing the nation's natural resources, and reportedly chanting Chad is Free and France is out, according to reports.

https://sputniknews.com/20221001/france-denies-involvement-in-events-in-burkina-faso-1101423105.html

https://sputniknews.com/20220919/drc-authorities-to-conduct-awareness-campaign-ahead-of-imminent-east-african-forces-deployment-1100955602.html

https://sputniknews.com/20220919/nigerien-protesters-demand-that-french-soldiers-get-out-of-their-country-1100942583.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20221002/german-delegation-arrives-in-taiwan-on-5-day-visit-taiwan--1101429801.html

German Delegation Arrives in Taiwan on 5-Day Visit: Taiwan

German Delegation Arrives in Taiwan on 5-Day Visit: Taiwan

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A delegation of German lawmakers headed by Klaus-Peter Willsch, Chairman of the Germany-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group, has arrived... 02.10.2022, Sputnik International

2022-10-02T07:16+0000

2022-10-02T07:16+0000

2022-10-02T07:16+0000

world

germany

taiwan

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"Vice Minister Yui warmly welcomed the 1st post-epidemic German delegation. We wish Bundestag's Taiwan friendship group chair Klaus-Peter Willsch & 5 deputy chairs from their respective parties a fruitful 5-day visit. Time & distance don't dim friendship!," the ministry tweeted.The delegation is set to hold meetings with Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen and Vice President Lai Ching-te as well as to visit the Legislative Yuan (the island's highest lawmaking body) along with analytic centers and security organizations.On Thursday, the ministry said that the German delegation's trip is particularly important in the light of tensions around Taiwan after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's controversial visit 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 Taiwan. Several countries 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 by foreign states with Taipei and considers Chinese sovereignty over the island indisputable.

https://sputniknews.com/20220923/blinken-tells-wang-at-un-that-maintaining-peace-across-taiwan-strait-absolutely-vitally-important-1101152463.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20221002/germany-may-initiate-own-probe-into-nord-stream-incident-justice-minister-says-1101441929.html

Germany May Initiate Own Probe Into Nord Stream Incident, Justice Minister Says

Germany May Initiate Own Probe Into Nord Stream Incident, Justice Minister Says

BERLIN (Sputnik) - The German government may initiate its own probe into the Nord Stream incident if the explosions on the offshore pipelines are proven to be... 02.10.2022, Sputnik International

2022-10-02T14:30+0000

2022-10-02T14:30+0000

2022-10-02T14:30+0000

nord stream sabotage

germany

nord stream

nord stream 2

nord stream ag

gas pipeline

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"In this case, it is possible that a crime was committed, for which the federal prosecutor could start criminal proceedings," Buschmann told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper.The justice minister said that the investigation would have revealed those responsible by employing "all means provided by Germany's constitution," as quoted in the report.This past Monday, simultaneous attacks on both Nord Stream pipelines transiting gas from Russia to Europe caused a fall in pressure and leakage of fuel into the Baltic Sea. The Swedish and Danish authorities said they had discovered two gas leaks, with the consensus being that the incident was a result of sabotage.Earlier on Sunday, the Danish Energy Agency said, citing the pipeline's operator, Nord Stream AG, that the gas leak on the damaged Nord Stream 1 pipeline stopped. On Saturday, the Danish Energy Agency made a similar statement on Nord Stream 2, announcing that gas outflow from breaches on the pipeline had also stopped and pressure evened out.The Russian Prosecutor General's Office said on Wednesday that it was investigating the pipeline explosions as acts of international terrorism. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said earlier on Sunday that the US, Poland and Ukraine could have been the direct beneficiaries of the Nord Stream accidents.

https://sputniknews.com/20220930/observers-a-big-winner-from-nord-stream-destruction-is-us-1101371764.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20221002/green-energy-to-grow-not-for-show-watch-syrias-assad-launch-brand-new-solar-farm-1101444300.html

Green Energy to Grow, Not for Show: Watch Syrias Assad Launch Brand New Solar Farm

Green Energy to Grow, Not for Show: Watch Syrias Assad Launch Brand New Solar Farm

Once enjoying modest self-sufficiency in oil and gas, the Syrian Arab Republic has been thrust into a painful energy crisis by Daesh*, the United States and... 02.10.2022, Sputnik International

2022-10-02T17:52+0000

2022-10-02T17:52+0000

2022-10-02T17:52+0000

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syria

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Syrian President Bashar Assad inaugurated a brand new solar energy farm in a suburb of Damascus this week, with the facility and others like it expected to help the country in its efforts to restore energy independence.If we want to talk about the conditions of war and the conditions of siege, any new economic development project, whether it is small, medium or large, any facility, regardless of its size, that has been able to withstand these harsh conditions for 12 years is a challenge in itself, Assad said, speaking to reporters in Adra Industrial City.The first 18,000 solar panels in the project have been connected to the national power grid. When completed, the facility is expected to generate about 100 megawatts of electricity. It is being operated under a new private-public model of investment cooperation.All sectors are importantbut electricity in particular, especially in circumstances of the shortage of electricity production in Syria, is the sector that enters and raises all others, Assad said. So what is required of us as the state is to support such projects, because of their importance, and to support the new way of thinking about how we can support investment and how the private sector can be an effective contributor to the economy, he added.Damascus intends to generate up to 2,000 megawatts of electricity using solar power by the year 2030, and the state has offered businesses interest-free loans and other forms of support, including access to the nations electrical transmission and distribution grids, which are state-owned.For us in Syria, we at the state level still support traditional energy at the level of the public sector. A few months ago, one of the turbines at the Aleppo [power] station was rehabilitated. There are also stations in the process of rehabilitation that will return to production within months and perhaps the coming years, depending on the ability to provide spare parts. But going toward alternative energy is a strategic choice whose effect will be cumulative, and not sudden and rapid, as is the case with conventional energy, the president said.Assad encouraged the private sector to explore alternative energy solutions, including solar and wind. The state can be a partner by buying this energy and selling it at a subsided price to the consumer, he said.Electricity DeficitSyria had an electricity generation capacity of about 41,000 GWh before the beginning of the foreign-backed civil conflict in the country in 2011. Capacity declined to about 25,700 GWh in 2020, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency.Notwithstanding the decade-long security crisis in the country, 95 percent of the population continues to have access to electricity, but per capita consumption has declined to just 15 percent of 2010 levels, according to a recent United Nations report. Shortages have limited the number of hours that electricity is available, and impacted households, hospitals, schools and street lighting, with rural areas bearing the brunt of the crisis. They have also meant reduced access to clean, safe drinking water, access to emergency telecommunications and logistics, access to education, as well as food security and agriculture  reducing the quantity, quality and diversity of food production and driving up prices.Much of the energy infrastructure in the heavily populated western areas of the country has been damaged or destroyed in fighting between government forces, and foreign-backed rebels and jihadist militants between 2012 and 2018.In the eastern areas of the country  home to 90 percent of the countrys crude oil and natural gas production, Daesh controlled this energy wealth between 2014 and 2017 before being replaced by US troops and their Syrian Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces allies. US forces and the SDF have engaged in a systematic campaign of looting Syrias oil, illegally smuggling convoys of dozens of oil tankers at a time out of the country several times a week by driving them into neighboring Iraq.The theft of the countrys energy resources has forced Damascus to depend on Iranian supplies  with the Islamic Republic setting up tanker ship convoys carrying crude oil and gasoline to Syria. Occasionally, these tankers are subjected to piracy and sabotage attacks, with Israeli media boasting that Tel Aviv has disrupted billions of dollars worth of energy deliveries from Iran to the fuel-starved nation.* Daesh (IS/ISIS/ISIL) is a terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries.

https://sputniknews.com/20220921/its-gonna-be-tough-for-millions-ifrc-head-warns-sanctions-may-aggravate-situation-in-syria-1101053782.html

https://sputniknews.com/20220916/suspected-israeli-attack-reported-in-outskirts-of-syrias-capital-damascus-1100885564.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20221002/how-gandhi-helped-india-to-expel-british-colonialists-by-deploying-non-violence-as-political-weapon-1101428946.html

How Gandhi Helped India to Expel British Colonialists by Deploying Non-Violence as Political Weapon

How Gandhi Helped India to Expel British Colonialists by Deploying Non-Violence as Political Weapon

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday led the country in paying tribute to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, who was... 02.10.2022, Sputnik International

2022-10-02T09:31+0000

2022-10-02T09:31+0000

2022-10-02T10:33+0000

india

mahatma gandhi

narendra modi

british empire

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pakistan

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that ideals of non-violence and truth, championed by Mahatma Gandhi, continue to resonate globally even 74 years after his death, as he released a commemorative video to mark the global icon's 153rd birth anniversary.Gandhi championed the philosophy of "Satyagraha" (struggle for truth), which advocated non-violent means of protests against British colonial authorities (at the time) to overcome injustice and oppression.As a tribute to Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence, the UN designated 2 October as the International Day of Non-Violence at a sitting on 15 June 2007.People like [American civil rights activist] Dr Martin Luther King Jr and former [South African president and anti-apartheid icon] Nelson Mandela employed Gandhijis ideals to wage long struggles for equal rights in the countries, Modi pointed out.The Indian Prime Minister underlined that Gandhis values and philosophy continue to remain relevant to this day. Gandhi was a firm believer in attaining economic reliance through advancing Indian cottage industries rather than western means of industrial production, according to his writings. Though not explicitly against industrialization, Gandhi warned against the craze for machinery. Instead he ardently advocated organizing village and cottage industries, based on Indian production methods, to generate wide-scale employment.Gandhis philosophy of achieving economic self-reliance through economic empowerment was in stark contrast to the British colonialists, who primarily used India as a source of raw materials to fuel industrialization back home in the United Kingdom. Sympathizers of the British colonial rule in India have also often justified their economic and political subjugation of millions of people with the argument that the British introduced modern industry to India, including the railways.In fact, Gandhi staunchly opposed western ideals throughout his life and saw colonialism as an extension of western civilization. He expressed his criticism about western civilization and offered an Indianized alternative to the western form of economic and political organization in a book Hind Swaraj' (Indian self-governance), published in 1909.Gandhis Initial Years in South AfricaGandhi, who was trained as a lawyer in England, initially practiced his philosophy of non-violence to mobilize the Indian and colored communities in South Africa, which was then governed under apartheid laws which advocated segregation in public life.Gandhi was of the firm view that non-violent means of organization would serve as a more effective means of political mobilization of masses against the colonial authorities, who had better trained armies with modern sophisticated equipment. The idea of non-violence as a political tool against oppression also had a big influence on the Indian freedom movement which he led later in his life.According to Indian government records, Gandhi was in South Africa between 1892 and 1915. During the period, he organized several non-violent demonstrations against some of the discriminatory laws. Gandhis thoughts and convictions are also said to have inspired the formation of the African National Congress (ANC), which was later led by Nobel Peace laureate Nelson Mandela and is credited with leading the resistance against the apartheid policies.Gandhi also opened a Tolstoy Farm on the outskirts of Johannesburg in 1910 in an attempt to train satyagrahis (truth warriors) who would be inspired by ideals of economic self-reliance and non-violence. The farm served as testing ground for Gandhis economic and political model in Hind Swaraj, with its residents being trained in areas such as carpentry and agriculture and growing their own food.Gandhis Return to India and His Leadership of the Freedom MovementGandhi returned from South Africa in January 1915 and became involved in organizing the Indian masses against the British imperialist government.Gandhis political agenda and his ideals began to find widespread acceptance among many Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis (then governed under a single political entity) after he successfully organized the peasants of Champaran in Bihar in 1917, in what is recognized as Indias first civil disobedience movement. The peasants, led by Gandhi, protested peacefully when the British authorities forced them to grow indigo for export purposes.The British authorities were ultimately forced to withdraw the order.The success of the Champaran movement also led to Gandhi finding acceptability within the Indian National Congress, which was then the only pan-India based political platform engaging with the British colonial government for the rights of Indians.In 1921, Gandhi launched a nationwide Non-Cooperation Movement calling for a boycott of British products and urging Indians to disobey their British employers in a mark of protest against the oppressive political policies. Gandhi said that the aim of the movement was to force the British to grant India self-rule.Gandhi himself gave up western clothing during the movement and resorted to wearing only hand-spun cloth, which he continued to wear until his assassination in 1948.However, a troubled Gandhi abruptly withdrew his nationwide agitation in February 1922 after protestors backing the Non-Cooperation Movement set a police station on fire in Uttar Pradeshs Chauri Chaura town. Gandhi said at the time that the freedom movement was against any form of violence.In 1924, Gandhi became president of the Indian National Congress.In 1930, Gandhi launched the 'Dandi' March, which was to protest against the tax on salt imposed by the British authorities. The 24-day, almost 400km march started at Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram and ended in Dandi (modern day Navsari in Gujarat). In Dandi, Gandhi and his followers synthesized salt through evaporation of sea water, in what was meant as a show of protest against colonial tax on salt. Gandhi called upon Indians not to pay any tax on salt, with millions heeding his call.Gandhi launched the Quit India Movement in 1942, when he gave a call to Do or Die for freedom to all Indians. The launch of the movement coincided with increasing British involvement in the Second World War, with Gandhi seeing the war as an opportunity to press the British imperialists to leave the country.Although the British came down with a heavy hand on these countrywide demonstrations, there was growing recognition that the Crown wouldn't be able to maintain control of the subcontinent for long.Gandhi was shot dead by a self-acclaimed Hindu nationalist Nathuram Godse on 30 January 1948, five months after India attained its long-sought independence. However, Gandhi was reportedly unhappy with the partition of the subcontinent on religious lines.His reservation against partition contrasted with that of the then Congress leadership, according to reports.I can see only evil in the plan, Gandhi reportedly told Congress politician Rajendra Prasad in June 1947, when the plan to divide the subcontinent into India and Pakistani was first announced.

https://sputniknews.com/20211002/india-celebrates-birth-anniversaries-of-mahatma-gandhi-and-former-prime-minister-lal-bahadur-1089598242.html

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HYDERABAD: As the Central governments 75-day window for free booster shots has ended, only 41.5 per cent of Telangana's adult population has taken the third dose of Covid vaccine. However, even this figure is the second highest among all states, showing the increased vaccine hesitancy for booster doses in the country.

As per data from the Union ministry of health & family welfare, the nationwide average coverage of the third dose is just around 23 per cent. In Telangana, as of Sunday, 1.15 crore people or 41.5 per cent have taken the dose.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh has covered the highest population among all states, with 44.4 per cent coverage. Significantly, APs coverage of its 60 plus population, who are more at risk from Covid, is nearly complete with over 99 per cent coverage, whereas in Telangana it is only at 59 per cent.

In fact, six other states have done better than Telangana in vaccinating their vulnerable population, with the national average being around 49 per cent.

Among the southern states, Karnataka has achieved only 20 per cent coverage of booster shots, Tamil Nadu 15 per cent and Kerala 11.2 per cent.

About 9.76 lakh people in the state are yet to take the second dose too, while 2,715 are yet to take a single dose.

Meanwhile, new Covid cases continue to be on the lower side in the state. On Sunday, 66 new cases were reported of which 44 were from Hyderabad, with many districts reporting no new cases.
https://sputniknews.com/20221002/indian-stocks-outperform-chinas-by-biggest-margin-since-2000-report-says-1101435123.html

Indian Stocks Outperform Chinas by Biggest Margin Since 2000, Report Says

Indian Stocks Outperform Chinas by Biggest Margin Since 2000, Report Says

Indias weight in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index has surged by 7 percentage points in the past two years while the combined value of Chinese and Hong Kong... 02.10.2022, Sputnik International

2022-10-02T13:09+0000

2022-10-02T13:09+0000

2022-10-02T13:34+0000

india

china

msci

economy

reserve bank of india (rbi)

recession

interest rates

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The MSCI India Index, which covers around 85 percent of Indias equities, rallied around 10 percent in the quarter from June to September, compared with a 23 percent fall in the MSCI China Index during the same period.The 33-point outperformance of the Indian index over the Chinese MSCI index is the biggest margin since March 2000, according to Bloomberg.Market analysts have reckoned that Beijings strict adherence to the Zero COVID policy and trade tensions with western countries have caused supply chain disruptions and resulted in stock market losses to the tune of $5 trillion since early last year. At the same time, the MSCI India Index has risen around $300Bln in the same period.India has also emerged as an attractive alternative to China because of continuing economic growth despite the global headwinds.Another economic indicator driving a preference for Indian stocks is the push by western economies to decouple with that of Chinas. This month, American smartphone marker Apple Inc started manufacturing Iphones in India. Previously, China was Apples primary manufacturing hub.The Reserve Bank of India last week revised the country's annual economic growth forecast to 7 percent from 7.2 percent because of fears of recession in the western countries amid monetary policy tightening and high fuel and commodity prices in the wake of the Ukraine crisis.However, India is still expected to emerge as the fastest-growing economy in Asia, which has led to bullish investor sentiment. On the other hand, Beijings economic growth this fiscal year is projected to be just under three percent."If you compare countries around the world, India looks very good, particularly if you look at the big countries and compare China with India. As you know China is going through a terrible time now and the market is very bad. The performance has been very bad and it looks as though the economy in China will continue to be in a bad shape, especially exports. Whereas India is in a much better position because software exports will probably continue to do very well, Mark Mobius, a veteran market analyst and a partner at Mobius Capital Partners, said last month.Other global fund managers - such as London-based Jupiter Asset Management - have also allocated India a greater share of investments among emerging markets, behind China.Market analysts say that Chinese stocks, including ones listed in Hong Kong, could rebound in a matter of days as the Chinese economy opens up after months of COVID restrictions.

https://sputniknews.com/20220930/us-investor-fed-interest-rate-hike-fueling-global-recession-1101398516.html

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Charity Assisting Ukrainian Refugees in UK Says Unable to Help

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Refugees at Home, one of the British charities that has been helping with housing for Ukrainian refugees, says it is scaling back its work since it will be unable to assist Ukrainians in rematching them with UK hosts.

"We are extremely sorry that Refugees at Home is unable to help with any rematching requests under the Homes for Ukraine scheme for placements not originally made through Refugees at Home," the charity said in a statement quoted by The Guardian on Sunday.

The Homes for Ukraine scheme opened in March, but the hosting arrangements are coming to an end since they were made for only six months and Ukrainian refugees need to find new living accommodations.

"As well as hosts and guests we have been approached by a number of local authorities who have asked us to support them in making these rematches. Regrettably we are unable to do so because of the complexities surrounding the current scheme," Refugees at Home said.

According to The Guardian, 1,565 Ukrainian households were registered as homeless in the United Kingdom between February and August of this year, around one third of them in London. Around 50,000 Ukrainian refugees could be left without homes in the UK next year, the newspaper estimates.
https://sputniknews.com/20221002/market-turmoil-disastrous-polls--doomsday-scenarios-overshadow-uk-conservative-party-conference-1101430285.html

Market Turmoil, Disastrous Polls & Doomsday Scenarios Overshadow UK Conservative Party Conference

Market Turmoil, Disastrous Polls & Doomsday Scenarios Overshadow UK Conservative Party Conference

As the UK Conservative Party Conference kicks off in Birmingham, Prime Minister Liz Truss and her Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng are expected to explain to their... 02.10.2022, Sputnik International

2022-10-02T08:18+0000

2022-10-02T08:18+0000

2022-10-02T09:57+0000

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UK Prime Minister and her Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng are heading for a grueling four days at the 2022 Conservative Party Conference which is taking place on 2 to 5 October in Birmingham, at the International Convention Centre (ICC).The event takes place as Tory MPs and the financial markets have continued to react negatively to the governments economic plan, the so-called mini-budget  envisaging sweeping tax cuts that sent sterling falling to a record low. Furthermore, Britains opposition Labour Party looked to establish an insurmountable lead in the spate of recent polls as people's fears rise about their bills and mortgages in the cost of living crisis.The controversial debt-fueled proposals to cut taxes are anticipated to overshadow the four-day event that nearly two dozen senior Tory MPs are reportedly avoiding deliberately.An address by Kwarteng to the party's grassroots is set for Monday, and Truss will close the gathering with a keynote speech on 5 October. There will also be speeches from government ministers as well as fringe events.'Delivering for the Nation'The conference program has been pared back, with some fringe gatherings removed after the death on 8 September of Queen Elizabeth II. The event starts on Sunday with tributes to the late monarch.On the first day, headlined 'Delivering for the Nation', scheduled speakers include Conservative Party chairman Jake Berry, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris, leader of the Scottish Conservative Party Douglas Ross, Welsh Secretary Sir Robert Buckland, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, MP Penny Mordaunt and Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands.In line with a new format, the main speakers are to be limited to two-hour periods on each of the four days, allowing members time to attend fringe events.'Delivering a Growing Economy'Day Two of the conference is headlined 'Delivering a Growing Economy' and is to be marked by a keynote speech delivered by Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng.On Monday, criticism of Truss and her government is expected to be levelled by Tory grandee Michael, Lord Heseltine and former justice secretary David Gauke. On the eve of the conference, Gauke warned in an article for The Guardian that the Tory party was "lost in a fantasy world". Michelle Donelan, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, International Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Ranil Jayawardena, Work and Pensions Secretary Chloe Smith, and Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg, will all make speeches on Monday.Among the themes will be, Energy Crisis: Can the UK afford Net-Zero? and What does levelling up really mean'.Overall, this autumn conference will focus extensively on the levelling up agenda, originally espoused by Boris Johnsons government as his "defining mission". Its aim is to give people and communities that feel they have been left behind a chance to catch up, and was a key theme of the Conservatives' 2019 election campaign. Levelling up appears in the title of more than 40 events scheduled for the Tory conference.Delivering Better Public ServicesTuesday, 4 October, will feature speeches from Health Secretary, Therese Coffey, and Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, on a day headlined 'Ddelivering Better Public Services'.UK Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, will also set out the country's foreign policy priorities.Other speakers will be Education Secretary Kit Malthouse, Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan, and Justice Secretary Brandon Lewis.Among the themes for the day are, 'Big business goes net zero: virtue-signaling greenwash or not?' and, Can AUKUS shift the balance in the pacific?'Getting Britain Moving'On the events final day, headlined 'Getting Britain Moving', Liz Truss will make her Prime Ministerial conference debut.Ahead of the conference, Truss gave an interview for the BBC, accepting that the presentation of the mini-budget was flawed, and her government should have "laid the ground better".Truss has doubled down on her controversial tax-cutting agenda, vowing she is "going to do things differently" and that "there is no option but to change".On the eve of the Tory conference, several deeply pessimistic opinion polls showed that the governments biggest tax giveaway in 50 years which will overwhelmingly benefit Britains wealthy, and will initially be paid for out of additional borrowing, has prompted many voters to rethink their Tory support.A recent Opinium poll showed that 55 percent of voters disapprove of Liz Truss as PM, and just 18 percent approve, which is worse than Boris Johnson during his final days in office. Seventy-five percent of voters think the government has lost control of the economy, and 39 percent think a Labour government under Sir Keir Starmer would do better.

https://sputniknews.com/20221002/liz-truss-could-be-gone-by-xmas-as-livid-tories-brand-tax-giveaway-for-rich-electoral-suicide-1101426958.html

https://sputniknews.com/20220929/uk-pm-truss-stands-by-chancellor-kwarteng-amid-currency-crisis-1101334238.html

https://sputniknews.com/20221001/liz-truss-to-face-crushing-defeat-at-next-election-as-half-of-2019-voters-ditch-tory-party--poll-1101401529.html

https://sputniknews.com/20220930/almost-half-of-uk-citizens-say-starmer-would-be-better-prime-minister-than-truss-poll-shows-1101365726.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20221002/number-of-suspects-behind-attack-on-argentinas-vice-president-reaches-4-reports-say-1101434608.html

Number of Suspects Behind Attack on Argentina's Vice President Reaches 4, Reports Say

Number of Suspects Behind Attack on Argentina's Vice President Reaches 4, Reports Say

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The number of people accused of an assassination attempt on Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner rose to four, the... 02.10.2022, Sputnik International

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On September 1, Argentine police detained a 35-year-old Buenos Aires resident, Fernando Andre Sabag Montiel, for attempting to assassinate Kirchner outside her home. The perpetrator pointed a handgun at Kirchner, but it did not go off. The vice president was not injured during the incident. Later police officers detained the attacker's girlfriend, Brenda Uliarte, who was allegedly present at the crime scene together with her partner.On Friday, the court brought charges against Nicolas Gabriel Carrizo, a friend of the perpetrator, and Agustina Diaz, a friend of Uliarte, considering them as secondary accomplices of the assassination, according to La Nacion.The prosecution believed that both Carrizo and Diaz helped Montiel and his girlfriend organize the assassination, though they were not at the crime scene, the newspaper said, adding that the investigation was still ongoing, as there could be more people involved in the attack.The attacker himself could face between 15 and 30 years in prison, a lawyer told Sputnik, specifying that Montiel can ask for deportation to his homeland after serving half the term. If he goes back to Brazil, the Argentine authorities are likely to ban him from returning to Argentina for the rest of his life.Kirchner, a former president, is a controversial figure in Argentine politics. In August, a federal prosecutor requested that she be jailed for 12 years and prohibited from holding public office indefinitely amid corruption allegations.Kirchner is accused of abusing power during her presidency from 2007-2015, to steer public contracts to Lazaro Antonio Baez, a businessman and an alleged close friend, who owns a construction company.

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https://sputniknews.com/20221002/people-hit-the-streets-of-germanys-zwickau-to-protest-against-energy-prices-russian-sanctions-1101427347.html

People Hit the Streets of Germany's Zwickau To Protest Against Energy Prices, Russian Sanctions

People Hit the Streets of Germany's Zwickau To Protest Against Energy Prices, Russian Sanctions

On Saturday, protestors gathered on the streets of Berlin demanding an end to NATO's shipments of weapons to Ukraine, and to cease the conflict in the country. 02.10.2022, Sputnik International

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Sputnik comes live from Zwickau in Saxony, Germany, as protesters take to the streets to rally against NATO, the governments energy policy and Russia sanctions.In the past few months, Germany, like everywhere else, has seen a surge in energy prices. The heating season in Europe is due to start in mid-October, although last year it was delayed until November.At the same time, gas deliveries from Russia remain limited, given that Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines were damaged in the Baltic Sea by a series of explosions and rendered inoperative earlier this week. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the attack on the pipelines was an act of state terrorism. The Russian Prosecutor Generals Office has opened an investigation into the case.Follow Sputnik's Live Feed to Find Out More!

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People Hit the Streets of Germany's Zwickau To Protest Against Energy Prices, Russian Sanctions People Hit the Streets of Germany's Zwickau To Protest Against Energy Prices, Russian Sanctions 2022-10-02T12:41+0000 true PT125M51S

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https://sputniknews.com/20221002/russian-hypersonic-missiles-superior-to-anything-natos-got-french-media-says-1101439924.html

Russian Hypersonic Missiles Superior to Anything NATOs Got, French Media Says

Russian Hypersonic Missiles Superior to Anything NATOs Got, French Media Says

Russia and China became the first countries to field strategic hypersonic weapons systems, with Moscow putting the Kinzhal (Dagger) missile into operation in... 02.10.2022, Sputnik International

2022-10-02T13:48+0000

2022-10-02T13:48+0000

2022-10-02T13:48+0000

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le figaro

russia

us

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Russian hypersonic missile systems are more advanced than anything being fielded by the North Atlantic Alliance today, Frances Le Figaro has reported, echoing sentiments expressed by Russias president in a speech last week.The French newspaper characterized Russias hypersonic weaponry as its main strategic asset, capable of flying at incredible speeds and maneuvering while in flight. It pointed specifically to the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle  a weapon deployable as a part of a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) payload aboard Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles.Russia undoubtedly has more modern weapons than the NATO countries. The United States has lagged behind in the field of hypersonic missiles, and Moscows nuclear arsenal is being replenished with more powerful and destructive projectiles, Igor Delanoe, deputy director of the Moscow-based Franco-Russian Observatory, said.In his speech announcing partial mobilization last month, Vladimir Putin accused Western officials of discussing the possibility and admissibility of using weapons mass destruction  nuclear weapons  against Russia.I would like to remind those who make such statements regarding Russia that our country has different types of weapons as well, and some of them are more modern than the weapons NATO countries have. In the event of a threat to the territorial integrity of our country and to defend Russia and our people, we will certainly make use of all weapon systems available to us. This is not a bluff, Putin said.The Russian president unveiled five new strategic weapons in a speech to lawmakers in 2018, among them the Kinzhal and the Avangard, plus the Poseidon nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed drone submarine, and the 9M730 Burevestnik (Petrel) nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed cruise missile.The Chinese military also possesses hypersonic weapons. In August, Russian-Indian defense joint venture BrahMos announced that it may create a hypersonic missile by 2027 or 2028. North and South Korea, France, Japan, Australia and India are also researching the cutting-edge class of weaponry.The Pentagon has tasked US defense contractors with developing at least six hypersonic weapons designs for the Army, Navy, Air Force, and DARPAs Operational Fires program, but to date none have been fielded. The US military has also pitched laser and dust-firing flak guns meant to defeat Russian and Chinese hypersonics, as well as the use of stratospheric balloons to monitor and track their launch.Russia got a head start on its hypersonics program thanks to Soviet-era research in the field starting in the early 2000s, after the Bush administration unilaterally scrapped of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty  a 1972 Soviet-US agreement which placed severe limitations on the creation of anti-ballistic missile defenses and intended to stop the arms race.Russias military doctrine forbids nuclear weapons from being used unless the country is targeted by enemy nuclear attack first, or a conventional attack so severe that it is deemed to threaten the existence of the state. The United States does not place such restrictions on its nukes, and reserves the right to use them on a preemptive basis, even against non-nuclear armed adversaries.

https://sputniknews.com/20220915/japan-us-to-expand-cooperation-on-hypersonic-missile-defense-systems---defense-ministry-1100791890.html

https://sputniknews.com/20220705/pentagon-exploring-stratospheric-balloons-to-track-hypersonic-weapons---reports-1096985645.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20221002/russias-novak-says-us-poland-ukraine-possible-beneficiary-of-nord-stream-accident-1101437612.html

Russia's Novak Says US, Poland, Ukraine Possible Beneficiaries of Nord Stream Accident

Russia's Novak Says US, Poland, Ukraine Possible Beneficiaries of Nord Stream Accident

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY (Sputnik) - The United States, Poland and Ukraine had openly expressed their opposition to the Nord Stream project in the past and... 02.10.2022, Sputnik International

2022-10-02T12:29+0000

2022-10-02T12:29+0000

2022-10-02T13:34+0000

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"The US, Ukraine and Poland said that this infrastructure would not operate as they would do everything they can to ensure it. That is why we should seriously look into this," Novak told the Rossiya 1 broadcaster.When asked if the pipelines could be rendered inoperable by the water that surged inside, the senior official noted that it was impossible to say for certain as no such incidents happened before.On Monday, the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 offshore pipelines in the Baltic Sea were damaged by explosions and rendered inoperative. The Swedish and Danish authorities said they discovered gas leaks caused by undersea explosions, with the consensus being that the incident was a result of sabotage.On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the United States and its allies are now switching their policy from imposing sanctions to destroying energy infrastructure. The Russian Prosecutor General's Office is investigating the incident as an act of international terrorism.

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https://sputniknews.com/20221002/uk-to-acquire-two-specialized-ships-to-protect-underwater-infrastructure--defense-minister-1101446150.html

UK to Acquire Two Specialized Ships to Protect Underwater Infrastructure -Defense Minister

UK to Acquire Two Specialized Ships to Protect Underwater Infrastructure -Defense Minister

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The United Kingdom will acquire two specialized vessels to protect its underwater cables and pipelines amid recent attacks on the Nord... 02.10.2022, Sputnik International

2022-10-02T21:38+0000

2022-10-02T21:38+0000

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underwater cable

ben wallace

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In his speech at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham Wallace referred to the acts of sabotage on both Nord Stream offshore pipelines as "mysterious damage," adding that these attacks should remind the UK that its economy and infrastructure are fragile.London will purchase the first "multi-role survey ship for seabed warfare" this year and will put it in operation by the end of 2023, Wallace noted, adding that the second vessel would be built in the UK.On Monday, the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 offshore pipelines in the Baltic Sea were damaged by explosions and rendered inoperative. The Swedish and Danish authorities said they discovered gas leaks caused by undersea explosions, with the consensus being that the incident was a result of sabotage.

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This week's Rewind is the monthly version of 'Years Ago', a short review of a few of the people and events taking place during the decade of the 1930's. Robert Smith has assembled a few old pictures and short stories from those long ago days. In the 1930's our society was still deeply rooted in a "horse-based" way of life. People had a great love of all kinds of equine figures and much of the population just naturally loved horses and for that matter harness racing.

1931 - Big Race Day Held At Northam, P.E.I.

July 16, 1931 - The following excerpts from The Agriculturist Paper fully describe the opening of The Milligan and Morrison Race Track. It should be noted that, although the address is Northam, the property Is located In Birch Hill, Prince Edward Island.

The magnificent new track, buildings and equipment were an eye opener for the vast throng in attendance. A grand field of horses and exceptionally fast times were made in all events. All roads yesterday afternoon led to Northam. It is estimated that over 7,000 people were present at the big opening race meet of this magnificent new race course. It was said to be the largest to ever have attended at a rural horse racing track on Prince Edward Island.

1937 - Dairy Owner Enjoying Harness Racing

Melvin Dell of Niagara Falls, Ont. is enjoying his involvement with harness racing in addition to operating his successful dairy business. Mr. Dell started out in the 1920's with a one-horse delivery wagon and soon built up a thriving operation selling milk and cream door to door. He eventually moved to motorized vehicles as shown elsewhere. At this time he had a horse named Great Dean that was wintering at Dufferin Park after racing at many one day meets in Ontario during the summer and fall.

In later years Mr. Dell had a number of horses with several trainers, among them Wes and Cecil Coke, Vic Lutman and Harold and Wm. Wellwood. I believe a number of his horses were roan in colour as they descended from the same family as the famous performer The Count B.

1937 - London Horse Sets New Record

During the 1937 racing season the stable of horses owned by London hotelier Alex Parsons was an active and successful enterprise. Racing under the guidance of trainer Wm. Herbert and his assistant Lew James, a number of horses from their barn won several important races and at least one performer set a new Canadian race record. During the London meeting held in conjunction with the annual Western Fair, the pacing gelding Tom Grattan established a new Canadian speed record. With Lew James in the sulky this aged gelding won two heats in the identical times of 2:05 even. This set a new standard.

1938 - Greyhound Draws Worldwide Attention

The front cover of the 1938 issue of Hoof Beats magazine carried a head shot of the most famous standardbred horse of the times who to this day remains highly recognizable. The then famous grey trotting gelding had established a world's record of 1:56 during the previous season in a time trial. Canadian racing fans had the opportunity to see this great horse in action early in his career when he appeared at Thorncliffe Park in Toronto.

1938 - Manchester Farms Holds Annual Auction

In the 1930's the opportunity to purchase yearlings at auction in Canada was a rarity. One of the few farms that bred and raised young stock was the Manchester Farm located at Galt, Ontario, the current area known as Cambridge. The farm had a track on the premises and a resident manager. The farm was owned by a local businessman, F.S. Scott who operated a shoe factory in Galt. A former mayor and MP for the area he was also at one time the President of the C.T.A.

The above notice announced the 1938 sale. It is interesting to note that prospective buyers could enter a bid via telegram. Ad courtesy of Leon Siple.

When he wasn't tied up with business or politics, Scott indulged his passion for harness racing at Manchester Farms, a huge rural property he owned that had a half-mile training track. It was in the area east of the Delta intersection between Samuelson Street and Avenue Road.

"He was an all-around sportsman...but his lifetime passion was for harness horses," one obituary said when Mr. Scott died in 1943.

Quote For The Week: "A compromise occurs when two people agree to something that neither one wanted in the first place."

Who Is It?

Can you identify this driver of #3 as he heads for a possible victory. (Abahazy photo collection)

Who Else Is It?

Can you identify this young lad who somehow was allowed out on the track without his helmet? Who is it?

Blast From The Past

A field of horses headed down the stretch in this old undated photo at an unknown location. A few lucky fans had a nice view of the proceedings as they were seated on the fringe of the track.
Scores of cosplay enthusiasts and fans of all fandoms journeyed to the Uptown Scottsbluff mall Saturday for the sixth annual High Plains Mini-Con.

Blaine Sexton, president of the mini-con, described the turnout as good and said that the people hed spoken with were having a nice time.

Everyone seems to be pretty positive and it looks like were going to have a lot of fun today, he said.

Sexton was one of numerous people, adults and children alike, dressed in cosplay. A sizeable portion of the attendees came dressed as their favorite characters from anime, cartoons or comics.

I like seeing all the hidden creativity this valley has, Sexton said. Most people consider this a more rural community  (and) that there are not a lot of fandoms, so its really nice to see those all come to life and come together.

Several vendors sold artwork, comics and collectibles around the main stage set up in the center of Uptown Scottsbluff. Comic artist Dan Conner, who presented a panel about his work, said he enjoys interacting with attendees at conventions like the mini-con. It allows him to get to know people who like the same things he does.

Its always a good opportunity to show something they havent seen before. 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' and '(Teenage Mutant) Ninja Turtles' are my biggest sellers because people love those characters and I do too. So I can share in the fandom and sell some comics to new people, he said.

One first-time mini-con attendee was Elicia Losoya, who visited with her brother and some friends.

This year, I actually took the day off of work to come here. So far, I am really enjoying it. I like talking to all the vendors. Theyre all very nice people and I think its really cool that I get to see their creations and how passionate they are with their fields.

Thorin Schnell and Kalei Bechtold regularly attend comic conventions across the country. The couple reused their cosplays from a convention in Salt Lake City a week ago.

Schnell, an employee at Game Time Cards and Collectibles in the mall, said this was the second time hes been to the High Plains Mini-Con. He enjoyed how many different types of fandoms were represented.

I like that its a nice collective of people who are into the different arts and styles  were just trying to make it grow every year and were happy to participate in whats going on.

Aside from vendors, attendees also played board games with organizers and attended panels about various topics. Game Time hosted Magic: The Gathering matches and many attendees shopped there for video games, comics and figures.

The event concluded with a cosplay contest. Out of the several dozen cosplayers who visited the mini-con, close to 30 participated. A total of eight people won first place  five in the group category and one each for the junior and advanced categories, then best in show overall.
When the convoy restarted, the woman police officer accidentally fell down from the vehicles and suffered injuries (Photo by arrangement)

WARANGAL: In an unusual incident, a woman police officer accidentally fell from a vehicle on Chief Ministers convoy on the national highway at Pembarthi in Jangaon district. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao was proceeding to Warangal when the incident occurred.

Rao stopped at Orgulla Kalathoranam on the outskirts of Jangaon where he was given a warm welcome by TRS leaders. Prnchayat Raj minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao, Station Ghanpur MLA Thatikonda Rajaiah along with other leaders received Rao.

When the convoy restarted, the woman police officer accidentally fell down from the vehicles and suffered injuries. However, she recovered and rose on her own and caught up with the vehicle before others reached her to rescue.

During his Warangal visit, Rao inspected the ongoing construction works of the super-specialty hospital in the central jail at Hanamkonda. He visited the house of Captain Laxmikantha Rao and inquired about his health.

Ministers Harish Rao and Satyavathi Rathode, Rajya Sabha members Ravichandra, Santosh Kumar and Banda Prakash, MLAs D. Vinay Bhaskar and N. Narendar accompanied Rao to the captain's house.
When Moments With Paul is performed Oct. 8 in Statesville at the Twisted Oak Bar & Grill, actor Christopher Bagley hopes the audience walks away mad.

I want them to go away being mad. Mad that they didnt learn about a man who probably was the quintessential renaissance man in the entire history of our country because of political angst during the Red Scare. They decided that this was a man that we are going to make disappear, Bagley said. They basically erased him.

Paul Robeson, the man in the spotlight of Moments with Paul, is a man Bagley believes every American should know because of his fight against injustice.

While Jason McKinney plays the namesake of the show, Bagley plays the role of accompanist Lawrence Brown, who helped bring out the best in Robeson during their onstage performances. Just like Brown, Bagley said he hopes he brings out the best in McKinney as they bring the story of Robeson to light.

Robeson first gained notoriety as an All-American athlete at Rutgers in the 1920s before going on to Columbia Law School and then making a name for himself as a showman in a number of plays and musicals. Through it all, he spoke out for civil rights and how Black Americans like him werent given the same opportunities as white Americans but were still expected to serve their country at home and abroad without question.

Bagley is quick to point out that the legacy of Robeson was undermined because of his political views at a time when racism and segregation were also obstacles for him as well.

Paul Robesons life story reminds us of the important work he did so bravely to advance the civil, human and worker rights discussion, Bagley said in the shows press release. And those issues are just as important and relevant today as they were during Robesons time. We are reminded every day that there is still so much work to be done to end injustice and discrimination.

It was his choice to speak out against those injustices that would eventually find him blacklisted from showbusiness as the Red Scare and McCarthyism, along with Jim Crow, gripped American life.

And while McKinney has the challenge in his portrayal of living up to the legacy of Robeson, Bagley pointed to a line from the shows news release to note how well McKinney does that.

Ive seen dozens of performances about Paul Robeson, but this is the first time that I could close my eyes and think that I was listening to Uncle Paul, Vernoca Michael, former executive director of the Paul Robeson House and Museum is quoted as saying.

For those who want to see that performance themselves, the show will take place Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m., at the Twisted Oak American Bar and Grill. 121 N. Center St., Statesville. Tickets are $30 and are available online at Eventbrite. Food and drinks will be available for purchase at the restaurant.
An avian visitor from the tropics has drawn numerous other visitors to Hungry Mother State Park in recent weeks. Coming from east Tennessee, parts of North Carolina, and throughout Southwest Virginia, the excited birders have come equipped with binoculars, cameras, and their life lists  ready to add a bird many never expected to see.
For the last week, a private company contracted by Longview has provided a security presence in and around the Alabama Street homeless camp.

A large tent is set up in the fueling station next to the parking lot that currently holds the homeless residents. During the day, service providers use the tent to meet with residents to provide aid and make referrals. At night, it becomes a base of operations for Northwest Enforcement.

Longview signed a security contract with Northwest Enforcement on Sept. 20 to provide unarmed security work at the camp. The security officials were a request made by the Longview City Council at the beginning of September as one of several measures to improve how the city handled the controversial camp.

Northwest Enforcement has operated in Portland since 2003. Its second location in Longview opened in 2020 when the company bought out Columbia Security, a private security firm that had operated since the 1970s. The company offers extra security for businesses, including lumber yards, and provides a school resource officer for the Kelso School District.

Northwest Enforcements founder and vice president Chad Withrow said they were asked by other businesses to talk to the Longview City Council in August because of their track record in Portland.

The businesses had some fears wrapped around the things that have been going on consistently there. Well be there on both sides to help and listen and understand the problems at hand, Withrow said.

For the last three years Northwest Enforcement has worked with businesses and property owners from Portlands Central Eastside Industrial Council in a special business district, where businesses in the area pay a tax to fund the security presence. The deal was established in 2019 and was renewed by Portlands city council earlier this year.

The work in Portland has a heavy emphasis on removing graffiti and trash, including providing garbage services for camps. The Central Eastside Council reported that their crews had made more than 1,000 mental health checks over the last three years and Withrow said they had helped 20 people secure housing.

Withrow said their initial focus in Longview is to gain the trust of the businesses, unhoused residents and anyone else in the area who was concerned about the camp.

I would much rather convince someone to do the right thing than force them to do it. So our model and our will is to really listen and build collaboration with people, Withrow said.

The security contract with the city reimburses the company for each hour of patrol time. Northwest Enforcement is budgeted for 115 hours a week: 15 hours on each weekday, largely outside of normal business hours, and 20 hours each on Saturday and Sunday. Two or three guards work the shift at a time. Longview will also pay the security extra for holidays, overtime and some vehicle mileage.

The security officials conduct regular security sweeps through the camp at night to look out for disallowed behavior. City officials report every person living at the camp signed intake forms to claim a spot, which city staff use to record and gather data about the homeless residents. The security firm uses the list to monitor every entrance and exit from the camp and keep out people who have been previously removed.

Every day they give us a detailed incident report to tell us about any and all activity that happened. Its pages of everything that happens during their shifts, Longview Assistant City Manager Kris Swanson said.

Withrow said his security officers will defer to Longview Police if theres any major thing that happens.

The 100-plus homeless residents were moved from the main spot on Alabama Street to the city-owned parking lot in September while the campsite was emptied and cleaned. The camp will likely stay at the temporary location until the pallet homes approved for Alabama Street arrive.

Longview has placed the order for 50 pallet homes from the Everett-based company Pallet. Swanson said the city was hopeful that the homes will arrive in early November.

The city is still working to finalize a deal with a nonprofit or agency that will work as the host for the pallet home community once its established.
KALAMA  After weathering decades in the sun, wind and rain on the banks of the Columbia River, its no surprise to those restoring the Lelooska totem poles that the work will take years.

About five years since the Port of Kalama began weighing its options for the aging poles, the rehabilitation process is underway, with the family of their carver Chief Lelooska (Don Smith) on board.

Lelooska carved the poles displayed at the ports Marine Park in the early 1960s. He died in 1996, and his younger brother, Chief Tsungani (Fearon Smith), and other family members involved with the Lelooska Foundation and Cultural Center will work to refurbish his well-loved works.

I think theyve been a really important centerpiece for that community and having them preserved is quite the undertaking, said Mariah Stoll-Smith Reese, executive director of the foundation and Tsunganis daughter. Were grateful to the Port of Kalama for committing to preserve those because its a long process, a many-year process. Were not really into the meat of it yet.

Two of the port-owned poles  the Lelooska Campfire totem pole previously displayed on Broadway in Longview and the 65-foot, tallest standing pole at the port  are drying out at the Lelooska Foundation in Ariel.

The Campfire pole was delivered to the foundation right after it was taken down in May 2020. Stoll-Smith Reese said the pole is nearly ready for restoration work.

The 65-foot pole was taken down in November when a large crane was already at the port for other work, said Dan Polacek, port spokesman. The pole is drying out in a cargo container the port set up at the foundation. Once work on the two poles is completed, the port will take down and restore the other two, one at a time, he said.

The 140-foot pole will be restored on site at the port because it is not structurally sound enough to be moved, Polacek said. Once refurbished, it will be hung in the ports Mountain Timber Marketplace, currently under construction between Marine and Louis Rasmussen parks.

The tallest pole was taken down in September 2018 as a safety precaution, after an engineering assessment found a large gust of wind could topple it.

In September, workers covered the pole in a special heat shrink wrap to help dry it out. Earlier this year, the port contracted with the Rot Doctor for structural restoration work, Polacek said. The Seattle-based company will inject a malleable epoxy to help fill in the rotted areas and strengthen the pole, he said. The Lelooska Foundation will complete any re-carving and surface work.

Stoll-Smith Reese said she and Tsungani met with port officials and the contractor last week to look at the 140-foot pole. The foundation had planned to work on it last, but it had absorbed more rain from lying down, she said.

Drying out takes a long time and that pole has a lot of drying to do, Stoll-Smith Reese said. Theyll do the sealing and stabilizing and well come in and do the painting.

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Acknowledging the uncertain timeline and final cost of the work, Polacek said the port and port commissioners are committed to spending whatever it takes on restoring the landmarks.

The poles have become synonymous with the port and city of Kalama, he said. The port made a commitment to the Wineberg family to restore and maintain those. We want to honor our commitment and honor that iconic part of community by fully restoring them.

The 140-foot pole was commissioned by William Wineberg for display at the Worlds Fair but was not completed. The poles laid on the ground for several years before a local effort to finish the job and erect them at Marine Park began in 1974.

For about 45 years, the port leased the poles from the Wineberg estate for $1 per year before the family donated them to the agency in 2019.

In December 2020, the port commissioners approved a contract with the Lelooska Foundation to restore the poles.

The commissioners also approved a contract with Tsungani to carve two 6-foot welcoming figures for $12,000 apiece. As of August, both figures were delivered to the port and are displayed in the administrative buildings entrance. The port plans to get metal casts of the statues to flank the Westin Amphitheater, Polacek said.

Its another way of honoring our shared past with Lelooska art and culture and furthering those tribal elements that have been a part of the port, he said.
After iQOO 10 Pros 200W option, Xiaomi is gearing up to launch Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus with 210W charging.

While Xiaomi has been busy throughout this year launching the multiple variants of the Redmi 11 series, the company is now gearing to introduce the new Redmi Note 12 series. As per a report by GizChina, the Redmi Note 12 lineup will be released in China before the end of the year. The report hints that there will be at least three new smartphones  Redmi Note 12, Redmi Note 12 Pro, and Redmi Note 12 Pro+, all of which have passed the 3C certification.

However, it is the astonishingly-fast charging support, which its top-end model is expected to bring, that has caught everyone's attention. Xiaomi has already debuted its 120W charging solution with the Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G, and now the company is preparing to bring the 210W charging option with the launch of the new Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus. Notably, on the other hand, even Apple's flagship iPhone 14 Pro Max still relies on its 20W charging option. The upcoming 210W charging will probably dethrone the iQOO 10 Pro, which recently made its debut with the 200W charging option.

The report further confirmed that the Redmi Note 12 Pro will bring 120W charging, while the standard Note 12 will have 67W fast charging. This may surprise many buyers as the vanilla variant will also support the fast charging option. Meanwhile, Xiaomi's 210W Xiaomi charger also got its own listing at the 3C certification, which will make its debut along with the launch of the smartphone.

Redmi Note 12 series leaks

Apart from the fast charging solution, a couple of leaks suggest that the Note 12 series will feature a 50 MP primary camera, 8 MP ultrawide, and 2 MP macro sensor. The Pro models are expected to have the same MediaTek Dimensity 1300 chipset. It is first expected to launch in China's market in October and may reach other countries in the next year.

However, Xiaomi is expected to release a more accurate timeline of the Redmi Note 12 series launch soon.
How dangerous are asteroids for Earth? Can a dangerous asteroid strike Earth and destroy it? Get an answer to these questions here.

Can asteroids be dangerous for Earth? Tens of millions of years ago, a single asteroid collided with the planet, which is said to be the reason behind the extinction of dinosaurs. Though the collision was destructive, our planet survived! Does this mean that Earth cannot be destroyed by an asteroid even though living things on it may go extinct? That cannot be said! Due to the gravitational pull, Earth tends to attract certain objects like asteroids and meteors towards it leading to crashes. However, there is no potential harm caused by these objects until and unless they are large such as the asteroid that killed off all the dinosaurs. So, can a dangerous asteroid strike Earth and destroy it?

According to NASA, the asteroids capable of causing a global disaster if they hit the Earth are extremely rare. They probably would need to be about a kilometer or more in diameter. Such bodies impact the Earth only once every 100,000 years on average. Other objects of a similar size, such as comets, impact even less frequently, perhaps once every 500,000 years or so.

Last week, NASA tested if it could protect Earth from the harmful impact of collision with asteroids via the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission. It can be known that DART is the world's first planetary defense test mission dedicated to investigating and demonstrating one method of asteroid deflection by changing an asteroid's direction in space through impact of a spacecraft against it.

Staying alert and prepared is important as any large enough asteroid strike can have the capacity to destroy Earth in unfathomable ways and may even lead to extinction of humans. According to NASA, no known asteroid poses a significant risk of impact with Earth over the next 100 years.

"The highest risk of impact for a known asteroid is a 1 in 714 chance of impact by an asteroid designated 2009 FD in 2185, meaning that the possibility that it could impact then is less than 0.2 percent. The Sentry Impact Risk Table, which is maintained by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Center for NEO Studies, is updated continuously as new asteroids are discovered and known asteroids are further observed," the research organisation said.

Did you know?

One asteroid that NASA is studying up close, called Bennu, has a 1/2700 chance of impacting Earth between 2175 and 2195. The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will complete a 2-year investigation of Bennu before plucking a sample of asteroid material off its surface and delivering it back to Earth. Along with collecting a sample, OSIRIS-REx will also be studying how light absorbed from the Sun and re-radiated by Bennu affects its orbitand consequently, how that orbit could become more dangerous for Earth.
Asteroid 2018 ER1 is heading at an insane speed towards Earth. Should you worry? NASA tells.

Asteroids can be lethal to Earth! Just ask the dinosaurs! Well, they are extinct, courtesy a massive asteroid and the same fate can be ours too. The earlier experiences with asteroids that have crashed on Earth showed the potential of destruction of these space rocks. And that's why NASA has conducted the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission as a planetary defense test against near-Earth objects, including asteroids. But the work is half done yet! NASA and other agencies will study the DART data over the next couple of weeks to understand the details of the asteroid deflection.

Meanwhile, NASA is keeping us updated about the potentially hazardous asteroid that pose a great risk to the Earth and humankind. And today, another giant space rock is hurtling towards Earth at a massive speed. Should you be worried? Know everything here.

Asteroid 2018 ER1 zooming towards Earth

NASA's Asteroid Watch Dashboard has confirmed that an asteroid named 2018 ER1, which measures 84-foot in diameter will pass horrifically close to the Earth. As per NASA's JPL data, it will come as close to Earth as 3.51 million miles today. It is moving at a massive speed of 14495 kmph, CNEOS data confirmed. Does this asteroid pose a danger to Earth?

To know the danger, NASA constantly tracks all the near-Earth objects that will make relatively close approaches to Earth. According to the set criteria, any asteroid that approaches within 4.6 million miles to Earth and has a size larger than about 150 meters is termed a potentially hazardous object. Hence, because of its close proximity, the asteroid falls under the category of potentially hazardous objects.

However, the distance between the coming asteroid and Earth is still way too far, but there is always a danger that something may cause it to deviate from its orbit and may make it head straight for Earth.

Tech tracking the danger of asteroids

Some of the best technologies of NASA have been deployed to ensure a constant watch on these dangerous asteroids near the Earth. While using optical and radio telescopes, NASA determines the size, shape, rotation, and physical composition of these asteroids.

Some of the most detailed characterization data is obtained for NEOs that approach Earth close enough to be observed with planetary radar, performed by radio telescopes at NASA's Deep Space Network and the National Science Foundation's Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, NASA said.
Kochi: The Congress leader and Kerala Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan on Saturday, extended support to Mallikarjun Kharge for party's presidential poll instead of Shashi Tharoor, an MP from Thiruvananthapuram.

The Kerala LoP argued that Kharge has a lot of experience and is very happy that a Dalit leader is going to become the AICC President.

"I have decided to support Mallikarjun Kharge Ji. He is a very senior politician and senior Congressman with huge experience as a minister in the Centre and in the state. He was the leader of the Opposition. He belongs to a Dalit community. I am very happy that a Dalit leader is going to become the President of AICC. Not only supporting him, but I am also going to campaign for him," he said.

On being asked about Shashi Tharoor who is a leader from Kerala and is in a direct fight with Kharge for party's president post.

"I am not ready to bring on any regional matter or any narrow-minded issue. It is a national election. This is the Congress party and it is a democratic party. Anybody can contest. That itself is very beautiful. We are all going to campaign for Kharge Ji. We hope that we can collect maximum votes from Kerala," he added.

The polling will take place on October 17 and votes will be counted two days later.

Friday was the last day for filing nominations for the election of the Congress president, where a total of three leaders have staked their claim for the post.

According to Congress Central Election Authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry, 14 forms have been submitted by Mallikarjun Kharge, five by Shashi Tharoor and one by Jharkhand leader KN Tripathi.

Congress Central Election Authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry on Friday said that a total of 20 nomination forms have been received, adding that the Gandhi family is not supporting any candidate for the party's president post.

This comes after Mallikarjun Kharge, who is a known Gandhi family loyalist, entered into the fray at the eleventh hour. While several top leaders including from the G-23 faction flanked Kharge when he filed the nomination papers today.

Mistry added that 14 nominations were received by Mallikarjun Kharge, five by Shashi Tharoor and one by Jharkhand Congress leader KN Tripathi.

"14 forms submitted by (Mallikarjun) Kharge, 5 by Shashi Tharoor and one by KN Tripathi. Tomorrow, we will scrutinise forms and tomorrow evening we will announce forms that are valid and the names of candidates," said Mistry at the press briefing.

He further said that the Gandhi family has not endorsed any candidate for the presidential polls.

"None of these three is an official candidate of the party. They are contesting on their own. The Gandhi family has not endorsed anyone's nomination. Congress president has made it very clear that she will stay neutral throughout the process and if someone claims he has her blessings and it is incorrect," Madhusudan Mistry said

So far, Kharge is believed as a strong candidate and if he becomes the party president, Congress will get a Dalit chief after 51 years.
A suspicious object stuck to the foot of Mars Helicopter left NASA scientists baffled. Know what NASA says.

"There's something on your foot, Mars Helicopter!" - NASA's scientists said while pointing towards a suspicious object that was stuck to the Mars Helicopter. The US space agency is investigating a piece of debris that got stuck on the foot of the Mars Ingenuity helicopter during its latest flight. So, did the litle green men on Mars, the aliens, did it? NASA has confirmed that a small piece of foreign object debris (FOD) was seen in footage from the Mars helicopter's navigation camera (Navcam) for a portion of its 33rd flight. Strangely, the this debris was not visible in Navcam footage from the previous flight.

Thankfully, the object did not impact the flight of NASA's Mars Ingenuity helicopter, as the US space agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory tweeted to confirm, "As shown in the GIF, it eventually came off and did not impact a successful Flight 33. Along with the information, the agency also shared a short video clip of the foreign object debris stuck to the foot of the flight from the earliest frames to approximately halfway through the video. After that it fell from the leg and drifted back to the Mars surface.

The 33rd flight by Ingenuity on Mars lasted for just over 55 seconds on September 24. The space agency says that the 4 lbs rotorcraft achieved a height of 33 feet above the surface of Mars while travelling around 365 feet before settling down at its latest landing spot. NASA has also confirmed that the Ingenuity and Perseverance Mars 2020 teams are working to discern the source of the debris. That means the last word on the strange object has still not been said although whether aliens remain on the list of suspects is not known so far.

More about Mars Ingenuity helicopter

The Mars Helicopter, which is called Ingenuity, was dispatched to Mars with the Perseverance rover back in July 2020. It made history to be the first powered, controlled extra-terrestrial flight in April 2021 in the extremely thin atmosphere of Mars, and, in fact, the first such flight in any world beyond Earth. It hitched a ride to Mars on the Perseverance rover. Once the rover reached a suitable "airfield" location, it released Ingenuity to the surface so it could perform a series of test flights over a 30-Martian-day experimental window, NASA said.
College Station City Council members recently approved a specific request from homeowners in the North Forest Estates Subdivision along Justin Avenue, which will regulate how many persons not related to one another may live in a single-family home.

Upon request and a lengthy process from the homeowners, the council approved 6-1  with Councilwoman Elizabeth Cunha against  a request to add a Restricted Occupancy Overlay to the zoning for 26 lots/homes along Justin Avenue in North Forest Estates.

City staff said this is the first time a College Station neighborhood has been approved for this type of overlay, which provides a subdivision-specific occupancy regulation of no more than two unrelated people per single-family dwelling or accessory living quarters. That means no more than two people who are not directly related to the homeowners can live in the home.

Alyssa Halle-Schramm, the citys long-range planning administrator, addressed the council at the Sept. 22 meeting and said the North Forest Estates Subdivision was designated suburban residential. She explained how the city offers certain tools to help neighborhoods obtain or keep their neighborhood quality.

Pursuing a single-family overlay zoning is a tool that a neighborhood can choose for itself to help address and mitigate perceived anticipated and actual change within an established neighborhood, [and] as a tool to address those issues of over occupancy and to preserve neighborhood character, she said. This request is in alignment with the Comprehensive Plan.

In order to establish a Restricted Occupancy Overlay, the process requires that a subdivision interested in pursuing must form a petition committee, she said. The North Forest Estates Subdivision Committee collected signatures from a majority of the 26 homeowners, she said, and city staff verified 19 signatures of people who were OK with pursuing the overlay.

The ROO [Restricted Occupancy Overlay] standard is 50% plus one must be in support, Halle-Schramm said.

With 19 of the 26 signatures required, the petition committee was able to make its request to council. One committee member, Mark Hawthorne, was present at the council meeting and explained why the subdivision wanted to have a Restricted Occupancy Overlay in place.

North Forest Estates is an association of 26 single-family homes in a quiet middle class neighborhood. The majority of the residents have lived in the neighborhood for about 10 years, he said. The ROO positively affects our property values. The ROO shifts enforcement from homeowners and neighbors and the HOA to the city, thus preserving neighborhood relationships. The ROO decreases the chance of corporate entities attempting to purchase property for investment purposes.

Cunha asked Halle-Schramm if there was data to suggest that a Restricted Occupancy Overlay would raise property values, and was told there was not. Hawthorne then further explained he did not believe the overlay raises property values, but positively effects property values.

Cunha also asked Hawthorne what he was specifically worried about in his reasoning for wanting to restrict the number of unrelated people living in those homes.

Hawthorne said residents wanted to keep the area a single-family neighborhood, without the worry of college students moving in or nearby.

Our residents say We dont want to have houses with students. Its not we dont want to live by those kind of people, it is that our neighborhood is a single-family residential neighborhood; that is the way the residents want to keep it, he said. The other two streets have a lot of rental property and students. We dont get their traffic for the most part. In this whole argument about student housing versus residential, there has been a lot of conversations about noise and about traffic. We dont have that and we dont want that.

Hawthorne, a one-time Texas A&M student, said residents like the students but want to keep their neighborhood the way it is.

If you look at the other two streets that are adjacent to ours, the homes that have student population are rentals, he said. And you can tell driving down the street, which properties are rental properties. I dont want that in our neighborhood.

Councilwoman Linda Harvell said she was in favor or the overlay because it amplifies neighborhood integrity.

If a neighborhood has come together and this is what you all would like for your neighborhood to be, I am in support of this because you all have agreed. This is your quality of life, she said. It is a single-family neighborhood. You all want to maintain that integrity and quality of life.

Mayor Karl Mooney, and councilmen Bob Brick, John Crompton, Dennis Maloney and John Nichols were also in favor of the overlay. Cunha explained her reasoning for voting against.

I understand what everybody is saying, she said. I will just close with when maintaining the quality of life means excluding people from your neighborhood, I think thats a problem.

Halle-Schramm said neighborhoods interested in pursuing a ROO can contact the citys planning and development services at 764-3570 or email cspds@cstx.gov.
Gov. Greg Abbott, who is seeking a third term, and Beto ORourke, the Democrat trying to unseat him in November, faced off in their only scheduled debate Friday night and sparred over the major issues in the race, from immigration to gun policies to the reliability of Texas power grid since a February 2021 winter storm left millions without power or heat for days.

Throughout the debate  held in the empty auditorium on the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley campus in Edinburg  Abbott and ORourke frequently accused each other of getting their facts wrong or lying to Texas voters. Heres some of the claims they said during the debate and what you should know about each issue:

Abbott on busing migrants to New York

The statement: Abbott said New York City Mayor Eric Adams has never called my office, never talked to anybody in my administration to coordinate with Texas since Abbotts decision to bus thousands of migrants from Texas to New York and other Democrat-run big cities.

What you should know: Adams press secretary Fabien Levy told The Texas Tribune that Adams office reached out to a member of Abbotts administration and they spoke on the phone Aug. 1 about alerting Adams staff before the migrants arrival to New York City.

Levy shared an email from Adams office, dated Aug. 1, that he said was an effort to follow up on the phone call with Abbotts staff earlier that day. The email doesnt specifically mention migrants or busing. Levy said Adams office did not receive a reply from Abbotts staff.

Four days later, on Aug. 5, Abbott announced he was sending migrants to New York City on buses. That announcement came two weeks after Adams held a press conference saying that asylum seekers were already arriving in New York City on buses sent by the Texas and Arizona governments.

Texas ranking on mental health access

The statement: Abbott repeated his claim that mental health problems lead people to commit mass shootings and said the state is addressing that issue. ORourke said Texas ranks last in the nation for mental health care access. Abbott disagreed and said Texas ranks 27th.

What you should know: A 2022 report from Mental Health America supports ORourkes assertion that Texas limited availability of mental health resources puts the state 51st in the country  including Washington D.C.  for mental health care access. Its not clear what metric Abbott was referring to when he claimed that Texas ranked 27th. Abbotts office did not respond to a request for clarification on Saturday.

ORourke also accused Abbott of taking $211 million intended for mental health care from the state budget. That amount was subtracted from the budget of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, which oversees mental health issues, over a two-year period, to help fund Abbotts Operation Lone Star border initiative. Its not clear if that money would have directly gone to improve mental health care access.

The aftermath of Texas power grid failures

The statement: Abbott said that no Texan has lost electricity because of power grid failures since the February 2021 winter storm, while ORourke faulted Abbott for failing to correct significant problems with the grid before its failure in 2021.

What you should know: The 2021 winter storm that caused the power grid to fail, leaving millions without power or heat and causing hundreds of deaths, came years after previous extreme weather events exposed the grids vulnerabilities, which lawmakers failed to correct during Abbotts tenure.

After the 2021 storm, the Legislature approved, and Abbott signed, numerous bills aimed at improving the grid  although experts have said those efforts may not be enough.

While the states grid operator requested that Texans reduce electricity usage multiple times earlier this year when demand threatened to exceed supply, no major grid-related outages have been reported in the state since February 2021; there have been localized outages due to a variety of causes unrelated to the state grid  such as tree limbs falling on power lines.

On Texas (and Californias) taxes

The statement: ORourke said that Texans pay more in taxes than Californians.

What you should know: ORourkes statement is both true and false  depending on a persons tax bracket. For Texans with salaries in the top 20% of the state, local and state taxes amount to 7.5% or less of their income, according to the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy. Californians in that same bracket pay at least 9.4% of their incomes to state and local taxes.

On the other end of the economic spectrum, the opposite is true. Texans who are in the bottom 20% of earnings pay 13% of their income in taxes, while everyone in that same bracket in California pays 10.5%. In Texas, the higher a households income, the lower the tax rate, according to the institutes analysis. In California, the tax burden is lowest for middle income earners, with low-income and high-income residents paying a higher percentage in taxes.

ORourkes stance on gun control

The statement: A debate moderator said that ORourke has made conflicting statements about whether he supports confiscating AR-15-style rifles from Texans.

What you should know: While campaigning during the 2020 presidential election ORourke said he supported confiscating AR-15-style rifles, but earlier this year he said he doesnt support seizing guns. ORourke said, if elected, he would focus on raising the age to buy a semi-automatic rifle such as an AR-15 from 18 to 21  a goal which he said was more politically achievable than confiscating weapons.

Abbott has rejected calls to increase the purchasing age to buy semi-automatic rifles  as Florida did following the shooting deaths of 17 people at a high school in Parkland in 2018  saying that would be unconstitutional.
Microsoft on Friday disclosed that a single activity group in August 2022 achieved initial access and breached Exchange servers by chaining the two newly disclosed zero-day flaws in a limited set of attacks aimed at less than 10 organizations globally.

"These attacks installed the Chopper web shell to facilitate hands-on-keyboard access, which the attackers used to perform Active Directory reconnaissance and data exfiltration," the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) said in a new analysis.

The weaponization of the vulnerabilities is expected to ramp up in the coming days, Microsoft further warned, as malicious actors co-opt the exploits into their toolkits, including deploying ransomware, due to the "highly privileged access Exchange systems confer onto an attacker."

The tech giant attributed the ongoing attacks with medium confidence to a state-sponsored organization, adding it was already investigating these attacks when the Zero Day Initiative disclosed the flaws to Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) earlier last month on September 8-9, 2022.

The two vulnerabilities have been collectively dubbed ProxyNotShell, owing to the fact that "it is the same path and SSRF/RCE pair" as ProxyShell but with authentication, suggesting an incomplete patch.

The issues, which are strung together to achieve remote code execution, are listed below -

CVE-2022-41040 (CVSS score: 8.8) - Microsoft Exchange Server Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

(CVSS score: 8.8) - Microsoft Exchange Server Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability CVE-2022-41082 (CVSS score: 8.8) - Microsoft Exchange Server Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

"While these vulnerabilities require authentication, the authentication needed for exploitation can be that of a standard user," Microsoft said. "Standard user credentials can be acquired via many different attacks, such as password spray or purchase via the cybercriminal economy."

The vulnerabilities were first discovered by Vietnamese cybersecurity company GTSC as part of its incident response efforts for an unnamed customer in August 2022. A Chinese threat actor is suspected to be behind the intrusions.

The development comes as the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added the two Microsoft Exchange Server zero-day vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, requiring federal agencies to apply the patches by October 21, 2022.

Microsoft said that it's working on an "accelerated timeline" to release a fix for the shortcomings. It has also published a script for the following URL Rewrite mitigation steps that it said is "successful in breaking current attack chains" -

Open IIS Manager

Select Default Web Site

In the Feature View, click URL Rewrite

In the Actions pane on the right-hand side, click Add Rule(s)

Select Request Blocking and click OK

Add the string ".*autodiscover\.json.*\@.*Powershell.*" (excluding quotes)

Select Regular Expression under Using

Select Abort Request under How to block and then click OK

Expand the rule and select the rule with the pattern .*autodiscover\.json.*\@.*Powershell.* and click Edit under Conditions.

Change the Condition input from {URL} to {REQUEST_URI}

As additional prevention measures, the company is urging companies to enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA), disable legacy authentication, and educate users about not accepting unexpected two-factor authentication (2FA) prompts.

"Microsoft Exchange is a juicy target for threat actors to exploit for two primary reasons," Travis Smith, vice president of malware threat research at Qualys, told The Hacker News.

"First, Exchange [...] being directly connected to the internet creates an attack surface which is accessible from anywhere in the world, drastically increasing its risk of being attacked. Secondly, Exchange is a mission critical function -- organizations can't just unplug or turn off email without severely impacting their business in a negative way."
Nebraska has joined a lawsuit accusing pesticide companies Syngenta and Corteva of anti-competitive practices that have cost farmers.

Nebraska joined the Federal Trade Commission and nine other states, including Iowa, in a complaint that was filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina on Thursday. Both companies denied the allegations.

The complaint alleges that U.S. farmers have collectively lost millions of dollars because Syngenta and Corteva have unfairly impeded their generic competitors and artificially inflated prices.

The companies artificially inflated prices by creating loyalty programs with pesticide distributors that have made it harder for farmers to access lower-priced generic products, the lawsuit alleges.

While generic companies are allowed to enter the market using the same active ingredients after patent-related exclusivity protections expire, the lawsuit alleges that Syngenta and Corteva made incentive payments to pesticide distributors in exchange for distributors to not buy or buy significantly lower amounts of generic products. Through deals with distributors, the two companies essentially created a monopoly on sales of certain pesticides, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit alleges that Syngenta and Corteva broke multiple state and federal laws, including the FTC Act and the Clayton Act. Nebraska specifically accuses the companies of violating the Nebraska Consumer Protection Act.

The lawsuit asks for monetary relief, including for farmers in Nebraska, according to State Attorney General Doug Peterson. The suit also seeks an end to the loyalty programs.

Both companies said the allegations in the lawsuit are false.

In a statement, Corteva said it believes the FTCs case faces significant hurdles on both the facts and the law, and claimed that the companys marketing programs actually support competition.

We will vigorously defend our position that Cortevas customer marketing programs are fully compliant with the antitrust laws and are, in fact, pro-competitive programs that benefit both channel partners and farmers, the statement read. Syngenta said in a statement that it believes the FTCs complaint is without merit and that the discounts in question are part of an industry-standard, voluntary program that Syngenta and other pesticide companies have had in place for decades.

This program is only one of several incentive programs offered by Syngenta in the U.S., and we are disappointed that the FTC has failed to appreciate the beneficial effects that these rebate programs provide to our channel partners and to growers, the statement read.

In addition to Nebraska and Iowa, the other states named in the lawsuit include California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Oregon, Texas and Wisconsin.
Medical students pursuing both undergraduate and postgraduate courses at government medical colleges have decried the lack of proper amenities. (Representational image: DC)

VIJAYAWADA: Medical students pursuing both undergraduate and postgraduate courses at government medical colleges have decried the lack of proper amenities, which is causing hardships to them while pursuing their education.

Though the state government has been paying a lot of attention to the renovation of existing buildings, installing state-of-the-art medical equipment and strengthening manpower as part of its plan to accord top priority to healthcare, medicos find the government lacking when it comes to student care.

Students at a good number of medical colleges regret not having proper hostel accommodation. This is resulting in more students being forced to share hostel rooms. Minimum three UGs or PGs or more are staying in one room, which is supposed to accommodate just two. In some medical colleges, these students are even being put up in hostels meant for students pursuing paramedical courses.

For instance, at Sri Venkateswara Medical College in Tirupati, the existing hostel building for PG students is in a dilapidated condition. As such, there is no hostel for PG students in the Tirupati college. So is the case with the government medical college in Anantapur. Students are being accommodated in temporary hostels.

Students say as they cannot afford to stay out in private accommodation by paying huge monthly rentals, they are staying in the accommodation provided by medial colleges despite facing a lot of inconvenience. In this context, they regret that the state government is not revising their stipend upwards in parity with other states.

Medical students had recently approached director of medical education and wanted to serve strike notice on revision of stipend. But they deferred their plan it at the assurance of DME that he will taking up the matter with the state government.

AP Junior Doctors Association president Dr. J. Jeshwanth said, We appeal to the state government that it provide better amenities to students in all government medical colleges and also revise the stipend upwards. This will free us from daily worries and enable us to provide better healthcare to patients in the state.

Among other complaints of most medical students are not having proper library facilities, reading halls and playgrounds.

A student said the government is focusing more on number of colleges than the quality of amenities it provides.
Nebraska Extension, along with Colorado State University Extension and Kansas State Extension, will be hosting a series of crop insurance workshops.

This program is open to crop insurance professionals, producers and those who wish to increase their knowledge about risk management and ability to design a risk management plan.

Topics of interest include livestock risk protection, farm bill, crop/livestock market outlook, crop insurance fraud, macro-economic trends and current climate trends.

The Nebraska workshop is planned for Oct. 19 at the Heartland Event Center in Grand Island with registration beginning at 8 a.m. and the workshop concluding at 3:30 p.m.

Registration can be completed online (https://cvent.me/R5qeL3), by phone (402-472-4923), or by mail (Crop Insurance Workshop, 102 Filley Hall, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583-0922).

For more information, contact Cory Walters, Agricultural Economist at 402-472-0366 or cwalters7@unl.edu; or online at (https://cropwatch.unl.edu/2022/crop-insurance-workshop-oct-19-grand-island

Stalk quality

This past growing season has been hard for many between replants, hail damage, heat and drought stress.

When corn plants are under stress, they will take resources from the stalk to complete grain fill. This leads to poor standability and harvest difficulties.

To determine if your corn field needs to be harvested sooner rather than later, perform the push and/or pinch test on about 100 plants per field. The push test can be done by walking up to a corn plant, placing your hand at about ear level, and pushing it out at a 30-degree angle away from your body. If the plant gives or falls over, stalk quality has been compromised.

Some people prefer the pinch test which can be done by going to one of the lowest internodes on the plant and pinching the stalk between your thumb and pointer finger. If it crushes easily, stalk quality is poor.

Be sure to prioritize which fields need to be harvested first to avoid harvest losses. While its been hard this year, lets do our best to finish strong and get as much as we can into the bin instead of leaving it in the field.

Harvest safety

Harvest is in full swing right now for many producers across the state. This is a gentle reminder to be safe out there this fall.

While harvest can be a very exciting time of year, it can also be stressful for many as equipment breaks down, rain delays happen, and long hours lead to sleep deprivation. Accidents happen so fast so please be careful. I always encourage producers to use the buddy system and know where your buddy is at all times.

Wear high visibility clothing, especially when moving equipment. Be mindful of power lines, low bridges, and overhead obstacles.

We have caught a few rains here in the couple weeks, but for many its incredibly dry and it doesnt take much to start a fire. Always carry a fire extinguisher with you  preferably one in the combine, tractor and truck  so if something ignites, the first person there is equipped to put it out before it spreads.

Avoid wearing very loose-fitting clothing as to not get caught in any moving parts accidentally. Wear good foot attire for the job and use handrails as falls happen quickly.

If youre the one putting grain in the bin for storage, wear a NIOSH approved N-95 dust mask and be mindful around augers.

Breakdowns happen, but please shut down equipment for maintenance to avoid accidental entanglement. If you have small children riding in the tractor, truck or combine with you  or they stop out for a visit at mealtime  make sure they understand the importance of safety when working around equipment.

I have very fond memories of riding along with family members at harvest time, but I also remember strong words about being aware of my surroundings around equipment. Wishing you all a safe and healthy harvest this fall!
CHI Health Clinic Neurology (St. Francis) will hosting a free educational event for the community at 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 10 at the Grand Island Public Library, 1124 W. Second St.

Understanding Epilepsy and Seizures with Neurologist Dr. Adeolu Morawo, explores the brain disorder including prevention, management and seizure first-aid.

Dr. Morawo recently joined the medical staff at St. Francis. He completed an internal medicine residency at Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, a masters in neuroscience at Yale University, New Haven, Conn., and a neurology residency at Penn State Health Medical Center, Hershey, Pa. Dr. Morawo also completed a stroke fellowship at University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, Md/. and a neurocritical care post-doctoral fellowship at Yale New Haven Hospital.

This presentation is free to the community. Pre-registration is not required. Masking and social-distancing is encouraged. For more information, CHI Health Neurology (St. Francis) at 308-398-8900.

CHI Health offering reduced-price mammogram vouchers during October

CHI Health Good Samaritan and CHI Health St. Francis will be offering reduced-rate mammogram vouchers during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Vouchers priced at $99 redeemable for a 2D mammogram and $149 redeemable for a 3D mammogram can be purchased through Oct. 31 by visiting mdsave.com/mammo. Most insurance providers, as well as Medicare, cover annual mammograms for women over 40.

Screening mammograms appointments do not need to be scheduled within the month of October, but the vouchers must be used within six months of the date of purchase. Payment will be refunded for unused vouchers.

To schedule a screening mammogram, call Good Samaritan at 308-865-7567 or St. Francis at 308-398-5588. Vouchers must be presented at the appointment.

A doctors referral is not required for screening mammograms where no signs or symptoms of disease are present. If a new lump or mass has been detected, or other early warning signs of breast cancer are noticed, contact your doctor immediately.
President Joe Biden has decided to ban Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia's economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine. The United States generally imports about 100,000 barrels a day from Russia, only about 5% of Russia's crude oil exports, according to Rystad Energy. Last year, roughly 8% of U.S. imports of oil and petroleum products came from Russia. Gas prices have been rising for weeks due to the conflict and in anticipation of potential sanctions on the Russian energy sector. The U.S. national average for a gallon of gasoline soared 45 cents a gallon in the past week and topped $4.06 on Monday, according to auto club AAA. Should the US ban Russian oil imports over Ukraine war?

You voted:
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Hurricane Ian, identified as the sixth most powerful hurricane in US history, and one of the worst to hit Florida, stimulated rapid intermittent buying of crude oil, diesel, gasoline, natural gas, orange juice, and lumber all week. After a brief hiatus, as the category 4 storm moved into the Atlantic and lost energy, the eye was aiming at the Carolinas for a somewhat milder category 1 dose of flooding and damage. Crude, heating oil, and gasoline spiked upward midweek but weakened on Friday as damage to rigs and refineries were assessed. Frozen OJ continued higher throughout the week. By late Friday, December crude was $79.00 per barrel, down roughly $3.50 from last Friday. December gasoline was $2.28 per gallon, down about 7 cents from last Friday. December diesel fuel traded at $3.13.

Wheat, the grain most impacted by the war in Ukraine, staged a huge rally, accelerating all week. That rally was also fueled by a bullish USDA report, indicating lower wheat stocks than had been expected. December wheat closed at $9.23 per bushel, whereas December corn was only up a shade at $6.78. November beans were actually down almost 80 cents on the week at $13.66.

European nations Claim Sabotage of Gas Line

The NATO Alliance warned that Russia was responsible for damage and multiple leaks from natural gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea. The pipelines run underwater from Russia to Germany and, while not being used when the damage occurred, provided a potential route for Europe to receive Russian gas this winter. The hope that will occur is now abandoned. U.S. natural gas prices showed little reaction with November gas trading at $6.79 per 10,000 MMBtus.

Answers to Last Weeks Quiz:

Commodities are physical natural resources that have been traded since 1852 in the form of futures contracts. It has been a highly efficient system providing advantages, liquidity, and uniformity for producers (such as farmers), end users, and investors. Both agricultural and industrial commodities are now traded throughout the world with Chicago remaining a major center. These are the most basic resources at the foundation of our economy and entire civilization. The futures contract system was adapted by the financial industry during the last 25 years as an efficient way to trade currencies. Stock indexes followed suit and, most recently, Bitcoin and other financial instruments have as well. Futures trading now includes both actual commodities, like grains and metals, and financial markets such as stock indexes, Bitcoin and treasury bonds traded in the form of futures contracts.
The South Carolina Governors School for Agriculture, the only residential high school in the nation devoted to agricultural education, is partnering with South Carolina State University in Orangeburg to host an informational session on learning opportunities available at the 1,310-acre school located in McCormick County.

Aggies On The Move will be held Thursday, Oct. 6, at the John Matthews Auditorium of the SC State 1890 Research & Extension, 810 Goff Ave. in Orangeburg. The program begins at 6:30 p.m., and all middle school and high school-age students and their parents are invited.

The informational session will provide potential Governors School for Agriculture students and parents with an overview of the educational programs offered at the John de la Howe campus. Attendees will have a chance to meet with school admissions personnel and student ambassadors to ask questions and discover the specifics about enrollment.

Last year, the Governors School for Agriculture and SC State University inked a partnership agreement to share in the mission of growing agricultural education in the Palmetto State. Two recent graduates of the Governors School for Agriculture now attend SC State on full scholarships as they get their education and explore career opportunities in South Carolinas largest industry.

Agriculture has a $46 billion impact on the states economy and employs more than 240,000 workers.
While Orangeburg and Calhoun counties have given the final OK to a partnership between the Regional Medical Center and the Medical University of South Carolina, the transition could take some time to reach completion.

The change will not be done overnight, Orangeburg County Administrator Harold Young said during a special, called meeting of County Council last week.

There is a process in place for the change, Young said.

Hospital employees and the public will be kept abreast of all the significant decisions and changes during the transition process, he said.

Both Young and county attorney D'Anne Haydel will be a part of the transition team and will keep council and the public abreast of any updates.

There will be a coordinated campaign for information that will be going out from MUSC and TRMC and the county as well to push out information about the process, Young said.

He added, MUSC has already been working with RMC to come up with information they will put out. They will meet with employees so everybody understands what is going on.

Haydel echoed Young.

This is a project that is involved in a heavily regulated area, Haydel said. There are licensing agencies and not just one, but several.

Sometimes people think that because something doesn't happen right away that means trouble, but it doesn't, Haydel said. This is a process. Several other counties have been through this process. It doesn't happen overnight.

Our council and Calhoun County have both set up the framework so we can complete that transaction, Haydel said. It will take time.

I hope no one panics unnecessarily.

Haydel said due diligence could slow things down in the process.

Council gave unanimous final approval Wednesday to the RMC and the MUSC partnership. The deadline was Oct. 1.

Orangeburg and Calhoun counties jointly own the hospital, and both had to approve the change. Calhoun County Council also approved the partnership.

Orangeburg County Council also appointed five individuals to the new, 11-member MUSC Health Orangeburg and Calhoun Counties board. The appointees are:

 James L. Gordon  representing the eastern end of Orangeburg County

 Dr. Yvonne Johnson  representing central Orangeburg County. Johnson is a current RMC board member and has served on the hospital's working transition group.

 Dr. Franklin C. Coulter  representing the western end of Orangeburg County. Coulter is a current member of the RMC board and has served on the hospital's working group.

 Jeannine Kees  at-large member. Kees is the vice president and broker-in-charge of The Moore Group.

 Danny Mixon  at-large member. Mixon is the founder and owner of Orangeburg's Mixon Seed Co. Inc.

Council also unanimously appointed Kathy Booker as the chief of board operations. Booker currently serves as executive assistant to the RMC president and CEO.

Council also named current RMC Chief Operating Officer Sabrina Robinson as the transition liaison to the board.

In addition to these five board members appointed by Orangeburg, Calhoun County Council appointed two at-large members: Cynthia Keller and Steve Tyson.

Two members were also appointed by the legislative delegation: Holly Hill Mayor William Johnson and LaKisha L. Warmack, first lady of Claflin University.

Johnson was chosen because of his vision and leadership skills, community involvement and experience serving on a variety of boards at the local and national level.

Warmack was chosen because of her expertise and ability as a nurse and patient educator, previous board experience, involvement in the higher education community and connection to resources.

Dr. Lucius Craig III was appointed by virtue of his position as RMCs chief of medical staff and Dr. John Samies was appointed by virtue of his position as medical staff executive committee chair.

Councilwoman Deloris Frazier requested the county recognize RMC board members for their service and inform those who applied to the new board about the status of their applications.

Young said hospital administration is planning to recognize the former trustees with plaques. Council will plan to issue proclamations honoring the service of the trustees.

In other business, council unanimously approved a proclamation recognizing Sept. 22 as American Businesswoman's Day. The day recognizes all women and the efforts of working women.

The American Business Women's Association was founded in 1949 and was recognized in 1983 and 1986 by Congressional resolution and a proclamation issued by President Ronald Reagan.

The local ABWA was established in 1981 and the EmpowerHer ABWA was established in 2018 by Orangeburg resident Rachelle Jamerson-Holmes. Jamerson-Holmes owns Rachelle's Island and Thee Matriarch Bed and Breakfast in Orangeburg.
NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday began his election campaign for the post of Congress president. He is facing party MP Shashi Tharoor from Kerala as his opponent. Kharge said he had spoken to Tharoor to have a consensus candidate but things didn't work out. The election for the Congress president will be held on October 17 and votes will be counted on October 19.

"I am starting my election campaign on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri. I have always fought and struggled for my ideology and ethics. I have been Leader of the Opposition, minister and MLA for several years. I want to fight again now and take forward those same ethics and ideology," said Kharge.

"I am not contesting solely as a Dalit leader. I am contesting as a Congress leader and will continue to do so," he said, adding that it was at the insistence of senior party leaders that he decided to fight for the party presidents post.

Giving reasons for his decision to contest for the top post of the party, Kharge said since Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi did not want to contest, he was asked by his senior colleagues to contest the elections.

"I am not fighting against anyone. I'm fighting for the ideology of the Congress. I entered the polls not to oppose anyone but to strengthen the party," he said. Mr Kharge added that, given the "one person, one post" principle of the Congress, he resigned as Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha on the day he filed the nomination.

Tharoor said he would be open to the idea of a public debate with Kharge as it would evoke people's interest in the party in a manner similar to the recent British Conservative Party leadership race. Talking about what he brings to the table, Tharoor said he has a proven and credible track record in leading at the highest levels of organisations, whether it has been at the UN or the All-India Professionals' Congress.

Tharoor said the answer to the Congress' current challenges lay in a combination of effective leadership and organisational reforms. In terms of organisational reforms, the former Union minister said, he has outlined a set of priorities that he believes can help strengthen the Congress and take on the machinery of the BJP.

"Since our current situation is widely deplored, it may be an advantage not to be burdened by the baggage of having spent too much time in the present party organisation and be able to approach it from a fresh perspective," the 66-year-old leader said.

However, Kharge said, "The status quo and the change that Mr Tharoor has been talking about will be decided by the delegates and the All India Congress Committee. One person will not be taking the calls; they'll be taken collectively."
South Carolina State University President Alexander Conyers says hes both excited and humbled to lead his alma mater.

His leadership has helped to usher in the universitys largest freshman class in more than a decade. The president is now looking at how to retain them by providing the physical, social and academic amenities they need.

He also wants to work with local government, Claflin University President Dr. Dwaun Warmack and Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College President Dr. Walt Tobin to make the community a better place to live, work and play.

When I think about the plans that we have here at South Carolina State to redevelop our dilapidated buildings on the edge of our campus, when I look at the work that Dr. Warmack next door is doing at Claflin University and when I look at the work that Dr. Tobin is doing with his workforce development, this is a great time, I believe, to be here in Orangeburg County as we all work together for the common goal, Conyers said.

I certainly have always believed in the model of one team, one fight. I believe that a rising tide lifts all boats. So Im super excited as I lead South Carolina State University, but, more importantly, Im honored and humbled to have been selected to work for and serve the students here at this great university, he said.

The president continued, South Carolina State University is an important piece of the fabric of this community, the city, this county and this state. Im happy that we co-exist with Claflin, along with Orangeburg-Calhoun Tech, as well as the businesses and citizens of this immediate area. Im very excited for the future of all of us.

Conyers became acting president in July 2021 and later interim president. The retired U.S. Army colonel was named president in April.

Facilities

Conyers believes the universitys greatest challenge is its outdated facilities.

I believe facilities have the ability to detract or deter potential students. So certainly we know that improving the current facilities that we can improve must be a priority. I understand that old doesnt mean bad. We have some old buildings obviously on our campus that we can renovate, repurpose and just make better, he said.

We will certainly do that but, at the same time, there is an urgent need for new facilities. We recognize that any new facility is at least two to three years out by the time you obtain the funding and get the approval for all of the architectural designs and things of that nature and to start the project, Conyers said.

He said the universitys Miller F. Whittaker Library is an example of an academic building that is old and outdated.

Its probably one of the oldest in South Carolinas public university system, along with our academic building, Turner Hall, which is home of our College of Education, one of our largest programs.  I really need a great assessment of Turner Hall to determine whether its feasible to really pump enough money into it to modernize it, or is it at that point that we really need a new academic building to replace Turner Hall, the president said.

He said a new dining facility is also needed on campus.

As great as the food might be in Washington Dining Hall, it is probably certainly time to build a new dining facility. My motto for my tenure is onward and upward. As we continue to grow, certainly a new dormitory is must. At least one new dormitory is an absolute must. ... Newer modern facilities will attract more students, Conyers said.

Conyers is thankful for a healthy influx of state funds that will help the university complete existing projects, including a $20 million student center expansion and a $10 million renovation of Truth Hall.

Im grateful this past year South Carolina State received its largest amount of state funding ever - $52 million. Were grateful for the elected officials in Columbia for investing more in South Carolina State this year than has been done in the past. We look forward to South Carolina State being able to again fully demonstrate our need  and hope that we can sustain the level of investment that we received this past year going forward, Conyers said.

The student center upgrade is actually two projects totaling nearly $25 million.

The university devoted $4.4 million from a 2021-22 state allocation to completely renovating the existing center. That project, which is already in the design phase, includes a new facade and upgrades/reorganization of interior spaces.

The president said, The renovation of Truth Hall will allow us to bring an additional 200 beds on line a lot faster than building a new dorm. South Carolina State, like many universities across the country, was challenged with student housing this year. ... So my intent this year was to bring in the maximum amount of students possible without having to lease local hotels.

Many universities throughout the country brought in students and theyre leasing hotels for this next year, which brings in challenges with security, transportation, maintenance, all of those things. So by doing that, we limited the number of students that we brought in. In fact, Ive been told by my enrollment team that we probably could have taken another 300 students, but we capped it and turned off accepting new students, he said.

The incoming class totals 1,147 students, including 956 first-time freshmen.

Conyers said public-private partnerships are being explored to create additional housing to handle the demands of a growing student population.

We are certainly exploring that methodology. We know that that offers a greater flexibility, and it probably allows for the more efficient way of gaining new living space on campus. All of this will be presented to the board. Something such as this would have to have board approval. Its something that the board has given me permission to look at, the president said.

Conyers will also be looking at a parking garage as a future project.

These 950 new freshmen cant have cars this year. Next year they can. We cant go out much more. So we have to go up. Probably 30 years ago, you may have had maybe one out of four students with cars, but today its probably two out of four at least, he said.

Finances

The university cannot solely rely on federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to balance its budget, Conyers said.

South Carolina State University, like many HBCUs, has been able to sustain itself through the use of CARES Act dollars. We recognize those dollars wont be there forever, Conyers said.

He said, We must ensure that every year going forward we need less of any remaining CARES Act dollars to balance our budget.

With that being said, we certainly know that student enrollment is a key indicator of our budget. ... Thats why recruiting remains such a high priority  recruiting and retention. Not just getting the students here, but retaining them, as well.

The more students the university has, the more state dollars it can receive to address deferred maintenance needs, Conyers said.

Technology

infrastructure

Conyers said the university is in the middle of conducting a deep dive analysis of its technology infrastructure with the help of Branchville-based Summers Estates LLC, a consulting company owned by Branchville native Kevin Summers.

Weve got to figure out a way  to really modernize the infrastructure of this campus. We certainly understand with limited funding that if this price tag comes in at $10 million, we certainly would not be able to absorb that at once. So we will then devise a plan, looking at those things that we must do immediately and prioritize those and fund those and then scale those out to the midterm goals and then long-term goals, Conyers said.

Im looking forward to that extensive reporting. We havent looked at that level of detail at our IT infrastructure in more than 15 years. The phone systems are still a challenge. Weve put some things in place to help mitigate it with some work cell phones that are in the work place, but many of the phones are back up and working, he said.

The president said flooding on the campus continues to be an issue when hard rains hit the city, a problem which particularly affects the universitys outdated phone system.

We know that this problem isnt just a South Carolina State problem. In fact, there was a meeting a day before a flood that encompassed everybody countywide: county leaders, state leaders and federal leaders from the Corps of Engineers that are looking at what happens to this area when it rains extensively, Conyers said.

My number one priority now is trying to take all of our phone systems to the cloud, where were no longer dependent on the cables and the wiring that may be affected as a lot of these things are underground, he said.

Safety

Adding lighting, call boxes and approximately 700 new cameras are part of the presidents efforts to improve campus safety.

Not only that, but were working closely with the Claflin University Police Department, the city and the sheriffs department for the safety of our students on and off campus, as well as the community around the universities, Conyers said.

Were looking forward to initiating a joint community policing partnership, where all of the entities will work more closely together in joint patrols. We will establish a headquarters at the corner of Buckley and Goff streets at a South Carolina State University-owned property, where these entities (can meet) when they need to have meetings. ... That headquarters will give us space to work together in a joint environment, he said.

Approximately half of the cameras have been installed and call boxes are in the process of being replaced.

Were installing 15 or so new call boxes throughout campus in those areas that our site survey indicated would be the best location based on the number of people that access those areas at different times. Were replacing current bulbs with LED lighting, which provides a brighter view and then looking at working with the city (Department of Public Utilities) in certain places to install new lighting in certain areas of the campus, Conyers said.

The university also recently hired six campus safety officers.

They dont have police authority, but they allow the police to focus on those things that are true police activities. They serve as the eyes and ears of our police: patrolling parking lots; assisting students, faculty and staff with lockouts and opening dorms, or opening buildings with keys, he said.

Academics

The university has not conducted an academic program review in at least 15 years, but a good hard look is being made now, the president said.

I believe we owe it to our students, we owe it to the taxpayers to make hard decisions going forward about the programs that we currently have. Are they sustainable? Are there programs that are very, very important to the nation, but the students that come to South Carolina State may not be interested in those programs?

Dr. (Frederick) Evans, our provost, is in the midst of having completed a study that will look at all of our academic programs and make an assessment of those that are meeting the CHEs productivity criteria, Conyers said, referring to the Commission on Higher Education.

Whether thats health care, whether thats supply chain management, we will let the data drive those decisions and not personal feelings because you have a sentimental attachment to it, he said.
South Carolina State University is launching a Cybersecurity Leadership Center in a collaboration with IBM, giving SC State students and faculty access to evolving technology and personnel in the growing field of protecting information.

"South Carolina State University has a number of cybersecurity programs aimed at preparing next generation cybersecurity leaders through education, research, outreach, and collaborations, said Dr. Nikunja Swain, chair and professor of SC States Computer Science and Mathematics Department. We have ongoing collaborations with academia and industry, and this Cybersecurity Leadership Center builds upon our existing relationship with IBM through the IBM SkillsBuildprogram.

SCSU to offer BS in cybersecurity in fall South Carolina State University will offer a bachelors degree in the rapidly growing field of cybersecurity beginning with the fall semester 

SC State is host to one of 20 Cybersecurity Leadership Centers that IBM is developing with historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to fill the need for trained personnel. In 2021, IBM Chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna pledged for IBM to partner with HBCUs to establish Cybersecurity Leadership Centers, with the goal of building a more diverse U.S. cyber workforce.

The opportunity arrived as SC State began offering a full bachelors degree in cybersecurity this fall semester in addition to the minor already in place. Since 2019, SC State has been a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education by the National Security Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

SC State was one of six HBCUs that IBM initially announced as partners in the SkillsBuild effort last spring. On Wednesday, another 14 partnerships were announced, bringing the total to 20 in 11 states. Voorhees University became South Carolinas second HBCU in the program after SC State.

Voorhees part of grant to support minorities in cyber security, computer science DENMARK  Voorhees College is part of the 2022 South Carolina Relentless Challenge grant program, Expanding SC Underrepresented Minorities Foo

Swain said IBM provides no-cost access to SC State students and faculty to customized cybersecurity curricula, innovative learning access to real world simulated cyber-attacks, access to multiple Software as a Service (SaaS) models in the IBM Cloud, and opportunities for faculty to consult with IBM cybersecurity personnel.

This will help us to provide our students with practical skills and experience needed to be successful in ever changing landscape of cybersecurity, Swain said.

Jordan Brown graduated from SC State in May with a degree in computer science, but he stayed on this fall to be one of the first Bulldogs to complete a bachelors degree in cybersecurity.

The software and courses that IBM have brought to SC State has helped both my academic and professional career tremendously, Brown said. I had the honor of earning an IBM Data Science Practitioner's and Design Thinking Badge through the partnership here on campus.

IBM offers modules that break down subjects that are usually too hard to understand studying independently into interactive projects and real-world situations that relate the information to what we may experience after college. Since I earned the badges, hiring interests have increased tremendously due to the use of data scientists across almost every career field.

I believe maintaining a partnership with IBM and SCSU will continue to allow IT and STEM students to acquire extra skills needed to get an edge in such a competitive field of work, Brown said.

IBM staff visited the SC State campus in July for a series of workshops intended to make sure the center brings the best benefit to faculty and students at SC State. IBMs relationship with SC State has included deployment of assets in the student labs over $1 million in estimated value. Faculty also have been being trained to teach students to use the assets maintained by IBM subject matter experts.

With 500,000 unfilled cybersecurity jobs in the U.S., the need for expertise is critical. According to a recent IBM Security study, insufficiently staffed organizations average $550,000 more in breach costs than those that state they are sufficiently staffed.

Collaborations between academia and the private sector can help students prepare for success. Thats especially true for HBCUs because their mission is so vital, said Justina Nixon-Saintil, vice president, IBM Corporate Social Responsibility and ESG. The Cybersecurity Leadership Centers were co-creating with Historically Black College and Universities epitomize our commitment to the Black community and STEM education; it also builds on our pledge to train 150,000 people in cybersecurity over three years.

JROTC cadets get drone training at SCSU STEM camp Flying a drone was nothing new to JROTC Cadet Joseph Soto, but practicing his skills on the South Carolina State University campus got him thi

IBM Cybersecurity Leadership Centers

Alabama  Alabama A&M University, Talladega College, Tuskegee University

Florida  Edward Waters University, Florida A&M University

Georgia  Albany State University, Clark Atlanta University

Louisiana  Grambling State University, Southern University System, Xavier University of LA

Maryland  Bowie State University, Morgan State University

Mississippi  Alcorn State University

North Carolina  North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University

South Carolina  South Carolina State University, Voorhees University

Texas  Texas Southern University

Virginia  Norfolk State University

West Virginia  West Virginia State University.
FORT MYERS, Fla.  Dozens of Florida residents left their flooded and splintered homes by boat and by air on Saturday as rescuers continued to search for survivors in the wake of Hurricane Ian, while authorities in South Carolina and North Carolina began taking stock of their losses.
USGS geologist and the founding scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Robert (Bob) Christiansen passed away on Sept. 15, 2022, in Palo Alto, California. Bob, or Chris, as his colleagues and friends often called him, leaves a legacy of scientific achievement, articulate writing and a warm and humble personality that endeared him to all. He received his PhD from Stanford University and then began working at the USGS in 1961. He initially worked for 10 years in the Denver, Colorado, office and then in the Menlo Park, California, office. He retired in 2003 but remained an active emeritus scientist until his death.

Bob was part of a USGS group that was tasked in 1965 with creating a comprehensive geologic map of the young volcanic rocks in Yellowstone. The study was funded mainly by NASA as a test area to compare with images captured by satellites from space. Bob and his colleagues tried to understand when and how the volcano erupted, how much magma was vented and where it went. From 1966 to 1971, Bob and USGS colleagues (mainly Dick Blank) spent the summer months in Yellowstone carrying out field work and mapping. In other times of the year, they analyzed aerial photographs, scrutinized the rocks they sampled, measured the chemical composition of the rocks and determined their ages. The work lasted long beyond the initial field seasons as Bob and his collaborators worked to understand the complex geologic history of the region.

The results of these monumental efforts were published in a 2001 USGS Professional Paper that is a comprehensive description of the volcanic history of Yellowstone and a geologic map of the Yellowstone Plateau. Bob also led the publication of a 2007 USGS report titled Preliminary Assessment of Volcanic and Hydrothermal Hazards in Yellowstone National Park and Vicinity.

Bob recognized that three large explosive eruptions were associated with formation of calderas 2.08, 1.30, and 0.63 million years ago. Bob also published two journal papers, in 1984 and in 1991 (mainly with USGS colleague Wes Hildreth), that describe in great detail the chemical and isotopic composition of Yellowstones volcanic rocks. With USGS colleagues led by Gordon Eaton, Bob co-authored a 1975 journal paper that used multiple datasets to identify magma beneath Yellowstone.

Although very well known for his work in Yellowstone, Bob also contributed fundamental advances to our understanding of volcanoes throughout the United States. In the early part of his career, Bob published several papers with USGS colleague Peter Lipman on volcanism in Southern Nevada as part of the Department of Energy efforts to develop the Nevada Test Site northwest of Las Vegas. Bob and Peter also published seminal papers on volcanism and plate-tectonic evolution of the Western United States in the Cenozoic period, which began about 66 million years ago and extends to the present. Between 1971 and 1973, Bob was stationed at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, where he investigated explosive eruptions at Kilauea Volcano, including the tragic base surge in 1790 (which killed several hundred Hawaiians) with USGS colleague Don Swanson, and violent hydromagmatic eruptions that left extensive deposits in the volcanos summit region.

Bob was the chief scientist for monitoring and scientific analysis of the 1980 eruption at Mount St. Helens in Washington, where he detailed the chronology of eruptive activity. His work in the Cascades was not solely restricted to Mount St. Helens. With USGS colleague C. Dan Miller between 1973 and 1977, Bob mapped and studied the voluminous and long-lived Mount Shasta in Northern California. In the 1980s he returned to study its large sector collapse, which was only conclusively identified after the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption left deposits that closely resembled those at Mount Shasta.

In the 1990s and after retirement, he expanded his mapping east to connect with USGS colleague Julie Donnelly-Nolans mapping at Medicine Lake volcano. With USGS colleagues, in 2002 he published a detailed study of the remarkable Shastina eruptive phase of Mount Shasta  an episode that might have lasted 200 years during which the entire Shastina cone grew on the west shoulder of the volcano, and the Black Butte dome formed on the volcanos west flank. With USGS colleague Mike Clynne he also worked to better understand the details of the 1915 eruption of Lassen Peak.

Bob Christiansen will be remembered by his many colleagues and friends as insightful and meticulous in his many scientific investigations. In addition to his incredible scientific achievements, Bob served in several management positions at the USGS. He was the coordinator of the USGS Geothermal Research Program between 1976 and 1979, and he served as chief of the USGS Branch of Igneous and Geothermal Processes between 1987 and 1991.

Bobs comprehensive research at Yellowstone is the foundation for our current understanding of the volcanic, earthquake and hydrothermal systems of Yellowstone. It is taught in every evening lesson by a ranger and written in every pamphlet and book on geology handed out in the park visitor centers. Bob fondly described his years of research at Yellowstone in a 2009 interview that is available online (https://www.usgs.gov/media/videos/inside-usgs-no-1-robert-christiansen-yellowstone). He will be sorely missed by everyone who knew him, and we are better scientists and people, and know far more about the volcanoes of the United States, thanks to his wisdom, mentorship and dedication.
BRIDGER, Mont. (AP)  An evacuation warning is in place for residents near the small town of Bridger in south-central Montana after a train derailed and two cars carrying petroleum ruptured and leaked, authorities said Saturday.

BNSF Railway Co. said there were no injuries, and crews are working with local officials and hazardous-materials responders to safely clear the site.

The derailment of the southbound train occurred on a curving portion of the track about half a mile east of the small town of Bridger, population of about 660. The town is about 45 miles southwest of Billings.

Two of the derailed cars were compromised and leaked gasoline, said BNSF spokesman Ben Wilemon in an email to The Associated Press. The cause of the derailment is under investigation.

Officials didn't give an estimate on how much gasoline leaked from the compromised cars or when cleanup might be complete.

Authorities said that about 15 cars derailed not long after midnight local time. Four of the derailed cars contained petroleum. Officials said the train had more than 100 cars, and it was also moving coal, sorghum and particle board.

The tracks in that area in some portions run near the meandering Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River.

Maggie Karas, Carbon County Disaster and Emergency Services spokeswoman, said the river wasn't affected.

Emergency responders from multiple agencies initially responded to the scene. Heavy equipment has been brought in to clear the tracks. Cars that stayed on the tracks were being moved north Saturday afternoon away from the derailment.

Officials have closed several roads in the sparsely populated area north of the Wyoming border and are asking people to stay away.

We just ask the public to avoid the area to allow workers to safely mitigate the situation, Karas said.
Jacksons town council met last month to mull over ideas for amending its restrictions on short-term rentals  which some worry are eating into the towns already beleaguered housing stock.

Council members reasoned further restrictions could free up more units for the valleys residents, who are already contending with the highest housing costs in Wyoming.

Morgan Bruemmer, who works for a luxury vacation rental agency in Jackson, wasnt sure the towns short-term rental problem is as bad as its made out to be. Even if it was, he had doubts further restrictions were the right way to deal with it, he told council members.

Then, a word of caution: should Jackson proceed with the changes, Bruemmer said, rumor has it state lawmakers would try to bring a bill to ban local short-term rental rules altogether.

I dont think any of us wants to see that happen, he said.

***

Jackson is the black sheep of Wyoming.

Housing solutions The Casper Star-Tribune earned a grant from Solutions Journalism Network earlier this year to explore labor and workforce issues in Wyoming. This Sunday package is part of a broader look at solutions for the difficulties in finding housing for workers in northwest Wyoming.

Its dramatically wealthier than the rest of the state  the richest county in the country, in fact. Its world-class tourism and hospitality have people fighting to buy second and third homes there.

There is so much wealth in the valley that its almost immune to cycles in the way that the boom-and-bust economy around oil and gas wouldnt be, said University of Wyoming economist Rob Godby.

But theres only so much real estate to go around; the valley is surrounded by federal lands, which are protected from development.

Global pressure on Jacksons housing market has sent prices skyrocketing, especially since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Its hard to think of anywhere else in the Mountain West  or even in North America  that compares, Godby said.

It probably reminds me more of an economy like Monaco, he said. Its surrounded by cliffs, and is this ocean enclave that was originally this tiny little fishing village.

Those who earn their living in the valley just cant compete. In addition to hospitality and tourism workers, teachers, policemen, medical techs and even doctors can find it difficult to live there. Fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Teton County was $1,408 at the end of the 2022 fiscal year, compared to $856 in Casper, according to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development data.

Then theres the politics: Its by far the most left-leaning place in Wyoming. While there are pockets of liberalism in towns like Laramie and Lander, theyre overall more moderate than Teton County.

Being a blue county, theres broad support for big-government housing solutions. An economy this unusual, local leaders reason, warrants restrictions.

But it hasnt been enough, said April Norton, the countys affordable housing director.

Last year, town and county officials agreed to give the Jackson/Teton County Affordable Housing Department $13 million toward its projects  an unprecedented amount of money, the Jackson Hole News&Guide reported.

In another Wyoming community, that $13 million might go a long way. Not in Jackson. Recently, a 5-acre plot of land came up for sale in the middle of town. Its right on a bus route, close to schools and offices, a grocery store and the library.

The perfect place for the department to put a new housing project, in other words, Norton said. But the asking price is $35.5 million.

Where do you get that kind of money?

The state of Wyoming is one answer. Then again, the politics of Teton County and the politics of the Wyoming Legislature are very different. Local leaders worry about a conservative statehouse getting involved in their affairs.

A note on housing terms While people often use the terms interchangeably, Teton County and Jackson use the following definitions for "workforce" and "affordable housing": The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development considers housing "affordable" when a household spends no more than 30% of its income on housing costs.

Teton County's affordable homes are intended to serve households earning less than or equal to 120% of their area median income  a metric calculated by HUD every April. As of 2022, the area median income for a two-person household in Teton County was roughly $133,000, for example.

calculated by HUD every April. As of 2022, the area median income for a two-person household in Teton County was roughly $133,000, for example. Teton County's "workforce housing" program offers deed-restricted units to households who make above 120% of the county's area median income, but cannot afford to buy a market-rate home. At least one member of the household must work full-time for a local business to qualify for workforce housing, among other requirements.

Lawmakers from other parts of the state, as Bruemmer warned, arent afraid to step in when Teton County does something they dont agree with.

In 2020, for example, the statehouse considered six bills to override local zoning rules in Teton County, according to WyoFile.

Its just such a unique county that kind of presses the bounds of our laws a lot, said Rep. Dan Zwonitzer, a moderate Republican lawmaker from Cheyenne.

That relationship leaves Teton County in the curious position of feeling both smothered and ignored. Teton officials feel the statehouse cares little about their problems  and when it does, that it often gets in the way of solving them.

Wyomings Mountain West neighbor may offer clues for how to break the stalemate. Idaho just launched a $50 million workforce housing program. Its the first time that state has ever set aside money for such an effort.

Until a few years ago, with the exception of our resort communities, if you asked people, What are the top three issues of concern in your community, very few people would have listed housing, said Nicki Olivier Hellenkamp, housing advisor to Boise Mayor Lauren McLean.

But times, it appears, have changed.

***

Idaho, like Wyoming, is a staunchly conservative, largely rural Mountain West state.

While some resort towns lean left, Idahos legislature is overwhelmingly Republican. Before the pandemic, housing issues werent a priority for its statehouse.

Then rents in Idaho jumped 45% from March 2020 to July of 2022, representing the largest increase in the nation.

The state wasnt sure what to do about it  or even how to talk about it, Olivier Hellenkamp said.

Suddenly weve got this issue area where there isnt a ton of public conversation around already, she said. That infrastructure to support those conversations hasnt been built.

The state wouldnt have gotten anywhere without more discussion and collaboration, she said. The problem is just too complicated.

There isnt any one entity that holds all of the power to fix it, right? Olivier Hellenkamp said. None of us actually have the power to flip a switch and fix something.

Those conversations build partnerships, she said, and those partnerships then build solutions.

Leaders need to be shown impact, though  not just need. Boise, for example, recently worked with a developer on a new affordable housing project. Members of Idahos State Legislature were invited to tour the building.

Being able to see, OK, this is a two-bedroom unit, and the family pays x number of dollars a month for it  it really helps to bring the conversation out of the clouds, said Olivier Hellenkemp.

Data also had an important role to play, said Vanessa Fry, interim director of the Idaho Policy Institute at Boise State.

A year or so ago, Fry was at a meeting with Idaho Gov. Brad Little, and the two struck up a conversation about housing.

He was trying to figure out if Idaho should use some of its American Rescue Plan Act money to address the states ongoing shortages, Fry said.

Little was familiar with housing problems in the Boise region and the states resort communities. But the governor, who brands himself as an opponent of unnecessary spending and government overreach, wanted to see the bigger picture before deciding anything.

One of the questions that the governor had was, How pervasive is housing instability across the state? Fry said. He felt it important if the state was going to invest in housing that the whole state had access to those funds.

So the Idaho Policy Institute gathered, analyzed and published data on things like population growth, home values, household income and evictions. Its all published on the institutes online data dashboard.

Researchers discovered that, in every county, a striking number of households spent more than 30% of their monthly income on housing.

Thats kind of my trigger for housing insecurity, Fry said.

Following the launch of that dashboard, Idahos legislature agreed to devote $50 million in American Rescue Plan Act money to combat housing shortages.

Idaho is using the funds to sweeten its federal low-income housing tax credits, which are used to incentivize the development of affordable housing.

The state estimates the money could provide up to 1,000 new units for low- to middle-income workers.

Its not as if Idaho has it all figured out, Fry wrote in an email to the Star-Tribune. But its a huge recognition from the statehouse that housing is an issue that must be addressed, she said.

***

Teton County already knows how to collaborate on the local level.

Before 2016, the countys housing department served as a developer on top of its other responsibilities. But it backed away from the role to free up development money for nonprofit and private-sector agencies to use. The department now focuses on facilitating partnerships between developers, the town and the county.

Norton, the countys affordable housing director, called the strategy a huge success.

Jackson/Teton County was one of the first places to really  especially in our Mountain West, sort of gateway communities  to focus and shift to working that way, she said.

But if Idaho is any indication, itll take statewide teamwork to make statewide change.

Outside the statehouse and a few committee meetings throughout the year, there arent a lot of opportunities for conversations about housing policy in Wyoming.

Organizations around the state are trying to do something about that.

The Wyoming Association of Municipalities this year hosted Norton and other leaders to talk about housing struggles in their communities, for instance.

We were all talking about essentially the same thing: lack of affordable and workforce housing for people who are employed locally, but cant figure out how to live in whatever town theyre in, Norton said. Its anecdotal, but my experience has been that were certainly talking a lot more than we used to be.

Wyomings Habitat for Humanity affiliates have also been part of the push. They just hosted their first statewide conference Sept. 23 in Casper.

At the end of the day, attendees held a brainstorming session while Dan Dorsch, special projects coordinator for Habitat for Humanity of Laramie County, took notes on a whiteboard.

How, they asked, can Habitat for Humanity be better about communicating with the state leaders about housing issues?

We need to be more strategic, offered one member. Habitat affiliates need to have the same message.

Data is another area where Teton County leads the rest of the state  the Jackson/Teton County Affordable Housing Department publishes a goldmine of housing research each year. Its been critical to guiding the valleys housing policies, Norton said.

Other cities  including Cheyenne, Laramie and Sheridan  have all commissioned detailed studies on their housing markets, too.

State and federal agencies also periodically collect and publish data on things like rents, home prices and vacancy rates, often at the county level. Those reports can lack nuance, however  sometimes theyre only published annually or every few years.

Overall, as was the case with Idaho, theres not much detailed, easily accessible and up-to-date housing data on Wyomings smaller communities. The bigger picture is still missing.

Filling in those blanks could go a long way in advancing conversations about proposed housing solutions.

A data dashboard like Idahos would be a heavy lift for Wyoming, no doubt. But there are ways to take smaller, more manageable steps to this end.

The Wyoming Association of Municipalities recently polled its 98 member communities on a wide range of housing issues. The survey, while informal, shows just how severe the problem is getting in even rural areas; almost every community reported housing shortages of some kind. Many said low supply and high prices were impacting their ability to recruit and retain businesses and employees.

Early conversations about housing around the state appear to be making their mark  three state legislative committees this year are discussing policy changes geared at housing issues. The statehouse may see some of those proposals during the 2023 legislative session, which begins in January.

***

If Wyoming follows Idahos example, what of the ideological differences between Teton County and the statehouse?

Even if the two get on the same page about the severity of Wyomings housing problems, theyll likely clash over what to do about it. And neither Teton County nor the statehouse are likely to change the others mind.

Theres at least one way they might agree to disagree: the state could give Teton more local control.

One bill proposal in particular  the county-optional real estate transfer tax  has long been the face of this push.

The most recent iteration of the bill would given counties the ability to tax all real estate transfers above $1.5 million by 1%. That could bring Teton County millions in additional revenue a year.

Proponents pitch the idea as a way to keep both sides happy: Teton County would get more ammunition to manage its housing crisis the way it wants, without requiring much work from the state.

Jackson Vice Mayor Arne Jorgensen compared the proposal to energy taxes. If Wyoming can make money off coal, oil and gas production, shouldnt Teton County be able to tax real estate sales  which is practically its own natural resource?

Just let us do the same thing the rest of the state has done successfully for 50, 60, 70 years, he said.

In theory, more local control could free up resources for other Wyoming communities, too.

Consider the national low-income housing tax credit.

Each state gets a certain amount of credits from the federal program per year. With Teton County in the equation, its hard for Wyoming to distribute them fairly, Jorgensen said. The need in the valley is just so high.

We just suck the oxygen out of it, he said.

Though local control sounds like something that would be popular in a red state like Wyoming, the county-optional real estate tax bill has faced steep opposition in the statehouse. (The latest version of the bill failed its introductory vote during the 2022 legislative session.)

Many Republican lawmakers are staunchly anti-tax, and will fundamentally oppose giving local governments the option of pursuing new revenue sources. Conservative groups have pushed politicians to sign anti-tax pledges, and in a state with few places that have relatively equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats, the fear of losing a primary to a more conservative challenger hovers in the background of most policy conversations.

Thats unlikely to change anytime soon. Based on Wyomings primary election in August, the statehouse is expected to move farther right next year.

Here, Idaho can also offer some food for thought.

Like Wyoming, theres very little support for taxation there. It doesnt tax real estate transfers, though a county-optional real estate tax bill has been floated there before.

We certainly have members of our legislature who feel strongly that the government doesnt have a role in this, that it needs to be left to the private market, Olivier Hellenkamp, the Boise housing advisor, said. But I think from our perspective, the private market isnt going to correct this in the manner and on the timeline that it needs to be addressed.

Idahos struck an interesting middle ground with its resort communities.

In 1978, its legislature passed a bill allowing a handful of the states resort communities a local option tax. In all, 116 jurisdictions have access to the local option tax, which allows them to collect 3% in sales tax. (Idahos regular statewide sales tax is 6%.)

Wyoming, by comparison, has a state sales tax of 4%, and all local governments can add to that by up to 2%. That means, overall, resort towns in Idaho can still pull in more tax revenue than anywhere in Wyoming.

But theyve only ever used the local option tax to pay for things like infrastructure and transportation, said Olivier Hellenkamp  and have showed resistance toward using it for housing.

This year, Ketchum  a resort town with about 2,400 residents  had a ballot measure to fund affordable housing projects with a local option tax. The proposal failed by about 7%.

***

James Hendershott lives just to the west of the Wyoming-Idaho border. Since June, hes worked for a bike shop in Victor, which is viewed as a more affordable alternative to Jackson.

Hes there for the mountains.

I need a big playground, he said. Im an endurance cyclist. So I dont need just 20 miles of trails  I need hundreds of miles of trails, I need hundreds of miles of dirt roads.

Hendershott doesnt have a lease, and he doesnt pay rent. His employer rents an undeveloped 5-acre lot where he can park his camper for free. Its a great deal, he said.

Itd be nice to live somewhere with four walls and reliable heat and utilities. But in this housing market, Hendershott said, its just not realistic.

In other words, hes exactly the kind of person who stands to gain from Idahos $50 million workforce housing program. And the kind of person housing advocates in Jackson want Wyomings statehouse to help.

He hadnt heard of the new Idaho program.

Given how severe the need is, its hard to be optimistic about it, Hendershott admitted. But its a start.

Its never too little too late, right? he said. The problem is still being addressed.
Last month, a group of lawyers sent Trump-endorsed Republican nominee for U.S. House Harriet Hageman a letter imploring her to refrain from claiming the 2020 presidential election was rigged.

Following her vitriolic public response to that letter  which she characterized as threatening  the group decided to send Hageman another.

The second memo, delivered on Friday, had 52 signatories  including former Wyoming GOP Chairman Jack Speight, former attorney general Patrick Crank and three past presidents of the Wyoming State Bar.

As was your right, you chose not to respond to us directly but to instead publish our letter on your campaign website and to characterize it as a threat, presumably to garner further support from election deniers for your political campaign, it says. While we were pleased to see that you did not repeat your false statement that the 2020 Presidential election was rigged, we were disappointed that you continue to make vague statements about its legitimacy.

In August, Hageman said publicly for the first time that she believed the 2020 presidential was rigged to make sure that President Trump could not get reelected.

What happened in 2020 is a travesty, she said. It should never happen again. We need to make sure our elections are free and fair.

Hageman went on to beat the incumbent Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney by nearly 40 points in a closely-watched primary election. Cheneys vote to impeach Trump, as well as her role on the Jan. 6 committee, made her a target of the former president. Hageman was Trumps choice to oust Cheney from Wyomings lone House seat.

Last month, 41 lawyers signed and sent a letter to Hageman telling her that these comments serve to undermine public confidence in the outcome of our last presidential election and were contrary to at least the spirit, if not the letter of the oath take when admitted to the Wyoming bar.

The lawyers asked that Hageman distance herself from election deniers and refrain from making any more statements questioning the 2020 election.

We hope that you will take our concerns to heart, and that all your actions in the days ahead will serve to uphold the Rule of Law and its cousin  Fact-based Truth  in accordance with the very highest standards of a Wyoming lawyer, the first letter said.

In a public response to the letter posted to her campaign website, Hageman said the lawyers barely disguised their threat to file a bar complaint against her for exercising her 1st Amendment right to free speech.

The second letter to Hageman addresses this point, saying that the previous message was neither sent to the the State Bars disciplinary counsel nor meant as a threat to do so.

But exercising our freedom of speech and taking a position publicly, challenging what she did and what she said, lets the people make the ultimate decision, Speight, who was chairman of the Wyoming GOP in the 70s, told the Star-Tribune.

Speight didnt sign the first letter but decided to join the group for the second letter after Crank, the former attorney general, asked him if he would be interested in doing so. He noted that he doesnt speak for the perspectives of other lawyers who signed the letter. The Star-Tribune reached out to multiple other signatories but did not hear back from them by deadline.

The Wyoming State Bar did, however, decline in July to investigate a complaint against Hageman filed by attorney Darby Hoggatt, Wyofile reported. That complaint cites a televised June debate between Hageman and Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney where Hageman appeared to support the Coup that former President Trump attempted on January 6, 2021, per the words of Hoggatt.

If a Wyoming attorney supports the overthrow of our democracy, how can she maintain her license to practice law? he questioned in the complaint.

The complaint, as well as the September letter sent by the group of lawyers to Hageman, point to former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, whose license to practice law in New York was suspended for similar claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged.

Theres an important distinction between Hageman and Giulianis situation, however; Giuliani made those claims in court while he was acting in his capacity as a lawyer. Hageman, on the other hand, was speaking at a campaign event. That was also the only instance to date where Hageman made those claims in public.

University of Utah law professor Bob Keiter, an expert on the Constitution, previously told the Star-Tribune that courts have been very protective of what they call political speech.

In her statement denouncing the first letter, Hageman took a different tone than her August remarks.

Instead of asserting that the election was rigged, Hageman said in her statement that there remain serious questions about that election, including hundreds of millions of dollars spent by Mark Zuckerberg to commandeer local elections offices in Democrat precincts, and the fact that a Pennsylvania court ruled that their states mail-in voting law is unconstitutional.

The recent letter notes that courts found the more than 60 lawsuits filed across the country attempting to overturn the 2020 elections to be factually or legally insufficient, and that the judges presiding over those cases followed legal processes for coming to that conclusion.

Irrespective of who the judges were, there was a process the judges were required to follow, there were laws that the judges were required to apply, and there was proof that had to be made, it says.

When that process was followed, and all of the evidence was presented, and all of the arguments were made on both sides of the issues, and all of the laws were applied, and all of the appeals had been taken, all courts, acting independently of each other, reached the same conclusionwhich was there were no violations of election laws or fraud that caused the election results to be wrong or would require the election to be voided or require voting to be conducted all over again.

The letter also says the lawyers were taken aback by Hagemans statement that their views were those of leftist elites, as the group is made up of people from different political parties who have switched affiliations over the years as their views and political parties have evolved. It points out that Hageman has also changed politically over the years; she was not always a Trump supporter, and actually backed his main rival for the GOP nomination Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the 2016 presidential primaries. Hageman was also once a Cheney ally.

Speight, who identifies as a conservative Republican, said that political leanings are certainly not what the lawyers in the group have in common and that, in fact, it was an unusual group to come together.

This is the first time Im aware of that Im seeing a group of professionals with varying political persuasion take issue with a candidates honesty, he told the Star-Tribune.
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.
The richest county in the United States is struggling to keep up with rising demand for housing for the workers that keep it running.

For decades, real estate prices have risen in Teton County as the nations wealthy flock to the area. But the spread of remote work, and a booming second-home market, have exploded prices even more in the last few years.

In 2021, the real estate market in the valley hit a new high  nearly $3 billion in sales in a year, according to the realtor-tracked Jackson Hole Report.

But the people buying those properties still need workers to make and serve their food, operate their ski lifts and keep the area running. In a millionaires market, those workers often find themselves scrambling for housing they can afford on non-millionaire wages.

Getting housing built for workers in the area has been a yearslong joint effort between private businesses and local governments, often spurred and supported by nonprofits.

Though public-private partnerships and shifting regulations have helped greenlight some workforce housing projects, demand for those units still far exceeds the areas supply. And while rents for those rooms tend to be lower than market rates, theyre still out of reach for many.

Housing mitigation

Housing mitigation  basically, requirements for developers to build a certain amount of affordable housing when building new projects  has been in place since the mid-90s.

Its been incredibly successful in allowing us to preserve much of our community, Jackson Vice Mayor Arne Jorgensen said. We currently have over 1,400 to 1,500 restricted units in our community, many of those due to those regulations.

I just cringe at what this community would look like if (those) 1,400 to 1,500 units did not exist today, he said.

Before 2018, Teton County enforced whats called inclusionary zoning. Basically, for any new houses being built on subdivided land, every fourth home had to satisfy the requirements for affordable housing, according to county affordable housing director April Norton.

In 2018, the county switched to its current employee generation model. Developers for new builds  whether thats new condos, a high-end hotel or a new restaurant  are required to build or pay for a certain amount of workforce housing units to compensate for the resident jobs created by the new development.

And it goes so far as to say, This is how much money these employees likely earn, Norton said. And its everything from, This new hotel will generate the need for one-and-a-half more policemen, or This new hotel will generate the equivalent of five full-time housekeepers, or so on.

The switch to employee generation means that now, both commercial and residential developers have to chip in to address the worker housing crisis in the Jackson area.

Public-private partnerships

To speed up development of low-cost housing, in 2016 the countys housing department declassified itself as a developer to free up development money for nonprofit and private-sector agencies to use.

The action plan really said ... were going to pivot to really focusing on public-private partnerships, Norton said.

According to Norton, who started working at the Jackson/Teton County Affordable Housing Department right after it stopped acting as a developer, the change lessened the risk the county was taking on these developments while incentivizing those building in the area anyway.

Nonprofits including Habitat for Humanity and the Jackson Hole Community Land Trust are now joined by developers looking to make money building housing in one of the hottest markets in the country.

Jackson/Teton County was one of the first places to really  especially in our Mountain West, sort of gateway communities  to focus and shift to working that way, she said.

Workforce vs. affordable housing

Workforce housing is generally cheaper to build than government-subsidized affordable units, which typically need millions in taxpayer money to get off the ground.

And new developments can mix workforce (and affordable) units with market-rate units, making projects relatively more profitable  and therefore attractive to developers  on the whole.

Workforce housing caters to people who make too much to qualify for affordable units (starting around $104,000 for a multi-earner household) but not enough to afford market-rate housing.

Without those designated units, local workers would never be able to compete with all the millionaires and billionaires moving to Teton County, Jorgensen said.

If you earn your living within our local economy, you will always be outbid when it comes to land and housing.

On the rental side, Teton County residents must meet a few requirements for affordable or workforce housing. At least one person in a household has to work an average of at least 30 hours a week for at least a year and make 75% of their income in the county. They also cant own residential real estate within 150 miles of the valley.

Renting one of those units also means you have to get approval from the county to sublet a room, cant have guests for more than 30 total days a year and have to stay in the home for at least 80% of your lease term.

Remaining problems

But, as workers packing into small apartments or living in their cars will tell you, current policies and regulations arent solving the housing problem for local employees.

Since the Jackson area is surrounded by virtually untouchable federal lands that are off limits to new developments, options are limited for new builds.

The land is a huge part of what brings people to the valley, University of Wyoming economist Rob Godby said, but it also makes the growth needed to sustain the working population extremely difficult.

When your greatest asset is natural amenities, and what we call natural capital, its often very difficult to manage these things, because development implies that you undermine some of that natural capital, Godby said.

And, though there are new developments being greenlit to serve workforce housing needs, they can often still be too expensive for many in the fast-growing service and hospitality industry. Even so, demand is extremely high for what is available  the Jackson Hole News&Guide reported that earlier this year, more than 100 people responded to a listing for five rentals within a day of their listing.

Local housing advocates have tried pushing for statewide changes that would help the situation  allowing Teton County to exceed the states maximum 6% sales tax, for example, or enacting a real estate transfer tax that would generate more revenue from multi-million-dollar property sales.

But as those proposals are shot down, theyre hoping to at least win more local control to enact housing regulations that can help sustain the workforce in the long run.
CHEYENNE  Wyomings new court system went online 10 months ago.

The chancery court is in operation with a clerk, two judges and assorted staff, all located in the Wyoming Supreme Court quarters in Cheyenne.

At some point, a permanent judge will be appointed to oversee the system and the court will be moved into office space in the equally new Thyra Thomson state office building.

The clerk of the new court, Ben Burningham, who also is chief counsel and director, said last week in a phone interview that officials hope to get furniture for the new court quarters this month.

The judicial appointments for the new court, he said, will be handled the same way they are now for the district and circuit courts.

The Judicial Nominating Commission will present the names of three nominees to the governor who selects the new judge from that list.

Two Wyoming district court judges experienced in business litigation  Steven Sharpe in Cheyenne and Richard L. Lavery, Green River  are handling chancery court cases until a full time judge is installed. They are dealing with the cases remotely rather than in person.

The chancery court is designed to expedite business and commercial civil cases. They do not have jury trials, and they dont handle criminal cases.

Their purpose is to help the business community and also lessen the burden of these cases on the district and circuit courts.

The legislative summary of the 2019 chancery court law said the new court is a court of limited jurisdiction established for the expeditious resolution of disputes involving commercial, business, trust and similar issues.

Meanwhile, Wyomings new court is getting some national attention.

Wyoming is one of the fastest-growing states for incorporation in the U.S. reads an ad on the Lexis Nexis webpage.

Now the first state in the nation to recognize Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), and with a new Chancery Court created to streamline commercial, business and trust cases, that trend is certain to continue, the Lexis Nexis article said.

The Legislatures action in recognizing DAOs as a legal business entity was aimed at cryptocurrency collectives. DAOs are governed by smart contracts rather than the traditional hierarchy of a limited liability corporation (LLC).

In the latest legislative session, lawmakers passed a number of amendments to the laws concerning DAOs, primarily focused on establishing how individuals can join, leave and vote in the entities. For example, DAOs must now include a statement in their articles of organization establishing how the DAO will be managed by the members, including to what extent the management will be conducted algorithmically. The DAOs articles of organization and smart contract must also govern procedures for updating, modifying or otherwise revising the entitys smart contracts, as well as dispute resolution.

Its interesting that the first opinion issued by the new court involves an investment in cryptocurrency.

The legal spat was between two officers of ITMO, a corporation incorporated in Wyoming in 2020 that has its principal office in Alabama.

Michael Terpin, the plaintiff, sued Jason Cooner for an accounting of investments. He also petitioned the chancery court for a temporary retraining order to prevent a meeting of the corporate shareholders and to prevent Cooner from identifying himself as a officer of ITMO.

According to the opinion Terpin claimed bank records showed Cooner spent $165,000 of a $740,000 investment income on business expenses and the rest on what appeared to be personal expenses.

He further alleged that Cooner accepted about $500,000 in investor funds in the form of cryptocurrency which was immediately transferred to Cooners personal control.

He wanted the shareholders meeting stopped before he and a second unidentified board member, a majority, could terminate Cooner so there could be an investigation of the investment money.

In retaliation Cooner terminated Terpins contracts and called a shareholders meeting. Noticed topics for the meeting included membership on the board and confirmation of Cooners authority and Terpins lack of authority.

Judge Lavery denied Terpins petition for a temporary injunction because of technical flaws and the failure to show any irreparable harm if the meeting went ahead.
DESPITE the challenges brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, Pan-American Life Insurance Group (PALIG) is set to regain its 2019 profitability.

So said chairman and chief executive officer of the board, Jose S Suquet, at the companys tenth anniversary celebration of its establishment in the Caribbean, at the Hyatt Regency hotel, last week.
The continuous evolution of East Indian dance in Trinidad and Tobago accounts for the sustained national appeal of the art form, says veteran dancer/choreographer Michael Salickram.

Salickram and his world-famous Zee TV Shiv Shakti Dance Company were the feature act at last nights opening of the 2022 Divali Nagar, in Endeavour, Chaguanas.
True Concord Voices & Orchestra kicked off its 19th season with a regional premiere and a regional Emmy Award.

The premiere of Helios by Timothy Takach came Saturday night before an audience that loosely filled the Catalina-Foothills High School Auditorium. The Rocky Mountain Emmy Award, presented to composer Jake Runestad for True Concords February 2022 world premiere recording of Runestads Earth Symphony (Choral), was announced at ceremonies in Phoenix right around the same time.

Although True Concord did not get the trophy itself, Saturdays audience gave Eric Holtan and his professional choir resounding applause and a few hearty whoop-whoops from a fan near the back of the hall.

In Runestads Earth Symphony, which True Concord commissioned, we got a glimpse of Earths hope for humanity as it seeks to destroy and then restore her.

In Helios, Takach widens the lens to give us a closer look at the cosmos from Pluto to the Sun, complemented with brilliant visuals created by Deborah Johnson (aka CandyStations) that were projected on a giant screen onstage.

Award-winning actor John de Lancie (Star Trek, Days of Our Lives, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic) performed a prologue introducing the nearly hourlong work. He pointed out some of the quiet noises that greeted us as we entered the auditorium on Saturday: the distant sound of a baby crying, the crackling of a campfire, the rush of a gentle breeze and the voice of Chucky Berry singing his trademark rocker Johnny B. Goode.

No, it wasnt someones cellphone ringtone. It was ambient sounds and sound effects recorded for the Voyager Golden Records sent up with the Voyager spacecraft in 1977 as a time capsule of sorts of life on Earth.

De Lancies monologue set the stage for Takachs a capella narrative that True Concord performed with the finesse of a large-scale choral symphony. Helios borrows texts of published poems and poems commissioned by True Concord to paint a picture of the universe, from Patricia Monaghans pledge to control chaos (Pluto (At the Border)) to her hopeful vision of Mercury (Move Towards Freedom) that promises a way to move toward chaos, change and turbulence to discover so many degrees of freedom.

Takach employs an array of vocal techniques and textures from staccato rhythms to chants and a series of frenetically played notes that sounded like an ocean swell.

In the hands of Holtan and his choir, Helios sounded larger than life, as if the piece were accompanied by an orchestra instead of just their voices.

Holtan programmed the concerts second half with the delightful and familiar Ode to Joy finale from Beethovens Ninth Symphony, with Tucson pianist Alexander Tentser doing the heavy lifting playing Liszts piano transcription of Beethovens score. Tentser played with a true sense of passion and joy for the music and the choir. He was simply sublime.

Takachs Helios was the first of two works composed by True Concords inaugural composers-in-residence. The second comes in January, when True Concord performs the world premiere of Takachs wife Jocelyn Hagens Here I Am with soprano Susanna Phillips.
When he turned 40 in 2002, Jeb Schoonover threw himself a Honkytonk Hacienda party at Hotel Congress and invited some of his best musical friends to perform.

There was Tucsonan Teddy Morgan, who went on to become part of Kevin Costner & Modern West band, and Dave Gonzalez from the San Diego roots rock band Paladins. California roots rocker and former Tucsonan Chris Gaffney was there and Steve Grams of Grams & Krieger.

When the foursome took the stage, they created the kind of magical connection that Schoonover had imagined.

I threw my birthday party with the hope that Dave and Chris would play together and magic would happen. And that is what happened, Schoonover recalled.

That night at Hotel Congress gave birth to the Hacienda Brothers  Gaffney and Gonzalez, who were joined a few months later with Dave Berzansky, Dale Daniel and Hank Maninger  which Schoonover managed for five years. The band recorded four albums and toured internationally before disbanding in 2008 after Gaffney died of liver cancer.

On Friday, Oct. 7, Schoonover is hosting the 20th anniversary of Honkytonk Hacienda to celebrate his 60th birthday.

His guest list is a whos who among his favorite musician friends including a couple from that 2002 party. And like that birthday bash 20 years ago, Schoonover is hoping for a little magic.

For me, the original one and this one is about getting all my friends together ... and putting them together and creating some magic, he said. If something comes from that, it would be wonderful.

The lineup is a recipe for magic.

Gonzalez is back, teaming up with the original Billy Bacon and the Forbidden Pigs guitarist Mike Hebert and Tucson blues blasting fiddler Heather Hardy for a set that mixes honkytonk, blues and swing.

Arizona Blues Hall of Fame saxophonist Alex Flores will jump into the lineup and the all-star group will borrow from the members own material, including Gonzalezs Hacienda Brothers.

Its a mix of honkytonk, soul, blues and swing and a little bit of everything good in between, Schoonover said.

Tucsons uber musician and prog-rocker Gabriel Sullivan (XIXA, solo, Gnosis) is teaming up with Mark Insley and Clay Koweek for what Schoonover said could be the evenings highlight. The trio is forming an all-star honkytonk opening act that will open the show with a Gram Parsons-inspired set of what Schoonover calls American cosmic music.

Think Flying Burrito Brothers shaken with a little Merle Haggard, Dan Penn and the Byrds to create a vintage musical cocktail.

Will Clay, Insley and Gab form a country band? Im kinda hoping they do. Schoonover wished aloud.

But even if they dont, Fridays Honkytonk Hacienda 20th anniversary party will give Schoonover a chance to get friends together and everybody kind of celebrate living and playing music.

Throw me the parties while Im living, he said with a laugh. Its just great to get everyone together.
There are two open seats on Pima Community Colleges Governing Board this election cycle. In each nonpartisan race (District 2 and District 4), two candidates are vying for the available volunteer six-year term on the board.

The general election is Nov. 8.

The college, which serves around 17,000 students in Southern Arizona, is at a crossroads.

After losing more than 20% of its students over the past six years, leadership is strategizing on how to rebuild enrollment amid a rapidly changing economic landscape.

On top of that, theres a 3-2 division on the board itself, with the dissenting members (neither of their seats are up for re-election) often criticizing Chancellor Lee Lamberts leadership.

The Arizona Daily Star interviewed each of the candidates to hear their plans for moving PCC forward.

District 2 (downtown Tucson)

Demion Clinco, incumbent

Vice-chair Demion Clinco was first appointed to the board in 2015 and then elected to serve a six-year term in 2016. At that point, the college was still on probation with its accreditor. During his first term he served as chair for three years. Clinco, a former state representative who has led numerous local historic preservation efforts, said he is proud of how far the college has come since he first took office.

Over the last six years, the college has really transformed into a powerhouse, Clinco said.

He pointed to its focus on aligning with industries of Southern Arizona through the construction of the Centers of Excellence, which is a multi-million-dollar project aimed at providing students training for some of the regions most in-demand jobs, as one example. Other evidence of improvements during his term, he said, include updating faculty pay scales and making the transfer from PCC to the University of Arizona a more seamless process for students.

Im running for re-election because the jobs not done, Clinco said. Weve built these world-class facilities but we still have to build the best-in-class programs to serve the students of Southern Arizona.

Clinco, whose campaign filings show he raised more than $156,000 this election cycle, said theres no magic bullet strategy for attracting more students to enroll in its wide array of degree and certificate programs. Part of the solution is creating relevant programming that results in good-paying jobs, Clinco said. We may not know whats going to happen in our economy in two years, but PCC is poised through its ability to pivot and rapidly respond to the needs of its community.

As for the division hes already experienced on the board, Clinco, who generally supports Lamberts leadership, said elected bodies dont always agree. Despite that, he said, hes encouraged by the many unanimous votes the board has made to improve the college, including its recent passage of faculty and staff raises. Having a little disagreement on the board is somewhat healthy, he said. I think its part of the democratic process.

Theresa Riel

Theresa Riel taught math at PCC for 23 years. And after retiring a few years ago, she has a few ideas for how to improve the college.

Instead of being politically motivated, Im doing this because I value the college, Riel said. I just want to make sure theres someone on the board who knows what the college needs from the inside out.

If elected, she intends to bring her math background to the boards analysis of data about student success so that it can make the most informed decisions.

You cant expect the board to make sound decisions if what theyre interpreting through faulty graphs and data is making them believe something is true that really isnt, she said.

Riel, who raised $11,010 to finance her campaign, said she would operate the elected post on four main pillars: taking a student-centered approach; transparency of data presented to the board; respect and representation of faculty and staff in decision-making; and board autonomy and resilience.

When Riel worked at PCC she was an outspoken faculty member, and if elected to the board, she said she wouldnt be afraid to speak her mind on behalf of students.

I have the communication skills and the group working skills that I can work with anyone on the board, no matter what they believe, she said. I have never said I want to get rid of the chancellor. I want to support the chancellor on initiatives and goals that he sets for himself that are pro-student, pro-education that help teaching and learning.

That approach, she said, is what she would bring to shaping enrollment efforts.

We need to reach the high schools to make sure students know college is an option, Riel said, adding that, in her view, there are not enough job training programs right now to meet the rising demand of skilled workers.

She also said shes both heard from voters and experienced firsthand the frustration of the enrollment process  the registration website is not intuitive and the in-person process is often long and tedious. Those are both things shed want to address if elected because, she said Enrollment isnt going to go up if were putting up these kinds of barricades.

District 4 (eastern Pima County)

Meredith Hay, who has served District 4 for the past six years, is not running for re-election. Hay did not respond to the Stars request for comment about why she decided not to run.

Greg Taylor

Greg Taylor knows how life-changing a college education can be.

My mom was the first person in our family to go to college, said Taylor. For people who are willing to work hard, community college is a ladder to a better life. Its an institution thats at the heart of our economy to help folks get the skills they need to find well-paying careers.

Hes running for the board to ensure that PCC remains a place where people in Southern Arizona can make that happen.

I hope to continue to make sure the college remains accessible, affordable and accountable so people can continue to pursue those paths, he said.

In Taylors view, that approach will help with attracting more students.

The college is on the right track to being able to address (the enrollment drop), but we need a few more semesters of that, he said. Part of it is a level of accountability and making sure the college is offering programs that are in-demand that allow people to go on to well-paying careers.

Taylor praised Lamberts Centers of Excellence for meeting some of those workforce demands, but also said the colleges focus on recruiting students in the high schools and those who want to transfer to a four-year university would remain a part of his plan to increase student numbers.

To accomplish that, Taylor, who has raised $47,699 in campaign contributions, said hed translate his years of experience as regional vice president of community affairs for Arizona Complete Health to his work on the board. In that role, hes learned how to work with community organizations to help our health plan members and live healthier lives.

I see the value in grassroots organizing. Stuff doesnt get done at the college  or any organization  without arms, legs and boots on the ground making things happen and being able to have honest conversations, he said. I will always be someone whos willing to listen.

Taylor said thats the guidance hed also bring to the divided board. We have to figure out a way to have people disagree without disagreeing disagreeably, he said. Sometimes a reset is good.

Nick Pierson

Nick Pierson, a longtime financial advisor, has years of experience working with young people in Southern Arizona. His investment in their futures is one of the reasons he is running for PCCs Governing Board.

The younger they are, the bigger spark they seem to have about their excitement for the world, Pierson said. It seems like a lot of the young people today dont have quite the same spark in terms of what they see as opportunities. Thats something that concerns me, and I think thats one of the areas Pima Community College could have a big influence.

Pierson, who was born in Nogales to parents of Mexican descent and grew up on the Tohono OOdham and White Mountain Apache reservations, said a community college with a diverse student body like PCCs needs to focus on recruiting students from all different backgrounds.

Pima is super affordable, Pierson said. But, we have to do a better job with outreach. His ideas include offering more remedial coursework to recent high school graduates, and reaching out to underrepresented male, Hispanic and indigenous students. He plans to use his experience working in finance and on several nonprofit boards, to find the money to make it happen.

Financial decisions take a lot of research, he said. You need someone who knows the financial analysis, passionate about helping students and increasing the outreach to the community. Im the only candidate in the race that can bridge all of those areas.

Pierson, who has not raised enough money for his campaign to require he file that information with the country, said hed also be the only candidate who would be able to work with both sides of the board.

Im bilingual.  I have an understanding of the culture here in Southern Arizona and the culture on the border, said Pierson, who added that he is generally in favor of Lamberts leadership of the college. I feel I can be that mediator, which is needed.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly described PCC Governing Board's District 4 seat as representing western Pima County. The district represents the eastern part of the county.
India has finally entered into a select group of nations by launching the high-speed fifth-generation (5G) telecommunication network. The new technology is expected to be nearly 600 times faster and support 10 times more devices per square kilometre than the current 4G.

The new technology uses frequencies that are near the bottom of the millimetre wave band. However, millimetre waves have a more limited range; it would require many small cells. The high capital expenditure cost involved in such deployment would force telecom companies to extend 5G services in densely populated areas like urban centres.

As part of the first phase of rollout, therefore, the 5G services will be extended in 13 major cities. The cities that will receive the 5G service during the initial rollout phase are Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Gandhinagar, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Jamnagar, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune, Siliguri and Varanasi.

While no operator has announced tariff plans, it is expected to be affordable in terms of per unit of data. The telecom companies, however, could benefit from higher data downloads because of faster speeds.

The 4G had brought about revolutionary change in the way one consumes data and led to emergence of new segments like OTT, and AI-enabled devices, while helping people seamlessly work from home or study from home and pay over mobile. An early 5G rollout in a technologically advanced country like India would allow its entrepreneurs to exploit it to create devices that make peoples lives better and open new industries, enhancing value for the economy.

One of the areas that could immensely benefit from the 5G is education. It could help educationists deliver quality teaching experience to the remotest parts of the country. 5G offers unlimited options to entrepreneurs but the question is how much creativity they have to make use of these opportunities.
PHOENIX  Arizonas health care program for low income clients is not doing a good job of investigating potential incidents of fraud or abuse committed by providers or patients, the state Auditor Generals Office has concluded.

The new report finds that the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System has taken more than a year to initiate or complete preliminary investigation of more than half of potential fraud and abuse cases that were open in May when auditors looked at the agencys records. And that, said Auditor General Lindsey Perry, comes at a cost.

Untimely fraud and abuse investigations could result in AHCCCS making unnecessary payments, she wrote in the report. And Perry said there clearly are such cases.

She pointed out that in the last fiscal year, AHCCCS reported that it either recovered or saved about $48.1 million in state and federal funds. But Perry said if the agency does not investigate and resolve cases in a timely manner, it potentially continues to pay thousands of dollars each year to provide health care coverage for a member who may have obtained this coverage fraudulently.

Thats not the only problem.

Untimely investigations could also delay efforts to recover fraudulent payments and make recovering improper payments more difficult, the report states. Finally, AHCCCS risks compromising its ability to gather evidence and follow leads that might become stale as cases age.

The problems, the report says, are not limited to patients.

AHCCCS had not completed a preliminary investigation of 87% of potential provider fraud or abuse to the Attorney Generals Office within three months, the time frame established in an agreement between the two agencies, Perry said. In fact, nearly 60% had been open for longer than a year.

And she said AHCCCS has not reviewed the health plans, with which it contracts to provide direct services to patients, once every three years as required. Perry said that goes to the question of whether the agency is making incentive payments to providers for their performance without first determining that the providers actually are eligible.

AHCCCS, formed in 1982, is the states Medicaid program.

Unlike some Medicaid fee-for-service programs that operate in other states, AHCCCS makes regular payments to provider organizations that, in turn, provide direct care to members. About 2.4 million Arizonans receive care under one of several AHCCCS programs; about 38% are children.

Most of the estimated $21.4 billion cost is picked up by the federal government, with the $2.7 billion in state costs making it the largest item in the budget.

AHCCCS, in a response to the audit, said part of the problem was related to the COVID outbreak.

Investigators were not able to conduct-in person visits to homes and schools as part of their investigations, which impacted their ability to verify the reported number of members living in the home and contributing to the household, the report said.

The agency said those visits resumed in January.

That, however, still left the issue of staff turnover and an insufficient number of investigators. And while the agency said it is bringing new people on board, it said it can take a year to properly train them.

Perry, however, said AHCCCS needs to do more.

She said the agency needs to conduct a workload and cost analysis to evaluate whether its funding and staffing levels are sufficient for timely investigating fraud and abuse incidents. And if it is not, Perry said, AHCCCS should work with the legislature to provide more funds.

The report found some incidents that auditors decided to single out for special mention.

One goes back to August 2014 with allegations that another adult was living in and contributing financially to the household. The allegation was that had this persons income been included in the application, the household would not have been eligible for AHCCCS coverage.

Perry said that AHCCCS, as allowed by its process, did not assign it for investigation until October 2018.

But even then, she said, the agency did not complete its preliminary inquiry within the year as required under its policy.

But heres the thing: As of this past July, Perry said the case was still under investigation. AHCCCS said it was having difficulty in subpoenaing needed information from the member and the members employer because the member had moved and changed jobs multiple times since 2014.

And, as of July, the individuals involved are still enrolled.

As a result, AHCCCS has continued, for nearly eight years, to pay hundreds of dollars every month in capitation payments for members who may be ineligible for health care coverage, Perry said.
Tucson landlords can no longer legally reject a tenant based solely on who is paying the rent.

The City Council has approved a new measure that bans housing discrimination based on source of income, adding to the list of existing rules against prejudice based on factors such as race, gender, religion or sexual orientation.

Despite objections from an apartment owners group, council members voted unanimously to approve the change, saying it is necessary because discrimination is rampant against low-income families, seniors, military veterans and people with disabilities who receive Section 8 housing vouchers or other forms of rental aid.

Landlords can still use other criteria such as criminal history and previous evictions in deciding who to rent to. They just cant base their decisions solely on whether someone receives housing assistance.

I have heard story after story after story from people who have housing vouchers who come to me and tell me (landlords) dont accept Section 8, Mayor Regina Romero said before the vote at a Sept. 27 council meeting.

Ward 1 Council Member Lane Santa Cruz said many landlords in Tucson and elsewhere openly display their aversion to such tenants, with No Section 8 clearly written on advertisements and rental signs.

Ben Buehler-Garcia of Tucson, a spokesman for the Arizona Multihousing Association, a statewide trade group for the apartment industry, spoke against the measure, which he said would have little practical effect because many local landlords are at 98% capacity. That means there are no rooms available regardless of your income status.

He said other measures, such as financial incentives for landlords for damage waivers and insurance, would be more effective ways to combat Tucsons housing shortage. He said many landlords avoid Section 8 tenants because the city was slow to pay prior to the 2019 hiring of a new housing director who corrected the problem.

Santa Cruz urged Tucsonans to report violations to the city if they can show they were denied tenancy based solely on their source of income.

To file a complaint, send an email to oeop@tucsonaz.gov or call (520) 791-4593.

City officials are planning an outreach campaign to educate landlords about the new measure and encourage voluntary compliance.

Landlords who unknowingly violate the new rule will get a pass the first time but chronic violators could face fines of up to $2,500 per incident.

Tucson is the first Arizona city to ban housing discrimination based on source of income. More than 20 states and more than 100 U.S. cities and towns have taken similar steps, according to the Poverty and Race Research Action Council.
129 dead after fans stampede to exit Indonesian soccer match

MALANG, Indonesia (AP)  Panic at an Indonesian soccer match after police fired tear gas to stop brawls left 129 dead, mostly trampled to death, police said Sunday.

Several fights between supporters of the two rival soccer teams were reported inside the Kanjuruhan Stadium in East Java province's Malang city after the Indonesian Premier League game ended with Persebaya Surabaya beating Arema Malang 3-2.

The brawls that broke out just after the game ended late night Saturday prompted riot police to fire tear gas, which caused panic among supporters, said East Java Police Chief Nico Afinta.

Hundreds of people ran to an exit gate in an effort to avoid the tear gas. Some suffocated in the chaos and others were trampled, killing 34 almost instantly.

More than 300 were rushed to nearby hospitals to treat injuries but many died on the way and during a treatment, Afinta said.

Russia withdraws troops after Ukraine encircles key city

KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  After being encircled by Ukrainian forces, Russia pulled troops out Saturday from an eastern Ukrainian city that it had been using as a front-line hub. It was the latest victory for the Ukrainian counteroffensive that has humiliated and angered the Kremlin.

Russias withdrawal from Lyman complicates its internationally vilified declaration just a day earlier that it had annexed four regions of Ukraine  an area that includes Lyman. Taking the city paves the way for Ukrainian troops to potentially push further into land that Moscow now illegally claims as its own.

The Ukrainian flag is already in Lyman, Donetsk region. Fighting is still going on there. But there is no trace of any pseudo-referendum there, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Saturday.

He was referring to referendums that Russia held at gunpoint in the four regions before annexing them  Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.

The fighting comes at a pivotal moment in Russian President Vladimir Putins war. Facing Ukrainian gains on the battlefield  which he frames as a U.S.-orchestrated effort to destroy Russia  Putin this week heightened threats of nuclear force and used his most aggressive, anti-Western rhetoric to date.

Ian leaves dozens dead as focus turns to rescue, recovery

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP)  Dozens of Florida residents left their flooded and splintered homes by boat and by air on Saturday as rescuers continued to search for survivors in the wake of Hurricane Ian, while authorities in South Carolina and North Carolina began taking stock of their losses.

The death toll from the storm, one of the strongest hurricanes by wind speed to ever hit the U.S., grew to more than four dozen, with 47 deaths confirmed in Florida, four in North Carolina and three deaths in Cuba. The storm weakened Saturday as it rolled into the mid-Atlantic, but not before it washed out bridges and piers, hurdled massive boats into buildings onshore and sheared roofs off homes, leaving hundreds of thousands without power.

The bulk of the deaths confirmed in Florida were mostly from drowning in storm waters, but others from Ian's tragic aftereffects. An elderly couple died after their oxygen machines shut off when they lost power, authorities said.

As of Saturday, more than 1,000 people had been rescued from flooded areas along Florida's southwestern coast alone, Daniel Hokanson, a four-star general and head of the National Guard, told The Associated Press while airborne to Florida.

Later in the evening, the White House announced that President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden would travel to Florida on Wednesday. No other details of Biden's visit were immediately released.

Pine Island residents recount horror, fear as Ian bore down

PINE ISLAND, Fla. (AP)  Paramedics and volunteers with a group that rescues people after natural disasters went door to door Saturday on Florida's devastated Pine Island, offering to evacuate residents who spoke of the terror of riding out Hurricane Ian in flooded homes and howling winds.

The largest barrier island off Floridas Gulf Coast, Pine Island has been largely cut off from the outside world. Ian heavily damaged the only bridge to the island, leaving it only reachable by boat or air. For many, the volunteers from the non-profit Medic Corps were the first people they have seen from outside the island in days.

Residents described the horror of being trapped in their homes as water kept rising. Joe Conforti became emotional as he recounted what happened, saying the water rose at least 8 to 10 feet (2.4-3 meters), and there were 4-foot (1.2-meter) waves in the streets.

The water just kept pounding the house and we watched, boats, houses  we watched everything just go flying by, he said, as he fought back tears. Weve lost so much at this point.

Conforti said if it wasn't for his wife, Dawn Conforti, he wouldn't have made it. He said: I started to lose sensibility, because when the waters at your door and its splashing on the door and youre seeing how fast its moving, theres no way youre going to survive that.

Ian shows the risks and costs of living on barrier islands

SANIBEL ISLAND, Fla. (AP)  When Hurricane Ian struck Floridas Gulf Coast, it washed out the bottom level of David Muench's home on the barrier island of Sanibel along with several cars, a Harley-Davidson and a boat.

His parents' house was among those destroyed by the storm that killed at least two people there, and the lone bridge to the crescent-shaped island collapsed, cutting off access by car to the mainland for its 6,300 residents.

Hurricane Ian underscores the vulnerability of the nation's barrier islands and the increasing costs of people living on the thin strips of land that parallel the coast. As hurricanes become more destructive, experts question whether such exposed communities can keep rebuilding in the face of climate change.

This is a Hurricane Katrina-scale event, where youre having to rebuild everything, including the infrastructure, said Jesse M. Keenan, a real estate professor at Tulane Universitys School of Architecture. We can't build back everything to what it was  we can't afford that."

Ian slammed into southwest Florida as a Category 4 hurricane Wednesday with among the highest windspeeds in U.S. history  in nearly the same spot where Hurricane Charley, also a Category 4, caused major damage in 2004.

Russia blindfolds, detains Ukraine nuclear plant chief

KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Russian forces blindfolded and detained the head of Europes largest nuclear plant, Ukraines nuclear power provider said Saturday, reigniting long-simmering fears over the plant's security.

The alleged kidnapping on Friday apparently took place shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin escalated his war in Ukraine and pushed it into a new, dangerous phase by annexing four Ukrainian regions that Moscow fully or partially controls and heightening threats of nuclear force.

In a possible attempt to secure Moscows hold on the newly annexed territory, Russian forces seized the director-general of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Ihor Murashov, around 4 p.m. Friday, the Ukrainian state nuclear company Energoatom said.

Putin on Friday signed treaties to absorb the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine, including the area around the nuclear plant.

Energoatom said Russian troops stopped Murashovs car, blindfolded him and then took him to an undisclosed location.

Venezuela swaps 7 jailed Americans for Maduro relatives

WASHINGTON (AP)  In a rare softening of hostile relations, Venezuela freed on Saturday seven imprisoned Americans in exchange for the United States releasing two nephews of President Nicolas Maduros wife who had been jailed for years on narcotics convictions.

The swap of the Americans, including five oil executives held for nearly five years, follows months of back channel diplomacy by senior U.S. officials  secretive talks with a major oil producer that took on greater urgency after sanctions on Russia put pressure on global energy prices.

The deal amounts to an unusual gesture of goodwill by Maduro as the socialist leader looks to rebuild relations with the U.S. after vanquishing most of his domestic opponents. While the White House denied any change in policy toward Venezuela is afoot, the freeing of Americans could create political space for the Biden administration to ease crippling oil sanctions on Venezuela if Maduro shows progress in on-again, off-again talks with his opponents.

I cant believe it, Cristina Vadell, the daughter of Tomeu Vadell, one of the freed Americans, told The Associated Press on Saturday.

Holding back tears of joy on her 31st birthday, she said: This is the best birthday present ever. Im just so happy.

Trump at center of Oath Keepers novel defense in Jan. 6 case

WASHINGTON (AP)  The defense team in the Capitol riot trial of the Oath Keepers leader is relying on an unusual strategy with Donald Trump at the center.

Lawyers for Stewart Rhodes, founder of the extremist group, are poised to argue that jurors cannot find him guilty of seditious conspiracy because all the actions he took before the siege on Jan. 6, 2021, were in preparation for orders he anticipated from the then-president  orders that never came.

Rhodes and four associates are accused of plotting for weeks to stop the transfer of presidential power from the Republican incumbent to Democrat Joe Biden, culminating with Oath Keepers in battle gear storming the Capitol alongside hundreds of other Trump supporters.

Opening statements in the trial are set to begin Monday.

Rhodes intends to take the stand to argue he believed Trump was going to invoke the Insurrection Act to call up a militia to support him, his lawyers have said. Trump didn't do that, but Rhodes' team says that what prosecutors allege was an illegal conspiracy was "actually lobbying and preparation for the President to utilize" the law.

Supreme Court poised to keep marching to right in new term

WASHINGTON (AP)  With public confidence diminished and justices sparring openly over the institution's legitimacy, the Supreme Court on Monday will begin a new term that could push American law to the right on issues of race, voting and the environment.

Following June's momentous overturning of nearly 50 years of constitutional protections for abortion rights, the court is diving back in with an aggressive agenda that seems likely to split its six conservative justices from its three liberals.

Its not going to be a sleepy term, said Allison Orr Larsen, a William and Mary law professor. "Cases the court already has agreed to hear really have the potential to bring some pretty significant changes to the law.

Into this swirling mix steps new Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the courts first Black woman. Jackson took the seat of Justice Stephen Breyer, a member of the court's liberal wing, who retired in June. She's not expected to alter the liberal-conservative divide on the court, but for the first time the court has four women as justices and white men no longer hold a majority.

The court, with three appointees of President Donald Trump, could discard decades of decisions that allow colleges to take account of race in admissions and again weaken the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, the crown jewel of the civil rights movement.

GOP attacks Georgia's Abrams on voting as judge rejects suit

ATLANTA (AP)  When Democrat Stacey Abrams narrowly lost the Georgia governor's race to Republican Brian Kemp four years ago, she didnt go quietly.

She ended her campaign with a nonconcession that acknowledged she wouldn't be governor, while spotlighting her claims that Kemp had used his post as secretary of state to improperly purge likely Democratic voters. Abrams founded Fair Fight Action, a group focused on fair elections, which within weeks filed a wide-ranging federal lawsuit alleging gross mismanagement of Georgias elections.

That lawsuit sputtered out Friday with Fair Fight losing its last remaining arguments, more than a year after the judge had tossed most earlier claims.

People are already voting by mail in a Georgia governors race that again pits Abrams and Kemp against each other, with fewer than 40 days remaining before voting ends on Nov. 8.

And Republicans are now using the loss to attack what they see as the big lie that underlies Abrams' career. They label her claims that Georgias election system has been discriminatory as a fraud she used to enrich herself and aggrandize her political career after her 2018 loss.
Rapidly intensifying Category 4 Hurricane Orlene is approaching western Mexico, where it's expected to cause life-threatening flooding, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The hurricane, packing maximum sustained winds of 130 mph, was churning north at 7 mph Sunday morning about 175 miles south of Las Islas Marias, Mexico, the center said. Las Islas Marias -- an archipelago roughly 60 miles off the mainland coast -- is expected to face hurricane conditions by Sunday night.

Orlene is projected to reach the coast of mainland Mexico Monday or Monday night, making landfall just south of Mazatlan, Sinaloa, where life-threatening flash flooding is a concern, according to Mexico's CONAGUA Agency.

Orlene's sustained wind speed has picked up since late Saturday when the storm was at Category 2 intensity.

"Some additional strengthening is forecast through this morning, followed by weakening beginning later today and continuing until landfall," the hurricane center said early Sunday.

The storm is expected produce heavy downpours, storm surge and landslides along the coast of western Mexico. The region is forecast to face 3 to 5 inches of rainfall, with local amounts of up to 10 inches.

A hurricane warning is in effect for Las Islas Marias and the coast of mainland Mexico from San Blas to Mazatlan. A hurricane watch is in effect for the coast of mainland Mexico from Playa Perula to San Blas and from Mazatlan to Bahia Tempehuaya, including the city of Puerto Vallarta.

A tropical storm warning is in effect for the coast of mainland Mexico from Playa Perula to San Blas. A tropical storm watch is in effect for the coast of mainland Mexico from Manzanillo to Playa Perula.

Residents in the hurricane's path are being advised to take extreme precautions due to the potential for life-threatening flooding, winds and dangerous rip currents.

Orlene is barreling towards Mexico just weeks after Hurricane Kay made landfall along the west coast of the central Baja California Peninsula as a Category 1 hurricane.

The-CNN-Wire
Tucson Meet Yourself is Tucsons annual folklife festival, where we have the opportunity to meet our neighbors from across different cultural backgrounds.

Festival organizers will sometimes call the event Tucson Eat Yourself because of its outstanding, diverse array of food vendors, many of whom come out exclusively for this event.

Were here to help you plan your food itinerary for the festival, which is taking place Friday-Sunday, Oct. 7-9 at Jacome Plaza downtown, 101 N. Stone Ave. The festival runs 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Oct. 7-8 and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 9.

This roundup of vendors is informed by the events official site and subject to change. See full menus here!

1. BBQ and Beats

Its name says it all: this food truck brings dance music DJs and Southwestern, mesquite and hatch chile barbecue together.

Standout menu items: The menu is centered around pulled pork, BBQ chicken, and sloppy bro beef. Standout menu items are the loaded mac & cheese and BBQ tacos.

2. Food 2 Door Catering (Persian)

This Persian catering company is serving refined home cooking.

Standout menu items: Im most excited for their pistachio ice cream, made with saffron and rose water.

3. Herculean Chicken

Taiwanese-style fried chicken, yes please! This is the pop-up project of IG foodie @phx_food_whisperer.

Standout menu items: the eponymous Taiwanese-style fried chicken, served with basil.

4. MAD Filipino Cooking

This pop-up offers a short menu of Filipino favorites like pancit, lumpia and ube cookies.

Standout menu items: Filipino-style siomai, made with pork and beef instead of shrimp.

5. Off the Hook Seafood

Off the Hook Seafood has a cult following in the Take-Out in Tucson Facebook group for their Southern-style fried fish.

Standout menu items: fried catfish and hush puppies.

6. Tucson Afghan Community

This Afghan community group wants to share their culture through their food and hospitality, beyond the headlines.

Standout menu items: their pictured dish appears to be the qabuli palow, beef served with raisins, carrots and rice. Their morgh e tandoori might be more accessible, similar to the more familiar Punjabi tandoori chicken.

7. Boriken Modern Puerto Rican Cuisine

I love arroz con gandules, and this Puerto Rican mobile caterer offers that and much more.

Standout menu items: Carne Frita con Mofongo, garlic mashed plantain with fried pork.

8. Cafe Francais

This east-side pastry shop offers more traditional French pastries alongside American favorites like brownies.

Standout menu items: kouign-amann pastries are hard to find in Tucson, but you can get them here!

9. Chinese Student Association

This University of Arizona group will be making small dessert items traditional in China and Hong Kong.

Standout menu items: Portuguese egg tarts (popular at dim sum spots) and Hong Kong-style French toast, made with condensed milk instead of syrup.

10. Churros El Rey

This churro truck serves a variety of churros: filled and a la mode, alongside a menu of ice cream and coffee specialties.

Standout menu items: churro sundae, please!

11. Club Colombia

This Colombian group makes food at Tucson Meet Yourself and Tucson Meet Yourself only. Colombian food is hard to find in Tucson, so check it out here.

Standout menu items: arepas!!!

12. Cocina Oaxaquena

We featured this Oaxacan food truck last year, because of their traditional mole and tamales wrapped in banana leaves instead of corn husks.

Standout menu items: Tamales oaxaqueno con mole y queso fresco.

13. Coyote Kitchen Oodham Frybread

Coyote Kitchen is making both sweet and savory popovers, with red or green chile beef.

Standout menu items: Add honey to your popover for no charge.

14. Eatgypt

This Egyptian food vendor has been spotted at farmers markets in town, and mainly serves koshary, Egypts national dish, along with lentil soup called Shorbat Adas and the karkade drink, similar to jamaica.

Standout menu items: koshary, a vegan dish made with a jumble of chickpeas and starches, topped with crispy onions and tomato sauce.

15. El Taco Rustico

Tucson loves El Taco Rustico, which got its start at the Oodham Swap Meet and now runs a sit-down restaurant on Oracle Road.

Standout menu items: their al pastor tacos are carved from a trompo.

16. Empanadas El Dominicano

Empanadas have a variety of regional variations across Latin America. The Dominican style is similar to those you can find in other Caribbean countries, savory hand pies.

Standout menu items: jamon con queso is an especially popular variety.

17. Frost Gelato

This homegrown gelato shop will be at this years Tucson Meet Yourself.

Standout menu items: Flavors aren't yet listed on the TMY website.

18. Fruit Shack Smoothies and Yogurt

You can find smoothies alongside empanadas and pretzels at this eclectic stand, which also has a location on Broadway.

Standout menu items: Specifics aren't yet listed on the TMY website.

19. HBCU College Tour Group

Alumni from Historically Black Colleges and Universities are bringing Southern-style barbecue, a special part of family reunions, to Tucson Meet Yourself.

Standout menu items: BBQ rib plates, peach cobbler (!!) and Kool-Aid served with fresh fruit and berries.

20. Hawaiian Shave Ice

Hawaiian shave ice is freshly-shaved ice served here with your choice of 26 different flavored syrups.

Standout menu items: the li hing powder and chamoy toppings!

21. Incas Peruvian Cuisine

This Foothills-area Peruvian restaurant was visited by Guy Fieri in 2018. You can get a limited selection from their menu at Tucson Meet Yourself.

Standout menu items: chica morada, purple corn drink.

22. Js Kettle Corn

Its kettle corn! Available in three different sizes.

23. Just Churros

Just Churros uses a traditional Spanish recipe, with the traditional Mexican cinnamon sugar topping.

Standout menu items: their churros are heavenly. I dont need any toppings, but if youre interested you can try the cajeta, goat milk caramel.

24. Kingston Kitchen

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Kingston Kitchen is bringing Jamaican food to Tucson Meet Yourself.

Standout menu items: Oxtail with the side of festival, Caribbean hush puppies.

25. Lajkonik Polish Folk Ensemble

This folk ensemble does more than perform their traditional dance at Tucson Meet Yourself, theyre bringing us Polish food too!

Standout menu items: the menu is simple. Choose between pierogi with vegetarian fillings or Kielbasa, polish pork sausage. Or get both in a combo plate!

26. Laos Academic Organization

This Laotian group has been at Tucson Meet Yourself for the past quarter century. They offer a cuisine with influence from nearby countries, like Thai larb and papaya salad.

Standout menu items: papaya salad, chicken sticks and Laos sweet tea.

27. Los Chiquilines Aguas Frescas

These aguas frescas (traditional Mexican drinks) are made from scratch and have been featured at Tucson Meet Yourself from the start.

Standout menu items: horchata, and the agua de sandia (watermelon) or mango.

28. Mama Careys Kitchen & Catering

Mama Carey is a caterer specializing in soul food: sweet potato pie, fried catfish and hush puppies.

Standout menu items: catfish sandwich and homemade pound cake and sweet potato pie.

29. Mariscos Chihuahua

This local mariscos restaurant will be offering ceviche made with either shrimp or chickpeas.

Standout menu items: while both ceviches are likely delicious, their ceviche made with chickpeas is one of the most exciting vegan options at Tucson Meet Yourself.

30. Miracle on 36th St. (Cafe Santa Rosa)

Cafe Santa Rosa is a local favorite restaurant serving Oodham food. At Tucson Meet Yourself, theyll be serving a popover-centric menu.

Standout menu items: their hamburger made with popovers sounds decadent.

31. Morenos Roasted Corn

Whether you call it roasted corn or elote, Tucsonans love this food. Eat it plain with butter or with toppings like mayo and cheese or lemon pepper.

Standout menu items: Its corn!

32. Oodham Ladies

Find popovers with both sweet and savory options.

Standout menu items: red chile taco, please!

33. Order of Ahepa Greek Food

You might not be able to stop by the Tucson Greek Festival this year, but you can still get food by its host, St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church. You can try their gyros, spanakopita, dolmathes, baklava and lemonatha (Greek lemonade).

Standout menu items: their dolmathes are made by the s of the church. The ones I had at the Greek Festival last year were one of my favorite things I ate in 2021!

34. Pams Kitchen

This family operation sells Jamaican specialties like jerk chicken and oxtail. You cant find this outside of Tucson Meet Yourself.

Standout menu items: curry goat!

35. Ricuras de Venezuela

Venezuelan arepas are more like pita pocket sandwiches than a grilled corn patty with a filling. Ricuras de Venezuela also offers cachapa and papelon con limon, Venezuelan lemonade.

Standout menu items: The papelon con limon is made with piloncillo. Yum.

36. Saffron Indian Bistro

Saffron has a brick and mortar in the Oro Valley area and is part of the same family as Kababeque Indian Grill on University Boulevard. Theyre offering a chicken or veg combo box of curry, samosas and flatbread called chole bhature.

Standout menu items: curries and mango juice.

37. San Xavier Cooperative Farm

Sax Xavier Cooperative Farm is using heritage Oodham ingredients like tepary beans, squash, wheat berries, Oodham yellow watermelon and mesquite flour on their menu.

Standout menu items: Tohono Oodham pea soup with yeast bread, mesquite cookies and Oodham yellow watermelon lemonade.

38. Santa Cruz Catholic Church/Little Mexico Restaurant

Little Mexico Restaurant serves classic Sonoran foods (carne asada tacos, quesadillas, horchata, etc.). Their Tucson Meet Yourself booth every year supports local Santa Cruz Catholic Church.

Standout menu items: cinnamon tea.

39. Sema Foundation

Sema Foundation offers a substantial menu of Turkish favorites like gozleme, doner, and kebap made with chicken, koefte (Turkish meatballs), and veggies.

Standout menu items: doner with bulgur salad and hibiscus sorbet.

40. Solid Grindz Hawaiian Food

Solid Grindz is a Hawaiian food truck (with a location inside the east-side Just 1 More bar) serving chicken katsu, ahi poke, spam musubi and lau lau.

Standout menu items: Id like to try their mochiko chicken!

41. Sonoran Sno Cones

Raspados!! Sonoran Sno Cones have both sweet and savory toppings, from ice cream and condensed milk to Japanese peanuts, clamato and cucumber.

Standout menu items: If you like the combination of both sweet and savory, try pepihuates  Japanese peanuts, cucumber, clamato, chamoy, lime, Mexican candies.

42. Takoyaki Balls

This food truck makes Japanese specialties, including the eponymous Takoyaki balls, which are fried octopus dumplings.

Standout menu items: Katsu curry.

43. Taste of Bosnia

If youre not familiar with Bosnian food, it is informed by its intersectional location, nestled between the Mediterranean and central Europe. At Tucson Meet Yourself, Taste of Bosnia is offering both Hungarian-adjacent goulash or a spinach and feta pie in the family of borek and spanakopita.

Standout menu items: Their only two other menu items are baklava made with walnuts and honey, and cevapi, sausage made of ground beef and lamb.

44. UA Filipino Students Association

Every item at this Filipino food booth is a no-hitter: barbecued pork skewers, ube horchata (!!), lumpia, adobo fried rice (made with chicken adobo), and bibingka (coconut rice cake).

Standout menu items: Id go here for dessert  ube horchata with bibingka. My editor Gloria Knott says their lumpia is SO SO good.

45. Vietnamese Student Association

This group of UA students is bringing Vietnamese favorites like banh mi and Vietnamese coffee, alongside marinated pork or chicken skewers.

Standout menu items: I want to try their limeade!

46. Wat Buddhametta

This Thai Theravada Buddhist temple is making food and making friends at this year's Tucson Meet Yourself. We are at the festival not only to raise money to support our temple, but also to build friendship [with] others, they say on the festival's website. Theyll serve classics like pad thai, chicken satay and Thai iced tea.

Standout menu items: Im excited about their fried banana, but their pad thai is likely a good bet.
The Jewish High Holidays are fast approaching: Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. While the first really commemorates the creation of the world, Jews view both holidays as a chance to reflect on our shortcomings, make amends and seek forgiveness, both from other people and from the Almighty.

Jews pray and fast on Yom Kippur to demonstrate their remorse and to focus on reconciliation. According to Jewish tradition, it is at the end of this solemn period that God seals his decision about each persons fate for the coming year. Congregations recite a prayer called the Unetanah Tokef, which recalls Gods power to decide who shall live and who shall die, who shall reach the ends of his days and who shall not  an ancient text that Leonard Cohen popularized with his song Who by Fire.

Forgiveness and related concepts, such as compassion, are central virtues in many religions. Whats more, research has shown that it is psychologically beneficial.

But each religious tradition has its own particular views about forgiveness, as well, including Judaism. As a psychologist of religion, I have done research on these similarities and differences when it comes to forgiveness.

Person to person

Several specific attitudes about forgiveness are reflected in the liturgy of the Jewish High Holidays, so those who go to services are likely to be aware of them  even if they skip out for a snack.

In Jewish theology, only the victim has the right to forgive an offense against another person, and an offender should repent toward the victim before forgiveness can take place. Someone who has hurt another person must sincerely apologize three times. If the victim still withholds forgiveness, the offender is considered forgiven, and the victim now shares the blame.

The 10-day period known as the Days of Awe  Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and the days between  is a popular time for forgiveness. Observant Jews reach out to friends and family they have wronged over the past year so that they can enter Yom Kippur services with a clean conscience and hope they have done all they can to mitigate Gods judgment.

The teaching that only a victim can forgive someone implies that God cannot forgive offenses between people until the relevant people have forgiven each other. It also means that some offenses, such as the Holocaust, can never be forgiven, because those martyred are dead and unable to forgive.

To forgive or not to forgive?

In psychological research, I have found that most Jewish and Christian participants endorse the views of forgiveness espoused by their religions.

As in Judaism, most Christian teachings encourage people to ask and give forgiveness for harms done to one another. But they tend to teach that more sins should be forgiven  and can be, by God, because Jesus death atoned vicariously for peoples sins.

Even in Christianity, not all offenses are forgivable. The New Testament describes blaspheming against the Holy Spirit as an unforgivable sin. And Catholicism teaches that there is a category called mortal sins, which cut off sinners from Gods grace unless they repent.

One of my research papers, consisting of three studies, shows that a majority of Jewish participants believe that some offenses are too severe to forgive; that it doesnt make sense to ask someone other than the victim about forgiveness; and that forgiveness is not offered unconditionally, but after the offender has tried to make things right.

Take this specific example: In one of my research studies I asked Jewish and Christian participants if they thought a Jew should forgive a dying Nazi soldier who requested forgiveness for killing Jews. This scenario is described in The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal, a writer and Holocaust survivor famous for his efforts to prosecute German war criminals.

Jewish participants often didnt think the question made sense: How could someone else  someone living  forgive the murder of another person? The Christian participants, on the other hand, who were all Protestants, usually said to forgive. They agreed more often with statements like Mr. Wiesenthal should have forgiven the SS soldier and Mr. Wiesenthal would have done the virtuous thing if he forgave the soldier.

Its not just about the Holocaust. We also asked about a more everyday scenario  imagining that a student plagiarized a paper that participants friends had written, and then asked the participants for forgiveness  and saw similar results.

Jewish people have a wide variety of opinions on these topics, though, as they do in all things. Two Jews, three opinions! as the old saying goes. In other studies with my co-researchers, we showed that Holocaust survivors, as well as Jewish American college students born well after the Holocaust, vary widely in how tolerant they are of German people and products. Some are perfectly fine with traveling to Germany and having German friends, and others are unwilling to even listen to Beethoven.

In these studies, the key variable that seems to distinguish Jewish people who are OK with Germans and Germany from those who are not is to what extent they associate all Germans with Nazism. Among the Holocaust survivors, for example, survivors who had been born in Germany  and would have known German people before the war  were more tolerant than those whose first, perhaps only, exposure to Germans had been in the camps.

Forgiveness is good for you  or is it?

American society  where about 7 in 10 people identify as Christian  generally views forgiveness as a positive virtue. Whats more, research has found there are emotional and physical benefits to letting go of grudges.

But does this mean forgiveness is always the answer? To me, its an open question.

For example, future research could explore whether forgiveness is always psychologically beneficial, or only when it aligns with the would-be forgivers religious views.

If you are observing Yom Kippur, remember that  as with every topic  Judaism has a wide and, well, forgiving view of what is acceptable when it comes to forgiveness.

___

Adam B. Cohen 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.

___
The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence is now accepting nominations for 2023 Academic All-State selections and the Oklahoma Medal for Excellence.

The Academic All-State awards honor 100 public high school seniors with $1,000 merit-based scholarships. Students must meet at least one of the following requirements to qualify: a composite ACT score of at least 30; a combined SAT evidence-based reading and writing and math score of at least 1370; or a National Merit semifinalist.

Additionally, student eligibility must be verified by either their school districts superintendent or their schools principal.

Academic All-State nominations must be submitted by Dec. 1 at 5 p.m.

The foundation is also accepting nominations for Oklahoma Medal for Excellence awards for teaching at four levels: elementary, secondary, research university and regional university or community college. A fifth award, presented to an outstanding public school administrator, is open to campus leaders at either the elementary or secondary level.

Along with a sculpture, Oklahoma Medal for Excellence honorees each receive a $5,000 cash award. Anyone may nominate an educator for a Medal for Excellence award. Nominees must be full-time employees of their public school or institution and have demonstrated excellence as an educator. Nominations must be submitted by 5 p.m. Nov. 29 online at ofe.org.

All-state scholarships and educator awards will be presented at the foundations 35th annual Academic Awards Banquet on May 20 at the Cox Business Convention Center.

The recipients are chosen by an independent selection committee, comprising business, education and civic leaders, as well as former Academic All-Staters and Medal for Excellence winners. Since 1987, the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence has awarded more than $5.2 million in academic awards and scholarships.

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Tulsas Greenwood Rising and the Oklahoma City National Memorial are partnering on a student exchange program they expect to begin in October.

Road to Remembrance  Two Cities, One Mission was unveiled last week by officials of the two museums and program sponsor Arvest Bank.

Kari Watkins of the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Phil Armstrong of Greenwood Rising said ninth-graders from the Tulsa and Oklahoma City areas will trade cities on the same day and then discuss their experiences visiting the respective museums.

The first exchange is expected on an as-yet undetermined date in October and involve students from Booker T. Washington and Oklahoma City Douglass High Schools.

Armstrong said the exchange was the result of an informal discussion between Watkins and him.

If you want to make sure these kids know this history, there is no safer place than a museum, said Watkins.

Armstrong said the two sites memorialize both loss and resilience and inspire hope.

You dont leave either place with heavy feelings, he said. You leave with a sense of the human spirit.

Greenwood Rising, opened in 2021, is aimed to educate Oklahomans and Americans about the (Tulsa) Race Massacre and its impact on the state and Nation; remember its victims and survivors, and create an environment conducive to fostering sustainable entrepreneurship and heritage tourism within the Greenwood District specifically, and North Tulsa generally, according to state Sen. Kevin Matthews, on the centers website.

The Oklahoma City Memorial and Museum was established following the April 19, 1995, Oklahoma City bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, which killed at least 168 people. It was dedicated in 2000.
QuikTrip is making its first foray into the Chicago metropolitan area  its largest market to date  building two travel centers there and another one southwest of the city.

Chicago (9.6 million) is the third largest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in the United States, trailing only Los Angeles (nearly 13 million) and New York (19.7), according to 2021 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Tulsa-based QT already is established in the mega-population centers of Dallas-Fort Worth (7.7 million MSA), greater Houston (7.2 million) and Atlanta (6.1 million).

We are focused on expanding the footprint of our travel center network to those geographies in the U.S. that leverage our distribution network, Aisha Jefferson-Smith, QTs corporate communications manager, said by phone. Chicago, of course, has areas of high truck traffic, and that kind of makes it ideal for our travel center concept.

The convenience store giant has stores under construction in the Windy City suburbs of Lansing (about 25 miles south of downtown Chicago), Bellwood (about 14 miles west of downtown Chicago), as well as in Peru, about 100 miles southwest of downtown.

The Bellwood and Peru stores are expected to open in late spring. The Lansing location  site of a former Kmart  is scheduled to open in July, Jefferson-Smith said.

The travel centers are about 8,200 square feet, considerably larger than the average convenience store (3,200 to 4,900 square feet), Jefferson-Smith said.

We have some big footprints out there, she said. Chicago is going to be a good one for us.

... We always consider location. We do a great deal of intensive research. Thats important to us for us as a company so we can take care of our customers.

In June, QT opened its first store in the Colorado market, launching in the Denver-area city of Firestone.

Last year, in addition to Colorado, QuikTrip said it also planned to open locations in three more states  Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama.

Also, late last year, the Oklahoman reported that QuikTrip was planning its first store in the Oklahoma City metro at Interstate 35 and Hefner Road, near the Frontier City amusement park. A second OKC-area QT store in Moore is also planned, the newspaper reported.

A privately held company founded in 1958, QuikTrip has grown to a more than $11 billion firm with more than 24,000 employees.

Fortune has ranked QT on the list of Best Companies To Work For for 14 years, and it is high on Forbes list of largest privately held companies.

QuikTrip, which is in 16 states, has 83 stores in the Tulsa area and is inching close to a four-figure milestone with its nationwide stores (957).

Thats on our radar, Jefferson-Smith said of the 1,000 store number. I dont know how quickly we can get there, of course not this year. Hopefully, in 2023 or 24 we potentially make it there.

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Russias Vladimir Putin is on his nuclear brinkmanship trip again after annexing four regions of Ukraine and in the process exposing his true intentions of territory grabbing when he embarked on a war 222 days ago. Having boxed himself into a corner in exchanges that have not gone according to his Army generals plans, Mr Putin is increasingly short of options on how to end the misadventure except to take a bit of territory and rattle the nuclear sabre. Egging Mr Putin on to use at least battlefield nuclear weapons in Ukraine are hardliners like former president Dmitri A. Medvedev and Russias Chechen allies who believe Nato cannot risk retaliation. And the world is feeling a chill not experienced since the Cuban missile crisis in 1962.

Mr Putins offer of talks after the referendums and the announcement of annexation by which those living in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson have been declared as citizens of Russia comes when Ukraine can hardly agree to sit across the table and discuss a ceasefire since its territorial sovereignty has been breached. Russias hold on Ukrainian territories, which it declares it has annexed after holding fake referendums last week when people were forced to vote at gunpoint, is tenuous. Ukraine, after recapturing Kharkiv, has also retaken Lyman, a crucial logistical railhead in the Donetsk region, and is cranking up its counteroffensive to try and retake more towns in the Donbas region.

The situation seems loaded with existential threats far beyond Ukraine. So much so, even the no limits ties with China and friendship with India  reflected as recently as in abstentions from the UNSC vote  may be stretched soon as the vote against Russia may move to the UN General Assembly where there is no veto. Notwithstanding the minor gains for China and India, which are accessing gas and oil at discounted prices from Russia, the interconnected world of today is ill at ease as the war rages on and everyone suffers the after-effects of super high prices even as recovery from the Covid pandemic has hardly begun.

Mr Putins speech on Friday, in which he named the US and the West as Satanic and even dragged in Harry S. Trumans nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 77 years ago as a precedent, may have come from a man under stress waging what seems an unwinnable war. That prompted even more promises of weapons aid to Ukraine worth billions of dollars from just the US. While that would please the military-industrial complex, it does little for a world aghast at the brazenness with which one of the bigger powers could invade a country, ignoring territorial sovereignty that is the very basis of a law-based international order, and annex land and threaten nuclear war.

So far gone are the forces engaged in the war over Ukraine that Prime Minister Narendra Modis well-meaning advice to Mr Putin  This is not the era for war  seems too mild a rebuke to impose any change of mind in the aggressor Russia and its leaders romanticised revanchist dream of rebuilding a Soviet Union that broke up in the 1990s, signalling the end of the Cold War.

The talk of using a few of about 2,000 tactical nuclear weapons may be a way to extract concessions after battlefield losses and an unpopular mobilisation plan that has seen more Russians leave home than are involved in the Ukraine war. Meanwhile, the world breathes uneasily, praying for a miracle to end a war that has spawned the madness underlying the incantation of nuclear threats.
Waves of explosives-laden suicide drones have struck Ukraines capital, setting buildings ablaze and tearing a hole in one of them. The attack sent people scurrying for shelter and came a week after Russia unleashed its most widespread strikes against the country in months. Authorities said four people died. Air attacks in central Kyiv were rare in recent months, and the concentrated use of drones sowed terror and frayed nerves. One drone slammed into a residential building. Energy facilities were also among the targets. Drones used in the attack appeared to include Iranian-made Shaheds. Analysts believe those slower-moving drones can be programmed to accurately hit certain targets using GPS, unless the system fails.
Sign ups: Oklahomas John OConnor joined other Republican attorneys general in protesting President Joe Bidens executive order directing federal agencies to facilitate voter registration.

I am a big supporter of increased voter participation in elections, but I am also a big supporter of States rights, OConnor said in a statement. I am just as passionate about stopping the growth of the federal government. This executive order directs the use of taxpayer dollars to promote voter registration and participation.

Most objectionable to Republican group, apparently, is a provision that would allow approved third-party organizations to register voters on federal property.

Oklahoma, it might be noted, has the lowest voter participation rate in the country.

Special: Among appropriations authorized through the $250 million Progressing Rural Economic Prosperity Fund during the Legislatures special session on Thursday was $20 million for a new control tower at Tulsa International Airport and $20 million for the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds in Oklahoma City.

Campaigns and elections: The Oklahoma Fraternal Order of Police endorsed Gov. Kevin Stitt for reelection.

Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan is headlining a fundraiser for 2nd Congressional District Republican nominee Josh Brecheen at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 14 at the Agora Events Center, 1402 S. Peoria Ave. Jordan is an influential member of the Freedom Caucus, which Brecheen has promised to join if elected.

Democratic state superintendent nominee Jena Nelson will speak at the Tulsa Press Club, 415 S. Boston Ave., at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 10. The event is open to the public.

Former Republican Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Kris Steele endorsed Democrat Kendra Horn in her U.S. Senate race against Republican Congressman Markwayne Mullin and two others.

Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Madison Horn said President Donald Trumps endorsement of her opponent, Republican incumbent James Lankford, is something Lankford has been working towards for the past 18 months, ever since he fell out of Trumps good graces. Lankfords loyalties no longer lie with Americans or Oklahomans.

Labor report: Oklahomas and Tulsas unemployment rates rose slightly in August, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics household survey.

The states unemployment rate stood at 3.4%, up 0.2 percentage points from July as the number of unemployed rose by about 1,700 and the total workforce declined by a little over 6,000.

Tulsas unemployment rate was also 3.4%, up 0.1 percentage point from July, with an employment decline of about 800.

Meetings and events: Heart of the Party, the Tulsa Chapter of the Oklahoma Federation of Democratic Women, will feature Carly Hotvedt at 6 p.m. Monday at Baxters Interurban Grill, 717 S. Houston Ave.

Hotvedt is associate director of the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative, which promotes tribal dignity through food and agriculture, and will speak on Native American enfranchisement and tribal voting systems.

Bottom line: Former state Sen. Kay Dudley, R-Oklahoma City, died at 87.

 Randy Krehbiel, Tulsa World

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Oklahoma lost the equivalent of nearly 40,000 eight-hour nursing shifts as RN and LPN hours dropped 4% from 2020 to 2021, state data show.

The nursing home sector says it feels that loss more acutely. Hospitals are better able to offer higher wages and hiring bonuses because most of their revenue is from private pay and Medicare, unlike nursing homes, which depend predominantly on Medicaid  the lowest paying of the three.

Nonetheless, the nursing crisis is felt across the spectrum of care in Oklahoma, and nurses and patients alike suffer.

The House Public Health Committee convened in mid-September for an interim study on the issue. Speakers didnt mince words.

Shelly Wells, president of the Oklahoma Nurses Association, described an ongoing exodus in which there are literally hundreds of unfilled permanent positions within the states nursing workforce in acute and long-term care.

Our health-care outcomes in Oklahoma are far from stellar, and the state still ranks 50th overall on the Commonwealth Funds scorecard of state health system performance, Wells said.

Wells provided a background on Oklahomas nursing shortage with government and legislative reports dating back nearly two decades to 2004. She pointed to myriad factors, including:

An increasingly aging population with more serious comorbidities and less access to care.

A diminishing pipeline of new students in all nursing areas and inadequate science and math preparation in K-12.

An aging nursing workforce confronted by challenging work environments.

Wells said high temporary contract staffing salaries have moved closer to baseline in the past six months. However, many nurses arent returning to their full-time stationary placements because of the climate or culture within health-care settings, as well as staffing issues, she said.

Ultimately, this has resulted in less access to care for our sicker Oklahomans and higher cost of care for those we are able to provide for, Wells said.

The House committees interim study featured Bobbi Six, a young nurse who left direct patient care at a hospital soon after managers tried to get her to carry a caseload she thought was unsafe.

Shelley Miller, nursing program director for Oklahoma City Community College, described her mixed feelings when sending new nurses into the field in the current atmosphere.

Every time we graduate people, it weighs heavy on my heart what they are going out into, Miller said. We all have stories of unsafe practice.

Every single one of us that has an RN after our name or LPN  we have a story to tell.

In speaking with Lee Enterprises Public Service Journalism team about nursing home staffing woes, Kimberly Green said there needs to be a shift in public narrative about long-term care  not just better pay and a more robust education pipeline of nurses.

Green is chief operating officer of Diakonos Group, an Oklahoma owned and operated long-term care provider. She said that too often the latest news story or social media post highlights a horrible experience at a nursing home that isnt characteristic of the sector as a whole.

Clinically, she said, nurses in long-term care have the most difficult jobs in nursing except for nurses in intensive-care settings. Sometimes there are bad providers or nurses, as in any profession, she said, but often its a person trying to do their very best but not having help.

Oklahoma is way behind other states; we have got to step it up, Green said. Im deeply concerned about our state.

Don Blose, CEO of Spanish Cove Retirement Village in Yukon, told the House committee that the states long-term care and aging services infrastructure is in the worst shape hes seen.

The old adage you get what you pay for sadly has come to pass in Oklahoma, he said.

Some facilities across the state have closed. Others  many others  are on the verge of peril and financial ruin, Blose said. Theres not a facility out there, including non-Medicaid facilities like mine, which can sustain the pace of what weve been experiencing.

U.S. nursing shortage: 500,000 health care workers no longer employed
Oklahoma doesnt have a teacher shortage; it has a shortage of respect and retention.

For a little more than 10 years, professional teachers have been opting out of the industry, choosing careers with better pay and less headaches. The pandemic created a surge of that trend, putting the state in our current crisis and public education in an unfair culture war.

Dont believe districts are in an emergency situation for teachers? Just look at emergency certifications granted by the state school board.

Decades ago, a district asking for a person to teach without a certification was a major request. During the 1990s era of State Superintendent Sandy Garrett (when I covered the board on occasion), such applications required full-out hearings.

If there were five emergency certification requests on an agenda, it would add at least three hours.

Thats how it ought to be viewed. When putting an unqualified, or at best under-qualified, person in a classroom, thats a serious move. It means that adult does not have a degree or didnt pass certifications to assess their subject knowledge, ability to manage children or state-required standards.

Those former hearings involved testimony from superintendents, applicants and sometimes district board members and staff. The applicants academic and employment records were reviewed.

District officials had to prove in-person before the state board that every avenue had been exhausted to fill a position with a qualified teacher.

Now, thousands are approved like a consent agenda, with little to no review by state school board members. Its like Oklahoma has given up trying to find professional teachers and is cool with anyone without a criminal background.

In 2011-2012, the state granted 32 emergency certifications, an alarming number at the time. Then, it jumped to 97 the following year.

The line kept moving up. When teachers walked out and to the Capitol in 2018, there were 3,038 emergency certified people in classrooms. It increased slightly the next year, but it was poised to turn around in 2020-21 when about 2,800 were granted.

That was short-lived as the pandemic set in. A record of about 3,600 emergency certifications were approved last year, only to be shattered by the 3,800 so far this year.

The exodus of trained teachers isnt surprising considering how extremists have targeted them with politicized rhetoric steeped in conspiracy and anti-public school talking points from national right-wing pundits.

Even vile accusations of crimes like grooming children for sexual victimization or distributing pornography to students are being thrown around like thats a normal thing to say.

Those have morphed into dangerous actions like House Bill 1775 that is causing educators to avoid teaching certain subjects, and activists are being successful in banning certain books in schools. The discriminatory actions against transgender children is going to be a historical embarrassment.

The disrespect is painful to watch and the disinformation frustrating to fight. It serves as a distraction to actual needs and challenges.

In reality, there is urgency in getting credentialed teachers into classrooms and enough support staff for jobs like bus drivers, cafeteria workers and special education paraprofessionals. Schools also need more teachers and staff to lower class sizes and offer more courses.

Student outcomes have been disappointing because the state has relied on unqualified teachers for more than a decade.

But we have enough teachers. Right now, about 33,000 people in Oklahoma have a current teaching certification, but they are choosing to stay out of the classroom. Of that total, 3,000 are older than the typical retirement age of 65.

Think on that. If Oklahoma needs about 4,000 teachers, we have about 30,000 who could take those jobs, but dont want them.

In 2017, the state Education Department completed a comprehensive survey on why educators retained their certification but didnt work as teachers.

A task force report found that pay was a top concern followed by classroom management problems and lack of autonomy in making instructional decisions. The pay raise following the 2018 walkout helped but hasnt kept up with surrounding states.

Increased discipline problems have been linked to Oklahomas high rate of Adverse Childhood Experiences and rising youth mental health needs. Kids bring that background into schools not equipped with the right resources.

Professional teachers and administrators are implementing more trauma-informed instruction and discipline. More must be provided to help schools and keep these educators.

Oklahoma can turn this around, but it starts with trust and relationship building with professional teachers. We need to get some of those 33,000 back into our schools, and it starts with respect and shutting down the zealots.
Legislation designed to pull back the veil of secrecy surrounding so-called dark money political campaign contributions remains in limbo after Senate Republicans blocked efforts to put it to a vote.

The federal DISCLOSE Act would have required dark money groups to disclose the identities of donors giving more than $10,000 in an election cycle.

Oklahoma Sens. James Lankford and Jim Inhofe were among those voting to block the legislation.

This bill would subject individual donors across the political spectrum to intimidation with the intent to silence, Lankford said. I support transparency and security in our elections, but we all know this bill just makes it easier to dox political donors.

Lankfords reasoning folds under scrutiny, however. As it stands, federal and state campaign finance rules already require individual donors identities to be public, and limits the amount of money any one person can give.

The reasons are two-fold: to provide transparency to the campaign finance process, and to make sure no one donor doesnt have outsized influence over elections.

But the U.S. Supreme Courts Citizens United decision created an enormous loophole, allowing unlimited donations to nonprofit groups that campaign independently from people running for office. The decision also ensured that these groups can shield their funding sources from public view.

Conceivably, one multi-billionaire could create a sham nonprofit and funnel untold millions of dollars to sway an election in a direction her or she wants, and do it anonymously.

The DISCLOSE Act could have reset campaign finance rules to something similar to what we knew before Citizens United. Seeing that political donors lived under that system for decades without reasonable complaint, we dont see Lankfords doxing fears as legitimate.

Instead, keeping these donors identities secret maintains a wall that hinders the type of transparency that we believe voters need.

The current system has had a serious impact on Oklahoma elections, and is one that hurts candidates regardless of party.

Gov. Kevin Stitt saw dark money sources throw $7.6 million in televised ads attacking him during this years primary election season.

Incumbent State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd had more than $600,000 in dark money campaign spending directed against her.

Dark money sources threw $9 million at Oklahomas statewide offices and another $8.2 million at congressional races.

Even school board races saw secret campaign donors weigh in, making these hyper-local elections approach spending that rivaled those of state legislative seats.

It is not a far stretch to conclude that large donors can influence policy of those they support, but voters are left in the dark as to who might benefit from these high-dollar operations.

We deserve to know who these donors are. The DISCLOSE Act could have been a path toward that, but the American people have been denied that right for the sake of protecting big-money influencers.
The year 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the VietinBank - MUFG strategic alliance. This is a significant milestone on the good collaboration journey of the two banks with so many special memories.

A series of activities has been planned to celebrate the 10th anniversary.

To kick-start the celebrations, on September 22, 2022, VietinBank and MUFG held a ceremony to launch the logo of the 10th anniversary of the VietinBank  MUFG strategic alliance.

The decade-long alliance between both banks is symbolized by the fusion of their corporate colors within the anniversary logo  a synergy of VietinBanks trusted blue and MUFGs vibrant red.

Inspired by the sun as the worlds greatest source of energy as well as the beauty of the Vietnamese lotus flowers and Japanese cherry blossoms, the anniversary logo also blends cultural elements from both countries and reaffirms the commitment of the banks toward fostering bilateral economic ties.

Their union is an exemplary demonstration of the friendship built over the years and mutual respect and admiration for the cultural affinity between Vietnam and Japan.

Toward this end, they say they are committed to deepening this foundation of trust and partnership for the benefit of their clients, communities, and countries.

This anniversary logo will be used across all activities, events, and printed publications by both VietinBank and MUFG Vietnam branches ahead of the series of celebrations scheduled for 2023.
The largely innocuous but soggy remnants of Hurricane Ian drifted through Virginia early on Sunday, leaving in their wake storm-ravaged residents in Florida and the Carolinas facing a disaster recovery expected to cost tens of billions of dollars.

The storm's toll on human life also was expected to rise as floodwaters receded and search teams pushed farther into areas initially cut off from the outside world, seeking stranded survivors and the remains of anyone who may have perished.

At least 50 storm-related deaths have been confirmed since Ian crashed ashore Florida's Gulf Coast with catastrophic force on Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane, packing maximum sustained winds of 150 miles (240 km) per hour.

Florida accounted for the bulk of fatalities, with 35 tallied by the sheriff's office in coastal Lee County, which bore the brunt of the storm when it made landfall, and 11 other deaths reported by state officials in four neighboring counties.

A destroyed marina in the Matanzas Pass is seen after Hurricane Ian caused widespread destruction in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, U.S., October 1, 2022. Photo: Reuters

North Carolina authorities said at least four more people had been killed there. No deaths were immediately reported in South Carolina, where Ian made its second U.S. landfall on Friday.

Chugging over land since then, Ian has diminished into an ever-weakening post-tropical cyclone, with the National Hurricane Center (NHC) lifting all remaining watches and warnings related to the fading weather system by Saturday evening.

The NHC said heavy additional rainfall was possible across portions of West Virginia and western Maryland into Sunday morning, even as "major to record flooding" was forecast to continue in central Florida.

Stranded shrimp boats are seen in the Matanzas Pass after Hurricane Ian caused widespread destruction in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, U.S., October 1, 2022. Photo: Reuters

Washed away

As the full scope of devastation came into clearer focus days after Ian struck, officials said some of the heaviest damage was inflicted by raging wind-driven ocean surf that rushed into seaside communities and washed buildings away.

Satellite images from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) showed beach cottages and a motel that lined the shores of Florida's Sanibel Island had been demolished by storm surges. Although most homes appeared to still be standing, roof damage to all was evident.

Surveys from the ground showed that the barrier island, a popular tourist getaway that was home to some 6,000 residents, was left utterly devastated, from its infrastructure to its famously idyllic aesthetic character.

"It's all just completely gone," Sanibel's city manager, Dana Souza, said. "Our electric system is pretty much destroyed, our sewer system has been damaged badly and our public water supply is under assessment."

Beachgoers look at a large shrimping boat that was swept ashore by hurricane Ian in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, U.S., October 1, 2022. Photo: Reuters

The island's link to the mainland was severed by breaches to Sanibel's causeway bridge, further complicating recovery efforts, Souza said.

After waning to a tropical storm by the end of its march across Florida to the Atlantic, Ian regained hurricane strength and pummeled coastal South Carolina on Friday, sweeping ashore near Georgetown, north of the historic port city of Charleston, with sustained winds reaching 85 mph (140 kph).

Numerous roads were flooded and blocked by fallen trees while a number of piers were damaged in that area.

Even as they confronted a staggering amount of utility repairs and debris removal, authorities were busy searching for the missing.

As of Friday, some 10,000 people were reported unaccounted for in Florida, according to the state's emergency management director. He said many of those would likely turn out have merely been displaced and unreachable due to power and phone outages.

Destroyed buildings are seen after Hurricane Ian caused widespread destruction in Sanibel Island, Florida, U.S., October 1, 2022. Photo: Reuters

On Sanibel, crews were just making their way to the hard-hit east end of that island on Saturday, "so our situation is that we're still in the search-and-rescue mode," the city manager, Souza said.

City officials were aware of nearly 300 households who failed to leave the island as the storm approached and whose whereabouts and well-being were now being checked, he said.

About 996,000 businesses and homes remained without power as late Saturday night in Florida alone, where more than 2 million customers lost electricity the first night of the storm.

In central Florida, heavy flooding from rain-swollen rivers and runoff appeared far more extensive than wind damage.

Insurers braced for between $28 billion and $47 billion in claims from what could amount to the costliest Florida storm since Hurricane Andrew in 1992, according to U.S. property data and analytics company CoreLogic.
Moderna Inc has refused to hand over to China the core intellectual property behind the development of its COVID-19 vaccine, leading to a collapse in negotiations on its sale there, the Financial Times reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based pharmaceutical company turned down Chinas request to hand over the recipe for its mRNA vaccine because of commercial and safety concerns, the newspaper said, citing people involved in negotiations that took place between 2020 and 2021, adding that the vaccine maker is still eager to sell the product to China.

The company had given up on its previous efforts to access the Chinese market because of Chinas demand that it hand over the technology as a prerequisite for selling in the country, the report said.

Moderna did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

China has not approved any foreign COVID-19 vaccines and relies on several domestically developed shots.

In September, Moderna Chief Medical Officer Paul Burton had said the company was keen to collaborate with China on supplying its mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines to the country.

"We would certainly be very eager to collaborate with China if they felt that there was a need for a vaccine there," Burton had told a media briefing for reporters in Asia. "Currently, there is no activity going on, but we'd be very open to it."
Cuba wishes to promote cooperation ties with Vietnams economic hub Ho Chi Minh City in different fields, especially high technology, Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz said during his visit to the city on Saturday.

The Cuban PM expressed his wish to the municipal leaders when he visited the city as part of his five-day official visit to Vietnam starting Friday, at the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh.

Municipal Party Committee Secretary Nguyen Van Nen and the citys administration chairman Phan Van Mai had a reception for PM Cruz and his entourage at the Reunification Palace on Saturday before the hosts and guest had talks focusing on boosting cooperation between Cuba and the city.

At his meeting with the Cuban PM, Nen thanked him for choosing Vietnam as the first non-Latin American country he has made an official friendship visit to since he held the post in December 2019.

Ho Chi Minh City chairman Phan Van Mai (R) shakes hands with Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz at the Reunification Palace on October 1, 2022. Photo: Quang Dinh / Tuoi Tre

The citys Party chief extended his thanks to the Cuban government and people for their support, including vaccine donation, to Vietnam during the fight against COVID-19 that hit the Southeast Asian country in early 2020.

The help of Cuba and the world community has significantly contributed to the efforts of Vietnam, and Ho Chi Minh City in particular, in putting the pandemic under control, Nen added.

Despite the pandemic, the multifaceted relationship between Cuba and Vietnam, and Ho Chi Minh City in particular, has continued thriving, especially in bilateral trade exchanges, Nen told his guest.

As the potential for boosting cooperation between the two sides is aplenty, the city hoped PM Cruz would direct Cuban agencies to strengthen comprehensive cooperative ties with their Vietnamese counterparts, Nen said.

Specifically, the city wishes to cooperate with Cuban partners in trade promotion, tourism, education, community and primary healthcare, and health worker training, he elaborated.

The Cuban premier agreed with Nen, affirming that Cuba wants to increase collaboration with Ho Chi Minh City in hi-tech and pharmaceutical chemical technology projects, among others.

PM Cruz said he was particularly happy to visit the city named after President Ho Chi Minh, where he had visited Cu Chi Tunnels in Cu Chi District and Saigon Hi-Tech Park in Thu Duc City.

At the hi-tech facility, Cruz was briefed on the operation model of the park, a special economic and technical zone built in 2002, and said he was really impressed by its achievements.

Cuba is facing an embargo and thus looking for a solution to its difficulties, the Cuban PM said, adding that he wished his country would have such a successful hi-tech park someday.

He believed that his dream would come true soon if there was close cooperation between Cuba and Vietnam, and the city in particular, in this field.

The Cuban PM also briefed Nen on his talks with Vietnamese PM Pham Minh Chinh in Hanoi, during which the two agreed to strengthen cooperation in various fields.

Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz (L) and Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Secretary Nguyen Van Nen are seen in their talks at the Reunification Palace on October 1, 2022. Photo: Quang Dinh / Tuoi Tre

Accordingly, Cuba will give support to Vietnamese investors in the host country, while Vietnam will assist Cuba in renewable energy development and in the production of rice, coffee, corn, and aquaculture, among other agreements.

During his stay in Hanoi, Cruz also had talks with Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, discussing steps to enhance the bilateral ties to new heights.

PM Cruzs visit is of great significance as it marks the first time in 49 years that a Cuban prime minister has visited Vietnam after this position was restored following the adoption of the new Cuban Constitution in 2019, according to Vietnamese Ambassador to Cuba Le Thanh Tung.

Vietnam and Cuba have seen their bilateral relations develop fruitfully since the two countries established diplomatic ties on December 2, 1960, after the success of the Cuban Revolution on January 1, 1959.

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One worker was killed and two others injured following an explosion at a steel company in Ha Tinh Province, north-central Vietnam on Saturday.

A source close to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper confirmed that the blast occurred at Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation, located inside Vung Ang Economic Zone in Ha Tinh Province, on Saturday afternoon.

The incident killed one person and injured two others.

The three victims are employees of a subcontractor of Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation.

Another source stated that Ky Anh Town General Hospital received three people on Saturday, one of whom was dead on arrival.

The deceased victim, who hailed from north-central Nghe An Province, was later taken to the morgue.

The other two, one from Ha Tinh and the other from north-central Quang Binh Province, suffered severe burns on their faces and chests.

During the admission, the hospital learned that the patients had been injured in an explosion and that they were working for a subcontractor of Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation, the source elaborated.

The two patients are now in stable conditions and are receiving further treatment at the infirmary.

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Here are todays leading news stories:

Politics

-- Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz and his high-ranking delegation met Ho Chi Minh City Party Secretary Nguyen Van Nen and chairman Phan Van Mai on Saturday, as part of his official friendship visit to Vietnam from Wednesday to Sunday.

COVID-19 Updates

-- The Ministry of Health documented 672 COVID-19 cases on Saturday, raising the national tally to 11,480,028, with 10,592,592 recoveries and 43,149 deaths.

Society

-- Multiple streets in Ho Chi Minh City were serious inundated due to a heavy rain late on Saturday afternoon.

-- Nearly 40,000 civil servants and public employees quit their jobs across Vietnam between 2020 and June 2022, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Nguyen Duy Thang said at a regular press meeting of the government on Saturday.

-- A woman and her 14-month-old child drowned after they were trapped inside the cabin of a fishing boat when it capsized during a rainstorm off northern Quang Ninh Province on Saturday.

-- A Japanese woman was found dead hanging inside her apartment in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday morning, police confirmed later the same day.

-- Illegal loggers took advantage of the influence of Storm Noru to chop down 165 pine trees, all of which were about 20 years old, in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, the provincial forest protection department said on Saturday.

-- The 70-year-old man from north-central Nghe An Province who was previously accused of impregnating a six-year-old girl was found dead hanging at his home after he was released on bail.

Lifestyle

-- Doan Thien An, a beauty from southern Long An Province, was crowned Miss Grand Vietnam 2022 after surpassing 49 other contestants at the pageants finale in Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday evening.

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The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health has warned of a more serious shortage of nurses at local hospitals when the number of newly recruited employees does not offset those who quit.

In 2021, about 2,300 students applied to the nursing major at Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine, the health department said on Friday.

This number dropped to only 781 in 2022, equivalent to a 66-percent decrease.

This situation is also increasingly common at other medical schools in the southern metropolis, the health department stated, adding that the shortage of nurses is a very worrying problem, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Working as a nurse is tough, stressful, and comes with a high risk of acquiring infections, but their income remains low, forcing them to quit or change jobs.

Some others decided to work for private hospitals with higher salaries.

In addition, the Ministry of Health promulgates that nurses at public hospitals must graduate from colleges or universities, with tuition costing VND35-40 million (US$1,460-1,670) a year.

To deal with the manpower shortage, the health authorities of Ho Chi Minh City have proposed several short-term solutions, including raising the salaries of nurses and recruiting retired employees who are still able to do the job.

During a meeting with the health department on Thursday, Tran Thi Chau, vice-president of the Vietnam Nurses Association and president of the Nurses Association of Ho Chi Minh City, stated that there should be tuition fee support for nursing students as well as financial assistance for training programs aimed at improving the skills of hospital staff.

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Nearly 40,000 public employees quit their jobs across Vietnam between 2020 and June 2022, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Nguyen Duy Thang said at a regular press meeting of the government on Saturday.

Reports from 28 central agencies and authorities in 63 provinces and cities showed that a total of 39,552 officials, civil servants, and public employees resigned during the 30-month period from 2020 to mid-2022, Thang elaborated.

This number accounted for nearly two percent of the total number of long-term staff at these agencies.

Among them, more than 16,000 worked in the education sector and 12,000 in healthcare.

Thang attributed the resignation to the stressful tasks and low income in the education and health sectors.

The public sector still faces difficulties in terms of salary and incentive policies, thus the income of many employees is not enough to meet rising demand.

There was also competition from the private sector, the official added.

The working environment and conditions in the public sector may not create many opportunities for employees to improve their capacity and skills.

The resignation might also be attributed to personal reasons as public employees wanted to change career and challenge themselves in the private sector.

Thang stated that the Ministry of Home Affairs will work with the Ministry of Finance and relevant ministries to propose to the government a suitable increase in wages for public employees for the 2023-25 period.

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A yangsheng (life-nourishing) gymnastics and yoga performance of over 3,000 people on a street in downtown Ho Chi Minh City has set a Vietnamese record as it attracted the largest-ever number of elderly participants.

The record-setting event took place on Sunday morning on Le Loi Boulevard in District 1.

It was jointly organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports, the Ho Chi Minh City Association of the Elderly, and the Ho Chi Minh City Federation of Yangsheng Gymnastics and Yoga.

The event was launched to mark the International Day of Older Persons (October 1) and respond to the prime ministers decision to set October of every year as the Month of Action for Elderly Vietnamese People.

The mass performance of five yangsheng gymnastics and yoga repertoires was carried out by 3,333 elderly people following a music show by clubs of life-nourishing gymnastics across the city, according to Nguoi Lao Dong (Laborer) newspaper.

With such a number of participants, the event has been recognized by the Vietnam Records Organization (Vietkings) as setting a record in the category of the performance of life-nourishing and yoga exercises with the highest number of elderly participants in Vietnam.

A Vietkings representative presented the record certificate to the aforementioned federation.

We have practiced our repertoire carefully so that we can perform it in the best way, Tuyet Trinh, a female member of the District 11 Yangsheng Gymnastics Club, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

A performance of the Vietnam Traditional Martial Arts Club, as part of the yangsheng gymnastics and yoga performance program, in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, October 1, 2022. Photo: T.T.D. / Tuoi Tre

This image shows a yangsheng gymnastics performance by elderly people wearing the clothing of an ethnic minority in Vietnam. Photo: T.T.D. / Tuoi Tre

An umbrella dance performance by senior citizens. Photo: T.T.D. / Tuoi Tre

The yangsheng gymnastics and yoga performance that was conducted on Le Loi Boulevard in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, October 1, 2022. Photo: T.T.D. / Tuoi Tre

This image shows the record certificate presentation ceremony for the yangsheng gymnastics and yoga performance with the largest number of elderly participants in Vietnam. Photo: T.T.D. / Tuoi Tre

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Burkina Faso's new military leaders on Sunday said calm had been restored to the capital Ouagadougou following scenes of violence outside the French embassy. The country's future has been plunged into uncertainty after it suffered its second coup in a year.

Security forces fired tear gas at protesters who threw rocks and set fire to barriers outside the embassy as anti-French sentiment grew following the ousting on Friday of junta leader President Paul-Henri Damiba.

New coup leader Captain Ibrahim Traore said that Damiba  whose whereabouts are unknown  was planning a counter-offensive to his overthrow.

Traore also accused the French army of hiding Damiba at one of its military bases  a charge that France quickly refuted.

We formally deny involvement in the events unfolding in Burkina Faso," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "The camp where the French forces are based has never hosted Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba nor has our embassy.

French targets

The attack on the French embassy by angry Traore supporters drew condemnation of the greatest firmness" from Paris.

Crowds in Burkina Fasos second-largest city, Bobo-Dioulasso also reportedly vandalised the French Institute, a cultural centre.

Since Friday Russian flags have been waved at rallies in support of the coup plotters with strong anti-French slogans.

The French Foreign Ministry told AFP a crisis centre had been opened in Ouagadougou, adding that the security of its citizens was its top priority.

Meanwhile French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anne-Claire Legendre urged French citizens to stay at home, telling France 24 on Saturday the situation in the capital was confusing".

Jihadist attacks

Traore, 34, accuses Damiba of failing to rein in an Islamist insurgency that has displaced almost 2 million people in the impoverished West African nation.

Story continues

Damibas overthrow comes less than nine months after he himself ousted former president Roch Kabore for the same reason.

In a statement posted on the Presidents Facebook page, Damiba said: I call on Captain Traore and company to come to their senses to avoid a fratricidal war that Burkina Faso does not need.

The coup creates fresh problems for West Africa's political bloc, Ecowas, which has tried to persuade various coup leaders in the region to return to civilian rule.
The energy crisis is weighing down expectations for the Cop27 climate conference  an event its hoped will mark a breakthrough in climate justice for developing nations worst hit by global warming.

Much talk is being centred on how host country Egypt, as a middle-income, African and Middle Eastern nation, stands to influence the agenda of the so-called African Cop.

This means getting richer nations to pay for climate adaptation and mitigation efforts in poorer countries already reeling from the devastating impacts of rising temperatures.

A 2009 promise that $100 billion a year would be paid to vulnerable states by 2020 was broken.

Securing that money is a thorny issue made more complicated by an energy crisis that is seeing many countries seek out fossil resources rather than invest in clean energy solutions.

Twice as costly

Egypt  a nation of 103 million people that stands to benefit from loss and damage reparations  is digging its heels in.

Foreign Minister Sameh Hassan Shoukry Selim told the UN General Assembly in New York that not only did the promised $100 billion need to be delivered  but that financing for adaptation needed to be doubled.

Selim said it was essential that Cop27 reached outcomes that would see enhanced mitigation, adaptation and loss and damage commitments  as well as a reduction in emissions.

At a pre-Cop event earlier this month, climate change envoy John Kerry told leaders of 24 African countries that the United States understood it was more expensive not to act against climate change than to act.

He acknowledged that 20 countries were responsible for 80 percent of the problems caused by the climate crisis.

Kerrys words come during whats been described as a serious crisis of mistrust between countries of the global north and south.

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It is hoped that Cop27, taking place in November in the resort city of Sharm el Sheikh, will help repair the damage being done on a diplomatic level as well as an environmental one.

Dedicated fund

Civil society, NGOs and developing countries want issue of loss and damage  a term that covers all the material and human damage caused by a climate disaster  to be an integral and permanent part of the climate talks.

Theyre pushing for a dedicated fund to be set up even if remains unclear which types of weather events qualify as climate-related, and even if its unclear who should pay what.

Achieving this would help to unblock negotiations on other stumbling blocks to effectively implementing the Paris agreements effectively, says Aurore Mathieu of the Climate Action Network.

"No mechanism has been put in place within the UN to pay once the disasters have occurred  for example in Pakistan, she told RFI.

"Rich countries claim that the money put on the table for adaptation is enough, but it isn't.
SINGAPORT  Crypto futures and spot exchange BitMEX is planning on launching its exchange token, BMEX, by the end of the year, its CEO said in an interview with CoinDesk at the Token2049 conference in Singapore.

If you launch a token in a market which clearly is not at all at the bottom, then your token will be drained down with the general environment, Alexander Hoeptner, the CEO of BitMEX, told CoinDesk.

The exchange announced in July that the tokens launch would be delayed due to market conditions.

Although we are ready to list BMEX, the present market conditions are not ideal, and we want to list the token in an environment that gives it the best chance to reward you, its holders, the company said in the July announcement.

Like other exchange tokens such as BNB and FTT, token holders will be entitled to discounts on trading fees and other perks.

Hoeptner explained that the specific launch date depends on if the exchanges team believes that theres not another tremendous dip on the horizon. Launching just before a dip, he said, would mean that the attention is focused on the tokens declining price rather than the exchanges new features or other accomplishments like its registrations in Italy and Switzerland.

People waited for so long. They can wait for another month or two, Hoeptner said.
An energy crisis is driving fertilizer production down, indirectly affected by the high gas costs needed to make it. It has a double edge as the farming supplement is needed for critical food production; not with food security is on the line.

The Bloc Struggles with the Energy Crunch

Euro-sphere is saddled with high gas and electricity prices as the energy crunch is caused by the conflict in Ukraine that does not seem to have a resolution, reported Anadolu.

According to one source, natural gas costs in Europe were at their highest at 348 in August. Based on TTF, which is based in the Netherlands, traded at 39 as its average, but two years back, it was only 15.

High natural gas prices are affecting European industries that rely on cheap Russian energy, and now, manure production is jeopardized, citing S&P Global.

One critical component in marking compost is natural gas to make a lot of it, even in excess. More than one European manufacturer cannot afford the cost, forcing drastic changes in how they deal with an energy crisis. Some are canceling fertilizer production or lessening their use of it because it's too expensive to do.

Read Also: Donald Trump Net Worth 2022: Did Trump Get Richer Since Leaving the US Presidency?

The Brussels-based organization Fertilizers Europe, which claims to represent fertilizer manufacturers in the territory, was aware of the industry's unprecedented downturn, particularly in August. Due to high gas prices, Europe's agricultural manufacturing capacity has now been reduced by two-thirds.

The Union has called for urgent intervention to support the sector since high natural gas prices compelled the postponement of 70% of European ammonia production.

It seems the European Council made a deadly mistake thinking something went wrong even if the planting supplement was not part of the punitive measures.

Along with natural gas sanctions, the United States pushed for punitive measures against Russia. Like a banking grenade, transportation with insurance painted the bloc into a bad corner. These developments express concern about a lack of fertilizer supplies in European countries.

Solutions for the Shortage in Fertilizer Production

Concerns about diminishing manure resources and rising gas prices, which is a double whammy, have brought the predicament to the awareness of European agricultural ministers.

The bloc is looking for solutions such as no import duties on manure and has asked Ottawa for assistance, as too many poor decisions were made.

According to Zdenek Nekula, Czechia's minister of agriculture and the EU term president, a recent meeting in Prague last September confirmed manure shortfalls in Europe and alerted that such a situation might cause a significant large-scale drop in agricultural output.

Nekula emphasized that energy and manure costs are extremely high and will harm EU farmers if no relief is provided. 'We must counteract high manure prices and its scarcity,' he added.

The energy crisis impacting fertilizer production will have ripple effects on food security; it is sanctions gone mad and why it happens now.

Related Article: Kyiv Breaks Its Vow To Supply Grain for Starvation-Threatened African Nations as First Grain Ship Leaves Ukraine

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Photo Illustration by Erin O'Flynn/The Daily Beast/Getty

Pennsylvania counties are still mired in dubious election audits two years after Joe Bidens presidential win, and new disinformation about 2020 voting machines is circulating ahead of the midterms. Now, officials tell The Daily Beast they dont even know who is behind the latest report purporting to show ballot fraud.

In September, a new report began circulatingas first reported by Pennsylvanias WITFthat claimed 2020 ballots scanned on one of Allegheny Countys voting machines appeared blurry. (Blue voters rallied in the county to give Biden an edge in the swing state.) It claimed that some 10,000 ballots may have been affected. By the next day, right-wing conspiracy bloggers had seized on the report to declare, incorrectly, that the review had found 10,000 counterfeit ballots. Several days later, Patrick Byrne, the MAGA-loving former Overstock CEO, published a blog post that claimed the report found 16,000 fake ballots in Allegheny County.

By the time the Allegheny Board of Elections met four days later, the document had been forwarded to the county multiple times, records show, including by two locals who requested to speak at the meeting.

The reason for the blurry scans was probably simple, Allegheny Countys elections manager, David Voye, told Councilman Sam DeMarco, who asked for an explanation of the blurry ballots before this thing takes off.

These GOP Losers Are Accusing Their Own Party of Election Fraud

Over the weekend, I was sent an email in which someone talked about a review of the images of ballots that they did in 2020 and the poor quality of images off of one particular scanner, DeMarco told Voye. After that message, it jumped to videos, where someone puts out a video claiming that the unclear images represent counterfeit ballots, DeMarco said.

We did talk to our machine mechanic, Voye replied. He thinks its just an unclean screen on the scanner.

Allegheny County officials revealed to The Daily Beast that they dont know who commissioned the report in question. It was not authorized by the county, Allegheny County communications director Amie Downs told The Daily Beast, adding that we do not believe the claims to be accurate.

Story continues

At the Board of Elections meeting, Voye went on to explain how ludicrous the implied ballot-fraud plot was. For me to scan 10,000 counterfeit ballots on election night, in full view of about 200 county employees and approximately 40 party watchers, I dont see that as feasible. Other county commissioners went on to note that the scanning area was under constant surveillance, using randomly assigned scanners, making the odds of the alleged fraud next to nothing.

Council members concluded the meeting by asking listeners for evidence of real, actionable election malfeasance.

We hear about these allegations, but what we dont get is any definitive, specific information thats actionable, DeMarco said. A crowd of meeting-goers, who had voiced conspiracy theories during the meetings public comments section, shouted in disapproval.

Footage of the Board of Elections meeting has 1,000 views on Facebook. In contrast, a single conspiracy video claiming 10,000 counterfeit ballots in Allegheny has more than 30,000 views.

Its not even clear who commissioned the report. Its author, Erich Speckin, claimed, I have been asked to review scans and ballot count sheets from the November 2020 election in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. But an attorney representing Speckin did not answer questions about who asked Speckin to review the scanned ballots. She noted that the scans were obtained legally, through a Pennsylvania Right To Know request.

(Downs, the Allegheny County spokesperson confirmed that the images of the ballots had been legally obtained but that after their release, the Department of State issued guidance to all Elections offices that such images should be considered to be contents of a ballot box and are not available for release. Any other subsequent requests have been denied pursuant to that guidance.)

Speckins Sept. 16 report on Allegheny County was not his only recent foray into Pennsylvania voting records. The previous day, hed published a review of Dominion voting machines in Pennsylvanias solidly red Fulton County, where he purported to find security flaws in the machines. Five days later, Fulton County and its board of elections filed suit against Dominion, citing Speckins report.

Speckins attorney did not comment on who commissioned Speckin to review Fultons voting machines. Reached via email, Fulton County elections director Patti Hess declined to reveal who commissioned the report (or who was paying for it), referring The Daily Beast to the countys special counsel, who did not return a request for comment.

Fulton County has a special counsel on voting machine-related matters because Speckins report is at least the third attempt by state and local Republicans to review the Republican countys Dominion machines.

Conspiracy Firm Behind Arizona Audit Defies Order to Release Behind-the-Scenes Texts

As Donald Trump and allies fumed over his loss in late 2020, a coalition of Pennsylvania state senators and pro-Trump attorneys quietly asked for access to conservative counties voting machines, The Washington Post reported last year. Only Fulton County is known to have agreed.

On Dec. 31, 2020, county officials allowed the company Wake TSI to inspect its voting machines. Wake TSI would soon become familiar to followers of election fraud conspiracy theories. The company contributed to a chaotic election audit in Arizonas Maricopa County last year. In both Maricopa and Fulton Counties, the company was hired by Defending the Republic, a nonprofit run by conspiracy-promoting attorney Sidney Powell. Neither countys audits have revealed evidence of voter fraud; the audits most significant effects have been to burden taxpayers, after state officials ruled that both audits compromised the integrity of the voting machines they were supposed to inspect.

Still, both counties have remained frequent fixtures of election conspiracy theories.

Republican lawmakers have actively contributed to those baseless theories in Fulton County. In late 2021, Pennsylvanias Republican-led Senate agreed to pay $270,000 in public funds for another inspection of Fultons voting machines, this time by the company Envoy Sage, which has no experience with elections, WITF reported. That effort has stalled, after a March court ruling compelled auditors to abide by strict protocols for handling voting machines.

Like Wake TSI, Erich Speckin is a veteran of the Maricopa audit. In an appearance on a conspiracy podcast in February, Speckin claimed to have contributed to the Arizona effort, and to have found issues with at least 36,000 ballots in that audit.

The Maricopa County audit ultimately upheld Bidens 2020 victory. Yet conspiracy theorists still point to it as evidence of Trumps supposed win.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Thinking of moving to Europe? Here are the easiest countries to get a work visa

Europe is well known for being a difficult place to move to for non-European citizens trying to relocate for work.

Some countries in the EU - tiny nations like Liechtenstein and Vatican City, for example - have some of the strictest immigration rules in the world.

But countries across Europe are now facing severe labour shortages which have caused major disruption in recent months. Many are now making it easier for migrant workers to move to the EU for work.

Heres a list of the countries where its easiest to obtain a work visa for non-European citizens.

Germany

Germany has recently launched a new opportunity card to attract skilled migrant workers.

Using a point system, the Chancenkarte allows those looking for work in Germany to move to the country before having found a job or apprenticeship, rather than having to apply from abroad.

Applicants must be under 35 years old, have sufficient language skills to live in the country and at least 3 years of professional experience on their CV.

They also need to prove that they can afford to pay for living expenses for the time theyd be in Germany before finding a job.

For more details, check our explainer here.

Germany has recently launched a 'Chancenkarte' for skilled foreign workers. - Canva

Denmark

Denmark is also in dire need of workers in all kinds of industries and is looking for professionals from other countries to step in and help.

Skilled workers are required from fields like science and engineering to legal and healthcare professionals, from teachers and IT specialists to electricians, blacksmiths and metal workers.

A full list of professionals needed is available on the countrys Positive List for People with a Higher Education and the Positive List for Skilled Work published by Denmarks Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI). The lists were introduced on July 1 and will remain effective until December 31.

If youre offered a job in one industry included on the two lists, you can apply for a Danish residence and work permit. Your residence permit will be valid for as long as your period of employment if you have a contract shorter than four years or will be four-year long if longer.

Story continues

If you apply for a job on the list from abroad, youll be given a residence permit valid for one month before you start working so that you can settle in the country, provided that you prove you can sustain yourself in that period.

According to Statistics Denmark, there are currently 71,400 vacancies in the private sector in Denmark, with the highest number of these job openings being in the capital Copenhagen.

Ireland

Getting a work visa is relatively easy in Ireland, which offers a number of options ranging from the short-term to the long-term.

While its necessary to already have found a job before being able to apply, the country is actively seeking migrant workers to fill vacancies in sectors which are experiencing significant shortages.

The country has two main work visas, the Critical Skills Employment Permit for highly skilled workers and the General Employment Permit. The first one covers professions deemed critical to growing the Irish economy, while the second covers all kinds of jobs. After receiving these permits, its relatively easy for people to apply for permanent residency in the country.

Ireland also offers a working holiday visa to citizens of Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan and the US between the ages of 18 and 30 or 35.

Under this visa, migrant workers can stay in the country for up to 12 months, with the exception of Canadians who can remain for a period of up to 24 months.

Ireland is considered one of the easiest countries in the world to get a work visa for non-EU citizens. - Canva

Portugal

Portugal has recently launched a short-term visa for workers who intend to stay in the country for only one season. Under the Portuguese Work Visa, you are allowed to stay and work in the country for a maximum period of nine months. You are also allowed to work for more than one company, as long as its for a seasonal job.

Any other longer-term work visa will depend on your profession. Applications are known to take several months before being finalised, but once you obtain one you are allowed to stay in Portugal for one to two years.

Those who have lived in Portugal for five years are able to apply for permanent residence, after which they no longer need to apply for a work visa.

Finland

Finland has launched a 14-day fast-track process to get highly skilled workers into the country, as well as their families. Those who can benefit from this service are defined by the Finnish government as specialists and start-up entrepreneurs.

After 90 days in the country, non-EU workers must apply for a residence permit.

Other countries in the EU including Spain and Italy have recently announced theyre working on opening up more opportunities to non-EU workers, and will soon publish lists of vacancies they need migrant workers to fill.
Hopes for Irish unity are "noble and legitimate", said Irish Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, but he called for compromise in the debate on the island's constitutional future.

Addressing a rally over the weekend of thousands in favour of the unification of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland  part of the UK  Varadkar said he shared the aspirations of the crowd but warned against imposing the will of the majority on a pro-UK minority.

There are opposing dreams on this island, which cannot be ignored, cannot be wished away, cannot be silenced, nor should they be. Those approaches failed in the past and they will fail in the future," he said.

Varadkar, who will become prime minister in December as part of the coalition government's rotation deal, said hopes for a united Ireland came with a "responsibility for all of us to ensure that our dreams do not become someone else's nightmare".

"For these reasons, I believe our aim should be to secure as large a majority as possible in both jurisdictions in any future ballot," he added, referring to a possible referendum on Irish unity.

Varadkar shied away from calling for a border poll immediately, placing more emphasis on forming links across the sectarian divide in the north.

Some however were keener for an immediate border poll. They included the Leader of the Opposition and President of the avowedly republican Sinn Fein, Mary Lou McDonald.

But in the end, there is no them. Only us, us who call Ireland home, she said. And Ireland's future will be determined by choices made today, by decisions of this generation. So the question before us is clear, and it is this: Do we remain hemmed in by the narrow boundaries of the past?"

Republicans who long for a single country on the island of Ireland have the wind in their sails. The pro-unity Sinn Fein are now the largest party in Northern Ireland, a fact painfully displayed for unionists when the new King Charles greeted republican representatives before unionist ones, when he visited Belfast after the Queens death.

Story continues

Recent census data also showed that Northern Ireland had more people identifying as Catholic, who generally are republicans, than Protestants, who wish to remain a part of the UK.

But many in Northern Ireland say they will never accept being a part of the Irish Republic. In the wake of the Queens death many unionists renewed their loyalty, both to the new King and the British state.

Ireland has been divided for 100 years, with lines that are not easy to bridge. With a changing demography it will be increasingly important to appeal across differing communities to win the argument on Northern Irelands constitutional future.
Russias claimed annexation moves have no place in the modern world

A personal take on stories from across the world by Foreign Editor David Pratt

With every day that passes the war in Ukraine deepens and its ramifications widen. Around the same time on Friday that Russian president Vladimir Putin was announcing his claimed annexation of four regions of Ukraine and ranting against the West, Russian forces were facing another major battlefield defeat in the key north-eastern city of Lyman.

I use the word claimed in reference to Putins announcement because annexations are only such if generally recognised and this is not the case internationally in this instance. Speaking just a few days ago United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres was at pains to underline that very point.

Any decision to proceed with the annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine would have no legal value and deserves to be condemned, said Guterres, before warning that it would also mark a dangerous escalation in the war and jeopardise any prospects for peace.

Guterres is right too when he says that Russias claimed annexation moves have no place in the modern world. To begin with, it makes a mockery of the UN Charter. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, Russia is mandated to uphold the charter which prohibits the threat or use of force and champions the principle of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

As if it were already not enough of an international pariah, Russia on Friday further compounded that status after it forces launched a rocket strike on a civilian convoy that left dozens killed and wounded on the edge of the city of Zaporizhzhia.

Attacking civilian targets has been an ugly hallmark of the Russian forces engagement in this war much the same as an ignominious series of defeats on the battlefield when faced with Ukrainian forces.

Following their rapid counteroffensive this month that completely blindsided the Russian military and liberated thousands of square miles in Kharkiv, Ukrainian units have pushed further east and have nearly surrounded the town of Lyman.

Story continues

The capture of Lyman in the north of Donetsk region could pave the way for Ukraine to make inroads into the adjacent Luhansk province, foiling Putins goal of seizing all of the industrial Donbas region.

Back in Moscow there has been an almost palpable sense of alarm among Russian military bloggers, propagandists and nationalist commentators given that Lyman is the jumping off point for Russian forces in their campaign to capture the rest of Donetsk Oblast (province).

With Ukrainian forces advancing from three directions west, north and south of Lyman there is now the real possibility that several thousand Russian troops could be surrounded and trapped there.

Clearly a key battlefield victory like cutting of Lyman would give Kyiv another boost and provide the best possible riposte to Putins swaggering claim of annexing four regions of Ukraine some of which are in fact still under Kyivs control.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Oleksandr V Danylyuk, head of the Kyiv-based think-tank Centre for Defence Reforms, highlighted just how significant a psychological blow to the Kremlin the taking of Lyman would be.

It would undermine mobilisation. It would be a big problem for the personal reputation of Putin and of (Russian defence minister) Shoigu, Danylyuk said. It is important to show the Russian leadership who expect us to be scared of their (nuclear) blackmail it would be a very powerful message that we dont care.

Putin has said Moscow could use nuclear weapons to defend what he now deems Russian territory following the sham referenda and claims of annexation in the four regions. His strategy is clear, aimed as it is in the hope that annexation will cause Ukraines supporters to fear that the risk has been cranked still higher, to a level where the Wests resolve will crack.

But Kyiv is determined that it wont be swayed by such threats and will press ahead with its plans to drive all Russian forces out of Ukraine. Now then is not the time for Ukraine nor the West to ease up on the military pressure and support that has pushed Russia onto the backfoot.

If the risk of escalation is growing, then its because Putin is losing the war. Upping the ante has always been Putins way when his back is to the wall. But sometimes too at such moments his bluff has been called forcing him to back down. This is precisely one of those moments, albeit a nerve-wracking one for many.

Iran

Women lead a new revolution that's shaking the regime in Tehran

Its a story that has been overshadowed by other global events elsewhere. As ever too its one difficult to penetrate for much of the Western media given the way the authoritarian regime in Tehran shuts down information flow when it feels threatened.

But the violent death of Mashsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman, who was beaten by so-called morality police in Tehran last week for improper hijab has unleashed a new revolution of sorts that has broken through Irans media restrictions to reach the outside world.

This time it is women who are leading from the front, challenging one of the main pillars of the Islamic Republic of Iran; compulsory hijab. Having taken to the streets, they are demanding an end to what the Iranian journalist and womens rights campaigner Masih Alinejad described in the Washington Post as a system of gender apartheid.

It was back in 1981, two years after the Islamic Revolution in Iran that the hijab became compulsory. Back then too it triggered protests but these were quickly crushed by the new authorities.

Other protests since have suffered a similar fate such as the spontaneous mass demonstrations that erupted in 2009 when the Green Movement took to the streets in opposition to the election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in what is sometimes dubbed the Persian Spring.

The question now is whether the latest opposition to Irans autocratic rulers will also be suppressed or will it build in momentum to pose a bigger threat?

Some commentators, like the Iranian-American journalists and writer Roya Hakakian maintain that for the current wave of protesters the fight for womens freedom of choice is now synonymous with a desire to end the rule of the ayatollahs.

No one in Iran today is setting fire to effigies of Uncle Sam or the US flag. Instead, women are burning their headscarves in the street, on bonfires that men light for them. They dont object to the hijab itself; they object to not having the right to choose whether to wear it, wrote Hakakian in The Atlantic magazine last week.

Other commentators though remain sceptical about the capacity of the latest protests to bring about real change given the entrenched nature of Irans security apparatus. A collapse of the Islamic Republic may seem remote in the near term, but there is a distinct sense of nervousness and disarray among Irans leaders right now in how to respond. Those courageous women who have thrown down the latest challenge are a reminder to Irans regime that the thirst for rights and freedoms is unquenchable.

Brazil

Faced with election defeat Bolsonaro could seek to subvert democracy

It was always going to get nasty. What else can you expect from an incumbent president whose sense of political self-preservation makes Donald Trump look apathetic?

As Brazil goes to the polls in todays presidential election many observers believe the country is facing the most serious challenge to its democracy since its inception 37 years ago.

The root of the concern lies in what President Jair Bolsonaro, might do should he be defeated by left-wing rival, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Not that this is a foregone conclusion by any means given that the first round of voting takes place today (Sunday) and eleven candidates are running, making it possible that neither Bolsonaro nor Lula will win at least 50 percent of the vote as required. If that happens, a runoff will occur on October 30.

That said, Lula currently has taken a dominant lead with polls suggesting he is within the margin of error for a first-round victory. If things pan out that way, then all eyes will be on whether Bolsonaro may contest the results after losing.

In a bitter election campaign that has polarised the country already there have been sporadic acts of violence and growing unease that Bolsonaros hard-core right-wing base could take to the streets in the event of a Lula victory. Some election watchers have even suggested that whats at stake is the future of Brazilian democracy.

Bolsonaro for months now has been making unfounded allegations that Brazils electronic voting system is vulnerable to widespread fraud leading many rights groups to fear he may be setting the stage for disputing the results to stay in power.

Its a political gambit many in the US will already be familiar with and unsurprisingly has led to Bolsonaro being referred to as Tropical Trump in a recent Washington Post headline.

Three scenarios now loom. The first is that Bolsonaro could say the election was stolen but hold back from trying to stop the transition of the presidency. The second is that he could bring his supporters onto the streets allowing at best a messy and potentially volatile transition.

The doomsday scenario however would be all-out political violence drawing in the Brazilian military and a subversion of democracy in a country no stranger to anti- democratic coups and plots. Given the current unprecedented climate of tension in the country it would take little to light the fuse on this political tinderbox. Uncertain days lie ahead in Brazil.

Burkina Faso

Islamist threat causes fresh instability across West Africa

There was a touch of the Groundhog Day about events that unfolded on Friday in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. Appearing before the television cameras, the countrys new leader army captain Ibrahim Traore stood surrounded by soldiers, some masked, as he announced that the government was dissolved, the constitution suspended and the borders closed.

It was only in January earlier this year that the man Traore was now deposing Paul-Henri Damiba stood on the same spot announcing the same things as he took over the country in a coup to become president.

These however are not the only things both men have in common and indeed share with President Roch Kabore the man who preceded both of them

Each one of the recent coups that have occurred in Burkina Faso have according to their instigators been carried because the incumbent had failed to deal with the threat posed by Islamists linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group (IS).

And here in a nutshell is why events of the past few days in Burkina Faso a country perhaps little known to many outside the region of West Africa are worth paying attention to right now.

For the simple fact is that Burkina Faso has fast become the epicentre of violence carried out by groups linked to Islamist inspired terror organisations that began in neighbouring Mali in 2012 and has spread to other West African countries south of the Sahara Desert.

In a world where both al-Qaeda and IS might appear a thing of the past and a threat considerably diminished, the influence of Islamist insurgents in West and Central Africa over the past few years is a growing cause of international concern.

Mali, Chad, and Guinea are among the other countries in the region that have all seen coups since 2020, raising fears of a backslide towards military rule in a region that up until now had made democratic progress over the past decade.

In the arid expanse of the western Sahel region alone there has been a quadrupling in the number of militant Islamist group incidents since 2019. The 2,800 violent events projected for 2022 represent a doubling in the past year with the violence expanding in intensity and geographic reach.

Its against this backdrop that coups like the one in Burkina Faso on Friday are enacted and enable military rulers to come to power while undermining democratic governance. Its a reminder too that the threat of al- Qaeda and IS far from being consigned to history is still very current and their capacity to cause transnational instability has not gone away.

Read more by David Pratt:

On the world: Major unrest in Russia as desperate Putin ups the ante

On the world: Putin and Xis awkward meeting was certainly not one of equals

In Ukraine: One soldiers story  I have a wife and daughter, so I have everything to lose if we do not win this war'
German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt

By Devik Jain and Amruta Khandekar

(Reuters) -European shares climbed on Friday but saw sharp losses during a quarter marked by rising interest rates and tumbling risk sentiment, with hot inflation data from the region keeping investors on edge.

The region-wide STOXX 600 index closed up 1.3% but had briefly pared some session gains after data showed euro zone inflation zoomed past forecasts to 10.0% in September, hitting a new record high.

The inflation numbers fuelled expectations of another super-sized interest rate hike from the European Central Bank.

All of the STOXX sectors ended the day in positive territory, with bargain hunting driving gains among beaten-down retailers, oil and gas and bank stocks.

"It's only a small consolidation but it's a step in the right direction. It's hard to know to know if we have reached the absolute low," said Michael Baker, head of online services at Oval Money.

"Till inflation comes under control, you'll see a kind of unease (in markets)."

The STOXX 600 index has fallen 4.8% during the July-September period marking its third straight quarterly decline in what will be its longest such losing streak since 2011.

Markets have been roiled since the Russia-Ukraine war earlier this year jolted the region and sent gas prices soaring, leading to rampant inflation, which sparked aggressive rate hikes from central banks and worries about a subsequent growth slowdown.

A string of recent inflation numbers have exacerbated concerns about the pace and extent of monetary policy tightening globally.

Data on Friday showed U.S. consumer spending rebounded in August after falling in July, stoking fears of more hawkish policy moves from the U.S. Federal Reserve.

Meanwhile, inflation in the Netherlands touched its highest in decades on skyrocketing energy prices, adding to concerns around grim inflation numbers from Germany reported on Thursday.

London's blue-chip FTSE 100 briefly dipped before closing up 0.2% while the domestically-focused mid-caps index jumped 2.3% as the pound gained ground after the Bank of England's intervention in bond markets.

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A Reuters poll found the BoE was unlikely to raise rates before its next scheduled policy meeting in November despite a recent hit to sterling from its controversial economic growth plans announced last week.

On the geopolitical front, President Vladimir Putin proclaimed Russia's annexation of a swath of Ukraine, even as Russian forces face setbacks on the battlefield. The Russian president's proclamation of Russian rule over 15% of Ukraine has been firmly rejected by Western countries and even many of Russia's close allies.

Shares of German sportswear makers Puma and Adidas slid 5.7% and 4.1% respectively, after U.S. rival Nike Inc cautioned about pressure on margins.

(Reporting by Devik Jain, Amruta Khandekar and Susan Mathew in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Rashmi Aich)
(Bloomberg) -- Kwasi Kwarteng is privately trying to reassure Conservative Members of Parliament that his tax cuts can fix the UK economy, in a bid to head off a potential rebellion.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has talked to about 25 MPs in recent days, according to a person familiar with the matter, who said Kwarteng recognizes the scale of unease at his plans. At the same time, the chancellor is confident he will persuade the would-be rebels to back down, the person said.

The backlash over Kwartengs decision to scrap the top rate of income tax for the UKs highest earners is threatening to fundamentally undermine Liz Trusss government after less than a month in office. On Sunday, the prime minister took the unusual step of pinning the policy on Kwarteng, while saying she is sticking with it despite the seismic political fallout.

Her defiance -- as the ruling Conservative Party gathers in Birmingham for its annual conference -- fueled the anger among Tory MPs about the economic policy she and Kwarteng are pursuing and risks unsettling markets again when trading opens on Monday. Investors have been looking for a sign that Truss is ready to reconsider her plan for massive unfunded tax cuts after the government was effectively bailed out when the Bank of England stepped into the market last week to avert an imminent market crash.

Much of the Tory opposition stems from two fears: that the tax cuts will be funded by borrowing at a time the government is already increasing debt levels to help Britons with soaring energy bills; and that the reduction in the top rate of income tax looks like the government is prioritizing the wealthiest earners over those on lower incomes during a cost-of-living crisis.

Several said MPs are staying away from the Tory conference because they cant support the tax cuts. One said instead they would spend the time responding to the hundreds of emails they had received from constituents concerned about surging mortgage costs and potential cuts to welfare payments.

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Read more: Cant Go Forward, Wont Go Back: Trusss Government Hits Buffers

Moments after Truss spoke on the BBC, former cabinet minister Michael Gove told the same program that removing the top rate of income tax for the highest earners was the wrong decision and indicated he would not support it. By late Sunday, he had become an unofficial recruiting sergeant for unhappy Tories, some of whom said they would be prepared to rebel against the plan.

Rebel Plans

At least 11 other MPs including Julian Lewis, Simon Hoare, James Cartlidge and Mel Stride, the Tory chairman of Parliaments influential Treasury Committee, have so far gone public with their criticism of the tax cut. That indicates that the total could be significantly higher.

Millionaires will gain by tens of thousands of pounds as a result of these tax cuts, and people on average and below average incomes will not, Gove said later during a conference event. That is the wrong priority.

One problem facing would-be rebels is that because the full Budget is not expected until March, a vote on it in the House of Commons is likely to be months away. Yet the opposition Labour Party is expected to use parliamentary procedure to try to force a vote on the issue in the coming weeks.

One Conservative MP expressed hope that Kwarteng and Truss could be pressured into a U-turn on the tax due to the danger involved in losing a vote. Finance measures are regarded as a confidence issue for a government, and a defeat could embolden Labour to push for a general election.

No U-Turn

But Truss reiterated Sunday she has no intention of backing down. And on Monday, Kwarteng will also use his keynote speech to say the government has no choice but to prioritize growth, and that tax cuts are a part of that.

We will show that our plan is sound, credible, Kwarteng will say, according to his office.We must stay the course. I am confident our plan is the right one.

Meanwhile party chairman Jake Berry issued a stark warning: Any Tory MP voting against the tax cut would be kicked out of the parliamentary party.

That prompted one Tory MP who won their seat in Boris Johnsons landslide general election victory in 2019 to say they are trapped between a rock and hard place on the tax cut. Voting against the budget measure would likely see them deselected, yet the tax cut is so unpopular with voters that supporting the measure would probably cost them their seat anyway.

Political Fallout

Amid days of market turmoil since Kwarteng made his fiscal statement, the pound plunged to a record low and support for the Tories has tanked, with YouGov putting the opposition Labour Party an extraordinary 33 points ahead. A survey by Opinium for the Observer newspaper showed three-quarters of UK voters, including 71% of those who backed the Tories in the last election, think Truss and Kwarteng have lost control of the economy.

Cutting taxes for the richest is politically toxic, especially as the government has made clear it is seeking ways to trim department to pay for the plans. Spending on public services was already cut back sharply when the Conservatives first won power 12 years ago during the global financial crisis, and National Health Service waiting times have soared since the pandemic.

For the Tories most angry about Trusss economics, the issue is fast moving beyond voting down the specific measure in the House of Commons to removing the prime minister from office entirely -- less than three months since the last Tory prime minister, Boris Johnson, was himself forced to quit.

Their thinking reflects concerns about the reputation of Truss and Kwarteng as longstanding advocates of low taxes and deregulation, set out in a 2012 book, Britannia Unchained. They fear that cutting taxes for Britons highest earners is likely to be just the start and that it will leave the party out of step with most voters at a time when many families are seeing their budgets stretched.

Curtains

Another MP, who asked not to be identified, said they are so concerned about Trusss approach that they would be writing a letter to Conservative grandee Graham Brady to express no confidence in her as party leader. Though Truss is exempt from a leadership challenge for a year, the MP said the hope was that if there are enough other MPs doing the same, the rule could be changed.

Still, reaching the type of numbers that would force the hand of Brady, who heads the 1922 Committee of rank-and-file Conservatives which decides on leadership contests, is a tall order. How the conference goes this week will play a major part, but with so many MPs staying away, the real plotting may wait until Parliament returns next week.

Truss starts from a position of weakness in the party: Two-thirds of her MPs voted against her in the contest to replace Johnson in July, and she only claimed victory because she was the preferred choice of grassroots members.

Though unlikely, the prime minister does have options if the threat level rises dramatically. One is to backtrack on the top rate of tax and to jettison Kwarteng as political cover. Her comment Sunday that the decision to remove the highest levy was the chancellors alone raised eyebrows.

Former Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne told Channel 4 it is touch and go whether the chancellor can survive the fallout of his fiscal statement, adding that he should scrap his tax cuts and reassure voters and the markets during his speech to conference on Monday. If that goes badly, its curtains, Osborne said.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2022 Bloomberg L.P.
This booking photo provided by the El Paso, Texas, County Sheriff's Office shows Michael Sheppard, one of two Texas brothers who authorities say opened fire on a group of migrants getting water near the U.S.-Mexico border on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022. Sheppard was a warden at a detention facility with a history of abuse allegations. (El Paso County Sheriff's Office via AP)

AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  One of two Texas brothers who authorities say opened fire on a group of migrants getting water near the U.S.-Mexico border, killing one and injuring another, was warden at a detention facility with a history of abuse allegations.

The shooting happened Tuesday in rural Hudspeth County about 90 miles (145 kilometers) from El Paso, according to court documents filed Thursday. One man was killed; a woman was taken to a hospital in El Paso where she was recovering from a gunshot wound in her stomach, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

DPS said the victims were among a group of migrants standing alongside the road drinking water out of a reservoir when a truck with two men inside pulled over. According to court documents, the group had taken cover as the truck first passed to avoid being detected, but the truck then backed up. The driver then exited the vehicle and fired two shots at the group.

Witnesses from the group told federal agents that just before hearing the gunshots, they heard one of the two men in the vehicle yell derogatory terms to them and rev the engine, according to court documents.

Authorities located the truck by checking cameras and finding a vehicle matching the description given by the migrants, according to court records.

Michael Sheppard and Mark Sheppard, both 60, were charged with manslaughter, according to court documents. Court records did not list attorneys for either man. Contact information for them or for their representatives could not be found and attempts to reach them for comment since their arrest have been unsuccessful.

Records show that Michael Sheppard was warden at the West Texas Detention Facility, a privately owned center that has housed migrant detainees. A spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told The Associated Press that no ICE detainees had been held at that detention facility since October 2019, following the opening of a larger detention facility nearby.

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Scott Sutterfield, a spokesman for facility operator Lasalle Corrections, responded to an AP email asking whether Sheppard had been fired as warden. Sutterfield said the warden had been fired due to an off-duty incident unrelated to his employment. Sutterfield declined further comment, citing the ongoing criminal investigation.

A 2018 report by The University of Texas and Texas A&M immigration law clinics and immigration advocacy group RAICES cited multiple allegations of physical and verbal abuse against African migrants at the facility. According to the report, the warden "was involved in three of the detainees reports of verbal threats, as well as in incidents of physical assault. The warden cited in the report was not named.

However, Texas Congressman Lloyd Doggett, a Democrat, said in a press conference Saturday that Sheppard was in fact the warden at the facility at the time of the allegations and when the report was published. According to information provided by Doggett's office, the webpage for Louisiana-based LaSalle Corrections listed Sheppard as an employee at West Texas since 2015.

Doggett, along with other Texas Democratic congressmen, called on Saturday for a federal investigation into the shooting.

The dehumanizing, the demeaning of people who seek refuge in this country, many of whom are people of color, is what contributed to the violence we see here, Doggett said.

In one account detailed in the report, a migrant told the lawyers that the warden hit him in the face while at the nurses station and when he turned to the medical officers he was told they "didnt see anything.

I was then placed in solitary confinement, where I was forced to lie face down on the floor with my hands handcuffed behind my back while I was kicked repeatedly in the ribs by the Warden, a migrant referred to as Dalmar said in the report.

The attorneys submitted a civil rights complaint over the allegations that year but according to response letter sent to the lawyers in 2021, the Department of Homeland Security Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties conducted an onsite investigation, made multiple recommendations to ICE, but did not find evidence of any excessive use of force incidents or incidents of wrongful segregation and found some uses of force to have been appropriate.

Fatma Marouf, a co-author of the report and director of the Immigrant Rights Clinic at Texas A&M, said it was difficult for authorities to follow up on the allegations because many of the people interviewed for the report were deported shortly after.

Marouf said current views on immigration enforcement based in deterring people at all costs have spiraled out of control.

"We don't even see people as humans anymore, Marouf said.

The number of Venezuelans taken into custody at the U.S.- Mexico soared in August, while fewer migrants from Mexico and some Central American countries were stopped, officials said earlier this month. Overall, U.S. authorities stopped migrants 203,598 times in August, up 1.8% from 199,976 times in July but down 4.7% from 213,593 times in August 2021.

Silky Shah, executive director of advocacy organization Detention Watch Network, said this is both a problem of the current rhetoric around immigration, including the use of terms like invasion by GOP leaders including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and inaction from federal officials to move away from the previous administration's immigration policies that added to this sentiment.

I think there is no question that there is a discourse that is stoking actions like this, Shah said.

____

Associated Press writers Elliot Spagat and Paul Weber contributed to this report.
Elizabeth Leeming has been recognised for work in maternity, neonatal and postnatal care with asylum seekers. Picture: WaterWipes

A North East midwife is the UK winner of an award celebrating the achievements of healthcare workers in maternity, neonatal and postnatal care.

Elizabeth Leeming has been awarded 10,000 bursary to advance the care of expectant and new parents and their babies after scooping the prize in WaterWipes third annual Pure Foundation Fund.

Having worked for Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals Foundation Trust for over 10 years, Elizabeth Leeming was nominated by her colleague Rachael Fazakerley for being a dedicated midwife, colleague, and friend who goes above and beyond for everyone she meets.

Elizabeth has dedicated her time to helping pregnant asylum seekers, who are coming into the city and staying in temporary accommodation.

Read more: Crowds flock to Festival of Thrift for 10th anniversary for final year at Kirkleatham

Commenting on her nomination, Rachael said: Elizabeth has provided outstanding clinical care but on top of that has acted as an advocate for these families.

Elizabeth said: I am extremely grateful to Rachael for going to the trouble to submit an entry for me.

"I hope that by shining a spotlight on Forced Migrant Maternal Health that it will increase funding and service development for this vulnerable group of mothers, here in the North East.

Elizabeth will be donating her prize money to help fund the important work that is helping to break down some of the barriers in maternity care, by her hospital, the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals Foundation Trust Maternity Department.

WaterWipes encouraged parents and healthcare professionals to nominate individuals who played crucial roles in pregnancy, birth, and postnatal care and made a difference in the lives of parents and babies.

Read more: What's happened to Darlington's 'beloved' little park that is 'Britain's smallest'

WaterWipes received over 360 nominations for this years Pure Foundation Fund across the UK and Ireland.

The UK winner was selected by a panel including both WaterWipes and neonatal charity partner, Bliss.

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Ailbhe OBriain, HCP Marketing Manager UK & Ireland at WaterWipes said: Reading this years inspirational nominations reminds us all why we are all so passionate about supporting maternal, neonatal and postnatal healthcare professionals in the UK and Ireland with the Pure Foundation Fund.

We have been so touched by the incredible stories of these individuals who go above and beyond to provide excellent care for parents and their babies. They truly are our Great Protectors and we are delighted to support the further improvement of care with the award of this years bursary funds.

Read more: Man and woman arrested as cocaine found in house by North Yorkshire Police

Commenting on this years Pure Foundation Fund, Caroline Lee-Davey, Chief Executive at Bliss and a member of the judging panel, said: It was an honour to assist with the judging for this years PFF awards: the standard across all nominees was exceptionally high, demonstrating how much excellent practice there is in maternity and neonatal care across the UK.

However, Elizabeth Leemings nomination stood out for her work with asylum seekers, and her combination of excellent clinical care with a personal commitment to go above and beyond to advocate for this community and ensure that her patients are valued. Congratulations to Elizabeth for winning this years award, to the other shortlisted nominees, and indeed to all other nominees for their continued commitment to outstanding patient-centred care.

Read next:

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Actor Jimmy Nesbitt has said the debate about Northern Irelands constitutional future should be led by people rather than politicians.

The Cold Feet actor was the keynote speaker at a major rally on Irish unification in Dublin on Saturday.

Nesbitt, who comes from a Protestant/unionist background in Co Antrim, told the Irelands Future event he remains unsure about the arguments advanced by nationalists but said he was open to an informed discussion on the issues.

He told an audience of around 5,000 people inside the 3Arena that the phrase united Ireland was viewed by some unionists as incendiary and suggested the term Union of Ireland might be more palatable as a concept for people from his community.

Actor James Nesbitt spoke at the Irelands Future event at the 3Arena in Dublin (Niall Carson/PA)

I think one of the great challenges and actually one of the great opportunities is to start getting away from language that is incendiary, he said.

I suppose to many from my background talk of a united Ireland is difficult, but the conversation is out there.

I prefer something like a new union of Ireland where people from the north, particularly those from my tradition, would feel that they have their identity, that it is in no way threatened, that they have an equal voice, that they are part of a society that is progressive, inclusive, diverse.

That they have prosperity, that they are not marginalised, and that they can be proud to be from the north of Ireland in a new union of Ireland.

He suggested the time could be right to view the debate in a post unionism and post nationalism context.

I know many northern Protestants are open to this. Among my friends, who are all lads who are Protestants  well, men, we are all in our mid-50s looking down the barrel of 60  they would really consider now what the notion of a new union of Ireland might look like, and I think theres a lot of people that think that.

Me, I am still not entirely sure because I dont know enough about what a new union of Ireland would look like.

I am certainly very keen on embracing anything in which the relationship between the people in the north is improved, and between north and south and between these islands, and it strikes me that I think a lot more people are coming round to the idea of just even considering themselves Irish.

Story continues

He added: I believe, I firmly believe that we need to bring this discussion out of the Dail, out of Stormont, out of Whitehall, out of academic fora and into the village halls and town halls, the church halls, the Orange halls.

My point is, I think, that any change must be people led and solutions cannot be forced on those people. If we should have learnt anything from history, we should have learnt that.

Solutions must emerge from a public discussion of the options for the future constitutional governance of the island and its relationships with our friends in the rest of the British Isles and in the European Union.

I would also include in that discussion the Irish diaspora across the world  a debate that I do not believe we have ever had.

Politicians may point to a political mandate giving them the power and responsibility to lead but people can only vote for what is in front of them on the ballot paper. I believe that it is time to ask wider society, outside of the ballot box, what way it wants to be governed.

He added: In my view we have for too long focussed on the differences that keep us apart and failed to explore the common ground, those views, issues, problems that we share.

As a society we need to build on that common ground, explore what a shared island means and let any discussion on future constitutional arrangements emerge.

A border poll may well be inevitable but if it is going to happen let it happen after an informed debate and not just when the numbers are right.

Fellow actor Colm Meaney also participated in Saturdays rally.

Actor Colm Meaney takes part in an event debating Irish unification (Niall Carson/PA)

Ten political parties were represented, with the leaders of five addressing the audience.

Unionist parties from Northern Ireland did not attend. The cross-community Alliance Party at Stormont also did not participate.

Irelands deputy premier and leader of the Fine Gael party Leo Varadkar gave an address, as did Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald.

Mr Varadkar said a united Ireland would only succeed if its creation is endorsed by strong majorities in both the north and south of the island.

The Tanaiste said while 50% plus one was enough on paper and in a law to win referenda on unification, he said in reality such a margin would not be a recipe for success.

He said compromise would be needed when it came to designing the shape of a united Ireland, suggesting that a devolved parliament at Stormont could be retained in a new state, with Northern Ireland also having a separate police service, health service and education system.

Mr Varadkar, who will again become Taoiseach in December, said cross-community engagement both within Northern Ireland and between north and south was currently far short of what would be needed to build a new Ireland.

Tanaiste and leader of the Fine Gael party Leo Varadkar addresses the crowd (Niall Carson/PA)

The Fine Gael TD, who has made clear he does not think the conditions are right for a border poll, said there was danger of placing too much focus on a referendum, when the priority should be on trying to increase engagement and build trust.

We cant build our future based on narrow majorities or on the wishes of just one community, he said.

For these reasons, I believe our objective should be to secure as large a majority as possible in both jurisdictions in any future poll.

50% plus one may be enough on paper and in law, and I dont dispute that for a moment, but a majority so narrow is not a recipe for success.

Our only hope depends on presenting a proposal  north and south  that will be able to achieve democratic consent and this will involve compromise.

However, Ms McDonald said the days of treading water on planning for Irish unification are over.

The republican leader said those who said it was not the time to start preparing for constitutional change had long lost sight of the bigger picture.

Ms McDonald reiterated her call for the Irish government to establish a citizens assembly to discuss issues about how a unified Ireland might work.

Irelands future will be determined by choices made today, by decisions of this generation, she said.

She added: Those who say yes, but not now have long lost sight of the bigger picture.

The stated aim of Irelands Future is to promote debate and discussion about what a united Ireland would look like. It is campaigning for a referendum on reunification.

The group contends that Brexit has created a fresh impetus for constitutional change, with more people looking at unification as a way to mitigate the consequences of the UKs departure from the EU.
A series of explosions which caused major damage to Russias undersea Nord Stream gas pipelines were clearly an act of sabotage, Liz Truss has said.

The Prime Minister was updated on the latest situation in the Baltic Sea in talks with her Danish counterpart Mette Fredriksen in Downing Street on Saturday.

The blasts last week occurred as Russian President Vladimir Putin was preparing to announce the annexation of four Ukrainian provinces  a move widely denounced in the West as a violation of international law and a serious escalation of the conflict.

There are deep suspicions in Western capitals that Moscow carried out the attacks on the pipelines  which can carry gas to Germany  as a way of intensifying the pressure over energy supplies.

However, in a speech on Friday, the Russian leader claimed Anglo Saxons were responsible for the terror attacks, which he described as an attempt to destroy the European energy infrastructure.

The US State Department has dismissed such claims as preposterous and Russian disinformation.

Following Ms Trusss meeting with Ms Fredriksen, a No 10 spokesman said: The leaders stressed the need to stay united in the face of Russias despicable action in Ukraine.

They agreed the incidents were clearly an act of sabotage. The Prime Minister offered the UKs support for the ongoing investigation.

Speaking to reporters outside No 10, Ms Frederiksen said: One of the reasons why Im here today is because of the situation in the Baltic Sea, with Nord Stream 1 and 2.

I was able to give some details about what has happened in Denmark, or just outside Denmark.

Of course, it has been very important for me to underline that the Danish authorities have said that this is not an accident.

This is sabotage and it is critical infrastructure. So of course, this is a very serious situation.

Neither leader sought to attribute responsibility for the incident.

The Danish and Swedish governments last week reported a series of four explosions in the two pipelines, which resulted in a large leakage of methane gas into the Baltic.

Neither is currently in operation although they both still contain gas.

Nord Stream 1 has not transported any gas since late August when Russia closed it down, saying it needed maintenance. Nord Stream 2 was halted after Russia invaded Ukraine in February.
An FBI whistleblower who got suspended got support from former agents confirming the bureau's politicized bias. In particular, they investigated suspects connected to the Capitol Incident probe on January 6, in which the Democrats are intent on painting Donald Trump and his supporters.

Considerable Support for FBI Whistleblower

For suspended whistleblower Steve Friend, who alleged political bias at the organization dealing with January 6, 2021, Capitol breach probe, thirty former Federal agents have already sent supportive comments, reported The Epoch Times.

A retired deputy assistant director and ex-SWAT team members are some ex-agents who've already voiced support for Friend.

In a publicly disclosed public statement on September 26, the former officer contended that the agency had been handling a few significant persons of interest in the Jan 6 probe.

He used this example of a SWAT team getting engaged to arrest just a lesser charge, which he regarded as "unnecessary."

Using "anomalous" techniques to manage the Capitol investigations, the FBI ended up breaking the Justice Department's guidelines for its domestic inquiry (pdf), as shown by this disgruntled officer.

He contended that deferring intervention to the FBI's Jan 6 Task Force had diminished the significance of field offices and field agents in the inquests that did take place on January 6, 2021.

Friend added that he had been established as the Case Agent in continuing criminal cases that included Jan 6 subjects.

In addition, it is claimed that the agency has undermined investigations into child sexual abuse and that it should be politically neutral in finding domestic terrorists who are Americans.

Read Also: Donald Trump Children: What You Need to Know About the 5 Trump Kids

According to his attorney, the Federal Bureau of Investigation still employs him but with no pay.

Former FBI Agents' Statements

Ernie Tibaldi, a retired agent, told the New York Post that the US government's ruling party shouldn't use the agency as politicized bias.

Tibaldi expressed that politics should be taken out of the agency once and for all. It should be the bureau has allowed itself to become the hitman of the administration, and it goes after those dissenting against it. It should be pristine from influence to do its job correctly.

Ex-SWAT team members confirmed with Friend's statements that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had been using unnecessary force while arresting suspects accused of felony crimes.

Another retired special agent, Agent David Baldovin, who spent two dozen years in SWAT, says, "The existing use, or the misuse, of SWAT teams has been scandalous."

Friend has been applauded for having the guts to repudiate the current group of agency bureaucrats and tyrants. One more former SWAT team member was asserted to have played a role in a number of operations that were confined to "serious felonies."

Friend's security clearance has been canceled when an investigation is undertaken since he has refused to participate in up-and-coming operations involving the Jan 6 probe. Likewise, his credentials, weapon, and qualifications were all stripped away.

Former agents supported Friend, an FBI whistleblower, as they accused the bureau of excess politicized bias, which was used to harass suspects during the Capitol incident.

Related Article: Minnesota Allegedly Retains Old, Duplicate Voter Lists Causing Doubts on Election Integrity Before the Midterms

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When you land in the door of a supermarket, this is what is known as the decompression zone where customers size up their surroundings and settle into their shopping experience (Getty/iStock)

A BBC Radio 4 interview on Friday morning with Iceland boss Richard Walker showcased why tackling the UKs obesity problem will be a herculean task. Because as long as the overriding interest is financial profit, and not peoples lives, then nothing will improve.

As part of the governments sweeping changes to how unhealthy food is sold, from this weekend certain shops in England wont be allowed to stock junk food near tills, in some aisles or at the front door.

Considering the current levels of obesity, a four-year-old, or anyone with weak will power (most of us), could explain why these measures make sense.

But whilst discussing them, Richard Walker was having none of it. He twice lambasted not being able to display junk food in certain areas of his supermarket as madness, saying it would lose Iceland money. No awareness, apparently, of the long-term costs of obesity, and how junk food is multiple times more expensive than unprocessed food. No mention of how his customers may be struggling with their weight.

Whilst Iceland has a budget-conscious clientele, affluence is associated with better health and being less likely to be overweight. Any high street in Britain will show how the obesity problem is headed into an emergency stage. Two-thirds of adults in England are overweight or living with obesity, one in three children leave school overweight or obese, with weight-related illness costing the NHS 6bn a year.

So I found it quite amazing to hear Mr Walkers response. This just shows the extent of the issue: it is impossible to make the right choices when the modern environment is set up to lure you into constantly making the wrong ones.

But with these new rules, knowing where the dangerous products are means you can avoid them. If I want to buy some sweets I will meander along the treat aisle. But if I dont, and it is placed all over the shop, it is incredibly hard not to pop some into my trolley.

The supermarket is far from the worst culprit, though. I was in Derby airport a few weeks ago with my family and our main food choice was between donuts and burgers. But thats another article.

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Mr Walker claims it will make no difference where products are placed in a supermarket, but he will be well versed in the science of persuading people to buy things. When you land in the door of a supermarket, this is what is known as the decompression zone where customers size up their surroundings and settle into their shopping experience. This is why you are blasted with treats and multi-packs here. And near the till is peak pressure time for parents who are trying to get out of the shop without a tantrum. Or if alone, its a red light zone for the last-minute treat yourself impulse buy.

Anyway, the 2018 sugar tax did make a difference so these policy changes can help. Research from Cambridge University found that in the year after it was introduced, sugar consumption fell by 10 per cent and many manufacturers cut down on sugar in their recipes. I know my 14-year-old wont buy a fizzy drink if he only has a certain amount of cash. He often gets water now instead.

Just like with climate change, we must avoid taking the path of least resistance. A collective effort is needed, but Mr Walkers comments show that making money is still more important to too many people than the nations health.
Notre Dame restoration on track to be completed by 5th anniversary of tragic fire

The restoration work inside Notre Dame cathedral is ramping up.

Less than two years before the grand reopening, Notre Dames exceptional stained glass windows and paintings, which were spared by the flames that ravaged the monument back in April 2019, are now being given a fresh look.

This past spring, eight workshops of master glassmakers and artistic locksmiths were selected across France and entrusted with the cleaning and restoration of the cathedrals stained glass windows.

This is the first time they have been cleaned since  they were laid in the 19th century, 150 years ago, president of the Manufacture Vincent-Petit and restorer Flavie Vincent-Petit revealed to ABC News.

PHOTO: Recovery of a pictorial layer on The Martyrdom of St. Andre by Charles Le Brun. (DRAC Ile-de-France  David Bordes)

Located in the city of Troyes, Vincent-Petits workshop has been awarded the cleaning and restoration of the stained glass windows of eight high bays.

[Notre Dame] represents all the French and European medieval culture of the Middle Ages and how finally all these European nations were built around a spiritual impulse, Vincent-Petit told ABC News, adding It is extremely positive to be able to participate in the reconstruction.

After months of preparatory work -- including decontamination against lead due to fire, documentation and restoration tests -- the restorers are only now starting the delicate and arduous cleaning and restoration process.

PHOTO: Paint layer analysis on The Martydom of St. Stephen by Charles Le Brun. (Arcanes)

But caring for Notre Dames stained glass windows is not solely a French affair as the Cologne Cathedral workshop from Germany has joined the effort by restoring the stained glass windows of four other high bays.

Another project in this huge undertaking is the restoration of 22 paintings out of the 25 removed from the cathedral post fire.

Global donations for the project is an estimated at around 2,700,000 euros (approximately $2,703,000) and their restoration is carried out by 50 experts under the project management of the Regional Department of Cultural Affairs of Ile-de-France (DRAC).

No damage requiring the restoration of these paintings is linked to the fire of Notre Dame. These canvases are restored because they are old. Their restorations date back decades, regional conservator of historical monuments at the DRAC Ile-de-France, Antoine-Marie Preaux, told ABC News.

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PHOTO: Dusting, cleaning and removing a layer of varnish on the Conversion of St. Paul de Laurent. (DRAC Ile-de-France  David Bordes)

At work since October 2021 in a secret location near Paris, the experts have been repairing 17th and 18th century works by masters such as French painters Charles Le Brun and Jacques Blanchard, as well as Italian painter Guido Reni, by sometimes recreating colors that no longer exist with the help of period documents.

Notre Dame is currently scheduled to reopen in 2024, five years to the day after the devastating fire destroyed the upper part of Notre-Dame Cathedral and the surrounding areas.

Notre Dame restoration on track to be completed by 5th anniversary of tragic fire originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
HA NOI  The Viet Nam Red Cross Society (VRSC) will send emergency aid worth VN330 million (US$13,830) in cash and kind to help flood victims in the two central provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh.

The VRSC Central Committee on Saturday announced that Nghe An will receive VN100 million and 200 relief packages while Ha Tinh will get VN50 million and 100 flood relief boxes, to be distributed to families with injured victims, or those whose houses and crops destroyed and seriously damaged by flooding.

The Investment and Trade Consultancy Co Ltd (Intraco) has sent some 1,000 water filters worth VN1.1 billion through the VRSC to flood-hit families in Nghe An.

On September 29, the VRCS Central Committee provided assistance in cash and kind worth VN640 million for people in Quang Nam and Quang Ngai central provinces affected by Typhoon Noru, the fourth one to enter the East Sea this year.

The storm caused heavy rain, floods and landslides in the central and Central Highlands regions.  VNS
by Nguyen My Ha

Ask a Vietnamese man or woman, who is Viet Nam's most famous literary detective, and it will be hard to get an immediate answer. A detective's work always needs a serious crime. Many unsolved crimes in history remain mythical, making the crime more mysterious. Readers have always seemed happy with this.

But the scene has gradually been changing as young writers have added new books to the otherwise rather limited genre in the Vietnamese language. At a recent conference on local detective works, Nguyen Quang Thieu, chairman of the Viet Nam Writers Association, announced that he believed a literary prize for detective novels would encourage writers to pen new works.

Writers in this style include Kim Tam Long with the 'white' series: Mat na trang (The White Mask, 2018), An uc trang (The White Disturbance, 2020) and Tham kich trang (White Tragedy, 2022). The White Mask sold out and has been reprinted with a new eye-catching cover. The writer usually married life in modern Vietnamese families with a suspended tense atmosphere and a touch of horror.

uc Anh won a prize with his novel ao bao benh (Island of Severe Illness). A well-read writer, uc Anh has written many sharp essays on detective subjects. He has analysed psychological developments and touched upon novel subjects and innovative ideas. His works, including Tuong lua (Firewall) and Thien than mu suong (Foggy Angel), plumb the depths of psychological analysis.

The most recent work by Gian Tu Hai, an architect by training, titled Double Pandemic, took on COVID-19 crimes. Well-read and well-travelled, Hai also won a prize for O buon nguoi (Human Trafficking Station). He has said the detective genre is his mysterious and appealing passion. His other works included Am muu that nao (Brain Altering Conspiracy), Mat ma Champa (The Champa Code) and Minh Mang mat chi (The Emperor Secret Decree).

Nguyen Duong Quynh takes on the detective genre with a well-developed plot, with tight and well-knitted layers and interesting details. Her first novel, Tham tham mua he (Into the Depth of Summer) appealed to those who like slow-paced rhythm and graceful prose.

Detective writer Di Li (a pen name) has a more aggressive style. Her book Trai hoa o (The Red Flower Camp) has been made into a movie by director Victor Vu. Di Li's other works, including Cau lac bo so 7 (The Club No 7), also won literary prizes. Di Li has been credited as the frontrunner in combining detective and horror writing styles.

Despite having a handful of young writers in the first quarter of the 21st century, detective fans say that the new writers have not been able to surpass the first writer in this genre who had his first novel published as a series printed in a newspaper.

The roar of the Tiger

These detective columns appeared in the Catholic Newspaper in 1917, titled A Secret Agent's Tales. They ran as excerpts of a translated novel by Bien Ngu Nhy, a doctor turned detective writer.

The column ran for three years and influenced a boom of detective writers from 1930-1945. Many writers joined the detective genre, which deeply influenced the Chinese royal crime-solving court and detective action novels. Most popular was detective Arsene Lupin, a flamboyant Robin Hood-style hero who takes from the rich and gives to the poor.

Sai Gon's literary circle was vibrant, with literary works and domestic new fiction flourishing. A few years later, a new author, The Lu, published his first detective works titled: Mot em trang (A Full Moon Night) and Vang va mau (Gold and Blood), published by Tan Dan Publishers in 1934.

He studied Chinese Han script, then Vietnamese, and like many people of his time, studied French at public school and even passed the exam to study fine arts at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts de L'Indochine. But he quit after one year, changed his interest to writing poetry and detective novels, and became one of the cornerstones of Vietnamese theatre.

The novels of The Lu became an instant phenomenon, both appealing and arresting, with interesting descriptions that touched hearts due to their amazing details, clear voice and natural wording.

The Lu also created his own detective named Le Phong in a series of books, including Le Phong phong vien (Le Phong the Reporter, 1937), which sold widely.

The writer incorporated love and jealousy, a clear plot, and specific themes and intricate plots into his work.

The Lu went on with these detective novels until 1940. After that, the revolution movement of the people steered his work in other directions.

During the revolutionary years from 1954 until Viet Nam was unified in 1975, the detective genre hibernated until it had a small revival in the 1980s.

Three-penny novels

In the early 20th century, when the ruling French strengthened their political power with various cultural approaches, the translation of French literature into Vietnamese left a remarkable imprint. Among great works of French poetry and literature, detective novels also captured young readers' hearts, marking a brand new style that was not previously known.

Pham Cao Cung (1913-2013) wrote 20 detective novels, which were printed in Tieu thuyet thu bay (The Saturday Novel). He is considered the "King of Vietnamese detective stories". Vet tay tren tran (Hand Print on the Ceiling), Gia tai ho ang (The ang Family's Fortune), Mau o long son (Red Blood Scarlet Heart) were his first trio of novels, published in 1937.

Cung's works can be categorised into two streams: analytical detective and adventurous detective. He created Detective Ky Phat, the Vietnamese answer to Sherlock Holmes; and Tam Huynh Ky, head of a looter gang, inspired by French writer Maurice Leblanc, who created Arsene Lupin.

Trained with a traditional education by his father, a scholar in teaching, he learned the Chinese Han script but wrote in romanised Vietnamese and created an imaginative crime series, which was anxiously waited for by the common people.

His works were credited as "three-penny novels", which were dirt cheap and unimportant but very popular. But he didn't mind being a writer for the most ordinary readers, as they looked forward to reading his next chapter while reading his latest.

Writing came to him naturally. As a high school student, he was asked to take care of his aunt's shop at midday in the summer when it was quiet. Having to keep an eye on the shop he started writing to keep himself from falling asleep.

In his adult life, he had to write to make ends meet for his family of 11 children. He would do any jobs: writing for a newspaper, working as a photographer, cameraman, theatre managing director, artist, hypnotiser and fortune-teller, on top of regularly publishing the so-called three-penny novels that were 16 pages long.

He wrapped his life up in a few lines: "In the end, honestly speaking, I was simply just a wordsmith, no more, no less. I wrote for the life of myself and my family as I ploughed to make ends meet. I haven't contributed anything to the national culture like my fellow writers then and now!"

He was truly a writer for the common people.

Revival of the literary detective

According to Chairman Thieu, average Vietnamese readers love to read detective stories. But the number of titles is limited. Writing detective novels can be more challenging than other genres as it requires imagination, a good command of other fields, and specific techniques.

Detectives are closely associated with crime and the crime-solving process. Modern-day detective writing also can convey a humanitarian message. Though detectives are fiction, they must follow real-life rules and realities.

From 1954 until the reforms in the 1980s, during the hibernation period, there were a few notable works such as X30 pha luoi (X30 Scores Goals) by ang Thanh, Van bai lat ngua, (Open up Game of Cards) by Nguyen Truong Thien Ly, and Ong co van (The Advisor) by Huu Mai. They were successful but solitary singular attempts and didn't create a new flow in the genre.

After reforms vastly changed society, the literary world experienced an important revival of popular novels. Author ang Thanh set many impressive publishing records, with o suc (Competing) publishing more than 30,000 copies, a record to this day in Viet Nam.

In the rich literary tradition of Viet Nam, the detective genre is a relative newcomer, closely associated with the westernisation of Vietnamese society in the early 20th century, which came with rational argument, evidence gathering, and developments in science and technology. Detective writers need to understand people and crimes as if they are experts in the field.

After the revival in the 1980s, the comeback of detective novels in the first quarter of this century gives us hope for a much stronger, more diverse literary genre in the future. VNS
Information from Sweden and Denmark reveals the Nord Stream was shattered by powerful explosives that caused the leaks. The information reached the UN Security Council last Friday, as the local media reported.

Pipeline Leaks Could Be a Sabotage

Both Baltic nations were worried about how the leaks would impact the immediate climate due to the emission of methane into the Baltic Sea, reported Anadolu.

A joint letter was addressed to the UN Security Council to notify them about explosions equivalent to several hundred kilos of explosives that they assumed exacerbated the gas leakage, Danish TV2 disclosed.

Both Baltic nations will investigate methane leaks in pipelines as soon as the gas completely leaks out. According to Swedish broadcaster SVT Nyheter, they anticipate it will be on Sunday or Monday.

Based on the Swedish National Seismic Network (SNSN), multiple undersea explosions ended up causing four leaks in total, two in the Swedish economic area and two in Denmark, noted AP News.

Upon Russia's proposal, the UN Security Council will meet on Friday to debate leaks in gas pipelines to sabotage as part of the main agenda.

Nevertheless, since they are not members, neither the Swedish nor the Danish delegates would be available. By the Danish Foreign Ministry, Copenhagen was not welcome to participate in the meeting even after explosions occurred in the nation's economic area, noted the outlet.

As claimed by the EU, Sweden, and Denmark, gas leaks in Nord Stream pipelines have resulted from a planned activity involving powerful explosives, not really an accident.

Read Also: Mark Zuckerberg Net Worth 2022: How Did Facebook Founder Lose $30 Billion in 1 Day?

Following the report, pipeline management firm Nord Stream AG said Thursday that the inquiry could take a few weeks before conclusions are reached. The company also stated that it is impossible to predict whether the Nord damage can be repaired at this time.

Moscow Says Pipeline Leaks Are Act of State Terrorism

On Friday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called the pipeline incident an unprecedented act of state-sponsored terrorism, citing TASS.

It is evident that such an unparalleled act of state-sponsored terrorism cannot and must not occur without a significant global investigation.

Peskov stated during a press conference in Moscow that would need collaboration inside the foundation of such an inquiry. When asked about the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service declaration asserting "the Western trace" in the incident, Peskov said he wasn't ready to comment.

Sergey Naryshkin, chief of the Foreign Intelligence Service, spoke on Thursday that his provider has materials implying a Western mark in the "terrorist attack" here pipelines. He said that an investigation is taking place in Russia in correlation with detonations on gas pipelines.

Regarding the circumstances in Ukraine, he stated that if Zelensky continues to refuse to settle disputes at the bargaining table, Moscow will highlight its special military campaign.

To avoid all questions about the potential for nuclear escalation, he claims that individuals who talk about it are responsible. He once more recommended learning about Russia's military doctrine, which indicates that nuclear weapons will only be used if the nation or its allies are threatened using the same type of weapons or their existence is threatened.

The revocation of the Nord Stream gas pipeline permit in Europe would have no impact on its operation, and that energy route still was functional.

Sweden and Denmark confirmed their proof that powerful explosives attacked the Nord Stream by players related to the Ukraine conflict, stemming from that.

Related Article: Ankara Clamors Against Athens in Alleged Militarization of Several Islands in the Aegean Sea

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Inner Sanctum: What initiated your two newly published books about Viet Nam?

The recent rules for social distancing, restrictions on local and international travel and recommendations to stay at home during the pandemic gave me plenty of time to read books and write books about Viet Nam.

I took this chance and used my time wisely. In my business routine in pre-COVID, I travelled a lot, up to 60 flights per year. When the international travel market and trade return to normal, I will have very little time for writing again.

This summer, I have not two but three new books about Vietnamese culture, the country and people. Vietnamese Fairy Tales Retold is the first one. The second is Vietnamese Cuisine: Delicious Stories. And last but not least, my favourite Viet Nam: Business with Dragon". All are in Russian.

These three books are available on the platform of the biggest Russian online bookstore, Litres. My first book, Viet Nam: The Land of Dragons and Fairies, was printed in Russian in 2007 and 2010, and in Vietnamese in 2013 and 2018.

Inner Sanctum: How did you go about it? Were there any difficulties in implementing your ideas?

I have always had a clear vision of what I want to share with the readers. When I was on my very first steps in Vietnamese studies and doing business in Viet Nam, I yearned for a truly informative book written in easy-to-read language, with lively, vivid examples and a contemporary cultural context of Viet Nam. I could not find one. So I wrote Viet Nam: The Land of Dragons and Fairies for the next generation.

But let us go back to folklore. Selected Vietnamese fairy tales were translated into Russian in 1950s and 1960s, but many were difficult to understand if readers knew little or nothing about specific aspects of Vietnamese culture. So I decided not to translate but to retell my favourite Vietnamese fairy tales to Russian readers, focusing on younger readers and adults who love oriental philosophy and wisdom. 

Inner Sanctum: Could you tell me more about the book on Vietnamese legends?

I simply chose my favourite Vietnamese fairy tale and retold it in Russian as I remembered it. My selection of Vietnamese fairy tales for this book included: Lac Long Quan and Au Co (The tale of the Dragon and the Fairy), Su tich trau cau (The areca and betel tale), Su tich qua dua hau (The tale of watermelon), Su tich banh chung, banh day (The New Years cakes tale), and Su tich chiec no than (The Magical Bow tale).

Inner Sanctum: Are there any similarities or differences in the legends of Vietnamese and Russian people?

The great majority of Russian fairy tales begin with "Once upon a time" or "Far away and long ago".

Vietnamese fairy tales, on the contrary, are mostly quite specific about time and place. For example: During the reign of King Hung VI or any of the 18 legendary kings of the Hung dynasty.

Most European fairy tales end by telling the reader that the characters "lived happily ever after", while the Vietnamese tale of Lac Long Quan and Au Co has a romantic beginning with a beautiful family life with the birth of numerous children, but it terminates in separation and a specific amicable settlement.

It is probably it was the first official divorce in Vietnamese history. The legendary parents arranged split custody for their 100 children. Fifty followed their father to the sea, and the other half stayed with their mother in the highlands.

Foremost, I would like to mention the image of the dragon in Western and Eastern fairy tales and legends. The dragon has a bad reputation in Russian folklore and most European fairy tales and legends. Dragons are dangerous, greedy, and troublesome creatures. People who are living around and nearby suffer immensely from their tyranny.

The hero usually has to fight with a dragon, and only after killing this monster will he acquire a treasure of gold and diamonds or save a beautiful princess. A hoard from a dragon's cave appears in many legends (Siegfried, dragon Fafnir, and the famous hoard of the Nibelungs, etc).

Vietnamese folklore presents the dragon from a completely different, I would say almost opposite, perspective. For the Vietnamese, the dragon appears like a kind father, a wise teacher, and a powerful protector. People ask the dragon for support, help and protection.

The Vietnamese fairy tale Tam Cam [about Tam and her stepsister Cam], is a Vietnamese version of Cinderella, but more dramatic and with a touch of Oriental mysticism and a reincarnation theme.

Inner Sanctum: Reading these stories, what will Russian people understand about Vietnamese people and culture?

It is often that fairy tales are for reading in childhood. In my opinion, when a foreigner wants to understand the national mentality, core inner values, and way of thinking of a nation, folklore can reveal typical psychological patterns.

Usually, these categories change very little, not only from generation to generation but even on a large scale of hundreds and thousands of years. Deeply rooted inner impulses are with us subconsciously from times immemorial. Thanks to fairy tales, readers can know the soul of Vietnamese people and have a chance to decipher their cultural code. Understanding the national mentality and psychological patterns is very important for businesspeople in dealing with international partners.

 Inner Sanctum: Could you tell me more about the book on Vietnamese cuisine?

Telling the story of Vietnamese food, I decided to start from the beginning. It is a very good place to start: from the philosophical meaning of the five basic elements (water, wood, fire, earth, metal) and five basic tastes (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and spicy).

There is also the way of serving food in Vietnamese style, the art of using chopsticks, and some local superstitions, as well as how Vietnamese people regard what to eat in the morning, midday and evening. I grouped numerous Vietnamese dishes by category: appetisers, soups, sauces, main courses, and desserts. 

Inner Sanctum: What are your own favourite Vietnamese dishes?

I love all kinds of tropical fruits. My favourite fruit is mango. My first and best choice for a smoothie is mango with passion fruit. Among hot dishes, I like Cha ca La Vong -- grilled fish with fresh rice noodles. It is a delicious and iconic dish of Ha Noi, bright yellow pieces of grilled fish with green dill leaves and white noodles, very pleasant looking for the eyes and delicate to taste. 

Inner Sanctum: Tell me about your present work. How has your research on Viet Nam affected your life?

For many reasons, the current situation is still not favourable for international hospitality and tourism in Viet Nam. Business is very quiet, so my return to Viet Nam is being postponed until better times and the return of the international travel industry.

This summer, I do business development and management consulting for Albatros city, an excellent resort property in southern Russia, located in a quiet and picturesque place named Arhipo-Osipovka. It is a precious pearl of the Black Sea coastline and the first choice for many Russian families with children to spend their vacation. Arhipo-Osipovka very much resembles Mui Ne in Viet Nam in terms of location, situation and potential to develop.

Albatros city is the biggest and best family resort on this coastline. The owner and investor appreciated my experience in the Russian tourism industry in Viet Nam, so my research on Viet Nam directly affects my professional situation.

In the space museum in Arhipo Osipovka, I found a certificate of a flight into space from July 1980 signed by L. Popov, V. Rumin, V. Gorbatko and Pham Tuan (the retired Viet Nam Air Force aviator and cosmonaut) and a small red flag with a golden star of Viet Nam, also signed by Pham Tuan. VNS
By Thuy Hang

I remember, many months ago, the first time I had a chance to enjoy food created by Chinese chef Ooi Kar Kim  the new chef of Ming restaurant, one of the oldest Chinese restaurants in Ha Noi.

Last week, when the chef unveiled a new menu featuring more than 100 traditional and fusion dishes of two major Chinese cuisines  Cantonese and Sichuan, my friends and I once again had a chance to savour his creations.

Before lunch, we were invited to taste some canapes, which were full of flavour and colour. They not only looked nice but stimulated the taste buds of everyone.

As classic Chinese meals contain several dishes, our set lunch menu features nine courses. Looking at the menu, I knew I would need to exercise after the meal.

When the waitresses placed our first appetiser, 'Spicy Spiced Australian Beef Cheeks', on the table, all of us were curious about the meaning of the Chinese letters written on a tiny white cracker (I initially thought that it was white radish) rather than to taste of the dish itself.

Unfortunately, none of us understood Chinese, so we waited until chef Kim showed up to explain the meaning  it was about the taste of the dish. Phew, we could now enjoy the food.

The beef was very tender and aromatic. It was slow-cooked for four hours, then cooled before serving, with some Sichuan spices to enhance its flavour.

Our second appetiser was a colourful collection of four different prawn dumplings. Taking chef Kim's recommendation, we enjoyed the dumplings in clockwise order, from the traditional Crystal Prawn Dumplings to other fusion dumplings  black truffle, peppered dumplings, and chilli-vinaigrette crab meat and shrimp dumplings.

All of the dumplings are tasty, but it was the black truffle that really won my heart. For me, its translucent black-coloured wrapper was a strong statement, plus it had a special distinctive flavour thanks to the premium black truffle.

Next, we had 'Eight Treasures Shredded Abalone with seafood broth'  a soup featuring eight main ingredients  scallop, abalone, crab meat, prawn, fish roe, shiitake mushrooms, black fungus, and carrot. How could I stop myself from trying such a delicate soup? The lightly thickened broth was nice and savoury -- a triumph.

Then we tasted our two courses  'Stir-fried pork ribs in Chinese BBQ crispy onion sauce' and 'Aromatic crispy duck served with chilli vinaigrette sauce'. However, although they were good enough, they did not quite captivate my palate.

I was excited with the third main course  'Honey baked silver cod fish', which featured my favourite fish. The fish was not bad at all with the sweetness of the honey, but for me, the best way to cook this fish is the simplest method to let its natural milky flavour shine.

We were already full and concerned about gaining weight, but luckily, the next course was seafood and not too big.

The 'Sauteed Australian scallops with black truffle sauce, white carrot egg & Hong Kong Choy Sum' is a delightful dish after all previous meat and heavy courses. I am happy that chef Kim has cooked seafood in a way that presents its mildly buttery, firmness and a tiny hint of sweetness.

As we wanted to save our room for the dessert, we skipped our last main course  'Braised Australian beef with Sichuan spices, homemade noodles, and beef broth.'

The dessert  'Chilled puree of avocado with vanilla ice cream'  was satisfying. The fresh and mild taste of the fruit-based dessert brought a balanced feeling to all of us after a lovely many-course meal. It was a happy ending for all of us.  VNS

Ming Restaurant

Address: Pan Pacific Hanoi, 1 Thanh Nien Road, Ba inh Dist, Ha Noi

Tel: +84 24 3823 8888

Comment: One of the best Chinese restaurants in towns with an elegant setting and tempting food. The new menu features vegetarian dishes. Until October 31, Ming Restaurant offers 1 complimentary appetiser of Sauteed Scallop Truffle Sauce with Trio Capsicum for all tables of at least 2 people.
Nguyen Thi Lan Anh, Director of the Tax Administration Department for Small and Medium Enterprises, Business Households and Individuals, said the Ministry of Finance has launched a digital tax portal for foreign service providers (FSP) and an eTax Mobile app for individuals to facilitate tax collection.

Products sold on the e-commerce platforms Lazada are sorted by workers. - VNA/VNS Photo

Thirty-six FSPs have registered and fulfilled their tax obligations via the portal so far, including six big names - Meta (Facebook), Google, Microsoft, TikTok, Netflix and Apple - which collectively account for 90 per cent of cross-border e-commerce in Viet Nam.

The director also said the tax authorities have developed an AI-powered database to manage tax risks in e-commerce. The database will give warning signals any time it detects a case exceeding risk thresholds and put forward a solution to deal with the excessive risks.

"If tax evasion is detected, the tax authorities will take the case to the police," she added.

Nguyen Thi Minh Huyen, Deputy Director of the Vietnam E-Commerce and Digital Economy Agency, noted that tax payments in e-commerce fall under the scope of Decree 85, which has been issued to add regulations to online trade and ensure traditional commerce and e-commerce be equally regulated.

Under the decree, e-commerce platforms are required to appoint a contact point, which is tasked with disclosing information to regulatory authorities on e-commerce violations. Disclosure must be made within 24 hours from the receipt of the authorities' request to facilitate ensuing investigations.

They are also required to settle consumers' complaints about goods and services provided by foreign sellers on those sellers' behalf and notify them of their tax obligations on the platforms.

"E-commerce platforms are held responsible for information disclosure when it comes to tax management," she said.

Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen, Head of the Electronic Information Office, Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information, revealed that her authority is developing a draft amending Decree 72 on Internet services and online information.

Under the draft, social networking platforms are obliged to request online accounts, community pages and content distribution channels operating on the platforms to disclose information on revenue-generating activities to regulatory authorities.

She said the disclosure is essential as it allows the authorities to monitor cross-border cash flows, which could be used to verify tax declarations and detect tax evasion.

She also said her authority and the General Department of Taxation are cooperating closely to monitor cross-border tax payments on the e-Tax portal.

"It will take from now until year-end to verify whether the firms have fulfilled their tax obligations," she said.

Hoang Van Cuong, Member of the National Assembly's Finance-Budget Committee, called for a broader legal scope for e-commerce taxation to prevent tax loss.

He took cryptocurrencies as an example. He said cash-flow-based taxation does not cover transactions made in cryptocurrencies since such currencies have not been legally recognised in Viet Nam.

As cryptocurrency-denominated transactions generate revenues for taxpayers, the lack of recognition has held the transactions untaxable, causing tax loss.

Over 90 per cent of internet users in Viet Nam engage in online shopping. The country's e-commerce revenues were estimated at US$13.7 billion in 2021, up 16 per cent year-on-year and contributing to 6.5 per cent of total retail revenues.

BNPL catalyses cashless payments in e-commerce market As Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) becomes more popular in the nation, experts have shared their insights into the prospects of this new payment service as a catalyst to the growing cashless payments in Vietnams e-commerce market.

BNPL services open up e-commerce options While the market for buy now, pay later services in Vietnam is still in its infancy, more users are opting for this payment method as the technology for both the credit rating process and other logistical aspects is refined.
In a statement, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said it had carefully considered the clinical data and assessed that the benefits outweighed the risks in administering the vaccine to children in this age group.

Illustrative image (Photo: Getty Images/VNA)

The vaccination regimen for the primary series in this age group will consist of three 3 microgram doses - the first two to be administered three weeks apart, followed by a third dose to be administered at least eight weeks after the second dose, said the agency.

Official vaccination recommendations on the use of this vaccine will be issued by the Expert Committee on COVID-19 Vaccination and the Ministry of Health when ready.

The authority also said that it had consulted experts from its Medicines Advisory Committee and Panel of Infectious Diseases Experts in making the decision.

This is the second vaccine authorised for use in Singapore by HSA for young children, after the Spikevax vaccine from Moderna.

The Spikevax vaccine was authorised for use on children aged six months to 17 years on August 24.

Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat visits VSIP Within the framework of an official visit to Vietnam, his excellency Heng Swee Keat, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister of Economic Policies of the Republic of Singapore, and his delegation made a working visit to VSIP I - Binh Duong Industrial Park on September 14.
The amount of anaesthetic in stock at the National Hospital of Odonto-Stomatology is just about 2,000 tubes, enough for just two weeks. Every day the hospital has to treat about 1,000 patients including two-thirds of outpatient services requiring anaesthesia.

Prices of anaesthetics have been pushed up due to supply disruptions, causing many hospitals and clinics to seek new suppliers or alternative drugs. - Photo tienphong.vn

The hospitals director Tran Cao Binh said that of the three types of anaesthetic used in dentistry that are supplied to the hospital, there is a scarcity of the specialised dental anaesthetic, which contains 2 per cent lidocaine.

The hospital contacted other suppliers who provided anaesthetic with 4 per cent adrenaline as an alternative, adding that it is better and more expensive than the local anaesthetic.

Binh said: There is not only one type of local anaesthetic, there is an alternative to protect the interests of the patient and not let treatment be interrupted.

A specialist in odonto-stomatology, who is working at a private clinic in Ha Noi, said that in the past, South Korean anaesthetics cost only about VND400,000 per 100 tubes, but now the price has been pushed up to VND1.5 million, adding that even with higher prices, they still have difficulty in sourcing.

He added: Meanwhile, with French anaesthetics, which used to cost nearly VND700,000 for a box of 50 tubes, now a box costs VND2.6 million. And it is not easy to buy them.

The price of a box increased to more than VND3 million and it was still difficult to find a supplier.

Currently, two anaesthetic drugs originating from France, including Lino-caine and Adelanin, have suffered a shortage of supply for more than a month. Because they could not buy French drugs, some hospitals and clinics had to switch to buying and using Korean ones.

"French drugs have better treatment effects and lower side effects, but due to the scarcity in the market, the prices of some anaesthetics used in dentistry have been pushed up by 1.5 times," a doctor said.

The shortage is mainly due to disruptions in supply chains.

Additionally, the current prices of these items compared to the winning bids have increased significantly, so many companies cannot bid at the old prices because they will suffer losses.

According to some hospitals, the cause of the delay in drug supply is that the licence to import anaesthetics expired in March 2022, pending completion of procedures by the Drug Administration of Viet Nam under the Ministry of Health (MoH).

More than 10,000 drug registration papers will expire on December 31, 2022. In 2023, 3,741 registrations will expire, causing persistent drug shortages if the Law on Pharmacy is not quickly revised. According to medical experts, administrative procedures are causing difficulties for businesses, slowing people's access to medicines, and leading to shortages of medicines for medical examination and treatment in some places.

A representative of the MoH said that he had received an official dispatch from the Central Odonto-Stomatology Hospital reflecting the hospital's supply of anaesthetics, explaining: For anaesthetic products, there are currently five different registration numbers, so medical facilities can alternate or replace them with other similar drugs.

However, even the drug that hospitals say is lacking has still more than 4,000 vials, which could be enough for a few weeks. The Drug Administration of Viet Nam is reviewing the dossier of the importing unit, said the official, expecting that in the next few days, the import permits of the units will be extended.

Common drug shortages are reported by E Hospital and Hanoi Heart Hospital where they have cut the number of surgeries by 50 per cent due to a shortage of Protamine sulfate, a blood-clotting drug that is indispensable in heart surgery.

Experts worry that if surgeries continue as normal, it will be difficult to deal with emergency cases.

At Bach Mai Hospital, Director Dao Xuan Co said that the hospital is completely confident in procurement if the legal documents are revised in a way that is easy to understand and complete.

If there are clear legal documents and conditions for transparent and open procurement, managers will certainly not have any difficulty in procuring medical equipment, supplies and drugs for their patients," said Co.

At a recent seminar, Nguyen Huy Quang, former director of the Legal Department, said that the ministry should urgently amend and issue circulars guiding bidding, informing consultation on drug registration, drug prices, and the procurement of medical equipment, including medical supplies at different levels.

At the same time, the department was reviewing all issues under the authority of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Planning and Investment that have problems, affecting the bidding process.

Quang acknowledged that "the legal mechanism still has some shortcomings."

Quang added there are many other reasons, such as the limited capacity to participate in bidding, the bid invitation price is low compared to the actual price, so it cannot attract enterprises to participate; the renewal and issuance of registration numbers are slow; the issue of participating in national centralised bidding, national drug negotiation, etc. also have limitations that affect the supply.

Pharmacity champions at Retail Asia Awards 2022 Major retail pharmacy chain Pharmacity has been named the Drugstore of the Year Vietnam and Health & Beauty Retailer of the Year Vietnam at the Retail Asia Awards 2022.

Drugs shortfall requiring clean-up via authorisations Vietnams health sector is still challenged by a shortfall of drugs and medical devices in the post-pandemic landscape, urging a strong legal reshuffle ahead to increase business facilitation and market certainty.
Wacos red oak trees this fall are dropping limbs, while pecan trees are splattering cars with sap, and hackberry trees are losing their leaves to very hungry caterpillars.

Some trees are dying after the trauma of a record February 2021 freeze, which has been followed this year with the worst drought since 2011.

Texas trees are tough and most will survive, experts said at a statewide tree conference in Waco last week, but the damage could take years to reverse. And they likely will have more stress in coming years, experts said.

In Texas in the last 10 to 15 years, we have been having a lot of climate extremes, said David Appel, a Texas plant pathologist who was consulting with arborists attending the Texas Tree Conference at the Waco Convention Center.

The freezes and the drought, it has put an enormous load on trees and their health and their ability to defend themselves, Appel said. It has been absolutely unprecedented for this generation of arborists.

Appel, who has been with the Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab at Texas A&M University for decades, was a pioneer in researching the causes and treatments of oak wilt, among other diseases.

He said Texas is becoming hotter and drier at an accelerating rate, and trees are increasingly vulnerable to pests and diseases as they try to adapt to the extremes.

We have a really serious situation here with our trees getting stressed and then getting attacked by diseases that would normally do them no harm, he said.

Recovery will take years.

Research has shown that for a drought that is to the extent of the one in 2011 or this latest one, six to eight years of normal rainfall is required to bring trees back to normal state of health, Appel said.

Waco residents know all too well the stresses of the last two years. In February 2021, Waco endured a record stretch of 205 hours of freezing temperatures, which dipped to -1 degree, a February record.

The freeze was better known for wreaking havoc on the Texas electrical grid and water utility systems, but it also took a toll on the green infrastructure of cities. Many trees had started to break winter dormancy, making them more vulnerable to burst trunks and limb dieback.

Then came the winter drought, which started in late 2021 and extended through a summer that saw 64 days of triple-digit temperatures, second only to the record of 90 set in 2011. To date in 2022, only 11.8 inches of rain have fallen at Waco Regional Airport, down 16 inches from normal.

A couple of miles west of the convention center, the cumulative damage was on display at S.J. Guthrie Park. City of Waco urban forester Bradley Kuehn took a few minutes Thursday after attending the conference to assess the damage to a cluster of red oak trees at the park along Edmond Avenue.

The outer reaches of the oak limbs died back from the 2021 freeze. Kuehn pointed to the yellowish growth where the trees have struggled to rebuild their canopies.

Look at these, he said. Even the color of the these trees is a lot lighter than other red oaks. Theyre saying I cant support all this growth right now. It doesnt have the reserves.

Kuehn said trees store energy in their roots and trunks in the form of carbohydrates. After stress such as a freeze, they use that energy to try to recover.

But once they have expended that energy, there is little remaining to mount defenses against bugs and diseases, which usually involves chemical defenses and waxy coatings on leaves. Bugs sense the vulnerability and get aggressive.

Trees are like humans, he said. When youre stressed, youre more likely to get sick. The more stress you have, the more likely your defenses are down, and the more likely youll get attacked by disease and insects.

That explains why pecan trees are oozing sap this summer. Aphids have moved onto weakened trees, where they munch the leaves and exude a sticky substance.

Meanwhile, hackberry trees around town are almost completely defoliated by moth caterpillars that are stripping the leaves and building webs.

Kuehn said he believes pecans and hackberries will recover by spring.

But he is seeing some younger crape myrtles around town that have succumbed to the drought, and many ash trees around town that died back severely in the 2021 storm and probably will not recover.

Appel, the Texas A&M plant pathologist, assumes a doctors bedside manner on the subject of damaged ash trees.

You see now that they have died back, people have been pruning them, he said. But all those dead branches have canker-causing pathogens in them that are going to work their way down. Theres no guarantee these trees are going to come back again. We have a lot people spending money on trees when they ought to be cutting them down.

Appel said that generally, trees have lots of seasonal infestations that are not cause for long-term concern. For example, many cedar elms have brown spots caused by pathogens that are constantly present but are temporarily getting the upper hand right now.

Still, he said the long-term prospect for the existing mix of tree species in this region is not necessarily encouraging. Climate scientists say hotter summers and more unpredictable rainfall are likely in coming decades in Texas.

Appel said Texas over the millennia has gradually seen its forests change in favor of more drought-tolerant trees. Future generations may see a Central Texas that looks more like West Texas, he said.

This is a long-term event, but now its accelerated, he said. Texas is getting drier and has been for a long time. Youre going to see changes in ecological characteristics. Were going to see different trees.
Gov. Coyote

What is the difference between Gov. Greg Abbott and a border coyote migrant smuggler?

A coyote is looked down on because he charges people to move them through Texas.

Greg does it for free, charging the taxpayers to foot the bill.

Coyotes put migrants danger of arrest. Greg will safely give them a get-out-of-Texas pass with no chance of law enforcement stopping them at checkpoints.

Coyotes seldom announce what they do for a living.

Greg is proud to admit his hand in what he doing.

Coyotes are sometimes armed.

Greg believes people should always be armed, no matter the maturity factor.

Coyotes will lie to the migrants and leave them if things go wrong.

Greg will, er well, hes a politician. What did you expect?

We need a man like Gov. Greg El Coyote Abbott who will stand up for his principles, and those poor migrants who need a ride.

John Kamenec, Waco

Remarkable life

Recently the Tribune-Herald had a very long obituary for Charles Daniel Wise, age 94. I curiously read the entirety to see what this man had done that garnered nearly a whole page in the paper.

I had never heard of him, nor met him until I read the article, but he was the epitome of the American way. He quit school after the eighth grade, the volunteered for the service at age 17 for World War II.

After the war, he completed a GED, then graduated from Baylor University with a degree in business and three minors. He then returned to Gatesville to start businesses, too many to list in this space.

He served on multiple community projects. He and his wife helped to open a home away from home for those visiting family in the nearby prisons who needed a place to sleep and to stay for weekends. The major focus of his life seemed to resolve around serving God and his church. He put God first.

I wish I had known him.

Just reading this obituary made me aware that his true patriotism is now lacking in our society. Family and teachers should use this mans life to teach the children just what America is about. They are the future of our country.

Janice Conner, China Spring

It wasnt us

Wow! I was born into a middle class family in the middle of the boomer generation. I did not realize until reading W. Richard Turners scathing Friday column [Middle class on the ballot] that my generation is responsible for everything that is wrong with the world.

We didnt start the fire. It was always burning.

Randy Cox, Waco

Chill out, Beto

Beto ORourke would be better off he were a little more polite and respectful instead of his attack dog approach. If he thinks Texas has been such a bad place to live under Gov. Greg Abbott, why has he not moved out of state?

Gov. Abbott has a servants heart, rare these days, and has done everything possible to protect Texans.

Im thankful to be in Waco and in Texas.

Virginia Taylor, Waco
DELHI  Trial has been set for a rural Delhi man who was found with more than 60 guns after a woman accused him of holding her against her will, choking her and chasing her with an ATV in May.

A federal grand jury indicted Chuck Allan Domeyer, 54, with one count of felon in possession of a firearm, alleging he is barred from having guns because of a 1999 burglary conviction from Dubuque County.

Last week, trial for the weapons charge was scheduled for November in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. Domeyer is also awaiting an October trial for false imprisonment and willful injury causing bodily injury in Delaware County District Court in Manchester.

Court records show investigators found 64 firearms  mostly bolt-, pump- and lever-action hunting-style guns consisting of 22 rifles, 33 shotguns, six handguns and three combination guns.

They also seized ammunition, a black leash and a pink collar, according to court records.

Authorities allege a female acquaintance went to Domeyers home at 235th Avenue on May 19 to feed dogs she has at the property.

Domeyer  who witnesses said had been acting strangely and had suspected someone had tried to break into his house to take his guns  later came home and took the womans keys and cellphone and led her into the basement. He grabbed her and attempted to put pink dog collars on her wrists, according to court records. He also choked her unconscious.

The woman eventually fought him off and escaped, alerting neighbors who saw Domeyer chasing her on an ATV.

Witnesses notified authorities, who interviewed the woman and detained Domeyer.
CEDAR FALLS  Rental assistance for Section 8 participants might increase in Cedar Falls.

The City Council will determine whether it hikes whats called the payment standard for residents who benefit from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Housing Choice Voucher Program at its meeting at 7 p.m. Monday.

The program is commonly known as Section 8 assistance for low-income families and individuals, the elderly, and disabled seeking quality housing.

For one- or two-bedroom housing, the maximum amount of monthly assistance would go from $737 to $814 and $922 to $1,027, respectively. Those with three, four or zero bedrooms would see respective increases from $1,222 to $1,365; from $1,554 to $1,750; and from $651 to $691.

Two Cedar Falls police captains named finalist for chief position Mark Howard and Jeff Sitzmann, both veteran supervisors of the Cedar Falls Police Department, will vie for the top job. Howard currently serves as the acting police chief.

According to Robyn Cusmano, the citys housing program specialist, the payment standard is based on the areas annual fair market rents (FMR). HUD defines those as an estimate of the money that would cover rent and utility expenses for 40% of the areas rental housing units.

In 2021, the FMR determined by HUD, seemed to be on the low side for rents in Cedar Falls, said Cusmano in her memo to the council. The increase in the 2022 FMR is more aligned with the current housing market in Cedar Falls and will allow current and future participants a better chance of finding suitable housing.

HUD requires the payment standards be within 90-110% of the FMR, she said. Historically, the city has opted to utilize a 110% standard for one to four bedroom units, given the citys relatively higher cost rental market within the metro area.

City staff and the Housing Commission recommended the council continue with the 110% standard.

The citys website states that qualifying tenants pay a minimum of 30% of their income toward their housing costs. The program pays the difference between the rent and household income, up to the standard.

Nationally, FMRs increased by an average of approximately 10%, enabling more households with housing vouchers to access affordable, stable housing, said HUD in a September news release.

Green plans veto of public review of certain Cedar Falls downtown site plans Also noted by Green was his intention to veto the change in procedure councilors first would approve to make it easier for them to pass the entire package of ordinances.

In its announcement, the federal department noted a change in how FMRs are calculated.

Due to significant interruptions in public data sources caused by COVID-19, HUD supplemented public data with data from private sources to ensure the accuracy of the FY23 FMRs. This methodological change  which incorporated public feedback through a notice of proposed changes  is only applicable to FY23, said HUD in a press release.

Calculating the FY23 FMRs in this way ensures that FMRs accurately reflect recent, steep rent increases in many communities and will make it easier for households in those communities to use their vouchers to rent affordable homes.

Prior to the regular meeting, the council will meet in committee at 6:20 p.m. and discuss the possible changes to its fireworks ordinance based on feedback it gave to law enforcement in August. The committee and council meeting will be held at the Community Center, 528 Main St.

In other business, the council will consider:

A grant contract with the Governors Traffic Safety Bureau for $9,000 in funding for impaired traffic enforcement overtime and training.

A licensing agreement with Aureon Network Services for installing telecommunications infrastructure and fiber optic cable in the public right of way along 18th Street, Waterloo Road and University Avenue.

A preconstruction agreement with the Iowa Department of Transportation as part of a massive reconstruction project for Iowa Highway 58 from Ridgeway Avenue south to U.S. Highway 20. It outlines the funding split  $2.04 million from the city and $7.21 million from the DOT  and helps fulfill the terms of a development agreement.

Scheduling a public hearing Oct. 17 for an ordinance lowering the voting threshold, from five to four members of the council, for overruling Planning and Zoning Commission recommendations when recommending denial of zoning ordinance amendments. Mayor Rob Green, however, has said hell veto it if adopted by the council.

A parking prohibition on Utility Parkway from Waterloo Road to Irving Street, outside Cedar Falls Utilities, to address concerns of a congested corridor. Parking is not allowed on the north and west side of the street.
WATERLOO  A mini-roundabout in the works since 2020 is moving forward.

The City Council could set a bid opening for the project at West Ninth and South streets on Monday. The meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall.

Two years ago, the Iowa Department of Transportations Traffic Safety Improvement Program approved a grant worth $377,000 for the project. Now, the city is expecting it will need $122,000 in local funds to cover the design of the intersection.

If the council approves moving forward, the bid opening will be on Nov. 3 and a public hearing will be on Nov. 7.

Councilors will also consider approving a bid for demolition of the Gates Park pool. The recommended bid is to Peterson Contractors, Inc. of Reinbeck in the amount of $130,384. If approved, the work is estimated to begin Nov. 1 and be wrapped up by the end of December, according to the demolition proposal.

There will be three public hearings during the meeting. They involve:

Awarding a bid for the Waterloo Regional Airports improvements to hangar number four.

Amending the Downtown Waterloo Riverfront Urban Renewal and Redevelopment Plan. The change would include additional urban renewal projects and an updated financial summary of bonding capacity and project expansions. City documents state a consultation with taxing entities was held on Sept. 19.

Allowing proceedings to take place down the road for issuance of at most $1,068,000 in sewer revenue capital loan notes. Documents state that the city would use the loan to provide permanent financing for a phase of the collection systems improvement CIPP project.

A $12,500 professional services agreement with InVision Architecture to renovate part of City Hall will also be considered during the meeting. The proposal is for architectural design and engineering services for the renovation of the second floor engineering offices and updates to the reception desk at the clerks and mayors office.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warns criminals who intend to commit crimes against Hurricane Ian victims that there will be dire consequences. He emphasized that attempts to harm or loot them will be met with lethal force, as mentioned in the press conference, and that Floridians should be aware of this right under the Second Amendment.

DeSantis Warns Criminals

DeSantis issued the warning during a series of press conferences last Friday, including one in Fort Myers. When he mentioned signs warning looters and lawbreakers to take warning signs left at Punta Gorda seriously, he meant it, reported The Epoch Times.

He added that signs were saying looters would be shot really meant it. Also, he said at the day's end, there will be no criminality tolerated that takes advantage of what is happening.

During a press conference in St. Augustine later in the day, DeSantis reminded reporters that Florida is a "Second Amendment state" and that thieves were looking to ransack Hurricane Ian victims.

Florida Governor DeSantis argued that no one could ever know what was in someone else's home, advising that the risk was too great and warning criminals might later regret committing crimes in the state.

The stand-your-ground and castle doctrine laws are upheld by Florida as a state. It allows those who feel imminent deathly threatened or fear physical harm from breaking and entering to retaliate with lethal force instead of running away.

Read Also: Volodymyr Zelensky Net Worth 2022: How Wealthy Is the Ukraine President?

Looters' Consequence

Recently, the Attorney General of Florida, Ashley Moody, posted on Twitter that several people were caught looting in a video.

She further explained that looters attacking vulnerable Floridians are not tolerated in the state. All will be apprehended, and the state attorneys will look for a very long pretrial detention that will lock them up to prevent these perps from committing more crimes.

Another senior official from Florida stated that people in such a natural disaster carried out scams and cons to take advantage of desperate hurricane victims. All residents should be on high alert as the hurricane wreaks havoc on life and property.

In an interview with Newsmax, Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said, "These predators will come in, and they'll go door-to-door canvassing communities to see the damage, and they'll sign over their compensation claims to builders or they'll have unprincipled public adjusters that really are going to damage the ability to get repairs done faster."

He cautioned that natural disasters like Ian and bad people are always in droves, and all property owners are policyholders with severe damage. They advised calling their agent, carrier, or calling his office.

In addition to describing the easiest way to proceed with an insurance claim and ensuring that it is handled correctly, his office enjoys handling claims of this nature.

Ian came ashore next to Sanibel Island and Fort Meyers last Wednesday as a strong Category four storm with wind gusts over 150 mph. A picture shows a storm surge of over 10 feet inundated those places, clearing entire neighborhoods or even wrecking a substantial causeway bridge that links Sanibel to the coast.

Florida Gov. DeSantis is keen and warns criminals that Hurricane Ian victims will not take it lightly if they intend to loot and steal from a second amendment state.

Related Article: Florida Governor Ron Desantis Approves Republican Election Bill for Less Mail-in Voting, Drop Boxes

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Stamp club meets Wednesday in CF

CEDAR FALLS  The next Cedar Valley Stamp Club meeting will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Cedar Falls Community Center, 528 Main St., next to the public library.

There will be a club auction of collectable stamps. The meeting is open to visitors.

Home-grown Jam planned Saturday

CEDAR FALLS  Home-Grown Jam will take place from 1:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. Saturday at Cedar Falls Community Center, 524 Main St.

Home-Grown Jam is a group of musicians who play the second Saturday of each month at the community center. A variety of music from the 1920s to the 1970s is played. A light lunch is served.

The Jam and the refreshments are free, although donations are encouraged to help cover building rental and food costs.

Program offered on youth mental health

WATERLOO  A free program about youth mental health will be presented from 7 to 8 p.m. Oct. 12 in the lower level of the First Congregational Church, 608 W. Fourth St.

Jennifer Shaw and Tasha Lowman will present the program. Both are mental health therapists with Cedar Circle Mental Health and Wellness and have more than a decade of working with children and adolescents.

NAMI Black Hawk County works to improve the lives of all individuals affected by mental illness. For more information, call (319) 830-6448.

Malcom mobile food pantry set

WATERLOO  The Northeast Iowa Food Banks mobile food pantry in Malcom will be held at the Community Center Auditorium at 212 Main St., starting Oct. 17. Distribution will be the third Monday of each month from 4:30 to 6 p.m.

The Northeast Iowa Food Banks mobile food pantry program can be found in 14 communities in northeast Iowa, reaching an average of 115 families per month at each site. Mobile food pantries provide supplemental food assistance to rural communities across the 16 counties the food bank serves for people who may not have consistent access to nutritional food. More than 1.4 million meals are distributed to families, individuals, children and seniors per year.

To find a Mobile Food Pantry go online to neifb.org.
WATERLOO  The public may attend the Waterloo Community Foundation's Windows on Waterloo at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5. Joni Hansen will talk about the services Hospitality House and Waterloo Warming Center offer those experiencing homelessness in Waterloo.

Community members may join the free Zoom presentation by contacting the Foundations Program Manager, Paige Price, at paige.price@wloocommunityfoundation.org.

The educational series is offered by the Waterloo Community Foundation. It is free and open to the public.
DES MOINES  Tax cuts. Reopening schools earlier than other states during the COVID-19 pandemic. Restricting abortion access. Loosening gun regulations.

Those are among the state lawmaking achievements Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds highlighted Saturday night during a campaign fundraiser,  while also warning that Iowa voters must continue to elect Republicans, lest Democrats gain control in the statehouse and reverse those policies.

Reynolds made the call to action during her annual Harvest Festival fall fundraiser at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.

The Iowa Democratic Party has lost sight of hardworking Iowans, and if (Democrats are) elected all the good things that weve done over the last four years will go away, Reynolds said. Tax cuts, a strong, robust fiscal house, safe communities, fighting for the unborn, protecting our Second Amendment and trusting parents. That would all be undone.

Reynolds, who has been governor since advancing to the post in 2017 and won her first election in 2018, is being challenged this year by Democrat Deidre DeJear and Libertarian Rick Stewart.

At a state party fundraiser last month, Reynolds made no reference to her re-election campaign. At Saturday nights event, she did reference my opponent, but did not mention DeJear by name, even though she did note by name other Democrats running in other campaigns in Iowa.

A Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll published in July showed Reynolds  who won her 2018 election by just shy of 3 percentage points  leading DeJear by 17 points. Fourtopnationalforecasters all rate the campaign in their most likely Republican category.

Reynolds described her Democratic opponent as just like other Democrats she accused of being out-of-touch with Iowans.

So you may not know much about my opponent, but believe me, she fits right in, Reynolds said.

Reynolds did criticize a more familiar target  Democratic President Joe Biden  on myriad policies, including his plan to eliminate some student loan debt for some college graduates. On that topic, she highlighted her decision to last week join a multistate lawsuit against the Biden administrations proposal.

Reynolds also played off her newest campaign ad, paraphrasing it by asking her supporters in the crowd, Has the rest of the country lost its mind? and Arent you glad you live in Iowa?

DeJear continued to push back at Reynolds assertions about DeJears stances on law enforcement funding and voting regulations.

As I have always supported law enforcement, I have always supported voting rights and equitable access to the ballot, DeJear said in a statement. The governor can continue to spread lies about myself and the Iowa Democrats, but we will continue to be who we are: the party that fights for the needs of Iowans.

Along with Reynolds, the campaign events other keynote speaker was Wesley Hunt, a Republican candidate for the U.S. House in Texas.

Reynolds and DeJear are scheduled for a sole televised debate at 7 p.m. Oct. 17 on Iowa PBS.
On Nov. 6, 2018, 12 million Californians voted, by a 63% to 37% majority, to establish minimum welfare standards for livestock and poultry products  chiefly eggs, pork, and veal  sold in the nations most populous state.

The initiative, called Proposition 12 (Prop 12), was an emphatic endorsement of two previous actions (one by voters in 2008; the other by the state legislature in 2010) on California animal welfare standards. Their collective effect was to ban California businesses from selling eggs and uncooked pork and veal from animals housed in ways that did not meet the new state standards.

Those standards were, essentially, no battery cages for egg-laying hens and no gestation crates for sows. The battery cage law, in effect since 2008, has been widely accepted and almost every egg sold in-state is now from a cage-free chicken.

The gestation-crate law, however, has spent most of its four-year life in federal court. At issue, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Pork Producers Council, is the laws practical effect to control commercial conduct beyond Californias boundaries, explains the Aug. 24 Agri-Pulse newsletter.

That means, the two groups assert, that every hog farmer in America must follow the California law if any hopes to sell pork in the Golden State.

While that sounds like a logical economic argument, no federal court saw it as a valid legal argument. The anti-Prop 12 litigants lost every hearing and every appeal, including their final one, in June 2021, when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the lower court decision.

So, no Supreme Court hearing, case closed, right? Not exactly.

In late March 2022, the Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments on an AFBF and NPPC petition over the constitutionality of the California law. (The hearing is scheduled for October.) The move jeopardizes Prop 12s current legal standing and freezes its already-delayed implementation.

The Supreme Court action delighted AFBF and NPPC. Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall said he was pleased with the courts move because one states misguided law should not dictate farming practices for an entire nation.

But does Californias Prop 12 actually dictate how every American hog farmer must raise hogs? California, after all, is only 13% of the U.S. pork market.

Hog farmers who have made changes in their production system to accommodate Prop 12 recently told the Associated Press (AP) that they didnt think so. In fact, two hog farmers quoted in the September story  one from Ohio and the other from Illinoisview the law as a market-creating opportunity for them to garner premium prices by selling specialty pork into the California market.

And neither is a small operator: The Ohio farmer, according to the AP, maintains a herd of about 1,500 sows, and the Illinois farmer raises about 40,000 animals a year.

As such, these profit-seeking, ag entrepreneurs who have invested heavily to shift their production toward higher value markets  just as farm groups, Land Grant Universities, and lenders have urged for years  now see farm leaders undermining their efforts through federal courts.

Every industry has to make changes to adapt to what the consumer wants, whether its the marketplace or legislation, the Illinois farmer told the AP. Most would prefer the marketplace but they  12 million Californians  did vote on it, so someone needs to meet that consumer need.

Well, no, replies the nations largest farm group, AFBF, and its biggest hog group, NPPC, which both claim to represent family farms. If consumers really wanted this, a NPPC lawyer told the AP, they would be buying pork chops for $15 or $25 a pound, but they dont.

If you follow this attorneys logic  and not the law, his specialty  the NPPC and AFBF are simply saving Californians from making the expensive mistake of caring where their food comes from. Killing a profitable, new opportunity for farmers everywhere is just collateral damage.

Which, coincidentally, also protects Big Ags deeply entrenched position in industrialized red meat markets, the key benefactor of any Supreme Court victory.
After what feels like years in quarantine, many people are looking to take back their social lives  one road trip at a time. For those that l
Top News Today

 Russian Defence Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu, Mayor of Moscow Sergei Sobyanin and Governor of Moscow region Andrey Vorobyov have inspected the progress in training and accomodation of mobilised citizens.

 Despite the suffered casualties and having a considerable superiority in forces and means, the enemy sent reserve forces and continued the offensive near Kupyansk. Due to the risk to be encircled, the allied forces were withdrawn from Krasny Liman to more advantageous frontiers.

 Russian forces repelled enemys attempt to launch an offensive at Nikolayev-Krivoy Rog direction and eliminated over 270 Ukrainian servicemen, 5 tanks, 6 infantry combat vehicles, 23 armoured combat vehicles and 11 motor vehicles.

 Russian Defence Ministry has published footage of Central MD repair units and Western MD Uragan MLRS crews in action within the special military operation.

#MoD #TopNews #Russia #Ukraine

@mod_russia_en

Russian Defence Minister inspects mobilised citizens training progress and accomodation in Moscow region Russian Defence Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu, Mayor of Moscow Sergei Sobyanin and Governor of Moscow region Andrey Vorobyov has inspected the training progress and accomodation of mobilised citizens in Kubinka.

Mobilised citizens receive weaponry in Transbaikalia The ceremony was attended by commanders of the famous EMD training formation, representatives of regional authorities and servicemen of the regional training centre.

CMD repair units maintain and restore equipment within special military operation Current reparation works are carried out regarding T-72 tanks, BTR-80 armoured personnel carriers and 152-mm towed howitzer. All the equipment is repaired within 24 hours and returned to its crew for further operation.

WtR
Over the past year, New Mexicans have been hit hard by rising food costs. Grocery prices have risen by more than 13%, the largest annual increase since 1979, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Meanwhile, state tax revenues are reaching record levels due to high oil and gas prices and production. The latest projections anticipate state government will have a surplus of $2.45 billion next year.

With families struggling and state coffers overflowing, it is unbelievable legislators would even consider bringing back the regressive food tax  and yet, that proposal continues to be a topic of discussion by the New Mexico Legislature.

As the Legislatures Revenue Stabilization and Tax Committee met through the summer to discuss the outlines of a major tax reform bill, legislators brought up the food tax again and again, with some expressing regret for the loss of government revenues that resulted from the repeal of the food tax nearly two decades ago.

For example, on July 5, Rep. Moe Maestas, chair of the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee, said the state had been unwise to stop taxing food. When the issue of taxing groceries was raised again at the Aug. 11 meeting, a reporter for the Albuquerque Journal asked House Taxation and Revenue Committee Chair Rep. Christine Chandler directly whether legislators were considering including a food tax in their legislative package for next session. She responded only that reimposing the food tax is not a high priority.

This would not be the first time legislators have included the food tax in a so-called tax reform bill. In fact, many such bills have been introduced over the past dozen years, with one making it all the way to the desk of then-Gov. Bill Richardson, who line-item vetoed the food tax.

The candidates running for governor this year have not stated what they would do if the Legislature sent them a tax reform bill that included the food tax. Likewise, every member of the state House is up for election this fall, and many of them have not yet taken a position on the food tax.

New research underscores why taxing food is such bad policy. A study published last year by a team of researchers from the University of Kentucky, University of Wisconsin, Duke and Cornell found increases in food taxes are closely correlated with increases in food insecurity. A related study also found higher food taxes were linked to higher rates of obesity and diabetes.

The harmful impacts of taxing food may help explain why legislatures and governors across the nation are moving to reduce or repeal them. Only Mississippi and Alabama still fully tax food at both the state and local level. Thirty-seven states do not impose any taxes on the sale of food, and that number continues to grow.

Earlier this year, Kansas passed legislation to phase out its food tax over the next several years, joining Arkansas, which passed a similar law in 2019. Also this year, Oklahoma suspended its food tax for the next two years, Illinois suspended its food tax for a year, and Virginia repealed the state portion of its food tax, leaving a local 1% tax in place for now.

Meanwhile, after the Utah legislature passed a bill in 2019 that would have raised its food tax from 1.75% to 4.85%, lawmakers faced massive public protests and a petition campaign against the tax hike. The legislature quickly repealed the higher food tax.

New Mexico lawmakers should learn from their colleagues in other states and the national experts who have studied this issue, and take the food tax off the table.

To learn more and urge your legislators and the governor not to tax food, please visit the Action Center on Think New Mexicos website at thinknewmexico.org.
New Mexico crime, as in most of the nation, is run by the cartels. While I agree we need to put violent offenders in prison for longer terms, they will just be replaced with a new violent offender. The cartels have plenty of violent men and women to step up when one of them is incarcerated. The cartels have plenty of drugs to replace those seized by law enforcement. Drugs and violent people are two things the cartels have a never ending supply of.

What will cause the cartels a real problem, and make them consider going to other states, is when/if the Department of Justice starts seizing their businesses and property where they launder the illegal drug money. This hits them where it hurts the most. The FBI must start seizing businesses and strip malls that are owned by the cartel and the cartel leaders, thus seizing their money, property and inhibiting their ability to launder their drug money. Once an investigation like this begins it will be long term, and it will probably surprise most people at who is involved in the money laundering side of their operation.

Its just like when Walter White bought the carwash in Breaking Bad. Once the feds seized it, that made-for-TV criminal enterprise came to an end. I am sure there are a lot of strip malls and supposedly honest businesses all over Albuquerque and New Mexico that are in reality owned by the cartels and the people who run the cartels. Its called RICO and tax evasion, and it is the best way to run these criminals out of our city.

This one falls upon the Department of Justice. It needs to start micromanaging all the cartel money laundering operations just as much as it has micromanaged APD. If they do this, maybe we can force the cartels out of our city and state.
In the largest data breach in Australian history, Optus has apologized to its millions of customers and took out a full-page advertisement.

The multinational telecommunications company apologized to its 9.8 million affected consumers in newspapers and shorter versions in retail settings.

Optus Company Issues Apology to Its Customers

Less NSW users may need to update their license numbers due to stricter document verification procedures, it has been revealed. The number of Optus customers in NSW who will need to have their licenses updated is around 16,000, which is a startlingly smaller number than the 1.2 million in Victoria and Queensland.

NSW has increased the requirements for passing a national Document Verification Service check on September 1 to stricter levels. The modification, which had been planned for the last eight years, was implemented immediately before Optus was breached and customer data was stolen a few weeks later.

If the identity rules hadn't been strengthened, the implications, according to NSW Customer Service and Digital Minister Victor Dominello, would have been far worse. Dominello told the Sydney Morning Herald, "The Optus breach is terrible for all those impacted." The license number and the physical card number must be entered separately for the ID check.

Residents in NSW just need to replace their card number rather than their license number because only a portion of their license data was taken. NSW is the newest state to implement the stricter identification requirements, joining Western Australia, the ACT, South Australia, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory.

With an estimated 700,000 Victorians and 500,000 Queenslanders in need of a new license number, Victoria and Queensland do not have the strict regulations. Residents in NSW may have to wait several weeks for a new card, but they will be able to use an updated version of their digital license much sooner.

Drivers in Victoria and Queensland will have to wait considerably longer to get their new licenses since they do not have access to digital licenses, according to Daily Mail.

Read Also: Ukraine Gets Attacked by Drones Reportedly Made in Iran Amid Rising Fears on Russia's Referendums

How to Detect Optus Hack?

The almost 10 million Optus customers affected by a significant cyberattack are being warned to be on the alert for a number of new scams, and Scamwatch has shared pictures of four prevalent hoaxes in circulation.

As a result of last week's data theft, scammers will continue to contact telecom consumers "anyway they can," according to Scamwatch. One text message from Optus informs its customers that the company is releasing fresh sim cards and encourages them to schedule delivery.

Delete these messages, Optus is not contacting anyone about providing new sim cards, Scamwatch said. Scamwatch further warned that contact pretending to be from the telecom regarding "some problem" with a bill is probably a scam.

The organization claimed to have received reports of scammers posing as the hackers who were in charge of the data breach, which occurred on the National Day of Mourning.

"Delete the message if you get requests for payment accompanied by a threat that your personal information will be made public," it said. Finally, any offers of compensation made in response to the breach are fraudulent. Per 9News, millions of Australians had their personal information compromised, including:

Names

Date of births

Phone numbers

Email addresses,

Residential addresses

Identity document numbers

Mark Dreyfus, the attorney general, has questioned why the telecom retained so much personal data on file. The federal government wants to enact regulations to prevent businesses from hoarding our personal information, and they'll pay heavy fines if they do so. Dreyfus advised all Optus customers to exercise caution in the interim.

Scamwatch advised anyone who were hacked to "immediately alert your bank and superannuation fund." IDCare, a cybersecurity firm, has been hired by Optus to help clients whose data has been exposed.

Related Article: Optus Hackers Seek $1 Million Ransom Amid Threat To Release Millions of Customers' Info After Massive Data Breach

@YouTube

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Woody Allen once said 80% of success in life is just showing up. In no setting is this durable concept more applicable than in the classroom.

Chronic absenteeism is clearly a problem in New Mexico, and has been long before the pandemic and distance learning made it commonplace. Last school year, we once again did not meet the required test participation rate set by the U.S. Department of Education (92% participated when the feds want 95%). And while its unclear what the official consequences are (in 2019 our participation was 94% in reading, 92% in math; we got waivers in 2020 and 2021), N.M. students alarmingly low proficiency rates are crystal clear. Just 34% of third- through eighth-graders can read at grade level; only one fourth are proficient in math.

Test participation was lowest among high-school juniors, at 83%.

Absenteeism may not be the only factor in our test participation rate, but it certainly plays a role.

And chronic absenteeism is not relegated to high schoolers ditching classes. It starts much earlier, and is one of the key reasons New Mexico always ranks so low in overall student performance.

Children who are chronically absent in preschool, kindergarten and first grade are much less likely to read at grade level by third grade, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Students who cannot read at grade level by the end of third grade are four times more likely than proficient readers to drop out of high school.

While this is a correlation that plays out across the nation, almost 30% of N.M. students are chronically absent, meaning they miss 10% or more of the school days they were enrolled for. For students at schools on traditional academic calendars, thats about 18 instructional days. For those on extended calendars, its around 19. Across Albuquerque Public Schools, nearly 43% of students were considered chronically absent during the 2021-2022 school year, according to the districts data dashboard. Its even higher for elementary school students  nearly 49%.

That absenteeism says a lot about why we struggle to achieve better footing with educational outcomes.

Its a self-perpetuating doom cycle. Once kids fall behind, its easy for them to give up and stop going. And if they drop out, theres no context for passing on the value of education to their children or emphasizing the importance of showing up for school every day.

For millions of Americans, a good education is the ticket to a better future. College and trade schools open doors to more career opportunities, higher earnings and upward social mobility.

But education can only fulfill its promise as the great equalizer  a force that can overcome differences in privilege and background  when we work to ensure that students are in school every day and receive the supports they need to learn and thrive, the U.S. Department of Education notes on its website. It called chronic absenteeism a hidden educational crisis well before pandemic economic pressures and disruptions threw lives into chaos and made it more difficult for some student populations to attend school regularly.

The very students who tend to face significant challenges and need the most educational supports are often missing the most school.

Kids attending school is the bare minimum of what we need to have a functioning education system, Abby Morehead, a Polk Middle School dual language social studies teacher, says. We can implement all of the curriculum  that we want, but if the students arent in their seats in the classroom, then its all for naught.

Anecdotally, Morehead said she finds kids who are chronically absent in middle school showed similar patterns in elementary.

This is a problem APS officials know well. They can point to reasons why students dont come to school. But being able to explain the problem doesnt necessarily solve it. And its not APS problem to solve alone.

We know many students experience tremendous adversity in their lives  including poverty, health challenges, difficult family circumstances, cultural and language barriers, special education needs  that make it difficult for them to take advantage of the opportunity to learn at school. Each absent child has a real story, writes Gail Stewart, a special education lawyer in Albuquerque, in a letter to the editor recently criticizing APS for unfairly shifting blame for chronic absenteeism to families. Solutions can only be built on accurate understanding.

APS does have school-level teams of nurses, social workers, counselors, student deans, principals and teachers who make it their mission to identify truant students and reach out to their families  not to scold, but to figure out whats going on. The goal is to develop relationships, get to the root causes and find interventions. Because in the end, it is the families who determine whether a child makes it to school or not.

State lawmakers have weighed in over the years with proposals that range from the carrot to the stick to get students to go to class. And United Way of Central New Mexico and the state Public Education Department joined APS last week to host a 2022 Fall Attendance Conference that tackled topics ranging from attendance concerns for foster children to presentations from the perspective of high school students.

The bottom line is absenteeism shows up in results  not just in test participation but ultimately in work and life participation. Its not enough to say its a complicated and complex problem. Students cannot learn if theyre not in school. PED, district officials, state lawmakers  and yes parents and guardians  must do better at improving attendance. Or history will keep repeating itself.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

When Mia Augustsons landlord raised her rent by more than $200 earlier this year, the financial fallout rippled throughout her life.

Since the hike far outpaced the increase that Augustson and her spouse  both disabled  saw in their incomes, the couple had to start cutting expenses to make their $1,046 base rent. Augustson said they have given up their car, put off some health care and called off a planned 20th anniversary celebration.

It was difficult but doable.

Now, though, they face another challenge: upcoming renovations at the complex will displace them once their lease expires at years end. Augustson said shes trying to find a new place that is both suitably appointed to meet their physical needs and within budget. Right now, she said, they have no place to go lined up and really no means to get there because weve emptied our savings to pay the rent.

The couple has sought assistance through a number of programs, she said, but their dual disability income is considered too high to qualify for many programs.

Augustson is among those who have pushed city leaders to do something to provide relief, saying she is not sure they fully understand the housing hardships many in the city currently face.

Were talking about people who personally are pretty well insulated from these kinds of catastrophes, she said. They dont know what it is to literally be struggling for survival in a first world country.

The city has ample evidence of a problem.

Two years ago, it funded research that found Albuquerque was 15,500 affordably priced units shy of meeting the need of its poorest residents. An Albuquerque housing official says that gap has only widened since that study.

According to Rent.com, the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom in Albuquerque has gone up 42% during the pandemic. Its now $1,155, compared with $1,064 a year ago and $812 at the pandemics outset, according to the online listing services data.

Citys efforts

While there are new indications that rental price growth is slowing after some unprecedented increases, prices remain a burden for many in Albuquerque, and leaders have faced growing criticism for perceived inaction. During a recent City Council meeting, one public speaker compared the citys efforts to provide relief to using band-aids to treat an amputated arm. Another told the council there is a humanitarian crisis happening on your watch.

So what is the city doing?

While some citizens are pushing for rent control, councilors and other city officials have stressed that state law bars local governments from enacting such a policy.

But they contend they are trying to address the problem from multiple angles.

Lisa Huval, the citys deputy director for housing, said the city partnered with the state last year to get millions of federal rental and utility assistance dollars into the community. City government also has bolstered spending on rent subsidies, or vouchers. There is over $23 million in city and federal voucher funding available, including $9.8 million extra in ongoing annual funding added to the budget this year. It also has increased legal and other supports to those facing eviction.

However, Huval said the city sees the chief issue as an overall housing shortage. The city simply needs more housing at all price levels.

One of the big reasons that housing prices are going up and all of us are feeling an impact is there is not enough housing  theres not enough apartments and not enough home ownership units, she said. From our perspective, solving the housing issue for everyone  not just folks (with incomes low enough to qualify for most assistance)  is really about increasing the supply of housing.

The citys newest initiatives include buying and converting hotels into affordable efficiency apartments, something made easier by a recent zoning change. The city plans to start with one property and scale up, Huval said. It currently is working toward buying the Sure Stay Hotel at 10330 Hotel NE, but the deal is not done and a city spokeswoman said she could not yet provide additional details about the plan.

The City Council also this spring approved borrowing $20 million as part of a $100 million gross receipts tax bond package for affordable housing, which Huval said can go toward creating new units or acquiring and rehabilitating property.

CORA

Officials say they also are doing more to stop people who are presently housed from plunging into instability or homelessness.

The city now has staff inside eviction court as part of a diversion program, attending over 6,000 hearings in the first half of 2022. The employees are part of CORA, or the Court Outreach for Rental Assistance program, and can provide real-time information to renters about how to apply for support or the status of their cases if they already have. Judges hearing eviction cases can send landlords and tenants into a meeting with a CORA staffer.

Because of the information provided by CORA staff at these hearings, the judges often delay making a final determination, city spokeswoman Katie Simon said in written answers to Journal questions, though she said the city is unable to track final outcomes.

The city also has inside and outside legal assistance for renters.

The citys Office of Civil Rights fields housing complaints, offering occasional legal representation. The citys OCR has received 68 housing complaints so far in 2022, according to records provided to the Journal. Callers report issues like landlords not keeping units up to code or discrimination based on disability, race or other factors protected by the citys Human Rights Ordinance. Those complaints have generated two extensive city investigations  meaning the government drafted or filed a legal complaint  and, in one other case, the office researched the matter. The rest were either handled with one or two phone calls or referred to another agency such as other city departments or outside agencies better suited to assist, the city reported.

The city presently is also funding three outside housing attorneys through contracts with New Mexico Legal Aid and the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center.

Efforts at prevention

Riley Masse, the managing attorney for housing stability at New Mexico Legal Aid, said the state also is currently paying for extra housing support attorneys in the organization, which specifically serves people with low incomes  that generally means up to 125% of the federal poverty level but in some cases up to 200%. The federal poverty level is currently $13,590 for a one-person household.

She said the agency attorneys have been opening as many as 20 new cases a week across the state, up from as few as five earlier in 2022. The growth, she said, has coincided with the expiration of pandemic-related eviction protections. The New Mexico Supreme Court had in 2020 placed a moratorium on eviction cases related to nonpayment of rent but phased it out this spring.

There are probably more cases we could (assist with), she said. We just dont have the capacity to represent as many people as call in and would fit within the priorities for representation.

Legal Aid also runs a landlord-tenant helpline paid for by the city  505-273-5040. It provided housing-related information to an estimated 1,413 callers during fiscal year 2022, according to the city.

A Legal Aid spokesman said all are encouraged to call, regardless of income.

If we cannot take your case due to federal financial restrictions, we will work with you to find the specific programs or nonprofits that can offer assistance, spokesman Paxton Patrick said.

Mia Augustson said the efforts afoot in Albuquerque and around the state are still leaving behind many people who fall outside the income requirements but are still struggling. She said she hopes there is political will to do something more.

(More housing) production is a step in the right direction, but this does absolutely nothing for somebody who is in danger of being out on their butt or who may be already, she said.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

You need to be a bit crazy to be a journalist.

Melissa Segura, investigative reporter for BuzzFeed, certainly thinks so.

Segura is the keynote speaker for the upcoming 2022 Dixon Awards, presented each year to advocates of government transparency by the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government.

Following previous keynote speakers that include Marty Baron and Bob Woodward  both of whom were played by award-winning actors in movie versions of their stories  is somewhat daunting for Segura. But her journalism career is already full of achievements to back her up.

In the seven years shes been at BuzzFeed, she has been investigating former Chicago police detective Reynaldo Guevara  who was accused of framing dozens of people who were sent to prison  which has led to the exoneration and release of more than 30 people. Many of them spent decades in prison for crimes they didnt commit, with one of them serving 32 years behind bars before being released earlier this year.

This community that I wrote about was actually terrorized by somebody who grew up with them, he was from this community, Segura said.

As a Santa Fe native, Segura said she feels her deep connection to New Mexico and its people makes her a good candidate to speak about government transparency in the state.

I was born and raised here. Im one of those longtime, deeply-rooted New Mexicans, and I love this land, I love our people, I love the community, Segura said.

Segura says that her job, which consists of reporting on class, race and social issues, intersects all the time with government transparency.

Ive always really loved documents, Segura said. Ive always loved trying to understand the entirety of the story.

The focus of her career has become making sure that people on the margins are heard by elevating voices that are not normally heard.

The issues she often reports on usually happen in communities that are poor, mostly populated by non-English speakers and have very low education rates, she says.

Segura said she has encountered plenty of obstruction while reporting on these issues, acknowledging the blue wall of silence as a real problem.

Its up to us that government records are the starting point and not the end point, Segura said. The starting point being that we have to talk to people, confirm statements and reconcile timelines, thats the real work.

Gatekeepers often like to make people believe the process is complicated when its actually not, Segura said.

A lot of the families with whom I work can and do feel very much intimidated by the process and dont even know where to start, Segura said. Thats where organizations like NMFOG are vital to our democracy and being a resource to communities who can feel ostracized from the system.
In Long Beach, California, Albuquerque MMA featherweight Aaron Pico lost to Canadas Jeremy Kennedy by first-round TKO on a Bellator card when Pico suffered an injury to his left shoulder.

Pico, his six-fight winning streak snapped, dropped to 10-4. Kennedy, who trains in Las Vegas, Nevada, is 18-3.

Early in the first round, Pico, who trains at Jackson-Wink, indicated to his corner that his left shoulder was bothering him. Kennedy, who said after the fight hed had no idea Pico was injured, dominated the first round  taking Picos back, then taking him down and working for a rear naked choke.

After making it to rounds end, Pico had cornerman Brandon Gibson attempt to pop his possibly dislocated shoulder back in. But the doctor in attendance, expressing concern that Pico had suffered a broken collarbone, indicated the fight was over.

It was a costly defeat for Pico, who with a victory might have been in line for a Bellator title shot.
MONONGAHELA, Pa.  The Trump-Pence sign still hangs on the older building off Main Street in this historic town, a lasting vestige of the campaign fervor that roused voters, including many who still believe the falsehood that the former president didnt lose in 2020 and hope hell run in 2024.

The enthusiasm for Donald Trumps unique brand of nationalist populism has cut into traditional Democratic strongholds like Monongahela, about 25 miles south of Pittsburgh, where brick storefronts and a Slovak fellowship hall dot Main Street and church bells mark the hours of the day. Republicans are counting on political nostalgia for the Trump era as they battle Democrats this fall in Pennsylvania in races for governor, the U.S. Senate and control of Congress.

Trump just came along and filled the empty space, said Matti Gruzs, who stitches old blue jeans into tote bags, place mats and other creations she sells at the weekly Farmers Market downtown. Hes still the king, and the kingmaker.

Against the backdrop of this picturesque place, House Republicans recently released their campaign agenda, hoping their Commitment to America can tap into the same political sentiment Trump used to attract not just Republican but independent and former Democratic voters. But its unclear whether the support that propelled Trump to the White House will be there on Election Day, Nov. 8.

Perhaps even more challenging for the GOP is whether Trumps false claims of voter fraud will cost the party if people believe, as the defeated president claims without evidence, the elections are rigged. Some may just decide to sit out the election.

It started out as a low-enthusiasm race, said Dave Ball, the Republican Party chairman in Washington County, which includes much of western Pennsylvania.

Ball said enthusiasm has been building rapidly  his main metric for voter interest in the elections is the demand for lawn signs. We were wondering, at one point, you know, we were going to see any, he said. Right now, I cant get my hands on enough.

But Amy Michalic, who was born and raised in Monongahela and works the polls during elections, said she hears skepticism from some voters, particularly Trump supporters, who think my vote doesnt count.

Trumps claims of fraud have no basis in fact. Dozens of court cases filed by Trump and his supporters have been dismissed or rejected by judges across the nation, but he continues to challenge Joe Bidens victory. In every state, officials have attested to the accuracy of their elections, and Trumps own attorney general at the time, Bill Barr, said in 2020 there was no voter fraud on a scale to change the outcome.

Michalic reminds skeptical voters in her hometown of the importance of voting and notes that in 2016, no one thought Trump could win. Look what he did, he took Pennsylvania, she said.

At the Farmers Market on a recent afternoon, voters shared concerns that many people in the United States voice this election year  about the high prices of everything, about finding workers and good-paying jobs, about the culture wars.

Where do you start? said Michelle DeHosse, wearing an American flag shirt as she helped vendors set up stands.

DeHosse, who runs a custom-screen print and embroidery shop on Main Street, said she has had trouble hiring employees since the pandemic. While she said just cannot afford the $20 an hour and health care benefits many applicants demand, she understands that many workers need both. Its the economy thats the biggest concern, she said.

Democrats were sparse among the voters, who didnt seem to have strong feelings for their choices this fall for either of the Senate candidates, Democrat John Fetterman or the Trump-backed Republican Mehmet Oz. Several said they probably would vote party line.

I dont like either one of them, said Carolyn McCuen, 84, a Republican enjoying sunset with friends and McDonalds coffee at a picnic table by the river.

Me either, said another Republican, Sam Reo, 76, a retired mechanical engineer, playing oldies from the portable speaker he sets up for the group.

Both still plan to vote. Support for the GOP candidate for governor, Doug Mastriano, who was outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, can be seen in the giant signs along Lincoln Highway, an east-west route across the state.

Mastriano is a folk hero around here, said Gruzs, who recalled his regular updates broadcast during the pandemic.

A history buff who home-schooled her children, Gruzs hasnt missed a vote since she cast her first presidential ballot for Ronald Reagan. The same goes for her husband, Sam, a plumber. They moved here two decades ago from Baltimore, for a better life. Now a grandmother, she spends her days working on her crafts and listening to far-right broadcasts  Steve Bannon, Charlie Kirk and others.

She is not a fan of House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. and isnt convinced he has the toughness needed to push the partys ideas forward. But she did attend the event at a nearby manufacturing facility where lawmakers outlined the GOP agenda. She was heartened to see far-right Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene at the event with McCarthy, and made sure to shake Greenes hand.

If shes behind him, she said, trailing off. It looked today he had enough behind him, pushing him.

Trump remains popular, and the sign hanging on the building off Main Street from his 2020 campaign was far from the only one still visible in the state, two years since that election.

Several of the voters dismissed the investigations against Trump as nothing more than a witch hunt designed to keep him from running again office, despite the potentially serious charges being raised in state and federal inquiries. Some voters said they didnt believe the attack on the Capitol was an insurrection, despite the violence waged by pro-Trump supporters trying to overturn Bidens election.

Those views stand in contrast to the hard facts of Jan. 6: More than 850 people have been arrested and charged in the insurrection, some given lengthy sentences by the courts for their involvement. Hours before the siege, Trump told a rally crowd to fight like hell for his presidency. Loyalists soon broke into the Capitol, fighting in hand-to-hand combat with police, interrupting Congress as it was certifying the election results. Five people, including a Trump supporter shot by police, died in the immediate aftermath.

And if Trump runs again?

I wish he would, said McCuen, a retired church secretary. But I dont know if he will.



Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter, https://twitter.com/ap_politics
FORT MYERS, Fla.  With the death toll from Hurricane Ian rising and hundreds of thousands of people without power in Florida and the Carolinas, U.S. officials vowed Sunday to unleash a massive amount of federal disaster aid as crews scrambled to rescue people stranded by the storm.

Days after Ian tore through central Florida, carving a deadly path of destruction into the Carolinas, water levels continued rising in some flooded areas, inundating homes and streets that were passable just a day or two earlier.

With branches strewn across the grounds of St. Hillarys Episcopal Church in Ft. Myers, the Rev. Charles Cannon recognized the immense loss during his Sunday sermon but also gave thanks for what remained. That included the churchs stained-glass windows and steeple.

People think they have lost everything, but you havent lost everything if you havent lost yourself, he said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was in Arcadia on Sunday afternoon, about 30 miles inland from where Ian made landfall. The rural area didnt get the storm surge experienced by coastal communities, but standing water from floods remained four days after the storm.

This is such a big storm, brought so much water, that youre having basically whats been a 500-year flood event, DeSantis said.

At least 68 people have been confirmed dead: 61 in Florida, four in North Carolina and three in Cuba.

Fewer than 700,000 homes and businesses in Florida were still without electricity Sunday, down from a peak of 2.6 million.

The weakened storm wreaked havoc as it drifted north, with the remnants forming a noreaster that is expected to dump rain on parts of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and southern Pennsylvania, weather officials said.

In Virginia, rainfall on the already inundated Chesapeake Bay could lead to the most significant tidal flooding event in the Hampton Roads region in the last 10 to 15 years, said Cody Poche, a National Weather Service meteorologist. A handful of coastal Virginia school districts canceled classes Monday, and local officials urged residents to prepare.

Deanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said the federal government is focusing first on victims in Florida, which took the brunt of one of the strongest storms to make landfall in the United States. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden plan to visit Florida on Wednesday.

Flooded roadways and washed-out bridges to barrier islands left many people isolated amid limited cellphone service and a lack of basic amenities such as water, electricity and the internet. Officials warned that the situation in many areas isnt expected to improve for several days because the rain that fell has nowhere to go.

Criswell told Fox News Sunday that the federal government, including the Coast Guard and Department of Defense, had moved into position the largest amount of search and rescue assets that I think weve ever put in place before.

Still, she cautioned that dangers remain.

We see so many more injuries and sometimes more fatalities after the storm, Criswell said. Standing water brings with it all kinds of hazards  it has debris, it could have power lines.

More than 1,600 people have been rescued statewide, according to Floridas emergency management agency.

In rural Seminole County, north of Orlando, residents donned waders, boots and bug spray to paddle to their flooded homes Sunday.

Ben Bertat found 4 inches (10 centimeters) of water in his house by Lake Harney after kayaking there.

I think its going to get worse because all of this water has to get to the lake said Bertat, pointing to the water flooding a nearby road. With ground saturation, all this swamp is full and it just cant take any more water. It doesnt look like its getting any lower.

Gabriel Madlang kayaked through several feet of water on his street, delivering sandbags to stave off water creeping toward his doorstep.

My home is close to underwater, Madlang said. Right now, Im just going to sandbag as much as I can and hope and pray.

The National Guard and the Coast Guard were flying in helicopters to Floridas barrier islands to rescue people. On Sanibel Island, the lone bridge to the crescent-shaped island collapsed, cutting off access by car for its 6,300 residents.

An aerial photo posted on social media of Sanibels Mad Hatter Restaurant shows a mostly vacant patch of sand where the restaurant used to be.

The Mad Hatter Restaurant, unfortunately, is out at sea right now, the restaurants Facebook page reads, adding that the staff are all safe. The best news from this devastating scene is that there is still land for us to rebuild.

DeSantis said the state will start building a temporary structure this week to restore vehicle access to Pine Island, the largest of southwestern Floridas barrier islands devastated by the storm.

Its not going to be a full bridge, youre going to have to go over it probably at 5 miles an hour or something, but itll at least let people get in and off the island with their vehicles, DeSantis said.

Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson on Sunday defended Lee County officials from accusations that they were slow in ordering evacuations Tuesday ahead of the storm, a day later than some other counties in the area.

Warnings for hurricane season start in June. So theres a degree of personal responsibility here. I think the county acted appropriately. The thing is, a certain percentage of people will not heed the warnings regardless, Anderson said on the CBS show Face the Nation.

In North Carolina, the storm downed trees and power lines. Two of the four deaths in the state were from storm-related vehicle crashes. The others involved a man who drowned when his truck plunged into a swamp and another killed by carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator in a garage.

___

Associated Press reporters Rebecca Santana in Ft. Myers; Brendan Farrington and Anthony Izaguirre in Tallahassee; David Fischer in Miami; Sarah Rankin in Richmond, Va.; and Richard Lardner in Washington contributed to this report.

___

This story has been updated to correct the spelling of a Florida residents last name to Madlang, not Madling.

___

For more AP coverage of Hurricane Ian: https://apnews.com/hub/hurricanes
The Russian military withdrew from the crucial eastern Ukrainian city of Lyman on Saturday, a day after President Vladimir V. Putin unlawfully annexed four territories of Ukraine.

Influential friends of Putin swiftly launched fervent criticism of the Russians' withdrawal, blaming military leaders for the recent setbacks and branding them as inept.

The United States and the United Nations strongly criticized the annexation as illegal. This drove the Biden administration to impose swift fresh sanctions on Russia.

The seizure of Lyman puts further strain on the Kremlin, which has been dealing with a domestic backlash over the recruitment of tens of thousands of men to join the Russian-Ukraine war, according to The New York Times.

Weeks were spent fighting for Lyman, but the Russians' unexpected retreat was due to their worry of being surrounded and abandoned.

A few hours later, the Russian Ministry of Defense declared that Russian forces were leaving the city.

Fighting Still On-Going Near Russian-Annexed Territories

Although the Ukrainian flag was raised in the city, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed in a televised address that "fighting" is still happening in the area. Additionally, he said Ukrainian forces had seized Torske, a settlement on the major route east of Lyman.

According to a tweet from Ukraine's defense ministry, "almost all" of the Russian soldiers in Lyman had either been killed or arrested.

Russia officially seized Donetsk and neighboring Luhansk on Friday; Lyman is located in Donetsk, some 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city.

Read Also: US Heightens Surveillance in Russian Territory in Europe Over Suspicion That Vladimir Putin Plans Deadly Strike, Deploys Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine

Ukraine's eastern army spokesperson, Serhii Cherevatyi, claimed that the Russian brigade in the vicinity of Lyman is "surrounded."

Lyman has served as an essential transportation and supply center for Russia's activities in the northern Donetsk area. Capturing it marks the largest battlefield victory for the Ukrainian forces since the recapturing of the Kharkiv region to the north last month.

Kadyrov Suggests Use of Strategic Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine

Following a recent loss on the battlefield, Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russia's Chechen province, warned on Saturday that Moscow should consider unleashing a low-yield nuclear weapon in Ukraine, per Reuters.

On Telegram, Putin's ally blasted Russian top military leaders and suggested "more drastic measures" should be employed, including "martial law" and unleashing of "low-yield nuclear weapons."

The day following President Putin's proclamation of the annexation of four Ukrainian areas, Kadyrov called Colonel-General Alexander Lapin, commander of the Russian soldiers battling at Lyman, a "mediocrity" and proposed he be reduced to the rank of private and deprived of his decorations.

Kadyrov said he had discussed a Lyman loss with Russia's general staff two weeks earlier, but Valery Gerasimov had rejected the notion.

The Biden administration on Friday reiterated its warning that Russia might be considering using nuclear armament but that there are no signs of an "imminent use" of such weaponry, as reported by ABC News.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that President Biden and his administration underscore that Putin's "nuclear saber-rattling" and "all of the loose talk" indicates danger, and the US has been "equally clear about what the consequences would be."

Sullivan said the risk of Russia's nuclear weapons usage "has been there from the start" of the war in Ukraine. However, he did not quantify the threat.

Related Article: US Slaps New Sanctions on Russia Following Annexation of Ukraine Territories

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The National Archives claimed it has not yet obtained all the presidential records that should have been handed over at the end of the Trump presidency, and the interim archivist informed Congress via a letter.

In a letter to Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), acting US Archivist Debra Steidel Wall said that the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) does "know that we do not have custody of everything we should," as reported by ABC News.

Wall's statement may indicate that former officials have not yet turned over electronic communications of official interaction done on private accounts.

In her letter dated September 13, Rep. Maloney asked for an "immediate assessment" of "whether presidential records remain unaccounted for" and perhaps in the custody of the previous president," to which Wall responded with the letter.

NARA Seeks Justice Department's Advice To Obtain Confidential Materials

Wall stated that NARA would "consult with the Department of Justice" to determine whether to start an initiative to retrieve the illegally discarded documents.

"While there is no easy way to establish absolute accountability, we do know that we do not have custody of everything we should," the acting archivist noted in the letter.

Trump and the DOJ are in a court battle over documents taken from his Mar-a-Lago resort in early August as part of a probe into his possible misuse of presidential records following his stepping down.

MSN reported that the FBI claimed to have confiscated 11,000 documents, including more than 100 marked as confidential in the court-authorized seizure.

By filing a lawsuit, Trump was able to get a special master appointed to examine the records that had been seized for violations of executive and attorney-client privilege.

The House Oversight Committee has asked the National Archives to find out if Trump keeps any records from his time as president.

In February, Rep. Maloney received word from the archives that several digital files of former Trump White House administrators had vanished.

In the new letter, the archivist wrote that NARA was able to retrieve such records from some ex-officials of the White House and will persist in acquiring similar types of presidential documents from officials that served during Donald Trump's US presidency.

Read Also: Uvalde Shooting Survivors' Families File Lawsuit Against School District, Gun Manufacturers

The letter also stated that the National Archives would speak with the Justice Department about taking any necessary steps to retrieve the stolen Presidential Records Act documents.

To this day, the National Archives has kept mum on whether or not former President Trump has surrendered the entirety of his documents.

Ms. Maloney had written to her last month to inquire if any presidential documents from the Trump administration were missing, and this letter was her response.

Trump's liaisons and former government officials returned cartons and envelopes of records to NARA earlier this year.

Blatant Rule of Law Violations

NARA's discoveries in one of these collections spurred a Justice Department probe into the improper handling of confidential documents and a search of Trump's Florida beach resort.

NARA's letter to Maloney references a case filed by the Justice Department last summer, in which it requested that a judge compel Peter Navarro, a former trade advisor in the Trump White House, to return government data he improperly retained after leaving office.

The complaint claims that the House committee looking into the federal response to the coronavirus outbreak informed the National Archives about Navarro's private account.

Maloney said on Saturday that it was "outrageous" that the documents had not been retrieved since Trump had left the White House 20 months ago, per CNN.

The democratic legislator remarked: "Former President Trump and his senior staff have shown an utter disregard for the rule of law and our national security by failing to return presidential records as the law requires."

Related Article: FBI Arrests NSA Staff After Attempting To Sell US Secrets to Russian Foreign Service

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
There is a strange verse in the Bible, one that may have historical meaning for us today:

Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia -- Acts 16:6

It seems the great apostle was prevented from heading east. Why?

Now, the term Asia has changed meaning over time. During the Roman Empire, the province of Asia was in Western Turkey. Yet, oddly, the apostle did travel to the province of Galatia, which was even further east.

What was the difference? Well, Anatolia (what we now call mainland Turkey) was a mishmosh of peoples of various origin and mixes. But the Galatians, oddly enough, were Indo-European Celts who had migrated east from Central Europe. Essentially, Paul was writing to white people. These Celts were probably related to todays Southern Germans/Bavarians, or Frances ancient Gauls.

Pauls efforts were primarily to the West or western peoples. He spent time with the Galatian Celts, but skirted around the province of Asia. He preached in Greece -- the birthplace of Western Civilization. Then he ended up in Rome, the capital of the Roman empire.

Yet, what is forgotten is that Paul also wanted to travel to Spain.

Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you: for I trust to see you in my journey  Romans 15:24

Spain, at that time, was not the Spain we see today. The peninsula was also heavily Celtic, related to the Galatians.

At that time, about two-thirds of Spain was either Celtic or Basque/Aquitanian. Indeed, Irish and Scottish legends speak of a temporary sojourn in Spain, and the northwest of Spain boasts of its Celtic ancestry.

[The Scots] journeyed from Greater Scythia by way of the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Pillars of Hercules, and dwelt for a long course of time in Spain Declaration of Arbroath

This is not obvious now because the Islamic conquest of Spain drastically altered its culture, and to a lesser extent, some of its genetics. The ancient Northern Spanish might have originally looked like the Irish of today. Some have said that the Irish look like blue-eyed Spaniards.

But the real question is why Paul, writing under inspiration, even wanted to go to Spain? He expressed no interest in going to North Africa.

My own habit on these matters is to rely only on Scripture -- not even the church fathers -- for doctrine; but this concerns history not doctrine. Did Paul ever go to Spain?

Pauline scholars note that there is a gap in the chronology of his life in the early 60s. At this time he might have visited Spain, for there are strong church traditions indicating he did so. Clement and the Muratorian Canon as well as Chrysostom and Jerome assume that Paul fulfilled his intention. -- Biblical Archaeology

If Paul made such a trip to Spain, it could radically change ones understanding of history. Paul primarily confined his ministry to the European peoples. Why?

Compounding this is the curious fact that, until recently, Christianity failed to plant strong cultural roots almost everywhere else but in Europe. Some will assert that there are historic Christian churches in the Mideast, and even in Asia. Yes, but they were overrun by Islam or shrank into insignificance. They are remnants, as it were. Christianity only prospered among European stocks -- and this is very provocative.

We see the same interesting trends in Jewish history. The Babylonians were pagans, and while they temporarily conquered Israel, they did not threaten the identity of the Jews. The Jewish religion survived. Jews might pick up bad practices from their opponents, but the core of Judaism was not threatened. However, the Persian Empire (which was run by an Indo-European elite) was somewhat friendly to the Jews. Yet, even today, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism are not much of a philosophical challenge to Judaism.

But the Greeks were different. When the Greeks conquered the Mideast, they brought Greek mathematics, Greek philosophy, Greek culture, the Olympic games, and democratic thought with them. For the first time, the Jewish people were faced with a cultural onslaught which posed a real challenge. It was one thing to dismiss a statue worshipping Egyptian godlings, Babylonian idiocies, or Canaanite brutalities; but the Greeks were genuinely civilized; they were culturally advanced. They asked great questions such as: What Is Truth?

Socrates and Aristotle had concepts of a Supreme Being that approximated Jewish ideas and which demonstrated that the Greek philosophers understood that the Greek folk pantheon of deities were not ultimate truth. These Greeks were not your standard idol-worshipping pagan imbeciles. A lot of Jews started embracing Greek culture as superior. The process was called Hellenization  and the rabbis were in a panic. They could not compete. Why would a Jew bother to read Scripture when he could read Aristotle or the Iliad? The Jews in Israel started adopting Greek names in Israel, not the diaspora!

The Greeks might have won the debate except that a Greek lunatic named Antiochus Epiphanus overreached, declared himself to be a deity and started persecuting Torah-observant Jews in an effort to completely Hellenize them. This led to the Maccabean Revolt and the victory of Hannukah. Had Antiochus gone slower, the Greeks might have won by persuasion what they failed to win by force.

What the reader has to understand is that these Greeks founded Western Civilization; and for all intents and purposes, Hellenization is equivalent to Westernization or Americanization.

Of all Israels competitors, it was only the West that could truly compete with Judaism.

And that brings us back to the Apostle Paul. He obviously detected the same qualities in Westerners/Europeans. If he went to the non-Europeans, the gospel might die out. If he went to Europeans, it would thrive. If the Greek Europeans had tried to westernize the Jews, then a Jew, Paul, would now try to Christianize (an outgrowth of Judaism) the Europeans.

Paul recognized this. He went to the Greeks, the Romans, the Celtic Galatians, and wanted to go to Celtic Spain. Anyone who knows history knows that the ancient Celts are the substrata of Western Europe, planting roots from Spain up to Northern Holland, west to Ireland and east to Poland and Czechoslovakia. If you are of West European ancestry, you are probably Celtic in part. Paul knew what he was doing if he wanted to get the message out.

As politically incorrect as it may seem, the question begs: Is there a quality in Europeans that lends itself to such cultural greatness?

For this we can go to Jewish texts, namely the Bible. Whether one takes the story metaphorically or literally, in Genesis 9, there were three brothers: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Forget the controversial story about Ham -- that itself is up to interpretation. But pay attention to the two brothers Shem and Japheth. However one interprets the story, it is clear that a covenant was made with Japheth, who was to be blessed (vs 27). It was not only made with Shem, the progenitor of the Jews.

Then remember that Japheth is considered the progenitor of the European/white peoples. Japheth is etymologically related to white and expansive. In modern terms: Expansionist (Imperialist) white guy.

Whether taken literally or metaphorically, the story gives us insight. The ancient Jews recognized a quality in Europeans that they did not see in Asians or blacks. Indeed, the Jews tended to oppose the asceticism so common to Eastern religions.

Asceticism never occupied an important place in the Jewish religion. -- Jewish Virtual Library

This would explain why the Greeks posed an intellectual and cultural challenge to the Jews that the surrounding pagans and the Babylonians could not. This might explain why Paul, who was trained as a Pharisee, went to Western peoples, not to Africa or Asia. The Europeans were likely to be more receptive.

I am not asserting superiority, but there does seem to be a reason why western civilization is so powerful, and why it should not be surrendered to politically correct thugs. There is virtue in the West. If it surrenders truth and the Christianity that Paul brought, it will die out.

Image: The Ogre
The mistakes of World War 1 are playing out again, with much higher stakes. We need to do better than to charge into war.

During the early 20th century, the nations of the world engaged in building up their war arsenals. A series of defense alliances formed among many European countries. The Triple Entente included France, Britain, Ireland, and Russia: the central powers included Germany and Austria-Hungary. These agreements, their weapons, and the history of battles in Europe set the stage for a massive war.

The ignition of war began with an assassination. Serbians wanted to secede from the central powers. Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo on 28th June 1914. Blaming the Serbs, Austria-Hungary placed harsh/impossible demands on Serbia. Germany sided with Austria and backed Serbia.

New York Herald-Tribune June 29, 1914

Put fighting mad bulls in an arena and they will fight anything that moves. July 28, 2014 Austria-Hungary, supported by Germany, declared war on Serbia and Germany declared war on Russia. Then Germany declared war on France. German troops marched into France, taking a route through Belgium.

As Belgiums neutrality had been violated, and because of the Triple Entente treaty, Britain declared war on Germany.

And the melee was on. Eventually over 100 countries were part of this worldwide brawl. Over 9 million soldiers were killed before hostilities ended.

The war included the use of chemical weapons, which haunted the lives of millions more veterans over their (shortened) lives. My generation knew some of the survivors and their damaged lungs.

The situation is not much different today, only that WMDs make the stakes so much higher. A country broke away from a power (Ukraine from Russia), and became independent. Russia wants to reclaim its former glory and is selectively re-seizing some of the former lands of the USSR.

Enter the NATO alliance and its preferences, the US and its preferences, and to a lesser extent the eastern powers. Alliances formed, and the first wave of the battle is on. If it continues as did WW 1, the alliances will continue to harden into increasingly punishing fighting, and the bulls in the ring will continue the melee until the world is exhausted, gassed out, or burnt out by nuclear weapons. Credit is due to the worlds two most populous countries, China and India, for standing down from this melee and for advising that now is not the time for war.

And who won WW 1? Certainly not the 9 million dead soldiers. The archduke is still dead. A devastated Germany continued the fight into WW2. France lost 10% of its population. The Spanish flu, carried around the world by massed troops, took 500 million non-combatants . It was a classic circular firing squad, with only losers.

Who will win this Ukraine conflict? Certainly not the Ukrainian people, who have a massive rebuild ahead, with large losses of people and infrastructure. Not Russia, who has become an international pariah, who has seen the weaknesses of its kleptocracy undermine its military, and who is watching its intelligentsia and young men flee. Not the EU, facing a cold dark winter. Not the worlds hungry, seeing food prices soar as food stocks disappear. Not the US, with massive costs of Ukraine support undermining our current and future economies.

Perhaps only North Korea, willing to use its slave labor to build munitions for Russia in exchange for food and fuel (is that what we want)?

Emma Lazarus may have it right. Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp.

Do we have a stake in Ukraine? This author supposes not. America needs the challenges of a strong Russia. The world gained from advances in aircraft, microelectronics, materials, food production, oil production, medicine, the arts and so much more, incentivized by economic and prestige competition over decades.

What we do not need is a growing state of war that leads to billions dead, following the model of WW 1.

Where are the statesmen who can call off this madness? Those who can cause the testosterone-charged bulls to return to their cages and free us from the specter of repeating the lethality of world war? Where are those who will see that those who think they are wearing the glorious costumes of war are indeed unclothed, and are willing to call them out as naked?

And naked they are. Every participant in this conflict is losing, and stands to lose more, even while braying about their successes.

There are futures that do not need this madness but they wont arise as long as Zelensky says Putin will not negotiate and Putin says Zalensky will not negotiate, and as long as each side builds alliances in support of more death and destruction.

The future will honor those who are wise enough to avoid the mistakes made 100 years ago. But those who fail by repeating these same mistakes will leave sordid and dishonorable legacies.
Russia just annexed four provinces previously considered part of Ukraine. Annexing the land of another country acquired by war is illegal according to international law or so they say.

But if the residents of such land decide by referendum to secede and declare independence, before being annexed by another country, such as what transpired with respect to Crimea in 2014 and now and the four eastern provinces formerly part of Ukraine, does this make the annexation legal? Possibly. It all depends if the residents had the right to secede and whether the referendum was properly executed.

Israel avoids this controversy by extending Israeli law to the land rather than annexing it.

Crimea and the four provinces

In March 2014, Russia annexed the Crimea Peninsula, which had been a part of Ukraine since 1991 and now administers the territory as two federal entities  the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol.

Russia rejects the view that this was an annexation and regards it as an accession to the Russian and considers it secession as a result of irredentism. A term often used in Russia to describe these events is "re-unification" to highlight the fact that Crimea was a part of the Russian Empire from 1783 to 1917, and part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic from 1921 to 1954. Few states recognize this view.

Ukraine considers Crimea and Sevastopol its own territory.

It should be noted that Crimea differs from the four provinces in that:

The new Constitution of Ukraine, the Crimea was declared to be the "Autonomous Republic of Crimea", but also an "inseparable constituent part of Ukraine". Being an autonomous republic it could be argued that it had the right to secede which it purported to do.

Irredentism is the doctrine of political or popular movements that claim and seek to occupy (usually on behalf of their members' nation) territory considered "lost" (or "unredeemed") to the nation, based on history or legend. The scope is occasionally subject to disputes about underlying claims of expansionism, owing to lack of clarity on the historical bounds of putative nations or peoples.

This term also often refers to revanchism, though the difference between the two is, according to Merriam-Webster, that revanchism means the recovery of lost territory, while irredentism is the reunion of politically or ethnically displaced territory, along with a population having the same national identity.

It is plain to see that in both cases, the breakaway regions decided by referenda to declare independence before being annexed by Russia. Of course, Ukraine says these regions did not have the right to secede and each referendum was a sham.

Yet, possession, as they say, is 9/10 of the law and Russia is clearly in possession at the moment.

Another example of secession is the declaration of independence by Kosovo in 2008. It is not recognized by Serbia and 76 of the 193 countries in the world.

It remains to be seen how many countries will recognize the four provinces and Crimea as Russian territory.

The Golan Heights

In 1981, Israel passed the Golan Law, which extended Israeli law to the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in 1967. Although the law did not use the term, it was considered by the international community as an "annexation" of the Golan Heights.

The US recognized the Golan Heights as part of Israel through a presidential proclamation signed by President Trump on March 25, 2019. The proclamation cited "aggressive acts by Iran and terrorist groups, including Hezbollah in southern Syria" as justification for Israel to maintain sovereignty over the Golan Heights as Israel has a "need to protect itself from Syria and other regional threats."

In refuting a supposed double standard in recognizing Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights but placing sanctions on Russia for annexing Crimea in 2014, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said "What the President did with the Golan Heights is recognize the reality on the ground and the security situation necessary for the protection of the Israeli state. Its that  its that simple." A State Department spokesperson claimed the day following the proclamation that "Israel gained control of the Golan through its legitimate response to Syrian aggression aimed at Israels destruction.

An anonymous Israeli official echoed Netanyahu's claims, telling the Washington Post that the recognition of the Golan Heights was justified since the occupied territory was gained in a "defensive war".

"To Israel, Trump's Golan Heights decision is a no-brainer: It says occupying territory gained in a defensive war is justifiable"

Of course this contradicts UNSC Resolution 242, which began with the preamble Emphasizing the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war and rightly so. International law recognizes the right to retain territory occupied in a defensive war. It is for this reason that Res 242 did not require Israel to give back all the conquered land.

Judea and Samaria aka, West Bank

Journalists and politicians often talk about Israels desire to annex Judea and Samaria. They are wrong in so doing because what Israel talks about doing is extending Israeli law to these lands the same as it did in the Golan Heights law.

This distinction is very important because Judea and Samaria are not the land of another country. All that is necessary is to extend Israeli law to the territory which in effect extends Israeli sovereignty to such lands.

The Fourth Geneva Convention (1949)(FGC) purports to protect civilians in times of war.

Article 49. Individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory to the territory of the Occupying Power or to that of any other country, occupied or not, are prohibited, regardless of their motive. -The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.

Pursuant to this article, the international community considers the Israeli settlements as illegal because Israel is transferring parts of its population to these territories. But this disregards the fact it covers forcible transfers, Israel is not transferring anyone forcibly. The settlement movement is entirely voluntary.

Equally germane is the fact that the FGC does not apply to these lands.

ART. 2.  In addition to the provisions which shall be implemented in peacetime, the present Convention shall apply to all cases of declared war or of any other armed conflict which may arise between two or more of the High Contracting Parties, even if the state of war is not recognized by one of them.

Since Jordans annexation of these was recognized by only 3 countries, these lands are not lands of a High Contracting Party. For this reason Israel did not ratify the treaty and therefore is not bound by it.

Nevertheless Israel has agreed to abide by the humanitarian provisions.

East Jerusalem

On 27 June 1967, Israel expanded the municipal boundaries of West Jerusalem so as to include approximately 70 km2 (27.0 sq mi) of West Bank territory today referred to as East Jerusalem. On 30 July 1980, the Knesset officially approved the Jerusalem Law, which called the city the complete and united capital.

Although the law did not use the term, the Israel Supreme Court interpreted the law as an effective annexation of eastern Jerusalem. The UNSC condemned the attempted change in status to Jerusalem and ruled the law "null and void" in UNSC Res 478:

"all legislative and administrative measures and actions taken by Israel, the occupying Power, which purport to alter the character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal validity and constitute a flagrant violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention"

It should be noted that The Security Council is not a court of law and this resolution is only a recommendation.

In 1995, Congress adopted the Jerusalem Embassy Act, maintaining that:

(1) Jerusalem remain an undivided city in which the rights of every ethnic religious group are protected;

(2) Jerusalem be recognized as the capital of the State of Israel; and

(3) the U.S. Embassy in Israel be established in Jerusalem

This act passed Congress by an overwhelming bipartisan majority and was reaffirmed by a unanimous vote of the Senate only six months later.

Pursuant to this Act, President Trump, on Dec 6, 2020, recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. However he added:

We are not taking a position of any final status issues, including the specific boundaries of the Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem, or the resolution of contested borders. Those questions are up to the parties involved.

Congress did not stipulate so. In fact, it referred to Jerusalem as the undivided city and that was 15 years after Israel passed the Jerusalem Law enlarging the boundaries of Jerusalem to include, inter alia, the eastern part. So Trumps reservation was uncalled for at least by Congress.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) identifies the sources of international law in the ICJ Statute, The United Nations is not among them but is a forum for adopting multilateral treaties. Many multilateral treaties are in fact adopted by the General Assembly and subsequently opened for signature and ratification. But these treaties are only binding on the parties that sign them.

So much for international law.

Map credit: Basque mapping CC BY-SA 4.0 license
Theres always some mystery in the news that provides a blank page for fantasy thinking. This weeks mystery has initiated a storm of speculation: What happened to cause leaks in Russias Nord Stream 1 and 2, designed to send gas to Germany? The speculation runs from rational to delusional.

A good example of more rational speculation is by Jed Babbin at the Spectator: He thinks Russia is the most likely suspect:

Germany, Sweden, the United States, and other NATO nations would not have attacked the pipelines. There has been some speculation among U.S. conservatives that we were responsible for the pipeline attacks. Thats clearly wrong for two reasons. First, we have no motive for doing so, despite President Joe Bidens February statement claiming: If Russia invades Ukraine there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it. Destroying Nord Stream 2 only hurts our European allies. Theres no reason to do so. Second, Biden is too gun-shy to order any such strike. He and Secretary of State Antony Blinken would certainly consult with Germany and France before doing so, and they would have vetoed the move. We may never know which nation did it, but Russia is -- despite its protestations -- the most likely suspect.

In one sense I think he's correct. In another, I think he's wrong. That is to say, I think Russia is at fault but not because it deliberately caused the leaks which may render the pipelines at worst, irreparable, or, at best, out of commission for months.

You see, Ive seen firsthand the incompetence and lack of maintenance when I worked in the USSR and youve seen it too, if you watched the Russian invasion of Ukraine with poorly designed and maintained equipment. A blogger named LawDog with pipeline experience sets out a very plausible scenario to me:

Two explosions, 17 hours apart. No military is going to arrange for two pipes in the same general area to be destroyed 17 hours apart. Not without some Spec Ops guy having a fit of apoplexy. One pipe goes up in a busy shipping lane, in a busy sea, and everyone takes notice. Then you wait 17 hours to do the second -- with 17 hours for people to show up and catch you running dirty? Nah, not buying it. The Nord pipelines werent in use. To me, that means its time for maintenance! Hard to maintain pipes when product is flowing. Pipelines running methane, under saltwater, require PMCS [Preventative Maintenance Checks and Services] quicker than youd think, and more often than youd believe. I would bet a cup of coffee that any of the required weekly and monthly checks and services since the Russians took over have been pencil-whipped. (See Andreev Bay 1982.)

He notes they twice shut the pipelines down for maintenance -- in July of 2020 and July of 2021. Both times they had issues restarting it. Moreover, there were four major disruptions in gas flow from December 21 through April 22.

He concedes hostile actions are a possibility but lists how many things can cause a rupture in an undersea pipeline: The most significant to him is the formation of hydrate plugs which under certain circumstances are formed from the natural gas/methane in the pipelines and preventing them requires constant work requiring vigilance, expertise, diligence and constant water removal. If they are not removed, the solid hydrates can cause cracks and fires. To clear these plugs in pipelines this size requires weeks of Slow depressurization from both ends simultaneously.

In 2000, he notes, the Russians tried to remove a hydrate plug from a pipeline in Siberia using a butane torch and they ruptured the pipe and destroyed several miles of very expensive pipeline.

Both Nord Stream pipelines were fully charged with natural gas and just sitting at the bottom of the sea -- 'Hundreds of millions of cubic meters of explosive gaseous hydrocarbons being transported by Russians, and subject to Russian maintenance.

This theory, while not definitive in the absence of evidence, is persuasive enough to me that the finger pointing at everyone else should take a long pause. Its pure speculation, while the need for constant maintenance of undersea gas pipelines and Russian incompetence is not.

On the other hand, we do have some evidence to support our suspicion that the federal government used and still uses social media to censor anti-administration news.

The administration gave millions in tax dollars to four private groups which worked with social media to censor massive amounts of social media posts they considered misinformation during the last national election:

The consortium is comprised of four member organizations: Stanford Internet Observatory (SIO), the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public, the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab, and social media analytics firm Graphika. It set up a concierge-like service in 2020 that allowed federal agencies like Homeland's Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and State's Global Engagement Center to file "tickets" requesting that online story links and social media posts be censored or flagged by Big Tech. Three liberal groups -- the Democratic National Committee, Common Cause and the NAACP -- were also empowered like the federal agencies to file tickets seeking censorship of content. A Homeland-funded collaboration, the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center, also had access. In its own after-action report on the 2020 election, the consortium boasted it flagged more than 4,800 URLs -- shared nearly 22 million times on Twitter alone -- for social media platforms. Their staff worked 12-20 hour shifts from September through mid-November 2020, with "monitoring intensif[ying] significantly" the week before and after Election Day.

I do not know of a single conservative poster on Facebook right now who has not received warnings, had posts blocked, have had their feeds restricted until well after the midterms, or were outright banned.

The administrations unconstitutional misuse of federal funds to target their opposition continues in other ways as well. The odious, highly politicized Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is also involved.

The CDC awarded a Soros-backed pro-migrant nonprofit $7.5 million under the guise of pandemic-related support for "LATINX ESSENTIAL WORKERS AS HEALTH PROMOTERS," and aimed "to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and mitigate impacts among Latinx and Latin American immigrants," according to an analysis by the Daily Caller. The group, Alianza Americas, is currently suing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and other Florida officials over migrant flights to Martha's Vineyard earlier this month. The group has also received nearly $1.4 million from George Soros' Open Society Network. Alianza Americas is focused on improving the quality of life of all people in the U.S.-Mexico-Central America migration corridor. The membership-based group, which Soros Open Society Foundations network (OSF) sent almost $1.4 million to between 2016 and 2020, was awarded a $7.5 million CDC grant in February 2021, according to a grant listing reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation. -- Daily Caller The CDC funds were distributed under a program called "Protecting and Improving Health Globally: Building and Strengthening Public Health Impact, Systems, Capacity and Security."

It seems to me that an administration with a well-considered agenda that warrants popular support would not have to go to such lengths to block contrary views. I hope the predictions of a Red Wave at the midterms will result in severe penalties for those who used our tax revenues to shut up the opposition. And I remind you that the best definition of fascism, in my view, is a coordinated state-corporate system which works to silence all opposition to an autocratic government.
In the never-ending quest for viable organs, doctors have found a way around brain death and circulatory death criteria. Transplant centers around the country are removing organ donors from life support, clamping off the blood flow to their brains, and then restarting their hearts. Thus, the organs are resuscitated and viable for transplant, but the person doesn't wake up.

This procedure, known as normothermic regional perfusion with controlled donation after circulatory death (NRP-cDCD) allows for organ-harvesting in patients who are not brain-dead but who are not expected to survive. Life support is removed, and after the heart stops beating, doctors wait an average of 23 minutes to see if the heart will start up again on its own. If it doesn't, surgery begins with clamping off the blood flow to the patient's brain. That way, when the rest of the body is resuscitated, the brain is excluded from the returning blood flow, and the body is effectively made "brain-dead" on purpose. After the brain circulation is occluded, the rest of the body is hooked up to a cardiac bypass machine to deliver warm, oxygenated blood to the organs. According to the University of Nebraska protocol, "once blood flow to the heart is established, the heart will start beating." The remaining organs are thus resuscitated and can be harvested for transplantation. The NRP-cDCD protocol allows for the harvesting of organs such as the heart and intestines, which would quickly become non-viable and unsuitable for transplant with previous circulatory death harvesting techniques.

Many medical professionals are uncomfortable with donation after circulatory death because they know that patients are routinely resuscitated after 23 minutes of cardiac arrest. Dr. Ari Joffe, a clinical professor of pediatrics and critical care at the University of Alberta, has found at least 12 patients whose hearts restarted without any medical intervention after as much as 10 minutes of cardiac arrest, and some of these patients made a complete recovery. In 2020, the heart of a young woman who had been declared dead by circulatory criteria was noted to have restarted during the removal of her kidneys, even as she began to gasp for breath. The coroner declared her "second" death a homicide. Because of concerns such as these, the American College of Physicians (ACP) recommended in 2021 that the practice of NRP-cDCD be paused, as "the burden of proof regarding the ethical and legal propriety of this practice has not been met." Other nations, such as Australia, have banned NRP-cDCD altogether. But despite ongoing ethical concerns, this type of organ-harvesting is continuing and expanding in the USA.

The Uniform Declaration of Death Act (UDDA) was passed into law in 1981. Under the UDDA, a person may be declared legally dead after the irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory functions, or the irreversible cessation of all functions of the brain, including the brainstem. The current practice of NRP-cDCD restarts the heart well within the time that normal resuscitation can still occur. How is circulatory function irreversible if the heart can be restarted in the patient's own chest? Well, now they can still be claimed as dead according to the UDDA's cessation of brain function criteria. This medical-legal sleight of hand is used to obfuscate the fact that the dead donor rule is being violated. The dead donor rule states that organ donors cannot be killed in order to obtain their organs, and organ procurement cannot cause death.

Dr. Matthew DeCamp, M.D., Ph.D., a bioethicist at the University of Colorado, wrote in the journal Chest:

Restarting circulation reverses what was just declared to be the irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory function. It is no defense to suggest that the patient was already dead when the action negates the conditions upon which the determination was made.

Dr. Wes Ely, M.D., MPH, a critical care physician and transplant pulmonologist at Vanderbilt University, told MedPage Today:

We're so hungry for organs right now that we are pushing all the limits. I just want us to be super-cautious. We need to press the pause button on this and have some more conversations so that we can set up boundaries and stay in the right lane. The dignity of the human who donates the organs should never be sacrificed.

Transplant physicians who perform NRP-cDCD are playing fast and loose with the both the spirit and letter of the law as spelled out by the UDDA. Because these patients are still capable of being resuscitated, they are not yet dead, and they are being actively harmed by physicians in pursuit of their organs. Because these donors are not brain-dead, do they have some level of awareness as they are taken to have their brain circulation cross-clamped? How many families would give their loved ones over to transplant teams if they knew the grisly reality taking place behind the operating room doors?

While medical professionals debate the ethics of "circulatory death," the American people continue to sign their donor cards in ignorance of these facts. Physicians and organ procurement organizations must come clean on the many controversies surrounding both "brain-dead" and "circulatory death" organ-harvesting. It is critical that patients receive a full explanation of the many ethical questions involved in organ-harvesting before giving their informed consent.

Don't become a victim of unethical organ harvesting practices. Don't sign that donor card!

Dr. Heidi Klessig is a retired anesthesiologist and pain management specialist who writes and speaks about organ donation. Her work may be found at respectforhumanlife.com.

Image via Pixnio.
As Florida began to dig out from its horrific encounter with Hurricane Ian, Gov. Ron DeSantis demonstrated what a real leader looks like.

According to the New York Post:

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a pointed warning to anyone looking to take advantage of the chaos caused by Hurricane Ian. Dont even think about looting. Dont even think about taking advantage of people in this vulnerable situation. And so local law enforcement is involved in monitoring that, he said during a Friday news conference. You can have people you know bringing boats into some of these islands and trying to ransack peoples homes. I can tell you, in the state of Florida, you never know what may be lurking behind somebodys home, and I would not wanna chance that if I were you, given that were a Second Amendment state, he added.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warns people not to loot homes amid hurricane recovery: "You never know what may be lurking behind somebody's home...we're a Second Amendment state." https://t.co/zEQTa6EZra pic.twitter.com/EZaVPNXPDq  CBS News (@CBSNews) October 1, 2022

That's a pointed, and pre-emptive, warning to looters that looting will not be tolerated as the state moves to recover from its hurricane mauling. Looters would face consequences, and not just the prissy lawyer kind with nice, neat, rights, laid out according to Marquess of Queensberry rules -- but freeform justice, such as that carried out by targeted civilians who stand up to defend their homes.

The statement was also an assurance to terrified homeowners that he had their back as much as it was a warning to looters to stay the hell out.

And words can't describe how important that actually is towards maintaining a civilized society which can recover from Nature's Worst. The cornerstone of all free societies is respect for private property. It's not "just stuff" of just monetary value, as the left would have you believe, but a sense of what kind of society you live in, and whether you can count on civilization being there tomorrow or not. Looting is a gateway to far more horrible crimes, as any resident of a South American shantytown can tell you. If a society has no rules whatsoever, then anything can happen. Shantytowns, with no serious government presence, tend to have ferocious rules created by the locals to prevent total mayhem from taking over.

Any leader in any kind of strife or disaster always begins by securing property and safety first for the people. This was one of the most important lessons from the experience of Gen. Douglas MacArthur as he took over rule of Japan as a de facto viceroy, according to the great Peruvian economist on property rights and rule of law, Hernando de Soto, who told this to me years ago as he discussed why the Bush administration couldn't seem to win its war in Iraq. It's just a remembered phone conversation, but I recall he spoke eloquently about how MacArthur moved to restore order to the beaten, demoralized, Japanese population and in focusing on property rights and title deed, he laid the groundwork for Japan's spectacular rise from the ashes of war.

By no coincidence, he refused to tolerate looting. This actually goes further back in his career than just Japan, when he sent one of his lieutenants to win over the Philippines' local people by cracking down on bandits and looters plaguing them in order to win their hearts and mind so as to win the broader war with Japan.

MacArthur understood the importance of property rights -- as clearly does DeSantis.

It's a wise, sound strategy given the terror most Florida residents must feel about the damage from the storm, the damage to their houses, the disruption to their lives, and most unsettling, the knowledge that in their vulnerability, without water or electricity, someone is going to be there to make sure looting marauders don't steal them blind in their vulnerable state.

There also seems to be a name and shame policy going on -- here's a photo that a reporter somehow got hold of, of law enforcement officers guarding a group of people that sheriff's deputys say were caught looting:

Sheriffs deputies told me Thursday afternoon these people were arrested for looting on Fort Myers Beach. pic.twitter.com/j8JKRremlP  Gage Goulding - NBC2 (@GageGoulding) September 30, 2022

The recent howls by some in the media, claiming that the governor was "racist" for warning looters, on the false premise that looters are always black people, is belied by the photo of mostly white people rounded up and handcuffed for looting while a black law enforcement officer guards them. Racist? Bzzzt, wrong! They've got egg all over their faces.

There's little doubt that DeSantis knows what he is doing as he prioritizes, as a leader, the importance of halting looters.

The great Ronald Reagan first caught the attention of the American people by going against the prevailing sentiment of the intelligentsia and acting to stop those creating mayhem. In Berkeley, California, Reagan sent in the National Guard against the hippies creating a lawless situation of disorder and running riot in 1969 over something called "People's Park" and too bad if the hippies didn't like it. There would be order, or else, which was a stunning development in the era of weakling leaders like U.C.Berkeley Chancellor Clarke Kerr who constantly let the radicals crawl all over him and run riot. The left howled, but Reagan stood firm, and the voters were informed that they were in the presence of a leader with presidential timbre.

We see the same spirit in Gov. Ron DeSantis, and voters, as well as Florida's beleaguered homeowners, are going to notice. If the hurricane recovery effort goes as well as this with a governor who has his priorities straight, he could be headed to higher office come 2024.

Image: CBS News video screen shot, via Twitter
Hurricane Ian barreled its way through Florida, and amid the destruction and mayhem, one historic event fell victim to its onslaught: the crewless Artemis 1 launch, which had been scheduled on Tuesday.

The powerful storm that battered Florida forced NASA to roll Artemis 1 off Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and back into the safety of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) early this week, Space.com reported.

Ian hit Kennedy Space center on Thursday (Sept. 29) as a tropical storm, and the sprawling center seems to have weathered the hurricane well. After the hurricane left the area, NASA conducted inspections to determine possible damages and map put a plan for the next launch attempt.

No Damages Found in Artemis 1 Stack

It was found that the facility experienced minimal water intrusion in a some areas in the complex and the Artemis 1 stack - a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion capsule on top of it - suffered no damage, NASA officials said in an update.

The team, however, will need to replace such 'limited life' items in SLS, such as the core stage flight termination system batteries, and also retest the system to ensure it can terminate the flight if an emergency occurs during the next launch.

Read Also: 10 More Things to Know About the Artemis 1 Moon Mission

The Boeing-made SLS core stage stands 212 feet (64.6 meters) tall and measures 27.6 feet (8.4 meters) wide.

NASA Eyes November Launch Date

NASA is now eyeing a launch between Nov. 12 and Nov. 27, though a target date within that window has not yet been identified.

NASA officials said the November launch time frame allows employees at Kennedy "to address the needs of their families and homes after the storm and for (NASA) teams to "identify additional checkouts needed before returning to the pad for launch."

Work at the Vertical Assembly Building will focus on Artemis 1's flight termination system (FTS), which is intended dto destroy the rocket if it veers off course during launch.

The U.S. Space Force, which manages the Eastern Range of rocket launches, originally certified Artemis 1's FTS for 20 days since its original scheduled launch on Aug. 29. Technical issues caused the planned liftoff to be pushed back to Sept. 27, and NASA secured further FTS extensions from the Space Force up to early October.

But now that Artemis 1 has been brought back to the VAB, the Artemis 1 team needs to retest the FTS, NASA officials added. The Space Force will the reissue its certification, instead of merely extending its original document through waivers.

Artemis 1 is the first mission of NASA's Artemis program, which seeks to establishpermanent human presence on the moon by the end of the 2020s.

Artemis 1 is set to send the uncrewed Orion spacecraft on a long journey to lunar orbit and back. Artemis 2 will launch astronauts around the moon in 2024, and Artemis 3 will land a crew near the lunar south pole in 2025 or 2026.

Related Article: NASA May Finally Launch Artemis 1 on September 27 After Successful Rocket Fuel Test
The destruction caused by Category 4 Hurricane Ian is heartbreaking.

The death toll continues to rise. Some 10,000 people are reportedly unaccounted for in Florida. Many Floridians remain without clean drinking water and without power.

The hurricane has also caused catastrophic damage in the southeastern states of Georgia and the Carolinas.

The road to recovery is going to be long and painful.

A massive search and rescue operation is in progress in Florida and other affected states.

Unfortunately, natural disasters also present opportunities to criminal elements since properties are left evacuated and unguarded.

During a presser on Friday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis expressed concerns regarding the maintenance of law and order in areas hit worst by the Hurricane.

"The thing that were concerned about, particularly in those areas that were really hard hit, is, you know, we want to make sure were maintaining law and order."

Addressing aspiring looters directly, DeSantis said:

"Dont even think about looting. Dont even think about taking advantage of people in this vulnerable situation."

"Local law enforcement is involved and monitoring that."

"I can tell you in the state of Florida, you never know what may be lurking behind somebodys home. And I would not want to chance that if I were you, given that were a Second Amendment state."

It was perfectly obvious that the warning was issued to potential home invaders, looters, and criminal elements.

But MSNBC host Joy Reid chose to spew her hateful venom, racistly convinced that all looters must be black.

When the looting starts, the shooting starts.segregationist Miami sheriff Walter E. Headley, 1967



Didnt take DeSantis long to return to form.https://t.co/8FJKyzQY1G https://t.co/uS5jbrx29S  Joy-Ann (Pro-Democracy) Reid  (@JoyAnnReid) October 1, 2022

Reid claimed that it "didnt take DeSantis long to return to form."

Reid implies that DeSantiss warning that aspiring looters might be shot by gun-carrying Floridians was similar to "segregationist Miami sheriff Walter E. Headley" saying, "When the looting starts, the shooting starts" during the 60s.

Reids tweet had a link to an NPR article titled, "The History Behind 'When The Looting Starts, The Shooting Starts.

The article covers the history of segregation during the '60s in the U.S.

The article states the following:

"In 1967, Miami police Chief Walter Headley used the phrase when the looting starts, the shooting starts during hearings about crime in the Florida city, invoking angry reactions from civil rights leaders, according to a news report at the time."

The piece features a claim by Howard University professor, Clarence Lusane, that "Headley may have borrowed the phrase from Eugene Bull Connor, who had been the notorious public safety commissioner in Birmingham, Alabama. Connor was a segregationist who directed the use of police dogs and fire hoses against black demonstrators."

The piece also claims segregationist presidential candidate George Wallace also used the phrase during the 1968 campaign.

As expected, both Reid and the NPR article conveniently forgot to mention that both Conner and Wallace were Democrats as were most segregationists.

Like all Democrats, they chose not to state that since the party was founded in 1829, the Democrats have had a history of discrimination against people of color.

The Democrats defended slavery, which caused the Civil War. They founded the Ku Klux Klan. They pushed Jim Crow laws and perpetrated lynching. They imposed segregation. They fought against the civil rights acts of the 1960s.

Given the mass devastation in Florida and beyond, Reid's remarks remarks must be regarded as both disgraceful and insensitive.

But this wasnt her only display of insensitivity when Hurricane Ian hit Florida.

Reid joked that DeSantis will now be forced to do something other than "owning the libs" to help Florida citizens.

Reid openly gloated that Gov. DeSantis requested federal aid from Joe Biden, in order to help his state recover from Hurricane Ian.

On Thursdays episode of her nightly news talk show The ReidOut, Reid claimed that DeSantis must now go hat in hand to Joe Biden for aid and its something he didnt even believe in as a tea partier.

It is truly amazing they still regard themselves as the sole custodians of empathy.

Reid and others need to be educated that the MAGA Republicans or Tea Partiers believe in individual liberties and stand against big government, gratuitous government spending, and giving handouts to the underserving such as able bodied citizens who just choose not to work or illegal aliens.

Providing relief during a natural disaster funded by citizens tax money is not socialism.

Perhaps Reid thinks Biden is a monarch who rules the country and owns the nations wealth. Hence, democratically elected governors looking for aid have to prostrate obsequiously before Biden and beg.

Floridians, like most citizens, pay their federal taxes. When their state is in peril, the federal government redirects this tax money back to the state. Floridians are effectively receiving aid from their own money. This is rightfully and lawfully theirs.

Since states do not have the funds and facilities to conduct rescue or salvage operations after Hurricanes, DeSantis had the right to demand federal help.

Biden, who also receives his salary from tax dollars, was merely doing his duty as the head of the federal government by providing aid to a state in need. An elected representative doing his duty towards citizens is not a personal favor or a handout.

This is how federalism works in a democracy.

Reid also claimed the millions evacuating Florida ahead of Hurricane Ian were like illegal immigrants who want to live and work in the U.S.

Does Reid not know the difference, between tax-paying citizens temporarily moving to the next state during an emergency situation and migrants breaking laws, crossing multiple borders, and entering the country illegally?

Is she ignorant or brainwashed or both?

It is impossible to know the thoughts occurring in anybodys mind unless they express them out loud.

Reid however claims to read Ron DeSantis's mind when he warned the would-be looters.

This is a standard tactic applied by the Democrats to silence political opponents. They use the dog whistle claim, i.e., infer racist motive even in the most innocuous of comments.

It is not just Joy Reid, this seems to be a standard Democrat maneuver.

When Trump delivers a speech against illegal aliens, they assume it applies only to people of color. When DeSantis warns looters, they assume applies only to people of color.

This seems more about their own mindset than that of whom they accuse of racism. It is they who think of illegal aliens and looters as people of color.

Recently House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claimed that those entering illegally into the U.S. from its southern borders can be hired to work on the farms of Florida.

PELOSI: "We have a shortage of workers in our country, and you see even in Florida, some of the farmers and the growers are saying, 'Why are you shipping these immigrants up north? We need them to pick the crops down here.'" pic.twitter.com/iTy9TdGr7a  RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 30, 2022

We thus have an ironic situation when the self-appointed spokespersons and protectors of racial minorities have revealed their inherent racism as they accuse others of the very bigotry they are guilty of.

It is nothing short of astounding that someone as toxic, hateful, and insensitive as Joy Reid has a forum (MSNBC) to spew venom every weeknight. It is equally shocking that MSNBC pays her for her vile spewings and around one million people watch her disgraceful display every night.

Image: Screen shot from CBS News video, via Twitter
Some say the Nazis are back marching. But this time they're not in Charlottesville. This time they're setting up shop -- openly and proudly -- in Berkeley. They come from the left.

As you may have heard, student groups at the University of California at Berkeley's School of Law have banned any and all pro-Israel speakers. However narrow minded and antithetical to open debate that is, it might make sense, for the student group "Law Students for Justice in Palestine," is uni-focused in its hate of Israel and attempts to destroy it.

But eight other student groups joined them, including Women of Berkeley Law, Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, Middle Eastern and North African Law Students Association, Law Students of African Descent and the Queer Caucus.

Though legal scholars can debate whether the student groups' actions are legal -- meaning whether they are impermissibly discriminating and violating free speech -- it is not worth quibbling about. What is clear is these groups are effectively saying that Jews -- or at least those Jews who support Israel -- are not welcome.

Could you imagine the Women of Berkeley Law amending its bylaws to ban all Christian speakers? Nope, would never happen as it would alienate many of its members. Yet it is alienating its Jewish members by effectively placing a sign that says "Jews not Welcome Here" is what these groups are doing. Like something out of Fahrenheit 451 or a Kafka novel -- look it up kids -- the litmus test here is literal thought police.

The real story here is where this emanates from: the left. You know, the liberal, open-minded, tolerant good guys who historically defended free speech, right?

To me, the far left is far more dangerous than the far right. While academics and the media treat the far right like a bottle of poison under your sink with a skull and cross bones, the far left is radon gas: a silent, deceptive, hidden killer seeping through your house. A known cancer is much easier to treat than a hidden one. And the far left is most generously explained as a hidden cancer. By the time you properly diagnose it and know it's there, it's often too late -- the cancer now kills you.

Let me be clear: the left can try to take me first to the gas chambers, but I will fight, not hide.

If I were a student at Berkeley -- Jewish or otherwise -- I would show up at each of their meetings wearing the yellow Jewish star. I am 100% serious.

And dont pass this off as, well, thats just Berkeley. Its not. Its increasingly coming to a city or school near you, if not already there. At a campus in New York, 2 women -- rape victims  say they were kicked out of a college survivor group because they would not oppose Israel. Read that again. Slowly. There is no shortage of examples of Jewish students attacked and removed from leadership positions because they have the audacity to support Israel, a sovereign nation.

The parallels are eerie. The Nazis in Germany began their "Final Solution" by barring Jews from universities and professions. And remember, it was all legal.



Back in the 50s, a white person of conscience would sit in the back of the bus to show solidarity with their black brothers or get arrested with them at the lunch counter or protest march. Where are these people -- of all colors and religions -- today? They should all be wearing Jewish stars in solidarity and protest. Then again, if most of the Jewish people themselves arent saying much about it, can you blame the others?

This emanates 100% from the progressive left and is at least increasingly tolerated by the mainstream middle. The irony -- I mean utter hypocrisy -- of course is their gay members would be welcome in Israel. Their female members could drive and vote in Israel. Their Hindu or Buddhist members could worship freely in Israel. But place them elsewhere in the Middle East -- in many of the same countries protesting Israel -- and they couldnt do any of those things and might be killed just for trying.



And if you have a sick sense of humor, you must laugh as this comes from law school groups at Berkeley, one of the top law schools in the country. These are not 18-year-old freshmen. These are well educated, "smart," 25-year-olds with fancy college degrees now learning to become lawyers and follow the rule of law with their faculty "mentors" quietly -- if not enthusiastically -- egging them on.



And please, spare me the straight-faced discussions on Israel. Those are welcome. But this aint about that.

Those pious, righteous folks protesting Israel are equivalent to serious looking home inspectors. They arrive at your house which has two problems. First, there is a huge hole in your roof, so water pours in and floods the house whenever it rains. Second, a small side window in the bathroom has a tiny crack, so a few beads of water trickle in when there is a storm. The inspector earnestly examines your house with his clipboard and afterward demands that you immediately . . . fix the window. All focus is on the window.



Of course, the house here is this thing called Earth, and Israel is the small window. Keep focusing on it -- even fix it by replacing it -- and you shall remain all wet. We should be so lucky if the rest of the house was as "broken" as the window. The rest of the house should aspire to be as "broken" as the window.

There are roughly 50 Arab and Muslim countries, but apparently one sliver sized Jewish state is one too many. Instead of the scoreboard reading 50-1, apparently that is not lopsided enough. 51-0 sounds better.

Remember, this is all called progress. Rinse and repeat comrade, just dont question it, let alone do anything about it.

I write this as we are in the midst of the Jewish high holidays. One iconic prayer is Hineni, which basically means, "Here I am G-d, Reporting for Duty, Ready for whatever the challenge is." Well, it's time for more to say Hineni.

The shofar is sounding for those who want to hear it. Never Again is now.

William Choslovsky is a Harvard educated lawyer in Chicago, who says that: If someone made an armband with a both a yellow Jewish star and Israeli flag, I would wear it. Proudly. I think that should become a thing. Sadly, there needs to be a place for shame, shock, disdain, and simple protest that triggers instant cognitive dissonance, and that might be it."
Andrew Kaczynski is a CNN personality who published a misleading hit piece on Joe Kent, a Republican candidate in Washington State running for Congress. Kaczynskis effort perfectly illustrates the debauched, diseased state of modern journalism. Then, when a Republican strategist commented on what Kaczynski had done, Mediaite used exactly the same tactic against the Republican strategist.

Joe Kent is an Army veteran who is running on a platform that would have been centrist back in the 1980s and before. He advocates for American jobs, less government regulation, lower taxes, controlled immigration, the end of foreign wars (once a Democrat position), support for the military and law enforcement, an end to Chinese aggression, and putting Americas interests ahead of those of foreign countries. Only when it comes to the Second Amendment (for) and abortion (against) would he have been recognized as a Republican back in the day.

However, this is 2022, so pro-American values are far right, at least as far as Andrew Kaczynski of CNN is concerned. He published a hit piece identifying Kent as a far-right candidate who consorted with a Nazi sympathizer. The proof that Kent is far right is that he supports Majorie Taylor Green and Paul Gosar, who also hold once-centrist values.

Image: Joe Kent. YouTube screen grab.

Kents big sin, though, is that he was caught speaking with Greyson Arnold, a Nazi sympathizer. Its only in the fifth paragraph of Kaczynskis attack piece that we hear that the contact between Kent and Greyson was an accidental, on the street moment:

In a statement to CNN, campaign spokesperson Matt Braynard said, Joe Kent had no idea who that individual was when he encountered him on the street and Joe Kent has repeatedly condemned the statements that the individual is accused of making. Braynard added that the campaign screens all interview requests and that Arnold approached Kent on the street by what he assumed was a local journalist. None of the questions gave Joe any indications that the individual had any racist or antisemitic views and, if he had, Joe would have cancelled the interview immediately, said Braynard.

During the McCarthy era, the left taught America that guilt by association was evil. Leftists continued to hold this view when Obama sat for twenty years in the pew of a minister who blamed 9/11 on America, saying its chickens are coming home to roost. That same minister also castigated America as a racist country, intoning, God damn America. We were assured, though, that Obama was free of the taint of America-hatred. The same was true when Obama consorted with a known violently anti-White and anti-Semitic race hustler. Again, we were told that he didnt share any of these views.

For the left, though, its different when a Republican does it. In that case, simply talking to a stranger on the street is enough to be tarred as a neo-Nazi. This is how the modern media operates. It starts with a kernel of truth (Kent spoke with Greyson) and turns it into a slimy piece of fact-free innuendo.

The hustle continued when Mediate reported that a GOP Strategist Invokes Death of CNN Reporters Daughter To Hit Story He Didnt Like: I Thought He Would Have Changed. Thats the headline. The body of the story is a bit different.

Alex Breusewitz, a Republican strategist, stated on Steve Bannons war room that Kaczynski is a total fake news hack, who went through a rough patch. Breusewitz hoped that this experience meant Kaczynski would have changed hard and become a decent person, but was disappointed to realize that Kaczynski remained a lying piece of crap.

One would think that calling Kaczynski a total fake news hack and a lying piece of crap would have incurred Mediates ire but thats not what happened. Instead, it was the polite and oblique reference to a rough patch in Kaczynskis life. At no point did Breusewitz detail what that rough patch was and its probable that no one listening to Bannons show had any idea what Breusewitz was talking about.

But the left heard that whistle. That polite allusion was, as noted, a crude call-out grinding Kaczynskis face into the inside politics fact that his infant daughter had died. The fact that Breusewitz said absolutely nothing about Kaczynskis child or her death was irrelevant. The point was to transmute the neutral phrase a rough patch into a crude emotional attack and then run with it.

The modern leftist media is unconstrained by traditional rules of reporting. Rather than reporting the facts and letting readers draw their conclusions, modern reporters offer conclusions and then throw in random, often unrelated or meaningless facts.

When I was a litigator, if you could prove to the judge that the opposing counsel was doing this, that counsel could face everything from monetary sanctions to having the case dismissed. In the world of modern journalism, the best we can do is encourage people to turn off the TV and remove these outlets from their browsers bookmarks.
For decades, Democrats have been certain that demographics would lead them to ultimate power. That wasnt because they were having babiesactually, they were aborting thembut because America was becoming less White, and non-Whites were and would be forever reliable Democrat voters. Ah, hubris! It turns out that non-White people, just like White people, want a safe, clean, secure, and prosperous country, and the Democrats arent delivering. Surprise! Demography is not destiny.

From the day that Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and reputedly said Ill have those ****s voting Democratic for the next 200 years, Democrats have taken for granted the votes, not just of Blacks, but of all non-White voters. In their mind, the one-time slave-holding party was certain that it owned these voters.

By 2002, John Judis and Ruy Teixeira had written an entire book on the subject: The Emerging Democratic Majority. The fact that Black women, a Democrat party staple, were sometimes aborting more babies than were being born, was irrelevant. Unlimited immigration was the answer. The Democrats happily added Hispanics and other non-White groups to the roster of voters they owned.

The Democrats certainty that the future was theirs (a certainty that invariably reminds me of this song; leftists are always so certain of their historic destiny), they forgot one thing: good governance. Under Trumps watch, the economy soared, crime was at more or less normal levels, the border was becoming increasingly secure, and people of all races were benefitting.

Image: Diversity (edited) by rawpixel.

In the twenty months since Biden took office, all those benefits have been reversedand its obviously because the lunatics have taken over the asylum. Crime is soaring, the border is gone, the economy is tanking, were on the brink of a possible nuclear war, and the Democrats are using schools to turn our children into mentally ill, broken, racist people who dont even know what sex they are. Outside of academia and Washington, D.C., these trends are viewed as complete policy failures. For all their talk, Democrats cant govern.

No wonder that, according to the Wall Street Journal, theres a huge and significant shift for all non-White voters, especially Hispanic and Asian: Theyre trending Republican and doing so hard and fast.

The shift started during Trumps administration, although it was offset by the fact that minorities in 2020 were still voting for Democrats and they (or, at least, their mail-in envelopes) turned out in greater numbers than usual in 2020 to vote for Biden. With Biden proving to be quite possibly the worst, most damaging, most divisive and, of course, most demented president in American history, the pro-Republican trend is continuing:

To find where the inroads for the Republican Party might prove most influential, The Wall Street Journal looked at census tractsin essence, neighborhoodsin which 70% of residents are Latino, Asian-American, Black or from a mix of minority groups. We then compared how those neighborhoods voted in 2020 to the outcome in 2016. The shift was most significant in heavily Latino neighborhoodsthose in which Latino residents accounted for 70% or more of the population. The median shift across those neighborhoods was a 7.2-point increase in support for then-President Donald Trump, compared with his share of the 2016 vote, the Journal analysis found.

Keep in mind that the shift described above was before Biden destroyed the border and the economy, and Democrats welcomed a new era of violent crime, all of which strongly affect heavily minority (and, therefore, less affluent) neighborhoods most. One must imagine that anti-Democrat disaffection has grown since then.

Steven Hayward, at Power Line blog, has reprinted two of the most telling charts showing how dramatic the pro-Republican trend is among non-White voters. His post title says everything you need to know: The Daily Chart that should terrify Democrats.

Only one thing can destroy this heartening trend: Republican politicians and the Republican party. They are that stupid and that tone-deaf. Its entirely possible that, mired in the past, theyll continue to ignore the rising conservativism among minorities and, instead, keep trying to win young, college-educated middle-class Whites who are, mostly, a lost cause. I wish it werent so, but these young people havent been sufficiently mugged by reality to understand how the world works. Theyre still invested in Democrat fantasies about the economy, immigration, gender, race, etc. Its people in border towns and minority communities in both cities and suburbs who know the score.
What has become apparent with the Biden administration is that officials apparently feel like they can say anything. Why? Because they know that the media will cover for them and their leftist policies, acting as though what they say is the truth even when facts present a contrary view.

A recent example of this is Vice President Kamala Harris's interview on Meet the Press. Harris told NBC News host Chuck Todd that the "border is secure." She went farther and blamed the Trump administration for what she admitted is a "broken immigration system."

"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 and particular[ly] over the last four years before we came in, and it needs to be fixed," she said.

The border is secure? The apprehension of illegal aliens entering the United States has nearly doubled since President Joe Biden assumed office in January 2021. As of July 2022, Border Patrol agents encountered 1.9 million migrants at the southern border in the fiscal-year-to-date (FYTD) 2022, which begins in October, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP). That is already more than 1.73 million illegal aliens encountered at the border at the border in 2021 with three month still to go. In July alone, CBP agents apprehended 199,976 illegal immigrants. In June, the number was 207,933.

Harris blamed the lack of a new pathway to citizenship for these illegal aliens on lawmakers "playing politics." She said, "We don't have that in place because people are playing politics in a state like this [Texas] and in Congress. And by the way, you want to talk about bipartisanship on an issue that at one time was a bipartisan issue, both in terms of Republican senators and even presidents."

So it is the minority party's fault that the majority party in Congress can't pass the Biden administration's immigration reforms? The Democrats control both houses of Congress and could push through any policy changes they want. This means that the changes being proposed are probably so extreme that even some Democrats can't support them.

It's because the policies are essentially to throw open the borders to everyone, and we can see daily what the effect of that has been. Drug-trafficking from the south has increased. Activity among Latino gangs has grown.

Yes, many people coming are looking for a better life, but their first act in their new country is to violate the laws of that country.

It is not the Republicans' fault in Congress that illegal immigration has doubled during President Biden's time in office. It is not the Republicans' fault that more migrants are penetrating what Harris considers a secure border.

It is the Biden administration's fault for not sending a clear message that illegal aliens will not be allowed to enter the country or stay in the country if they are caught. It is the Biden administration's fault that existing immigration laws are not followed.

The administration needs to stop lying to citizens about the problem. It only makes Biden's people look like idiots because most Americans are aware of the problem (which is why the administration finds itself having to address it), and lying about it is not fooling anyone.

Michael A. Letts is the CEO and founder of In-VestUSA, a national grassroots non-profit organization helping hundreds of communities provide thousands of bulletproof vests for their police forces through educational, public relations, sponsorship, and fundraising programs.

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Joy Behar: Isnt it socialism when the government helps you?

Sunny Hostin: Yeah, and the fire departments gotta come, and the police. I mean, socialism!

--The View, Sept. 29, 2022

So discussed the hosts on the women's talk show, The View.

Actually no, Joy and Sunny, thats not what socialism is.

Behar and Hostin stated these clueless AOC-level views during a recent discussion in which various members of The View exposed what the inclusive party, the compassionate liberals, really are by making fun of the people who are dying and losing their livelihoods after Hurricane Ian in Florida. Very classy!

If one wants a real definition of socialism, as opposed to what one hears at the ninth grade lunch table or on The View, it would be something like this:

Socialism is a social organization in which the government as opposed to private individuals, own the means of production. In a socialist country the government owns the car companies, the health care industry, the news media, the farms, the energy companies, etc. By contrast, in capitalist countries, these are owned by a private individual or consortium of private individuals.

Since, in a socialist system, there is ultimately only one car company, namely, the government, which is generally directed, so to speak, by party officials who know nothing about cars, there is no real competition and, therefore, no incentive to make car buyers happy. The same is true of the energy industry, the food industry, the medical industry, and so on. As a consequence, service is slow and the quality of the product is poor. For example, in contrast with the sleek comfortable American cars of the time like the Mustang, the old Soviet bloc cars looked like cramped bread boxes on rickety clanking wheels. There is an old joke:

Question: What is long and grey, slow moving, and eats cabbage?

Answer: A Soviet meat queue.

That pretty much sums it the problem. As a consequence, in 1989 the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics collapsed under the weight of its corrupt, inefficient, bureaucracy, and there had been millions of dead people who got in the way of the glorious socialist revolution.

It would appear from Behars ignorant remarks that socialists (including the fake ones on U.S. television) do not really want the peasants to know what capitalism or socialism really are, namely that capitalism is about the individual freedom to bring ones ideas to success and benefit both the capitalist and his/her customers while socialism is about government control of the economy and its people. It is quite easy and personally profitable for pampered American princesses to get rich taking paychecks from their privately owned capitalist corporate media companies while they make it harder for poor people to improve their lot in life by gaslighting them with false caricatures of capitalism and deceptive romantic portraits of socialism.

Consider the case of Humberto Lopez. After his father passed away Lopez came legally to the United States at age 12, speaking no English, after a very rough start in life in Mexico. Lopez is now, after working his way up through a number menial jobs, is Chairman of the Board of HSL Properties, Inc., and Independent Director of Pinnacle West Capital and earns about $433,000 a year.

It is capitalism, not socialism, that it enables people like Lopez through their own individual initiative, to better their lot in life. Lopez himself puts it this way: The American dream is still attainable in as long as we have capitalism [but] big government  [is]  making it harder and harder. No socialist government made Lopez rich. Indeed, Lopez knows that the truth is the reverse. Socialism, like all big government, holds people down and oppresses them!

Even Karl Marx understood the enormous power of capitalism to create wealth and raise people and cultures to a superior level.

In the Communist Manifesto Marx explains that

The bourgeoisie [capitalist]  has accomplished wonders, far surpassing Egyptian Pyramids, Roman aqueducts, and Gothic Cathedrals [D]uring its rule of scarce of one hundred years, [it] has created more massive and more colossal productive forces than all preceding generations together In place of the old seclusion and self-sufficiency, we have  [a] universal interdependence of nations ... National one-sidedness and narrow-mindedness becomes  impossible ... [so] there arises a world literature. ... The [capitalist]  draws all, even the most barbarian nations into civilization.  [I]t forces the barbarians intensely obstinate hatred of foreigners to capitulate. ... [It] has thus rescued [many people] from the idiocy of rural life.

The foremost opponent of capitalism, Karl Marx, sees that capitalism is a far greater wealth-creator than anyone had even imagined!

Capitalism fosters the development of magnificent architecture and engineering works. Capitalism fosters the interdependence of nations thereby breaking down national narrow-mindedness. Capitalism fosters the development of world literature that unites all the peoples of the world in a common culture. Capitalism forces narrow-minded nations to end their obstinate hatred of foreigners. Capitalism even rescues a large population from the idiocy of hardscrabble rural subsistence life. Capitalism is just awful, isnt it!

Naturally the virtue-signaling socialists on The View want to get rid of it, or, more precisely, pretend they want to get rid of it, in favor of some childish socialist dream. By this grand pretense, they can have both the benefit of capitalism (they get the money) but they also get to preen themselves as heroic social justice revolutionaries as well.

If one teaches the dismal transparently false doctrine to people that in capitalism a small group of evil men rig the system against them, one creates a self-fulfilling prophecy. One thereby gives people, who will decide that there is no point even in trying to do what Lopez and many poor people have done, a splendid excuse for personal failure, which ensures that many of them will remain in poverty.

Great work Joy and Sunny! Indeed, that may be the socialists real aim. By telling people it is not worth trying to improve their lot in life in free markets like Lopez did, socialists help the Left expand its poor angry membership, thereby, helping themselves to additional wealth and power. That doesnt help poor people. It hurts them. But it does help the various virtue-signaling television pseudo-socialists who are on the capitalist medias payroll.

It is ironic that socialism, or more precisely, deceptive romantic dreams of socialism, sell very well in capitalist markets to people who have been taught to feel guilty for their good fortune. People make this deceptive sales pitch this on television shows. People teach it to impressionable children in our educational system. Unscrupulous or clueless politicians can even make a personal fortune by preaching socialism to the voters.

Congratulations Bernie! Pushing socialism in Americans capitalist free market has been great for Joy, who has, according to reports, acquired millions of evil capitalist dollars because the audience loves the childish bickering (which keeps the money rolling in). And as a bonus, she can virtue-signal about how much she cares (about whatever). It is just too bad that such self-serving behavior hurts both the country and the poor who buy her deceptive self-serving sales pitch.

Image: Graham Hills, via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 2.0
Who owes what to whom?

The supply line of history rarely lies. If the ancestors of people who enslaved people owe reparations to the ancestors of those who were enslaved, then perhaps it is time for a conversation -- as the left likes to put it -- about paying reparations to the descendants of people who fought and died to help free enslaved people.

Someone ought to put the question to CNNs Don Lemon -- who endlessly lectures about the moral necessity of paying reparations to the descendants of the enslaved -- even if the people who will be asked (another term the left likes to use when the left means forced) to pay them not only had nothing to do with enslaving anyone but had ancestors who fought and died to free the enslaved.

Thus was Don Lemon schooled by Hilary Fordwich, an expert on the British Royal family, who was recently interview-attacked by Lemon following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. She had come to discuss the royal succession. Lemon invited her there to gaslight her about slavery.

YouTube screengrab

But the gas lit up like a blowtorch in Lemons face.

And then you have those who are asking for reparations, Lemon began. For colonialism and theyre wondering, you know, a hundred billion dollars twenty-four-billion dollars (the reference here is to the wealth attributed to the royal family) some people want to be paid back and members of the public (he means himself) are wondering, why are we suffering when you are, when you have all of this vast wealth . .. those are legitimate concerns

This worked on Fordwich almost as effectively as the vaccines that failed to immunize anyone.

Where was the beginning of the (slave) supply chain? she queried Lemon. And then she schooled him. It was in Africa, referencing the inconvenient truth that it was African royalty that enslaved black Africans, turning them over to Western middlemen in exchange for princely sums. Should the descendants of these kings be made to cough up reparations to the descendants of the people they enslaved? It would certainly be fairer than asking the descendants of the people who fought and died to free those slaves -- and to end slavery, as an institution -- to hand over money to the descendants of the people they helped to free.

Fordwich schooled Lemon on this point:

Two thousand naval men died on the high seas to stop slavery, she said, referring to the sailors of the British Navy, who intercepted slave ships filled with cargo provided by African kings. Which was the first nation in the world that abolished slavery?

That would be the British, who outlawed it in toto in 1833 and had outlawed the trade in 1807 -- several decades before hundreds of thousands of Americans fought and died to end it in the United States.

Maybe the descendants of those people are owed reparations, too. Or at least, thanks. None such ever seems to be forthcoming from the likes of Don Lemon. For whom "slavery" is a cudgel to beat people who had nothing to do with it over the head with. And to make them pay for it, too.

The schooling of Lemon continued.

"Well, I think you're right about reparations," Fordwich said. But "If reparations need to be paid, we need to go right back to the beginning of that supply chain and say, Who was rounding up their own people and having them handcuffed in cages? ' "

Once again, that would be African royalty, as Fordwich explained to an increasingly non-plussed-looking Lemon. "They had them in cages, waiting on the beaches. No one was running into Africa to get them."

People with English, Welsh, Scottish, Irish, Canadian and American blood all fought to end slavey in one form or another, so its time to pay, dummies.

These facts are true -- and discomfiting to the agenda of Leftist propagandists like Don Lemon, who likes to "identify" as a journalist. The propaganda -- and guilt-shaming -- has become so blatant, aggressive and historically ignorant that even liberals (who aren't Leftists) like the comedian Bill Maher are becoming appalled by it.

A couple of weeks prior to the Fordwhich schooling of Don Lemon, Maher attempted to school Leftists about slavery, by stating similar inconvenient truths about it. "Did Columbus commit atrocities? Of course! The people back then were generally atrocious."

As in people of all colors. Not just one color of them.

"Everyone who could afford one had a slave - including people of color. The way people talk about slavery these days, you'd think it was a uniquely American phenomenon that was invented in 1619," the reference is to the year the first African slave supposedly was brought to North America."

And never mind that native Americans -- also "people of color" -- regularly enslaved the peoples of other tribes, also of color.

Naturally, Maher's attempt to reason with the left triggered an eruption of Leftist outrage, with leftists accusing Maher of defending "white supremacy." This is almost as ridiculous as "asking" the descendants of people who fought and died to end slavery on the high seas and the battlefields of the American Civil War to hand over "reparations" to the descendants of those they fought and died to help free.

It was nice to see the members of the media operating under liberal privilege finally get a history lesson from someone who doesn't hate white people.

A.J. Rice, is President & CEO of Publius PR, Editor-in-Chief of The Publius National Post, and author of the #1 Amazon bestseller, The Woking Dead: How Society's Vogue Virus Destroys Our Culture.
Jim Browns syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide. You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at http://www.jimbrownusa.com. You can also look over a list of books he has published at www.thelisburnpress.com.




By Kim Rahn







"Lookism," one of the leading works at Naver Webtoon, has been adapted for a Netflix original animation.







According to the webcomic industry and the streaming platform, the animation version of "Lookism" will be released on Nov. 4.







It is the first time for a webtoon from Naver to be adapted for an animation on the global platform, while some have been made into series, such as "All of Us Are Dead" and "Sweet Home."







"Lookism" is about a high school boy, Park Hyeong-seok, who has been bullied for being overweight and ugly. One day he wakes up in a different body. Becoming a tall and handsome all-rounder, he aims to live a new life and achieve what he couldn't before.







The webtoon created by Park Tae-jun has been serialized since 2014, not only in Korea but also on Naver's global platforms in various languages, including English, Japanese, Chinese, French and Thai. It recorded some 602 million views on the English version platform, and some 8.7 billion in total globally.







The animation adaptation was made by Studio Mir, which previously took part in animation productions of "DOTA: Dragon's Blood" and "The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf," which are also Netflix originals.







It will also feature an original theme song by K-pop boy band ATEEZ.


Germany summons Iran ambassador over protest crackdown Driven by death of a young woman by the morality police

(ANSA-AFP) - BERLIN, SEP 26 - Germany on Monday said it had summoned the Iranian ambassador over the Islamic republic's lethal crackdown on protests driven by the death of a young woman after her arrest by the morality police. "I can confirm that we have summoned the Iranian ambassador... and the conversation will take place this afternoon," a foreign ministry spokesman said. (ANSA-AFP).





 Copyright ANSA - All rights reserved
Migrants: march from Italy to Slovenia to remember victims Refugees often suffer horrific violence

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, 02 OTT - About 100 people gathered today in San Dorligo della Valle (Trieste), at the outlet of the last section of the Balkan route that refugees and migrants take to reach Europe, for a solidarity march organized by the Oct. 3 Committee on the occasion of the National Day in Memory of Victims of Migration.



Along the path, in the woods, it is easy to find, explained Mayor Sandy Klun, abandoned clothes and sleeping bags: those who have traveled hundreds of kilometers - who often risking being sent back across the last border - leave their used clothes here to wear clean ones, hoping to go almost unnoticed. Participants in the march donned gloves and carried plastic bags to collect those spoils of toil, hope and suffering as they walked in the opposite direction to the first Slovenian municipality across the border. "The Balkan route," said Gianfranco Schiavone, representative of the October 3 Committee and president of the Italian Solidarity Consortium (Ics) of Trieste, "is traveled by people from Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran and Pakistan: they are often fleeing from countries where violence is devastating, but on their way there is a huge risk of suffering violence, abuse, illegal refoulement. Between 2020 and 2021, he recalled, "Italy and Slovenia also played a role in such rejections, and this in the 'muffled silence' of much of public opinion in Trieste. But even now," Schiavone concluded, "problems remain particularly on the reception front. The march was attended by regional councilor and former mayor of Udine Furio Honsell, president of the Balducci Center Paolo Iannacone - and Daniela Schifani-Corfini, president of the Luchetta Ota D'Angelo Hrovatin Foundation, among others. In fact, a journalism prize is dedicated to the Balkan Route and will be added to the sections already provided by the Marco Luchetta International Prize. (ANSA).





 Copyright ANSA - All rights reserved
Conservatives win in Bulgaria but government is a puzzle Ahead Borissov, fragmented parliament. Turnout at its lowest

(ANSA) - SOFIA, 03 OTT - The conservative wind that seems to be blowing over Europe also reaches Bulgaria where, according to preliminary data, the conservative Gerb party of former premier Boyko Borissov is given a clear lead in the early parliamentary elections held today, the fourth in two years. Elections that registered at the same time a very low turnout, given at just over 35 percent of eligible voters, an all-time low for Bulgaria.

According to exit polls released soon after the polls closed, 24.6 percent of the vote would have gone to the Gerb.



This was a clear success for Borissov, formerly at the head of three governments in the space of nearly a decade, fought by the opposition and challenged by the population that took to the streets for rampant corruption and cronyism. Borissov had therefore emerged defeated in the last rounds of elections, which nevertheless did not give the country a stable government.



The Gerb's main antagonist, the liberal party 'Let's Continue the Change' (Pp), which had won the previous election last November under the slogan "zero tolerance for corruption," is in second place with a preliminary figure of 18.9 percent. Its leader Kiril Petkov, who became premier of a coalition government, remained in power for a few months, with parliament challenging him for incompetence and chaotic management of the country.

A relevant but heralded outcome of the vote concerns the rise of the nationalist Vazrazhdane (Revival) party, which rose to more than 10 percent by doubling its presence in parliament. Its leader Kostadin Kostadinov is calling for a review of Bulgaria's EU accession conditions and a referendum on the country's membership in NATO.

The Turkish minority party Dps, given 14.8 percent, the Socialists (Bsp) with 10.9 percent, and the right-wing 'Democratic Bulgaria' party, at 7.4 percent, would also enter the parliament-which has a 4 percent bar. The populist party 'There's a People Like This' (Itn) would place just above the 4 percent barrier. In essence, the results of the vote, if confirmed by the official count by the Central Election Commission, would be deja vu.

The same political formations from the previous polls, albeit with different percentages, would enter the unicameral parliament, which has 240 seats, confirming the strong fragmentation of the Assembly, resulting in uncertainty and difficulty for the formation of a new governing majority. Numbers in hand, it seems certain that Borissov's Gerb, even if it emerges as the winner of the elections, will certainly remain isolated in parliament again.

The Pp would either have to form a minority government or seek difficult alliances. Most likely, according to some analysts, a regular government will be formed anyway, even if with short horizons, with Bulgaria remaining at the bottom of the league in the EU for poverty and corruption. (ANSA).




The surging cost of carbon dioxide could add 1.7 billion to the cost of British groceries, according to new analysis.

Research by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) suggests that the UKs food and drink sector could end up footing the mammoth extra bill for liquid CO2 if gas prices remain high.

UK commercial energy prices have rocketed over the past year, accelerated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The move has had heavy ramifications for industries reliant on carbon dioxide, with production also disrupted due to the rampant inflation.

The price of a tonne of liquid CO2 is up to 3000% higher than it was a year ago, currently as much as 3000 per tonne, compared to just 100 per tonne one year ago, the ECIU said.

Soaring prices resulted in CF Fertilisers proposing to halt production at its ammonia site, where CO2 is created as a by-product, in August.

CO2 is used in a raft of sectors but particularly in food and drink, including in the slaughter of pigs and chickens, to add fizz to beer and soft drinks, and in packaging foods safely.

There are new fears that gas prices could rise further, or even that supplies will be cut off, leading to further increases in the price of liquid CO2 or a repeat of last years shortage.

Businesses in the food and drink sector are already paying significantly more for energy than even a few months ago.

In the first quarter of 2022, businesses like pubs, farms, and supermarkets paid 71% more for gas than in the first three months of 2021.

Fay Jones, MP for Brecon and Radnorshire and chair of the Farming APPG, said: The price of gas is adding thousands of pounds to families energy bills.

Now, like last autumn, it could affect supplies of CO2 and of fertilisers, and drive up the price of everything from beer to bacon.

Matt Williams, climate and land programme lead at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), said: The UKs reliance on fossil fuels affects more than just families energy bills. It could bring the food and drink system to its knees.

Rising energy costs are creating an extra cost of hundreds of millions of pounds in the food and drink industry that customers may struggle to avoid.

If high gas prices, or even blackouts, force factories to close it could create real problems for farmers and the food and drink industry.
Tory minister Dehenna Davison says she had been surprised by the amount of backbiting among her fellow Conservative MPs.

The levelling-up minister told a conference fringe event she had expected more camaraderie among her colleagues.

Ms Davison, who has been an MP since 2019 and got her first ministerial role under Liz Truss, said stories about her had been leaked by her own side.

Asked what had surprised her most about being an MP, she said: Call this naivety, but just the amount of backbiting among some colleagues, sometimes.

You see things about yourself leaked to the press, half of which is completely made up or fabricated, and you know that its come from your own side.

I expected there to be a little bit more camaraderie than that.

At a Tory conference fringe event, the Bishop Auckland MP said there had been a mixed bag of reaction on the doorsteps in her constituency after Kwasi Kwartengs mini-budget.

I think people recognise that we do need to do things differently, we do need to really do something to get the economy on track really quickly, she said.

So there are people who recognise that and are really pleased about it.

There is nothing immoral about cutting taxes.  Dehenna Davison MP (@DehennaDavison) September 23, 2022

But there are people who are worried about elements of the mini-budget, for sure. I think looking at some of the reports we have seen in the news, its completely understandable.

I think what people need right now above all else is reassurance and knowing that there is a plan. The Government has a plan, this isnt just tax cuts for the sake of tax cuts, its to get the economy growing, and in the medium term we are going to get that debt down, we are going to start getting the public finances under control.

But she insisted that growth is really important and I dont think we should be ashamed of talking about that because the last thing we need is a recession.
A new multi-disciplinary arts group aims to showcase African talent living in Northern Ireland, and aid community cohesion.

The Africa Arts Collective aims to be a platform for artists, from dancers to musicians, to showcase themselves.

Cuthbert Tura Arutura of Africa House NI said the idea came from African artists living in Northern Ireland who felt they were individually unable to make impact and secure a wide range of work.

Cuthbert Tura Arutura (Niall Carson/PA)

He described the impact of the coronavirus pandemic as exasperating their reach.

Mr Arutura said artists want to share their culture with people in Northern Ireland.

We have seen that African and Irish people have a lot of shared experiences and art is a way to express that, he said.

This type of initiative addresses the isolation some arriving in Northern Ireland, and is also another way that people can network.

It is all about empowerment.

On October 5, African and Northern Ireland artists will gather to mark the forming of the group at the Markets Community Centre in Belfast.

Rahim Saphy, an acrobat, dancer and comedian from Tanzania, is the first chairperson of the group.

The Africa Arts Collective will bring joy, vibrancy, colour and inspiration to the local arts scene, he said.
A Cabinet minister has denied claims that Liz Truss ordered the King to stay away from next months Cop27 climate change summit in Egypt amid questions over her Governments commitment to the net-zero target.

Buckingham Palace confirmed that Charles will not be attending the international gathering in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, despite his longstanding and passionate commitment to environmental issues.

The Sunday Times reported that the decision not to go was taken after the Prime Minister raised objections during an audience with the monarch at the Palace last month.

Charles addressed the Cop26 climate change conference in Glasgow last year (Yves Herman/PA)

However, Levelling Up Secretary Simon Clarke said the decision had been mutually agreed by the Government and the Palace, while ministers insisted they remain committed to the target of net-zero emissions by 2050.

Its been clear this is a decision that has been made consensually between the King and the Government, Mr Clarke told Times Radio.

That is a decision that has been made amicably, as far as I am aware, between the Palace and the Government. The suggestions this morning that he was ordered to stay away are simply not true.

Earlier, a No 10 source said it is ridiculous to suggest that the Prime Minister gives orders to the monarch.

Peoples livelihoods are threatened by #climatechange. We need to come #TogetherForImplementation to ramp up #climateaction and ensure no one is left behind. Learn more here: https://t.co/nutnokWkBl#COP27 pic.twitter.com/8FPzrhKgN3  COP27 (@COP27P) September 28, 2022

By convention, all overseas official visits by members of the royal family are undertaken in accordance with advice from the Government.

Before he ascended the throne, there had been speculation, that, as Prince of Wales, Charles would go to Egypt, having addressed the Cop26 summit in Glasgow the previous year.

His elder son, William, the then Duke of Cambridge, also spoke at the event, while the Queen recorded an opening address urging world leaders to take action on climate change.

However, a Government source said the Palace and the Government considered separately and then agreed jointly that there might be more suitable options for Charless first overseas visit as monarch.

Levelling Up Secretary Simon Clarke said the decision that Charles would not go to Egypt was mutually agreed by the Government and Buckingham Palace (Steve Parsons/PA)

Mr Clarke said: I think it is very different when you are the host country for a major event like Cop to have the head of state involved as opposed to the head of state going to what is an event being hosted in Egypt.

It is the normal course of matters that this would be handled by the Government rather than by the monarchy.

Despite not attending the event in person, it is understood that the King still hopes to be able to contribute to the conference in some way.

While Boris Johnson became an enthusiastic advocate for the cause of net zero, Ms Truss is thought to be more sceptical of the green agenda, a suspicion that is likely to be fuelled by the latest disclosure.

Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg has blamed climate alarmism for high energy prices (Victoria Jones/PA)

There was dismay among activists when she appointed Jacob Rees-Mogg  who has blamed climate alarmism for high energy prices  as Business Secretary with overall responsibility for energy policy.

However, Conservative Party chairman Jake Berry told Skys Sophy Ridge on Sunday: The Government remains committed to the net-zero target by 2050.

Mr Clarke added: Net zero is not only the right thing to do ecologically and environmentally, it is the right thing to do economically.

The opportunities of moving to a net-zero economy are absolutely enormous.
CNN commentator and The View co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin denounced former President Trump for comments he made attacking Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.

Trump said on Truth Social on Saturday that McConnell had a death wish for supporting bills that Democrats sponsored and referred to Chao as McConnells China loving wife.

Hes not even trying to hide the racism at this point. Just despicable, Farah Griffin said on Twitter.

Chao was born in Taiwan and served in Trumps Cabinet until she resigned the day after the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

Farah Griffin, who served as Trumps communications director for about nine months in 2020, has fallen out with Trump since leaving the White House and has been critical of him and other Republicans continued support of him.

This isnt some crazy person on the internet, this is the GOP front-runner for President if the Party doesnt wake up & demand better, Farah Griffin said alongside a screenshot of Trumps post.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The rapid exit from Afghanistan a year ago left thousands of interpreters in danger under Taliban rule; they were barred from visas promised to those who helped the United States. (Illustration by Isabel Seliger)

As an expert in explosive device removal, H.S.spent nearly three decades carefully cleaning up land mines and disabling unexploded bombs planted by insurgent groups in Afghanistan.

During the last 12 years of his career, H.S.  whom The Times is identifying by his initials for his safety  worked as an interpreter for U.S. government contractors training Afghan national police and army forces to do his job. A supervisor said his dedication and experience made him irreplaceable.

But H.S. said that in 2020 he failed a counterintelligence screening after mixing up the Western and Afghan calendars when telling an agent the date of a work trip to Pakistan. As a result, H.S. was fired and his application for a U.S. visa was denied in 2021, just a few months before the remaining U.S. troops left his country as the Taliban took power. He spent most of the last year in hiding north of Kabul, the Afghan capital.

I cant continue my life like this, he said. The Taliban, if they find me, they will send me to jail or kill me.

The rapid and disorganized exit from Afghanistan a year ago left many people in danger under Taliban rule. Among them are interpreters like H.S., who refer to themselves as "blacklisted" and say they were unjustly barred from getting visas promised to Afghans who helped the U.S. Advocacy groups such as the International Refugee Assistance Project say thousands have been affected.

The State Department declined to comment on individual cases.

Scott Henkel, right, who served in the U.S. Army, hugs Afghan interpreter Ahmad Siddiqi after he and his family arrived at Denver International Airport in October 2021. Siddiqi and his family plan to resettle in the northwest Denver suburb of Broomfield, Colo., to be near Henkel and his family. (RJ Sangosti / Pool Photo)

The Times interviewed two dozen people about the issue, including interpreters, U.S. supervisors, advocates and lawyers, and reviewed hundreds of pages of internal State Department communications, government reports and visa applications. The interpreters who spoke to The Times said their visa petitions were denied despite receiving positive reviews from their military supervisors. In most cases, the denials came after the interpreters were terminated by the private contracting companies that hired them.

No One Left Behind, a service organization that assists Afghan and Iraqi interpreters, counted 339 killings of special immigrant visa, or SIV, applicants by the Taliban throughout the war until late 2021, though the nonprofit considers it an undercount.

"There is no future for these people in Afghanistan," said Matt Zeller, senior advisor to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America who co-founded No One Left Behind. "Every day that they are not able to get to America is an additional day that the Taliban has to hunt them down."

Special immigrant visas provide green cards to foreign nationals including Afghans under a variety of programs, typically because of their employment with or on behalf of the U.S. government. One requirement is "faithful and valuable service to the U.S. government."

Applicants who have been terminated "for cause" by their employers  for reasons such as failing a counterintelligence screening or for alleged performance issues  are deemed to have not fulfilled the requirement. Security screenings routinely include polygraph tests, though they are considered too unreliable to be admissible in many courts. Interpreters and advocates said the smallest inconsistency could trigger a denial.

Human resources records also might incorrectly classify someone as terminated when the person actually resigned, according to the International Refugee Assistance Project, or IRAP, and other interpreters have been found ineligible if they worked for a company accused of wrongdoing in government contracts.

Afghan passengers board a U.S. Air Force plane during the evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul in August 2021. (Master Sgt. Donald R. Allen / U.S. Air Force)

Though the State Departments internal guidance says that disciplinary action doesnt automatically disqualify an employee and that their record as a whole should be taken into consideration, the agency has "with rare exception" denied applicants who were terminated for cause, according to IRAP. A spokesperson for the agency did not comment on how many of those appeals have been granted.

The first phase in SIV processing is an application for approval from the State Departments Afghanistan chief of mission to verify employment, including a letter from an employers human resources department, a recommendation from a supervisor and a statement about threats received because of the person's work. In a 2020 report, IRAP said the State Department should stop relying solely on HR records from private companies that are often inaccurate or incomplete, and reopen applications when it becomes aware of mistakes or missing evidence.

As of July, there were more than 74,000 principal applicants  not including family members  in the Afghan SIV pipeline, according to the State Department. Applicants have typically waited four years for a decision, though the State Department recently increased staffing. A senior official said about half of those seeking approval are turned down at that point for either not having the right documentation or not being eligible for various reasons.

H.S.' application was rejected for "derogatory" information  defined by the State Department as having engaged in unlawful, unethical, criminal or terrorism-related activity  and a lack of faithful service based on his termination. He wasn't given more details, but he contends that his 12 years collectively working with the U.S. military helped train thousands of Afghan army and police forces in bomb removal techniques, which saved the lives of countless American soldiers.

H.S. used to travel to and from work in civilian clothes to avoid being identified. Now the Taliban recognizes him as a target, he said: Its members have threatened him over the phone and ordered shopkeepers in his neighborhood and the local mosque leader to call them if he is spotted. They also visited his familys home in Kabul, beat his father and accused H.S. of being a spy for the U.S. military, he said. They searched his room and left letters with his father, reviewed by The Times, ordering him to appear for a hearing at a local police department.

In letters of recommendation included in an appeal last year, H.S.' supervisors said he should receive a new security screening or have his SIV application approved. One Air Force reservist who worked with H.S. on a daily basis wrote that he was present the day of his counterintelligence screening and questioned the validity of the decision. H.S. "is a trusted and loyal friend, and I would put my own security clearance on the table to vouch for him, he wrote.

Despite the entreaties from his supporters, H.S.' appeal was denied in December based on his termination. Two of his brothers were granted special immigrant visas years ago and live in Houston. One of them, A.S., whom The Times is identifying by his initials to protect H.S., worked as an interpreter at Ft. Bliss in El Paso, where thousands of evacuated Afghans were temporarily housed. There he learned what federal officials later acknowledged: About half of the 87,000 Afghans who were evacuated to the U.S. dont qualify for SIV and most will need to apply for asylum to remain long term.

"Many of the translators who worked shoulder to shoulder with the U.S. government have been left behind, including my brother," he said.

Gerald Parks, a retired Army command sergeant major andpresident of Parks Global Solutions, a labor and logistics subcontractor, said he had no choice but to fire H.S. after his failed security screening. Parks said he has never been given the reasoning behind any counterintelligence decision.

But he said he trusts that the U.S. government wasnt failing people without reason. He said 300 other former employees who were never terminated are still stuck in Afghanistan and he is trying to help them get out.

Parks said all of his Afghan employees, including H.S., were vouched for by people in positions of power before being hired. In his companys 15 years in Afghanistan, he said, fewer than 20 of his approximately 600 interpreters were terminated because of a failed security screening or other disciplinary action.

My heart goes out a little bit to the guy because he has contacted me several different times, Parks said of H.S., adding that he "needs to go through another way of getting out and getting to the U.S. SIV is not going to get him there, not through me anyway.

Abdul Wahid Forozan, a former interpreter for the U.S. military in Afghanistan, speaks at a rally near the White House in July 2021. With him are Chris Purdy of Human Rights First, left, and Jill Marie Bussey of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. (Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press)

Internal State Department communications received by the International Refugee Assistance Project last year as part of a lawsuit over SIV processing delays shed light on how the agency has handled applications by terminated employees.

In a Feb. 4, 2014, email, Debra Heien, then-consul general of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, said the State Departments Afghanistan chief of mission committee did not investigate the reasoning behind terminations beyond reviewing HR records and recommendation letters. In an email a year later, an SIV manager said applicants who were terminated for cause were historically denied approval. To appeal, the applicant must first "resolve the dispute with their employer."

A few months later, Consul Ian Hillman at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul sought feedback on a draft standard operating procedure for determining "faithful and valuable service." The document explains that special immigrant visas typically require at least 15 years of employment, but because the Afghan program requires only one year, its harder to prove someone met the requirement if their record includes disciplinary actions.

Therefore, applicants who have been terminated from their employment typically do not qualify as having provided faithful and valuable service, the document states.

The issue comes down to whether the applicants had derogatory information associated with their case and whether they were terminated for cause. People who were terminated and later rehired could meet the requirements for special immigrant visas if they work at least another year, the document states.

A State Department spokesperson said that while being terminated for cause was previously grounds for a "fairly automatic" denial, that's no longer the case. But IRAP and other advocates tell The Times they've noticed no changes.

Successful appeals are rare. Applicants must build a strong record of corroborating evidence and get additional recommendations from former supervisors, said Lara Finkbeiner, a pro bono supervising attorney at IRAP. Polygraph or broader counterintelligence screening failures are next to impossible to overcome, she said.

Abdul Nasrat "Lucky" Sultani's application for a special immigrant visa was denied the first time he submitted it. He and his family left Afghanistan in August 2021. (Jose Luis Villegas / For The Times)

In March, Abdul Nasrat Lucky Sultani, 33, submitted his second application with 11 recommendation letters. He made it out of Afghanistan on an evacuation flight on Aug. 24, 2021, with his wife, four children, brother and two sisters.

Sultani's nickname was given to him by U.S. Marines for surviving multiple insurgent attacks while he was employed by Mission Essential,one of the largest companies supplying interpreters in Afghanistan that received billions of dollars in government contracts. Once, he said, the Taliban shot him in the back, breaking two ribs.

After three years as a combat interpreter, he was fired in 2013 because a position was no longer available, according to Mission Essential. Later the military reported him as being security ineligible" based on his counterintelligence screening.

Kristina Messner, a spokeswoman for Mission Essential, said that terminations for security ineligibility took place when the federal government asked the company to fire an employee or when the employee failed a counterintelligence screening.

Abdul Nasrat "Lucky" Sultani eats dinner with, from right, wife Sohila Samadi and his sisters Khurshid, 23, and Tajala, 19, in Sacramento. U.S. forces in Afghanistan nicknamed him Lucky for surviving multiple insurgent attacks. (Jose Luis Villegas / For The Times)

"Even if an employee was terminated, for any reason including security, ME still provides them with a letter to confirm employment," Messner said. "If the reason listed on the letter of employment is disputed by the linguist, we manually review all files on record for that individual thoroughly."

Sultani said that after he and others were questioned about a workplace incident, he was initially told he would be reassigned. According to a recommendation letter he later received from a military supervisor, Lucky had no part in the incident.

But Sultani learned his security clearance had been revoked when he applied for another job working with U.S. troops. He joined the Afghan national army instead.

Before leaving Afghanistan, Sultani said he volunteered with the U.S. government to evacuate more than 160 other vulnerable families. He said the Taliban sent threatening letters and visited his familys home, warning that soon it will be our turn.

Sultani's former military supervisors wrote that he was committed to the U.S. mission and navigated his work with sensitivity. He interpreted in English, Pashto and Dari while his platoon built schools, searched people during raids and worked to cut the opium trade.

Abdul Nasrat "Lucky" Sultani, an Afghan who was an interpreter for the U.S. military, is now living with his family in Sacramento. (Jose Luis Villegas / For The Times)

Former Marine Sgt. Jay Foley said locals would call Sultani to warn about ambushes, which saved countless lives. Foley said he would trust Sultani with his own life then and now.

Denying him a visa is "like not taking care of a veteran at the VA," Foley told The Times. "That dude was [basically] a Marine."

Sultanis lawyer bought a house in Sacramento for him and his family to live in, rent-free. They spent months awaiting processing in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, before landing in California in June. His children started school in September, and Sultani is waiting for his work authorization so he can find a job. For the first time, he feels safe.

On Tuesday, Sultani learned he had received chief of mission approval  the biggest hurdle in his visa application. The moment was a dream come true.

I worked with the Marines and they never forgot about me," he said.

Some interpreters got further along in the SIV process only to have their approval revoked. Thats what happened to M.O., 39, who worked on and off with U.S. forces from 2003 to 2014. M.O., whom The Times is identifying by his initials for his safety, resigned from Mission Essential in 2009 after speaking out about human rights abuses  including killings of unarmed civilians  by the clandestine unit he was working with that were later chronicled by the Guardian and the New York Times.

M.O. said in his SIV application that as he resigned, the supervisor in charge of the unit told him, "If you leave this room I will shut every door on your face." Years later, M.O. learned he had been flagged in a CIA database and was escorted off the military base near Jalalabad where he was working, according to the application.

After the State Department revoked his approval, he submitted a new SIV application last year. But last month the agency said it had no record of his application and asked that he resubmit.

Still in Afghanistan, M.O. said he grew a long beard to blend in and moved with his family 20 times in the last five years. His children are home-schooled and they barely leave their home. Now without a job, he hasn't paid the last four months of rent and said his landlord planned to evict them.

"I spent my whole adult life working for the U.S. military," he said, "and then I was a bad guy."

Other interpreters escaped to countries where they dont have a direct path to citizenship.

U.S. Army veteran Spencer Sullivan, right, and Abdulhaq Sodais, who served as his interpreter in Afghanistan, meet at a park in Bremen, Germany. Sullivan is among scores of U.S. combat veterans working on their own to help evacuate Afghans, like Sodais, who served alongside them. (Peter Dejong / Associated Press)

Abdulhaq Sodais, 31, arrived in Germany in 2018 after seven months of grueling travel with smugglers. He fled Afghanistan after his neighbor, a fellow interpreter, was killed by the Taliban at his home.

Sodais had been rejected for SIV four times after working more than two years collectively for Mission Essential. In 2013, he was terminated for job abandonment  he said he declined to take a dangerous, Taliban-controlled road to return to the base in Zabol.

After he was rehired in 2014, Sodais was fired again in 2016 for poor job performance. The civilian defense contractor who fired him wrote in employment paperwork that he had an incompatible skill set with [the] units mission. Sodais said she falsely accused him of checking his Facebook account at the office. Mission Essential said it has no record of the incident.

Sodais first German asylum claim was rejected. In 2020, depressed and overwhelmed by fear of deportation, he attempted suicide. At a psychiatric hospital, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

U.S. Army veteran Spencer Sullivan, right, flew to Germany to help his Afghan interpreter Abdulhaq Sodais prepare for his asylum hearing. (Peter Dejong / Associated Press)

He messaged his friend, U.S. Army veteran Spencer Sullivan, who vowed to help. Sullivan said he had been racked with guilt after the Taliban killed another interpreter who worked with the platoon he led until 2013.

Sullivan flew to Germany to help Sodais prepare for the asylum hearing. Last year, Sodais' petition was granted. The case will be reviewed in 2025 to determine if he qualifies for a permanent "settlement" permit.

Though Sullivan is happy his friend is safe, he feels powerless to help other Afghans he knows who are still in danger.

Its been a waking nightmare for the last decade," he said. "I have good days and I have really bad days because the weight of it becomes too much sometimes."

Sodais said that feeling abandoned by the U.S. was like a death sentence. Despite that, he would still welcome an opportunity to immigrate to the country he served.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.